Could Anthony Albanese be caught up in Trump's new US visa ban?
It's no secret President Donald Trump's reach extends beyond the United States, but a key element of his second presidency could have unprecedented consequences on the rest of the world for years to come – and we're not talking about his tariffs.
Speaking with Samantha Selinger-Morris on The Morning Edition podcast, our international and political editor Peter Hartcher delves into the transcontinental influence of Trump's 'Make America Great Again' mindset, and the hidden announcement sparking a new level of global interference not seen from the US since the end of the Cold War.
Click the player or watch the video below to listen to the full episode, or read on for an edited extract of the conversation.
Selinger-Morris: You've written about a monumental announcement … that Donald Trump said on Thursday, about how he plans to export his MAGA revolution to the world. So what did he say?
Hartcher: Until now ... a lot of this stuff has been; you could interpret it as just Trump mouthing off, rather than structured into government policy. But on Thursday, US time, last week, the administration notified the Congress that they were going to create a new office within the State Department.
Loading
They gutted, they cut, by something like 80 per cent the existing Bureau Of Human Rights ... and they have created something called the Office of Natural Rights, which is a new thing, new phenomenon. And it seems that this is the vehicle by which [they] will spread their values abroad through the State Department and its machinations.
The Office of Natural rights is going to be opposed to digital censorship, as they call it, mass migration, restrictions on religious freedom, and numerous other assaults on democratic self-governance.
The one that Marco Rubio has most emphasised in the last couple of weeks in an interview in the US was the right of countries to … come up with their own definitions of free speech.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
Mistaken deportee returns to US to face human smuggling charges
A US man mistakenly deported to El Salvador under President Donald Trump's sweeping hardline immigration reform is back in America to face criminal charges. Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been indicted on two counts related to the transportation of thousands of illegal aliens for financial gain. The US government enabled the 29-year-old's return after deporting him to El Salvador's notorious Mega Prison in March despite not having any prior convictions. US Attorney General Pam Bondi said "this is what American justice looks like" at a recent public address.
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Trump can bar AP from some media events for now: court
US President Donald Trump is free to bar the Associated Press from some White House media events for now, after an appeals court paused a lower court ruling mandating that AP journalists be given access. The divided ruling on Friday by the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit temporarily blocks an order by US District Judge Trevor McFadden, who ruled on April 8 that the Trump administration must allow AP journalists access to the Oval Office, Air Force One and White House events while the news agency's lawsuit moves forward. The 2-1 ruling was written by US Circuit Judge Neomi Rao, joined by fellow Trump appointee US Circuit Judge Gregory Katsas. Rao wrote that the lower court injunction "impinges on the President's independence and control over his private workspaces" and that the White House was likely to ultimately defeat the Associated Press' lawsuit. The White House and a lawyer for the Associated Press did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In a dissent, Circuit Judge Cornelia Pillard, an appointee of President Barack Obama, said her two colleagues' ruling cannot be squared with "any sensible understanding of the role of a free press in our constitutional democracy." The AP sued in February after the White House restricted the news outlet's access over its decision to continue referring to the Gulf of Mexico in its coverage despite Trump renaming the body of water the Gulf of America. The AP's lawyers argued the new policy violated the First Amendment of the Constitution, which protects free speech rights. McFadden, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, said in his ruling that if the White House opens its doors to some journalists it cannot exclude others based on their viewpoints. Trump administration lawyers said the president has absolute discretion over media access to the White House and that McFadden's ruling infringed on his ability to decide whom to admit to sensitive spaces. On April 16, the AP accused the Trump administration of defying the court order by continuing to exclude its journalists from some events and then limiting access to Trump for all news wires, including Reuters and Bloomberg. Reuters and the AP both issued statements denouncing the new policy, which puts wire services in a larger rotation with about 30 other newspaper and print outlets. Other media customers, including local news organisations that have no presence in Washington, rely on the wire services' real-time reports of presidential statements as do global financial markets. The AP says in its stylebook that the Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years and, as a global news agency, the AP will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen.
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Trump can bar AP from some media events for now: court
US President Donald Trump is free to bar the Associated Press from some White House media events for now, after an appeals court paused a lower court ruling mandating that AP journalists be given access. The divided ruling on Friday by the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit temporarily blocks an order by US District Judge Trevor McFadden, who ruled on April 8 that the Trump administration must allow AP journalists access to the Oval Office, Air Force One and White House events while the news agency's lawsuit moves forward. The 2-1 ruling was written by US Circuit Judge Neomi Rao, joined by fellow Trump appointee US Circuit Judge Gregory Katsas. Rao wrote that the lower court injunction "impinges on the President's independence and control over his private workspaces" and that the White House was likely to ultimately defeat the Associated Press' lawsuit. The White House and a lawyer for the Associated Press did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In a dissent, Circuit Judge Cornelia Pillard, an appointee of President Barack Obama, said her two colleagues' ruling cannot be squared with "any sensible understanding of the role of a free press in our constitutional democracy." The AP sued in February after the White House restricted the news outlet's access over its decision to continue referring to the Gulf of Mexico in its coverage despite Trump renaming the body of water the Gulf of America. The AP's lawyers argued the new policy violated the First Amendment of the Constitution, which protects free speech rights. McFadden, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, said in his ruling that if the White House opens its doors to some journalists it cannot exclude others based on their viewpoints. Trump administration lawyers said the president has absolute discretion over media access to the White House and that McFadden's ruling infringed on his ability to decide whom to admit to sensitive spaces. On April 16, the AP accused the Trump administration of defying the court order by continuing to exclude its journalists from some events and then limiting access to Trump for all news wires, including Reuters and Bloomberg. Reuters and the AP both issued statements denouncing the new policy, which puts wire services in a larger rotation with about 30 other newspaper and print outlets. Other media customers, including local news organisations that have no presence in Washington, rely on the wire services' real-time reports of presidential statements as do global financial markets. The AP says in its stylebook that the Gulf of Mexico has carried that name for more than 400 years and, as a global news agency, the AP will refer to it by its original name while acknowledging the new name Trump has chosen.
