In his speech to the Canberra press gallery’s Midwinter Ball, the Australian equivalent of the White House correspondents’ dinner, Turnbull mimicked Trump, saying, "The Donald and I... we are winning and winning in the polls. We are winning so much. We are winning like we have never done before. We are winning in the polls. We are. Not the fake polls. Not the fake polls. They're the ones we are not winning in. We are winning in the real polls. You know the online polls. They are so easy to win. I know that, do you know that? I kind of know that. They are so easy to win. I have this Russian guy."
Turnbull's words were recorded without his knowledge at Parliament House in Canberra late on Wednesday. An Australian journalist later shared the recording, saying that since he had not been at the event, he was not bound by rules of confidentiality.
The Australian prime minister later told the press that he was disappointed by the leak, claiming it was a breach of protocol. The US Embassy in Canberra, however, has said that they take the statements with good humor.
