Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has touched down in the United States, met with heavy rain, ahead of his first one-on-one meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Mr Albanese arrived at Maryland’s Joint Base Andrews late Sunday night local time before heading to Washington for his long-awaited Oval Office meeting, set to take place Monday evening US time (early Tuesday AEDT).

Mr Albanese and Mr Trump are expected to cover a broad agenda spanning trade, defence, AUKUS, critical minerals, and China.

The high-profile talks, attended by senior officials including Australia’s ambassador to the US and former prime minister Kevin Rudd, come after four phone calls, a brief exchange in New York, and a previously cancelled meeting in Canada.

Confidence is growing within federal government ranks t

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