What the Trump-Starmer meeting tells Albanese about dealing with the US president

“I think you’re trying to find a divide between us that doesn’t exist,” he said. “We’re the closest of nations, and we had very good discussions today, but we didn’t discuss Canada.”

As Starmer was concluding, Trump spoke over the top of him, saying: “That’s enough.” It wasn’t clear if he was trying to shush Starmer or avoid a follow-up question from the reporter, but it made for an awkward moment.

It followed another delicate exchange in the Oval Office when a British journalist asked whether the two men would discuss AUKUS. “What does that mean?” Trump replied. When the Australia-UK-US defence pact was briefly explained to him, Trump said it was indeed something they would discuss, and praised Australia.

Trade may prove Starmer’s biggest win of the day. Trump was optimistic about the possibility of concluding a free trade deal with Britain that would mean no tariffs between the two countries – a process that began when Britain left the European Union during Trump’s first term.

And it was the moment Trump was most effusive in his praise for his counterpart. “He tried,” Trump said of Starmer’s efforts to avoid tariffs. “He was working hard, I’ll tell you that. He earned whatever the hell they pay him over there.”

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Indeed, Trump began the news conference by remarking – jovially – that the British prime minister was “a very tough negotiator … I’m not sure I like that, but that’s OK”.

For all of his sensitivity to criticism and preference for surrounding himself with sycophants, Trump respects toughness at the negotiating table. Like the schoolyard bully, he seizes on weakness and can only be stopped with strength.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull wrote in his memoir about dealing with Trump: “He was typical of more than a few of the billionaires I’ve known … And the one thing I’d learned with bullies is that sucking up to them is precisely the wrong way to go.

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“Like any predator, he can sense fear and weakness from miles away. So, the best way to deal with someone like Trump is to be frank and forthright … stand your ground.”

We know very little of Trump’s recent phone call with Anthony Albanese other than the president found the prime minister to be “a very fine man” who, crucially, ran a trade deficit with the US.

Albanese will have much to take away from Starmer’s face-to-face with the president. Both come from the other side of politics to Trump, but that matters little to a leader who only cares about the transaction, the deal.

The Starmer encounter demonstrated yet again that you can’t always get everything you want, but sometimes you get what you need: respect.