Disclaimer: The following campaign ads are what has been published to the Trumpet of Patriots website as of 11th April 2025. Consider this a general rundown.
Every election cycle, Clive Palmer and his latest political venture become inescapable. From billboards to morning talk shows, he is everywhere and his new political party — Trumpet of Patriots — is no exception. I have watched every campaign advertisement I could get my hands on and the claim of “commonsense policies”, as I expected, truly isn’t “commonsense” at all. But more than, what I did not expect, is that this project would illuminate some serious issues within every aspect of our political landscape, not just a single party or politician.
Tucker Carlson endorses Clive Palmer
Tucker Carlson and Clive Palmer are individuals who think of themselves as anti-establishment. Carlson ‘calls out’ billionaires. Palmer ‘exposes’ the government for working against the people. In reality, they are clout-chasers. They are the system. Carlson was one of Fox News’ most popular personalities and continues to be an extremely popular podcaster. He is the system. Palmer, whilst not currently an elected official, is not truly against the system, rather he is against this current iteration of it, which has not worked in his favour. He is an opportunist who is vapidly anti-establishment, only when it suits his attempted political gains.
Cost of living — 3 Million Households Can’t Afford Meals
The issue of food insecurity being raised is not objectionable, it is a real problem in Australia and is symptomatic of wider economic concerns. We should be placing pressure on our leaders to act, as well as helping out our communities and neighbours who are struggling. However, this ad positions the issue as something that is on regular people. Palmer consistently points out these issues and says that the “government is not doing anything about it”. But this is never followed by a plan or actions he would take as a leader. Instead, Palmer tells us to “say a prayer for our fellow Australians” with no course of action in sight. This theme of all talk and no action will, frustratingly, come up again and again.
Affordable Homes — Fast Trains to CBD
Look, I don’t know how so-called “fast trains” and affordable housing are related. I don’t think Palmer knows either. This ad is incoherent, at one point becoming a dot-point list of words like “cheap and abundant land” with no meaning attached. But this, in my perspective, is not the point of the ad. The point of the ad is an attempt for Palmer to position himself as having solutions, telling the viewer that the government doesn’t care enough to make affordable housing. It doesn’t matter that he has no plans, all that matters is that he is able to seem slightly more people-minded than the major parties (even if that is not the case).
Cost of Renewables — Energy Prices Have Exploded
In this ad, Palmer makes the claim that the increase in use of renewable energies are correlated to rising energy bills and the cost of living. This claim is absolutely misleading and, frankly, dangerous. Renewable energy is actually the most inexpensive energy option and is becoming increasingly accessible. What is instead causing a rise in energy prices is Australia’s dependence on gas and coal, which are unreliable and costly resources. Concerningly, Palmer also presented a debunked 2004 documentary claiming the difficulty in determining if human activity has increased the earth’s temperature as “exposing the truth.” This is a lie and a misleading representation of anthropogenic climate that will, undoubtedly, embolden climate denialists.
All Australians Are Equal Under the Southern Cross — Suellen
We finally get to the first ad featuring the Party’s leader, Suellen Wrightson. This ad is just as, if not moreso, confusing as every other ad before it. The ad’s main premise is that all Australians are equal and we shouldn’t praise people “[we’ve] never heard of.” There is little explanation of what this means or any examples at all of who this could be referring to. There is no point in even investigating what this could possibly mean, as we are simply dealing with nonsense. It is barely worth discussing, it is just another attempt at vapid and meaningless populism.
Too Much Immigration Overwhelms Infrastructure
What do you get when you add a lack of a plan and clout-chasing politicians together? Culture wars! This ad is, to put it simply, a way to stay relevant. From Peter Dutton’s proposed referendum on dual citizens to Labor’s failed international student caps, migrants have been used as a scapegoat over the election cycle as a way to explain the housing and cost-of-living crises we are facing. Does the Party offer any actual analysis of this situation? Of course not. This ad is simply a way to enrage and engage voters, expanding both their voting base and the relevancy of their name. Just as Palmer’s 2022 election ‘policies’ were heavily anti-vaccine, his 2025 ‘policies’ are just another reiteration of that.
So why bother speaking about Palmer? It is fair to say that speaking about him, even critically, is platforming him. However, I think this is bigger than Palmer and the Party. This campaign simply brings pressing issues to light. First, and most obviously, is the rise of right-wing populism.
We are seeing a rise in “us and them” speak in all institutions across the globe, as well as increasingly conservative economic and social policies. It is not just Palmer touting this rhetoric in this election cycle, it seems as though it is everywhere. Rather than real solutions, there is blame and that blame usually lands on those who are already underrepresented or powerless, seen recently in the incorrect claim from the NSW Government that 486 chemotherapy appointments were cancelled during the doctors’ strike, when in reality this was not the case at all. This goes hand-in-hand with the second issue, that being disillusionment.
Labor and Liberal have lost the trust of the public for very fair reasons, and as the average Australian is not very loyal to these parties anyway, people are looking for others who can represent them. This is not a bad thing in and of itself as parties and politicians should work harder to regain trust. However, what is negative is parties like Palmer’s who capitalise on this distrust through their populist language — essentially misleading voters into loyalty to a party that has not done much to earn their trust — and rather affirms their fears and biases.
The third issue is that of political illiteracy. We are seeing record low civic knowledge scores in schools and a recent study by Griffith University revealed that 47 per cent of Gen Z are voting simply to avoid being fined. It is unnecessary to be a political expert or to even care intensely about politics. However, it is imperative that we all have some basic understanding and thoughtfulness towards voting. It could be your donkey vote or ignoring of the election altogether that changes everything from HECS debt to climate policy.
Check your facts and biases this election. Question what campaigns are advertising. Red flags are everywhere and it’s important to recognise them, not just for yourself but for others. Plan your vote and use it wisely. A single seat could determine this election, so who do you really want to be the decider?
