While AUKUS is a focus, Michael Koziol says Albanese also comes armed with a goodie bag of critical minerals, new defence spending and superannuation money intended to sate the US president’s desires.
“What have we got to offer? Shitloads,” says Kim Beazley, a former Labor leader, defence minister and ambassador to the US.
But the long-awaited face-to-face encounter has brewed a narrative from some that Australia is on the back foot, losing favour in Washington and fearful of what might transpire in the Oval Office.
Anthony Albanese arrives in Washington, DC.Credit: AAPIMAGE
Publicly, the government is projecting confidence. It is convinced AUKUS will survive Trump’s “America First” review intact, and knows it has a compelling offer to make on critical minerals at a time when the US is desperate to find alternative suppliers to China.
Privately, though, some are anxious about what could happen when Albanese comes face to face with the highly transactional, notoriously impulsive Trump.
Avoiding a “Zelensky moment”, or the humiliation of South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, is a top priority.
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