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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Alan Vaarwerk

Afternoon Update: Australian politicians respond to Trump win; under-16s to be banned from social media; and Raygun retires

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and opposition leader Peter Dutton
Anthony Albanese has had ‘a very constructive discussion’ with Donald Trump, while Peter Dutton insists the president-elect ‘is not somebody to be scared of.’ Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Good afternoon. Donald Trump’s US election comeback is reverberating here in Australia, with politicians on all sides scrambling to process what the Republican’s return will mean for this part of the world.

Anthony Albanese says his government will advocate for free trade and climate action – despite Trump’s agenda against both – and persist with the Aukus alliance’s nuclear submarine acquisition, with the prime minister telling parliament he’d had “a very constructive discussion” with Trump on Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, Albanese has defended the Australian ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, after the former prime minister deleted old social media posts calling Trump “the most destructive president in history”. The foreign affairs department said the tweets were deleted to avoid “being misconstrued” as the position of the government.

The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, said Trump’s election was a “truly historic outcome” adding that he “is not somebody to be scared of, but somebody that we can work very closely with”. This comes as the Queensland Nationals MP Keith Pitt and Senate colleague Matt Canavan have spoken out in favour of climate and energy policies that replicate Trump’s, urging the federal Coalition to dump its commitment to net zero emissions by 2050.

Elsewhere, Guardian Australia’s Peter Hannam has examined some of the clues to how Trump’s election might affect Australia’s economy – and you can keep up to date with all the latest developments in the US on our live blog.

Top news

In video

Anywhere but Washington: Why America voted for Donald Trump (again)

In the final instalment of Anywhere but Washington, Oliver Laughland and Tom Silverstone travel to Michigan to watch the final days of the race; as fervent Trump supporters hit the streets, young women mobilised behind Harris, and chaos and despair drove rival election night parties.

What they said …

***

“On the campaign, I would often say, when we fight, we win. But here’s the thing – sometimes the fight takes a while.” – Kamala Harris

The Democratic candidate formally conceded the election to Donald Trump, urging those devastated by the result to “not despair” but to stay engaged and remain vigilant in the fight to protect American democracy. In a speech at Howard University in Washington, Harris told the crowd of shocked and mournful supporters that “this is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves.”

In maps

As more election results come in, it is becoming clearer just how firmly voters threw their support behind Donald Trump. The Democrats won 2020 by expanding their share of votes across the country, but 90% of counties swung back to the Republicans in 2024. The Guardian’s data team have put together an interactive showing how Trump won the election, county by county.

Before bed read

We took our dog on a winter campervan trip in the Alps: are we barking?

When Anna Richards first had the idea of taking a winter road trip through the French mountains with her partner and a lively Irish setter, she imagined snowy walks, fondue and freedom – she hadn’t quite pictured spending their first night in a car park on the outskirts of a city, sandwiched between the medieval ramparts and a graveyard.

Daily word game

Today’s starter word is: DEAL. You have five goes to get the longest word including the starter word. Play Wordiply.

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And check out the full list of our local and international newsletters, including The Stakes, your guide to the twists and turns of the US presidential election.

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