Snake Oil For The Populists (Naked City)

It’s no secret that Pauline Hanson and her party have a great admiration for Donald Trump, despite his declining popularity in the United States. 

How Pauline reacts to Trump’s promise to reward every citizen with a $5,000 bonus should he triumph in the approaching mid-terms is anybody’s guess. 

What has long been apparent is an ideological nod to Trump’s mass expulsions of so-called illegal immigrants, and his promotion of the monoculture of American patriotism and all the flag-flapping hyperbole that he embraces. In 2025, she spoke at a conference at Mar-a-Lago praising his policies and damning the Albanese government back home as a “socialist nightmare”.

Hanson described climate change as “a global hoax,” noting Trump has “pulled out of the outrageously destructive Paris Agreement, which continues to make countries like Australia so much poorer, and he’s supercharged mining, gas, and oil projects by removing government red tape with his great slogan: Drill Baby Drill.”

On immigration, there was a thumbs up for Trump’s ICE initiatives as she bemoaned:

“Australia is taking in the same hateful, radical migrants from countries that are having an enormous impact on the UK and so many European nations right now, and we’re seeing the aftermath with frequent machete attacks, violent home invasions, and weekly pro-Palestine protests across our major cities. Sadly, we’re starting to see some suburbs in Australia become virtual no-go zones for women who aren’t dressed in head-to-toe coverings.”

We have all heard that before, but I am wondering when it comes to public health, just how much One Nation is prepared to borrow from the Trump regime – in particular, the heavily tanned Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

We do know Hanson is very much in favour of Australia withdrawing from the World Health Organization (WHO), which Trump did earlier this year.

However, I must admit it’s the more extreme, scientifically suspect and downright wacky pronouncements of RFK Jr that create alarm and ridicule. Whether One Nation appreciates them remains to be seen – but anything seems possible. Could we, for example, be looking at a ban on circumcision in Australia if One Nation came to power?

RFK Jr has advanced the theory that there is a link between autism and circumcision, a result of the painkiller acetaminophen, better known by the brand name, Tylenol.

“There’s two studies that show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism. It’s highly likely because they are given Tylenol,” Kennedy stated during a US Cabinet meeting. Trump echoed his thoughts claiming that Tylenol should not be given to children or pregnant women, despite the FDA and most medical experts disagreeing.

Kennedy’s scepticism when it comes to various forms of vaccination is well publicised and continues with the post-Covid backlash and persecution of former Chief Medical Advisor Anthony Fauci. 

One Nation appears to have borrowed heavily from RFK’s anti-vax agenda, a fertile ground for their long-time conspiracy theorists like Senator Malcolm Roberts. Earlier this year Roberts claimed that the Covid-19 vaccination dramatically increased miscarriage rates, despite a complete lack of medical evidence.

Were One Nation ever in a position to dictate real power in Canberra, you have to wonder how many of the Trump regime’s health policies they would adopt. 

Would we also see a resurgence of snake oil salesmen, militant anti-vaxxers and dodgy health service operators keen to relieve many Australians of their prematurely withdrawn superannuation cash? 

Commercial tanning studios have been banned in Australia since 2015, with WHO declaring that their ultraviolet rays are Group 1 cancer-causing agents.

While Trump spent many years applying that hideous orange gunk to his face to create his tanned glow, Kennedy apparently prefers a roasting on the tanning bed. He has almost championed their use in recent years, and not long ago withdrew a proposed FDA rule that would have banned minors from using indoor tanning beds.

Finally, the last word in all this madness must go to RFK Jr who amongst his many pseudo-science revelations has declared that infertility is more than likely hereditary, when it comes to childless couples.

I can’t vouch for his exact words but apparently, he once stated:

“If your parents were infertile, there’s a good chance you won’t have any kids yourself.”

Look out—those tanning beds can fry your brain!