There was a whiff of desperation about Anthony Albanese‘s selfie with Donald Trump that made it just a little bit pathetic yesterday don’t you think?
Albo has been angling for months for a formal meeting with Trump, and it’s finally booked in their diaries for late next month.
Yet when he got a couple of minutes with the US President, lining up for the opportunity by the way, Albo couldn’t resist snapping a photo to prove it.
He then felt the need to post it to social media. I’m not sure what’s worse: if he did so himself or got one of his minders to do it. Either way, it hardly flatters him.
It was also unnecessary.
Our PM has stood up to Trump on everything from recognising Palestine to criticising US tariffs, yet he wanted a proof of life shot after a 300-day wait for their first (albeit fleeting) meeting.
And today Albo’s address at the UN was statesmanlike, in sharp contrast to the happy snap.
Why did he feel the need?
There was a whiff of desperation about Anthony Albanese’s selfie with Donald Trump that made it just a little bit pathetic on Wednesday
Prime ministers always want facetime with American presidents (Malcolm Turnbull is pictured with Barack Obama)
Prime ministers always want facetime with American presidents, there’s nothing new about that. It has been an unspoken measure of their clout, shorthand for whether they are taken seriously on the global stage.
John Howard wore his intimacy with George W. Bush as a badge of honour. Kevin Rudd enjoyed spending time with Barack Obama.
Scott Morrison even campaigned with Trump in Ohio back in 2019 as payback for his state dinner in Washington.
But a selfie is no substitute for being taken seriously. In fact it suggests the exact opposite.
Trump looked like he was almost stuck in a hostage situation when Albo quickly pulled out his mobile phone to take the snap.
But he did manage a cheesy grin all the same.
The image projects insecurity more than influence. Can you imagine what Trump would have been thinking in real time?
Meeting US presidents has been an unspoken measure of clout for Australian prime ministers (Scott Morrison is pictured with Trump) as a sign they are taken seriously on the global stage
Just when you think Albo can’t get any lower – the PM quibbled over whether he ‘fell’ in this incident (pictured) during the election campaign
Even if he loved the adoring attention, we know that Trump will be just as happy to turn on Albo when they finally formally meet.
It wasn’t a planned bilateral meeting, carefully choreographed with policy briefings and diplomatic talking points at hand. That comes next month.
This was a fleeting moment in a crowded room, Albo smiling like a starstruck groupie who had spotted their hero.
The camera crews wouldn’t have missed it, nor did reporters searching for their next story. Sometimes less is more Albo!
The encounter’s cheapness lay in its performative nature.
Malcolm Turnbull always enjoyed a selfie as PM, when riding on a ferry on Sydney Harbour for example, using the public transport trip as proof he really was a man of the people (despite his lavish wealth).
But he was at least usually the star attraction, rather than the adoring fan with something to prove. And the tongue-in-cheek nature of it was obvious.
Everyone knew Albo was chasing a proper sit-down with Trump despite being continually snubbed.
Anthony Albanese found a new way to degrade himself (picture apparently asleep at an international summit meeting)
So when he bailed the President up for a quick selfie, the act reeked of desperation. There was no charm or humour attached to it.
Yet the formal, more substantive, meeting has just been confirmed, making it all the more unnecessary.