Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull tried out his Trump impersonation, and it leaked
![Australian prime minister playfully mocks Trump](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CxEPj8bfxeC5SPRQnzmH85-1280-80.jpg)
Relations between President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull got off to a rocky start, thanks to a grumpy phone call, but the two leaders of the closely allied nations patched things up. Well, it turns out Trump isn't the only one of the two with a leak problem. On Tuesday night, Turnbull tried his hand at comedic impersonations in front of a room of reporters at Parliament House's Mid Winter Ball in Canberra, an event that is supposed to be off the record. Well, someone had their camera on, and Nine News political director Laurie Oakes obtained a copy of Turnbull's routine and published it.
Honestly, it's mostly pretty tame stuff, as far as Trump roasts go. "The Donald and I, we are winning and winning in the polls," Turnbull said. "We are winning so much, we are winning, we are winning like we have never won before." Yes, "we are winning in the polls," he said. "Not the fake polls, not the fake polls! They're the ones we're not winning in. We're winning in the real polls — you know, the online polls. ... They are so easy to win — I have this Russian guy. Believe me, it's true, it is true."
That Russian quip might leave a mark, actually. "I'm not sure The Donald would be all that amused by that reference to a 'Russian guy,'" Oakes points out. "Vladimir Putin might be, though."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
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.
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.
-
The 'racist' parenting test fuelling Denmark–Greenland tensions
Under the Radar Campaigners say abolition of competency test, which failed to account for Inuit culture, was 'long overdue'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Today's political cartoons - February 9, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - personal data, trans athletes, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 tit-for-tat cartoons about Trump's trade war
Cartoons Artists take on Canada, Mexico, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Federal judges block Trump citizenship order
Speed Read A second judge has blocked the president's order to end citizenship for children born on American soil to parents without legal status
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
DOGE official at Treasury resigns after racist posts
Speed Read Marko Elez's ability to access the Treasury's central government payment system has been rescinded
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Trump orders ban on trans female athletes
speed read The order directs the federal government to withhold funding from schools that do not comply
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Musk's DOGE gains access to Medicare, eyes FAA
speed read The billionaire said his Department of Government Efficiency will make 'rapid safety upgrades' to our air traffic control systems
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump: US 'will take over' Gaza, without Palestinians
Speed Read President Trump has suggested the US take ownership of Gaza, permanently displacing more than two million Palestinian residents
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Democrats try to stop Trump's USAID closure
Speed Read Trump and Elon Musk are attempting to dismantle the US Agency for International Development, a move congressional Democrats say is illegal
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China rattle markets
Speed read The tariffs on America's top three trading partners are expected to raise the prices of everything from gas and cars to tomatoes and tequila
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published