CANBERRA, Australia (AP) – Australia’s prime minister on Friday denied he was impersonating President Donald Trump during an off-the-record speech he gave at Parliament House, describing his performance as “lighthearted and affectionate channeling.”
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has attempted to limit any diplomatic fallout from the speech he gave on Wednesday night at an annual charity ball hosted by the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery after an Australian television network on Thursday broadcast excerpts recorded with a phone.
Turnbull made fun of both Trump and the Australian government’s dismal opinion polls in an animated performance.
“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,” Turnbull said in a speech that has now attracted international attention.
“We are winning in the polls. We are, 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, you know, the online polls. They are so easy to win,” he added.