Clive Palmer suggests Steven Bannon hoped to ‘increase influence’ by claiming credit for 2019 election ads

<p>Billionaire says he spoke to former Trump strategist once, when he mistook him for a potential donor, denying claims revealed in the Jeffrey Epstein files</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/feb/04/australian-politics-live-labor-liberal-anthony-albanese-sussan-ley-leadership-challenge-coalition-littleproud-chalmers-interest-rates-rise-rba-ntwfb">Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates</a></p></li><li><p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p></li></ul><p>Clive Palmer has denied Steve Bannon helped direct his advertising blitz in the 2019 federal election, suggesting <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/02/clive-palmer-denies-steve-bannons-claim-he-was-behind-billionaires-controversial-2019-australian-election-ad-strategy">texts published in the Jeffrey Epstein files</a> about the strategy were an attempt by the former Trump strategist to “increase his own influence” by claiming credit.</p><p>Palmer said he’d never communicated with Epstein – a convicted sex offender – and only ever spoke with Bannon in one brief, unexpected, late-night phone call.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/feb/04/clive-palmer-steven-bannon-epstein-files-claim-election-ads">Continue reading...</a>

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