In 2018, a former Australian government obtained an exception from the Trump administration on the grounds that BlueScope, an Australian steel company, employs thousands of people in the United States.
Last month, US President Donald Trump announced that he was thinking about exempting Australia, a free trade partner that has had decades of negative trade with the US, from tariffs.
In 2018, a former Australian government obtained an exception from the Trump administration on the grounds that BlueScope, an Australian steel company, employs thousands of people in the United States.
Albanese declared that he will keep trying to obtain an exception from Australia. It took several months to obtain the 2018 exemption.
No nation, regardless of its connection with the United States, has been given an exemption, as hinted at. “The Trump administration’s decision is completely unjustified,” Albanese stated.
Increased trade tensions and tariffs are a formula for weaker growth and higher inflation, as well as a kind of economic self-harm. The customers pay for them. Australia will not impose reciprocal tariffs on the United States because of this,” Albanese continued.
On Wednesday, the United States formally raised import duties on all steel and aluminum to 25%.
Days after a public spat between Trump and Malcolm Turnbull, the former prime minister of Australia who had obtained the 2018 exemption, the US stated that it would not be exempting Australia.
Trump described Turnbull as a weak and incompetent leader. Turnbull left politics in 2018 after his own government ousted him as prime minister.
Trump posted on social media, “Malcolm Turnbull, the former Prime Minister of Australia who was always leading that wonderful country from ‘behind’, never understood what was going on in China, nor did he have the capacity to do so.”
“I always believed that he was a weak and ineffectual leader, and it’s clear that Australians shared my opinion! Trump went on.
Trump was reacting to Turnbull’s statement that Chinese President Xi Jinping will use the US president’s unstable and unpredictable leadership, which Turnbull made this week in an interview with the US media outlet Bloomberg.
Turnbull told Bloomberg, “I think China will take advantage of Trump massively so.”
In my opinion, President Xi will strive to be the complete opposite of Trump. Trump will be steady where he is erratic. Trump will show respect even while he is being impolite and harsh. Turnbull stated, “Trump will be consistent where he is inconsistent.”
Turnbull continued, “And what that will do is build trust with countries, and there will be many countries that will, you know, look at China on the one hand and Trump on the other, and find China a more attractive partner.”
