Donald Trump fires a fresh shot at Australia over tariffs – and Albo won’t be happy about it: ‘Disregarding’

Donald Trump’s administration has accused Australia of disregarding its past commitments on exports, in a fresh development as he threatens to hit the country with 25 per cent tariffs on aluminium and steel. 

In an executive order signed by the US President in the Oval Office, Mr Trump did not exempt Australia from the forthcoming tariffs – at least, not yet – despite saying the U.S. would give a possible exemption ‘great consideration’. 

But a proclamation attached to this order suggests it is premature to suggest Australia had been given an exemption, arguing American imports from Australia were much higher compared with his first term in the White House.

‘The volume of US imports of primary aluminum from Australia has also surged and in 2024 was approximately 103 percent higher than the average volume for 2015 through 2017,’ it said.

‘Australia has disregarded its verbal commitment to voluntarily restrain its aluminum exports to a reasonable level.’ 

President Trump had earlier hinted Australia could be granted an exemption after he spoke by phone with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier on Tuesday.

‘I told him that that’s something that we’ll give great consideration to,’ Mr Trump said.

Mr Trump also called Mr Albanese a ‘very fine man’, and said that Australia’s trade surplus with United States put the country in a good position.

‘We have a surplus with Australia. One of the few. And the reason is they buy a lot of airplanes,’ the President said. 

‘They’re rather far away and they need lots of airplanes. We actually have a surplus.’

Mr Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday he had made the case for Australia to get an exemption, based on the United States having a trade surplus with Australia. 

‘I presented Australia’s case for an exemption and we agreed on wording to say publicly which is that the US President agreed that an exemption was under consideration in the interests of both of our countries,’ the Prime Minister said.

‘We’ll continue to engage quite clearly, constructively.’

President Trump signed the ‘Adjusting Imports of Steel into The United States’ presidential action on Tuesday, Australian time.

In 2018, Australia was granted an exemption from 25 per cent American tariffs on steel and 10 per cent import taxes on aluminum after then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull pointed out the US had trade surpluses with Australia – where Aussies bought more goods and services from Americans than they bought from us.

Mr Turnbull on Monday night told the ABC’s 7.30 he was able to secure this exemption by standing up to Mr President, during his first term, rather than being obsequious.

‘If we want to be respected, we have to stand up,’ he told host Sarah Ferguson.

‘And there is a tendency, particularly in parts of the media in Australia, to sort of encourage Australian leaders to be sycophantic to the Americans. I mean, it’s exactly the 180-degree reverse of what we should be doing.

‘If we’ve got to win their respect, you win their respect by being true to yourself.’

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said Australia deserved an exemption from the tariffs by virtue of the Americans having a trade surplus with Australia.

‘The simple truth of the matter is, Mr Speaker, that America has a trade surplus with Australia,’ he told Parliament on Tuesday.

‘We import far more from the United States than we export. That’s a key part of American foreign policy and their decisions as it relates to tariffs and quotas going forward.

‘What that means, in simple terms, Mr Speaker, is Australia shouldn’t have Tariffs applied to their steel and aluminium.’

NSW is home to the BlueScope steelmaking plant at Port Kembla in Wollongong and the Tomago Aluminium smelter in Newcastle.