US President Donald Trump’s chief trade adviser has claimed that Australia is severely impacting the American aluminium market. This statement could hinder Australia’s attempts to secure an exemption from the 25% import tariffs. The comments came during a press conference following a conversation between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Trump.
Albanese noted that Trump had shown willingness to consider a potential exemption, despite Trump’s earlier pronouncement that there would be “no exceptions” on tariffs. Trump, while describing Albanese as a “very fine man,” later faced pushback from trade adviser Peter Navarro, who alleged that Australia was “killing” the US aluminium industry by flooding the market.
Navarro highlighted that the US aluminium sector is currently operating at only 50% capacity, in stark contrast to Australia’s 90%. He noted a significant rise in aluminium imports from Australia, which have increased by over 100% since 2024 compared to the 2015-2017 average. He accused Australia of failing to adhere to its verbal commitment to limit aluminium exports to the US, further complicating the trade relationship between the two nations.