THE DIPLOMAT

Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull Stands Up to ‘Bully’ Trump

Trump reportedly hung up on Malcolm Turnbull.

President Trump held his most contentious call yet with a supposed ally late Wednesday. During a call with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull reports suggest both men forcefully expressed their views, before the call was abruptly ended. According to a report in The Washington Post, Trump blasted his “ally” for a refugee agreement between the two countries, and bragged about his electoral win before ending the conversation nearly 30 minutes early. Sources close to Turnbull told Sky News Australia that the Australian leader hit back when Trump lost his cool. Trump is a “bully” and “to combat a bully, you need to bully back,” insiders said. Turnbull admitted he had spoken “candidly” and “frankly” with Trump. “I do stand up for Australia. My job is to defend Australian interests,” he said. Trump had reportedly told Turnbull that among the other calls he’d had with world leaders—including Russian President Vladimir Putin—that day, “This was the worst call by far.” Speaking about a deal for the United States to take in 1,250 refugees from an Australian detention center, Trump allegedly complained that he was “going to get killed” politically and accused the country of trying to export the “next Boston bombers.” Trump tweeted late Wednesday: “Do you believe it? The Obama Administration agreed to take thousands of illegal immigrants from Australia. Why? I will study this dumb deal!”