ScoMo’s big year: From ‘interim PM’ to a State Dinner with Trump
Just 12 months ago, Scott Morrison was labelled a ‘stop-gap PM’. On Saturday night, he will be the first Australian PM since 2006 to be honoured with a State Dinner in the US. Sharri Markson writes about ScoMo’s remarkable turnaround.
Opinion
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Night was falling as Scott Morrison, holding his wife Jenny’s hand, touched down in balmy Washington for the trip of his lifetime.
Morrison — who stopped the boats, brought a lump of coal into parliament, loves his Sharkies and cooks a mean curry for his neighbours — is now the first prime minister since John Howard to be honoured with a State Dinner by a United States President.
With palpable excitement in the air and the buzz of a night before a wedding, the Prime Minister’s advance team checked every last detail while the troublesome Australian press gallery was taken into the White House as last-minute preparations were being made for today’s lawn ceremony before a 7000-strong crowd, Oval Office meeting and formal State Dinner.
The invitation for this rare honour was first issued around the time of the G20 in Osaka in June.
In part, Trump is bestowing this honour on Australia because of his personal relationship with Morrison.
For this, the Prime Minister considers Jenny his secret weapon.
As Morrison forged ties with Trump on the sidelines of world meetings, Jenny and Melania Trump have also formed a friendship.
Melania projects an image of being cool and stiff but she has treated the vivacious Jenny, a relative newbie among the first wives on the summit circuit, with such kindness and generosity that it’s something Morrison is likely to acknowledge today.
“How good does Jenny look?” has become a favourite phrase of her clearly proud husband.
While Jenny more than holds her own in the fashion stakes when standing beside Melania, she does not have a stylist and buys her own clothes — starting with the elegant Carla Zampatti jumpsuit she wore as she stepped off the 14-hour direct flight from Canberra.
For a down-to-earth couple from the Shire, this is a phenomenal trip.
While Malcolm Turnbull and Donald Trump drew on their similar CVs as wealthy businessmen before entering politics, Trump and Morrison’s bond is built on different foundations.
They recognise in each other their election victories that caused a political upset.
Morrison has acknowledged this, telling my colleague Anna Caldwell at the D-Day commemorations in Portsmouth in June that Trump expressed his pleasure after he won the election.
“I’ve met them all (world leaders) before the election and they were surprised to see me back — pleasantly surprised. Particularly the President, he was very happy,” Morrison said.
Press secretaries tend to overemphasise the warmth between a prime minister and world leaders.
In this case, the proof of Trump’s regard for Morrison will be plain to see over the next two days.
The luxury of the State Dinner — from the 2500 Californian roses in shades of yellow mixed with golden wattles on the tables, along with a menu of sunchoke ravioli and caramelised lady apple tart for dessert — is only the second of the Trump White House.
There are three reasons Trump chose to honour Australia with this rare honour.
Firstly, it is in Trump’s strategic interest to further strengthen the United States-Australia alliance at a time when China is flexing its tentacles in our region.
Secondly, our trading surplus with America means Trump does not view Australia as capitalising or taking advantage of the US by simply selling things into the States.
On the topic of trade, which is a major domestic political concern of Trump’s, he has a rare positive disposition towards Australia.
“Our relationship gives us a massive foot in the door that other countries don’t get because in Trump’s eyes they are not seen as a fair trading relationship,” one insider said.
And lastly, the invitation is also owing to the good personal relationship between Trump and Morrison, which is more important under the Trump administration, perhaps, than other presidencies.
If Trump does not like a prime minister or has concerns about their approach to policies, irrespective of the strength of the alliance, he will not hesitate to express his views.
Theresa May is, of course, a case in point.
All three of these reasons are equally important for why Trump values the relationship with Australia as strongly as he does.
The focus of the formal events over the next few days, from the 7000-strong crowd on the lawn of the White House to the State Dinner, is the 100-year anniversary of the US-Australia alliance.
The meetings will all centre on the core proposition: How can we strengthen this alliance over the next 100 years, and what can we do to build on what’s already in place? How do we modernise the alliance?
There will be discussions about what Australia and the US can collaborate on in the fields of space, science and technology, and intelligence, and some announcements are expected.
If the trip is a success then there will be more opportunities for Australian businesses to be exposed to the American economy and growth story.
As the PM keeps pointing out, one in five jobs in Australia is related to trade.
The State Dinner and business roundtables with the likes of Andrew Forrest, Gina Rinehart, Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, Greg Norman, Kerry Stokes, Anthony Pratt, Nicole Kidman, Will Power and Andy Thomas, will celebrate Australian talent and business acumen.
To think, just a year ago commentators were dubbing Scott Morrison a “stop-gap PM’’ and “interim prime minister”.
What an extraordinary turnaround for the Morrisons in the space of a year.