Awkward moment Donald Trump confronts Kevin Rudd during White House meeting with Anthony Albanese – after the PM signs critical minerals deal and gets AUKUS assurance

The US President has met with Anthony Albanese at the White House, and in true Trump style, it didn’t go quite as planned.

Trump lost his cool when he found out that Australia’s Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd, who was also welcomed to the White House as part of the Australian delegation, was critical of him before taking the job.

In what was otherwise a friendly meeting, Trump got curt with Rudd at the formal talks when he found out that he had said ‘bad’ things about him.

Asked if he had any concerns with Albanese’s administration, including Rudd’s past comments, Trump said, ‘I don’t know anything about him.

If you say bad, then maybe he’d like to apologise. I really don’t know.”Did an ambassador say something bad?’

Trump questioned as he turned to Albanese sitting beside him in the Cabinet Room.’Don’t tell me, I don’t want to know,’ he joked, as Albanese acknowledged that Rudd did.

Trump then snapped: ‘Where is he? Is he still working for you?’

Albanese nodded and pointed across the table at Rudd, prompting laughs from those in the room.

Trump then asked Rudd if he said ‘bad’ things about him.

‘Before I took this position, Mr President,’ Rudd said.

‘I don’t like you either, and I probably never will,’ Trump shot back.

In 2020, Rudd stated on social media that he considered Trump the ‘most destructive’ president in US history.

He deleted those comments in November 2024 after Trump’s election win, explaining it was ‘out of respect’ for the office of the president.

The White House meeting is the first time the leaders have held formal bilateral talks, and is the sixth time Albanese has spoken with Trump since he was re-elected in November.

The two were meant to meet for the first time on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada in June – but Trump had to depart early due to rising tensions between Israel and Iran.

While they had a brief encounter at the welcome reception for world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month, this marks the first time the two have sat down for a dedicated bilateral meeting.

Albanese was joined by Resources Minister Madeleine King and Industry Minister Tim Ayres.

On the US side of the table, Trump had Vice President JD Vance, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Mr Phelan.

The Prime Minister also went into the meeting hoping to gain assurances the US would not sever ties with the AUKUS agreement, which would give Australia nuclear submarines.

The more than $300 billion trilateral agreement had been under review by the US Defense Department to ensure it aligned with the ‘America first’ agenda of Trump’s administration.

Trump said that AUKUS was ‘moving along rapidly’, and confirmed that Australia would get submarines under the agreement.

Secretary of the Navy John Phelan said the US and Australia’s military partnership was important, especially for America to ‘project power into the Indo-Pacific’.

He said AUKUS was being worked on to ‘clarify ambiguity’.

‘We’re looking at the AUKUS relationship and making it better for (the countries involved),’ Mr Phelan said during the meeting.

At the start of the meeting, Trump and Albanese signed the framework of a critical minerals deal, which the US could use to help combat China.

‘We got it done just in time for the visit,’ Trump said.’And we work together very much on rare earths, critical minerals and lots of other things, and we’ve had a very good relationship. We’ve been working on that for quite a while.’

Albanese said the minerals deal would take the US-Australia relationship to ‘the next level’. The Prime Minister is also hoping the deal can be used as leverage in any tariff negotiations with the US.’

This is an $8.5 billion pipeline that we have ready to go,’ Mr Albanese said while signing a deal that Trump added had been negotiated over a period of four or five months.

The agreement involved the processing of minerals, the leaders said.

Critical minerals and rare earths have become a significant issue in the US-China trade war. Beijing has put strict rules on their exports, which has angered Trump.

Albanese has also been critical of Trump in the past – but it was all pleasantries when they met face-to-face overnight as the Prime Minister described the two countries as ‘great friends and great allies’, and complimented the US President for his foreign policy initiatives.

He said Trump’s work in the Middle East, which led to the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and remaining Israeli hostages being released, was an ‘extraordinary achievement’.

The President told reporters gathered for pictures of the arrival that he hopes to accomplish ‘a lot’ with Albanese and said his message to the Australian people is: ‘We love them.’

Trump praised Albanese for doing a ‘fantastic job’, and said ‘I hear you’re very popular today’.’It’s a great honour to have you as my friend,’ Mr Trump said.

‘It’s a great honour to have you in the United States of America.’Albanese invited Trump to come to Australia, which the President said he will ‘seriously consider.’