Former ambassador Jeff Bleich on the shocks of the Trump presidency

Politics with Michelle Grattan · Mar 1, 2017 · 31m

Australia got a taste of US President Donald Trump’s approach to diplomacy in a sensational phone call with Malcolm Turnbull, details of which were leaked to the Washington Post. But former US ambassador to Australia during the Obama years, Jeff Bleich, says the reaction in the US was “very helpful” to Australia.

“Because one person after another, myself included, was called on to TV to talk about it,” Bleich says.

“We all said the same thing - which is that Australia is one of our best friends in the world. It’s a critical country. Look at all the things we do together and that Australia has…