Australian billionaire Clive Palmer today founded a political party, which he explained was inspired by US President Donald Trump months before the national election.
The mining tycoon said his party, dubbed the "Trumpet Patriots" (as Trump's nickname refers to the word "trump"), would root out corruption and bureaucracy in the nation's capital, Canberra, again a reference to Trump's plans to drastically reduce the size of government.
"We believe that Donald Trump has proven to be very effective in reducing public spending," Palmer said during a press conference introducing his new party.
Palmer opposes mass immigration and has stated that his party will recognize only two genders, reflecting positions that Trump has supported.
The Patriots Party plans to field candidates for all 150 seats in Australia's lower house, as well as for seats in the upper house, the Senate, Palmer said.
Palmer, who is the 18th richest person in Australia with a net worth of $2.1 billion according to Forbes, previously led the far-right United Australia Party (UAP) and served as its MP in the lower house for three years from 2013.
Palmer spent an estimated $63.52 million on the UAP's election campaign in the last federal election, electing a single federal senator.
He did not have time to present in time the participation of the PBB in the upcoming elections scheduled for May.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has not yet announced the exact date of their holding, which could be as early as March, after the country's central bank cut interest rates yesterday, Tuesday, a boost for the government that is seeing its popularity decline due to the high cost of living.
