Pauline Hanson says she's 'never said anything racist' as she blasts state premier in fiery interview
has denied ever being a racist in a heated interview where she also offered her premier a dire warning.
The One Nation Senator said Queensland Premier David Crisafulli had taken her party for granted after she helped him secure a win at the last state election.
Senator Hanson, 71, provided the Liberal National Party with 11 seats, due to her party's preferences, to secure Crisafulli's win over Labor in October.
Without those seats he would never have won and she said the premier should thank her.
'He didn't even call,' she told the Courier Mail on Saturday.
She added that her allegiance was not a certainty, especially if she feels taken advantage of or sidelined.
Senator Hanson also rebuked any claims that she had ever been racist in the past like many others label her.
While her comments are sometimes seen as radical, the senator believes most of them have since become mainstream and so therefore they were not racist.
The Senator slammed her premier David Crisafulli for never thanking her after she helped secure his win at the last election
Senator Hanson said she had 'copped a lot of abuse' over her explosive language but it had all been worth it in the end.
'If you look back at what I've said over the years there is nothing I've said that is racist,' she said.
'To be racist is to believe that one race is superior to another, which I have never done.'
Instead she said her comments were intended to spark debate on the topics of immigration and multiculturalism.
When leaders around the world, including former Prime Minister John Howard, started critiquing the same subjects Senator Hanson said she felt vindicated.
Regardless of the negative comments surrounding her she said none of it mattered after One Nation picked up another two Senate seats at the last election.
One person who Senator Hanson said was offensive was Pauline Pantsdown, a drag queen performer who parodies her.
Senator Hanson said the performer was 'a horrible person' who has made and is still making derogatory comments about her.
Senator Hanson said she intends to quit politics when the time is right unlike Bob Katter who is still serving at the age of 79
Meanwhile, Warwick Stacey in New South Wales and Tyron Whitten, in Western Australia, were also both able to secure seats in the 2025 Australian Federal Election.
They joined Senator Hanson, who won re-election in 2022, and Senator Malcolm Roberts in parliament.
Together they have vowed to fight against net zero policies, immigration volumes and free speech.
Despite her party's successes Senator Hanson has said she had no desire to remain in politics forever.
Unlike Bob Katter, 79, who has held his seat in Queensland's north for decades, Senator Hanson said she would quit when the time is right.
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'Donald Trump gets to swing at his favorite piñata, California, but Gavin Newsom doesn't mind taking the whacks because it plays pretty well with the Democratic base.' According to a YouGov flash poll, 45% of Americans disapprove of the Los Angeles protests, while 36% approve. Similar shares disapprove of Trump's deployment of the marines – 47% to 34% – and the national guard – 45% to 38%. Since Trump's 2024 victory, many Democrats have taken pains to show support for law enforcement and border security. Some say Newsom's approach offers a clear path forward. He has been unequivocal in condemning sporadic violence, vowing 'zero tolerance' for bad actors. At the same time, he has offered a full-throated defense of the city's immigrant communities, accusing Trump of tearing apart families and 'disappearing' neighbors. 'What's happening right now is very different than anything we've seen before,' Newsom said in his Tuesday address, accusing federal agents of indiscriminately targeting Latino neighborhoods. 'Trump is pulling a military dragnet across LA, well beyond his stated intent to just go after violent and serious criminals.' Conservatives say Newsom's posture is precisely what helped Trump make inroads in some of the bluest corners of the country last year. Steve Hilton, a former top adviser to former UK prime minister David Cameron now running for governor of California, accused Newsom of trying to 'gaslight us'. 'Do your job,' he said on Fox News, 'instead of pretending this is fine.' Newsom rose to prominence as the mayor of San Francisco, defying state law to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. He served as the state's lieutenant governor for eight years before being elected governor in the middle of Trump's first term, riding a wave of progressive anger. He survived a 2021 recall attempt, fueled in part by backlash to his handling of the pandemic, and was easily re-elected in 2022. He campaigned aggressively for Biden in 2024, even as some in the party hoped he'd run himself. When Biden dropped out, Newsom quickly endorsed his fellow Californian, 'fearless' Kamala Harris. Democrats' staggering losses in November left the party leaderless and without power in Washington. As Democrats grasped for answers – how to oppose an emboldened president whom voters chose over them – Newsom launched a podcast. Some speculated Newsom's moves – interviewing far-right figures on his podcast, cracking down on homeless encampments and moving to scale back health coverage for immigrants without legal status – were part of a calculated pivot toward the political center, in preparation for a 2028 presidential run. Asked recently at a press conference if he was trying to shed his liberal persona, Newsom said he had always been a 'hard-headed pragmatist'. 'I'm not an ideologue,' he added. California – the biggest blue state in the country – has long served as Trump's favorite foil. From homelessness and crime to immigration and climate policy, Trump has painted the state as a cautionary tale – a failed experiment in liberal governance now a 'symbol of our nation's decline'. This week, amid his clash with Newsom, Trump signed into law a measure blocking California's vehicle emissions rules and his administration announced plans to abolish two of the state's newest national monuments. 'If it's a day ending in Y, it's another day of Trump's war on California,' the governor's office tweeted. Steve Maviglio, a Democratic political consultant, said Newsom's 'guerrilla warfare' tactics may raise the governor's national profile – but at a cost. 'We know that the president doesn't respond well to being attacked,' Maviglio said, adding: 'It's likely going to result in a lot less federal dollars coming our way – which is about the last thing we need right now with a multibillion-dollar budget deficit.' Yet Newsom's attempt at conciliation yielded little protection. Earlier this month, the Trump administration warned it may pull billions in funding from California's long-delayed high-speed rail project. Trump has threatened to 'maybe permanently' strip federal funding if the state continues to allow transgender athletes to compete in girls' and women's sports. And California is still waiting for the disaster aid Newsom sought after the fires. Newsom has argued in recent interviews that Trump can't be placated. The governor suggested the state had leverage: it could withhold the billions in taxes its residents pay the federal government. (He has since tempered the idea, but said he urged his team to get 'creative' on how the state might push back on Trump's threats.) Newsom also suggested that growing public opposition to the immigration crackdown was working, after Trump conceded that his immigration tactics were hurting agriculture and hospitality. 'Turns out, chasing hardworking people through ranches and snatching women and children off the streets is not good policy,' Newsom shot back. Though protests have calmed, the situation remains volatile. With the appeals court decision, Trump remains in command of the national guard through at least next week. On Friday, US marines temporarily detained a man outside the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles – the first known detention of a civilian by active-duty troops deployed there by Trump. Speaking in Los Angeles, Noem pledged to 'liberate' Los Angeles and vowed that the Trump administration would continue its immigration operations across the region. Ahead of planned protests on Saturday, Newsom ordered the state to 'pre-deploy' additional resources to support law enforcement throughout the state. Organized as a show of defiance against Trump's military parade staged in the streets of Washington DC on Saturday to celebrate the US army's 250th anniversary and the president's 79th birthday, the events have multiplied since Trump deployed guard troops to Los Angeles. For Newsom, the stakes are bigger than California. He has framed this moment as a test of democratic resilience in the face of creeping authoritarianism. And for those who have long sounded the alarm, the governor is meeting it. 'He's become what Democrats nationally have been waiting for since the election,' Madrid said. 'He's the tip of the spear – the more strenuously he fights, the more aggressive he is, the more he uses Trump's tactics against him, the more he's going to be rewarded.' David Smith in Washington and Rachel Leingang contributed reporting
