RELATED: Australian PM, Trump offer mixed messages of refugee deal
The former Ohioan made the comments on Sky News Australia following a report from the Washington Post that Trump and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull engaged in a heated conversation over the status of 1,250 refugees the U.S. agreed to accept from an Australian detention center.
"I'm not surprised our prime minister pushed back," she said, calling the deal "a handshake agreement between Obama and Turnbull on the expectation Hillary Clinton would become president."
Keneally said Trump does not have to honor the deal, and noted the leak to the American newspaper is likely intended to favor Trump. Turnbull's political opponents have criticized the prime minister for not publicly disclosing the argument, instead offering a more positive readout of the conversation.
"The reality is, the revelations in the Washington Post could have only come from the White House," she said. "They are clearly damaging to Malcolm Turnbull. They are clearly in service of Donald Trump and his political agenda."
Keneally said the Australian prime minister should take Trump head on.
"When you're facing a bully you've got to decide your tactic," she said. "You either take them up in public or try to negotiate the best outcome you can."
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