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Trump-Australia Feud Harms Unique Relationship

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U.S.-Australian ties have fallen to a new low following reports of a very tense phone conversation (read: argument?) between Donald Trump and Malcolm Turbull (Australian PM).

The phone call was cut short after 25 minutes because Trump repudiated the refugee swap deal the U.S. reached with Australia in 2016, where the U.S. would resettle 1250 asylum seekers (held on the Pacific islands) and Australia would resettle refugees from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

Trump is reported to have described the deal as "the worst deal ever", and accused Australia of trying to export the "next Boston bombers" to the U.S...

Trump, in typical fashion, tweeted about the conversation: "Do you believe it? The Obama Administration agreed to take thousands of illegal immigrants from Australia. Why? I will study this dumb deal."

Trump also reportedly boasted to Turnbull about "the size of his election victory" (someone ought to tell him he lost the popular vote and drew a tiny inauguration crowd).

The implications of this could reach as far the 'Five Eyes' relationship - a unique intelligence sharing community, comprised of the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada and New Zealand, with Reuters reporting:

Trump told Turnbull that their conversation had been "the worst so far" (of his conversations with foreign heads of states), which doesn't seem very diplomatic.

Source (Reuters).

Why should the US take these economic migrants

Reply 61

AlexanderHam

Original post by Josb

Or that King Hussein (who met him two days ago) found the right words to convince him.

"Of course, you can build an hotel in Amman Donald, it's gonna be great, and if you want, you can even play in my private golf course - any time."

I saw that report and I thought it was very interesting, but it also reminded me of all these leaks coming out of the White House where his aides and staff have basically said, "He usually agrees with whoever the last person to talk", so they fight over who gets to stay with Trump after a meeting because he will usually find himself in agreement with them.

A good example is his position on torture; he was in favour of torture, and then 'Mad Dog' Mattis, the marine general, spoke to him and convinced him to oppose it as unnecessary and ineffective. And then he spoke to Bannon who convinced him to support torture again. Then he spoke to Mattis and announced he would defer to Mattis.

It looks like King Hussein managed to corner him and speak to him (thus engaging in the thought "download" where you can basically decide what Trump thinks by just speaking your position in a vaguely persuasive way), and to get Trump to announce it before he had a meeting with someone else who would convince him of the opposite

Reply 62

AlexanderHam

Original post by yudothis

I am sure that is the kind of leader America needs.

True. Those words about "successful leaders" could presumably apply to the prophet Mohammed too; will they apply the same logic to him too, as a model for Trump?

Reply 63

yudothis

Original post by AlexanderHam

True. Those words about "successful leaders" could presumably apply to the prophet Mohammed too; will they apply the same logic to him too, as a model for Trump?

If you think about it, Mo was the best leader, ever. Period. Tell me one leader whose empire is still growing a thousand years later.

Reply 64

nulli tertius

Original post by niteninja1

Why should the US take these economic migrants

Because it is a deal.

Australia is taking some problematic Central American refugees that the USA doesn't want but is obliged to take and in return the USA is taking these folk whom Australia needs to get rid off to close its Pacific Island camps.

Both countries have the problem that they are stuck with taking people under international conventions but where to allow them to go where they want to go would only encourage more to come. Hence they have swapped their problems.

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Reply 65

HucktheForde

If this doesnt alert the likes of nigel farage yet..

Trump is the kind of person who sees only wins or lose in international relationship

He is willing to dump long time friends in a blink of eye.

If he can do that to australia, he can do that to UK too. And Farage wants us to be dependent on someone as volatile as him. Its like sleepwalking off a cliff.