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The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, gave Donald Trump a gift of a model nuclear submarine with golden plates and finishes, internal documents reveal, during his visit to the White House last year which sealed the president’s support for the Aukus pact.
The prime minister also presented the US first lady, Melania Trump, with a A$3,000 Paspaley pearl pendant.
The information, obtained by Guardian Australia from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet after a four-month freedom of information process, revealed more about the delicate diplomatic planning and charm offensive that went into Albanese’s long-awaited first face-to-face meeting with Trump.
“Gift form” documents from the department reveal Albanese came to the White House bearing a two-foot-long model Virginia-class submarine, mounted on a base with gold plates, and a pearl necklace from one of Australia’s most famous jewellers.
Albanese had previously stated he’d given the Trumps a model submarine and jewellery, but at the time neither Albanese’s office nor his department would reveal any further information about the gifts.
Other world leaders and business titans have showered Trump with expensive gifts – often gold. The Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, presented Trump with a gold medal and golden trophy for a newly created “Fifa peace prize”; the Apple CEO, Tim Cook, gave Trump a glass disc with a golden base; South Korea’s president gave him a golden crown; while a group of Swiss billionaires gave him a golden clock and engraved gold bar.
“Gift form” documents from the department show Albanese presented Trump with a 24-inch [61cm] Virginia-class submarine model. The value was estimated at zero dollars, with the gift form stating the “Model submarine was provided in kind by DFAT [Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade]”.
“24″ Virginia Class Submarine model mounted with gold standoffs. Custom fabricated, gold finished base. (6.5″ x 29.5″ x 3/4″ tall with chamfer (45 degree angle) edge detail.),” the description reads.
“Angled plate blocks with gold plates/black data printed.”
A photo of the submarine with the gift form shows a black model on a gold base, with writing engraved on gold plates installed on the base. The photo released under FoI is of a low quality, making the text illegible. The department has been contacted for comment, as has Dfat about its provision of the submarine model.
Top of Albanese’s agenda for his first meeting with Trump was the Aukus pact, under which the US will sell Australia at least three Virginia-class submarines, while local manufacturing is developed to produce Aukus-class submarines in Adelaide. US-crewed Virginia submarines will also rotate through Australian ports.
American shipyards need to build Virginia-class submarines at a rate of two a year to meet the US’s own needs, and to lift that to 2.33 boats a year in order to be able to supply submarines to Australia; it is currently building the submarines at a rate of about 1.13 a year.
Asked about the gifts exchanged between leaders at the October 2025 meeting at the White House, Albanese told reporters in Washington DC: “We had a gift for Melania. We had jewellery, we had a submarine model for the president, and we had some Ugg booties for the president’s newest granddaughter.
“I’ll probably get whatever has come to us [from Trump] in about three years and six months after it goes through all the security things and PM&C, all of that”.
Albanese later declared on his official parliamentary register of interests that he’d received a “Desk Set with Stationery” from Trump.
There was concern ahead of the White House meeting that Trump could seek to alter the terms of the Aukus deal, or scrap it entirely. But Trump spoke warmly of the arrangement, saying it was “full steam ahead”.
“We do actually have a lot of submarines. We have the best submarines anywhere in the world and we’re building a few more, under construction,” Trump said.
The US navy secretary, John Phelan, said at the meeting that Washington wanted to “clarify some of the ambiguity” and “improve” the deal, but Trump quickly dismissed that as “minor details”.
The gift to Melania Trump was described as a Bianca pearl pendant, a design from Australian pearl merchant Paspaley. The department valued it at $2,980, excluding GST.
A photo on the gift form shows a single round pearl on a yellow gold chain. Paspaley’s website describes the pendant: “A yellow gold bale accentuates your treasured pearl pendant for an effortless and elegant look.”
The desk set from Trump, received by Albanese, was valued by the department at $923 excluding GST. A photo with the gift form shows a blue-bound folder with the president’s seal, and white stationery including an envelope.
A form signed by Albanese states his wish that the desk set be surrendered to the department, rather than retained by the prime minister personally, and displayed in a commonwealth or parliamentary office.
Other gifts received from world leaders around the same time – including a box of honey and dates, an artisanal box and a jewellery box from the president of the United Arab Emirates – were also surrendered to the department.
