Following the 40-minute call with Albanese, Trump described the prime minister as a “very fine man”.

Earlier, Albanese said he stressed the benefits of Australia’s trade relationship with the US, set to rise to US$7 billion ($11 billion) over the coming decade, during Tuesday’s call with Trump.

A tariff is a tax imposed when foreign goods are imported into a country, often pushing up the price of a product to cover the extra fee. In contrast, a locally produced product would be levy-free and possibly cheaper.

“The real question is whether Australia is in the best position to weather these global changes. Right now, we aren’t,” she said in a statement.

“Australia has a good story to tell — the US has a trade surplus with us and we have long-standing cultural and military ties between countries, particularly with the significant AUKUS agreement,” he said.

“I want there to be a very clear message to the Trump administration that we don’t believe that this tariff should be put in place and if it remains in place, then I believe it will damage the relationship between the United States and Australia.”