Details of Trump and Turnbull’s phone call over refugee deal revealed

The PM tried to convince Donald Trump to honour the refugee deal by comparing their former roles as business leaders.

Bruce Springsteen has mocked Donald Trump’s phone call with Malcolm Turnbull tonight in Melbourne.

He opened a concert by saying “We stand before you embarrassed Americans tonight,” before singing his 1960s hit Don’t Hang Up.

He's on it! @springsteen starts first Melbourne show "sending a message home" covering Don't Hang Up for Trump v Turnbull pic.twitter.com/dV38VBXFaQ

— cameron adams (@cameron_adams) February 2, 2017

Earlier, it was revealed Mr Turnbull tried to convince Mr Trump to honour the refugees’ deal by comparing their former roles as business leaders during the leaders’ conversation.

“I’m a businessman, you’re a businessman,” Nine News reports he told President Trump.

“A deal’s a deal.”

Mr Turnbull today admitted that his phone call with Mr Trump lasted only 25 minutes, less than half the expected hour, but insisted it ended courteously.

Speaking on Melbourne radio 3AW, Mr Turnbull also said that while he expected the refugee deal, it was never for all the refugees on Manus.

“Let’s be clear, the deal that was entered into with President Obama was for the Americans to process and consider acceptance, it was not an acceptance to take in everyone,” he said.

“The president in the course of the conversation agreed to the deal that had been entered into with Mr Obama.”

He added: “The call ended courteously. It was a 25 minute call, it covered a number of issues but mainly on the refugee resettlement deal.”

Mr Turnbull also made clear that the deal made with Barack Obama was “not an acceptance to take in everyone.”

“Can I just make this clear, the suggestion in some parts of the media . that this involves taking refugees sight unseen is wrong, it has always been based on the premise that the US homeland security officials would take into consideration their vetting measures.

“It is possible that they will take a smaller or larger number.”

“Trump didn’t hang up on me”

Malcolm Turnbull has denied reports Donald Trump hung up on him at the end of the two leaders’ phone call at the weekend and is adamant the US President has committed to honour the countries’ refugee deal.

Speaking on Sydney radio 2GB a short time after an extraordinary afternoon in which stunning details emerged of the phone conversation and Mr Trump tweeted that the immigrant agreement was a “dumb deal”, the Prime Minister said he was disappointed at leaks coming out of Washington.

“I’m very disappointed that there has been a leak of purported details of the call in Washington but I want to make one observation: the report that the President hung up is not correct, the call ended courteously,” Mr Turnbull said.

While not going into the details of the call, the Prime Minister said it was “frank and forthright ... I stand up for Australia’s interests”.

But he did not confirm or deny whether Mr Trump said their conversation was the “worst by far” of the four phone calls he had on Saturday US time with world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin or called the refugee agreement: the worst deal ever”.

“There’s a lot of talk around about the call allegedly from people who were not party to it,” he said. “These calls generally remain, naturally, completely confidential.

“We have very, very strong standards in the way we deal with other leaders and we are not about to reveal details of conversations other then in a manner that is agreed.”

Despite Mr Trump tweeting this afternoon that the refugee deal was “dumb” and he would study it, Mr Turnbull believed he would honour it.

“Now the commitment made by the President in that call was agreed, was made, it was given to us, we announced that, and it was confirmed by his spokesman a day or so later.

“He committed to honour a deal done by his predecessor — doubt he would say he would not have done (that deal) himself but he committed to stick to the deal that President Obama has done.”

Trump tweets: I will study this dumb deal

Mr Trump cast doubt over America’s refugee deal with Australia today, just minutes after the US embassy in Canberra had issued a statement confirming the deal was still on.

“Do you believe it? The Obama Administration agreed to take thousands of illegal immigrants from Australia. Why? I will study this dumb deal!” the President tweeted shortly before 3pm.

Do you believe it? The Obama Administration agreed to take thousands of illegal immigrants from Australia. Why? I will study this dumb deal!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2017

Less than an hour earlier, the US embassy confirmed Mr Trump intended to honour the deal, following conflicting reports from the White House and US State Department.

That confirmation came a short time after stunning details emerged of the US President’s phone conversation with Malcolm Turnbull on Sunday about the deal for America to take refugees from Manus Island and Nauru.

“President Trump’s decision to honour the refugee agreement has not changed and Spokesman Spicer’s comments stand,” a spokeswoman for the Canberra embassy said in the earlier statement.

“This was just reconfirmed to the State Department from the WH and on to this embassy at 1315 Canberra time.”

However, the status of the deal for the US to take 1250 refugees from Manus Island and Nauru is less clear after Mr Trump’s 10.55pm Washington time tweet.

The Greens and activist group GetUp!!!! have used uncertainty over the refugee deal to reiterate their calls to bring the refugees on Manus Island and Nauru to Australia.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that Mr Turnbull is placing his faith in a xenophobic and anti-immigration US President who has a track record of dishonesty and lies,” Greens immigration spokesman Nick McKim said.

“Only a fool would take Trump at his word.”

Phone call ‘the worst by far’

The Washington Post is reporting Mr Trump told Mr Turnbull their conversation was the “worst by far” of the four phone calls he had on Saturday US time with world leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin, and ended the call abruptly.

“This is the worst deal ever,” Trump fumed at Turnbull at one point.

President Trump reportedly accused Mr Turnbull of trying to export the “next Boston bombers” through Australia’s proposed refugee deal with the US.

The reports claims Mr Trump blasted Mr Turnbull over the deal, boasted about the magnitude of his electoral college win, and abruptly ended what was expected to be an hour-long call after 25 minutes.

The paper attributes the claims to “senior US officials briefed on the Saturday exchange”.

“US officials said that Trump has behaved similarly in conversations with leaders of other countries, including Mexico. But his treatment of Turnbull was particularly striking because of the tight bond between the United States and Australia — countries that share intelligence, support one another diplomatically and have fought together in wars including in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

The official White House statement on Mr Trump’s conversation said the two had “emphasised the enduring strength and closeness of the US-Australia relationship that is critical for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region and globally.”

‘I don’t want these people’

A White House spokesman declined to comment to the Washington Post.

The paper said a senior administration official had acknowledged that the conversation with Turnbull had been hostile and charged, but emphasised that most of Trump’s calls with foreign leaders — including the heads of Japan, Germany, France and Russia — have been both productive and pleasant.

“US officials said that Trump continued to fume about the arrangement even after signing the order in a ceremony at the Pentagon,” it reported.

“I don’t want these people,’ Trump said.

“He repeatedly misstated the number of refugees called for in the agreement as 2,000 rather than 1,250, and told Turnbull that it was “my intention” to honour the agreement, a phrase designed to leave the US president wiggle room to back out of the deal in the future, according to a senior US official.”

Mr Turnbull reportedly told Mr Trump that to honour the agreement, the United States would not have to accept all of the refugees but only to allow them each through the normal vetting procedures. At that, Mr Trump vowed to subject each refu­gee to “extreme vetting,” the senior US official told the Washington Post.

At one point, Mr Turnbull reportedly suggested that the two leaders move on from their impasse over refugees to discuss the conflict in Syria and other pressing foreign issues.

“But Trump demurred and ended the call, making it far shorter than his conversations with Shinzo Abe of Japan, Angela Merkel of Germany, François Hollande of France or Putin,” the report claims.

Turnbull: “I’m not going to comment”

PM: These conversations are ‘private’

Malcolm Turnbull has refused to comment on his conversation with Mr Trump or confirm whether it had ended early.

“I’m not going to comment on the conversation,” he said. “During the course of the conversation, as you know, and it was confirmed by the President’s official spokesman, the President assured me that he would continue with, honour the agreement we entered into with the Obama Administration with respect to refugee resettlement,” he said.

“I’m not going to comment on these reports of a conversation. Australians know me very well. I always stand up for Australia in every forum — public or private,” Mr Turnbull said.

Pressed on reports that Mr Trump told Mr Turnbull the call was the “worst call by far” of his conversations with world leaders on the weekend and that he had accused Australia of trying to export the “next Boston bombers”, Mr Turnbull again refused to comment.

“I’m not going to comment on a conversation between myself and the President of the United States other than what we have said publicly,” he said.

“You can surely understand the reasons for that. I appreciate your interest, but it’s better that these things, these conversations, are conducted candidly, frankly, privately.

“If you see reports of them, I’m not going to add to them.”

He said Australia’s relationship with the US remained strong.

“The fact we received the assurance that we did, the fact that it was confirmed, the very extensive engagement we have with the new administration underlines the closeness of the alliance,” he said.

Confirm or deny: Shorten

Bill Shorten called for Mr Turnbull to “be straight with the Australian people” and “confirm or deny the accuracy” of the Washington Post report.

“He made it clear that he had a constructive discussion and that the refugee deal, which Labor supports, was on track,” the Opposition leader said.

“Now it appears another different version of the same conversation has emerged. I just say to Turnbull, talk straight to the Australian people. Tell us what’s going on.

“We want to see the refugee deal happen, but clearly President Trump and his people are saying one thing happened in this conversation, which is completely at odds with what Prime Minister Turnbull has told the Australian people.

“We don’t want to find out our news from the ‘Washington Post’. We should hear it first from our Prime Minister.”

Mr Shorten defended his criticisms of Mr Trump ahead of the US election, which included describing his ideas as “barking mad”.

“The Turnbull government has criticised me for expressing previous concerns about some of the views of the President of the United States,” he said.

“The American alliance should be stronger than individuals, but it is most important that whoever is in power in Canberra or in the White House, that we treat our allies with respect.

“If I was Prime Minister, I would want the United States to be our ally, and I’m sure that the Americans want Australia to be their ally, but if I was Prime Minister I would never just be a satellite of the United States, and it is important that Australia speaks its mind.”

Deal confusion

The deal for the US to take 1250 refugees from Manus Island and Nauru has been the subject of confusion after the White House released a statement saying the President was still deciding whether to accept the refugees, while the US State Department said the deal was still on.

An official from the State Department has told the ABC the deal would continue, but that the refugees would only come to the US in accordance with Mr Trump’s recently signed executive order.

The order bans travel from seven majority Muslim countries for 90 days, and suspends all refugee admissions for 120 days and indefinitely for Syrian refugees.

“Out of respect for close ties to our Australian ally and friend, we will honour the agreement to accept some refugees from resettlement centres on Nauru and Papua New Guinea,” the statement said.

“Any refugees coming to US shores would only come to the United States in accordance with the recently signed Executive Order.”

The ABC reported that it simultaneously received a statement from the White House saying: “the President is still considering whether or not he will move forward with this deal at this time”.

“He is considering doing it because of the long and good relationship we have with Australia,” the statement said.

The Greens and activist group GetUp!!!! have used uncertainty over the refugee deal to reiterate their calls to bring the refugees on Manus Island and Nauru to Australia.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that Mr Turnbull is placing his faith in a xenophobic and anti-immigration US President who has a track record of dishonesty and lies,” Greens immigration spokesman Nick McKim said.

“Only a fool would take Trump at his word.”

“As confirmed by Immigration Department Secretary Mike Pezzullo to a Senate Committee late last year, this so-called deal does not commit the United States to accept a single refugee.”

Senator McKim said all that had been accomplished so far was creating further uncertainty for people who had suffered so greatly at Australia’s hands.

“Clearly, it has also compromised an already weak Prime Minister from standing up to a dangerous and unstable US President.”

GetUp!!!! said Mr Turnbull’s “reported humiliation” at the hands of Trump on the US deal demonstrated that the Australian government could not and should not trust Mr Trump.

GetUp!!!! Human Rights director Shen Narayanasamy, said Mr Turnbull could not trust Mr Trump but could bring the people in offshore detention to Australia.

“This is ridiculous. It’s time to end stop relying on a dangerous US administration who have humiliated the Australian Prime Minister and scorned the agreement,” she said.

“We need to end the abuse and recognise that Australia is a safe country, evacuate the camps and bring them here.”