President Trump’s argument with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull may have hurt Australia’s feelings, but it’s unlikely to affect the alliance between the two countries, according to a pair of lawmakers who focus on the region.
“You get somebody that comes out and they had a little bit of a conflict, it’s going have a little bit of a scar there, but you’re going to see, Australia is one of our strongest allies, we’re going to maintain that,” Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., who chairs the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Asia-Pacific region.
His Democratic counterpart concurred. “If anything, Australia is asking the American taxpayer to spend a lot of money on Australian security,” Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., told the Washington Examiner. “I can’t imagine that Australia will stop asking for that.”
Trump clashed with Turnbull over whether he would honor the Obama administration’s promise to accept 1,250 Middle Eastern refugees who fled originally to Australia. Then-Secretary of State John Kerry announced the decision in November, two months after Turnbull agreed to resettle Central American refugees who were trying to reach the United States; the Turnbull government denied planning a “people swap” at the time.
“This was the worst call [of the day] by far,” Trump told Turnbull before cutting the conversation short, according to a transcript obtained by the Washington Post.
That report frustrated congressional leaders and alarmed Australian national security experts. “Trump has just done China a big favor in its efforts to weaken the US-Australia alliance — and thus harmed US strategic interests,” Professor Rory Medcalf, the head of the National Security College at Australian National University, tweeted in response to news of the call.
Yoho and Sherman reiterated that the U.S.-Australia alliance would be fine. “Countries have fundamental interests that are more important than the personalities of their leaders,” Sherman said. But they seemed farther apart on the question of whether Trump needs to honor the pact.
“I think it’s important,” Yoho said, citing the “nation-to-nation bond” between the United States and Australia, “even though this was honored under President Obama.” He predicted the Trump would ultimately honor the deal but subject the incoming refugees to “strict vetting” before allowing them into the country, which is what the White House said it would do.
Sherman was more open to the idea that Trump might break the agreement. “It’s a decision that was made by an Obama administration without a vote of Congress, a treaty, or anything like that,” he said. “I’m an institutionalist and believe that if the United States is going to be bound, it’s got to go through Congress, or at least the Senate.”
But Sherman also believes that Trump will pay a price for his demeanor if he doesn’t change.
“Trump obviously wants to do a lot of things that will annoy a lot of people around the world. When he adds to that an irascible personality, a condescending personality, it just makes it more expensive for him to accomplish or even try to accomplish some of the things he’s trying to accomplish,” Sherman said. “There’s no reason to say this is the worst phone call I’ve had today. Every day, I have a phone call that is the worst phone call I had that day, and I have never told anyone that so-and-so was the worst phone call of the day.”
The adjustments might have to be made by foreign leaders, however. “People are going to have to adjust to his personality and I look neither to defend it or make excuses for it,” Yoho said. “That’s his personality and people will have to adjust to that. There is a new executive in town and people are going to have to get used to his style.”
