During a state visit to the United Kingdom, President Donald Trump clashed with Australian journalist John Lyons of ABC after Lyons pressed him on his business deals since returning to the White House in January. Lyons asked how much wealthier Trump had become, and Trump replied, "I don't know," adding that his children run the businesses. He said he would tell Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about Lyons, telling him, "you set a very bad tone."
ABC said there was no longer space for it to attend a joint news conference with Trump and Sir Keir Starmer at Chequers. The network said it remained accredited to attend the prime minister's country residence, where Trump was meeting Starmer, but there was no spot for the joint press conference due to logistical reasons. The ABC stressed there was no indication the change was connected to Lyons' questions. During the exchange, Trump lifted a finger to his lips and whispered "quiet" before moving to speak with another journalist.
Trump said he would meet Albanese "very soon" and added, "I'm going to tell him about you." Albanese has been seeking a meeting with Trump for months; the talks were cancelled at the last minute when Trump left the G20 summit early to deal with the war in the Middle East. Albanese, who will be in New York for the United Nations General Assembly next week, has said they would see each other at a reception and at various forums during the year.
Relations between the United States and Australia have grown strained in recent months as Washington reviews Aukus, the 2021 submarine deal among the three countries. The pact, valued at about £176 billion ($239 billion; A$368 billion), has been a focal point of tensions as Canberra pushed for closer security and trade alignment with Washington. Australia also faced a tariff of at least 10% on exports to the United States in April, which Albanese called not the act of a friend.
Lyons said the questions were fair and not provocative, describing the moment as part of ABC's Four Corners reporting into Trump’s business dealings since returning to office. The Four Corners program is examining Trump’s business ties and use of family entities since the White House return, according to the notes accompanying this report.
Shortly after the exchange, a White House post featuring the clip portrayed Trump as having shut down a hostile line of questioning, captioning the moment as Trump "smacks down a rude foreign Fake News loser". The post drew widespread attention online and underscored ongoing tensions over media access and coverage during Trump’s overseas engagements.