analysis
Albanese's meeting with Trump matters for AUKUS and the role of the US in the Asia-Pacific
Anthony Albanese will meet Donald Trump in Washington next month. (ABC News: Adam Kennedy)
Anthony Albanese finally has an answer to the question he's thoroughly sick of being asked. He will meet Donald Trump at the White House on October 20.
Unless he cancels again, of course. This time, however, the Australian side wisely waited for the White House to announce the meeting.
When the prime minister spoke to the president on the phone three weeks ago, both sides apparently agreed a face-to-face was "necessary".
Loading...A proper sit-down
Sources familiar with the conversation say the White House made it clear they wanted it to be a proper sit-down in the Oval Office, rather than a catch up on the sidelines of a summit, where it could be squeezed or cut altogether, should something come up.
A brief opportunity for a face-to-face meeting did present itself at a reception for leaders in New York, but for weeks the Australian side has been confident a more formal meeting would happen.
It explains why Albanese was so relaxed and even dismissive whenever pressed about it.
The leaders briefly met at a reception on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. (Instagram: @Albomp)
The meeting is necessary and matters. To pretend it's not ignores the reality of Australia's increasing reliance on the US under AUKUS.
Hence, the hair-pulling anxiety of some in the security establishment over how long it's taken.
For the US, Australia matters too. Or at least it should. Australia may not be top of mind for Trump, or even in his mind at all, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
LoadingA laundry list of grievances
If the president's rambling 58-minute address to the United Nations was an insight into his worldview, it was also a reminder of how little Australia occupies his thinking.
To put it mildly, he has a lot of global grievances and had a lot to get off his chest in this lecture to world leaders.
The speech began with the obligatory list of Trump's amazing achievements, before a detour into faulty teleprompters and escalators at the UN. He missed out on a renovation contract for the building years ago and bemoaned the lack of marble flooring ("You walk on terrazzo, did you know that?").
But this was nothing compared to his dim view of the rest of the world.
His attitude was summed up in one line: "I'm really good at this stuff, your countries are going to hell."
Germany, Greece, Austria and Switzerland all came in for criticism for "uncontrolled" migration.
The UK and others copped it for building too many wind and solar farms. Part of the "green energy scam" Trump described as "the greatest con job on the world ever perpetrated".
Brazil was accused of "targeting political critics in the United States".
Venezuelan drug cartels were in the firing line.
China and India were blamed for being "primary funders" of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Noticeably, there was no criticism of Israel over the ongoing crisis in Gaza, and only a relatively mild rebuke for "some" countries moving to recognise Palestinian statehood and delivering a "reward" to Hamas. There was stronger criticism of the UN escalators.
For now, at least, Anthony Albanese has an answer to one pesky question.
No mention of Australia
On all these issues, there was no mention of Australia. Not one.
Trump clearly disagrees with Albanese on Palestine and the reality of climate change, but it's not on the scale of the beef he has with other countries, including some US allies.
The prime minister will need to navigate these differences when he buckles up for his Oval Office meeting. These encounters on Trump's home turf, televised live, can be a wild ride.
He will also need to register a complaint about Trump's tariffs, but not too loudly. The tariffs on Australia, as the government likes to point out, are as low or lower than any other country.
The main purpose of the meeting will be establishing a personal relationship, locking in support for AUKUS and trying to get a sense of how Trump views the ongoing role of the US in the Asia-Pacific region. How far he's willing to go to maintain America's position remains a mystery.
For now, at least, Albanese has an answer to that pesky question. He's finally booked in for a White House meeting.
David Speers is national political lead and host of Insiders, which airs on ABC TV at 9am on Sunday or on iview.