Donald Trump is a perpetual campaigner, whether in or out of office. We only have to look to the recent so-called Republican mid-term convention to see that Trump never misses an opportunity, and the grander the better.

More often than not it works, because it allows Trump to set the agenda, putting his opponents, both political and in the media, on the back foot. Before they have time to react and express their inevitable outrage and disapproval, Trump has already moved on and taken the public with him.

Love him or hate him, for someone who is 80 years old, Trump’s stamina and persistence is a sight to behold, he leaves his opponents in his wake, making them look ill-prepared, inept, and lazy.

It has become evident in recent months that Pauline Hanson has adopted Trump’s strategy

Hanson has been omnipresent, and it is true that there have been state elections and key by-elections to provide her with ample opportunity, but Hanson has been relentless in her constant campaigning especially on the national stage, where an election is not due until mid-2028.

Hanson really gained momentum before the Bondi massacre, when she walked into the Senate chamber in November last year dressed in a burqa for the second time. For Hanson, it was mission accomplished, provoking outrage, and being mocked and admonished for her ‘stunt’, branded racist, and Islamophobic.

Since then, she has been unstoppable, even taking delivery of a brand new plane to make her campaigning around the country more efficient and widespread. As with Trump’s constant campaigning we have seen a steady flow of policy announcements and commentary that have left her political opponents flat-footed.

Without fail, they have taken Hanson’s bait, hook, line, and sinker, inevitably dismissing anything she says and proposes as ill-conceived and at worst, a serious risk to the country. Hanson’s recent promise to free up superannuation savings to alleviate housing and cost of living challenges is a case in point. Almost on cue, the superannuation industry came out as one to earnestly lecture us as to why we should not have access to what is our money, and how they were the best custodians of this until we reached our retirement years. This may be true, but it was yet another mission accomplished as Hanson simply moved on to the next campaign issue.

As for Hanson’s ambitious immigration targets, her very personal criticisms of political opponents and their relatives, and her popular Please Explain animated videos, it is yet more evidence of her constant campaigning. It is a bold strategy, which as we have seen can come unstuck when not properly planned and thought through, but when it works, it is devastating in its effectiveness and usually results in a corresponding boost in the polls.

Like Trump, Hanson does not fight by Marquess of Queensberry rules, she is much more MMA/UFC, which is in stark contrast to other right-of-centre parties, who seem to still subscribe to the view that the voters really only take notice when an election is due or underway.

That thinking may well prove fatal if Hanson continues to have the political campaign field all to herself, while others are still in the change rooms warming up.