(Anti)-Trump Card

First it was Canada, and now Australia and Singapore: the anti-Trump factor appears to be benefiting parties that are perceived as the best option to counter the US President’s antics.

- 

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, 62, secured a second term with a decisive victory over the Opposition, whose Right-wing leader, Peter Dutton, struggled to distance himself from comparisons to Donald Trump and ultimately lost his own seat. Defying the so-called “incumbency curse,” Albanese’s Center-Left Labor Party achieved an unexpectedly comfortable win on 3 May, following a five-week election campaign focused on the cost of living crisis and the global economic uncertainty stemming from Trump’s tariff policies. Albanese is now the first Australian prime minister to serve consecutive terms since 2004.

Similar to Canada, Australia’s Opposition conservative party, the Coalition, appeared poised for victory even before Trump’s return to office, driven by public frustration over the cost of living crisis and soaring home prices. However, it has since seen a decline in voter support, as concerns grow about the government's approach to Trump. Additionally, Dutton’s campaign has been criticized by commentators as one of the weakest in Australian political history, and the former police detective found it challenging to distance himself from certain Trump-like rhetoric and policies.