One Nation leader Pauline Hanson stated she could not remember the names of the leaders of Indonesia and Japan during a recent interview. The exchange occurred in a promotional clip for Chris Kenny's upcoming News24 documentary, "The Fight for the Right."
When asked by Kenny if she would want to visit Jakarta and meet with the Indonesian President if she became prime minister, Hanson responded that she was unsure. Upon being prompted to name the current President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, Hanson admitted, "No, I don't know his name... I can't remember his name." She reiterated this when pressed further, stating, "No, I can't."
Kenny then inquired about the Prime Minister of Japan. Hanson hesitated and replied that she "can't say," indicating she did not recall the name of Japan's Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi. However, when asked to name the President of China, Hanson correctly identified Xi Jinping.
These comments come as Hanson and the One Nation party have experienced a surge in public support. A recent Newspoll for The Australian indicated One Nation's primary vote was ahead of the Coalition's, at 29 percent compared to the Opposition's 18 percent. Labor also recorded a 29 percent primary vote. In terms of preferred Prime Minister, Albanese led with 46 percent, Hanson was second at 31 percent, and Taylor was last at 23 percent. When directly compared against Albanese, Hanson garnered 44 percent support compared to his 56 percent.