CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
Scott Morrison’s official dinner with Donald Trump was big news in Australia, with Murdoch newspapers reporting that the US president was running around Japan banging on about the closeness of the Australian-US alliance and “praising” the Prime Minister.
While Trump did, in fact, say that Morrison “had a fantastic victory” – one thing was noticeably missing from their exchange. Any usage of Scott Morrison’s actual name.
The leader of the world’s biggest economy made sure not to refer to Morrison by his actual name, knowing very well he was unable to remember it.
The US press corps swerved around this issue by reporting the meeting as a non-event. In its official briefing note the journalists said:
“Pool was briefly led into the dining room where President Trump was meeting with the bloke that is in charge of Australia now. There was no news.”
“After skirting around a few topics, and asking the Australian Prime Minister who he appeared visibly hesitant to try and name whether he would follow the US blindly into another war in the Middle East.”
“Then mindless talk about golf and fishing before Trump suggested that the Australian Prime Minister where a name tag next time.”
“Trump said he hoped to see him again, seeing as he won’t see him for a few months.”
Scott Morrison’s office declined to comment on whether he would wear a name tag at the next meetings with international dignitaries.
