Trump Confirms Meeting With Albanese, Says He Will Flag ABC Reporting Issue

U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed a meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a firm exchange with an editor from Australia’s national broadcaster.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) Foreign Editor John Lyons asked a series of questions to Trump centering on his personal wealth and business dealings, ahead of his visit to the United Kingdom.

Footage shows Lyons asking, “You’re generally regarded as being the wealthiest man who’s ever occupied the White House.” To which Trump quipped, “I hope so.”

Lyons continued, “How much wealthier are you now than when you returned to the White House?”

Trump said, “Well I don’t know. The deals I’ve made for the most part other than what my kids are doing, you know they are running my business. But most of the deals that I’ve made were made before. That’s what I’ve done for a life. I’ve built buildings. ”

Trump then discussed building of the White House ballroom which he said was entirely funded by him at a cost of $250 million.

“Like I’m building a building here, you know what, you see that area, that is going to be the greatest ballroom anywhere in the world,” the U.S. president said.

“So it gives me pleasure to do it for the country. And I’m paying for it. The country’s not—and that’s an expensive ballroom. I think it will cost $250 million. And it will be I think the finest ballroom.

“So for 150 years, John, you know this? They’ve wanted a ballroom. And now they are going to finally have it. And it’s going to knock your socks off.”

The planned ballroom will be one of the biggest changes to the White House in the last 100 years and will cover 90,000 square feet and accommodate up to 900 guests. It will feature gold chandeliers and features akin to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Lyons continued with the same line of questioning, “But is it appropriate, President Trump, that a president in office should be engaged in so much business activity?”

Trump responded again saying, “I’m really not, my kids are running the business.” He then asked, “Where are you from?”

In response, Lyons said, “I’m from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Four Corners program.”

Trump then responded, “Oh OK … You are hurting Australia. In my opinion you are hurting Australia 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 pretty bad tone.”

Trump later told the ABC correspondent to be “quiet” as he tried to ask more questions.

Lyons later told ABC Radio National that Trump only liked the first half of the question, and not the second.

“A lot of the questions now are almost sickeningly grovelling. And so, when you get a vaguely sort of objective question, then you stand out. I thought my questions were legitimate. It’s about holding truth to power,” Lyons said.

“I think all this feeds into President Trump’s sort of war on the media. It was just a perfectly sort of normal thing to do, to ask questions that I don’t think are provocative, I think are fair, are based on research.”

The ABC incident comes ahead of a long sought after meeting between the Australian leader Albanese and Trump.

The Labor government is hoping to make leeway on a number of major issues including tariffs on all Australian exports to the United States, a push from the Trump administration to raise national defence spending, the progress of AUKUS, and even Hollywood film productions Down Under.

Albanese is due to travel to New York for the 80th session United Nations General Assembly in New York from Sept. 23 to 29, 2025.

The event includes a reception to be hosted with U.S. President Trump.

“We’ll see each other in New York. He is hosting a reception on Tuesday night of next week. As well, we’ll see each other at various forums that are taking place between now and the end of the year. It’s summit season,” Albanese told ABC Perth on Sept. 15.