ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has today reaffirmed his commitment to the Trump political playbook, after the US President blamed diversity hiring, Joe Biden, and women for a deadly mid-air collision over the Potomac River.
Dutton, who has spent the past two years meticulously copying Trump’s rhetoric, albeit with a total lack of charisma, expressed admiration for the American leader’s ability to immediately assign blame before any investigation had taken place.
“Yes, let’s keep following this guy’s playbook,” Dutton told reporters.
“If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that facts only get in the way of a good culture war.”
Trump, speaking in Washington just hours after the crash, suggested that the accident was the inevitable result of Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s diversity initiatives, before also pointing the finger at the pilots of an Army helicopter involved in the crash. His comments, which made no reference to preliminary aviation reports or safety records, were nonetheless welcomed by the Opposition Leader.
“This is exactly the kind of leadership we need in Australia,” Dutton continued.
“If something bad happens, you don’t wait for information, you just pick an enemy, preferably women, minorities, or a former Labor government, and go from there.”
With an election looming, Dutton has ramped up his efforts to mirror Trump’s style, albeit with limited success given the average Australian’s in-built bullshit detector and his own inability to generate enthusiasm beyond friendly podcast interviews.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declined to comment on Trump’s statements.
“I’m, uh, well, uh [laughs] uh, not going to dignify that with a response.”
More to come.
