Advertisement

Australian PM quotes Winston Churchill in criticism of Trump’s fake news claims

Click to play video: 'Australian PM quotes Winston Churchill in criticism of Trump’s fake news claims'
Australian PM quotes Winston Churchill in criticism of Trump’s fake news claims
WATCH ABOVE: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says President Donald Trump is wasting his time attacking the media – Feb 17, 2017

U.S. President Donald Trump was wasting his time deriding the media over their coverage of his administration, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Friday, citing the example of British wartime leader Winston Churchill.

READ MORE: 12 things Donald Trump said in Thursday’s long, meandering press conference

Trump has repeatedly described media criticism of him as “fake news” since taking office last month, labelling the media as the “opposition party.”

On Thursday he dismissed a growing controversy about ties between his allies and Russia as a “ruse” and a “scam” perpetrated by a hostile news media.

Story continues below advertisement

Turnbull, at a news conference with New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English in New Zealand, said the 45th American president should stop focusing on the media.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

READ MORE: Trump campaign sends ‘Mainstream Media Accountability Survey’ to supporters

“A very great politician, Winston Churchill, once said that politicians complaining about the newspapers is like a sailor complaining about the sea. There is not much point. That is the media we live with and we have to get our message across and we thank you all in the media for your kind attention,” Turnbull said.

Turnbull is speaking from experience as he faces a constant stream of questions from domestic media about his leadership, with opinion polls showing the popularity of his centre-right government sinking to its lowest in more than a year.

READ MORE: Fact-checking Trump claims about his administration, economy, ISIS

Relations between the United States and Australia hit a low point this month when Trump said on Twitter that a planned refugee swap between the two nations was a “dumb deal.”

That followed a Washington Post report about an acrimonious telephone call between the two leaders that attracted headlines world-wide.

READ MORE: Donald Trump rips Australia’s PM over phone

“President Trump and I have had several calls now, we’ve had very constructive call. It was frank and forthright and it was very valuable,” Turnbull said.

Story continues below advertisement

With his promise to put “America First,” Trump has also scrapped or promised to re-negotiate trade deals such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the North American Free Trade Agreement since coming to office, but Turnbull warned against a more protectionist U.S. trade stance.

“Protectionism is not the ladder to get you out of the low growth track, it is the shovel to dig it deeper and deeper and deeper,” Turnbull said.

Australia is a staunch U.S. ally and is currently flying combat missions in Syria. It has also said it was open to stepping up its military commitment against the militant Islamic State group.

Sponsored content

AdChoices