As America awaits the final presidential election results, some of Australiaâs politicians have spoken about the nature of their relationships with Donald Trump.
While Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he has âenjoyed a very productive working relationship with the presidentâ, his predecessor Malcolm Turnbull said he and Trump began with âa blazing rowâ when he became PM in 2015, describing the president as an example of âbig bullying personalitiesâ.
âTo be frank, I had a very constructive relationship with Trump. I mean I got off on what a lot of people said was a bad start because we had a blazing row,â Turnbull said on Channel Nineâs âTodayâ show on Thursday.
âBut as we all know, when you are dealing with big bullying personalities like Trump, the worst thing you can do is suck up to them.â
Turnbull told hosts Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon he âgot some great outcomesâ by not letting Trump intimidate him.
âSo standing my ground, you know, not being intimidated, that laid the foundation for a good, constructive relationship,â he said. âAnd I got some great outcomes.â
Meanwhile during a press conference on Thursday morning, Morrison said he hadnât yet contacted Trump or Democratic opponent Joe Biden during or after election day, but admitted heâs âenjoyedâ his working relationship with the president since becoming prime minister in 2018.
âIâm not a participant in the US political process. I am a partner,â he said.
âAustralia is a partner with the United States, and we respect the decisions that the American people make in their democracy. And we will be patient. We will await the outcome of their process. Itâs not for me to run a commentary on those things. I wonât.
âI work with the president of the United States as the prime minister of Australia. And Iâve enjoyed a very productive working relationship with the president. I will always put Australiaâs interests first in that relationship.â
The US is still awaiting a final result and this extended process to project the next president is the result of the changing patterns in voting produced by the coronavirus, with many voting early or by mail.
Joe Biden urged his supporters to keep the faith and to wait until the election was called, while Trump and his allies are doing what they have hinted at for months: claiming victory prematurely, insisting mail-in ballots for Democrats are invalid, baselessly saying votes were cast after polls were closed and filing lawsuits meant to stop counting votes.
Australian senator Penny Wong insisted the âdemocratic process must be respected, even when it takes timeâ.
Malcolm Turnbull echoed this with a three-word tweet: âCount every voteâ.
Meanwhile Shadow Health Minister Chris Bowen insinuated Australia would issue a statement âdemanding that rule of law be respectedâ if it were in this position.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and Senator Senator Mehreen Faruqi also weighed in:
With additional reporting by Kevin Robillard and Paul Blumenthal (HuffPost US)
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