You don’t make friends with salad – or do you?
Wining and dining the Australian prime minister, US President Donald Trump added a touch of class after his previous banquets of fast food, ensuring Anthony Albanese was there longer than a drive thru.
The menu for the formal lunch between the men in the White House cabinet room revealed “White House honey dressing” was an accompaniment to the starter of “Fall Green Salad”.
It appears Mr Trump remains fond of one thing Barack Obama left behind at the White House, using the bounty of the former president’s honey bees to season the lunch, despite a stinging tirade accusing him of treason just months earlier.
A beehive was introduced to the South Lawn of the White House by Mr Obama in 2009 for pollinating the gardens and providing honey for the kitchen.
Another intriguing sweetness on the menu was plated for dessert, a “Red Bartlett Pear Pavlova”, presumably to give Mr Albanese a taste of home.
There was no word on whether the green and red combination in the two courses was a nod to Mr Albanese’s beloved South Sydney Rabbitohs, although the bunnies were kept off the menu despite being roasted during this year’s NRL comp.
A succulent rosemary roast chook accompanied with celery, asparagus and collard greens marked a major dietary departure from previous Trump administration banquets.
The tab for the meal came to a handy $1.5 billion, which Mr Albanese pledged to a critical mineral project pipeline.
The president famously served hundreds of hamburgers to the Clemson college football team in 2019 to celebrate their win in the national championship.
The cabinet room setting for Mr Albanese’s lunch was also a step down in opulence compared to his last White House meal.
In 2023, the prime minister and partner Jodie Haydon attended a state dinner at the White House ballroom in Mr Albanese’s honour, alongside then-president Joe Biden, who left any noticeably Australian flavours off the menu.
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