Trump's Australia: How Trumpism changed Australia and the shocking consequences for us of a second term

by Bruce Wolpe

Trump could well win the 2024 US presidential election, and if he does, American democracy as we have known it will probably come to an end. Australia's best-informed commentator on US politics sends a chilling warning about the implications for Australia.

What if Trump becomes US president again?

Leading expert and US and Australian politics insider Bruce Wolpe reveals the many ways in which Australia was damaged by Donald Trump's presidency. Seeping into Australia from above and below, Trumpism contaminated public debate, emboldened local political and religious extremists, diminished Australia's economy and international relations—and much more.

Wolpe predicts America's democracy won't survive a second Trump term. The implications for the world and for Australia are shocking. He explains how Australia can draw on its strengths to protect its democracy, economy and society from Trumpism, and where Australia is vulnerable and needs to build guardrails. He warns Australia might also face an existential question about ties with its most important ally.

'True, timely and terrifying' - Sean Kelly, author of The Game

'A timely warning and a potential survival guide' - John Barron, co-host of Planet America

'A forensic analysis of how President Donald Trump invaded Australia's politics and prospects' - Laura Tingle, ABC TV

'A must read for anyone who cares about Australian democracy' - Zoe Daniel, Independent MP for Goldstein

'This is a book you should read' - Natalie Barr, co-host of Sunrise 

Trump's Australia was longlisted for the Australian Political Book of the Year Award 2023.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Australia

308 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 20, 2023

Reviews

[Lee McKerracher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A timely book on what may be on the horizon about this time next year - Trump again in the Whitehouse. So far it looks as though he will be the Republican candidate, but can he beat Biden? Polls are unreliable and currently they would be neck and neck, but a lot can happen in a year.

Bruce Wolpe has conducted significant research and used his considerable experience to ponder the issues if we are faced with another Trump administration from 2025. I don't think there are any surprises - more chaos, more uncertainty, more policy by Tweet (X), lots of staff turnover in the Whitehouse. So, these would be a given, but what can Australia do to mitigate any consequences of a potential second term in office?

Wolpe outlines a number of areas when, if Australia moves quickly and locks in policies, agreements etc where damage can be minimised but will a government do this? We tend to see reactive governance now, so it is more likely to be a wait and see who the contenders are and then who wins and then....we act.

Whatever the case, the next 12 months are going to be entertaining, potentially scary and that's not even pondering what might happen if Trump is the Republican candidate and loses - are we going to see another challenge to the results?? What would that look like then?

Uncertain times indeed.

[Bob Mendelsohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been following Bruce Wolpe on Twitter/X for a significant time and when he writes I read. When he held a book launch for this 2023 book all around Sydney, I hoped he would bring himself to Bondi for such an event and he certainly did, and did not disappoint. Now with the autographed copy in hand, I was that much more earnest about reading his thoughts along with the many to whom he credits their help in the writing of this significant volume.

Takeaways? The evil that is Donald Trump is so apparent, that one wonders how blindness has settled on 70% of the American Republican party. Do they really have no other choice besides one so committed to the isolationism, protectionism and nativism that Trump represents? The continual barrage of naysaying, lies, and bullying which is the Donald has to come down soon, one hopes. Wolpe, however much he also hopes, unpacks with aplomb what might happen were Donald able to win both the nomination and the election next year.

I like Bruce's keenness in observing how Australia has worked itself into a position of being America's mate, but not its Sambo. The Albonese/Wong government is clearly working to be itself, independent of America with Trump at the helm, and thus no matter who is elected in November 2024, Australia will continue. Australia's involvement in the region should be solid enough, no matter how far away Trump moves the US.

The Reserve Bank, the independence of the ABC, the High Court, and the Parliamentary system (with a mandated presentation in elections) all bear witness to Australia surviving another Trump (or Trumpite) after 20 January 2025.

I'm sure Bruce is disappointed in the failure of "The Voice" referendum yesterday, but I'm hopeful that his prediction is wrong. He said, "it will be decades before these inequities (of Indigenous silence/not much input) come back within reach of resolution." (page 275) I didn't like the presentation and lack of detail about "The Voice" so I understand the lack of national support for it. It is not racism to ask questions about future structure, although our PM made it sound like such. I'm hopeful for a better tomorrow.

I will share this book with many others, along with the books by Kristin DuMez, Rob Schenck, and Kaitlyn Schiess which speak of Trump in a clear manner and the association with the Republican party. When Trump won the election in 2016, I wrote on my blog ( https://bob-mendelsohn.blogspot.com/2... ) that he was the first 3rd party candidate to ever win a US election. I didn't (want to) believe that his manner and behaviour would remain and that in fact, he would infect the GOP. I was hopeful that civility and Reaganism would prevail, but as Bruce highlights throughout this book, I was wrong. Trump and Trumpism are here to stay at least for the foreseeable future. Republicanism is Trumpism. God, help us.

Thanks to sensible and honourable people like Bruce Wolpe (and his wife Lesley), we will have sense to make of what's ahead.

[Malcolm Frawley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wolpe is an American commentator long resident in Australia & this is how he sees the consequences of Trump`s last term in the White House & the dangers of a 2nd term, specifically, but not only, for Australia. It was published in 2023 so he had Jan 6 & subsequent atrocities to evaluate. But I wonder how he now reacts as Trump, hard on the campaign trail while simultaneously fighting multiple felony charges, raises the bar on racist dog-whistling & shamelessly perpetuating the big lie about a stolen election. Not that Trump limits himself to that solitarily lie. Everything that spews from his disgusting mouth is untrue on some level, most recently that the devout family man who screwed a porn star while his 3rd wife was at home suckling their new-born child had been denied time away from court to watch that same child graduate from high school. Fact check : the judge had deferred a judgement on that request depending on how smoothly the trial was proceeding, a trial that Trump had gone out of his way to delay. If there`s one person the world would be better without, it`s Donald J. Trump.

[F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very strong analysis of what things would be like under a second Trump term. Even though Wolpe had written this book before the presidential election, he made some accurate predictions about how President Trump will dismantle systems of democracy: going harder now than when he was last president, due to losing against Biden in the 2020 presidential elections. Wolpe also made some sound comparisons between Scott Morrison's style of leadership and Donald Trump's. However, what was lacking in this book was an analysis on how Trump may have gotten along with Peter Dutton if the Liberal Party got into government, come the Australian 2025 federal election. There was a lot of focus on Albanese, but it would have been interesting (and timely) to see how a Liberal PM would fare on the international stage with a populist. I guess only time will tell.

[Dec · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was genuinely nothing particularly wrong with this book. It just seemed…pointless? It was written in low brow language by someone very intelligent, had a modicum of previously covered topics (Trump bad, trade will get worse when he is in) that everyone knows, and relies a lot on random treasury and diplomat officials who aren’t named. It is by no means bad, but seems like if you had any idea of the Australian/American relationship and the disaster of trump, the book isn’t breaking any new grounds. Better off reading Emma Shortis’ wonderful summation of how australia should redirect its American position

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a keen follower of US politics, this book is a fascinating read. It showcases how even if Trump loses this year's presidential election, he has already shaped political discourse both in Australia and America. The effects are insidious yet subtle.

America will be irreversibly changed if he gets re-elected, so let us watch this space and see what happens. The distrust of fundamental tenets of democracy - a free and open press, fair elections, trust of public institutions (government, scientific experts, media etc) threaten to tear at the fabric of liberal Western democracies.

[Nick Shears · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written analysis from someone with broad, relevant experience in both the U.S. and Australia: Trump, Trumpism, a potential second term and most especially the effect on Australia.
I thought it might be heavy going but I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended to any Australians with an interest in the subject.

[Susan Wishart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well argued and researched examination of the effect of "Trumpism" on Australia by an eminent commentator on American politics. This is a look back on Trump's term in the White House but more importantly what consequences a second term as President after the elections in November may have for us in Australia.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book by a very-well informed author who knows American and Australian politics inside out. Extremely well written. Warns of the dangers to Australia and its relationship to the USA of a Trump victory in the 2024 presidential election.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting read from a dual Australian-US citizen exploring Trump and comparative political analysis. This is an interesting study of comparative politics as Wolpe explains the dangers of Trump to the US political system, covers how Trump is influencing politics in Australia and the dangers of this to
while exploring how the different Australian political system offerss

[Ganesh Sreeramulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was sold on the title 😀. The prediction has come true and that ignited the curiosity in me to delve into the Author’s POV. Simple facts put forward in easy to digest manner for a political novice like me

[whatsannareading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unfortunately timely, easily digestible, and learned a lot about how well Australia has built guardrails for our democracy over the last century - somewhat reassuring but still genuinely intimidating. Still glad I read it

[Anne Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incisive examination of the many ways Trump I affected the political scene in Australia and a clarion call for how the nation can best be prepared for the possible coming of Trump II.

[Andy Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's ok. But many better books our there on this topic
We have been doing trump, long before Trump. See Howard and Hanson

[Iain Hawkes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay. Basically an examination of how Trump(ism) could affect the political landscape in Australia, along with Oz's alliance with the US. While not the fault of the book, it already feels out of date in a lot of ways - for instance, it doesn't factor in Trump's recent arrest, nor does its examination of DeSantis really ring true when Trump's still the preferred Republican candidate by a large margin. But in the scope of Trumpism affecting Oz, the TL, DR answer is "not really." Scott Morrison kind of fliterted with the idea, but that didn't amount to anything, the political system is robust enough to withstand such assaults on it, not to mention that because of compulsory voting, there's less chance of political extremes taking power. Basically, stuff I already knew, or at least felt.

So, yeah. It's fine, but nothing beyond that.

[Benjamin Farr · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too sensationalist and some pretty wild statements about both Australia and the United States.