Sharri | 30 October

Live on Sky News. This is Sharry.

Good Evening.

Welcome to the show. Well, I start tonight with some breaking news. I can reveal the Prime Minister's flight upgrades were handled by Quantus senior executives, including Andrew Parker. Just before we went to air tonight, Anthony Albertezi sought to downplay this scandal by saying in a statement that an audit found he never called Alan Joyce for upgrades, But sources familiar with the matter tell me it was Parker, the then Group executive for Government and International Affairs, who

I've asked the following questions.

Did the Prime Minister, his EA or his staff request upgrades through Andrew Parker? Did the Prime Minister attend his housewarming?

As we go to air?

We don't as yet have a comment from the Prime Minister. If he does come back to us within the hour, I'll bring that to you. If he comes back to us a bit later, poor Murray, we'll bring it to you. There's a lot more to this story. Another very close connection is that Alan Joyce's top government relations executive was previously David Epstein. David Epstein is now Albanese's principal private secretary. The Prime Minister's carefully worded statement tonight just raises more

Who worked for Alan Joyce.

Could have been any of the senior executives, including Andrew Parker, and he only denied their calling Joyce directly.

Have a look at that statement again.

He says the Prime Minister did not ever call Alan Joyce seeking an upgrade, so he hasn't ruled out other forms of communication and We've even seen this week that publicly the Prime Minister has already admitted there was a number that he called for upgrades. Have a look, did you call Alan Joyce personally for these upgrades?

The idea Quannas have a.

Number in terms of bookings that are private bookings.

So albinezy, they're already admitting requesting upgrades, which would appear to be in breach of the Ministerial Code of Conduct, which specifically states that ministers must not seek or encourage any form of gift in their personal capacity. Now this all comes as former Prime Minister Tony Abbott today revealed that he turned down flight upgrades as a matter of integrity, and Peter Dutton has once again demanded that this matter be further investigated.

When he was Transport Minister of our country, did he pick the phone up to the CEO of Quantus and ask for a free upgrade? That's the question that he refuses to answer it. Now, he can tie himself in all sorts of knots, but the reality is that he needs to answer that fundamental question.

Now this has erupted into a major political scandal. It was front page of virtually all the newspapers today and yesterday. Yeah, the Prime Minister didn't appear in public today. He didn't want to answer questions in person. He got into such a muddle yesterday as you know, so it was left to the Treasurer, Jim Chalmers, who was trying to announce falling inflation data, to have to deal with the tricky and basically unanswerable questions.

He's done a number of interviews this week and Sunday, certainly I think yesterday from memory, and so he's made himself available as he often does, to answer these sorts of questions.

And you can only imagine how frustrating this would be getting for labor and ps who week after week now are having to deal with questions about their Prime minister's conduct and integrity. In the past two weeks it was about the four point three million dollar Cliff Top mansion. Also the one hundred million dollar taxpayer funded road upgrade for the road that leads to alban Easy's new mansion.

So, if you're just.

Tuning in breaking news tonight, the Time Minister has denied calling Alan.

Joyce for upgrades. He says his office has done an audit. But I've just.

Reported that All of his upgrades to Business Class were handled by other executives at Quantas, including senior executive Andrew Parker, and at the time he was the group Executive for Government and International Affairs. He was later promoted to be Group Executive for Sustainability. And I've also revealed that the relationship was so close that Albanezi even is said to

Code of Conduct.

It's now seven days until the US election, just a week until we know whether Donald Trump Orkamala Harris will be president. This is an important topic I'm going to bring in now. Michael Kroger and Graham Richardson, welcome to you both. Now, Cherry, we're going to come back to Quantas in just a minute. But Michael, where do you think this US election is headed? A week from today, we should if it's not a close result, we should

Well, the answer that question should be that Trump looks like the obvious winner. But the reason I'm cautious about declaring him the winner is this that the polls were wrong by a huge margin four years ago. It's in Wisconsin, the polls had Biden winning by ninety one by one. In Pennsylvania they were five out.

So what I don't know.

Is have the polsters allowed for the shied Trump voter effect in these new poles which show level or one parload one in front. I don't know how much shy Trump voter effect they've taken into account in reaching these poles, because, as people might know by now, the polling figures that are produced, they're not real figures. They're all altered because you might have too many women to any men, too many young people, too many old people. So they're all

Charry and Richard, what about the number of people who are voting early?

Do you?

And both camps are imploring their base to get out and vote. Of course, in the US there's not compulsory voting. Richard, how are you reading the election campaign at the moment?

Well, I'd love to be able to open a few ballot boxes and find out because this early voting trend in America is growing. You know, they didn't have it for a long time. Now they've got everyone wants to try and do it. And both sides are urging people to get out and vote early, not I hope vote often. So if that's what they're doing then and both sides are doing it, then it's hard to pick which you know, whether you should be saying this must be going well

You've been quite analytical in your comments when we talk about the US election. Do you have a strong view over which candidate would be better for Australia?

Well, I think probably Trump, because you know, for all his immense faults, I'm sort of in the Greg Sheridan category. Sheridan's written about Trump extensively, and I tend to agree with Gregg's views on Trump, and I'm very worried as a bat a physician on the Ukraine, which I find inexplicable. But the reason I don't wouldn't vote for her, and I prefer not to vote for him either. But the reason I wouldn't vote for her is I think she's

Well, just on foreign policy, I mean, you know, I do think overall, Donald Trump is much stronger and he will be a much stronger president in terms of acting as allowing America to return to its place where it does act as a deterrent because we have seen that North Korea, Iran, Russia, and North Korea around, Russia.

And China are on the march.

They're on the rise, that working together in a way that they never have before, not as closely as this, and this is highly concerning. The US just keeps calling for a ceasefire. You know, it doesn't want to take its rightful historic place as a world leader. The only think that does concern me is that Donald Trump, when he did his interview with Joe Rogan a couple of days ago, I mean again, he had to flatter those dictators. It just you know, he doesn't need to do that.

Well, I think He's always had it. You know, he's made a big thing of being a mate of Kim Il Sung's. Swiss would if we were made of Kimil Songs, would want to keep it as the biggest secret in town, because you know, he's a murderous thug who's killed members of his own family who get in the road, and yet Trump touts him as some sort of good person.

Very weird.

Trump has a very weird sense in foreign policy. His foreign policy is a ratic it always has been, and it comes down to likes and dislikes rather than looking at American you know what's good for the Americans and what's not. And so I'm a bit I'm disappointed in Trump to some extent. I thought he well, I've never been a great fan. I thought he would be better than that.

Yeah, all right, let's have a look now at this Quantus scandal. I've just reported tonight exclusively that the Prime Minister's upgrades to business class were handled by senior executives at Quantus, including Andrew Parker. There's also an interesting connection there, of course, that I just mentioned with David Epstein. Michael, there are integrity issues here. This is absolutely going to

Well, I think bad. I mean, he was obviously appallingly briefed yesterday when he said that Joe Asen hadn't made admissions about his Liberal Parties staffing and having worked for Quantus. Well, I bought the book yesterday. I have of them. Page three. That's a full page picture of Joe Aston in his Quantus gear in back two thousand and eight or whatever, with his job description standing next to Quantus plane. And then you go on to him to describe that you

Yeah, Richo, that does seem like a very serious conflict of interest, even if it was disclosed.

What do you think, Well, I think we're all getting carried away here. I don't know how many upgrades I've received over the years, but it's a hell of a lot. I wasn't paid cash, I was given upgrades. So what In fact, most of the time, I think, all the time, I ever think they eve or asked for one. They just see your name there and they upgrade you.

But Richard politics came before all of the ministerial codes.

Of conduct.

You know, I don't mean to be disrespectful about your age at all, but you do come from a different era of politics before there were these strict ministerial Code of.

Conduct guidelines in place. I mean they were introduced by Julia Gillard.

Yeah, although we did have some I mean I can remember making those declarations, so we had we had some rules. They were not as strict as they became, but they were there, so you did have to be careful about it. There's not about that. But look, I think there were all the things we could discuss, the important things in the world. We're discussing Albo getting an upgrade. Did you find this ridiculous, Michael.

And he was the minister regulating quantits? How could it be ridiculous, mate, It's.

Not ridiculous at all, regulating of his bloody career. Give me a break.

I mean, these upgrades could be worth up thousands of dollars. It could be worth fifty thousand dollars, it could be worth one hundred thousand dollars.

We don't know.

We know how much a business class ticket is, you know, between eight and ten or twelve grand, depending on the flight. So this is serious money, as Michael said he was the minister regulating quantas and don't forget that Barrio Farrell's New South I was premier had to go for a b of grange that he didn't declare one bottle of graine, you know, not tens of thousands of dollars.

Of flights Richoe minnesters have been sacked but full perceived conflicts of interest, Graham, perceived conflicts of interest. Boy, this is more than perceived, isn't it.

Am. I am aware of the fact that ministers have been sacked for for things including the bottle of wine. I remember the bottle of wine incident very well because I remember it because I said, well, I would resign too, because I'd bring him up and say, what did you send me a dozen?

This is what I'm talking about.

You're from a different era of politics, this is what I mean.

Yeah, well, I think I think thats eras do vary, and I have to say my era was a little while ago.

Yeah, all right, all right, oh dear, all right, well, there is a lot more to go on this, no doubt, I mean, my do you think there's any chance Albanezi's enemies will use this against him to come after him.

No, the election's four or five months away. There's no single challenger. You've got to change the caucus rules to get rid of the membership ballot and just have a caucus vote. And whilst you've got five or six people who want to be leader and not one single challenger, it's far too messy for anything to be organized. So I don't think there's any chance at all he'll be replaced, although this is doing labor immense damage in the marketplace.

You know.

They think he's like a pig with his snout with them, a massive schnout in a massive trough and that I like it.

Yeah, all right, Michael Kroger graem Richardson, So great to see you as always on a Wednesday. Now I should just mention that I have a big exclusive on the show tonight.

It's coming up a bit later. Penny Wong.

As you know, she's been criticizing Israel over the decision to ban UNRA because of its links to terrorism. But meanwhile, behind the scenes, there's a top secret investigation going on in the Australian government into AUNRA.

I'm going to bring you those details a bit later.

But now let's look at the cost of living crisis and the latest inflation figures have been released today, the headline rate falling to two point eight percent in.

The third quarter.

Underlying inflation, this is the preferred indicator for the IBA remains still above the IBA's target band. Here was the Treasurer when he wasn't having to take questions about the Prime Minister's flight upgrades.

Here he was speaking about this earlier today.

Today's numbers show that we are on track for a soft landing in our economy. We are confident, but not complacent about the substantial progress that we are making as a country. Inflation is back in the band.

Okay, let's bring it now. Economist leaf van on slend Leath growth to see you again. Look what's your interpretation of this data today?

Today?

Both the underlying inflation rate and the headline figure.

Yeah, goday, Sherry, Look, I think it certainly means that the Reserve Bank's going to be on hold until next year. So obviously, yes, the headline inflation rate fell to two point eight percent, and that's great, But the reason for this fall was that we had a big fall on electricity prices because of the government's electricity subsidies and also petrol prices. So just put it into perspective, electricity prices subtracted point four percent from the quarterly inflation result and

Well we've seen you know, you say Australia has among the highest inflation rates in the world, and we've seen the IMF forecasts back that up. I mean, Australia was the worst out of I think forty two countries. Why is the CPI here, you know, remaining sticky where as it's starting to fall elsewhere around the world.

Yeah, look, look, look to be fair, Australia's inflation started to rise later than the other countries, so it's it's big because of that. It's obviously starting to fall later. But we do have domestic prescires here. So obviously we've had very very strong housing inflation, so housing inflations' paling about rents and construction costs and those sorts of things have accounted for zero point two to twenty percent to half of a lot of the inflation over recent quarters.

In terms of the homegrown factors. Do you think these are higher than in other parts of the world. I mean, you've mentioned the housing crisis. We've previously spoken about the immigration rates pushing up inflation. Do you think those homegrown factors are still a big factor here and keeping inflation I mean it is falling, of course, but keeping it more persistent than elsewhere around the world.

Oh yeah, yeah, absolutely. So we've had the factor that's driven down that's actually pulled down Australias inflation has been the tradable inflation. So that's all the stuff that you can pull off a container ship. So the tradable inflace, you know, running at a low level, about one half percent, but it's the non tradable stuff, so that's all you're domestically driven inflation that's still running at around four percent.

Immigration numbers were meant to start to fall. I mean the Albanezi government about six months ago announced that they were going to have it doesn't look like they're coming down. I think those forecasts are going to be proven utterly wrong. How do you think this is going to affect the housing crisis moving into twenty twenty five.

Yeah, look, certainly so. The May federal budget tip that we'd have net overseas migration of three hundred and ninety five thousand. Now, based on the data we've had to date, it's going to top five hundred thousand. I'd be around about five hundred thousand, So they've missed by about one hundred thousand, and all indicators are at this financial year where they tiped two hundred and sixty thousand, we're probably going to get about three hundred and fifty thousand plus.

Yeah, all right, Lead Banonsen, thank you so much for your time. As always, Now.

As I mentioned, a major exclusive still to come behind closed Doors. Pennywong clearly has a very different take on the discredited un Agency UNRA. I'm going to discuss this with international human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrowsky next plus which state has given up completely on the war against drugs?

It's not that hard to guess.

I'll be joined a bit later in the show by Keith Pitt and Daniel Molino, or also debate Quantus with them as well. Stay tuned, welcome back. Okay, my exclusive with Penny Wong and the secret investig into anraat's coming up. But right now let's bring in our political panel, Labor MP Daniel Melino and Liberal MP Keith Pitt should say National MP.

Keith Pitt ll llenp Welcome to you both.

Let's start with a Quantus upgrade scandal, which is the biggest political story at the moment affecting the Prime Minister.

Daniel.

Look, I feel so bad that you come on the show every week in good faith, ready to battle it out for your Labor government, and yet you're always having to fend off these questions about Alban Easy buying a cliff top home and now his flight upgrades. But surely even Labor and Peace can see that this is at the very least a perceived conflict of interest that he was getting these flight upgrades worth tens of thousands of dollars when he was Transport Minister regulating quantus.

Well, thanks for having me on, Shari.

Let's definitely talk inflation or an economic topic next week. But look, the issue that you've raised has been dealt with in a lot of detail by the Prime Minister. He's somebody that has been in public life for thirty years and throughout that period he's been very committed to transparency on these issues. He's declared all of his upgrades, but he's also declared anything that the.

Rules have required him to declare.

I just want to make that point up the front because Peter Dutton, when he was challenged in an interview I think it was today with the fact that he's received exorbitant flights with Gina Reinart, his defense.

Of himself was that he's declared them.

So it does appear that the defense that Peter Dutton will use for himself isn't good enough for others. But not only that, the Prime Minister has late late today clarified that at no time has he reached out and made a call to Alan Joyce to seek an upgrade.

So he's gone beyond.

The declaration as required by the rules, and directly answered accusations that have been put by members of the opposition. So I think he's gone above and beyond what's required and what all of us are required to do, and being very very clear today.

Well, he said he didn't phone Alan Joyce. He hasn't said clarified any other forms of communication, and he has refused to answer the question Keith about whether he contacted any other executives at quantas.

Do you want to respond to what Daniel.

Malino had to say. They're in defense of his boss, the PM.

Well, the reason Daniel has to keep defending him is this just keeps happening over and over and over.

And as for Peter.

Getting a lift on a charter plane, well, the other option is the taxpayer pays for it. So I know which one the tax payer would prefer as an option. One thing that hasn't come out too much and this is where are these self appointed defenders of part of nary integrity? The teals where they wanted the knack They demanded all of these things around alleged corruption in the Parliament, of which I've got to tell you I don't see any and yet we see nothing from them. In fact,

Darwin has suggested that the Prime Minister should refer himself to the integrity of the Corruption Commission. If that doesn't happen, do you think the coalition should refer the Prime Minister?

Well, I think the question would be whether the thresholders met which has been said it is a new organization with some new rules which I don't know that well, I've got to toe you, but I do know that it shouldn't be used for political purposes. If there was a genuine issue here to be dealt with.

Then absolutely.

What do you think, Daniel, would this be just better sided out by the Corruption Commission?

Well?

Can I just go back very briefly to one point that Keith rays where he said that his boss taking flights with Gina Reinhart isn't the problem because it's saving the tax payer money. But that raises all sorts of questions of conflicts of interest, because if you're getting expensive gifts of a private sector interest and you're then it's making policies that affect her.

It raises all sorts of issues. So Peter Dutton says, well, look, I'm declaring it. End of story.

So can I just say that alb alban Easy has also and this is on the public record, he's also caught a private helicopter owned by Lindsay Fox. So you know, I don't know why Labour's going down this line of attack because alban Easy has also taken private flights by billionaires by Lindsay Fox.

You know, I wasn't really raising the point of private flights per se.

What I was really making the point was that when those flights were raised with Peter Dutton, his defense of himself was I've declared them.

And my point is that fall of stakeholders, that they raise all.

Sorts of issues, of potential conflicts. Just there's all sorts of other interaction with the private sect to do. But Peter Dutton's defense of himself is I've declared it. Nothing more to see, end of story. That's my point there, Shari, and I guess my point to Keith's point about saving taxpayers money is well, you know, Peter getting lots of flights off a billionaire potentially does raise perceived conflicts of interest.

Do you want to respond to that before we move on?

It's a four hundred and fifty billion dollar part of the economy and I've been on some of those flights and they are full of stakeholders. And guess what as politicians were engage with stakeholders, particularly ones that are driving tens of thousands of jobs in this country.

All right, well, once again Victoria is proving that it takes the title of the wokest state very seriously because now pill testing is about to become legal. This legislation just passed state parliament on Tuesday. There was opposition from the coalition. I'm very concerned about this. I think it sends the wrong message to teenagers when parents are trying to tell them stay away from drugs. Daniel Malino, what do you think?

Look, I think this is a really complicated issue, and I think if you had asked me five years ago, I would have said that I have real concerns about the mixed messages that it sends to teenagers. What has made me reconsider my position on these issues. Is when I was a STADI MP and I was on one of the committees that looked at injection rooms, and I

When compare, isn't that injecting room that's used by drug addicts. Isn't it that's used by drug addicts as opposed to these pill testings at festival at music festivals, that's going to be used by teenagers who the majority of which you wouldn't be full blown.

Drug addicts, you'd hope not.

And yet this sends a message Keith that it might be okay to try a pill because the experts here.

Will test that it's safe. I mean, that's nonsense.

This is the ridiculous part of it. It is being put forward as if these things are built to a pharmaceutical quality, that they've been made in a factory with quality controls and management everything out. They're not. There is no way that you get consistency in these pills. It is a small sample. And the idea that the tax payer will fund quality control for drug dealers for kids, I'm opposed to one hundred percent.

I think it's so dangerous, it's so worrying. The message should just be so clear, say no to drugs. You know, we need a return to those old school campaigns. I mean when I was growing up, it was when Anna Wood was sadly dyed from a drug ose she was fifteen, and the message after that was saying no to drugs. It wasn't this confused message from state governments of all places that oh, it's okay, here's pill testing to make sure.

It's just outrageous, all right.

The Albanezy government has looked over a local defense company from a major contract in favor of a French owned one, Labor's announced that TAILS Australia will run the operations behind a new plant to produce artillery shells instead of the Queensland based Noyer Daniel, Does this make sense to you this decision?

Well, look, I think so long as the process was rigorous, so long it was against the selection criteria, and I think what we find with most of these projects is that there's a local component and they're often partnered with an international company. And I think that the company that you'd referred to, which was locally based, did have an international partner which they worked with.

So look, I think so long as.

There's a rigorous process and selection criteria are used, I think it stacks up.

What do you think, Keith, Well, somehow the government, the Labor government has to defend this decision, so they've awarded it to a contractor for a factory that doesn't exist that will take four years to build, against an Australian company which already has a facility based in regional Queensland at Merriborough, just outside of my electorate, and they're.

Ready to go.

They could be up and running eighty months, So it's four years Greenfield, no current approvals.

Do you know this company well, I know them very well.

They're in Lewar Bryan's elector of Wide Bay. They receive significant funding from the Commonwealth to be able to set this facility up at Merriborough. And now let's be clear, at a state level, this was a labor seat up until the weekend. They're well known, they're a good company, they're international level, and yet somehow an existing facility is overlooked for one that has to be built. So I think there are a real quiet answer.

Is again, let's have a look at university. Part of me university fees.

We know that Australia's top universities relied too heavily on international students, and now they're set to hike the tuition fees by seven percent in twenty twenty five for international students. This comes as the Abenezi government is looking at introducing or preparing to introduce a cap on international student numbers. Daniel, do you think this fee increase is a direct result of the reforms that are capping the number of international students?

Well, just taking a step back, I think that I would think that both sides of politics at the moment would say that we need to reduce overall numbers of international students. So we might differ on the exact numbers or on the exact methodology, but I think everybody's agreed that we need.

To reduce the numbers of international students.

I was at a conference last week where I was engaging with a lot of stakeholders on this issue. It's a very complex issue because you want to pair back the numbers, but in a way where you're sensitive to different institutional needs, considering the GA, considering regional universities and so forth. Look, I think that part of this might be a reflection of that, in the sense that if you have a certain amount of demand and you reduce the number of spots, one of the factors that might

All right, Daniel Molino, Keith Pitt, thank you both very much for your time and good to see you here this person in Sydney tonight. Keith all right, a major exclusive still to come behind closed doors. Pennywang must have a different take on the discredited and terror aligned UNRA. I'm going to discuss that with a human rights lawyer next. Plus, Kamala Harris delivers her final pitch to undercided voters and

That's all coming up well.

Penniwong's department has launched a secret investigation into UNRA, despite the Foreign Minister publicly backing the terror riddled organization. I can exclusively report that DFAT has commissioned a comprehensive due diligence assessment of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine.

Refugees in the Near East.

This is despite Pennywog repeatedly backing UNRA and continuing to spend millions of taxpayer funds on the organization. Now, Israel has this week introduced laws to ban UNRA from operating in Israel because its ties to terror organizations like Hermus.

Are just so extensive.

The Abenezi government, including Pennywong, dared to criticize Israel well for this, yet they obviously have concerns otherwise, why commission due diligence?

Why?

I asked the Foreign Minister's office about this, and a spokesperson said the Foreign Minister has previously signaled that future funding agreements for UNRA would include stringent conditions such as guarantees of staff neutrality, what a joke staff neutrality and confidence in supply chains.

The Minister has been clear that the.

Humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic and only UNRA has the mandate and infrastructure to receive and distribute aid on the scale needed right now in Gaza means staff neutrality, they must support it. Some of them even took part in October seventh. There are other aid organizations. Peter Dutton said that no funds from taxpayers should be going to UNRA.

Have a look.

There are serious questions and concerns being asked and raised in relation to ANRA, and we're very open to the conversation with the government to support legislation to port measures that would stop money going from Australian taxpayers who are working harder than ever before under this government, to put every dollar in their pocket from going into the hands of terrors, to terrort sympathizers.

Let's bring in now human rights lawyer and CEO of the International Legal Forum, Arsen Ostrowsky.

Arsen, good to see you again.

Look, AID is critical, no question, but don't we need to be certain that the tens of millions of dollars in Australian taxpayer funds, along with the millions from around the world, are going to AID and not to support terrorism.

Look you one hundred percent correct, Shari. I mean I think instead of directing their outrage at Israel and the international community, including Australia for that matter, ought to have been demanding accountability from UNRA, which and instead of turning the collective backs at the repeated and endless warnings from Israel and others about their complicity with HAMAS. And you are right, you know, there is no dispute, no art human about the fact that eight must and should go

Yeah, and it's not just a one off incident.

This has been going back years and years and years now. Hesbola has announced a new leader, one of the long term deputy of the political arm I understand, Naim Kassem. This is to replace Hassan Nasralla, who of course was killed last month in that Israeli air strike. While Benjamin Etta, who was giving an address at the United Nations General Assembly, well, I kind of love this response from the Israeli government

Yeah, Melik, I wouldn't exactly want to be underwriting his life insurance policy quite honestly. Board Kassem is one of the founders of Hasbala. He has been one of the central figures in their leadership, serving as the deputy to a former leader, Hassanzraela. And you know what, Leopards don't change their spot, So I don't think anyone ought to be expecting or holding their breadth that are sam under his leadership, Hesbla has seen the light and become some

Yeah, it doesn't need to be a new deal. Just bye by the United Nations Resolution seventeen oh one demant militarize the South move beyond little tiny river.

Arsen Ostrowsky is so good to see you again. Thank you.

Well.

After the break, we go live to the United States, where Trump's former attorney general will give us insider information on the latest from the Trump campaign because he's been on the trail. Also, we'll go to Joe Biden's comment today where he basically called half of Americans garbage. Stay tuned, Okay, Well, with just a week to goo until the US presidential election, let's go live now to American and I'm joined by Donald Trump's former acting Attorney General, Matthew Whittaker.

Good to see you again. Look, can you first before we get.

Into all the detail of the drama that's unfolding, I'd love to get your response to Joe Biden because he has managed to insult half of Americans today with this comment.

Have a look Puerto Rico, where I'm in my home state of Delaware.

They're good, decent, honorable people. The only garbage ice floating down there is his supporters.

Now, of course, he was initially speaking about that comedian who gave the off color remark about Puerto Ricans at Trump's rally.

But Matthew he then went to say.

That Trump supporters, so around half of Americans on garbage. Do you think this is reminiscent of Hillary Clinton's basket of Deplorable's comment?

It absolutely is. And it's good to join you this morning here in the United States. You know, it's it's it's strange to me. You know, yesterday we spent all day the mainstream media telling us that this insult, comics, you know, joke that failed in the room. I was there was somehow the worst thing that was ever said about anyone, and they tried to extrapolate it not from just you know, an insult by one person to Puerto Rico, but you know, painted across all of President Trump supporters.

Ever heard of, quite frankly, a very fringe.

Comic in the United States, was somehow speaking for the Trump campaign. And now you know, the President of United States goes and says this. It's a really it's extraordinary. But you know, Joe Biden is I don't think trying to help Kamala Harris win the White House. At least that's what it appears from my perspective.

I've got to agree with you.

I mean, if you're trying to win over voters from the other side or undecided voters, you don't want to be calling them garbage, that's for sure.

Matthew.

I want to get your thoughts on Kamala Harris's closing argument speech at the Ellipse.

You know, she's said to.

Have mentioned Donald Trump around twenty four times. Do you think that the comments she made are enough to convince those who are still considering whether to vote for her.

Well, remember what Kamala Harris is having to do, and that is she's trying to convince her base to turn out.

And who is her base.

Well, in this case, it is the bureaucrats in Washington, d C. That she needs to motivate and scare that Donald Trump is going to somehow fundamentally change government and be a threat to the permanent bureaucracy. In Washington d C. DC is not a swing state. It votes for about eighty five percent to ninety percent for Democrats, including Joe Biden in twenty twenty. I would expect the same numbers

Can you give us some behind the scenes detail about Donald Trump and how he's doing on the campaign at the moment. How is he feeling about the battleground states. Does he think he's going to be president in a weeks time.

Yeah. So I was just with him in New York City, and what I can tell you is that he, you know, has a lot of energy. He knows that he's it's a sprint to the finish. He's going to go to all of these swing states and make his closing argument, and it's quite simple. You know, things were better under my administration four years ago, and that is the closing argument.

Yeah, no question about that, all right, Matthew Whittaker really appreciate you getting up so early for us over there.

I think it's coming up to five am in the United States, very early.

Pleasure.

Thank you. That's all we have time for tonight.

Make sure you tune in tomorrow night because I have a big exclusive interview that you don't want to miss.

I'll see you then at eight o'clock. And right now, here's Paul Murray.