An Australian politician has officially changed his name to Austin “Aussie” Trump to align with the US president’s approach to confronting “woke lefty nonsense.”
The politician from Western Australia, previously known as Ben Dawkins, posted a photo on social media of an official document dated January 29 that confirms his new name: Austin Letts Trump.
His name, inspired by the presidency, is now listed on the Western Australia parliamentary website as “Hon. Aussie Trump.” Trump said that his name change protests against the limited political diversity in parliament, where the majority are members of the centre-left Labour Party. This situation has led to reforms being passed without proper scrutiny, according to the 53-year-old.
The inspiration for his first name came from former Aussie Rules player Austin “Aussie” Jones, while his last name pays homage to the US president.
“Many aspects of Trump’s approach have merit; he points out government waste and actions that are not in the public’s interest. He’s adept at highlighting what one might refer to as woke lefty nonsense,” the politician said.
He said he hopes to receive a response from his US counterpart but has not heard anything. He confirmed that he has “no intention” of going back to his former name.
Western Australian Premier Roger Cook expressed his disbelief on Thursday regarding what he deemed an “attention-seeking” act.
In 2023, Dawkins was removed from the state’s centre-left Labour government after a court found he had sent relatives “emotionally manipulative” correspondence that violated a restraining order.
He momentarily joined the anti-immigration One Nation Party in 2024 but departed when they chose not to support his candidacy. The politician is now running as an independent candidate in the upcoming Western Australian state elections scheduled for March.
