Clive Palmer Launches Trumpet of Patriots Party with $90 Million Election Pitch

Image credits: AAP: Lukas Koch

Clive Palmer, the mining tycoon and chair of the Trumpet of Patriots party, has launched a $90 million election campaign, inspired by former US President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" platform. The party, which was rebadged last year, aims to run candidates in all lower house teal and Liberal-held seats, as well as potentially many Labor electorates. Palmer's announcement has thrown a wildcard into national politics, just months from an April or May poll, and could potentially steal votes from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

Palmer's party will push for laws mandating two genders only, slashing government spending like Elon Musk, and promoting alternative treatments for COVID. He has also criticized the intelligence of journalists, slammed Indigenous acknowledgements of country, and said taking in too many migrants "destroys our infrastructure, roads, schools and hospitals". The party's lead candidate, Suellen Wrightson, will push for these policies, and Palmer has predicted that she will be the next prime minister of Australia. Palmer has also stated that he intends to challenge the new laws against bankrolling elections in the High Court, and that he will spend around $90 million at this election, which is the national cap for major parties.

The lateness of Palmer's announcement may mean that the venture fizzles out, but his previous $100 million campaign in 2022 received 4 per cent of first preference lower house votes, highlighting the risk for the Coalition if Palmer's party can again divert conservative votes. Many of the votes could still flow back to the Coalition on preferences. Palmer has also revealed that he had proposed to join forces with Pauline Hanson's One Nation last year, but the deal collapsed because he said Hanson allegedly wanted to be "president for life, like Idi Amin". The failure of the unification push has raised fresh questions about the role of the far right at the upcoming election, and the potential impact of Palmer's party on the outcome.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ridiculed Palmer's latest push, saying that a bloke who spends over $100 million to deliver one Senate seat with a bloke who sits in the corner and just engages in conspiracy theories, does not represent value for money. However, Palmer has said that the effectiveness of his spending should not be judged on how many of his candidates are elected, but rather how his messages influence public opinion. The Coalition has been contacted for comment, and the outcome of the election remains uncertain, with many factors at play, including the potential impact of Palmer's party and the preferences of voters.

The situation has been described as a "distortion of democracy" by Prime Minister Albanese, and has raised concerns about the influence of money in politics. The new laws against bankrolling elections, which Palmer intends to challenge, aim to limit the amount that can be spent by major parties, and to increase transparency around political donations. The outcome of the election, and the impact of Palmer's party, will be closely watched, as the country heads to the polls in the coming months. Some of the key points to consider in the lead-up to the election include: * The potential impact of Palmer's party on the outcome of the election * The influence of money in politics, and the need for transparency around political donations * The role of the far right in the upcoming election, and the potential for conservative votes to be diverted * The effectiveness of Palmer's spending, and how his messages will influence public opinion * The potential for the Coalition to be affected by Palmer's party, and the impact on their vote.