Donald Trump recently criticized an Australian journalist during a press interaction at the White House. The exchange occurred as Trump was questioned about his business dealings while in office. He accused the journalist of "hurting Australia" ahead of important discussions with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

The confrontation took place on the White House lawn when John Lyons, the ABC's Americas editor, asked Trump about his wealth since returning to the presidency. Lyons noted that Trump is considered the wealthiest person to have held the office. Trump responded, "I don’t know," and explained that his children manage the Trump Organization. He added, "Most of the deals that I’ve made were made before. This is what I’ve done for a life. I’ve built buildings."

Lyons then inquired whether it was appropriate for a sitting president to engage in personal business activities. Trump replied, "I’m really not, my kids are running the business," before questioning Lyons about his origins. Upon learning that Lyons was from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Trump stated, "Oh, the Australian — you’re hurting Australia. In my opinion, you are hurting Australia very much right now, and they want to get along with me."

Trump indicated that he would inform Albanese about the journalist's questions, saying, "You set a very bad tone. You can set a nicer tone," before telling Lyons to "quiet."

Albanese is expected to meet with Trump during his upcoming visit to New York for the UN General Assembly. The two leaders have not met since their respective elections, but Trump’s comments suggest a meeting is in the works. Albanese has been trying to arrange this meeting since a previous encounter was canceled at the G20 summit in Canada in June.

The Australian Prime Minister confirmed that he would see Trump during the UN gathering and at other international summits. Albanese stated, "We’ll see each other in New York. He is hosting a reception on Tuesday night of next week."

The anticipated meeting will address several pressing issues in the bilateral relationship, including the Pentagon's review of the AUKUS nuclear submarines agreement and Trump’s calls for Australia to increase its defense spending. Trump and U.S. officials have urged Australia to allocate as much as 3.5% of its GDP to defense, which could mean an additional $30 billion annually on top of the current $59 billion defense budget.

The AUKUS review, led by undersecretary of defense Elbridge Colby, is expected to conclude in November. Australia has already contributed approximately $1.6 billion to the U.S. as part of the agreement.