ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
President Donald Trump has announced that Australia’s largest export to the United States, News Corporation, will be exempt from any future tariffs, a decision that has drawn criticism for highlighting the close ties between Trump and Rupert Murdoch.
While most associate Australian exports with commodities like actors, beef, or wine, News Corporation, founded in Adelaide in 1923 by Sir Keith, is arguably the nation’s most valuable export to the US. Under the leadership of Rupert Murdoch, who inherited the business in 1952, the company grew from a modest newspaper publisher into a global media empire, with significant influence in both Australian and American politics.
News Corporation’s U.S. holdings include The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, and Fox News. Fox, in particular, was the unofficial state broadcaster under the previous Trump administration and commentators can expect Fox to frequently champion Trump’s policies and amplifying his messaging to its vast audience in the President-elect’s next term.
Trump praised Murdoch while announcing the exemption, describing him as a “tremendous ally” and calling News Corporation “an essential part of America’s media landscape.”
“Rupert has done incredible things for this country,” Trump said.
“We’re not going to penalise a company that supports American values and gets it right.”
Critics argue the exemption is a reward for News Corp’s favourable coverage of Trump and raises questions about the intersection of media influence and political decision-making.
“Murdoch’s export to the United States isn’t physical goods—it’s ideological influence,” said this masthead’s editor Clancy Overell (he/him).
“It’s no coincidence that News Corp avoids tariffs while industries like agriculture remain vulnerable.”
As Australian exporters face uncertainty from Trump’s trade policies, News Corporation’s tariff-free status underscores its unique position as a cultural and political export with profound implications for the U.S. political system.
More to come.
