The Albanese government’s inability to secure an exemption from Donald Trump’s 25 per cent tariff on steel and aluminium imports into the United States is a disappointment. But it is no great diplomatic defeat for Labor even though it has failed to secure the same carve-out the Turnbull government negotiated in 2018.

This outcome is mostly a reflection of the fact that the second Trump White House is a different beast due to the personnel flanking the US President. During his first term, experienced appointees in senior positions tempered Trump’s worst instincts and decisions. But this time around, the administration is stocked with enablers of Trump’s “America First” agenda which prioritises short-term US economic interests, national security, and sovereignty.