‘Weak and ineffective’: Trump slams Turnbull
Donald Trump has unleashed an extraordinary spray on Malcolm Turnbull after the former Australian PM said the US could not be relied on to take action against China if it attacked Australia.
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President Donald Trump has unleashed an extraordinary spray on Malcolm Turnbull, calling the former Prime Minister a “weak and ineffective” leader after Turnbull warned the US was becoming an increasingly unreliable ally and could not be relied on to take action if China attacked Australia.
“Malcolm Turnbull, the former Prime Minister of Australia who was always leading that wonderful country from ‘behind’, never understood what was going on in China, nor did he have the capacity to do so,” Mr Trump wrote in a late-night post on his Truth Social account.
“I always thought he was a weak and ineffective leader and, obviously, Australians agreed with me!!!”
The post came after Mr Turnbull gave a Bloomberg Television interview in which he warned Mr Trump’s behaviour would make China a “more attractive partner”.
“President Xi will aim to be the exact opposite of Trump,” Turnbull said.
“Where Trump is chaotic, he will be consistent. Where Trump is rude and abusive, he’ll be respectful. Where Trump is erratic, he will be consistent.
“Trump seems to have a view that America can prosper at the expense of everyone else, but that’s not going to work.”
It also came as Mr Turnbull told The Daily Mail that it was no guaranteed that the US would come to Australia’s aid if China were to attack, describing Mr Trump as “very transactional”.
“I would hope that the United States would always come to our aid under the ANZUS treaty if we were attacked in the Pacific,” Mr Turnbull said.
“But Mr Trump has made it very clear, it’s part of his brand, part of his style, to be less predictable and he has certainly been prepared to take on allies.
“Mr Trump is deliberately unpredictable - that’s his style. We cannot assume that the US would come to our aid.”
It is not the first time Mr Trump and Mr Turnbull have clashed.
The pair was involved in a heated row during their first conversation in January 2017, days after Trump’s inauguration. Mr Trump was elected in 2016.
The President then blasted Mr Turnbull over a deal signed by the Obama administration for the US to consider housing Australian-bound asylum seekers detained on Nauru and Manus Island.
“I think it is a horrible deal, a disgusting deal that I would have never made,” Mr Trump said on the call.
“It is an embarrassment to the United States of America and you can say it just the way I said it.”
Mr Trump ended the conversation, telling Mr Turnbull “I have had it”, saying his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin had been better than that with his close ally.
“I have been making these calls all day and this is the most unpleasant call all day,” Mr Trump said. “Putin was a pleasant call. This is ridiculous.”
The timing of the reignited feud could hardly be worse for Australia, as the US is still deliberating the Albanese Government’s request for an exemption from 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminium imports due to take effect from March 12.
Following Mr Trump’s comments about Mr Turnbull, Coalition trade spokesman Kevin Hogan said he found “the most respected ex-prime ministers are the ones that say the least after they’ve left office”.
But Mr Hogan said his main concern was that Anthony Albanese was the only leader from a Quad or AUKUS nation who had not visited Mr Trump since his inauguration.
“I’m disappointed the Prime Minister has not put in the effort to develop more of a personal relationship, to negotiate not only on tariffs, but also the wider economic partnership,” he said.
Coalition finance spokeswoman Jane Hume said she did not know what was “going on in Mr Trump’s mind” when he made the post about Mr Turnbull, but hoped Labor was able to do as the former PM had and secure the tariff exemptions.
“The economic implications of allowing them to go ahead are quite serious,” she said.
Senior Labor minister Murray Watt said he didn’t know what had “prompted” Mr Trump’s attack on Mr Turnbull.
“We said before we won’t provide a running commentary on the things the president says,” he said.
Trade Minister Don Farrell said a “calm, persistent approach” was the best way to get results for Australia on trade issues.
“Australia and the United States are trusted partners, and we are using every opportunity to make it known to our friends in America the immense benefits of our partnership,” he said.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said the government has been “advocating very forcefully” for a carve out.
“Our two‑way trade with the United States is trade which is very much in the United States’ favour,” he said. “It makes sense that all of this is tariff free.”
Australian Industry Group chief Innes Willox said Mr Trump’s “immediate response” to Mr Turnbull’s comments showed Australia must “step carefully” as it engages in talks with the US about tariff exemptions.
“Any perceived slight or antagonism will not help our cause,” he said. “Of course, apart from steel, aluminium and iron, we need to be wary about what products could be impacted next and how a new tariff regime impacts trade flows.”
Mr Willox said these were “uncertain times” and AiGroup was working closely with counterpart organisations in the US to “seek to influence the policy direction and seek an exemption”.
Mr Willox said while the government should continue to advocate hard for Australian exporters, “it is very clear we are dealing with a very different situation to the last time we faced US tariffs”.
“Parts of the administration are emboldened and the geopolitical situation is different so escaping their impact this time is much more difficult,” he said.
“Last time we did not get a country exemption, but the product lines were limited which had the same effect. This time the proposed tariffs are more expansive and complex and carving out an exemption will not be straightforward.”
Mr Willox said for example a product that has a percentage of steel or aluminium would receive tariffs on that proportion.
“Think of the amount of aluminium in a fishing rod, whatever percentage that is, it will incur the tariff increase,” he said. “This will be crazy to navigate.”
Business Council of Australia chief Bran Black said Australia was a “trusted ally” to the US and there were “strong reasons” why tariffs should not be applied.
“It’s important to remember it took eight months for the Australian Government to secure tariff exemptions under the last Trump administration — what this tells us is that these discussions are complex and that patience and persistence are key,” he said.
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