First Trump, now the ABC: Who will Turnbull pick a fight with next?

The former PM’s beef that the ABC has caved on free speech because they have asked him tough questions about his comments on Trump and China makes no sense, writes James Morrow.

• Turnbull doubles down on Trump criticism

It looks like Malcolm Turnbull’s leather jacket won’t be getting an airing on Q&A anytime soon.

Fresh off provoking a Donald Trump tweet storm after unfavourably comparing the US president to Chinese dictator Xi Jinping, the former prime minister has now decided to beef with his old friends at the ABC.

Yes, seriously.

Here’s what happened: the wake of Monday’s social media blow-up with Trump over Turnbull’s comments about China taking advantage of the volatility in Washington, the former PM went on 7.30 to play clean-up.

But host Sarah Ferguson’s questions weren’t to Turnbull’s liking – she asked about the wisdom of attacking Trump publicly at a tense moment in US-Australian relations – and as a result, she copped a spray.

Malcolm Turnbull in that famous leather jacket on Q&A.

“I never thought I’d have to defend free speech here on the 7.30 Report, and I’m glad that you’re a little bit embarrassed raising that with me, aren’t you,” said Turnbull.

Oof.

Then, Tuesday morning, Turnbull repeated the act with Radio National’s Sally Sara.

“Has the ABC become so pusillanimous that you’re seriously suggesting that we shouldn’t be free to speak the truth in Australia, for fear of Donald Trump?” Turnbull said.

“Is that the depths you’ve sunk to?”

Turnbull is interviewed on Bloomberg's The China Show about the Trump administration's tariffs on trading partners and its impact on relations with China.

“I believe in Australia and I believe in standing up for Australia and I think, I’m sorry, apparently you don’t,” he thundered.

So much for the ABC being Turnbull’s friendly port in a storm.

It is shocking that this needs to be explained to a former prime minister, particularly a former Rhodes Scholar like Turnbull, who seems to forget he’s not a young barrister scoring debating points for Kerry Packer.

So, for what it is worth, Mr Turnbull, no one is saying that we should not be able to question Donald Trump or his works.

But if we are going to really have a robust public sphere, we must also be able to ask if it also appropriate to talk about the wisdom of a figure like Turnbull injecting himself into public debates when he is out of office.

Donald Trump’s X post.

This is not an attack on free speech, former PMs make judgments all the time when they are asked by journalists to comment on one or another issue.

Turnbull surely knows this and one suspects that what really angered him is that he knew he’d stuffed up in the initial comments that started all this.

Roll the tape, here’s what Turnbull told Bloomberg Television, which caused the whole mini-crisis:

“Where Trump is chaotic, (Chinese leader Xi Jinping) will be consistent. Where Trump is rude and abusive, he’ll be respectful. Where Trump is erratic, he will be consistent,” he said.

Therein lies the problem.

Call Trump a bully, fine, but to suggest that Xi, whose entire foreign policy is designed to threaten, cajole, condescend, intimidate, and, yes, bully, is somehow a beacon of calm is a nonsense.

For the ABC, which cops plenty of generally deserved criticism, to cop abuse because it asked some pretty reasonable questions about what you said, well, how is that good for democracy?