Donald Trump labels Anthony Albanese a ‘good man’ after phone call

Donald Trump has labelled Anthony Albanese a “good man” when asked about the Australian Prime Minister following a call between the pair.

The two leaders spoke on the phone late last week, their fourth conversation, but are yet to lock in a new date for a face-to-face meeting.

The President was asked about that phone call as he got onto his helicopter to depart the White House overnight.

“He’s a good man,” he said in reply.

The Australian side said after the call that Mr Albanese and Mr Trump had discussed economic cooperation, trade, critical minerals and the importance of shared security interests.

Mr Albanese told reporters in Cairns on Friday that he’d always had “respectful relations” with Mr Trump.

“We have had four discussions that have been really warm,” he said.

“I look forward to continuing to engage with the United States. We’ve engaged as well with his administration.

“Their relationship with the United States is an important one.”

Mr Albanese is seeking to line up a meeting with the President when he travels to New York for the United Nations General Assembly the week after next.

Both the Prime Minister and the President are due to address the international gathering.

The pair had a meeting scheduled on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in Canada in June but Mr Trump cancelled it to return to Washington and deal with the Israel-Iran conflict that flared up at that time.

Tensions have arisen in the longstanding Australia-US relationship over Mr Trump’s tariffs and ongoing uncertainty around the commitment to the AUKUS Defence pact.