Asked about a remark in 2003 when former president George W Bush described former prime minister John Howard as a “man of steel” for standing his ground,Mr Trump upgraded the description for Mr Morrison.
“You know,titanium’s much tougher than steel,” Mr Trump told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House.
“He’s a man of titanium. Believe me,I have to deal with this guy. He’s a man of real,real strength and a great guy.”
In a contrast with his glowing remarks about Mr Morrison and Australia,Mr Trump warned that China was a “threat” to the world and would continue to suffer a hit to economic growth unless it settled its trade dispute with his administration.
Mr Trump dismissed the idea that he needed a trade deal with China before the next presidential election,due in November 2020,and said the US was prospering from its tariffs while China suffered.
“They have a very bad economy there,” Mr Trump said,adding that Chinese companies were struggling to pay the tariffs imposed by his administration on their exports to the US.