SYDNEY (Reuters) – Donald Trump’s second presidency is already more disruptive than his first, Australia’s foreign minister said on Wednesday, although she held hopes the country might still get an exemption when it comes to tariffs.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said there was “no doubt” from Trump’s flurry of executive orders since taking office just over six weeks ago that Australia was dealing with a “very different American administration”.
“President Trump and his administration envisage a very different America in the world,” she said at the Australian Financial Review Business Summit in Sydney.
“We saw that in the first Trump administration, but I think it’s clear that the scale of change in this administration, the second term of the Trump administration is even more so.”
Wong said tariffs had been a major focus for Trump and that Australia was still pushing for an exemption with 25% tariffs on steel and aluminium set to start next week.
“I wouldn’t concede that (we will not get a tariff exemption) … we are still, putting our case very clearly and our case, I think is a strong case,” she said.
She added that the U.S. was Australia’s most important strategic partner and that alliance had endured people, administrations and governments of all political persuasions.
“There will be areas where our position and the U.S. position might differ. That’s always been the case. We have to navigate that sensibly. We have to remember the value of the alliance,” she said.
(Reporting by Christine Chen and Byrone Kaye in Sydney; Editing by Michael Perry)
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