Malcolm Turnbull Praises Trump, Reaffirms US-Australian Alliance

    He said Australians were confronted by the "nasty" presidential campaign.

    Mark Di Stefano
    by Mark Di Stefano

    BuzzFeed News Reporter

    Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has praised United States president-elect Donald Trump for reaching out to "bring the country together" in the wake of a shocking election result.

    Lukas Coch / AAPIMAGE

    On Wednesday evening, Turnbull reaffirmed Australia's alliance with the US despite the "nasty campaign" for president.

    "Let me say that I understand that Australians have been confronted by the intensity of the political battle in the United States," he said.

    "President-elect Trump himself described it as being at times a nasty campaign, and it was certainly, by our standards, a very bitter one."

    Turnbull went on to praise Trump for his victory speech, in which he thanked Hillary Clinton for her public service.

    "You have seen already the way he reached out to bring Americans together, and the American people do fight their political contests hard, but this great nation of the United States has the capacity to come together and it will."

    Australian politicians on both sides condemned and mocked Donald Trump in the lead up to the election, including Turnbull's leader of the house Christopher Pyne who said a Clinton win was "best for Australia", and resources minister Josh Frydenberg who called the President-elect "a dropkick".

    Opposition leader Bill Shorten went even further calling Trump's views "barking mad" and saying he was "entirely unsuitable to be leader of the free world".

    Former prime minister Tony Abbott tweeted support for Trump, saying he did not take "middle America" for granted.

    Tony Abbott @TonyAbbottMHR

    Congrats to the new president who appreciates that middle America is sick of being taken for granted.

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    Tony Abbott @TonyAbbottMHR

    US should continue to have no better friend than Australia.

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    But Turnbull, taking no questions in a brief press conference, moved to ease fears a Trump presidency could impact the long term US-Australian alliance.

    "Americans understand that they have no stronger ally, no better friend, than Australia and the enduring national interests of our two countries as such that our relationship will continue to be strong," he said.

    "We congratulate president-elect Trump and we look forward to working closely as ever with his administration as it is formed and when it takes office earlier next year."