Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has defended U.S. President Donald Trump, urging Australians to “cut Trump a bit of slack.”
His comments reflect Dutton’s views on managing relations with the U.S. leader, who has sparked a strong response globally with out-of-the-box remarks about turning Greenland, the Panama Canal, Canada, and now Gaza, into U.S. territories.
Rather than expressing concern, Dutton said Trump’s rhetoric was strategic, insisting that the U.S. president’s words should be understood through the lens of his business background and transactional leadership style.
“Donald Trump is different to any of his predecessors, certainly in the modern age. If you look at his background, he’s a businessman, he does deals, he brings parties together, he swaps contracts,” Dutton told Sky News Australia.
“So, I don’t think you’re taking everything he says literally. The statement, the executive order said that there would be no exemptions in relation to the tariff, and then an hour later in the press conference, the president’s talking about, ‘Well, you know, maybe there is room to move.’ I think we need to cut him a bit of slack,” Dutton said.
Dutton’s comments comes as U.S.-Australia relations navigate a proposed 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminium.
Trump has hinted that an exemption is “under consideration,” but no final decision has been made.
Dutton Positions Himself As More Adept at Handling US Ties
In his defence of Trump, Dutton also positioned himself as the Australian leader best equipped to handle U.S.-Australia relations.He has criticised Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, suggesting they lack the diplomatic weight to engage effectively with the administration.
Marles visited Washington D.C. last week to meet with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and announced Australia had paid $800 million—the first of five payments—to help the U.S. submarine industry build enough vessels to supply Australia under the trilateral AUKUS defence deal.
“With respect, Richard Marles is a nice guy, but he’s batting fairly significantly down the list in terms of the government’s key hitters,” Dutton claimed.
“I don’t know whether [Trade Minister] Don Farrell and others who obviously have got more gravitas within the government have been engaging with their counterparts on the phone.”
Dutton has often positioned himself as the Australian leader best suited to managing Washington ties, citing his political mentor John Howard’s strong relationship with former U.S. President George W. Bush.
He argues that failing to adapt to Trump’s unconventional style could quickly sour the Australia-U.S. relationship.
Aligning With Parts of MAGA
Beyond foreign policy, Dutton’s policies have overlapped with elements of Trump policy in his domestic agenda.He has blamed Labor’s renewables policies for rising power prices, pushed for nuclear energy, and railed against corporate activism, diversity roles, and government spending on symbolic measures like Aboriginal “Welcome to Country” ceremonies.
However, unlike Trump, he has refused to withdraw from the Paris Agreement or abandon the Coalition’s net zero by 2050 commitment. He has also distanced himself from the U.S. abortion debate, shutting down calls within his party to revisit Australia’s existing laws.
On tech policy, Dutton has backed restrictions on social media for young users and supported the news bargaining code—stances that put him at odds with the administration given it has been pressuring European leaders to stop monitoring alleged “hate speech” online, which has, in the past, silenced legitimate debate.
Dutton’s alignment with Trump is part of a broader electoral strategy, given the emphasis placed on winning outer suburban seats which have been hit hardest by the cost of living crisis.
