Australian PM roasts Donald Trump over fake polls and Russia

An audio of Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull mocking Donald Trump over “fake polls” and “Russia”, two topics that are known to work up the US President, is going viral on Australian and American social media.

According to Australia media reports, Turnbull roasted Trump during the annual Mid-Winter Ball at the Parliament House on Wednesday. The high-profile event is attended by journalists, politicians and the who’s who of Australian public life. The addresses at the Ball are not made public.

Until this year. A leaked audio tape of Turnbull’s jibes at Trump was carried by a local news website.

“The Donald and I, we are winning and winning in the polls. We are winning so much! We are winning like we have never won before. We are winning in the polls. We are! Not the fake polls. Not the fake polls. They're the ones we're not winning in. We're winning in the real polls,” Turnbull said at the event.

The Aussie wasn’t done yet. He went on, “You know the online polls. they are so easy to win. I know that. Did you know that? I kind of know that. They are so easy to win. I have this Russian guy. Believe me it’s true, it is true.”

As the audio spread like wildfire, the Australian PM expressed disappointment over the leak, adding that his speech was a “good humoured roast.”

The two leaders hadn’t exactly started off on the right foot. In their first interaction over the phone in January, Trump had berated Turnbull over a refugee exchange deal between the two allies, calling it a very bad deal.

During a bilateral visit to the US in May, Turnbull was left waiting for Trump for three hours before his host showed up.

The US Embassy in Australia said that it took the speech with the “good humour that it was intended,” thus downplaying the roast.

But the next meeting between the leaders would be interesting nevertheless.