Barnaby's Internet Privileges Revoked After Attempting To Post Trumpian Meme Of Himself

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact

Member for New England Barnaby Joyce came within seconds of posting an AI-generated image of himself as a messianic healer to his personal social media accounts on Tuesday evening, before One Nation's James Ashby had him booted from the office WiFi network and confiscated his phone sometime after business hours.

The image, which circulated briefly among staffers before being contained, depicts Joyce in flowing white and red robes kneeling on the forecourt of Parliament House, one hand outstretched over a man lying flat on the pavement below him.

The prone figure bears what multiple witnesses described as a very deliberate likeness to Joyce as he appeared on a Canberra footpath in early 2024, when he was videoed largely unconscious by a worthless coward who didn't even stop to check if he needed help.

The caption, recovered from a notes app draft, read: "One Nation stands with forgotten Australians. Even when they are dead cunts," which is a nod to what Joyce was heard saying during the period of horizontal contemplation.

Joyce is understood to have been closely monitoring the controversy in the United States this week, where President Donald Trump posted a near-identical AI image of himself as a faith healer before deleting it and claiming it depicted him as a doctor. A source familiar with the situation said Joyce was "very taken with the concept" and spent much of Tuesday afternoon sourcing a suitable image generator.

Ashby was alerted to the situation by a staffer at approximately 6pm. He contacted the building's IT manager to have Joyce's network access suspended, then retrieved the phone personally. It is understood the device has not been returned.

Joyce had not commented publicly as of Thursday morning. His office has been contacted for comment.

More to come.