Australia’s relationship with the United States will remain strong regardless of who is elected as president later this year, according to Australian politicians. This assertion follows former U.S. President Donald Trump being found guilty of falsifying business records by a Manhattan jury.
On May 30, President Trump, the current Republican nominee, was found guilty of 34 counts of falsification of business records with the intent to conceal another crime. This verdict makes President Trump the first-ever U.S. president to be convicted of a crime.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, speaking to reporters on May 31, said the Australia-U.S. alliance is a “relationship between nations, not just between individuals.”
While Mr. Albanese declined to comment on the court case as it did not involve Australians, he said there would be a lot of public focus on the verdict.
“Of course, this is a decision of the U.S. court that we don’t comment where we’re not participants on court processes of other countries, and of course, the presidential election later this year is a matter for the people of the United States,” Mr. Albanese said.
“Certainly, I obviously have a very close relationship with President Biden. I have visited there and met with him on many times.
“I’m certainly not worried about our relationship with the United States because it’s a relationship between our peoples based upon shared values of democratic principles.
“We, of course, have a bit of a shared political system here: the Westminster system in the House of Representatives, the Senate system that we virtually adopted from the United States.”
Meanwhile, opposition leader Peter Dutton said reactions to the verdict were indicative of the strong political views held by Americans.
“If you look back to 2016, [President Trump] won no electoral votes in New York,” Mr. Dutton told the Today show.
“There’s obviously two tribes here, and the one tribe who detest him and hate him ... and the other tribe love him and adore him, and for different reasons on both sides.
Trump Verdict Unprecedented
The verdict comes after a six-week trial with testimony from 22 witnesses.Short of a successful appeal, President Trump could now be facing such penalties as jail time, probation, or fines.
Justice Juan Merchan has set the sentencing hearing for July 11 at 10 a.m.
Meanwhile, President Trump is not barred from running for president as a convicted felon.
Prosecutors alleged that President Trump fraudulently misclassified hush money payments to adult film actress Stephanie Clifford as part of an attempt to interfere with the 2016 presidential election.
President Trump has repeatedly called the criminal case political persecution and an act of election interference.
He also faces three other prosecutions, in Washington D.C., Georgia, and Florida, over his efforts to contest the 2020 election results and his handling of classified documents.
“This was a rigged decision right from day one. And we will fight for our Constitution,” President Trump said outside the courtroom after the verdict.
Education Minister Jason Clare said the verdict against President Trump was unprecedented.
“We haven’t seen anything like this before. Obviously, we need to now wait and see what the sentence is that the judge will hand down. But I’m reticent to comment on court proceedings in another country or to say anything about the domestic politics of the United States,” Mr. Clare told Sunrise.
“Obviously, it’s a decision for the American people to make later this year about the next president.”
Deputy opposition leader Sussan Ley also spoke on Sunrise but was hesitant to comment on the verdict, saying, “The relationship we have with the U.S. is more important and bigger than any one individual, any one leader, or any one government.”
Mr. Clare agreed and emphasised the close alliance between both countries.
“Irrespective of who the president is, or the prime minister is, or which party is in office, the ties that bind our two countries together are strong and everlasting,” he said.
Meanwhile, Greens leader Adam Bandt said the jury’s verdict “just confirmed what we all know.”
“Donald Trump is unfit to be president and would be a disaster for the USA, Australia, and the world if he is elected again,” Mr. Bandt said.
Former PM to Remain as US Ambassador if Trump is Re-elected: Wong
In March, Foreign Minister Penny Wong backed former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd to remain as Australia’s ambassador to the U.S. after President Trump said Mr. Rudd would not remain as ambassador if President Trump won the November election.Mr. Rudd has previously called President Trump a “destructive president” and “a traitor to the West” in social media posts.
“If he’s at all hostile, he will not be there long,” President Trump said.
Ms. Wong said that Mr. Rudd is an “effective ambassador” and was doing an “excellent job in advancing Australia’s interests in the United States.”
