The Australian Prime Minister Barack Obama found 'very difficult'
To the outside observer – and to many people living within its borders – Australia seems to have had a revolving-door approach to the Prime Ministership in recent years.
After John Howard, there was Kevin Rudd, then Julia Gillard, then Rudd again, followed by Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and now ScoMo – and that’s all in the past 10 years.
If Aussies have trouble keeping up, how are international leaders meant to? And what do they think of the passing parade of Aussie PMs?
An interview given by the author of a new book called The World As It Is reveals what one international president thought of Australian leaders as they came and went.
The book is by Ben Rhodes, who spent eight years in the White House as Barack Obama’s deputy national security adviser.
In an interview with The Australian, Rhodes reveals that Obama liked all of the Australian Prime Ministers he met during his two terms in office – with one glaring exception.
Obama, Rhodes reveals, had a “very difficult” relationship with Tony Abbott because of their “opposing world views.”
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Obama’s most affable relationship was with Julia Gillard, with whom he reportedly remains in touch, while he also had a good relationship with Malcolm Turnbull and Kevin Rudd, whose expertise on China was a valuable resource.
Six months into Malcolm Turbull’s leadership, The Atlantic Magazine published an article ranking world leaders in terms of the strength of their relationship with Obama.
Australia came in second, beaten only by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The article quotes a White House official as saying: “Our allies all give us headaches, except for Australia. You can always count on Australia.”
Mr Rhodes did not specify what “difficulties” Obama had with Tony Abbott, but the two leaders were known to have very different views on subjects such as climate change and marriage equality.
As for Obama’s successor, Donald Trump, and his thoughts on Turnbull and now ScoMo? That’s perhaps another book for another time.
