Leaked footage shows Australian Prime Minster Malcolm Turnbull mocking U.S. President Donald Trump during a media event Wednesday.
Turnbull hosted the informal Mid Winter Ball for the media at the Parliament House in the capital of Canberra. The event is usually never reported on but the political editor of Nine Network decided to make an exception after Turnbull’s impersonation of Trump.
The prime minister describes his May meeting with Trump in New York City by using some of Trump’s characteristic language.
“The Donald and I, we are winning and winning in the polls. We are winning so much, we are winning, we are winning like we have never won before,” Turnbull said.
The prime minister went on to make fun of the Trump campaign’s alleged links to Russia.
“I have this Russian guy … Believe me, it’s true, it is true,” Turnbull said.
Turnbull said the speech was a “good humored roast” of Trump and called the leak “a breach of faith.”
“[It was] light-hearted, affectionately light-hearted,” Turnbull told the 3AW radio station Thursday. “It’s a breach of protocol, it’s a breach of faith and all those things, but it’s light-hearted, affectionate, good natured.”
The U.S. Embassy in Canberra released a statement saying they take the impersonation “with the good humor that was intended.”
“We understand that last night’s event is equivalent to our own White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” the embassy said in a statement. “We take this with the good humor that was intended.”
The two leaders got off to a rough start after Turnbull revealed President Barack Obama had agreed to take 1,250 unwanted refugees from Australia. Trump described it as “the worst deal ever” but vowed to honor the agreement.
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