Red Scare or Self-Own? The Trumpet of Patriots Sounds Alarm
In the latest turn of Australia’s wildest federal election campaign, the Trumpet of Patriots—Clive Palmer’s headline-chasing political party—is blowing hard on a Cold War-style horn, warning Australians about a looming Chinese invasion. Their message? That the Chinese Communist Party is preparing to take over Australia’s north-west through infrastructure and resource control.
The group’s newest political ad—saturated with ominous narration and cinematic fear-mongering—claims that Chinese-owned companies, aided by the Labor Party, have constructed a private jet airport and military-capable port in WA’s Pilbara region. According to the ad, this infrastructure could allow China to stage large-scale naval and ground invasions to seize control of Australia’s critical resource zones.
Yes, seriously.
The Trumpet of Patriots reckons we’re in our own Red Dawn moment—minus Patrick Swayze.
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The Big Reveal: Clive Palmer Owns the Land
The irony? That very airstrip and port are owned by a Chinese company, yes—but the land they’re built on belongs to Clive Palmer himself.
The assets were developed by CITIC Pacific, a Chinese-owned iron ore mining company operating on tenements in Cape Preston, WA. CITIC didn’t plunder the land. It leased it from Palmer’s Mineralogy back in 2006 after he spent two decades sitting on the site, doing nothing.
CITIC, eager to capitalise on the global iron ore boom, agreed to an unusually generous deal with Palmer. They would pay him royalties not only on every tonne of iron ore they dug up, but also on every tonne they sold.
That agreement has since funnelled $400–$500 million per year straight into Palmer’s pockets—and now, some of it is funding the Trumpet of Patriots’ massive anti-China advertising campaign.
Let that sink in: the Trumpet of Patriots is warning Australians about Chinese military capabilities using infrastructure that Clive Palmer helped build.
A History of Hypocrisy: Palmer and the Pilbara
Palmer’s Pilbara involvement began in the 1980s when he secured the magnetite-rich tenements. But mining magnetite isn’t easy—it requires serious processing to convert into usable iron ore. That challenge led him to seek deep-pocketed partners, and CITIC was willing to take the gamble.
They built the multi-billion-dollar Sino Iron project, employing Australian labour and investing heavily in infrastructure. The first shipment didn’t leave until 2013—by then, prices had dropped sharply.
Still, the mine stayed afloat, and Palmer stayed rich.
Rather than support the mine’s growth—something that would increase his own earnings—Palmer has actively blocked CITIC’s operations. He denied permissions for tailings dam expansions and dragged CITIC through a drawn-out legal battle. The man profiting from every tonne CITIC produces is now stifling their production.
All while bankrolling a political party that claims CITIC is a national security threat.
Millions in Misinformation: The Election Blitz
The Trumpet of Patriots isn’t limiting its campaign to TV doom-mongering. It has emerged as one of the biggest political advertisers this election season, spending a staggering $5.6 million on television and $4.2 million on YouTube. That puts Palmer’s party in close competition with the major players, Labor and the Coalition.
And while Palmer might shout about protecting Aussie sovereignty, he’s spending some of that ad money earned through royalties paid by a Chinese state-owned company.
This contradiction is central to the entire Trumpet of Patriots platform: using nationalist fear to rally voters, while simultaneously enriching itself from the very foreign interests it demonises.
The Bigger Picture: Playing Politics With Paranoia
The ad’s suggestion that the Cape Preston port can host a large Chinese ground force? Pure fiction. It’s a commercial port used for iron ore exports, built under Australian law, operated by Australian workers, and located in a tightly monitored industry.
There’s no imminent invasion.
But there is a political strategy.
In a digitally saturated election, fear sells. Palmer knows this. By stoking nationalist fears, blaming China, and pointing fingers at Labor, the Trumpet of Patriots is trying to carve out electoral ground among right-leaning voters who feel alienated by the major parties.
And he’s doing it with money from Chinese iron ore.
The Existential Dilemma: What If the Trumpet Wins?
If the Trumpet of Patriots were to truly follow through on their rhetoric—say, shutting down foreign-owned operations in WA—they’d be undercutting the very source of their campaign funds.
So here’s the paradox: Does the Trumpet of Patriots hate foreigners so much it’s willing to put itself out of business?
At the very least, the party’s scare campaign is less about real policy and more about stirring the pot—loudly, expensively, and hypocritically.
Because when the smoke clears and the ads stop running, the truth is simple: Australia isn’t under siege—but its voters are being played.
