Australia’s leader says Trump isn’t chasing a refugee deal
CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s prime minister on Sunday ruled out any deal to get the United States to honour an agreement to resettle hundreds of Muslim refugees that President Donald Trump has described as “dumb.”
Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull also dismissed a Nine Network television network journalist’s suggestion that he should be offended that White House spokesman Sean Spicer has repeatedly called him “Trumbull” in press briefings. Turnbull said, “The important thing is results.”
Spicer says Trump has agreed to honour an Obama administration deal to resettle up to 1,250 asylum seekers rejected by Australia. Trump made the agreement during a conversation with Turnbull last weekend, but has since tweeted, “I will study this dumb deal!”
Turnbull said Trump had asked for nothing in return for resettling the mostly Muslim refugees from Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Australia pays the impoverished Pacific countries of Nauru and Papua New Guinea to keep the refugees in camps.