U.S.-Australia Relationship Strong Enough to Weather Turnbull-Trump 'Snafu'
Kevin Rudd on CNN
Former Australian Prime Minister @mrKRudd speaks to @halagorani on the U.S.-Australian relationship @cnn #muslimban https://t.co/AYXYqHsvwF
— Quest Means Business (@questCNN) February 2, 2017
On February 2, 2017, ASPI President and former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was on CNN to discuss U.S.-Australia relations.
Rudd joined CNN's Hala Gorani from Abu Dhabi to speak about the reportedly contentious phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. The two leaders discussed a refugee deal that was agreed upon by the previous U.S. administration and which President Trump has publicly criticized. Some foreign policy analysts and media reports raised concerns that the phone call could spell trouble for the bilateral relationship.
In the interview, Rudd cautioned against jumping to such conclusions, stating that the long-standing U.S.-Australia alliance was "big enough" and "old enough" to cope with what he deemed a temporary "snafu." This controversy would likely "blow over, and we will get back to the fundamentals of the relationship," Rudd predicted. (5 min., 3 sec.)