Tony Abbott has defended Donald Trump and taken a swipe at Hillary Clinton, saying the Republican nominee's positions are "reasonable enough" and his supporters are "not deplorables" but voters simply seeking change in America.
Mr Abbott's intervention in the United States election comes as Hillary Clinton's lead over Mr Trump widened to double-digits following the release of numerous historical tapes in which Mr Trump brags that he can get away with grabbing women by the pussy because he is a star.
More News Videos
- Video duration
- 01:57
Abbott: Trump's policies are 'reasonable enough'
- Video duration
- 02:28
Michelle Obama slams Trump's treatment of women
- Video duration
- 00:38
Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej dies, aged 88
- Video duration
- 00:45
Boko Haram frees 21 kidnapped girls
- Video duration
- 00:29
Hurricane Nicole batters Bermuda
- Video duration
- 00:36
Jubilant migrants cheer as they enter Europe
- Video duration
- 00:54
Clinton: 'Everyday, the stakes get higher'
- Video duration
- 02:30
Evangelical Christian women challenge Trump's remarks
Abbott: Trump's policies are 'reasonable enough'
Former prime minister Tony Abbott weighed in on the US presidential election while on Paul Murray Live, saying those who support Trump are "not deplorables" and his policies are "reasonable enough".
Mr Abbott described the tapes as "absolutely disgusting" but condemned NSW MPs for wasting parliamentary time to pass a motion calling Mr Trump a "revolting slug".
"The tapes that have been playing over the last few days are gross, gross beyond belief and I think they are completely indefensible," Mr Abbott told right-wing Sky News commentator Paul Murray on Thursday night.
But the former prime minister said the motion passed in the NSW upper house was just an "exercise in moral vanity."
"Posturing of any sort is something which is not really fitting for a parliament," he said.
"The point that I want to make is that the vast majority of Trump supporters are not deplorables, they really aren't," he said.
"They are decent people who want to see change inside their country and that's fair enough."
Democratic presidential Hillary Clinton was forced to apologise for attacking half of Mr Trump's supporters as belonging in a "basket of deplorables" who were "racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic".
Labor leader Bill Shorten has launched an unprecedented attack on Mr Trump in recent months saying the Republican nominee is "entirely unsuitable" to lead the United States and describing his views, including his threat to ban Muslim immigration, as "barking mad."
But Mr Abbott defended Mr Trump's policies, which include building a wall between Mexico and the United States to repel migrants, as reasonable.
"Many of the Trump positions are reasonable enough," he said.
He warned that if Mr Trump loses the November election, hundreds of millions of American voters would still support his views.
Describing himself as an "admirer" of America, Mr Abbott said it was in the international community's interests to have a "great and strong" America because the world would be worse off without Washington's leadership.
"America is the one country in the world with the strength and goodwill to be a relatively acceptable arbiter of all the problem the world faces."
Mr Abbott's defence of Mr Trump will be interpreted by his colleagues as another attempt to reach out to far-right voters who abandoned the Liberal party at the last election following the installation of the moderate Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister, and a further sign he is jockeying to be returned to the leadership.
An upcoming meeting of the NSW division of the Liberal party will be closely watched with sources saying a showdown on party democratisation will be seen as an opportunity for Mr Abbott to showcase his strength amongst the so-called "base" or party membership.
Mr Abbott is pushing for NSW members to be allowed to preselect their parliamentary candidates, which would strengthen the hand of the conservative membership.
But his motion has been scheduled 11th on the agenda.
Mr Abbott said he would speak to party officials about making his motion a priority for discussion at the October 22 meeting.
"I'd like to assume that's there's no malice or manipulation here, I'd like to assume that it's just inadvertence."
241 comments
Comment are now closed