Albanese confirms 'warm' post-election call with Trump
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has confirmed he had a "warm and positive" conversation with US President Donald Trump this morning, following the weekend's crushing election win and congratulatory calls from other fellow heads of state.
Albanese told reporters he had spoken to Trump in a phone call at the Lodge.
"We talked about AUKUS and tariffs, we'll continue to engage, we'll engage with each other on a face-to-face basis at some time in the future," Albanese said.
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. 9News
"But it was very warm - I thank him for reaching out in such a positive way as well."
Earlier, Trump had praised his relationship with Albanese, while admitting he did not know who the prime minister's principal opponent in the weekend election had been.
Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald at the White House, Trump said he was "very friendly" with Albanese.
"I don't know anything about the election other than the man that won, he's very good," he said.
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President Donald Trump speaks with reporters after disembarking Marine One upon arrival on the South Lawn of the White House. AP
Trump said that in their dealings, including a phone call during which Albanese pushed for an Australian exemption on steel tariffs, the prime minister had been "very, very nice to (him)" and "respectful".
"I have no idea who the other person is that ran against him, and, you know, (Albanese and I) have had a very good relationship," he said.
The Herald also reported that Trump said he didn't know whether his presidency had affected the election.
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Albanese celebrated a major election win on Saturday. Alex Ellinghausen
Trump's political career has often been linked to a rise in authoritarian or far-right politics around the world, particularly in the global West.
However, two recent elections, in Canada as well as in Australia, have seen small-l liberal and centre-left governments resoundingly elected in defiance of long-running opinion polls.
Some observers have suggested Trump's actions in his second term, including his global tariff scheme, have put voters off that brand of politics.
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Former opposition leader Peter Dutton, who lost his own seat of Dickson in Saturday's vote, was implicitly likened to Trump during Labor's election campaign.
Dutton did rebuke the US president for his tariffs on Australian goods, but previously had dubbed him a "big thinker".
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