Trump ‘Keen’ on Talks With Albanese, Says Wong, But No Date Set

Returning to Washington, Penny Wong says momentum is building towards a meeting with Trump.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio shakes hands with Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong at the State Department in Washington, DC, on July 1, 2025. Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the Trump administration is eager to lock in a meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, though no date has been confirmed.

Her remarks come amid ongoing criticism from the Opposition over the delay in securing direct talks with the U.S. president.

Wong said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio conveyed the administration’s willingness to reschedule the cancelled meeting.

“The Prime Minister has said we’re very flexible about those arrangements. The president is a very, very busy man,” she said on Sky News from Washington, D.C.

“But I was pleased that Secretary Rubio made clear that they’re keen for a meeting—they want to reschedule it.”

The White House meeting was called off following President Trump’s early departure from the G7 summit, as tensions escalated in the Middle East.

“It was disappointing, as he said, that they had to reschedule because the president had to return [to the U.S.],” Wong added.

She acknowledged the current global focus on the Middle East but maintained Australia remains engaged at the highest levels.

“Obviously, the Middle East has been taking a lot of focus by world leaders, which is understandable,” she said.

Opposition Turns Up the Heat

Deputy Opposition Leader Ted O’Brien criticised the Albanese government for the prolonged delay.

“The Prime Minister needs to establish a meeting with the President, especially as the clock ticks down on President Trump’s reciprocal trade tariffs, which take effect next week,” he told Channel 9.

The Prime Minister has played down the urgency, saying there would be “plenty of opportunities” for a face-to-face discussion later this year.

“We'll see each other a lot in the last months of the year,” Albanese said on July 2, in response to questions about a possible White House meeting.

Wong Defends US Engagement

Wong pushed back against claims that the Australia–US alliance has weakened under Labor, pointing to the fact that this was her second visit to Washington in six months.

“Richard’s been here. Jim Chalmers, the Treasurer, has been here. The Prime Minister’s had three very constructive conversations with the president,” she said.

Wong is in the U.S. capital for the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting with counterparts from India, Japan, and the United States.

“This will be the second Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting within six months, reflecting the importance of our partnership and the strategic circumstances confronting our region and the world,” she said in a statement.

While in Washington, Wong will also hold separate bilateral meetings with India’s S. Jaishankar and Japan’s Minoru Iwaya.