The details of the Prime Minister’s January telephone call with the President of the United States of America was leaked late in the week. Readers might recall this as the conversation in which the controversial Obama-era people swap deal, between Australian and the US, was canvassed.
The transcript, which was leaked to The Washington Post, shows the President repeatedly blasting the Prime Minister during their 24-minute call over the deal negotiated by the previous administration.
Noting the President had already spoken with prominent world leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, he described his conversation with the Prime Minister as the “most unpleasant call” he had taken that day.
In detail at times, the two leaders can be seen attempting to position their national and domestic political interests ahead of the bi-lateral friendship. The President, on learning about the strict Australian maritime and border policies pertaining to boats and illegal immigration, said that the Prime Minister was “worse that I am” on immigration.
While the transcript appears to paint a portrait of a President ignorant of Australia’s tough stance on border protection, the Prime Minister was able to convince the President to honour the deal, even appealing to their shared business careers prior to entering politics.
