The ABC has reportedly been barred from attending Donald Trump‘s press conference in London after one of the broadcaster’s star reporters asked the US President difficult questions.
John Lyons, the national broadcaster’s newly-minted Americas editor, was accused by Trump of ‘Harming Australia’ after he asked the US President about his business dealings when in office ahead of a scheduled trip to the UK.
The ABC’s London bureau was told that its accreditation to attend a press conference between Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer had been rescinded for ‘capacity reasons’, according to The Guardian.
The Daily Mail approached the ABC for comment.
Lyons earned Trump’s ire on Tuesday when he asked him about his private business dealings since resuming office for his second term.
This prompted Trump to wax lyrical on his plans for a new White House State Ballroom, which he is helping fund.
‘But is it appropriate, President Trump, that a president in office should be engaged in so much business activity?’ Lyons asked.
Trump addressed the reporter as ‘John’ before he answered: ‘Well, I’m really not, my kids are running the businesses’.
The ABC has reportedly been barred from attending Donald Trump ‘s press conference in London after one of the broadcaster’s star reporters, John Lyons (pictured), asked the US President difficult questions
He then asked: ‘Where are you from?’
‘I’m from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, with the Four Corners program,’ Lyons answered.
Trump’s demeanor appeared to shift: ‘In my opinion, you are hurting Australia very much right now 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 him about you, you set a very bad tone.’
The interaction comes ahead of the long-awaited meeting between the Australian Prime Minister and President Trump.
Albanese will fly to New York this weekend for the UN General Assembly where he hopes to secure his first face-to-face meeting with the US President.
He will have three days next week to meet with the President since Trump will be attending the funeral of activist Charlie Kirk in Arizona on Sunday.
Trump’s acknowledgement that the pair would meet during the exchange with Lyons is the strongest signal the meeting will indeed go ahead.
The pair are expected to meet either on the sidelines of the UN meeting in New York or at the White House, before Albanese then travels on to London for a meeting with the UK Prime Minister.
Lyons was appointed Americas editor at the ABC in March after serving as the broadcaster’s global affairs editor.
