Donald J. Trump was inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States of America on 20 January 2025. Trump, who had served as the 45th President when winning office in 2016, made a remarkable political comeback to defeat Kamala Harris in the U.S. election of November 2024, and while there are no immediate plans for the incoming president to visit Australia, this blog will look back at the presidents who have visited Australia during office.
The first U.S. President to visit Australia while in office was Lyndon B. Johnson, who arrived on 20 October 1966. The Australian Prime Minister, Harold Holt, had visited the White House in July of that year, but the two leaders had first met in Melbourne in 1942.
Johnson had been in the U.S. Navy, and was stationed in Townsville during the Second World War; a period which gave the president a deep affection for Australia and its people.
During Johnson’s visit, Labor Senator J. B. Keefe strongly criticised Holt, but in the process embarrassed Labor leader, Arthur Caldwell, by stating that Johnson’s visit was a political gimmick.
The President toured Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, with a sentimental visit to Townsville included in the itinerary.
Johnson’s ground-breaking visit has since been followed by four other presidents on six separate occasions, the total of presidential visits being eight.
Johnson made a return trip in 1967 to attend the funeral of Harold Holt, who disappeared, presumed drowned, while swimming at Cheviot Beach, Victoria.
It is interesting to note that the eventual 31st President of the United States, Herbert Hoover, worked in the gold mines of Western Australia and New South Wales at different times from 1897 to 1907. Hoover was president from 1929 to 1933.
After Johnson, visits by George H. W. Bush, William (Bill) J. Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack H. Obama have all been seen as displays of the United States-Australian diplomatic and cultural relationship, with the US-Australia Fair Trade Agreement (FTA) of 2005 under George W. Bush’s Presidency one of many landmark moments for the two countries.
By contrast Australian Prime Ministers have made many more trips to the Unites States of America.
There has been sixty-one in total by nineteen individual prime ministers, beginning with William (Billy) Hughes’s May 1918 meeting with President Wilson, while enroute to an Imperial Conference meeting in London.
While the number of sixty-one visits by Australian leaders far out-weighs their American counterparts, many of the pre-jet-age journeys were as guests of the US Government as stop-overs on a return journey from Great Britain.
Of all the journeys made to American shores by Australian Prime Ministers, sixteen were official in nature, while many others were considered “working trips” or in recent years, attending an APEC or G-20 meeting.
The people of Australia and the USA have enjoyed close ties that precede Australia’s Federation in 1901, but it may surprise some readers to know that diplomatic relations between the two nations did not commence until 1940.
Prospectors from the British Colonies of New South Wales, Tasmania and South Australia had sailed across the Pacific Ocean to work the goldfields of California in the late 1840s. Many Americans embarked for the return journey west only a few years later to explore the goldfields of New South Wales and the newly created colony of Victoria, as gold fever struck Australia.
In 1918, during the later stages of the First World War, soldiers from the two nations fought side-by-side at the Battle of Hamel. The battle, which took place east of Amiens in northern France, used ground-troops, tanks, artillery and aircraft with great effect, and was remembered in 2018 by both countries with a ceremony marking the battles 100th anniversary.
Trade had begun to grow between the United States and Australia in the 1920s, but the impact of the economic Depression that began in 1929 quickly reversed that trend.
In 1940, the United States allowed the importation of Australian wool to be used for equipment in their armed forces. That same year, the US recognised Australia through the establishment of diplomatic relations on 8 January 1940.
Soon after, Australia placed a Legation in Washington on 1 March, with the Americans reciprocating with a Legation in Canberra on 17 July 1940.
With the war in Europe raging and the attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor drawing the United States into the Second World War, Australia and the United States did not reach embassy status until 1946.
Apart from the devastating impact of the war in the Pacific, this period of Australian modern history is significant because it saw Australia re-focus its ideas on defence. Prior to the Second World War, and even in its initial stages, Australia looked to Britain and the Royal Navy for protection.
The beginning of the war in the Pacific and the advance of the Japanese forces through South-East Asia and the subsequent fall of Singapore, dramatically altered Australian thinking.
That is not to say that Australian society suddenly changed in its approach to day-to-day life; historian David McLean argued that the cultural and political opinions and needs of the time were separate, and despite a sudden and obvious reliance on the US for defence, the British influence remained strong within Australian society for many decades; arguably, to the present day.
Perhaps the contrast of the political and cultural is further illustrated by the fact that the Australian, New Zealand and United States Security treaty (ANZUS) was signed in 1951, while the “jet-age pomp” and security precautions that arrived with President Johnson’s visit in 1966 was met with a degree of intrigue by a population not as accustomed to the television camera as their American counterparts.
The ANZUS Treaty was formally invoked for the first and only time by the Australian Government just days after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. In September of 2021, the United States Government released a statement saying it is something that Americans have not forgotten.
Apart from being the first American presidential visit, Johnson’s trip etched its way into Australian folklore through a remark by Holt during his July 1966 visit to Washington: “All the way with LBJ”, which was a reference to Johnson’s 1964 campaign slogan.
The remark was meant as an appreciative and light-hearted comment for the immediate audience, but it was seen by some in Australia as a misguided act, and one that placed Australia as a subservient partner.
Perhaps Johnson attempted to lessen the backlash on the prime minster and friend when he arrived in Australia in October, declaring that: “…every American and LBJ is with Australia all the way.”
Johnson was formerly invited to Australia in 1964 by the then prime minister of Australia, Sir Robert Menzies, but the president appeared to have a strong connection with Holt, meeting with him several times overseas and even hosting the Australian Prime Minister at Camp David.
Johnson saw great potential for Australia and the role it could eventually play in world affairs, but while he had a genuine love for the land and its people, comments made to Congressman Wilbur Mills perhaps illustrated where he saw Australia on the world stage at that time.
“I think Australia is where Texas was 100 years ago. And it’s just really moving by leaps and bounds.”
In the 1970s rumours circulated in the Australian press that Jimmy Carter (39th President) would tour Australia, but the trip never eventuated, with Australia having to wait until late in 1991 before another American leader travelled Down Under.
George H. W. Bush was a distinguished naval pilot during the Second World War and a former director of the CIA before he was inaugurated as the 41st President of the United States in January of 1989.
Like Johnson had with Harold Holt, Bush developed a close friendship with Bob Hawke; the Australian Prime Minister during the first two-years of Bush’s presidency. Hawke had the distinction of addressing a joint meeting of Congress in June of 1988.
This friendship was displayed by a moment caught on camera when the president entered the House of Representatives to address the Australian Parliament on 2 January 1992.
The president paused deliberately to acknowledge Hawke, who was now seated on the backbench having recently lost the Labor leadership, and the office of Prime Minister, to Paul Keating.
During Bush’s time in office there were monumental moments such as the removal of the Berlin Wall, the Tiananmen Square massacre and Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, the later resulting in Operation Desert Storm on 17 January 1991.
Australia would contribute to this military operation, along with the United States and many other nations, by sending 1800 Australian Defence Force personnel to the Persian Gulf.
Bill Clinton was known as a man who could connect directly with an individual, even if that person was one of many in a large audience.
The 42nd President of the United States made a State visit to Australia in November of 1996. Landing in Sydney on the 19th, Clinton addressed a joint meeting of the Australian Parliament in Canberra on the 20th, before returning to Sydney.
The following day, he travelled to Port Douglas on the far north coast of Australia for a trip to the Great Barrier Reef.
During Clinton’s trip officials spoke of the importance of the US-Australian relationship, but it was probably the aforementioned charismatic nature of the president that left an impression on the Australian public.
At a visit to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Clinton was said to be visibly moved by the occasion, describing it as: “…a powerful place.”
In Sydney, he gave lavish praise.
“This is a remarkable community, and a remarkable nation,” he said.
“I cannot think of a better place in the entire world, a more shining example of how people can come together as one nation and one community than Sydney, Australia.”
It is interesting to note that a common thread within US-Australian dialogue over the past 85 years of diplomatic relations, has been the link in defence and security.
At the time of Clinton’s visit, for better or worse, there were no US troops stationed in Australia. As of November 2024, there were over 6000 US defence personnel stationed in Australia, a number that would begin with an annual rotation of 250 marines in 2012 under President Barack Obama.
George W. Bush served as the 43rd President of the United States. His election marked only the second time in American history that a father and son had become president; the first being John Adams and John Quincy Adams.
After a little more than eight months in office, Bush would be faced with an event that not only shaped his presidency, but the course of world events, when terrorist attacks in New York and Washington took place on 11 September 2001.
The 9/11 terrorist attacks, as they became known, killed 2977 people. The United States and nations around the world, were shaken to their core, with notions of safety or vulnerability being instantly reevaluated.
It was during this period, and over the ensuing years, that George W. Bush and the Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, would strengthen the ties between the two nations.
Howard had visited the United States on three separate occasions prior to Bush’s first trip to Australia in October of 2003. The two leaders shared a close relationship, with Bush describing Howard as a “…dear friend…” when the Australian PM was in Washington in 2006 for a ceremony to plant two trees in the White House grounds.
On numerous occasions throughout his presidency, Bush would thank Howard, and the Australian people, for the support they gave America after 9/11 and also the nation’s commitment of Australian Defence Force personnel at the onset of the wars in Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003).
During his 2003 visit, Bush addressed Parliament, as his father had in 1992, but if the Australian public had been unaccustomed to the pomp of Lyndon Johson’s visit in 1966, they may well have looked on with amazement at the size of President Bush’s entourage in 2003.
650 people accompanied the President for his stop that preceded an APEC summit in Bangkok. Over 450 Australian police officers would provide security, while Air Force jets patrolled the skies of Canberra.
In September of 2007, Bush would visit Australia again to attend the APEC leader’s summit in Sydney.
The close relationship between the two nations during this period also came under some criticism.
Former Liberal Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser, criticised George W. Bush for his remarks on Labor opposition leader Mark Latham’s 2004 proposal to have Australian troops home before Christmas.
Bush labelled Latham’s plan as “disastrous”; Fraser said:
"...he (Bush) really should try to preserve protocol and not treat Australia as though we're a state of the United States."
As was the case with Lyndon Johnson’s presidency, the influence of the US in Australian politics divided public opinion.
Barack Obama would visit Australia as President of the United States in 2011 and 2014. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Obama was the first African-American to be elected President.
On his first trip to Australia in November of 2011, the 44th President of the United States would address parliament and become the first US President to visit the Northern Territory.
In Darwin, the Northern Territory’s capital, Obama visited the memorial of the USS Peary to honour the 89 US sailors killed during the 1942 Japanese attack on Darwin. The sailors were commended for their bravery during the attack, with an eye-witness, Eric Thompson of the HMAS Deloraine, stating that the guns of the USS Peary were still blazing as it sank.
On the same day, the president spoke of a new US Marine deployment to bases in the Northern Territory, which would see an eventual 2500 Marines deployed over the ensuing five-years.
Donald Trump during his first term, and Joe Biden (46th President) did not visit Australia, but rising tensions in the Asia-Pacific region keeps United States-Australian defence co-operation at the forefront of any diplomatic discussions.
Tariffs have been a key-word in the current United States administration, and a topic certainly to be discussed between Trump and the current Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese.
The US-Australia Free Trade Agreement of 2005 covers 96 per cent of goods, but in light of recent tariffs tabled for Canada, Mexico and other nations, it will be interesting to see if this agreement is maintained.
United States Presidential visits to Australia
Lyndon Johnson
State visit: 20 October 1966 to 23 October.
Attended Prime Minister Holt’s funeral: 21 December 1967 to 22 December 1967.
George H. W. Bush
Addressed Australian Parliament: 31 December 1990 to 3 January 1991.
William (Bill) J. Clinton
State visit. Addressed joint sitting of Australian Parliament: 19 November 1996 to 23 November 1996.
George W. Bush
Addressed Australian Parliament: 22 October 2005.
Attended APEC leaders meeting: 3 September to 8 September 2007.
Barack Obama
Addressed Australian Parliament. Visited USS Peary Memorial in Darwin: 16 November 2011 to 17 November 2011.
Attended G20 leader’s summit: 15 November 2014 to 16 November 2016.
Further reading
Anzac Portal, Gulf War, https//:anzacportal.dva.au
Blinken, Anthony J. Statement by U.S. Embassy in Canberra, 11 September 2021, au.usembassy.gov
Department of Veterans Affairs, Anzac Portal: wars and missions, www.anzacportal.dva.gov.au
"Bush Treating Australia Like 51st State: Fraser; United States President George W Bush; Howard Dismisses Claims Bush Interfered in Australian Domestic Politics." ABC Premium News, Jun 05, 2004. http://ezproxy.sl.nsw.gov.au/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/wire-feeds/bush-treating-australia-like-51st-state-fraser/docview/457743041/se-2.
"GEORGE W. BUSH DELIVERS REMARKS WITH PRIME MINISTER HOWARD OF AUSTRALIA IN PRESENTATION OF WHITE HOUSE TREES." Political Transcript Wire, May 15, 2006. http://ezproxy.sl.nsw.gov.au/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/wire-feeds/george-w-bush-delivers-remarks-with-prime/docview/467169630/se-2.
Gooch, John, “The Politics of Strategy: Great Britain, Australia and the War against Japan, 1939–1945”, War in History, November 2003, Vol. 10, No. 4 (November 2003), pp. 424-447 Published by: Sage Publications, Ltd. Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26061808
LBJ, The Canberra Times, Saturday 22 October 1966
Lyndon Johnson and Wilbur Mills on South Korea and Australia, Miller Center: University of Virginia. https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/educational-resources/lyndon-johnson
McLean, D. ‘From British colony to American satelite?: Australia and the USA during the Cold War’, Australian Journal of Politics and History. Vol. 52, iss. 1, March 2006, pp. 64-79.
Nash, George H. 'Hoover, Herbert Clark (1874-1964), Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hoover-herbert-clark-6279/text11619
National Archives of Australia, All the Way, https://naa.gov.au
"Politics Behind the President's Journey", The Canberra Times, 7 October, 1966, p.2.
Sydney Morning Herald 22 November 1996.
The Biographical Dictionary of the Australian Senate, J. B. Keefe.
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