Insiders

As an election looms, there's one man who could disrupt both the campaign and the economy - Donald Trump. His plans to punish trading partners are more sweeping - and could prove more costly - than many expected.

As speculation builds over when the prime minister will call an election, another major player looms over the campaign — Donald Trump. The US president's latest wave of tariffs could send shockwaves not just through Australia but across the global trading system. So, how can Australia come out winning in this game of tariffs?

Continuing to highlight Labor's past critique of Donald Trump carries political risk for the Coalition. Not least because it ignores what's really driving those encouraging Trump to apply tariffs to Australia.

How to deal with Donald Trump 2.0?

The world was understandably gripped this week by Donald Trump's rather surprising suggestion that the US might take ownership of Gaza and turn it into what he's called the Riviera of the Middle East. Whether this was his intention or not, the bombshell announcement did take a lot of attention away from something else the President had done just a day or two earlier, roll out his grand tariff strategy. His threats to impose hefty tariffs on both Canada and Mexico didn't actually eventuate, at least not yet, but a new 10% tariff on Chinese goods did, and China didn't take this hit lying down. It's responded with trade sanctions of its own. So is this the beginning of a wider US-China trade war, and what does that mean for Australia? 

Heads are best kept below the parapet for now, in what's already proving to be a more difficult environment to navigate than the first Trump presidency.

Hopes of a rate cut. Fears of another antisemitic attack. The election year begins with intense debate over the economy and national security. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton joins Insiders. 

Wednesday's inflation figures came in lower than either the Reserve Bank or most market economists predicted. So, will we see a rate cut in February? 

It's the start of the election year Anthony Albanese and Jim Chalmers were banking on and the reason why talk of an early poll, either late last year or at the very start of this year, was always misguided.

Happy new year. And happy election year! We may not know exactly when Anthony Albanese will send us all to the polls – but we do know it has to happen by May. So, for this special holiday edition, we thought it would be worth setting the table for what we can expect over the weeks and months ahead. What are the issues that will decide this election? How are the major parties approaching them? And what can we expect from Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton in this campaign?David Speers speaks to Patricia Karvelas to look into the political crystal ball for 2025.