From Sinatra to Trump: When Australia stood up – and when it is likely to stay silent

When Donald Trump lashed out at the ABC this week, accusing a journalist of “hurting Australia,” it was hard not to think of another famous American who found himself in hot water here: Frank Sinatra. But unlike 1974, when Australia forced Sinatra to apologise, this time the response is likely to be silence.

In 1974, Frank Sinatra swaggered into Australia and called female reporters “hookers” and “broads.” The response was swift and fierce: unions black-banned his shows, refused to provide crews or musicians, and effectively stranded Sinatra in the country. It became a full-blown diplomatic crisis, resolved only after then-ACTU President Bob Hawke sat down with “Ol’ Blue Eyes” over cigars and brandy, negotiating an apology before the crooner was allowed to leave.

Fast forward fifty years, and another American celebrity – this one occupying the Oval Office – has taken aim at Australian media. When ABC Americas editor John Lyons asked President Donald Trump about his business dealings while in office, Trump accused him of “hurting Australia,” threatened that it would “damage relations with the US,” and vowed to tell Prime Minister Anthony Albanese all about it when they meet next week in New York.

The contrast between 1974 and 2025 could not be starker. Back then, Australia had the leverage – and the will – to stand its ground against a global superstar. Sinatra was forced to back down. Today, one suspects there will be no diplomatic standoff, and no brandy-soaked negotiation to secure even a token expression of regret.

Instead, Prime Minister Albanese is more likely to smile politely and change the subject.

It is tempting to imagine what a modern-day Bob Hawke might do: march into the White House, light a cigar, pour a generous brandy, and inform the President that insulting Australian journalists is bad for business. But this is not 1974, and Australia’s appetite for confrontation has waned.

Trump’s comments are not just another off-the-cuff insult. They are a public warning: questions about his business dealings are now a matter of foreign policy. If left unchallenged, it sets a precedent where criticism of the President becomes a diplomatic incident.

Sinatra was made to say sorry, and to his credit he did indeed apologise. Trump will likely be rewarded with a photo-op. And that tells us something about how much Australia has changed – and how much it has chosen to tolerate.

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