He was an unvaxxed billionaire accused of spreading anti-vaccine misinformation. Now he reportedly has COVID.
Clive Palmer, the 67-year-old Australian mining magnate and political provocateur, is battling both the coronavirus and pneumonia, according to unnamed sources cited by The Australian. The outlet reported that the billionaire “remains very sick.”
Earlier this week, Palmer was transported to the hospital in an ambulance after experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19. He was pictured leaving the hospital wearing a face mask that did not cover his nose.
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“I’m not vaccinated and I don’t intend to be vaccinated,” the billionaire proudly declared at a rally last year.
A spokesperson for Palmer could not immediately be reached for comment or to confirm the news.
In recent months the tycoon has made headlines for his political aspirations, as he leverages both a Trumpian playbook and enormous sums of cash to advance his United Australia Party.
As the Sydney Morning Herald reported this week, he has dropped more than $20 million on attack ads since the summer, “100 times more than [the] major parties.”
“Think about in the United States one of the Koch brothers running for president or something and outspending the Democrats and the Republicans,” University of Sydney senior lecturer Peter Chen told The Daily Beast earlier this month, of Palmer’s political spending. “It’s that sort of crazy money.”
Despite his ad blitzes, the billionaire remains hugely unpopular. As of December, polling showed that just 8 percent of the country had a positive view of him, compared to 59 percent with a negative opinion, making him Australia’s “least likable politician.”
There are mixed opinions about whether Palmer has sincere political ambitions or whether he is simply trolling. Others believe he is just trying to intimidate his way into favorable mining policies.
“One of the most dangerous places to be in Australia is between Clive Palmer and his business interests. He is obsessed with money and obsessed with talking about his wealth,” Member of Parliament Patrick Gorman told The Daily Beast last month.
As Australia readies for elections this spring, time will tell whether Palmer can bounce back quickly to exert his influence in the final stretch.
