Donald Trump meets Malcolm Turnbull at White House
THERE has been a serious security breach at the White House while Malcolm Turnbull was inside visiting Donald Trump.
THERE has been a serious security scare at the White House while Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was inside visiting US President Donald Trump.
CNN reports a woman “deliberately” rammed her car into a barrier on the White House’s security perimeter, about the time Mr Turnbull and Mr Trump were speaking inside the East Room.
The Secret Service tweeted that the vehicle “did not breach the security barrier of the White House complex”.
No one was harmed and no shots were fired, according to the Secret Service.
However, photographs of the white mini-van show its back window blown out.
The car hit the barrier at 17th and E streets, about a block south of the White House.
The driver is now in custody. The woman is known to the Secret Service and it is not believed to have been targeting Mr Trump, CNN reported.
The incident had “no impact” on Mr Turnbull, according to the Australian Federal Police, and he has now safely left the White House after meeting with Vice President Mike Pence.
Thank you to the great men and women of the United States @SecretService for a job well done!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 23, 2018
‘PHASE 2 WILL BE REALLY ROUGH’
US President Donald Trump has reiterated his willingness to take drastic military action against North Korea, while standing alongside Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in the White House.
The Trump administration announced overnight that it was hitting the rogue nation with its toughest economic sanctions yet in an effort to halt its nuclear weapons program.
Asked by an Australian reporter what he would do if these sanctions didn’t work, Mr Trump left the option of military action on the table.
“I don’t think I’m exactly going to play that card, but we’ll have to see. If the sanctions don’t work, we’ll have to go to phase two,” Mr Trump told reporters in the East Room alongside Mr Turnbull.
“Phase two may be a very rough thing; it may be very, very unfortunate for the world.
“It really is a rogue nation. If we can make a deal, it would be a great thing. If we can’t, something will have to happen.”
Mr Turnbull offered his support for the new sanctions.
Today, @FLOTUS Melania and I were honored to welcome Prime Minister @TurnbullMalcolm and Mrs. Turnbull of Australia to the @WhiteHouse!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 23, 2018
🇺🇸🇦🇺Press Conference: https://t.co/rKokJGRsgu pic.twitter.com/PkJUw8x9jb
Mr Trump’s tough talk came during a 40-minute press conference with the Prime Minister attended by golfing legend Greg Norman, Aussie business leaders Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest and Kerry Stokes, and administration officials Rex Tillerson, Kellyanne Conway and Mike Pence.
Mr Trump congratulated Mr Turnbull on Australia’s “merit-based” immigration system, which the President wants to replicate in the US.
“Are my friends from Congress listening? We want to do merit-based also,” he said.
“We’re going to, hopefully, follow in your footprints.”
Donald Trump says the US Congress can learn from Australia’s “merit-based†immigration system. @newscomauHQ pic.twitter.com/MD1QPiFGQG
— James Law (@JournoLawJ) February 23, 2018
PM QUIZZED ON GUN CONTROLS
The Prime Minister was forced to weigh into America’s toxic gun debate during the press conference, with a US reporter asking him whether he had advised Mr Trump on Australia’s 1996 gun buyback.
The US is wrestling with how to deal with gun violence after a shooter killed 17 people at a Florida high school last week.
While he acknowledged the success of the Australian scheme in stopping mass shootings, Mr Turnbull was at pains not to lecture the Americans on gun controls.
“It’s a completely different context historically, legally and so forth,” he said.
“We are very satisfied with our laws, we maintain them … but we certainly don’t presume to provide policy or political advice on that matter here.”
Mr Trump agreed that the two nations had “very different sets of problems”, and that his efforts were focused on stronger background checks for Americans buying guns and ensuring that schools had “offensive capability” when attacked.
TURNBULL ‘INSPIRED’ BY TRUMP TAX CUTS
Mr Turnbull heaped praise on Mr Trump for his $1.5 trillion tax cut, signed into law in December, saying it had encouraged him to push for deeper tax breaks for businesses in Australia.
“We have been inspired by your success in securing the passage of the tax reforms through the Congress,” Mr Turnbull said.
“We have secured some tax reforms in terms of reducing company tax but not as much as we need to do.
“The economic stimulus that your reforms have delivered here in the United States is one of the most powerful arguments that we are deploying to persuade our legislature to support reducing business tax because, as you are demonstrating, when you cut company tax most of the benefit goes to workers, it produces more investment, if you get more investment, you get more jobs.”
TRUMP KEEN TO VISIT AUSTRALIA
Earlier, when Mr Trump sat down with Mr Turnbull in the Oval Office, he said he was keen to visit Australia
Mr Turnbull had a one-on-one meeting with the President Friday afternoon, Washington time, hoping to put domestic dramas around Barnaby Joyce quitting behind him.
Asked if he would like to come Down Under, Mr Trump said “I would, yeah, we will be there, great place”, as Mr Turnbull, his wife Lucy and First Lady Melania Trump looked on.
Mr Trump said it was an “honour” to host the Turnbulls at the White House.
“It is a terrific relationship and probably stronger now than ever before,” he said.
He added that the two leaders were working on trade deals and military protection.
“A lot of good things will come out of this visit,” he said before inviting the PM to make remarks.
Mr Turnbull said he appreciates the Trumps’ “hospitality and friendship” and noted 100 years of military ties between Australia and the US.
“We have been fighting side by side in freedom’s cause ever since. So a 100 years of mateship and 100 more to come,” Mr Turnbull said.
Mrs Turnbull enjoyed a White House lunch with Mrs Trump after the Oval Office meeting.
Mr Turnbull will hope to be able to focus on his US-Australian relations after the Nationals leader resigned yesterday over his affair with his former staffer Vikki Campion and revelations of a sexual harassment claim against him.
The US rolled out the red carpet for the PM yesterday as well, when he laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery.
Malcolm Turnbull lays a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery. @newscomauHQ #auspol pic.twitter.com/84h9XiGUiS
— James Law (@JournoLawJ) February 22, 2018
Advance Australia Fair at Arlington National Ceremony to honour Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull’s visit. @newscomauHQ pic.twitter.com/1l5wcuBulF
— James Law (@JournoLawJ) February 22, 2018
He was welcomed to the war cemetery with an honour guard and 19-gun salute, and the army band played Advance Australia Fair.
Mr and Mrs Turnbull also visited the grave of Royal Australian Air Force Pilot Officer Francis Milne, the first and only Australian buried at the cemetery.
Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull lay a wreath at the grave of Pilot Officer Francis Milne of the RAAF. He’s the first and only Aussie buried at Arlington National Cemetery. pic.twitter.com/vethUqI0jU
— James Law (@JournoLawJ) February 22, 2018
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