The magnitude of the triumph, more than the outcome of the election, surprised Australians on Saturday. Following a similar shift away from conservatives in Canada during the first few months of Donald Trump’s second US administration, it represents a robust comeback for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his center-left Labor party, which had been losing ground in the polls earlier this year.
The statements and policies of U.S. President Donald Trump towards Australia have made a significant contribution to Australian politics and public opinion, particularly in the context of the 2025 Australian federal election. Moreover, The center-right Liberal Party assesses the damage as the last seats are distributed, noting that its leader, Peter Dutton, has been removed from parliament.
Trump imposed tariffs on Australian imports, including a 10% duty on most goods and a 25% duty on steel and aluminum. These tariffs were slapped without exemptions and were publicly attacked by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as “not the act of a friend.” The tariffs put economic pressure and political stress on Australia’s export-based economy and strained the traditionally close relationship between the US and Australia.
Experts say that Trump’s policies and rhetoric overshadowed the otherwise Trump-free Australian election campaign focused on domestic affairs, including housing and living expenses. Australian voters’ anti-Trump attitude assisted Prime Minister Albanese and his Labor Party in securing their historic re-election, with the voters turning away from Trump-style trade wars and political unrest.
The ‘Trump effect’ supports yet another progressive government
The result of Canada’s federal election last week, in which the once-struggling left-leaning Liberal Party shot to victory owing to a Trump-inspired surge in popularity, is mirrored in Albanese’s defeat of Dutton.
After the ruling party had been losing ground in the polls for years, Trump’s tariffs and threats to annex its neighbor turned the tide, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals defeated Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives in a stunning electoral comeback. The parallel election outcomes demonstrate Trump’s impact on the domestic politics of longstanding US allies, even if Australia has not experienced the same insult to its sovereignty as Canada.
According to recent polls, Dutton’s detractors referred to him as a “Temu Trump,” a reference to the low-cost Chinese internet marketplace. This description may have played a role in his demise in Australia, where public confidence in the US has declined.
Even though Dutton claimed to be his “own person,” he was charged with inciting cultural conflicts and using Trump-like language to attack the press, media and refugees. Dutton tried for weeks to disassociate himself from the US leader who was dumping tariffs. Still, it was insufficient to persuade the Australian people that he was the best candidate to guide their nation during this turbulent time in the world.
