As the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2025, an unlikely pair of world leaders clinked champagne glasses at the opulent Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison joined US President-elect Donald Trump in ringing in the new year at Trump’s lavish annual bash, rekindling a “bromance” forged during their overlapping tenures.
Morrison, who served as Australia’s PM from 2019 to 2022, took to social media to share a cozy snapshot of the two couples – himself and wife Jenny alongside Donald and Melania Trump – looking dapper in their black-tie attire. “Happy New Year 2025 from Mar-a-Lago,” Morrison cheerfully captioned the post, punctuated with an American flag emoji.
Hints of a Rekindled Alliance
The former Aussie leader’s presence at Trump’s side speaks volumes about the enduring bond between the conservative politicians, even as Morrison has receded from the spotlight and Trump stages a presidential comeback. Just weeks ago, Morrison again sang Trump’s praises, dismissing the myriad investigations and lawsuits dogging the ex-US president as a “pile-on” by hostile media.
Was pleased to meet with former President Donald Trump on Tuesday night at his private residence in NY. It was nice to catch up again, especially given the pile on he is currently dealing with in the US.
– Scott Morrison, Former Australian Prime Minister
The Mar-a-Lago tête-à-tête was not the pair’s first; Morrison dropped in on Trump at his gilded New York City penthouse in May, emerging from the famous Trump Tower elevators with a grin and a thumbs-up. At the time, Morrison noted his “warm reception” from Trump and their discussion of the AUKUS security pact binding Australia, the UK, and the US.
Echoes of an Easier Era
The congenial dynamic between Morrison and Trump stretches back to the Australian leader’s official visit to Washington in 2019, when the two conservatives found common ground on many issues. In a mark of their ideological alignment, Trump even brought Morrison along to a campaign rally in battleground Ohio, telling supporters the Australian PM “supports a lot of the same things” as himself.
Star-Studded, Tweet-Powered Night
Of course, no Trump soirée is complete without an eclectic guest list of conservative power players, from newly-minted US Vice President-elect JD Vance to Twitter owner Elon Musk, who made a grand entrance with his young son perched on his shoulders. The glitzy Mar-a-Lago bash served as both a festive kick-off to 2025 and a unofficial who’s-who of figures likely to orbit the revived Trump presidency.
Diplomatic Tightrope for Down Under
For Australia’s incumbent Labor government under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Morrison’s chummy display with the controversial US Republican risks muddling official diplomatic messaging. Upon Trump’s election victory in November, Albanese affirmed he “look[ed] forward” to engaging with the incoming administration – a rather muted endorsement, given his 2017 statement that Trump “scares the shit out of me.”
Further stoking tensions is Australia’s choice of envoy to the US: Kevin Rudd, himself an ex-prime minister whose past criticisms of Trump have drawn notice from the president-elect’s inner sanctum. Despite speculation that a vindictive Trump could seek Rudd’s ouster, Albanese has stood firm, praising the veteran diplomat for “doing a terrific job” representing Australia’s interests stateside.
As Trump’s fresh term nears, Canberra must walk an ever-narrowing tightrope – projecting a cooperative spirit toward the ascendant US leader, while bracing for any fallout from Morrison’s personal solidarity with the polarizing president. The Mar-a-Lago tête-à-tête may only be a festive footnote, but it hints at the complex political calculus Australia faces in stewarding the two nations’ “unbreakable alliance” into the uncharted waters of a second Trump administration.
