Pauline Hanson: ‘I don’t have a crush on Donald Trump’

ONE Nation leader Pauline Hanson is openly celebrating the shock victory of Donald Trump in yesterday’s US election.

ONE Nation leader Pauline Hanson is openly celebrating the shock victory of Donald Trump in yesterday’s US election, but she’s had to make one clarification.

The outspoken senator has been so enthusiastic in her praise of the President-elect, she’s been forced to deny she has a “crush”.

In an interview with Nine’s Karl Stefanovic, Ms Hanson praised American voters’ “people power”.

“I just think there was a big change. We need a change right across the world. This is a revolution, it’s called people power,” she said with a beaming grin.

“People are fed up with what the major political parties have been dishing out for years, and they’re saying, no, we want change.”

From outside Parliament House, Ms Hanson went on to defend Mr Trump’s views on and past treatment of women, saying all she saw was “crocodile tears” from the 10-plus women who claimed to have fallen victim to the Republican’s unwanted sexual advances.

“I think it was a political ploy, I think it was a beat-up, and I didn’t believe that,” she said.

“I don’t condone those sort of actions, but the whole fact is he’s now President of the United States. Let’s see how he deals with pulling that country back together again because it is in one hell of a mess, the same as what Australia is.”

Do you have a crush on President Trump? Picture: Today/Channel 9

Ms Hanson tried to allay fears that Trump’s America would become an “isolationist” country, and that his railing against Free Trade Agreements and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) would be good for America and the rest of the world.

“I believe what Donald Trump says, look after your own country first. Karl, they’re not going to be isolationists. People put this fear factor out,” she said.

The Senator’s ebullient defence raised Stefanovic’s eyebrows, and the bold Today host asked what we were all thinking: “Are you sure you don’t have a crush on the new President of the United States?”

Beginning to blush, Ms Hanson answered just as effusively.

“I swear to God I don’t have a crush on Donald Trump,” she said — as Karl pointed out, in a higher pitch that usual.

Following the results yesterday, the senator popped champagne outside Parliament House, and last night tweeted “my door will always be open” to the President-elect.

She followed that up with a tweet saying “sometimes dreams do come true”.

@realDonaldTrump Mr President my door will always be open. Congrats on behalf of Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party of OZ. #MAGA #auspol

— Pauline Hanson (@PaulineHansonOz) November 9, 2016

Senator Hanson’s fellow crossbench senator Derryn Hinch has labelled Mr Trump’s against-the-odds election the biggest international event in decades.

“I think this is probably the biggest international event since the end of World War II, it’s such a dramatic shift for the leader of the free world,” he told ABC radio.

Senator Hinch said he didn’t share his colleague’s enthusiasm for the Republican’s victory and that he was “beyond surprised”.

Watching Trump’s victory speech was as unreal as watching the second plane slam into the World Trade Center.

— Derryn Hinch (@HumanHeadline) November 9, 2016

Senator Hanson is not the only Australian politician revelling in the election’s surprising result.

Speaking on ABC radio on Thursday morning, Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi reinforced the argument that Trump would not be isolationist in his role as President.

The conservative senator said Mr Trump would be “good friends with countries who want to be good friends with America”.

“I think the best days of America are ahead of it, if the Trump campaign is allowed to keep its promises,” he said.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has previously labelled Mr Trump a classic isolationist, but moved to soften her language following his election assuring Australia would be able to work productively with our close ally.

“Over the next few months we will see the Trump administration take place ... We have deep connections with the Republican side of politics and we will certainly be using those networks and connections,” she said.

“It’s early days and we need to see how the statements and headlines used in the campaign practically manifest in the administration.”

With Australia engaged in military action in Syria as part of the US-led coalition, Ms Bishop said she welcome Mr Trump’s “new ideas” on how to address the issues, particularly the humanitarian situation, in Syria.

“Donald Trump has given a very strong indication that he intends to increase the size of the US military, that he intends to dramatically increase defence spending,” she said.

“I welcome an opportunity to discuss new ideas with the US administration on how to resolve the situation in Syria.”

Labor leader Bill Shorten last night refused apologise for his earlier criticisms of Mr Trump’s comments on women, migrants and race, in turn earning his own criticism from the foreign minister.

“The Labor Party have been completely wrong-footed,” Ms Bishop told Sky News.

“When Bill Shorten as the leader of a major political party in Australia starts engaging in personal and offensive commentary about the presidential candidate in an election in another country I think that’s just completely counter-productive.

“It’s in our interest to work constructively and positively in Australia’s national interest. The US is our major defence partner, it’s our major source of foreign direct investment, they are one of the major trading partners. It’s in our interest to work constructively with whomever the American people choose as their president.”

Addressing the election from Canberra on Wednesday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull moved to reassure Australians ties with the US would be just as effective under a Donald Trump presidency.

“We will have a strong and effective relationship with his administration just as have with President Obama’s and many administrations before that,” he said.

“It’s in our mutual interest to stand together and we’ll continue to do so through the Trump presidency and the presidencies that follow it.”

Thanks @HillaryClinton for your courage.I'm still with her and her vision of inspiring girls by shattering that high, hard glass ceiling-JG

— Julia Gillard (@JuliaGillard) November 9, 2016

Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has not congratulated Mr Trump, instead reinforcing her support for Hillary Clinton declaring on Twitter she is “still with her”.