The photo Albo waited 246 days for: PM frantically posts grinning selfie with squinting Donald Trump as he FINALLY meets US President
Anthony Albanese has shared a long-awaited selfie with Donald Trump after he finally secured an in-person meeting with the US President.
The Prime Minister met Trump in New York at an evening reception for world leaders attending the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, Australian time.
‘Good to chat with President Donald Trump at US welcome reception for world leaders attending United Nations General Assembly,’ the PM posted.
The selfie garnered massive attention online. It led to a wave of mockery by left-wing figures who questioned why Albanese would share it to his social pages.
‘The world is on fire and our Prime Minister is taking selfies with the guy who lit the match… The second-hand embarrassment I feel for everyone involved in this photo is off the charts,’ journalist Jill Stark wrote.
‘Imagine being this embarrassing,’ author Clementine Ford wrote.
‘Scary s***,’ musicians Lime Cordiale wrote.
Actor Chris Gun poked fun at Trump’s appearance, writing: ‘Loooove Madame Tussauds.’
Anthony Albanese has shared a long-awaited selfie with Donald Trump after he finally secured an in-person meeting with the US President (pictured)
Albanese attended a reception hosted by Trump and First Lady Melania alongside his partner Jodie Haydon (pictured, Albanese and Haydon arriving in New York on Saturday)
Others applauded the meeting with popular real estate agent Gaby McEwan writing: ‘Happy to see this.’
The event at the Lotte New York Palace hotel was hosted by Trump and First Lady Melania Trump and attended by more than 100 world leaders.
It marked the first time Albanese and Trump had successfully met after multiple snubs and failed attempts.
The Australian leader attended the reception, held on Tuesday night US time, alongside his soon-to-be wife, Jodie Haydon.
He and Trump will sit down for a formal meeting on October 20, Albanese confirmed during a press conference on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
The meeting is expected to be a substantial engagement, potentially including an Oval Office audience.
Albanese will return to the US for the second time in a month for the stand-alone trip.
Albanese failed to secure an in-person meeting with Trump during UN General Assembly.
The leaders spoke in-person at a UN General Assembly welcome reception at the Lotte New York Palace hotel on Tuesday night being hosted by Trump and First Lady Melania Trump (pictured)
Albanese (pictured with Penny Wong at the UN) is currently in New York for the UN General-Assembly, where he again failed to lock in a sit-down meeting with Trump
The President instead met with the leaders of Ukraine, Argentina, France, the European Union and several others.
There was speculation of a meeting last weekend, but Trump had to cancel so he could attend conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona.
Some analysts suggested the federal government’s decision to recognise Palestinian statehood may also have contributed to this week’s snub.
Albanese insisted Trump had committed to the October meeting ‘some time ago’.
‘We had another chat about it on the phone, and we’ll have a meeting in Washington DC, on October 20,’ Albanese said.
‘Australia and the US are great partners. I expect it to be very productive.’
Australia’s ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, had earlier told attendees at one of Albanese’s speeches in New York that the meeting was locked in and that Australia was ‘delighted’.
Albanese had planned to meet Trump at the G7 Leaders summit in Canada’s Alberta province in June.
But the plan was scuppered when the US Commander-in-Chief departed to handle the escalating crisis in Iran.
