Andrew Bolt: Albanese’s happy snaps can’t hide the dangers of Donald Trump’s G7 snub

The US president’s decision to leave Anthony Albanese dressed up and dateless at the G7 summit could have serious consequences for Australia.

Look, give Anthony Albanese a break. Like his office said, it was “understandable” that Donald Trump cancelled their first-ever meeting without warning or apology.

In fact, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles insisted it was even “perfectly understandable” for the US president to cut short his stay at the G7 in Canada and scoot back to Washington, leaving Albanese all dressed up and dateless.

I mean, think this through. Trump was already grizzling that the summit didn’t include the big boys he likes to mix with – the hard men who rule Russia and China.

Besides, there was a new Middle East war he was suddenly keen to join, so off he flew – with Albanese none the wiser until he read a post on X by Trump’s spokesman that the eagle had flown.

But, like they say, totally understandable. Which is the worry.

Again, imagine. Trump’s secretary tells him, but Mr President, you did agree to finally see Australia’s prime minister for 20 minutes. He’s desperate for two favours – that you excuse Australia your tariffs, and sell it three of our nuclear subs under the AUKUS deal. Surely you can squeeze him in before dinner, or let him fly back with you, to chat on the way?

Mr Albanese embraces Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Picture: Darryl Dyck.

Mr Albanese shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Picture: JIJI Press

But then Trump checks his briefing notes for “Albanese, Anthony” and sees Albanese was warned by the US three weeks ago to urgently pay much more for Australia’s own defence.

And Albanese refused.

Now, Trump reads, Albanese refuses to back Israel’s attack on Iran’s secret nuclear weapons sites, when Trump himself is sending warships and planes to help.

So, yes, it’s “understandable” for Trump to give this “ally” another miss, and to not even ring to say “sorry”, and “let’s catch up later”.

Albanese has responded to this snub in two ways.

One is just comical. Sensitive about being stood up by Trump, Albanese flooded his X account on Tuesday with pictures and videos of himself meeting other VIPs in Canada.

There’s a shot of Albo with Canada’s prime minister, and another of him with its sulky governor-general. Oh, here he’s chatting with the United Nations’ insufferable boss, hugging Ukraine’s president and walking with France’s.

Albo with Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney. Picture: Adrian Wyld

Mr Albanese flooded his X account on Tuesday with pictures and videos of himself meeting other VIPs, including Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Picture: Stefan Rousseau

All those pictures! There’s more of Albo with the leaders of Japan, India, Britain, Germany, South Africa and NATO, plus talking to three of Trump’s economic chiefs.

And at a press conference that evening, Albanese listed others he’d met that day but had unaccountably failed to put in his picture album: Italy’s prime minister and the presidents of Mexico, the European Commission and the European Council.

So there. Not a wasted trip. And look how popular he is! Forget Trump.

But Albanese’s other spinning of his embarrassment is less funny.

He played down any danger that Trump would refuse to sell us the three nuclear submarines we’re desperately counting on to replace our ageing diesel submarines.

Never mind that this was precisely the issue he’d planned to raise with Trump, now that a US Under Secretary of Defence is reviewing that deal, saying he’s worried that the US doesn’t have enough nuclear submarines for its own defence against China.

Truth is, that deal is in trouble – and so is Australia.

US President Donald Trump cut short his stay at the G7 in Canada. Picture: Suzanne Plunkett

Ominously, and not reported here, John Phelan, the US Secretary of Navy, last week confirmed to the House Armed Services Committee that selling Australia submarines may be a luxury America cannot afford.

Phelan said he was a big fan of AUKUS, but all the US navy’s shipbuilding plans were “behind schedule and over budget”, just when the US was desperate to keep ahead of China’s navy, which now boasts about 400 ships compared to America’s 293.

“Submarines are our critical asymmetric advantage,” Phelan said.

“My immediate concern as Secretary of the Navy is to improve our submarine production rate and our maintenance throughput so that we can make sure that we are meeting all of our commitments, our internal commitments and then any future AUKUS commitments.”

But, he warned: “I need to do that without making sure we’re sacrificing any combat capability for the combatant commanders that we need in the Western Pacific.”

Sure, it may all work out in the end, as many experts claim. But the Pentagon will now hold its month-long review without our Prime Minister having even one discussion with Trump to plead our case.

No album full of happy snaps from Canada can hide our danger – or the failure of our prime minister to be a leader Trump treats with respect.

Originally published as Andrew Bolt: Albanese’s happy snaps can’t hide the dangers of Donald Trump’s G7 snub