As the possibility of a second Trump presidency draws near, former Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull reflected on his interactions with the 45th president on Defending Democracy with Malcolm Turnbull.
Turnbull, who was prime minister when Trump won the presidency in 2016, recalled that he “knew [Trump’s] type… narcissistic, driven, totally focused on accumulating wealth and power.”
Malcolm Turnbull is on the ground in the US in the final days of the battle for the White House.
The race is tight. If Donald J Trump wins, what would a second term look like? What would it mean for Australia? Listen to this bonus episode of Defending Democracy to find out more.
While Australia has traditionally enjoyed a healthy relationship with the U.S., Turnbull said goodwill between the countries had been “severely diminished in recent years.”
Ahead of the election, Trump promised to increase tariffs on Chinese imports and establish a 10 per cent tariff on all other countries, likely including Australia.
Turnbull also pointed to the AUKUS deal as an example of Australia becoming “much more dependent” on America.
“Our utter, helpless, increased dependency on the United States will hardly inspire respect from Trump… you do not win respect from a New York property developer by doing dumb deals,” said Turnbull.
Turnbull emphasised the need for the prime minister to “stand up for the nation” if Trump does end up winning the 2024 election.
“The one thing I’d learned is that if you suck up to bullies or give into them, the only thing you will get is more bullying. To succeed with them, you need to stand up to them.”
By Zack Goutzoulas, a Master of Journalism student at the University of Melbourne.