Australia is one of the few countries the US has a trade surplus with. Here's why that could help make the country's case for a tariff exemption.

How about billionaire heiress Gina Rinehart, perhaps our highest-profile Trump fan? Has she criticised the possible imposition of tariffs on Australia’s exports? So far, crickets — even though Rinehart, as a huge supplier of iron ore to China, has a vested interest in steel markets.

Australian officials scrambled when they heard Trump was bringing some of his top trade advisers to dinner with Morrison. They knew the trade warriors had an axe to grind.