SNUBBED AGAIN: Trump ghosts Aussie PM for a second time amid rising tensions
U.S. President Donald Trump’s refusal to meet Anthony Albanese in New York has sparked warnings of a growing diplomatic rift.
Donald Trump is "sending Anthony Albanese a message" after again declining to meet the Australian Prime Minister during high-level talks in New York, heightening concerns over the government’s relationship with Washington.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed President Trump will instead hold bilateral meetings this week with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen. The US leader will also sit down with Argentina’s President Javier Milei, as well as leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.
According to President Trump’s current schedule, Albanese has missed out on securing a bilateral meeting with the U.S. leader while in New York. Geopolitical analysts have said Trump is “clearly sending Anthony Albanese a message” which could be traced back to the election campaign.
The leader of the free world, President Donald Trump, the President of our main defence partner the USA, is meeting everyone but Albanese.
— Matthew Camenzuli (@Matt_Camenzuli) September 22, 2025
We have the world's worst leadership.
Albanese is an embarrassment.pic.twitter.com/dI2k7bulLQ
Shadow foreign affairs minister Michaelia Cash said the Prime Minister had "failed to prioritise Australia's alliance with the United States" and his inability to secure a meeting with the President almost a year after his election was the "sad result". Cash urged Albanese to lock in talks in the coming days, calling the absence of a meeting a "failure of planning and diplomacy".
"There are urgent issues including AUKUS, trade and tariffs, the Quad, Five Eyes, and the war in Ukraine that demand a proper bilateral meeting," Cash said.
Hahaha, this is a little awkward!! Anthony Albanese is a massive joke! The US is one of our greatest allies and once again our PM is snubbed! I’ve never recollected this ever happening! pic.twitter.com/swcuUDJfpd
— katy 🌸 (@KatyKray73) September 22, 2025
Liberal senator Andrew Bragg said Australia was being treated like a “piece of dirt” by the Trump administration after former prime minister Kevin Rudd was appointed as ambassador to the United States in 2023.
“I think it’s very embarrassing. I mean, Australia is being treated like a piece of dirt by this administration,” Bragg told Nine’s Today on Tuesday. “I think that perhaps sending Mr Rudd was actually not in Australia’s interests, and also the way that Mr Albanese has conducted his diplomacy, he’s also been a disaster. I mean, where we’re being punished, frankly, and it’s now very embarrassing."
