Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison welcomed a second Donald Trump presidency, saying it would lead to a “rejuvenation of the American economy”.
Morris said the Republican candidate had given a “stellar” performance during the election campaign.
Almost declaring victory for the former businessman, Morrison said Trump had “won this election” and believed the result would be known on Wednesday night Australian time.
Morrison, who left politics to join a US-based security and defense think tank, denied claims that Trump was a “scary” character, after footage was unearthed from 2017 of Anthony Albanese saying that the leader “scares the hell out of me.” .
‘Vladimir Putin is scary. Xi Jinping is scary. Ayatollah Khomeini is scary. “Donald Trump is not scary,” Morrison told Sky News on Wednesday.
“I think the three places that will be most unhappy with this result tonight will be Tehran, Beijing and Moscow.”
Morrison’s tenure as prime minister coincided with Trump’s first presidency from 2018 to 2021, and Morrison shared effusive praise for the leader.
“The United States is an entrepreneurial animal… and I think we will see great confidence in that economy,” he said.
Former Liberal Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured) praised Donald Trump and refuted claims the US president is ‘scary’
Trump and Scott Morrison got along well when they were both in office (pictured together)
Morrison also backed former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd to continue in his role as Australia’s ambassador to the United States, saying Rudd had been “building those cross-party relationships”.
Turning to international affairs, Morrison also said he was “confident” he would pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Morrison said Trump “won’t want to negotiate or reach a deal from a position of weakness” and hoped to see the “problem resolved.”
“If Vladimir Putin thinks it’s going to be easy for Donald Trump, expect something else,” Morrison said.
“You will know very quickly that whatever deal you end up agreeing to is not the one you have in mind right now and the one you think you will achieve if you continue this murderous war.”
Ambassador’s call on the US elections
Earlier on Wednesday, US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy said Australia-US relations would continue to deepen regardless of who was president, calling Australia “the most reliable capable ally”.
The former Australian prime minister also believes that Trump will pressure Putin to end the war in Ukraine (pictured, Scott Morrison and Donald Trump).
“One of the things I say every day here in Australia is how strong their alliance is and how unbreakable and how strong it gets every day,” he told the ABC.
‘I’ve seen it firsthand since I’ve been here.
“So regardless of who wins the election, the fundamentals are there and they are getting stronger.”
US Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy (pictured) says bilateral relations will deepen regardless of who wins the White House, highlighting AUKUS and the two-way trade deal between Australia and the US.
He noted the AUKUS trilateral security pact between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as two-way trade and Australia’s role in supplying critical minerals to the United States.
“So there are so many things that bring us together,” Mrs. Kennedy said.
“That’s not going to change.”
Meanwhile, questions have been raised about Australian ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd, in the event of a second Trump presidency.
The former Labor prime minister has called Trump “crazy”, the “most destructive president in history” and a “traitor to the West”.
Questions are raised about the future of both Australia’s ambassador to the United States, Kevin Rudd (left), and the US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy (right), if Donald Trump wins the White House. In the past, Rudd and Trump have criticized each other.
Trump has called Rudd “nasty” and “not the brightest light bulb.”
“If it’s hostile, it won’t be there for long,” the former president said in an interview earlier this year.
Verbal criticism has led the opposition to question whether Rudd would be able to serve Australia effectively if the Republicans won.
Polls on the eve of the election put Trump and Harris tied ahead of the vote on Tuesday (local time).
The candidate needs to get 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.
