Bizarre diplomatic slight from US highlights parlous state of relations

Whatever the truth about his Washington DC trip, for a few uncomfortable hours on Thursday, Defence Minister and Geelong Grammar old boy Richard Marles was left looking like a dorky schoolkid who wants to hang with the dudes.

Marles’ office uploaded photos of him posing in the Pentagon on Wednesday captioned: “I was pleased to have the opportunity to reaffirm Australia’s commitment to building on this partnership with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth in Washington, DC.”

But Hegseth’s office then dismissed their man’s encounter overnight as less than close: “There was not a meeting. It was a happenstance encounter.”

So the seemingly Clayton’s meeting was instantly turned into a PR fail, feeding growing dismay at the Labor government’s failure to secure a meeting between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump. The two leaders passed each other in the night at the G7 summit last June. But there are expectations now they may meet next month when Albanese flies to the United Nations General Assembly in New York to recognise a Palestinian state, a mission that may explain Canberra’s inability to lock in a date.

Hours after the first comment was made, US officials realised the needless slight and the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, took control to confirm Marles and Hegseth did in fact meet.

“Secretary Hegseth welcomed the opportunity to meet in person with Deputy Prime Minister Marles for the third time this year,” Parnell said. “Their meeting at the White House on Tuesday was co-ordinated in advance.”

Marles had flown to Washington this week on a hastily arranged visit to meet senior Trump administration officials, including Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. As the US conducts a high-stakes review of the multibillion-dollar nuclear submarine deal under AUKUS, Marles’ office flagged he would also meet Hegseth for discussions on a number of issues, including AUKUS, critical mineral supply chains and America’s expanding military presence in Australia.

In the event, Marles met Vance, Rubio and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, and discussed substantive issues. But the cancellation of a press conference shortly before he flew out for Australia excited media speculation, and the ongoing coverage of his supposed short rendezvous with Hegseth has sucked much oxygen out of his Washington mission.

It may be that in the desire to have their minister bathe in the reflected glory of a Trump favourite, Marles’ staffers blundered in rushing to social media. Of course, as minister, Marles has to wear the consequences of such loyal zeal. That said, it is hardly a capital crime, yet the insolent reaction of Pentagon staffers to such gormless enthusiasm is perplexing.

We cannot believe the Pentagon comment was a calculated slight. It was born of inexperience or ignorance. Marles’ sudden visit certainly would have been an attempt to get the bilateral relationship between Australia and the US back to historic cordiality and open the door to a leaders’ meeting.

The lesson for Marles in Donald Trump’s America is that dudes abide until the chaos abates.

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