US President Donald Trump has lashed former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull in a late-night social media post just as he is poised to decide whether to exempt Australia from tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.
Trump was scathing of Turnbull on his Truth Social, a social media platform owned by the president, on Sunday evening in the US.
President Donald Trump and then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull in 2017.
President Donald Trump and then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull in 2017.Credit: Bloomberg, Alex Ellinghausen
“Malcolm Turnbull, the former prime minister of Australia who was always leading that wonderful country from ‘behind’, never understood what was going on in China, nor did he have the capacity to do so,” Trump wrote.
“I always thought he was a weak and ineffective leader and, obviously, Australian’s [sic] agreed with me.”
Turnbull had just appeared on Bloomberg television in the US, speaking about the planned tariffs and arguing Trump was playing into China’s hands. Turnbull declined to respond to Trump’s barb.
“His post says it all, doesn’t it?” he said.
Earlier on Sunday night local time, Trump flew into Washington from Mar-a-Lago 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.
More to come