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One of the architects of Donald Trump’s 2024 victory claims he made an unpublicised visit to Australia to advise the Liberal party about “structural issues” related to Peter Dutton ahead of the federal election.
The veteran Republican strategist Chris LaCivita told undercover reporters posing as prospective clients for political consulting work he was working as a private consultant on the visit to Australia, not in an official capacity or as an adviser to the US president.
Footage of the undercover conversations was published on Thursday by the Europe-based organisations Correctiv and the Centre for Climate Reporting.
‘‘I was in Australia two weeks ago helping the Liberal party there, on some of their structural issues that they were having with Peter Dutton,” LaCivita said on 16 April in the first of two calls. Australia’s election campaign began on 28 March.
“Things somewhat seem to be moving in the right direction there… those efforts are strictly political in nature and don’t require me to engage with the United States government.”
LaCivita told the undercover reporters in a second call on 24 April he made the trip without publicity. He contrasts this to media reporting about his paid work with Albania’s opposition party.
“Never knew I was there,” he said, in reference to his claimed visit to Australia. “I try to maintain a degree of discretion … it just it gives us a degree of freedom of movement.”
A Coalition spokesman denied LaCivita had any connection to the Dutton 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.”
In a statement, LaCivita told Guardian Australia: “I did not and do not work for the Liberal Party of Australia. I provide consulting to a wide variety of business interests – some in Australia some in the US etc in terms of a political party – I have not.
“Also, I have never met Mr Dutton, but I hope to when he is elected prime minister.”
LaCivita was Trump’s co-campaign manager in his successful 2024 presidential run, along with the current White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
Trump thanked LaCivita in his victory speech and LaCivita briefly took the microphone to thank the president, saying Trump was “a hell of a candidate, and he’s going to be a hell of a great 47th president”.
Visits and knowledge-sharing between like minded political parties and consultants are not uncommon in election campaigns.
Anthony Albanese has previously talked up ties with UK Labour. The ALP’s campaign boss Paul Erickson offered advice to strategists working to elect Sir Keir Starmer ahead of the UK’s 2024 election. Erickson was later invited to present at Labour’s annual party conference.
A US Marine veteran who received a Purple Heart for service in the first Gulf War, LaCivita helped craft the infamous Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign, considered a fatal blow for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in his 2004 race against George W Bush.
Dutton has distanced himself from associations with Trump during the campaign after initially pursuing policies that nodded to parts of the US president’s agenda – promising to sack 41,000 public servants, announcing a role for senator Jacinta Nampinjinpa Price in pursuing “government efficiency”, claiming students were being “indoctrinated” by the school curriculum and denouncing the ABC and Guardian Australia as “hate media”.
During the second leaders’ debate of the campaign, Dutton said: “We trust the US. I don’t know the president. I’ve not met him.”
Labor has tried to tie Dutton to Trump-style politics as polling showed voters were increasingly uncomfortable with the actions of the US president, particularly following the implementation of trade tariffs. The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has labelled the opposition leader “Dogey Dutton”, referring to the so-called department of government efficiency (Doge) set up by Trump under the leadership of Elon Musk.
Labor is likely to point to claims about LaCivita’s visit as more evidence Dutton’s agenda is being guided by the unpopular Trump, but it also signals close ties between the Coalition and key members of the president’s inner circle, likely advantageous if Dutton wins Saturday’s election.
LaCivita’s credentials within Trump’s orbit are strong. Donald Trump Jr. called him “a supremely competent nuts-and-bolts guy,” in an interview with New York magazine.
“He doesn’t care about getting credit, he doesn’t care about stroking his own ego, he only cares about getting the job done and delivering for my father,” Trump Jr. said.
