News Corporation chief executive Robert Thomson has blamed the Trump administration’s excesses on immigration policy for the Republicans’ midterm election defeat, warning that to ignore Hispanic Americans is to ignore the country’s modern make-up.
asserted
ignore → blame → up
Thomson made the comments as he was being honoured with a lifetime achievement award by the American Australian Association (AAA) in New York on Thursday night (US time), two days after the electoral wipeout that catapulted the Democrats into control of the US Congress.
asserted
that → make → Congress
“To ignore Hispanic America is to ignore contemporary America,” he told this masthead.
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he → ignore → masthead
“Hispanic Americans believe in the American dream.”
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Americans → believe → dream
The remarks reveal a belief by the News Corp boss that Trump administration excesses on immigration policy – chiefly the arrest and detention of non-criminal migrants in the major cities by the Department of Homeland Security – played a significant role in Republican losses in states such as Texas.
asserted
excesses → reveal → Texas
His analysis differs from narratives offered by prominent Republicans, such as Vice President JD Vance, who blamed the war in Iran, and Texas senator Ted Cruz, who emphasised the party’s failure to communicate a coherent message on the cost of living.
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who → differ → living
Thomson, who was born in Victoria and had a storied journalistic career before becoming News Corp’s top executive in New York, charmed the room as he accepted the award for his contribution to the American-Australian alliance.
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he → bear → alliance
Rupert Murdoch, chairman emeritus of News Corp and Fox Corporation, attended the gala dinner in a rare New York outing.
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Murdoch → attend → outing
The 95-year-old media mogul, wearing a suit and sneakers, was assisted out of a black sedan and did not answer questions about the election as he entered the ballroom at Cipriani Wall Street.
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he → wear → Street
Murdoch spent the evening at the head table next to wife Elena Zhukova, and his son and heir Lachlan.
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Murdoch → spend → Zhukova
Also seated nearby were Australia’s ambassador to the US Greg Moriarty and his wife Sara, and former Fox Sports president David Hill – who was also born in Australia – alongside numerous other distinguished guests.
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who → seat → guests
Former prime minister Tony Abbott was spotted double-parked with a red and white wine talking to New York Post columnist Miranda Devine.
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Abbott → spot → Devine
Outgoing consul-general Heather Ridout spoke, as did the evening’s host, AAA president and former South Australian premier Steven Marshall.
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host → speak → ?
Guests in the 1100-capacity ballroom enjoyed a starter of burrata with heirloom tomatoes and black olives, beef filet with asparagus and potato dauphinoise for main, and vanilla meringue cake for dessert.
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Guests → enjoy → dessert
The midterm elections result was the talk of the evening – especially how the US president might be taking it.
uncertain
president → take → it
“Not well,” said one person in the room who knows Donald Trump.
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who → say → Trump
Lachlan Murdoch, the chief executive of Fox Corporation, introduced Thomson as a “great colleague, true partner, strong leader and dear friend”, who rose from humble beginnings to become a visionary chief executive.
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who → introduce → beginnings
He had the “misfortune of starting life in Victoria,” Murdoch mused, the start of several jokes throughout the evening about the rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne.
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Murdoch → have → Sydney
At school, Thomson was a star AFL player – “where height is valued over athletic ability,” Murdoch said.
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Murdoch → value → ability
But it was Thomson who tugged on heart strings with a warm and funny speech that indulged his passion for alliteration while delivering a subtle rebuke of Trump, and honouring his own mother, who died just two weeks ago in Melbourne.
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who → tug → Melbourne
Thomson returned to Melbourne to say goodbye, and rewrote his speech in the wake of his mother’s death.
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Thomson → return → death
“I asked how she was feeling,” he recalled.
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he → ask → ?
“There was a pause before she answered.
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she → be → ?
And then she said, ‘All things considered, I’m doing rather well’.”
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I → say → ?
The 65-year-old Thomson was born in Torrumbarry, a small town on the Murray River and the NSW/Victorian border.
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Thomson → bear → River
“The best way of thinking about the Murray River is that it separates civilisation from the barbarians,” he observed to laughter.
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he → think → laughter
He began his career at the Melbourne Herald (now the Herald Sun), became Beijing correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald, and then moved to the Financial Times, eventually editing its prestigious Weekend edition.
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He → begin → edition
But it was at Murdoch’s empire that Thomson ultimately thrived.
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Thomson → thrive → empire
He was editor of The Times of London, before moving to the US to become managing editor of The Wall Street Journal and then chief executive of News Corp.
Still, he remained a journalist at heart.
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he → move → heart
Throughout his career, Thomson has been a noted critic of big tech – a theme he continued at the event as he queried the social media giants: “The smartest engineers on the planet creating the most compulsive experiences”.
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he → continue → experiences
As for artificial intelligence, Thomson took issue with Trump’s attempt to rebrand AI as “superintelligence”.
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Thomson → take → superintelligence
“I’m not sure it is superintelligence,” he said.
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he → ’m → ?
“It lacks intuition.
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It → lack → intuition
“It’s based on pre-existing patterns.
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It → base → patterns
And it is absolutely genius at repurposing those patterns.”
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it → repurpose → patterns
What AI could not do was capture the “innate absurdity” of human life.
uncertain
do → capture → life
Humanity’s strength was “our lateral creativity in a resolutely linear age”, he said.
asserted
he → say → age
Along with Rupert Murdoch, Thomson was one of the News Corp personnel sued by Donald Trump over The Wall Street Journal’s coverage of the Jeffrey Epstein story – specifically, its bombshell story about the “birthday letter” Trump allegedly signed.
uncertain
Trump → sue → letter
That did not stop Thomson poking fun at the president’s penchant for self-congratulation.
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Thomson → stop → congratulation
“We all know that President Trump is fond of awards – extremely fond of awards,” he said.
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he → know → awards
…and 10 more, not listed.
The Aporia
