Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will finally meet US President Donald Trump face-to-face in the Oval Office. The pair are expected to discuss AUKUS and a critical minerals deal.

Canberra

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is traveling to the United States for an official meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House. The leaders have previously spoken by phone and met briefly in New York, but this marks their first formal sit-down after earlier scheduling delays.

Key topics for discussion include the Orca submarine deal, which remains under review by the Pentagon, as well as tariffs on Australian exports such as aluminium and steel. Albanese is expected to highlight Australia's ability to supply critical minerals, particularly as global supply chains face uncertainty. Other issues on the agenda include climate policy differences and Australia's pharmaceutical benefits scheme, making this a high-stakes meeting for the Prime Minister.

Albanese to finally meet with Trump at White House

The Prime Minister is embarking on his trip for his highly anticipated meeting with US President Donald Trump. It's scheduled for Monday at the White House, which makes it the early hours of Tuesday morning back here at home. There have been a few false starts to this official sit down between the leaders. Anthony Albanese was stood up in July, but the pair have spoken on the phone four times and had a friendly encounter in New York just three weeks ago. There's a certain unpredictability to an Oval Office meeting. It makes for good theatre, but it's also a risk for Anthony Albanese. He goes into this meeting confident about the Orca submarine deal, but that is the main game. Getting a sign that the deal will remain intact because it's still under review by the Pentagon. Tariffs will be discussed, even though Australia has got the best deal at 10%, so there's not expected to be much movement on that. But for aluminium and steel, the tariff is higher at 50%. The Prime Minister does have something to bargain with, critical minerals. Australia can guarantee a supply when China is threatening to limit exports and China dominates this industry. Critical minerals are used for anything from a mobile phone to defence equipment. So the United States needs them, but any deal would have to include the processing aspect of the minerals as well. There are some potential flashpoints as well. The two leaders have very different views on climate change and renewable energy. There's also Australia's market controlling pharmaceutical benefits scheme. So the stakes are high for Anthony Albanese in this meeting because he doesn't want to leave Washington DC after having a bad meeting.

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