“PM Noncommittal on Meeting Trump: Adopt a ‘Wait and See’ Approach”

Speaking on Today, Albanese said “we’ll wait and see” when asked where there was a guarantee he and Trump would meet in the coming days.

“It’s a busy time here,” Albanese said.

“I’ll be seeing (Trump) tomorrrow night at the event that he is hosting that I’ve been invited to,” Albanese said.

“We will sit down at some stage and have a face-to-face meeting.”

Albanese said his opening line would be “pleased to meet you”, which he was sure would be “returned”.

“I engage in the same way that I engage with you from time to time, you know, that’s the way that Australians relate to other people, whether they be people on the street or people who are world leaders,” Albanese said.

“We engage, we’re friendly, we say what we think, but we also stand up for our national interest.”

“The Australians. You’re hurting Australia, right? In my opinion, you are hurting Australia very much right now,” Trump told ABC reporter John Lyons.

“And they want to get along with me. You know, your leader is coming over to see me very soon. I’m going to tell them about you. You set a very bad tone.”

Albanese has had multiple phone calls with Trump, who has been warm in his descriptions of the Australian leader.

But their only previously scheduled face-to-face meeting, on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in Canada in June, was scuttled when Trump departed the conference early to return to the White House, shortly before the US executed an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites.