he's in Canada along with Macron, Merz, Carney and Kerr. all waiting restlessly for Trump.
Albanese's rejection of Hegseth's demand that Aus push defence spending rapidly (immediately?) to 3.5% of GDP has exposed him to Trump's wrath. the announcement shortly after Albanese made the response to Hegseth that Trump admin was reviewing the AUKUS deal gives uncertainty for Albanese and imo is a warning that he'll be in the firing line. and AUKUS is on the table.
Albanese has been flippantly rejecting any concerns as he seems to think he can handle Trump. if this is his thought, he'll be sadly mistaken. the review of AUKUS suggests Trump will want to change some of the terms of the contract. He'll want a better deal.
Albanese may be prepared yet when Trump wants a better deal his past behaviour suggests he'll attack Albanese in order to upset his confidence. to weaken Albanese so he can be pressured into a more conformable type of putty.
so this is the test of a real leader. Can Albanese stand up to Sauron's fiery breath? will he melt like wax in the heat? Does he have the "ticker" to strongly represent Aus interests?
for reference,
Jacob Greber writes on this LINK.
