21 eye-popping quotes from Trump's calls with the leaders of Mexico and Australia

"I have had it. I have been making these calls all day and this is the most unpleasant call all day. Putin was a pleasant call. This is ridiculous."

President Trump on the phone.
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

President Trump's Jan. 27 phone call with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Jan. 28 phone call with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull were long rumored to be chaotic. But no one quite realized how wild they were until The Washington Post published transcripts of the conversations on Thursday. Recorded by White House note-takers and circulated among senior administration staff, the transcripts reveal startling insight into the president's approach — and frustrations — when negotiating with other world leaders.

The first conversation, with Peña Nieto, revolved around Trump trying to get the Mexican leader to stop publicly refusing to pay for Trump's long-promised border wall. Trump's exchange with Turnbull was even more heated, as Trump vented about an Obama-era agreement to take 1,250 refugees from Australia.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.