What most Australians expect from Albanese when he meets Trump

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is being urged to be firm but polite when he meets US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, as the government hopes for a smooth meeting without fireworks.

Albanese flew out of Brisbane on Sunday after spending a week in the island nation of Palau on a break. His televised talks with Trump at the White House are scheduled for Tuesday at 2am (AEDT).

US President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet in the Oval Office on Tuesday.

AUKUS and peace in the Indo-Pacific region were at the top of an agenda released by the government on Sunday. With Australia still subject to steel tariffs and the US demanding more military spending, the government is bracing for the prospect of an argument with the erratic president. However, most in the government expect the event to be warm.

Coalition frontbencher Jonno Duniam said on Sky News that the opposition wanted Albanese to have success but “it’s a terrible indication that here we are, nearly a year on since Donald Trump was elected to the office of president of the United States, and we’re only just now getting this meeting”.

A Resolve Political Monitor survey of 1800 voters showed 48 per cent wanted Albanese to “be polite to Trump but firm in representing Australia’s values”. A quarter of those surveyed urged a more aggressive approach to “tell Trump that Australia is unhappy with his conduct”.

Anthony Albanese captures a selfie with Donald Trump in New York in September.

The proportion who wanted a tougher attitude was bigger than the minority of 13 per cent who wanted to prioritise keeping Trump happy at any cost, reflecting the unpopularity of his agenda among Australians. Despite Trump’s low favourability ratings, a series of polls have shown support for the US alliance remains high.

In a statement released on Sunday, Albanese said: “I look forward to a positive and constructive meeting with president Trump.

“Australia and the United States have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in every major conflict for over a century. Our meeting is an important opportunity to consolidate and strengthen the Australia-United States relationship.”

Albanese and his ministers have been talking up the government’s defence spending and using Australia’s unique supply of critical minerals as leverage to get the Americans on side.

Australian officials including US ambassador Kevin Rudd have been scrambling to lock in a deal to give the US guaranteed access to the minerals required for modern military and green energy products. The salience of the elements has rocketed since China made clear its intent to block supply to the West.

Resources Minister Madeleine King, a long-time champion of Australia’s critical minerals sector, will join Albanese on his US visit.

The AUKUS submarine pact has been the subject of a Pentagon probe for months. Some of Trump’s top lieutenants support the defence project, but Trump has not made public remarks about AUKUS, so the Australian side is keen to secure some sort of guarantee.