An upcoming speaking tour in Australia featuring Donald Trump Jr. has been postponed over visa issues, the event organizers have announced.
The former president's eldest son was due to appear at the Aware Super Theatre in Sydney on Sunday, July 9. There were to be further appearances in Brisbane and Melbourne as part of a three-day tour organized by the Australian chapter of the conservative group Turning Point.
In a statement, Turning Point Australia said that due to "unforeseen circumstances," the tour has been postponed and will be rescheduled in the coming days.
There was online speculation that the tour was canceled altogether because Trump Jr. was not able to gain a visa allowing him access to the country, which has now been denied.
A Turning Point Australia spokesperson told Newsweek that the tour has been postponed due to a delay in the arrival of Trump Jr.'s visa to enter Australia.
"The visa which has now been issued, was only received late afternoon of Wednesday 5th July; only 24 hours before Donald Trump Jr. was set to board a flight to Sydney," the spokesperson said.
In a post on social media, Turning Point Australia's Joel Jammal added: "It seems America isn't the only country that makes it difficult for the Trumps.
"Announcement & more info coming soon about the postponement of the tour. Hold onto your tickets, this is a short delay nothing more. #CancelCulture."
The postponement of the tour, which was also set to feature key Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, arrived after an online petition calling for Australia to deny Trump Jr. a visa went viral.
The change.org petition, set up by Kris Eriksen, said the MAGA figure should not be allowed to enter the country due to his rhetoric and ties to the former U.S. president.
"Donald Trump Jr is an illegal drug-taking bigoted person who should not be allowed to enter Australia for the purpose of earning himself and possibly his father any 'Campaign Contributions,'" Eriksen wrote in the petition's page description. "Ban him from this country."
The petition has gained more than 21,000 signatures since the partition was created in May.
In a statement, Australian Senator Alex Antic, who was set to MC the speaking tour with Trump Jr. and Farage, said: "I'm disappointed but not altogether surprised. I am reminded about last year when Nigel Farage received his visa in the last 24 hours.
"I'm looking forward to the show getting new dates. Aussies want to hear from conservative warriors like these guys."
Elsewhere, the Australian campaign group Mad F****** Witches [MFW], which says it's dedicated to "fighting media lies," claimed the tour was canceled following "unrelenting pressure and activism" calling for Trump Jr. to be barred from Australia.
"This 'postponement' follows Rupert Murdoch's papers and TV channels madly promoting the event in recent weeks, possibly to try to overcome the poor ticket sales we believe also resulted from our #MFWBoycott and all the associated bad publicity coming from our #DumpTrumpAU campaign," the group tweeted.
Update 07/05/23, 7:40 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Turning Point Australia.
Update 07/05/23, 8:12 a.m. ET: This article's headline has changed to reflect new information.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
