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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 a proclamation 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 US will give a possible exemption ‘great consideration’.
‘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,’ his proclamation 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 with the Prime Minister earlier today by phone.
‘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. They’re rather far away and they need lots of airplanes. We actually have a surplus,’ the President said.
Donald Trump has accused Australia of disregarding his position on 25 per cent tariffs on aluminium and steel
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.
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.
