During that exchange, Mr Trump had said that Mr Albanese was coming to see him this week, sparking hopes that Australia’s diplomatic outreach to the White House had finally paid off. Just 24 hours earlier, Mr Albanese said that he remained hopeful of securing his first face-to-face sit-down with the President. “We, of course, I look forward to meeting with President Trump at some stage. Mr Albanese has opted to wait until so-called summit season — comprising UNGA, APEC and ASEAN and the Quad — to try and meet Mr Trump. This is unless Mr Albanese ditches his strategy and opts for a dedicated trip to Washington outside of his packed international travel schedule.