Stand up, make the case and don't give in is the advice Malcolm Turnbull is offering world leaders as they prepare for the prospect of dealing with Donald Trump should he be returned as US president.
The former Liberal prime minister, who successfully wrangled with then-president Trump in 2018 over tariffs on Australian steel and aluminium, has offered insights into handling the Republican presidential candidate, days after his criminal conviction in a New York court.
With opinion polls showing Mr Trump leading President Joe Biden, the likelihood of a second term is increasing at the US election in November.
The perils of dealing with the former president were highlighted in March when Mr Trump threatened to sideline Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd, should he be re-elected. Responding to Mr Rudd's previous criticisms of his presidency, Mr Trump called him a "little bit nasty" and said "if he's at all hostile, he will not be there for long".
"He's a very different kind of president," Mr Turnbull told ABC radio on Wednesday.
"The natural tendency is for people to suck up to him and be sycophantic and of course he encourages that, because he's a big, narcissistic bully."
Mr Turnbull said Mr Trump's second term as US president would likely have him surrounded by more sycophants than his first tenure, when staff were fired for going against his judgement.
Drawing from his experiences with Mr Trump throughout his 2015-2018 term, Mr Turnbull listed a series of anecdotes highlighting his tendency to try and dominate all situations.
Mr Turnbull has written that leaders of US allies were offered a rare opportunity to speak directly to Mr Trump without the risk of being fired like his staff, as he did when he convinced him to remove tariffs on Australian steel and aluminium.
"The only way to win Trump’s respect is to stand up to him," Mr Turnbull wrote in the latest issue of international journal Foreign Affairs.
"Like most bullies, he will bend others to his will when he can, and when he cannot, he will try to make a deal.
"But to get to the deal-making stage, Trump’s counterparts have to stand up to the bullying first."
In 2018, Mr Trump introduced a 25 per cent and 10 per cent tariff on Australian steel and aluminium respectively, before Mr Turnbull explained why it was in his best interests to remove the tariffs from a business perspective.
"We had several direct discussions on the tariff question, both in person and on the phone," Mr Turnbull said.
"He listened and he changed his mind because he was persuaded that it was in his interest to do so.
"Trump’s question is always, 'What’s in it for me?' His calculus is both political and commercial, but it is very focused."
