CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia's center-left government distanced itself Thursday from the postponement of Donald Trump Jr.'s speaking tour in Australia.
His promoters said the eldest son of the former U.S. president was deferring visits to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane because his Australian visa was only approved on Wednesday, 24 hours before he was to board a flight.
"It seems America isn't the only country that makes it difficult for the Trumps," said Turning Point Australia, a local version of the U.S. conservative political organization.
Some conservatives accuse Australia's Labor Party administration of delaying Trump Jr.'s visa process.
But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government was not responsible for Trump Jr.'s change of plans.
"Donald Trump Jr.'s visa was dealt with in the normal way and, like anyone else, he was entitled to come here," Albanese said. "The deferral of his travel is a matter for him."
More than 20,000 people had joined an online petition that called Trump Jr. bigoted and proposed banning him from the country.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said Trump Jr.'s visa application received standard and equal treatment.
"Any matters that go to the postponement of Mr. Trump's speaking tour are matters for himself and the tour promoters," Giles said.
Trump Jr. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil deflected blame on social media, branding Trump Jr. a "big baby" and "sore loser" in since-deleted tweets.
"Now he's trying to blame the Australian government for his poor ticket sales and cancelled tour," O'Neil tweeted for less than an hour.
Turning Point said they sold 8,000 tickets for the events planned July 9-11. Turning Point advised buyers to keep their tickets and promised new Australian dates for his speaking tour would be announced soon.
The government has declined to reveal details of the visa or when it was applied for, citing privacy concerns.
Turning Point spokesperson Elizabeth Walker said she did not know the date of the visa application, but it had been on track since May. She said it was a Subclass 408 temporary work visa that would allow Trump Jr. access to Australia for six months.
Australia refuses or cancels foreigners' visas on character grounds. U.S. musician Snoop Dogg and anti-vaccination advocate Kent Heckenlively are among the high-profile foreigners who have been refused entry on the character test in recent decades.
Sydney's The Daily Telegraph described calls for Trump Jr. to be refused entry as misguided. The newspaper's editorial also drew parallels between those calls and the government deporting Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic in 2022 because he was opposed to COVID-19 vaccination.