EFFIE BATEMAN | Lifestyle | CONTACT
In an ironic twist, U.S. President Donald Trump has emerged as one of the most effective unifying forces in modern politics – provided it’s not his own country.
Following recent progressive wins in both Canada and Australia, analysts have noted a curious pattern – the mere mention of Trump’s name is enough to send voters running toward the nearest left-wing candidate.
Here in Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party achieved a historic landslide victory as opposition leader Peter Dutton, suffered a catastrophic defeat and even lost his own seat.
Dutton’s campaign, heavily influenced by Trump’s approach, has been widely criticised as disjointed and disconnected from Australian values.
In the Canadian federal election a week ago, Liberal leader Mark Carney secured a minority government, marking the party’s fourth consecutive term. This victory came on the heels of Trump’s aggressive trade policies and veiled threats of annexation, which seemed to have the unintended effect of rallying Canadian voters around the Liberals.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who also aligned himself with Trump’s ideologies, lost his seat, signalling a clear rejection of Trump-style politics north of the border.
These wins make are a stark contrast to how voters were feeling last year, as it looked as though Australia and Canada were to set to bring in a right wing government.
However after just 100 days of being in office, Trump has managed to poison any political party that made the mistake of siding with him.
More to come.
