It was a tense moment that quickly reverberated across continents: on September 17, 2025, during Donald Trump’s state visit to the United Kingdom, Australian journalist John Lyons found himself at the center of a diplomatic and media firestorm. Lyons, the Americas editor for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), asked the U.S. president a pointed question: how much wealthier had Trump become since returning to the White House in January? The query, part of an ABC Four Corners investigation into Trump’s business dealings while in office, instantly drew a sharp rebuke.
"I don’t know," Trump replied, his tone clipped as he insisted his children handled his businesses. He then turned the tables on Lyons, accusing him of “hurting Australia” with his line of questioning and warning, "You set a very bad tone." Trump, never one to shy away from a confrontation, added, “I’m going to tell [Australian Prime Minister] Albanese about you.” As Lyons tried to follow up, Trump held his index finger to his lips, said "quiet," and moved on to another journalist.
The fallout from this exchange was swift and, for many, unsettling. According to The Guardian, the ABC was informed the very next day by the UK prime minister’s press office that it no longer had a spot at the joint press conference between Trump and new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, citing "logistical reasons." The broadcaster remained accredited to attend talks at Chequers, Starmer’s country residence, but the exclusion from the high-profile press event raised eyebrows. Both Downing Street and the UK Foreign Press Association insisted the ABC had not been singled out, explaining that high demand and space constraints forced ten of fifteen overseas outlets—including ABC—into an overflow room. The decision, they said, was based on which organizations held UK parliamentary lobby passes.
Yet, the timing of the ABC’s exclusion—coming on the heels of Lyons’ tough questions—sparked speculation. ABC, for its part, said it had “no indication” the move was related to Lyons’ exchange with Trump. UK officials doubled down, calling any such suggestion “entirely untrue.”
While Trump’s response to Lyons’ question was dismissive, the president’s irritation was clear. According to BBC, Trump told Lyons, “In my opinion, you are hurting Australia very much right now. And they want to get along with me. You know, your leader is coming over to see me very soon. I’m going to tell him about you. You set a very bad tone. You can set a nicer tone.” The U.S. leader’s remarks didn’t end there; shortly after the exchange, an official White House social media account posted a Fox News clip of the moment, labeling Lyons a “rude foreign Fake News loser.”
For John Lyons, the uproar was baffling. Speaking to the ABC, he described the notion that polite, legitimate questions could harm the longstanding U.S.-Australia alliance as “absurd.” He insisted, “For me, it was a perfectly normal thing to do to ask questions that I don’t think were provocative,” adding that his inquiries were “fair, based on research and not asked in an abusive way.” Lyons later explained he was not asking "particularly hostile questions" but rather probing whether it was appropriate for a sitting president to engage in extensive business activity while in office. Trump brushed off the concern, replying, “Well, I’m really not. My kids are running the business. You know what the activity—where are you from?”
Back in Australia, Lyons’ colleagues and political figures rallied to his defense. ABC news director Justin Stevens publicly backed Lyons, saying, “John Lyons is a highly awarded journalist and one of the most experienced and respected reporters in Australia. His job is to ask questions.” Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young went further, accusing Trump of trying to "bully the media and Australia" and calling on Prime Minister Albanese to stand up for Australian journalists.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, meanwhile, found himself navigating choppy diplomatic waters. For months, Albanese had been seeking a meeting with Trump after talks at the G20 summit in June were canceled at the last minute—Trump had left early to address the escalating war in the Middle East. Albanese, who was due in New York for the UN General Assembly the following week, told ABC radio he expected to meet Trump at a reception and at other forums before year’s end.
US-Australia relations have been under strain in recent months, with several flashpoints contributing to the tension. Chief among them is the Trump administration’s review of the Aukus submarine deal—a landmark £176 billion ($239 billion; A$368 billion) agreement signed in 2021 between the U.S., UK, and Australia. The partnership, which aims to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, has become a symbol of strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. However, the review has unsettled Canberra, raising questions about the future of the alliance.
Compounding matters, in April 2025, the Trump administration slapped a tariff of at least 10% on all Australian exports to the U.S.—a move Albanese decried as “not the act of a friend.” The tariffs, coupled with the Aukus uncertainty, have fueled anxiety in Australia about the reliability of its most important security partner.
Against this backdrop, the spat between Trump and Lyons took on added significance. Was it simply a case of a president bristling at tough questions, or did it signal a deeper erosion in the norms of press freedom and diplomatic civility? For many in the Australian media, the episode was a stark reminder of the challenges facing journalists in an era of heightened political polarization and suspicion toward the press.
Internationally, the incident drew attention to the delicate balance journalists must strike when covering powerful leaders on the world stage. The ABC, despite being temporarily excluded from the press conference, retained its White House access and continued its reporting. As The Guardian noted, the decision to reduce press capacity at Chequers was made days before the confrontation, and other international outlets were also affected by the move indoors due to weather and high demand.
Still, the optics of a respected public broadcaster being sidelined so soon after a contentious exchange with the U.S. president did little to allay concerns about transparency and accountability. The ABC’s Four Corners program, undeterred, pressed ahead with its investigation into Trump’s business dealings, underscoring the importance of persistent, independent journalism.
As the dust settles, the episode serves as a vivid illustration of the friction that can arise when the imperatives of democratic scrutiny meet the sensitivities of political power. For John Lyons, it was a day at the office—albeit one that landed him in the crosshairs of the world’s most powerful leader. For the broader public, it was a reminder that the questions journalists ask—and the responses they provoke—are often as consequential as the official statements and diplomatic handshakes that follow.