Donald Trump Jr, the eldest son of disgraced former US president Donald Trump and executive vice-president of The Trump Organisation, will be in Australia for a promotional tour speaking at events in Sydney on July 8 and continuing to Brisbane and Melbourne.
But Trump should not be granted a visa to enter Australia because he fails multiple character test requirements under the Migration Act. Trump is an anti-democrat who encouraged the overturning of an election. He is a conspiracy theorist who spread misinformation about the Covid-19 pandemic. And he leads an organisation found guilty of tax fraud and document falsification.
This is not about denying freedom of speech or de-platforming a person with controversial views but about upholding the integrity of our immigration laws as they relate to non-citizens. Everybody should have the right to express their views provided they do not encourage illegality, engage in hate speech, sow division or propagate harmful conspiracy theories.
It is completely unacceptable to allow Trump Jr to come to Australia to give voice to the undermining of democratic elections, disrespecting the rule of law, denigrating people based on their race, religion or sexuality, and provoking political unrest. He has done all of these things and will do so in Australia, in search of a willing antipodean MAGA audience.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil can use her authority under the Migration Act 1958 and Migration Regulations 1994 to “refuse to grant a person a visa if the person does not pass the character test”. The legislation defines the character test at subsection 501(6) of the act.
It stipulates that if the person has an association with or is a member of an organisation that has been involved in criminal conduct, or the reasonable suspicion of such conduct, they can be denied a visa to Australia. Trump Jr clearly meets this requirement. Last December The Trump Organisation was found guilty of 17 counts of tax fraud, which included falsifying business records and conspiracy.
In January this year the company Trump Jr co-runs was fined $US1.6m ($2.4m) for systematic and extensive tax avoidance. Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer of The Trump Organisation, pleaded guilty to tax evasion and was sentenced to five months in jail.
It has been well documented that Trump Jr was involved in the attempt by his father to overturn the 2020 US presidential election and helped encourage the riot at the Capitol in January 2021, which resulted in death, injury and destruction. The son played a key role in the failed re-election campaign of his father, and remains a MAGA supporter and surrogate.
When it was clear the 2020 election was lost, Trump Jr tweeted that his father should “go to total war” and “expose all of the fraud, cheating” that had taken place. There was no evidence of electoral rigging by US Democrats. Moreover, the encouragement of “total war” was inflammatory and potentially dangerous.
In the days after the election, Trump Jr urged White House chief of staff Mark Meadows via text message to try to overturn the election. He outlined several options, including sending alternative slates of electors to the US Capitol for the electoral college certification, to sabotage the electoral process. “We have multiple paths,” he texted Meadows. “We control them all.”
On January 6, the day of the insurrection at the US Capitol, Trump Jr spoke to supporters about “being in this fight with us” to stop the election being stolen and the country going to hell. Off stage, Trump Jr filmed family and staff excitedly watching the rally. That rally was the spark that led to the riot at the US Capitol and the attempt to disrupt the electoral college vote. This is evidence of being associated with another organisation or group involved in criminal conduct under the Migration Act.
A quick scan of Trump Jr’s social media feeds or appearances on far-right television and radio and podcasts shows a range of offensive statements that invoke white supremacist, homophobic and anti-Semitic language and imagery. He even accused Joe Biden of being a pedophile. He recently, and falsely, claimed US agencies were mobilising to “interfere in the 2024 election” to stop his alleged criminal father reclaiming the presidency.
During the pandemic, Trump Jr repeatedly downplayed the severity of the virus, ridiculed mask wearing, social distancing and lockdowns, and endorsed the quackery that hydroxychloroquine was an effective treatment rather than vaccination. This is dangerous nonsense and runs counter to the policies implemented by Coalition and Labor governments in Australia.
The Trump Jr tour, with “special guests” Nigel Farage and senator Alex Antic, is being organised by Turning Point Australia. It is surprising that otherwise credible organisations such as Ticketek are selling tickets and the Aware Super Theatre at Darling Harbour Sydney is the Sydney venue.
The Migration Act is clear that if there is a risk the person entering Australia would vilify segments of the Australian community, harass or intimidate people, or “incite discord” with their views, then they should be denied entry on character grounds. There is plenty of evidence that this is what Trump Jr plans to do in Australia.
Those who previously have been denied entry to Australia include tennis player Novak Djokovic after failing to meet vaccination requirements; rapper Snoop Dogg for drug and firearm convictions; anti-vaxxer Kent Heckenlively; Johnny Depp and Amber Heard after failing to declare their dogs Pistol and Boo; far-right activist and Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes; and far-right rabble rouser Milo Yiannopoulos.
Trump Jr is, arguably, a more serious threat on character grounds than some of the above and is certainly in the league of Yiannopoulos and McInnes.
Ultimately, the decision whether to allow Trump Jr entry into Australia to promulgate election denialism, defend corporate criminality, spread misinformation and quite likely vilify sections of the Australian community, and thus incite division and discord, is one for O’Neil. It is not too late to act, Minister.
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