Aussie PM’s Trump parody broadcast

CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s prime minister said he was disappointed that excerpts of an off-the-record speech he gave at Parliament House parodying U.S. President Donald Trump were broadcast by a television network on Thursday.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made fun of both Trump and the Australian government’s dismal opinion polls during a lighthearted speech on Wednesday night at an annual ball hosted by the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery.

“Donald and I, we are winning and winning in the polls. We are winning so much. We are winning like we have never won before,” Turnbull said in a speech apparently recorded on a phone and broadcast by the Nine Network. The crowd laughed.

“We are winning in the polls. We are, we are — not the fake polls, not the fake polls — they’re the one we’re not winning in. We’re winning in the real polls, you know, the online polls. They are so easy to win,” he added to more laughter.

“Did you know that? I know that, did you know that? I kind of know that. I know that. They are so easy to win. I have this Russian guy …” Nine broadcast concluded.

Turnbull’s office and the press gallery reacted angrily to the speech being broadcast. Turnbull said he was disappointed by the leak, telling Melbourne Radio 3AW: “It’s a breach of protocol.”