Western Australia’s Premier Roger Cook has found himself in hot water after using some choice words for US Vice President J.D. Vance, calling him a “knob” at a pre-election event in Perth.
The slip-up occurred on Tuesday morning during The West Australian‘s Leadership Matters event, where Cook was the guest speaker. When asked to finish the sentence “JD Vance is a…”, the Premier didn’t hesitate to drop the K-bomb, much to the amusement of the audience.
Realising his faux pas, Cook quickly acknowledged, “Sorry, you’ve got to have one unprofessional moment don’t you — that was it.” He was quickly rewarded him with laughter and applause.
But, what happens in Perth doesn’t always stay in Perth. The comment soon made its way across the country and probably across the pond, forcing Cook to address it on ABC RN this morning.
“I made an offhand remark in a lighthearted moment during an event, and withdrew it as quickly as I could,” Cook explained, trying to smooth things over.
He added, “Fairly unprofessional remark, and I apologise for anyone who has offended.”
However, in true political fashion, Cook couldn’t resist pointing out the silver lining. “I think it’s fair to say that it was an extremely poor choice of words but also an extremely popular choice of words,” he said. Where is the lie?
When asked on the day if his comment could potentially derail the AUKUS deal — which is set to bring thousands of jobs to WA –Cook brushed off concerns.
“I don’t think the people in the Oval Office are listening to a sub-jurisdictional [chief executive] in Western Australia,” he said.
Meanwhile, federal treasurer Jim Chalmers diplomatically distanced himself from the kerfuffle, stating he would have “chose different words”, during a press conference.
On Tuesday, The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, went a step further, describing the comments as not “helpful” to the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing .
He went on to reference the shit show that was the meeting between US President Donald Trump, J.D. Vance and Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“While I don’t agree with what transpired in the Oval Office, I respect the sovereignty of the United States, I understand the frustration in spending a lot of money in Ukraine and they want to see peace.”
So, as WA heads to polls this Saturday, will it be a case of Cook’s loose lips sinking Labor’s ship? Or will voters appreciate a moment of honesty? Time will tell.
Lead image: Getty
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