Anthony Albanese calls Trump’s tariff decision ‘not a friendly act’

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stated that his country will not impose reciprocal tariffs on the U.S., despite Donald Trump’s decision to apply a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, including those from close allies like Australia. In February, U.S. President Trump said he would "give great consideration" to exempting Australia from the tariffs, citing the U.S.'s annual trade surplus with the country, following a phone call with Albanese. On Tuesday, March 12, the White House announced that the previously planned 25% tariffs on all imported steel and aluminum produc

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has stated that his country will not impose reciprocal tariffs on the U.S., despite Donald Trump’s decision to apply a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, including those from close allies like Australia. In February, U.S. President Trump said he would "give great consideration" to exempting Australia from the tariffs, citing the U.S.'s annual trade surplus with the country, following a phone call with Albanese. On Tuesday, March 12, the White House announced that the previously planned 25% tariffs on all imported steel and aluminum products would take effect on Wednesday. Prime Minister Albanese criticized the move as "entirely unjustified" and "not a friendly act," emphasizing that it contradicted the longstanding friendship and economic partnership between the two nations. "Tariffs and escalating trade tensions are a form of economic self-harm and a recipe for slower growth and higher inflation. They are paid by consumers," Albanese told reporters. Instead of retaliating, the Australian government continued lobbying U.S. officials for an exemption, though initial efforts were unsuccessful. This is not the first time Australia has had to navigate U.S. trade policies under Trump’s administration. In 2018, under Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Australia successfully secured an exemption from similar tariffs after months of negotiations.