On 1 December 2017, Barilaro called for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to resign as a "Christmas gift" to Australians. Turnbull subsequently accused Barilaro of "trying to ingratiate himself" with radio presenter Alan Jones. Turnbull also stated he had called Barilaro and left a message after previous criticism, but had not heard back, and suggested Barilaro should have expressed his view to Turnbull personally, rather than "bagging [him] in the media".