‘This is my golf’, Palmer says of the upcoming election

Clive Palmer says Peter Dutton’s only achievement as Opposition Leader is keeping the Liberal Party together, which ‘doesn’t pass the pub test’ for voters considering him as the alternative PM.

Clive Palmer addresses the National Press Club of Australia on his new Donald-Trump inspired political party, Trumpet of Patriots. Picture: Martin Ollman/NewsWire

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Mining magnate Clive Palmer has declared Peter Dutton’s only achievement as Opposition Leader to be keeping the Liberal Party together, which he said “doesn’t pass the pub test” for voters considering him as the alternative prime ­minister.

Mr Palmer, who said 20,000 people had so far joined his new Trumpet of Patriots party, described his multimillion-dollar federal election campaigns as something of a hobby.

“This is my golf,” he told the National Press Club on Thursday.

The Queensland millionaire confirmed he would spend “in excess” of $50m at the upcoming election, despite getting only one person elected after splashing more than $100m in 2022.

Mr Palmer called Labor and the Coalition a “uniparty” and said Mr Dutton had considered him “a bad guy” when he was part of the LNP.

“Peter Dutton has been very critical to me when I was in the National Party in Queensland, he thought I was a bad guy. I haven’t had much to do with Peter Dutton since that time,” he said.

“But I think if you talk to any Liberal, they would say Peter Dutton’s greatest achievement is keeping the Liberal Party together … that’s his greatest achievement. I don’t think that’s passes the pub test for Australians, they really don’t care if the Liberal Party fragments like it has in Western Australia.”

Mr Palmer said Trumpet of ­Patriots, which was formed because the Australian Electoral Office would not allow the United Australia Party to re-register, took inspiration from Donald Trump’s policies.

Despite being asked several times if he had spoken to Mr Trump, Mr Palmer would not say, but did confirm he had “spoken to members of the Trump team”.

Mr Palmer called for the immediate ousting of Kevin Rudd as ambassador in Washington, in favour of someone who could “have a rapport” with the Republican administration.

He revealed that the Trumpet of Patriots tour would involve former Fox News political commentator Tucker Carlson and would include visits to communities across the country.

Despite concerns from the political right that Mr Palmer would fragment the conservative vote, the Mineralogy chief executive denied this was an issue, saying: “We have different policies.”

Those policies include a capping of interest rates for home loans at 3 per cent, allowing people to use up to 30 per cent of their super balances for home loans – an idea shared with the Coalition – banning trans athletes from professional sports and enforcing a 15 per cent licence fee on iron ore.

Clive Palmer at the National Press Club. Picture: Martin Ollman/NewsWire

“One of the problems with (Mr) Albanese and Labor and Peter Dutton and his Liberals is that they’re whingers,” he said.

“They look at what’s wrong. They don’t look at how we solve the problem.”

He defended the billions in taxpayer dollars being spent by state and federal governments in their lawsuits against the mining magnate, including a number of well-known suits in WA.

“When we get those funds, I’m sure I can spend those funds better than the government can for the people of Australia,” he said.

“You’ll see new hospitals in many states and we’ll be feeding the hungry Australians.”