A 'very grey line' in Washington: Joe Hockey on Trump, Congress and corruption
The former ambassador expects Democrats to take both chambers in November, then sets Australia's clean record against the way business mixes with government in the US capital.
ABC News In-depth
Story of Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 216,369 views a day, 33 times a normal first day on this channel (6,611).
What could happen if Trump loses the midterms? | 7.30
Joe Hockey does not hedge. "In my view, it's highly likely he'll lose control of the House, and even the Senate," Australia's former ambassador to the United States tells 7.30 in the opening seconds of the clip, and he follows with a prediction: "an extraordinary period of scrutiny over the next two years under the Democrats."
The sharper moment comes when the interviewer rephrases her own question, asking whether corruption has been allowed to flourish. Hockey answers almost before she finishes. "Yeah, there's no doubt," he says, describing "a very grey line here in Washington DC between proper government processes and corruption." He then reaches back to his years in Canberra, where he was Treasurer before his posting to Washington during Donald Trump's first term. "Australia has essentially a corruption-free government. And thank God for that," he says, before describing "a high degree of greyness between government and personal enrichment" in the US.
It runs barely over a minute, and in under a day it drew more than 200,000 views, about thirty times what a Short usually gathers on its first day here. The same day the channel posted a 7.30 piece on lethal injections after Christa Pike's failed execution, and Sarah Ferguson's interview with Chris Bowen. Neither came close.
The midterms have been a running thread on the channel. As we reported here, Planet America asked earlier in the week whether Trump's party was headed for a "midterm's disaster". Hockey has given his answer.
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- Channel
- ABC News In-depth
- Subscribers
- 2,450,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 5,921,546
- Channel views, pace per day
- 952,814 (on a normal day: 890,563)
- Video published
- October 8, 2026
- Video views so far
- 214,583 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 216,369
The numbers
One short clip carried a day that otherwise ran close to the channel's usual pace.
💡 Test your knowledge
Joe Hockey served as federal Treasurer under which Australian Prime Minister?
Hockey was Treasurer in Tony Abbott's government from 2013 to 2015, before becoming ambassador to the United States.