‘Scheduling conflicts’: Donald Trump Jr’s Aussie tour pushed back to December

The son of twice-impeached ex-US president Donald Trump was due to speak in Australia today, but organisers have again pushed the tour back.

A controversial speaking tour hosted by the son of twice-impeached ex-US president Donald Trump has been delayed for the second time, with organisers saying “scheduling conflicts” are to blame this time.

Donald Trump Jr was due to host talks in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney this month as part of his contentious live tour, organised by the Australian arm of conservative not-for-profit organisation Turning Point.

It had already been delayed from its initial date in July following a visa stoush.

Donald Trump Jr’s Australian tour has been delayed again. Picture: AFP

In an email seen by NCA NewsWire, the tour’s organisers Turning Point Australia said Mr Trump Jr had been forced to postpone the week’s events due to “last-minute scheduling conflicts”.

“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause,” the email states.

New tour dates in Sydney (December 10), the Gold Coast (December 11) and Melbourne (December 13) have since been organised.

“Your existing tickets will be automatically valid for the rescheduled event, so there’s no need to do anything if you wish to attend on the new date,” the email states.

A spokesperson from Turning Point Australia said Mr Trump Jr had “a number of commitments” which had impacted his schedule for the next couple of weeks.

The spokesperson did not elaborate further on what the specific scheduling conflicts were.

Mr Trump Jr had also pulled out of a similar event in the United States being hosted by political commentator and podcaster Tim Pool.

Venues for the new dates are yet to be confirmed.

“Venues are often harassed by protesters and groups such as Antifa in the lead up to an event like this so we announce the location 24 hours before to spare the venue the headaches and the abuse,” the spokesperson told NCA NewsWire.

The postponement comes a week after Mr Trump Jr’s X (formerly Twitter) account was hacked – posting a series of vulgar messages.

One post stated: “I’m sad to announce, my father Donald Trump has passed away. I will be running for president in 2024”.

Deleted posts from Mr Trump Jr's X (formerly Twitter) account after it was hacked. One post falsely claimed his father had died and he was now running for president. Picture: Supplied / X

Others slurred current US president Joe Biden, bragged of “interesting messages” with deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and claimed North Korea was “about to get smoked.”

All posts have since been deleted.

Andrew Surabian, a spokesman for Mr Trump Jr, confirmed the hack in a post on his own X account.

FYI: This is obviously not true. Don's account has been hacked. https://t.co/2ulyCPqhDx

— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) September 20, 2023

His tour was first delayed from July over claims his visa was delayed. The federal government has rejected this. Picture: AFP

Billed as a “landmark” Australian tour for the son of the twice-impeached 45th US president, Mr Trump Jr is lauded as “fearlessly outspoken” who has “captured the imagination of conservatives from around the world.”

Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage and Liberal senator Alex Antic are listed as special guests on the speaking tour.

General tickets to the event – which had been the subject of public outcry and a petition to stop Mr Trump Jr from getting a visa – are priced from $59 for students or concession holders to $89 for general admission.

A private dinner event – with a whopping $2500 price tag – includes a pre-show dinner with Mr Trump Jr, champagne reception and front-row seating.

“The Private Dinner, Backstage Pass and VIP Tickets are mostly sold out across the 3 events,” the Turning Point Australia spokesperson told NCA NewsWire.

“Additional tickets have been released for some of these in order to accommodate demand.

“Over 8000 tickets have been sold for the 3 events.”

In their email, Turning Point Australia also apologised for the delay in processing requested refunds.

“Refunds are being manually processed by the promoter alone, which has proven to be a time-consuming task,” their email states.

“Rest assured that we are working to expedite this process. We understand the frustration this may cause.”

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil returned fire to Mr Trump’s visa claims earlier this year. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Ms O’Neil’s now-deleted tweets where she criticised the son of former US president Donald Trump. Picture: Supplied

They conclude with: “We want to assure you that this event will be well worth the wait. Don Jr is excited to come to Australia, and Turning Point is committed to delivering an unforgettable experience when the event takes place in December.”

Mr Trump Jr claimed a visa delay from the federal government was the reason for July’s planned tour being cancelled.

But Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil refuted this, stating Mr Trump Jr was given a visa “like everyone else” and had tried to blame the government for his “poor ticket sales”.

In a series of now-deleted tweets she called Mr Trump Jr a “sore loser” and a “big baby who isn’t very popular”.

He returned fire by calling the minister a “coward”.

“The tyrannical Left doesn’t believe people have the right to freedom of expression and will do anything to shut down conservative voices, but we will not bow down to them,” Mr Trump Jr said.