In Australia, Trump's hostility is being viewed as deliberate bullying
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's week was turned upside down when The Washington Post, citing "senior U.S. officials briefed on the Saturday exchange," reported late Wednesday that his phone call last Saturday with President Trump had ended abruptly after Trump got angry over a deal he inherited to accept 1,250 refugees. Turnbull said in a news conference on Thursday that he always stands up for Australia, these conversations are private, and "if you see reports of them, I'm not going to add to them." It's the top story in Australia.
On CNN Wednesday night, The Australian's Sarah Martin said "the reaction here has been one of shock and disbelief, not only the fact that the details of this high-level conversation have been leaked to the press in the U.S., which is obviously extraordinary in itself," but also that there was "a hostile exchange" at all. Australians "certainly see ourselves as one of the United States' most dependable allies," she said, and this "farcical" conversation is "raising concerns here about the temperament of the new U.S. president, and of course I don't think Australia is alone on that one."
On Sky News Australia, reporter Laura Jayes said senior sources in the Australian government confirmed that "Donald Trump did hang up mid-conversation, after 25 minutes, his tone was described as 'yelling' across the phone," she said. "I also understand that the view from Malcolm Turnbull was that Donald Trump is a bully, and to confront a bully you need to bully back," so "he wasn't just sitting there being berated by Donald Trump."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Kristina Keneally, a political commentator, suggested that Trump was trying to humiliate Turnbull, a fellow multimillionaire businessman. The revelations "could have only come from the White House, they are clearly damaging to Malcolm Turnbull, they are clearly in service of Donald Trump and his political agenda," she said. "When you're facing a bully, you've got to decide your tactic."
The stakes for Turnbull, who narrowly won re-election last year, are high. "It sounds almost as though Trump was 'negging' the PM like a particularly low-rent pick up artist," said Andrew Street at The Sydney Morning Herald, referring to a tactic where a man deliberately tries to seduce a woman through confidence-sapping backhanded compliments. "A leader can endure being disliked; few have survived becoming a figure of outright ridicule."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Supreme Court to resolve Louisiana gerrymander
Speed Read The court will hear a case challenging the second majority-Black district in the state
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Boeing machinists approve contract, end strike
Speed Read The company's largest union approved the new contract offer, ending a seven-week strike
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
America might be in a second Gilded Age
In the Spotlight The first Gilded Age was marked by rising inequality and a push for social change
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court to resolve Louisiana gerrymander
Speed Read The court will hear a case challenging the second majority-Black district in the state
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Russia accused of election agitation, firebomb plot
Speed Read European officials accused Russian operatives of plotting to smuggle incendiary devices aboard planes bound for the US
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Moldova's pro-West president wins 2nd term
Speed Read Maia Sandu beat Alexandr Stoianoglo, despite suspicions of Russia meddling in the election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
2024 race ends with swing state barnstorming
Speed Read Kamala Harris and Donald Trump held rallies in battlegrounds over the weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
North Korea tests ICBM, readies troops in Ukraine
Speed Read Thousands of North Korean troops are likely to join Russian action against Ukraine
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Women take center stage in campaign finale
Speed Read Harris and Trump are trading gender attacks in the final days before the election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US election: who the billionaires are backing
The Explainer More have endorsed Kamala Harris than Donald Trump, but among the 'ultra-rich' the split is more even
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Supreme Court allows purge of Virginia voter rolls
Speed Read Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) is purging some 1,600 people from state voter rolls days before the election
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published