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Anthony Pratt's US business is coming up Trumps

Colin Kruger, CBD

Donald Trump's election victory is sold - partly - as a victory for the working man in middle America, but the unexpected result is also being welcomed by one of Australia's wealthiest men, Anthony Pratt.

 "America has clearly embraced change and I congratulate Mr Trump and Governor Pence on their victory," he told Fairfax Media this week. 

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Obama and Trump's first White House meeting

US President Barack Obama hosts President-elect Donald Trump at the White House after a surprise victory by the Republican businessman.

The billionaire has reason to be enthusiastic. 

Trump's Vice President elect, Mike Pence, is a big fan of Pratts sizeable packaging business in the US, Pratt Industries. 

Anthony Pratt of Visy with Vice President-elect Mike Pence.
Anthony Pratt of Visy with Vice President-elect Mike Pence. Photo: Supplied Image

Pence opened the company's latest packaging plant in Indiana early this year. It represented Pratt's biggest bet on the US and is destined to prosper under a president who is determined to bring manufacturing back to US shores. 

"I applaud Pratt for investing in Indiana's future and creating quality jobs [in Indiana] for generations to come," Pence said at the time.

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Pratt was one of the few predicting a Trump victory after noticing the level of discontent in the regions that his business operates in, but he was not necessarily a fan when Trump poked his head ahead of the pack in April this year.

Anthony Pratt and partner Claudine Revere.
Anthony Pratt and partner Claudine Revere. Photo: Supplied

He described it as the biggest political surprise of the 25 years he had spent in the US.  

"It has surprised me … his great political skills, just from a pure political perspective — just how unexpected it all has been," Pratt told The Australian. 

He was cautious when asked if the rise of Trump's style of politics should be of concern. 

"I am not a politician, I am a businessman. We just need to live within the framework we are presented with and deal with it. There are many talented people in the (presidential) race," he said.

That was April. Pence joined the campaign in July. 

But Pratt has an even stronger relationship with another Trump supporter, Rudy Giuliani. In the 1990s, the then New York mayor struck a deal with Pratt to build a recycling plant in the Big Apple.

Pratt claims to be the biggest Australian employer in the US with 6000 employees and plans to double his packaging empire's size in the US in the next seven years.

Got a tip? ckruger@fairfaxmedia.com.au

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