Federal election 2025: Who is the better Prime Minister to fight Donald Trump? Albanese and Dutton butt heads

Peter Dutton is willing to fight directly with US President Donald Trump if it’s in Australia’s interests, as the Republican’s imminent “Liberation Day” casts a long shadow over the election campaign.

The day before the details of Mr Trump’s reciprocal tariffs were set to be announced and enforced, the Opposition Leader said he wouldn’t shy away from having “a fight with Donald Trump, or any other world leader” if need be.

“I’ll put the Americans on notice and anyone else who seeks to act against our national interest,” Mr Dutton told Sky News.

He said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese didn’t have the “strength or the backbone or the will” to stand up for Australia’s interests to the President, meaning Mr Trump has “been able to stand all over” Australia.

“I’m not going to allow the President of the United States or the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, or anyone else, to walk over me or to walk over our country but at the moment they see a Prime Minister who is weak and flapping in the breeze, and that’s why Donald Trump has been able to stand all over Anthony Albanese now,” Mr Dutton said.

“I won’t stand for that, and the Prime Minister doesn’t have the capacity to stand up for our national interests or for our national security and the last three years have demonstrated that.”

Mr Dutton’s comments, which follow the Opposition Leader’s insistence in recent weeks he could strike a deal with Mr Trump to overturn tariffs imposed on steel and aluminum, comes as the Trump Administration prepares to slap imposts on imports from 7am Australian eastern time Thursday.

However, the Prime Minister has not ruled out taking the US to the World Trade Organisation regarding the potential tariffs set to be revealed by Mr Trump on Thursday.

Despite being unable to secure a phone call with Mr Trump to personally plead Australia’s case, Mr Albanese told reporters from the campaign trail that “we’re prepared for all possibilities going forward” after he was asked if his Government was “prepared to take the United States to the WTO”.

“I don’t want to pre-empt the decision that’s made by the United States in the coming period,” Mr Albanese told reporters in Burnie, Tasmania on Wednesday.

“What I can say is that, we’re prepared for all possibilities going forward.

“I repeat what I’ve said before, which is that tariffs are an act of economic self-harm.

“It increases the costs for buyers in the United States of America.”

He said, however, the United States represented under five per cent of our exports, but Australia was worried any of Trump’s changes to other nation’s trading links would “diminish global growth” as a whole.

Mr Albanese’s attempts to negotiate with Mr Trump were also mocked by Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie who said the PM would “be the guy hiding in the toilets” during a bar fight.

“This guy cannot pick up the phone to the President,” she told the Australian Financial Review.

Ms McKenzie also criticised Australia’s Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd’s suitability for the role given his previous clashes with Mr Trump.

Mr Albanese took aim at Mr Dutton’s comments, claiming his Coalition rival was out of his depth with “no international relations experience” and was more interested in always “dialing things up to 11”.

“He thinks this is a contest of who can say the most aggro things. It’s not,” Mr Albanese said.

“It’s not the way that diplomacy works. It’s not the way that engagement in international relations works.

Mr Albanese said he had international experience before becoming PM, which Mr Dutton lacked.

“Going to the international transport forum meetings, going to the international maritime organisation, negotiating air services agreements around the world. I benefited from that,” he said at a press conference.

“So, I came to it with experience there.

“Peter Dutton, if he does do what he says he wants to do, he’s measured up the curtains at Kirribilli, we know he wants to move there with Sydney Harbour views, working from home, where he denigrates other Australians working from home, if he gets that opportunity, he’ll find that walking in and blustering isn’t a substitute for actually engaging in a constructive way.”

When asked if if there were security implications to the WTO move, Mr Albanese later told ABC Radio that “we’re not picking a fight with anyone”.

“What we’re doing is supporting our US free trade agreement that says that goods and services between our two nations should be tariff free.

“That’s what we’re doing, supporting our agreement, holding to our word, standing up for Australia’s national interest, and calling for the United States not only to stand up for that agreement, but to stand up to their own interests as well,” Mr Albanese said.

“I’m not pre-empting the decision and announcement that may be made at 7am tomorrow.

“We’ve seen some level of unpredictability in the decision making process in the United States will await that decision, and then we’ll have a calm, considered, calibrated response, which is in Australia’s national interest.”

Mr Dutton ridiculed Mr Albanese’s experience, saying it was “farcical” to present attending a conference in Europe had given him international credence.

“I have been very clear that my job as prime minister would be to stand up for our national interests, and I don’t care whether it is president trump or any other world leader, my job is to stand up for Australians and I have the strength and leadership to be able to do that,” Mr Dutton said at a press conference in the outer Melbourne suburb of Donnybrook, in the electorate of McEwan, on Wednesday morning.

Trade minister Don Farrell has reportedly briefed trade groups to expect tariffs of up to 20 per cent to come into effect from Thursday. Officials aren’t yet sure how far reaching the tariffs will be.

Mr Albanese, who has said he won’t negotiate on Australia’s bio security or cheap medicines scheme, said there were daily discussions occurring to plead Australia’s case with the administration.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia was focusing on “diversifying where we export and where we trade to”.

Mr Albanese said if the administration forges ahead with what he calls an act of “economic self-harm”, Australia is ready.

“We are certainly prepared tomorrow for whatever outcome is determined. And you’ll see that tomorrow,” he said.