Donald Trump takes aim at ABC journalist as he suggests he'll meet Albanese 'very soon'
In short:
US President Donald Trump has responded to a question from the ABC by telling the journalist he is "hurting Australia" and suggesting it will damage relations with the US.
Mr Trump was speaking to reporters at the White House when the ABC's Americas editor, John Lyons, asked the president about his business dealings while in office.
What's next?
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is travelling to the US for a UN meeting next week. Mr Trump told Lyons: "I'm going to tell him about you," the president's clearest indication to date that the two leaders will meet.
Donald Trump has criticised the ABC's Americas editor during an extraordinary exchange at the White House, telling him, "You're hurting Australia," and he will tell Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about it.
Washington-based journalist John Lyons had asked the US president several questions about his business dealings, including: "Is it appropriate, President Trump, that a president in office should be engaged in so much business activity?"
"Well, I'm really not," Mr Trump said. "My kids are running the business. You know what the activity — where are you from?"
When Lyons told Mr Trump he was from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Mr Trump replied: "Oh, the Australian — you're hurting Australia.
"In my opinion, you are hurting Australia very much right now, and they want to get along with me.
"You know, your leader is coming over to see me very soon. I'm going to tell him about you. You set a very bad tone."
When Lyons attempted to ask a follow-up question, Mr Trump told him: "Quiet."
Loading...Mr Albanese is set to travel to New York for the UN General Assembly next week, and has indicated he hopes to meet Mr Trump while in the US.
He and Mr Trump have not met since their respective election wins, though Mr Trump's comments suggest a meeting is planned. The ABC has sought clarification from the White House and the Prime Minister's Office.
The Trump administration later continued the criticism online, using an official White House account to label Lyons a "foreign fake news loser" alongside a Fox News clip from the press conference.
The office of California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, also tweeted the clip and wrote: "Why is Donald Trump threatening journalists? Our allies deserve respect, not intimidation."
Earlier in the exchange, Lyons asked Mr Trump how much wealthier he was now than when he returned to the White House.
Mr Trump responded: "Well, I don't know if the deals I made, for the most part — other than what my kids are doing, you know, they're running my business — but most of the deals that I've made were made before."
He then spoke about a new ballroom planned for the White House, which he said he would pay for personally.
Lyons's questions were part of an investigation by the ABC's Four Corners program into Mr Trump's business activities since his return to the presidency.
Several US media investigations have found Mr Trump's wealth has significantly increased during his time in office. Last week, business publication Forbes published its annual list of America's richest people, which estimated Mr Trump's wealth had grown from $US4.3 billion ($6.4 billion) to $US7.3 billion in a year.
ABC News director Justin Stevens said Lyons had the broadcaster's full support.
"John Lyons is a highly awarded journalist and one of the most experienced and respected reporters in Australia," Mr Stevens said.
"His job is to ask questions."
Donald Trump indicated he could soon meet with Anthony Albanese as he chastised an ABC reporter. (AP: Alex Brandon)
Efforts to meet
The Australian government has been trying to lock in a bilateral meeting between Mr Albanese and Mr Trump for months.
Mr Albanese travelled to Canada for a scheduled meeting in June, but the meeting was cancelled when Mr Trump returned to the US earlier than planned, as hostilities flared between Israel and Iran.
At that time, Mr Albanese said he wanted to discuss US tariffs on Australian products and the AUKUS security partnership, which is now being reviewed by the Pentagon. The US says the review is designed to ensure the Australia-UK-US pact aligns with Mr Trump's "America First" agenda.
The two leaders have spoken on the phone four times since Mr Trump's re-election, according to the prime minister.
Earlier this month, Mr Albanese said the pair had had a "warm and constructive" conversation about trade and economic growth, critical minerals and the two nations' shared security interests.
Mr Trump later briefly responded to a question about the call by describing Mr Albanese as a "good man".
Last month, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles visited Washington to meet US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has been publicly pressuring Australia to significantly lift defence spending.
After they met, the US Department of Defense responded to journalists' questions with an emailed statement, attributed to an unnamed official, that said: "We can confirm there was not a meeting. It was a happenstance encounter."
The opposition and the Greens both said the US was treating Australia with contempt. But the Pentagon's chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, later followed up with a more positive statement, saying Mr Hegseth "welcomed the opportunity" to meet Mr Marles, and "their meeting … was co-ordinated in advance".