After all of Trump’s tough talk, little has changed in Australia
Feb 3, 2017, 10:17 AM
It was the big story from yesterday: “Trump hangs up on Australia.”
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The story goes that President Donald Trump was on a call with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, and they got to talking about a deal made during the Obama Administration for the U.S. to take about 1,000 refugees detained by Australia. Trump got testy, called it a dumb deal, accused Australia of trying to export the next Boston bombers and hung up.
I heard this and I said to myself this is a terrible way to treat a good ally like Australia. I love Olivia Newton-John. I loved Crocodile Dundee. This is not right.
So I tuned in Australian TV to see how the prime minister was taking it.
“I’m not going to comment on these reports of a conversation,” Turnbull said. “Australians know me very well. I always stand up for Australia in every forum.”
He sounded petrified! And to hear it on Australian TV so is the rest of the country now as they anxiously await Trump’s next tweet.
“The president’s twitter account has gone silent, which might mean he’s asleep. But in this brave new world of Trump, no one can be sure what will happen when the alarm goes off in the morning,” one reporter said.
Yes, sounds like some sleepless nights in Australia, although that’s not surprising for a country that sleeps upside down.
Anyway, I guess we can safely assume this refugee deal is dead. Bye Bye – as Trump would say.
Well, here’s the prime minister on Australian radio, answering the question: is the deal dead?
“The question is, will he commit to honoring the deal … and he has given that commitment.”
So for all the tough talk, nothing has changed!
Australians may not be flashy, but they can hold their own.
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