Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ is set to eclipse Australian leaders’ campaign efforts, as the US president’s latest wave of tariffs are unleashed.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will be on the fifth day of their cross-country election blitz when Mr Trump unveils sweeping tariffs that, he warns, will affect ‘all countries’.

The two party leaders have tried to keep the campaigns focused on domestic issues like health and government services.

But the unpredictability and ferocity of Mr Trump’s second-term decisions have made voters increasingly concerned about the impact on Australia and raised questions over which leader would be better placed to handle the volatile president.

Australia has already been slugged with 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 1: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt takes a question from a reporter during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on April 1, 2025 in Washington, DC. Leavitt discussed tomorrow's expected "Liberation Day" tariffs signing Rose Garden event with U.S. President Donald Trump, illegal crossings at the southern border, deportations, the Mara Salvatrucha gang commonly known as MS-13, and other topics. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

A report released by Mr Trump’s office on the eve of ‘Liberation Day’ showed the US was keeping an eye on trade barriers imposed on American goods – like beef, pork, chicken, apples and pears – that are aimed at preventing pests and viruses from arriving in Australia.

The document also pointed to issues over Australia’s treatment of pharmaceutical patents and its news bargaining code, which requires tech platforms to pay media organisations for their content.

But Mr Albanese insists biosecurity, the pharmaceutical subsidy scheme and the media code are not up for negotiation.

While no country has scored a carve-out from US tariffs, Mr Dutton has continued to claim he would be best placed to deal with Mr Trump.

When asked whether global leaders could secure carve-outs, White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt (pictured, above) insisted that Trump was ‘always up’ for a phone call or ‘good negotiation’.

‘But he is very much focused on fixing the wrongs of the past and showing that American workers have a fair shake,’ she told reporters.



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