US president Donald Trump has lashed former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull as a “weak and ineffective leader” who was rejected by the Australian people, in a late-night social media post.
Taking to Truth Social platform just before midnight Sunday night in Washington DC, Trump said Turnbull led Australia from “behind” and did not understand China.
“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, Australian’s agreed with me!!!”
The post appears to be in response to an interview, granted by Turnbull, to Bloomberg in which he said Trump’s chaotic leadership style would benefit China, to the detriment of the US.
“President Xi will aim to be the exact opposite of Trump: where Trump is chaotic, he will be consistent. Where Trump is rude and abusive, he’ll be respectful. Where Trump is erratic, he will be consistent.”
Turnbull said the world was seeing an “undiluted” version of Trump in his second term, and that his capricious behavior would be seen as advantageous for China’s President Xi Jinping in international relations.
For countries forced to choose between “China on the one hand, and Trump on the other”, many would “find China a more attractive partner.”
Contacted by the Guardian, Turnbull said his commentary on Bloomberg “speaks for itself”.
“His [Trump’s] post proves that my comments hit the mark,” the former prime minister said.
Trump and Turnbull have history. The pair shared an acrimonious phone call in 2017 over the US-Australia refugee swap deal, which had been negotiated by Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama.
Trump said it was a bad deal and accepting it would make him look like a “dope”.
“I have had it. I have been making these calls all day and this is the most unpleasant call all day. Putin was a pleasant call. This is ridiculous,” Trump said shortly before the call ended.
But at other times, the pair have appeared friendly. Turnbull has said previously Trump would mention Kerry Packer every time they met, even during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Turnbull was prime minister from 2015 to 2018. He did not lose office at an election, but rather through an internal Liberal party spill, when he lost the leadership to Scott Morrison.
