Trump's campaign manager advised the Australia Liberals?

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One of Donald Trump’s top campaign strategists says he quietly visited Australia to give some behind-the-scenes advice to the Liberal Party — though both sides are now denying any official connection.

Chris LaCivita, who helped lead Trump’s successful 2024 presidential campaign, claimed in undercover footage that he was in Australia a couple of weeks ago helping the Liberals with “structural issues” around Peter Dutton’s leadership ahead of the federal election.

“I was in Australia two weeks ago helping the Liberal party,” LaCivita said during a call with undercover reporters posing as political clients. “Things seem to be moving in the right direction there.” He was quick to clarify that his work was purely political — and not connected in any way to the U.S. government.

The footage, which was released by European outlets Correctiv and the Centre for Climate Reporting, shows LaCivita boasting that his visit flew completely under the radar. “Never knew I was there,” he said, adding that he prefers to operate quietly to keep “freedom of movement.”

But the Coalition says that’s not true. A spokesperson flatly denied any connection between LaCivita and Peter Dutton’s campaign. “Mr LaCivita is not advising, has never advised, and is not involved in any way with the Coalition campaign. Mr Dutton has not met with him,” the spokesperson said.

LaCivita also released a statement saying he wasn’t working for the Liberal Party and has never met Dutton — though he added, “I hope to when he is elected prime minister.”

This whole episode comes at a time when Labor is already trying to paint Dutton as Australia’s answer to Trump. From big public service cuts and a push for “government efficiency,” to complaints about “indoctrination” in schools and bashing the as “hate media,” Dutton’s platform has drawn comparisons to the former U.S. president’s agenda.

Dutton, for his part, is keeping his distance. During the second leaders’ debate, he said plainly, “We trust the US. I don’t know the president. I’ve not met him.”

Still, Labor isn’t missing the chance to draw connections. Treasurer Jim Chalmers has dubbed Dutton “Dogey Dutton” — a jab at Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was reportedly led by Elon Musk.

While LaCivita's visit, if it happened, might raise eyebrows, these kinds of exchanges between like-minded political parties aren’t unusual. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has spoken openly about Labor’s ties to the UK’s Labour Party, and his campaign chief, Paul Erickson, even helped out across the pond and later spoke at Labour’s annual conference.

LaCivita, a US Marine Corps veteran and veteran political operator, is no stranger to controversial tactics. He was behind the infamous 2004 “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth” campaign that damaged Democrat John Kerry’s presidential run — and he’s now considered one of the most effective, no-nonsense political fixers in Trump’s camp.

“He doesn’t care about credit, ego, or fluff,” said Donald Trump Jr. in an interview. “He only cares about getting the job done for my father.”

With the federal election just around the corner, expect this story to keep stirring debate about just how close Peter Dutton’s playbook is to Trump’s.

More updates to come on AusNewsLanka.