Trump to meet Australia's PM in Washington on 20 October

U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Washington on 20 October, a White House official confirmed on Tuesday.

Albanese, who was reelected as leader of the centre-left Labor government in May, has not yet met Trump. A previous meeting planned during the G7 summit in Canada in June was cancelled when the president left early.

The leaders are expected to discuss several key issues, including the multi-billion-dollar AUKUS initiative with Britain, which aims to provide Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines to counter China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. The project is currently under review by the Pentagon, led by U.S. Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, a known critic of AUKUS. Colby previously stated that submarines are a scarce and critical resource, and U.S. industry cannot produce enough to meet domestic demand.

Colby’s office has indicated the review will be completed during the northern hemisphere autumn. A senior U.S. State Department official said the review involves coordination between the Pentagon, State Department, and other agencies, but the exact timeline remains unclear.

“Ultimately, this is about ensuring that AUKUS benefits America and that the U.S. Government fully supports it,” the official told reporters.

Australia, which has already contributed roughly $1 billion to support the expansion of American submarine shipyards, remains confident that AUKUS will move forward. Under pressure from Washington to increase defence spending, Australia recently announced an additional AU$12 billion ($8 billion) to upgrade a shipyard in Western Australia.

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