WA MP legally changes name to Austin Trump in campaign for re-election

A member of the Western Australian Parliament has legally changed his name to Austin Trump, a move reportedly inspired by former U.S. President Donald Trump. The upper house MP, formerly known as Ben Dawkins, is now listed as "Aussie Trump" on the Parliament of Western Australia website as the state election approaches.

Austin shared official birth, death, and marriage registry documents on social media to prove the authenticity of the name change. He stated that the name change is a political protest against the Labor Party, which expelled him after his public admission of guilt for violating a domestic violence restraining order in 2023.

He joined One Nation in 2024, but the party failed to endorse him for its candidate list. Now, Trump is running for re-election, opposing current gender laws, gun reforms, and the live sheep export ban. "I want to do a Trump and expose the woke left's nonsense," he said. "I'm hoping you can contact Donald, give him a call over here."

His political colleagues have expressed shock at the name change. "I'm speechless," Premier Roger Cook said with a laugh. Western Australian Liberal leader Libby Mettam called it "incredibly childish."

Austin says he is confident that the stunt will allow him to retain his seat in the state election on March 8. If not, he says he will not change his name back. "If we vote Labor out, we can usher in a golden era for Western Australia," he said, quoting the U.S. President's inaugural address.

_**If you need help, you can call the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732)**_.