The heartless city with its cold, concrete canyons was surely no place for an elderly woman. Its streets were strewn with rubbish, its air thick with despair. Of course she feared for her safety. But the lady was brave. Danger be damned. Gina Rinehart was on a mission to find the truth.
Winter was a month away but the approaching bleakness was already evident in the faces of those shuffling past Australia's richest woman. Beaten down by life's cruelties, their eyes filled with hurt and confusion, Rinehart saw their pain. She, too, knew what it was like to be betrayed by her own country. To be voiceless. Powerless. Forgotten.
So Rinehart began talking to these passers-by. Rather than avoiding another elderly woman wandering New York's mean streets bedecked in a strange hat, they opened up to her, sensing a kindred spirit who understood their frustration. They told her the truth. Mission completed, the 71-year-old Rinehart returned to Australia brimming with sage advice. But as any member of a neglected minority already knows, no one would listen.
So allow Rinehart to remind us again about that day last November when she put herself at risk by wandering through the infamous Democrat stronghold of New York wearing a "Make America Great Again" cap. It was just before the presidential election. Her idol, Donald Trump, was poised to return to power.
Rinehart thought her fellow Australians would benefit by understanding why America was embracing Trump again. "Walking around the rubbish in streets, and more than a little concerned about safety at times, wearing my Trump hat and bag and more to attract, well [I] must admit I did let rotten eggs, tomatoes, slip into my mind, but hoping also to attract discussion," Rinehart recalled this week in a rambling statement that lost its way as quickly as she believed Australia's federal election had last weekend.
"And what do you think those in their late 20s and 30s were telling me, educated on left propaganda - it's hard to get married, because they couldn't afford homes - even rental, they were worried about their future...worried they could never afford a family, yes, USA birth rates have gone down...These previous young democrats, brought up in years of left propaganda miseducation, were becoming Republicans!"
"Why are Americans getting it, and we aren't?" Why could the selfish and ignorant masses in Australia not see the light? The iron heiress, immensely wealthy but poverty stricken in matters of punctuation and grammar, wanted only what was best for our country; our bedrooms transformed into a fangirl's wonderland festooned with posters of Trump and Elon Musk.
As Labor's unexpected landslide unfolded, Rinehart spoke with a friend who "is a small business owner [and she] said she's going to close and move overseas. I pleaded with her, please don't go, please stay and fight for understanding of the changes Australia needs."
It wasn't just the US, Rinehart pointed out, that had seen Trump's light. Italy, Hungary and Argentina were also "abandoning the myths or untruths of the left, and instead letting their people benefit from the opportunities provided by the common sense and true path".
And yet other members of her forgotten minority - fellow billionaires Kerry Stokes, Clive Palmer and Australian-born Rupert Murdoch - had also preached the same truth to Australians and been ignored. Lamented Rinehart: "Trump-style 'make Australia great' policies via cutting government tape, government bureaucracy and wastage, and hence being able to cut taxes, too scarce in Australia this year to rate a mention...it shouldn't be rocket science, but apparently it is."
How many times must she lecture we simple folk before the truth sinks in? A decade ago she scolded Australians who were jealous of those with more money: "Don't just sit there and complain," she observed. "Do something to make more money yourself - spend less time drinking or smoking and socialising, and more time working." But did we listen?
To know more than others, to see further than anyone else, to understand with certainty where truth lies, is a burden few are willing to shoulder. Yet the courageous Rinehart will undoubtedly persevere, continuing to speak out because the truth she found on those New York streets is simply too important.
Perhaps one day we will finally appreciate her wisdom. But in the meantime, in a nation that prides itself on leaving no one behind, an elderly white woman of certain means now finds herself among the ranks of the marginalised, her influence waning, her voice fading, her views no longer appreciated.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Should Gina Rinehart run for public office? Why do you think Australia has rejected the philosophy of the 'Make America Great Again' movement? Is it time we gave up on our long-standing ties and military dependence on the US and forged new alliances? Email us: [email protected]
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