Australia’s Richest Person Spotted at Trump’s Presidential Bid Announcement

Gina Rinehart speaks to John Bertrand the Swimming Australia President during day five of the Australian Swimming Championships at the South Australian Aquatic and Leisure Centre in Adelaide, Australia on April 11, 2016. Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Australian mining billionaire Gina Rinehart has reportedly been seen attending Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign launch in Mar-a-Lago, Florida on Nov. 15.

The country’s wealthiest woman, who has topped the Australian Financial Review Rich List for three consecutive years with a net worth of $34 billion (US$22.9 billion), inadvertently appeared in the background of a selfie taken by Trump’s third son, Eric, along with wife Lara.

In the Instagram selfie, Rinehart can be seen in a white dress and her signature pearl necklace. My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell can also be seen standing behind her.

Rinehart made her fortune in the mining industry through Hancock Prospecting, a privately-owned mineral exploration and extraction company founded by her father.

She became the company’s executive chairman following her father’s death in 1992. According to her website, she transformed Hancock Prospecting, which was in financial trouble at the time, into a leading business in the mining industry.

Rinehart has expressed conservative views on many political issues and previously voiced support for Trump’s policies following his election success in 2016.

Gina Rinehart attends the CEO Magazine 2022 Executive Of The Year Awards in Sydney, Australia, on Nov. 9, 2022. Brendon Thorne/Getty Images

In a statement published on Hancock Prospecting’s website, she praised Trump’s plan to slash government tape and company tax and urged the Australian government to follow his step.

“If only we were hearing similar policies from our own government,” she said.

“We need to let our government know this would be good for Australians too.

“Unfortunately for Australia, government regulation and red tape are one of our biggest industries, and it is growing.”

So far, the billionaire has not made any public comment on her appearance at Trump’s announcement.

Dispute with Netball Australia

In a recent incident, Rinehart and her mining company cancelled a $15 million sponsorship deal with Netball Australia after the former captain of its women’s team attempted to persuade the players to protest against Hancock over climate change and Indigenous issues.

The billionaire said she was withdrawing sponsorship due to disunity within the sport, and over inaccurate reporting on her company’s work with Indigenous communities.

She also criticised the media for inaccurate coverage of the dispute, saying sports sponsorship should be free of “social and political causes.”

“The reality is that sponsorship is integral to sports organisations—for full-time professionals right through to young children at grassroots level—who rely on corporations investing the funds that enable all sports to not only survive, but thrive,” the company’s statement read.

“Sadly, recent media does not help encourage sporting sponsorships.”

Netball Australia was later rescued from financial difficulty when the Victorian Labor government stepped in to provide the league with $15 million of taxpayers’ money.