Donald Trump has described one of Australia's richest men as a "red haired weirdo" after reports were published of the complicated relationship between the two.
On Sunday 60 Minutes and Nine Newspapers broadcast audio recordings of billionaire Anthony Pratt discussing his conversations with the former president.
The New York Times then published its own story on the two, leading to Trump issuing a denial on his social media website.
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"The Failing New York Times story, leaked by Deranged Jack Smith and the Biden 'Political Opponent Abuser' DOJ, about a red haired weirdo from Australia, named Anthony Pratt, is Fake News," Trump wrote.
"I never spoke to him about Submarines, but I did speak to him about creating jobs in Ohio and Pennsylvania, because that's what I'm all about - JOBS, A GREAT ECONOMY, LOW TAXES, NO INFLATION, ENERGY DOMINANCE, STRONG BORDERS, NO ENDLESS WARS, LOW INTEREST RATES, and much more!"
Trump is accused of revealing highly sensitive information about American submarines to Pratt.
Pratt is then reported to have passed on that information to dozens of other people.
In conversations with others, Pratt described a discussion he reportedly had with Trump, in which the former president dismissed the phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that led to his first impeachment.
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"Yeah and Trump said, 'You know that Ukraine phone call? That was nothing compared to what I usually do'," Pratt was recorded saying.
"He said, 'that Ukraine phone call, that's nothing compared to what we usually talk about'."
In the audio, Pratt both praised and criticised Trump.
"He knows exactly what to say and what not to say so that he avoids jail, but gets so close to it that it looks to everyone like he's breaking the law," Pratt said.
"Like he won't go up to someone and say, 'I want you to kill someone'. What he'll say, he'll send someone to tell someone to kill someone."
Pratt is the third-richest person in Australia, according to The Australian Financial Review Rich List.
His family runs Visy, which manufactures paper and cardboard products around the world, including in the US.
Nine has approached both Pratt and Trump for comment.
