For Donald Trump, Anthony Albanese walking into the White House with an USD8.5 billion ($13.1 billion) critical minerals deal could not have come at a better time.
“About a year from now, we’ll have so much … that you won’t know what to do with them,” Trump boasted before signing on the dotted line.
The US president is about to head to Asia, where he will attempt to calm — or leverage — unease caused by his sweeping tariff regime. Sitting alongside Albanese this morning, Trump confirmed a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping will be on his dance card within weeks.
“We have a very good relationship with China, but it’s been probably a little bit like your relationship with China — they try and take advantage,” he told Albanese, who sat impassively.
