NATION Turnbull’s mocking Trump impression
PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull has risked the ire of US President Donald Trump by impersonating him and joking about him using a “Russian guy” to help him win elections in a speech at a private dinner.
Mr Turnbull last night rejected suggestions his speech could jeopardise his relationship with Mr Trump after a leaked audio recording exposed the PM impersonating the leader of the free world in front of an audience of 600 at Canberra’s press gallery Midwinter Ball on Wednesday.
Copying Mr Trump’s language and tone, Mr Turnbull mocked his criticism of fake polls.
“We are winning in the polls. We are. We are. Not the fake polls. Not the fake polls. They’re the ones we are not winning in. We are winning in the real polls. You know, the online polls. They are so easy to win, did you know that?” Mr Turnbull said. “They are so easy to win. I have this Russian guy. Believe me, it’s true. It is true.”
The US Charge d’Affaires James Carouso attended the press gallery dinner, where Mr Turnbull’s speech was met with applause and laughter.
A spokeswoman for the US Embassy said the speech had been taken in the lighthearted spirit it was delivered in.
“We understand that last night’s event is equivalent to our own White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” an embassy spokeswoman said.
“We take this with the good humour that was intended.”
Mr Trump and Mr Turnbull met last month in New York, where they sang each other’s praises and hailed the strength of the US- Australian alliance.
At the time, Mr Trump labelled Mr Turnbull a “very, very special PM” saying they had a “very good relationship”.
Facing criticism yesterday over the recording, Mr Turnbull defended his impersonation of Mr Trump and said it was a “good- humoured roast”.
“My speech was lighthearted, affectionately lighthearted,” he said.
“( It’s) good natured and the butt of my jokes was myself. We’ve got to lighten up. Stressful business, politics, we’ve got to be cheerful.”
The dinner was strictly offthe- record but veteran political journalist Laurie Oakes, who did not attend the dinner, published the audio.
The Prime Minister did not expect the speech to be repor- ted in the media. Mr Turnbull’s press secretary Mark Simkins is understood to have had a hand in writing the speech.
In it, he referenced Mr Turnbull’s first phone call with Mr Trump, in which the President reportedly hung up, angry about a refugee deal.
Mr Turnbull said the call had been described as “frank, forthright and courteous”.
“But it is worth remembering that he is a New York property developer and I a former partner of Goldman Sachs who spent my formative years under the tender mentorship of Kerry Packer so these things are all relative,” he said. “But it was great to reset the relationship last month in New York.”