Echoes and parallels of Trumpian populism: Australian media coverage of the 2025 federal election.

This article examines how Australian media framed the adoption of Trump-style right-wing populist rhetoric by the Liberal Party and its then leader Peter Dutton during the 2025 federal election campaign. Using framing analysis, it compares thematic elements from Donald Trump's Truth Social posts with coverage from three major Australian outlets—the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH), and The Australian—highlighting how these media either amplified, challenged, or neutralized Trumpian populist narratives. The study finds that while Dutton's rhetoric echoed Trumpian themes such as anti-elitism, nationalism, and culture wars, Australian media largely critiqued these tactics as miscalculations, opportunism, or threats, with the ABC and SMH providing predominantly critical coverage and The Australian offering more supportive or neutral perspectives. Overall, the research suggests that Trump-style populism had limited electoral appeal in Australia, and media responses played a significant role in mediating its influence during the campaign.