Peter Dutton has risked the ire of Donald Trump’s right-hand man with a brutal two-word sledge.
The Opposition Leader and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese were shown a series of pictures in a final quickfire round during Channel Seven’s leaders’ debate on Sunday night.
One of the images presented by host Nat Barr and moderator Mark Riley, the network’s political editor, was a shot of the world’s richest man, Elon Musk.
The Prime Minister was very diplomatic, answering: ‘Tesla – and a very rich man’.
But Mr Dutton was apparently unconcerned about upsetting the notoriously think-skinned X owner and the head of Trump’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’.
‘I think evil genius,’ Mr Dutton responded, to laughter from Barr and Riley.
The Sunrise host chose to quiz the Coalition leader on his affiliation with Trump, which has dogged him throughout the campaign.
‘Mr Dutton, have you distanced yourself from Mr Trump’s style?’, Barr asked.
Peter Dutton (pictured) has risked the ire of Donald Trump ‘s righthand man with a brutal two-word sledge
The Opposition Leader named the X and Space X owner an ‘evil genius’ (pictured: Musk and Trump)
The Opposition Leader claimed he had ‘not sought to style myself on anybody other than myself’ and named John Howard as his ‘political mentor’.
But the Prime Minister saw an opportunity to capitalise, asking him why he had followed some of Trump’s policies, such as promising a Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Jacinta Price, and ending work from home for civil servants – which he rowed back on.
Mr Albanese also accused him of aping Trump in comments made earlier on Sunday when Mr Dutton described the ABC and the Guardian as ‘hate media’ to supporters in Melbourne.
But Mr Dutton batted the questions away with one of his own: ‘Do you believe in government efficiency?’
It fell to the Coalition’s campaign spokesperson, James Paterson, to play down Mr Dutton’s comments after the debate ended.
‘I think you all know, as you’ve seen on this campaign trail, Peter engages very well and very respectfully with all media outlets who had great access to him on the campaign trail,’ Mr Paterson told Channel Seven.
‘Everybody gets questioned every day.’
Musk has regularly criticised the Australian government, branding them ‘fascists’ over the move to regulate X.
Musk was named the head of the new Department of Government Efficiency, with a remit to slash red tape and bureaucracy in Washington (the billionaire is pictured on stage next to Trump at one of his rallies)
He clashed with the head of the ABC, Kim Williams, over his claims that Joe Rogan preys on people’s ‘fear’ and ‘vulnerabilities’.
‘They prey on anxiety. They prey on all of the elements that contribute to uncertainty in society, and they entrepreneur fantasy outcomes and conspiracy outcomes as being a normal part of social narrative,’ Mr Williams told the National Press Club in November last year.
‘I personally find it deeply repulsive, to think that someone has such remarkable power.’
Musk re-shared a post from Rogan caption ‘LOL WUT’, with the comment: ‘From the head of Australian government-funded media, their Pravda’.
Pravda is the former official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, which still operates in the Russian Federation.
Musk has also accused a major Australian newspaper of ‘boring its readers to death’ after a journalist predicted he would lose control of Tesla.
