Palmer to parrot Trump in federal election

He wasn’t allowed to re-register his United Australia Party in time for the federal election, so billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer has done the next best thing – he’s claimed a new one.

Except he doesn’t think it’s the next best thing; he’s certain it’s the best idea he has ever had.

That’s because his new party aims to mirror Donald Trump’s policies and tactics.

Even the name – Trumpet of Patriots – is deliberately designed to conjure images of the US President.

His headline policy positions are built on less immigration and an insistence that there are only two genders.

But he also wants to “drain the swamp” in Canberra by drastically slashing public service numbers.

“We think Donald Trump’s been very effective in reducing public expenditure,” he said.

Announcing his new party at a media event in Parliament House on Wednesday (19 February), just a week after the High Court ruled he couldn’t register UAP for the coming election, Mr Palmer was blatant about his intention to mimic Trump.

He said when Opposition Leader Peter Dutton recently said he (Dutton) wasn’t a Donald Trump clone, it alarmed him.

Palmer and his followers say Australia needs a Trump, so his new party will field candidates in Lower House seats around the country.

Lead candidate is Suellen Wrightson, who Mr Palmer introduced as “Australia’s next prime minister”.

When it was put to him that such a claim was nonsensical, Palmer simply replied that journalists don’t have very good analytical skills.

Trumpet of Patriots is meant to make voters think Donald Trump, Mr Palmer acknowledged before ‘accidentally’ calling his new party Trumpet of Parrots.

“I stutter a little bit, so I say the Trump-pet of Patriots, that’s what it is,” he said. “Trump”.

The name, however, belongs to another existing – and registered – political party, which Mr Palmer says he just took over as its chairman.

Trumpet of Patriots, which has had a number of rebrands, was registered with the Australian Electoral Commission two decades ago.

Mr Palmer said he had tried to merge with Pauline Hanson’s One Nation to create a super rightwing party, but Senator Hanson refused the offer.

“She said she had to be president for life,” Mr Palmer said.

“I said, ‘well, you can’t be president for life. Not even I can be president for life.'”

Taking over Trumpets of patriots makes it easier for Palmer to stand candidates with a federal election expected to be called any day.

The UAP was voluntarily deregistered after the 2022 federal election.

The law does not allow for re-registering within the same electoral cycle, but Mr Palmer and his UAP Senator Ralph Babet launched a High Court challenge when they were not allowed to re-register the party last year.

The court, however, ruled the law valid and ordered the UAP plaintiffs to pay costs. No reasons for the decision have been published yet.

Mr Palmer argued that refusing the UAP name and logo on ballot papers infringed on freedom of political speech and the right of the people to choose candidates directly.

However, the Commonwealth’s argument noted the law applied only to those parties that voluntarily chose to deregister themselves, suggesting that one reason the UAP chose to deregister was to avoid the responsibility of being transparent about disclosing donations to the party.

Senator Babet, the UAP’s only elected representative in the Federal Parliament, will not be joining Trumpet of Patriots – apparently. Maybe.

It could get a tad confusing, as both parties are branded with bright yellow logos.

One could be forgiven for thinking they’re the same party.

Even Senator Babet took to social media to tweet: “Too many small parties splitting the vote” and “If you refuse to work with the Trumpet of Patriots, it’s not about the people – it’s about your ego”.

When asked about him at the press conference, Ms Wrightson said Senator Babet would keep on keeping on with the UAP.

“As of this morning, having had a conversation with Senator Babet, he intends to stay firmly united with the United Australia Party,” she said.

Senator Babet is a Victorian senator and was the UAP’s only successful candidate at the last federal election. His six-year term means he will not be up for re-election in this year’s federal poll.

In the 2022 federal election, after contesting every seat with a reported combined campaign spend of more than $100 million, Senator Babet’s was the only seat won by the UAP in either House.