Hard to not get a chuckle out of this from The Washington Post:
It should have been one of the most congenial calls for the new commander in chief — a conversation with the leader of Australia, one of America’s staunchest allies, at the end of a triumphant week.
Instead, President Donald Trump blasted Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull over a refugee agreement and boasted about the magnitude of his electoral college win, according to senior US officials briefed on the Saturday exchange. Then, 25 minutes into what was expected to be an hour-long call, Mr Trump abruptly ended it.
The US President reportedly abruptly ended a call with PM Malcolm Turnbull describing it as the worst call and the refugee deal also the worst. Courtesy ABC News 24.
At one point, Mr Trump informed Mr Turnbull that he had spoken with four other world leaders that day — including Russian President Vladimir Putin — and that “this was the worst call by far”.
Mr Trump’s behaviour suggests that he is capable of subjecting world leaders, including close allies, to a version of the vitriol he frequently employs against political adversaries and news organisations in speeches and on Twitter.
“This is the worst deal ever,” Mr Trump fumed as Mr Turnbull attempted to confirm that the United States would honour its pledge to take in 1250 refugees from an Australian detention centre.
Mr Trump, who one day earlier had signed an executive order temporarily barring the admissions of refugees, complained that he was “going to get killed” politically and accused Australia of seeking to export the “next Boston bombers”.
We got we deserved, frankly. While the Boston bomber rubbish is out of line why are we using the US as a refugee spittoon? It’s hardly good alliance management to misuse ANZUS for cynical political purposes.
Except if you’re Trump! More:
He’s the reporter whose sensational story dropped a political bombshell 16,000 kilometres away.
Washington Post White House bureau chief Philip Rucker caught Canberra, Washington and foreign policy watchers around the world by surprise…Rucker told the ABC that President Trump was unconcerned about the alliance with Australia or diplomacy.
“He doesn’t really care so much that Australia is an ally over many, many years. What he cares about is the refugee policy that he has used as – that he views as dangerous for the United States. So he didn’t let diplomatic niceties get in the way of how he felt about that refugee policy,” he said.
