Former Premier Mark McGowan & Foreign Minister Julia Bishop warn MAGA impact has ‘damaged’ America’s standing

Mark McGowan has warned Donald Trump is damaging America’s “standing in the world”, and taken a swipe at the “sad, mendicant” Eastern States, during a rare public appearance with a former rival. The former Premier was joined by former Foreign Minister Julie Bishop at a business event in Perth, when they weighed into international affairs and neither held back. The former WA Premier said Trump’s MAGA brand is being copied around the world but won’t gain traction in Australia. “We had a WWE even on the weekend . . . the American national anthem was played and the crowd booed hugely,” Mr McGowan said at the Property Council’s congress. “They’re normally sort of more Trump style, and they booed so I think what’s happened with all these tariffs and attacks on friends and attacks on traditional allies and very abrasive and rude stuff, it has damaged America’s standing around the world. “America’s standing has gone down very significantly, I don’t know if that will be able to be repaired. I don’t know if America wants to repair it.” Ms Bishop quipped that she would have said that, but: “I’m a diplomat”. The former Liberal Foreign Minister did warn that the MAGA effect could last for years to come. “President Trump, as leader of the free world, is probably one of the most disruptive leaders we’ve seen in some time,” she said. “The Trump administration has clearly abandoned the values based foreign policy that dominated US administration since the First World War, and most certainly morals based policy after World War Two. “These days the Trump administration is running an interest-based foreign policy. “American diplomats tell me that when they apply for foreign aid or international development assistance for a country, they must prove to the State Department that this funding will make America stronger, safer and ore prosperous. “If the Republicans hold the House and the Senate in the mid-terms and the next presidential election this will be American foreign policy for years to come and i’s how other nations deal with this changing dynamic that will be of interest in our region.” Ms Bishop was more reluctant to give her opinion on this week’s fragile peace in Gaza, and whether President Trump deserves credit for it. “I welcome any efforts to resolve tensions in the Middle East,” she said. “I’m sure there’ll be many people who will judge how much credit should be allocated to the actors in this. There were a number of very active stakeholders in achieving this.” Anthony Albanese is due to fly to Washington for his first official meeting with President Trump next week, with a Pentagon review of the tri-lateral AUKUS pact likely high on the agenda. Both Ms Bishop and Mr McGowan were confident the United States won’t walk away from the commitment to arm Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, set to be based off Perth. “I think AUKUS will stay and, whatever happens, Western Australia’s pretty strong,” Mr McGowan said. “This place is vibrant and successful and going gangbusters.” In contrast, he said the “mendicant, sad” Eastern States have “maxed” out their debt levels and won’t be able to attract necessary foreign capital investment for infrastructure. “I think Australia will remain strong whatever happens,” he said. “We produce what the rest of the world want … if it goes bad, other countries will then use fiscal stimulus, and then they’ll buy the things that we produce.” Mr McGowan praised his successor as Premier, Roger Cook, for running a “consultative” and “cautious” style of Government, and declared the highlight of his own political career “locking Eddie McGuire out of Western Australia”. Since retiring from politics in 2023, Mr McGowan has become an advisor for BHP and Mineral Resources, and former Coalition Treasurer and USA ambassador Joe Hockey’s advisory firm Bondi Partners. He said his only regret was worrying too much about work. “Don’t worry about what other people think and don’t worry so much about work,” he said. “My whole life all I did was worry about work all the time, and Julie would’ve been the same. It would’ve been better just to put other things as priority over that and you enjoy a lot more if you actually can let things go.”