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Turnbull had just appeared on Bloomberg television in the US, speaking about the planned tariffs and arguing Trump was playing into China’s hands.
Credit: Matt Golding
In his Bloomberg appearance, Turnbull said he expected Chinese President Xi Jinping to take “massive advantage” of Trump’s presidency.
“Where Trump is chaotic, he will be consistent. Where Trump is rude and abusive, he’ll be respectful,” Turnbull said.
“And what that will do is build trust with countries, and there will be many countries looking at China on one hand, Trump on the other, [that] will prefer China.”
Trump’s on-again, off-again tariff threats were bad for business and could drive the US into recession, Turnbull added.
“Trump seems to have a view that America can prosper at the expense of everyone else, but that’s not going to work,” he said.
Turnbull also said Trump “wasn’t really prepared” to govern in his first term because he didn’t expect to win the 2016 election but was much more determined now and was surrounded by loyalists who would implement his agenda.
Asked to respond to Trump’s social media barb, Turnbull said: “I’m a quivering leaf.”
Trump’s attack came just hours after Turnbull sent out invitations for an all-day conference he is organising at the National Press Club in Canberra on March 31 to rethink the future of the US-Australia alliance and the AUKUS pact in the age of Trump.
“With the arrival of Trump mark II, we have seen him effectively switch sides in the war in Ukraine and inflict extraordinary economic damage on allies like Canada, but both sides of politics are trying to pretend that nothing has happened,” Turnbull said.
US President Donald Trump walks down the stairs of Air Force One as he returns to Washington from Florida.Credit: AP
“It’s long overdue for Australia to have a proper conversation about our place in the world and how we defend ourselves. It’s clear we cannot rely on the United States.”
Turnbull said he had invited about 100 “leading defence and foreign policy thinkers” to the on-the-record event, and that a broad spectrum of political opinions would be represented.
“It is more likely than not we will never get a Virginia-class submarine from the US, but where is the plan B?” Turnbull asked. “This is completely unacceptable.”
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The invitation to participants says: “The breakneck speed at which the second Trump administration is challenging and overturning assumptions about the international order compels close allies to re-examine the fundamentals of their foreign and defence policies. This is happening in the capitals of Europe, in Ottawa and elsewhere, but not in Canberra.”
Earlier in the day, Trump flew to Washington from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, and did not answer when asked whether he would exempt Australia from the tariffs.
He previously said he would give it great consideration, but in recent days Trump’s top economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, said he doubted any exemptions would be granted.
