Anthony Pratt has turned heads at New York’s Met Gala, walking its high-stakes, couture-heavy carpet wearing an eye-catching outfit.
But who is the man Donald Trump once called a “red-haired weirdo” – and what’s with his penchant for recycling-themed tailoring?
Who is Anthony Pratt?
One of Australia’s wealthiest people, Pratt, 65, is the heir and billionaire head of recycling and packaging empire Pratt Holdings, which owns Visy Industries.
Visy, known as Pratt Industries in the US, has more than 150 sites, including more than 70 factories in the US, and 7,000 employees globally, according to its website.
The Australian Financial Review valued Pratt and his family’s wealth at $23.3bn in last year’s rich list. Late last year, he announced he was granted a green card and he and his family now live in the US.
What did he wear to the Met Gala?
For the second year in a row, Pratt turned New York’s Met Gala into a promotional opportunity for his business, wearing a suit emblazoned with the recycling logo and the words “Pratt 100% recycled”.
It was a bold, Riddler-inspired twist on the Met Gala’s Superfine: Tailoring Black Style theme.
Last year’s neon pink frock coat, bedazzled with sequined recycling logos, was no less eye-catching.
What is he doing in the US?
Despite being called a “red-haired weirdo from Australia” by Donald Trump after he was accused of discussing sensitive nuclear submarine information with Pratt in 2023, the US president considers him a “friend”. He denied ever discussing submarines with Pratt.
At the White House last week, Trump announced that Pratt was investing US$5bn (A$7.8bn) in US industry, before putting him on the spot. “I read a report that he’s the richest man in Australia, but who the hell knows. Do you think you’re the richest man in Australia?” Trump asked.
Before last year’s US election, the cardboard magnate gave US$10m to MAGA Inc, a super-pac supporting Trump, and then donated more than $1m to the president’s inauguration fund.
He also hosted an election victory party for 700 people at Mar-a-Lago and took out a full-page advertisement in the New York Times after January’s inauguration, congratulating the US president and telling him: “I’m honoured to support your call to Make American Great Again by bringing manufacturing jobs back home.”
A post on Pratt’s LinkedIn page shows him celebrating last New Year’s Eve with Trump and former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison at Mar-a-Lago.
What are his local political leanings?
Pratt has donated more than $16m to both the left and right sides of Australia’s political fence since 1998. More than $10.1m has gone towards the Liberal-Nationals Coalition, and $5.5m to Labor.
In both 2023-24 and 2022-23, the Visy chair donated $1m to Labor.
Pratt Holdings was 2022’s biggest political donor, pouring $1.3m into Australia’s conservative Liberal party before that year’s federal election, which Labor won.
Who else does Pratt associate with?
Morrison is not the only former PM with close ties to Pratt. Paul Keating and Tony Abbott have both been on Pratt’s payroll, according to the Australian Financial Review, which reported the former leaders earned from $8,000 to $25,000 a month as advisers to the businessman.
Pratt also donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the former Prince of Wales, before he became King Charles, and described his fortune as his “superpower”.
