U.S. leaders offer Aussies reassurance
Trump riled over deal to take in 1,200 refugees
• Top Republican figures on Capitol Hill sought to reassure Australia on Thursday following reports of a remarkably tense phone call between President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
The messages came as a U. S. official confirmed that an agreement struck between Australia and the Obama administration to resettle 1,200 refugees in the U. S. became a source of friction between Trump and Australian leader Malcolm Turnbull.
The official described Trump as “very strong” in Saturday’s call and particularly concerned about the deal. The official denied reports that Trump hung up on Turnbull, but acknowledged the call was shorter than Trump’s other discussions with world leaders. The call ended after less than 30 minutes, well earlier than scheduled.
Pressed in a morning news conference by reporters on the call, as well as on a tweet late Wednesday where Trump dismissed the agreement as a “dumb deal.” House Speaker Paul Ryan said Australia was a “very essential” U.S. ally.
“I don’t think Australia should be worried about its relationship with our new president, or with our country, for that matter,” Ryan said, making reference to a September meeting he had with Turnbull. “Australia is a very important and central ally. It’s going to continue to be.”
Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a frequent critic of Trump’s foreign policy stances, phoned Australia’s ambassador to the United States to “express my unwavering support for the U.S .- Australia alliance ,” according to a statement issued by his office.
But t he White House deepened its condemnation of the deal Thursday, saying Trump was “unbelievably disappointed” in the agreement. Asked whether the deal would continue, Trump said, “We’ll see what happens.”
Trump’s tweet included f actual errors about the agreement, saying it concerned “thousands of illegal immigrants” when in fact the deal involved roughly 1,200 refugees from wartorn nations, not “illegal immigrants,” who have been detained in camps on offshore islands.
Turnbull, for his part, declined to comment on the report, saying instead, “I can assure you the relationship is very strong,”
“It’ s better that these things — these conversations — are conducted candidly, frankly, privately,” Turnbull told reporters.
Australians — accustomed to the friendly relationship they have long enjoyed with the U.S. — were transfixed by the drama. The story shot to the top of the nation’s trending topics on Twitter, and was plastered across the top of Australia’s major news sites.
The country’ s news networks launched running commentaries on it, debating how Turnbull should respond and what the spat meant for the future of the longtime allies’ relationship.
Trump, who a day before the conversation with Turnbull had signed an executive order suspending the admission of refugees, complained during the call that he was “going to get killed” politically by the deal, the newspaper reported, citing anonymous officials.
“I don’ t want these people,” Trump reportedly said. Trump also told Turnbull that he had spoken to four world leaders that day and that: “This is the worst call by far.”
Opposition leader Bill Shorten called on Turnbull to be open about his interaction with Trump, saying the call was worrying.
“We shouldn’t be finding out about what’s happening to Australian policy through the news of foreign countries,” Shorten said.