Copyright news
Gina Rinehart, who has long been one of Mr Trump’s most vocal Aussie admirers, was captured leaning in to speak to the US President as he studied a piece of paper. The photo was shared on Instagram by former US lawyer Jeanine Pirro and also featured US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The image quickly circulated online. Ms Rinehart has spent months encouraging Australia’s Liberal Party to adopt a more Trump-like approach following the Coalition’s election defeat in May. In a lengthy statement, she lashed out at what she called the “left media” for scaring conservatives away from anything resembling Trump’s brand of politics. “This has been especially obvious this year, with the Liberals instead becoming known as the ‘me too’ party,” she wrote. “Trump-style ‘make Australia great’ policies via cutting government tape, government bureaucracy and wastage, and hence being able to cut taxes, too scarce in Australia this year to rate a mention. “No doubt the left media will now try to claim that the Liberal loss was because the Liberal party followed Trump and became too right! The two simply don’t add up!” Ms Rinehart was also in Washington earlier this year for Mr Trump’s inauguration. Ms Rinehart’s deep involvement in Australia’s mining and resources sector makes her a likely player in the new US-Australia rare earth framework. As the executive chair of Hancock Prospecting, Rinehart controls vast iron ore and critical minerals interests and has been a vocal advocate for reducing bureaucratic “red tape” to accelerate resource development, an agenda that aligns closely with both Donald Trump’s and Anthony Albanese’s emphasis on “fast-tracking” projects under the new deal. It is unclear whether she exactly what she was speaking to the US leader about. Hanson reportedly on guest list Trump’s opulent Great Gatsby-themed affair drew a wide selection of political and celebrity figures, with reports suggesting that One Nation leader Pauline Hanson was also among the guests. According to Nine, Hanson appeared in a private Instagram story from the event. Hanson’s office later confirmed via The Guardian that she is currently in the United States, explaining her absence from the Senate this week. Her office declined to say whether she joined Trump’s exclusive gathering. The celebration unfolded against the backdrop of a US government shutdown, as Trump pushed to suspend funding for a key program that provides food aid to about 42 million Americans each month. On his Truth Social account, Trump insisted he did “NOT want Americans to go hungry just because the Radical Democrats refuse to do the right thing and REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT.” Trump’s ambitious plan to build a $300 million privately funded ballroom at the White House has attracted a tidal wave of backlash, with critics accusing him of hypocrisy.
