Donald Trump takes aim at ABC journalist as he suggests he'll meet Albanese 'very soon'

Extract from ABC News

By Brad Ryan in Washington DC

• Topic:Foreign Affairs

4 hours ago

Donald Trump indicated he could soon meet with Anthony Albanese as he chastised an ABC reporter. (AP: Alex Brandon)

In short:

US President Donald Trump has responded to a question from the ABC by telling the journalist he was "hurting Australia" and suggesting it would damage relations with the US.

Mr Trump was speaking to reporters at the White House when the ABC's Americas editor, John Lyons, asked him about his business dealings while president.

What's next?

The US president acknowledged the Australian prime minister was coming to the US to see him and suggested a meeting had been planned. Anthony Albanese is travelling to New York for a United Nations summit next week, but details of a meeting with Mr Trump have not been confirmed.

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Donald Trump has criticised the ABC's Americas Editor during an extraordinary exchange at the White House, telling him "you're hurting Australia" and he would tell Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about it.

Washington-based journalist John Lyons had asked the US president several questions about his business dealings, including: "Is it appropriate, President Trump, that a president in office should be engaged in so much business activity?"

"Well, I'm really not," Mr Trump said. "My kids are running the business. You know what the activity — where are you from?"

When Lyons told Mr Trump he was from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Mr Trump replied: "Oh, the Australian — you're hurting Australia.

"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."

Mr Albanese is set to travel to New York for the UN General Assembly next week.

He and Mr Trump have not met since their respective election wins, though Mr Trump's comments suggest a meeting is planned. The ABC has sought clarification from the White House.

The Trump administration later continued the criticism online, using an official White House account to label Lyons a "foreign fake news loser" alongside a Fox News clip from the press conference.

Earlier in the exchange, Lyons asked Mr Trump how much wealthier he was now than when he returned to the White House.

Mr Trump responded: "Well, I don't know if the deals I made, for the most part — other than what my kids are doing, you know, they're running my business — but most of the deals that I've made were made before."

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Amid uncertainty over whether the prime minister will secure his first one-on-one meeting with Donald Trump, the political test is whether his recent defence commitments will be seen as a genuine step-up on capability or a sidestep from American calls to spend more.

He then spoke about a new ballroom planned for the White House, which he said he would pay for personally.

Lyons' questions were part of an investigation by the ABC's Four Corners program into Mr Trump's business activities since his return to the presidency.

Several US media investigations have found Mr Trump's wealth has significantly increased during his time in office. Last week, business publication Forbes published its annual list of America's richest people, which estimated Mr Trump's wealth had grown from $US4.3 billion ($6.4 billion) to $US7.3 billion ($10.9 billion) in a year.

When Lyons attempted to ask a follow-up question, Mr Trump told him: "Quiet."

Efforts to meet

The Australian government has been trying to lock in a bilateral meeting between Mr Albanese and Mr Trump for months.

Marles's meeting with Vance just another example of American derision

Photo shows Richard Marles, JD Vance and Peter Hegseth stand in front of their respective nations'

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A flying trip to the home of US politics ended with Richard Marles grappling with an age-old problem in politics.

Mr Albanese travelled to Canada for a scheduled meeting in June, but it was cancelled when Mr Trump returned to the US earlier than planned, as hostilities flared between Israel and Iran.

At that time, Mr Albanese had said wanted to discuss US tariffs on Australian products and the AUKUS security partnership, which is now being reviewed by the Pentagon.

They have spoken on the phone four times since Mr Trump's re-election, according to the prime minister.

Earlier this month, Mr Albanese said the pair had had a "warm and constructive" conversation about trade and economic growth, critical minerals and the two nations' shared security interests.