Peter Dutton has hit back at suggestions he will be a ‘Trumpite’ if he becomes Australia’s next prime minister.
The federal Opposition Leader revealed what he really thought of US President Donald Trump when he sat down with Karl Stefanovic for a wide-ranging interview which aired on 60 Minutes on Sunday night.
His usually private family also gave rare insight into the man aiming to topple Anthony Albanese at the upcoming federal election, including candid details about the wild night Mr Dutton met his wife Kirilly.
Mr Dutton insisted he wouldn’t slavishly follow the President’s lead, if elected, following a particularly pointed remark from Stefanovic.
‘From what Australians have seen thus far, they’d be forgiven for thinking that you are right up Donald Trump’s a***,’ Stefanovic said.
Mr Dutton fired back: ‘Well, that might be a Labor line, but it’s just not true.’
‘I think I’ve demonstrated that I’m prepared to make the tough decisions and make the decisions that are in our country’s best interests, and that will include on the world stage as it is here.’
Mr Dutton cited the threat of more tariffs being imposed on Australia as being of particular concern.
Peter and Kirilly Dutton opened up in their first television interview together
The federal opposition leader put interviewer Karl Stefanovic (pictured) in his place when asked about Donald Trump
‘I think they’re damaging the relationship if they stay in place and (are) not in our interest and not in the United States’ interest,’ he said.
However, Mr Dutton said he looked forward to building a strong relationship with Mr Trump, despite the US President’s controversial leadership style.
‘I think one of the things that we need to bear in mind with President Trump is that we shouldn’t be taking a literal interpretation of every word that he’s said,’ Mr Dutton said.
‘If you’ve watched him and you’ve listened to him and you’ve, you’ve understood the nuance for a period of time, I think you can (build a strong relationship).
‘The President’s a dealmaker, he’s a thinker – he brings people together.
‘That’s the transaction that has been his life.’
Mr Dutton also opened up about being set up on a first date with his now wife Kirilly at the Port Office Hotel in Brisbane in the early 2000s.
Then aged just 23, he had already been divorced, was expecting a baby with another ‘on-off’ partner, and had just entered politics.
Mr Dutton said his first memory of their relationship involved him approaching Kirilly with a Red Bull and vodka in hand.
‘My heart was pumping. I’d had 20 vodka Red Bulls by that stage, so it was all good,’ he recalled.
Peter Dutton was already a divorcee and expectant dad when he met Kirilly at a Brisbane pub
In their first ever television interview together, Kirilly was asked what Mr Dutton is like away from the spotlight.
‘Can’t sing, can’t dance, can’t play ukelele,’ she said, referencing Stefanovic’s cringeworthy 60 Minutes interview with former Coalition Prime Minister Scott Morrison before his emphatic 2022 federal election loss.
She described her husband as relaxed, gentle and empathetic.
‘He’s a great mate, he’s a good son, and he’s an excellent dad,’ Kirilly said.
She regards stepddaughter Rebecca as her one of own.
‘It was, it was just done and, and from the day that she was born, she was part of our family,’ Kirilly said.
‘She’s our child. She’s the boys’ sister. Um, I don’t, I don’t think of our relationship in those terms.’
Rebecca and her younger brothers Harry and Tom have no plans to enter politics.
The trio admitted they call their father Mr Potato Head at home, referring to a harsh nickname given to the Opposition Leader by some social media users.
‘That was definitely one of the negatives that we quickly turned into a positive,’ Harry laughed.
‘We sort of started saying it to him ourselves because he didn’t get enough of it day to day, he came home and had to deal with it as well.’
Stefanovic also asked Mr Dutton’s children about Tom’s ‘white powder’ scandal, which made national headlines last June.
Even Peter Dutton’s kids (pictured when younger) call their dad Mr Potato Head at home
A photo which showed, Tom, 18, holding up a bag of white powder went viral after it was shared on Snapchat by a friend with the caption: ‘Birthday day treat. Hello how u goin.’
The photo was taken on a balcony in Surfers Paradise and was swiftly removed, but not before it was copied by a recipient.
‘As Tom said, we’ve sort of grown up with (intense scrutiny), so, you get used to it and just block out the bad noise,’ Tom’s older brother Harry said.
‘We all do a pretty good job at banding together and not letting the bad get in.
‘There’s definitely more good than bad.’
