Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s praise for Xi Jinping over Donald Trump has ignited a fiery response from the U.S. President.
The U.S. is an ally, and China is most certainly not.
At a glance:
• Former Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull claimed CCP leader Xi Jinping is more “respectful” than Donald Trump
• Trump fired back on Truth Social, calling Turnbull “weak and ineffective” and saying Australians agreed
• Turnbull described Trump’s leadership style as “chaotic” and claimed it benefits China
• The former Australian leader warned his country not to rely on U.S. defense commitments if Trump returns to office
• The spat highlights growing tensions among traditional allies amid China’s increasing global influence
Trump Fires Back at Former Australian PM
President Donald Trump delivered a blistering response to Malcolm Turnbull after the ex-Australian leader suggested Communist China’s leadership was more “respectful” than Trump’s.
What is Turnbull thinking?
The war of words erupted after Turnbull’s controversial comments during a Bloomberg TV interview where he praised China’s leadership approach.
Trump didn’t hold back in his response on Truth Social, writing: “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. I always thought he was a weak and ineffective leader and, obviously Australians agreed with me.”
Ha!
What Turnbull Said
In the Bloomberg interview that sparked the controversy, Turnbull proclaimed “Trump’s chaos is a gift to Xi Jinping” and suggested the Chinese Communist Party leader was more stable and predictable than the former U.S. President. His comments immediately drew sharp criticism from American and Australian conservatives alike.
Turnbull went further by warning Australians they cannot rely on U.S. defense commitments if Trump returns to office. “You cannot assume anything about Donald Trump – it’s part of his brand to be unpredictable,” Turnbull stated, undermining decades of strong U.S.-Australian military cooperation.
“I always thought he was a weak and ineffective leader and, obviously Australians agreed with me,” he added.
The former Australian Prime Minister has a history of tension with Trump, dating back to their infamous phone call in 2017 that Trump reportedly called “the worst call by far” among conversations with world leaders. That call centered on a refugee agreement made during the Obama administration.
The public spat comes amid growing concerns about China’s military expansion in the Indo-Pacific region. Ironically, it was Turnbull who banned Chinese tech giant Huawei from Australia’s 5G network over security concerns, a policy later adopted by the Trump administration.
Turnbull surely knows he’s not telling the truth. He’s just being stubborn.
