After the worst call, the Australian media calls Trump unreliable but smart and tough

[Calista241]

Source: Washington Post

U.S. media accounts of President Trump's tense, truncated phone call with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have generally presented the episode as evidence that the new commander in chief lacks diplomatic skills.

...

But in the Australian media, Trump comes across differently — unreliable, yes, but also smarter and tougher than his Aussie counterpart. The White House could not have hoped for anything better.

“Malcolm Turnbull thought he could outsmart Donald Trump and trap him into taking 1,250 of our boat people,” Andrew Bolt wrote in the Herald Sun of Melbourne. “Huge mistake, and now he's been humiliated.”

Rita Panahi, Bolt's fellow columnist at the Herald Sun, wrote that “you have to admire Donald Trump's powers of perception. It took months for most of the media and much of the public to figure out the P.M. is a dud — Trump did it in just 25 minutes.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/02/02/after-the-worst-call-the-australian-media-calls-trump-unreliable-but-smart-and-tough/?utm_term=.8b854e0ee4c9

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You have got to be shitting me.

[dbackjon]

1. The Herald Sun is a Rupert Murdoch owned tabloid

Of course it is Pro-Trump.

Other newspapers in Australia are viewing it differently.

[FreeStateDemocrat]

8. Who at the Washington Post is giving this source so much credibility???

[cos dem]

2. I was there not long ago...

All the papers I saw were ugly right wing birdcage liners. I wouldn't read too much into it.

[ananda]

3. I don't think Turnbull is very popular in Australia.

nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

4. They don't know tRump like we know tRump. . . . . nt

[Vinca]

5. Here's an idea. Let's swap out Turnbull for Trump.

Turnbull's edge, of course, is that he appears sane.

[Dave Starsky]

6. Smart? Tough?

No and no.

He is an idiot and a coward. This seems obvious.

[pnwmom]

7. Their right wing is applauding our right wing. Big surprise. n/t

[PdxSean]

11. Exactly!

Their crazies are supporting our crazies.

[certainot]

9. so they've got fascists in the media too....

[PdxSean]

10. I'm in Melbourne. It ain't true.

Just my second day here and I haven't watched a lot of news, but what I saw on tv this morning with my coffee was comments to the effect that this is 1) consistent with Trump's anti-immigration stance, 2) that Trump's conduct is consistent with that of a 3 to 6 year old, and 3) that Trump is about Trump's image, not America's foreign relationships.

In other news, Australians don't refrigerate eggs, and they sell "American style" bacon which I've never seen before. Picture two connected slices of bacon, side-by-side. It's a good thing! Also, I can't find canned biscuits. Barbaric!

[pnwmom]

13. Thanks for the input. And welcome to DU! n/t

[canetoad]

15. Hey PdxSean

I'm in Gippsland. Economic refugee from the city five years ago. Welcome to DU

[Calista241]

16. American Bacon!

I have got to get me some of that.

[groundloop]

12. Yeah, and tRump makes BOLD decisions (according to National Enquirer).

[canetoad]

14. OK, you need to know who this 'Aussie Media' is...

Andrew Bolt is worse than Limbaugh and Hannity. Hard right, racist, bullying.
Rita Pahani writes for a populist Murdoch rag, aimed at Trump-like readers.

Flitton, McGeogh and Harcher are good journalists. I don't see them calling DFT smart.

[kacekwl]

17. If Turnbull has half a spine

he should go public on what was exactly said during the phone call.