‘Scares the sh*t out of me’: Albo’s Trump admission

An old video has resurfaced showing Anthony Albanese making a bombshell admission about Donald Trump on the eve of the tightly contested US presidential election.

The 2017 video shows the now-Prime Minister’s appearance at a Q&A at Splendour in the Grass when he was serving as Labor’s transport and infrastructure spokesman while in opposition.

Asked how he would “deal with Trump”, Mr Albanese replied: “With trepidation.”

But pressed further, he expanded his answer.

“Well, you’ve got to deal with who is elected,” he said, six months into Mr Trump’s administration.

“We have an alliance with the US, we’ve got to deal with him, but that doesn’t mean that you’re uncritical about it.

“He (Trump) scares the sh*t out of me and I think it’s of some concern the leader of the free world thinks that you can conduct politics through 140 characters on Twitter overnight.”

Asked if he would say that to Mr Trump’s face, Mr Albanese said he would “probably be more polite than that.”

The video has resurfaced a day before Americans cast their vote, with the latest election eve polls putting Kamala Harris and Mr Trump neck and neck.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles brushed concerns that Mr Albanese would be unable to work with a Trump White House.

“Look, I think that the Prime Minister has demonstrated in all the work that he has done around the world, in repairing Australia’s standing in the world, in stabilising relationships, in building others, that he is capable of working with anyone,” Mr Marles told reporters in Canberra.

“And I have no doubt that no matter who wins the election in the United States over the coming 24-48 hours, whether we’re talking about a future President Harris or a future President Trump, our Prime Minister will be working very closely with that person, and the alliance will be in good shape.”

In comments made earlier on Tuesday, Mr Marles said he and Foreign Minister Penny Wong said they had met with Mike Pompeo, tipped to be US secretary of state if Mr Trump wins the election.

Mr Marles told the ABC the “meeting did go well”.

“But obviously, whoever is elected as the president of the United States is a matter for the American people,” he said.

“But be it a President Harris or a President Trump, we’re really confident that, firstly, the alliance will be in good shape, but that our critical equities within the alliance will also be maintained.

“And that that includes AUKUS, it includes Australia’s procurement of our future submarines, it includes building a seamless defence industrial base between our two countries.”

Mr Marles said the US-Australia alliance and its deep defence ties had bipartisan support in Washington.

“And so I think Australians, as they watch what unfolds over the course of today and tomorrow, can do so with a sense of confidence that no matter who wins, the alliance is in good shape,” he said.