Malcolm Turnbull has accused the ABC of being cowardly for suggesting his vicious spat with Donald Trump threatens Australia’s chances of receiving an exemption from US trade tariffs.
The US President used his Truth Social platform to attack Mr Turnbull as a ‘weak and ineffective leader’ on Monday after the former Prime Minister told this publication that Australia cannot rely on the US to defend us militarily against China.
The former Australian Prime minister inflamed the situation by telling Bloomberg TV on Monday that Trump was ‘chaotic, rude, abrasive and erratic’.
Now Mr Turnbull has taken aim at the ABC for questioning the wisdom of antagonising Mr Trump at a time when Australia is trying to negotiate a tariff exemption on steel and aluminium exports to the US.
Radio National host Sally Sara asked Mr Turnbull whether he had been ‘reckless’ or jeopardized the chances of an exemption to the 25 per cent tariffs, which are set to come into effect on Wednesday.
‘Sally, I’m a little bit concerned by the way you raised this too. Sarah Ferguson (7.30 host) did the same thing last night,’ Mr Turnbull responded.
‘It troubles me. Both of you, distinguished journalists on the ABC, are you suggesting that we should engage in self-censorship in Australia for fear of offending the huge ego of Donald Trump?’
‘Is that really the state that we’ve got to? Surely we should be free to speak the truth or are we going to muzzle ourselves for fear of offending Mr Trump?’
Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) has slammed the ABC, accusing the national broadcaster of being ‘pusillanimous’, as the fallout of his vicious spat with Donald Trump threatens Australia’s chances of an exemption from trade tariffs
The US President (pictured) used his Truth Social platform to attack Mr Turnbull as a ‘weak and ineffective leader’ on Monday after the former Liberal leader told this publication that Australia can’t rely on the US to defend us against China
Ms Sara again asked the former Liberal leader whether it was ‘wise’ to abandon diplomacy and inflame the President in such a pivotal week for Australian trade.
‘Really, Sally, is this where we’ve got?’, he thundered.
‘Has the ABC become so pusillanimous that you are seriously suggesting that we shouldn’t be free to speak the truth in Australia for fear of Donald Trump?
‘Is that the depths you’ve sunk to?’
Mr Turnbull then harangued the ABC host, telling her: ‘It really troubles me, I believe in the ABC, I believe in freedom of speech, I believe in Australia and I believe in standing up for Australia and I’m sorry (that) apparently you don’t.’
But Ms Sara shot back: ‘Don’t put words in my mouth, with respect’.
‘It’s my job to ask questions about your comments and this is in a time where there’s a significant … trade decision under way,’ she added.
The interview then descended into an near-shouting match, as both Ms Sara and Mr Turnbull fought to speak over one another.
Donald Trump savaged former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull as a weak leader after he told Daily Mail the American President would be reluctant to defend Australia against China
Regaining composure, Mr Turnbull then claimed he believed the chances of Australia securing a trade exemption were ‘very, very low’ regardless of his personal falling-out with Mr Trump.
‘The Trump administration regrets giving exemptions last time because once they gave an exemption to Australia then they ended up having to give an exemption to somebody else… so I think this time there will be no exemptions and they will apply right across the board,’ he added.
He further described Trump as a ‘bully who seeks to achieve dominance’.
Mr Turnbull, who was in power during Trump’s first term in the White House, told Daily Mail Australia on Monday that the US may not defend Australia militarily in the event of China attacking our shores – in the wake of Chinese live-fire naval exercises off the east coast of Australia.
‘You cannot assume anything about Donald Trump – it’s part of his brand to be unpredictable,’ Mr Turnbull said.
‘Yes, he’s 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.
‘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.’
This prompted Mr Trump’s late-night outburst on Truth Social.
‘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,’ President Trump said.
‘I always thought he was a weak and ineffective leader and, obviously Australians agreed with me.’
Both the Government and the Liberals have distanced themselves from Mr Turnbull’s spat with the US President.
‘Malcolm Turnbull is not a member of the government,’ minister Amanda Rishworth said of the ex-Liberal prime minister on Tuesday.
‘Our government is absolutely focused on making sure that we are standing up for Australian exporters.’
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton told Sunrise he did not agree with his former party leader and said he would not be calling him to back off.
‘I don’t agree with what he said. It is not for tit-for-tat but how (we) preserve Australian jobs,’ Mr Dutton said.
‘The prime minister has a responsibility, as Malcolm Turnbull did when he was prime minister, to negotiate with the then Trump administration for an exemption to tariffs.’