Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

sprinkleeninow

(20,135 posts)
Wed Jun 5, 2019, 11:49 PM Jun 2019

Transcript of Amanpour & Co. tonite. It's lengthy. Amb. McCourt.😣

[I bolded the part that set my teeth on edge. They are wore out.]

AMBASSADOR McCOURT, WELCOME TO OUR PROGRAM.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

WELL, THIS IS AN AMAZING DAY FOR AN AMERICAN AMBASSADOR IN FRANCE.

THE PRESIDENT WILL BE ON HIS WAY TO THE COUNTRY THAT YOU'RE AMBASSADOR TO.

AND YOU'RE MAKING ALL THESE PLANS AND PREPARATIONS TO RECEIVE HIM.

I KNOW YOU'RE IN DEEP CONVERSATION WITH THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT, THE FRENCH AUTHORITIES.

WHAT HAVE YOU HAD TO DO FOR THIS MAJOR VISIT TO THE D-DAY SITES.

YOU CANNOT POSSIBLY IMAGINE.

I WOULD NOT HAVE DREAMED HOW MUCH GOES ON WHEN THE PRESIDENT COMES TO VISIT THE COUNTRY.

IT IS QUITE INCREDIBLE.

IT'S INCREDIBLY MAMMOTH FOR AN UNDERTAKING.

ALL OF THE EMBASSY IS INVOLVED.

PEOPLE AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE INVOLVED.

THE FRENCH ARE INVOLVED.

IT IS MOMENTOUS AS IT SHOULD BE FOR A COMMEMORATION LIKE THIS.

AND IT'S A TRUE CELEBRATION OF THE BILATERA RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FRANCE AND AMERICA.

SO, TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOMETHING SO IMPORTANT.

IT WAS SUCH A TURNING POINT DURING WORLD WAR II, AND IT WAS THE MAJOR ENTRY BY THE UNITED STATES INTO THIS WAR ON BEHALF OF THE ALLIANCE.

TALK TO ME WHAT WHAT IT MEANS TO AMERICA AND WHAT AMERICA HAS MEANT TO FRANCE AND TO EUROPE IN ALL THESE YEARS.

WELL, IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES IS INCREDIBLE FOR SO MANY REASONS.

AS I LIKE TO SAY, BECAUSE I'M AN ANGEL INVESTOR, I DON'T THINK THAT PEOPLE SHOULD FORGET THAT AMERICA WAS A START UP AND FRANCE WAS OUR FIRST INVESTOR.

SO, THEY WERE THERE WITH US FROM THE BEGINNING.

AND SIMILARLY, WE WERE THERE FOR THE FRENCH AND WORLD WAR II IS CERTAINLY A FANTASTIC EXAMPLE OF ALL OF THAT.

D-DAY ESPECIALLY.

AND THE NORMANDY BEACHES HAVE BECOME EMBLEMATIC OF ALL THAT HAPPENED THAT DAY, WHETHER IT'S THE 15,000 JUMPERS OR THE 60,000 PEOPLE WHO DEBARKED ON THE SHORES.

THERE ARE SO MANY REASONS TO NEVER FORGET ALL THE LIVES THAT WERE GIVEN BY THE ALLIED FORCES AND CERTAINLY THE AMERICANS ON THIS DAY.

YOU KNOW, THIS IS SO INTERESTING.

YOU MENTIONED THAT THE FRENCH WERE THERE FOR AMERICA AND AMERICA WAS THERE FOR THE FRENCH, YOU KNOW, SOME 200 YEARS LATER.

YOU'RE TALKING OBVIOUS LIB ABOUT LA FAYETTE AND HOW HE HELPED AMERICA FIGHT OFF THE BRITISH WAY BACK IN THAT WAR AND I GUESS HOW THE UNITED STATES PAID IT FORWARD TO RELIEVE THEM AND LIBERATE THEM FROM NAZI OCCUPATION.

SO, FAST FORWARD.

YOU SPEAK FRENCH, DON'T YOU?

I KNOW YOU DID SOME OF YOUR STUDIES IN FRANCE AND YOU'VE JUST SAID YOU'RE AN ANGEL INVESTOR.

YOU'RE A BUSINESS WOMAN BY PROFESSION.

YOU'RE NOW AN AMBASSADOR.

WHAT HAS IT MEANT TO YOU TO REPRESENT YOUR COUNTRY AT THIS TIME UNDER THIS PRESIDENCY WITH THIS SORT OF -- I MEAN, IT'S NOT LOST ON YOU THERE'S A LOT OF TENSION BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE.

FIRST OF ALL, IT'S THRILLING.

IT'S AN HONOR, AND I AM TRULY PRIVILEGED TO SERVE MY COUNTRY AND ABSOLUTELY SERVE THIS PRESIDENT.

I THINK THAT HE IS REMARKABLE.

HE IS TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH EVERYTHING THAT HE SET OUT TO ACCOMPLISH.

HE'S LIVING UP TO HIS CAMPAIGN PROMISES.

AND HE IS NOT GOING TO SIT STILL UNTIL HE MOVES AMERICA FORWARD.

SO, I, FOR ONE, AM ABSOLUTELY HONORED TO BE HERE UNDER ALL OF THESE CIRCUMSTANCES.

WHAT MADE YOU A TRUMP SUPPORTER?

BECAUSE PREVIOUSLY YOU HAD ACTUALLY OFTEN SUPPORTED DEMOCRATS OR AT LEAST SOMETIMES.

I THINK YOU MAY HAVE SUPPORTED OBAMA.

WHAT FLIPPED YOU?

WHAT WAS THE REASON THAT YOU DECIDED TO MAKE THAT CHANGE AND THAT INVESTMENT IN PRESIDENT TRUMP?

I THINK, LIKE MANY AMERICANS, I WAS WATCHING THE LOSS OF HOPE FOR MANY PEOPLE IN TERMS OF HAVING THE AMERICAN DREAM.

AND BECAUSE I'M TRULY A PRODUCT OF SOMEONE WHO GREW UP WITH THE AMERICAN DREAM, I AM THE FIRST ONE EDUCATED IN MY FAMILY, I'M FROM A FAMILY OF IMMIGRANTS, I WAS THE FIRST ONE TO GO TO COLLEGE, I BELIEVE THAT EDUCATION IS THE GREAT EQUALIZER.

AND I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU WORK HARD ENOUGH AND YOU CARE ENOUGH ABOUT SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN GET TO WHERE YOU WANT TO GO.

AND I DON'T THINK THIS WAS LOST ON THE PRESIDENT.

HE UNDERSTOOD THAT MIDDLE AMERICA WAS GETTING LOST IN THE SHUFFLE.

AND I THINK HE CAPITALIZED ON THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AND HE'S DELIVERING.

AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT I SAW IN HIM.

AND THAT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME, TO KEEP THE MIDDLE CLASS WHICH IS THE BACKBONE OF AMERICA AND TO PERPETUATE THE AMERICAN DREAM.



SO, AGAIN, BRING IT BACK TO FRANCE.

YOU SPEAK FRENCH.

YOU ARE AMBASSADOR NOW AFTER BEING A BUSINESS WOMAN.

WHAT ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRESIDENT TRUMP AND PRESIDENT MACRON?

WE ALL SAW IT STARTED OFF REALLY WELL.

AND THEN OVER THE LAST YEAR OR SO, IT'S COOLED SOMEWHAT.

THAT'S OUR IMPRESSION.

IS THAT HOW YOU SEE IT?

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

I THINK THAT THE BEST THING BETWEEN THESE TWO PRESIDENTS IS THAT THEY TALK OFTEN AND THEY HAVE NO PROBLEMS TELLING EACH OTHER WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT ANY SUBJECT THAT CROSSES THEIR MINDS.

I KIND OF EQUATE IT TO A FAMILY.

I HAVE BROTHERS.

I HAVE DISAGREEMENTS WITH MY BROTHERS, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY THEY'RE STILL MY BROTHERS.

AND SO YOU FIGURE OUT HOW TO WORK AROUND IT AND HOW TO TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT YOU HAVE TO TALK ABOUT.

SO, I THINK THAT IT'S WONDERFUL THAT THEY HAVE THAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIP.

THEY'RE NOT AFRAID TO BROACH ANYTHING.

AND ACTUALLY, I MEAN, YOU'RE RIGHT.

THEY DO TALK, PERHAPS LESS OFTEN THAN THEY USED TO ACCORDING TO THE WHITE HOUSE PHONE LOGS.

BUT THEY HAVE DISAGREEMENTS ON CLIMATE AND ON IRAN, THE IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL, AND OTHER ISSUES OF POPULISM VERSUS EUROPEAN GLOBALIZATION, ET CETERA.

INTERESTINGLY, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAD A VERY PLEASING VISIT TO FRANCE WHERE PRESIDENT MACRON PUT ON A WONDERFUL MILITARY PARADE -- WELL, IT WAS THE ANNUAL MILITARY PARADE FOR BASS TEAL DAY.

AND PRESIDENT MACRON MOSTED PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS WOIFE T THE FIRST STATE VISIT HE HOSTED FOR PRESIDENT MACRON.

IN THE MEANTIME PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THE IDEA OF BROMMANCE.

I THINK THIS DID NOT MAKE ANY SENSE.

PRESIDENT MACRON BEING ELECTED, ANY FRENCH PRESIDENT WANTING TO HAVE A GOOD RELATION WITH THE MOST POWERFUL MAN ON EARTH WHICH WAS THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT.

IT IS TOTALLY NORMAL.

THE FACT IS THAT THE MEN DISAGREE ON MOST OF THE ISSUES, SO THAT DEFINES WHAT I WOULD CALL GENTLEMAN DISAGREEMENTS.

THAT'S A NICE WAY TO PUT IT, GENTLEMAN DISAGREEMENTS.

WOULD YOU AGREE WITH THAT?

ABSOLUTELY.

I WOULD AGREE WITH THAT PIECE ABSOLUTELY.

AS YOU KNOW, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS PUT HIS POLITICAL CAPITAL HERE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM WITH THE BREXIT PROJECT.

HE'S SUPPORTED AND ACTUALLY TALKED BREXITEERS EVEN WHEN HE WAS HERE ON HIS STATE VISIT AND HE'S ALSO WEIGHED IN ON FRENCH AND EUROPEAN POLITICS AND ON WHAT HE VIEWS AS THE EU.

HOW DO YOU THINK THAT WILL PLAY WHEN EVERYBODY IS GATHERED TOGETHER ON THE BEACHES OF NORMANDY AND THE IDEA OF SHARED SACRIFICE AND SHARED COMMITMENT TO THESE MULTI-CULTURAL AND NATURAL ALLIANCES THAT THE UNITED STATES BUILT FOR THE WORLD THAT SOME SEEM TO REMAIN IN DOUBT?

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE PRESIDENT WILL SAY ABOUT MULTI-NATURALISM AND THE REST OF IT WITH FRANCE?

I THINK THIS IS THE TIME TO CELEBRATE EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE IN COMMON.

AND FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE HAVE SHARED VALUES OF DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM AND LIBERTY.

AND SO I THINK THOSE ARE THE HALLMARK THINGS THAT HE'S GOING TO FOCUS ON, AS HE SHOULD.

I THINK THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THERE ARE A LOT OF DISAGREEMENTS ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS AMONG A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE.

BUT WHAT REALLY MATTERS THE MOST IS PROTECTING OUR FREEDOMS AND KEEPING US SAFE FROM TERRORISM AND MAKING SURE THAT EACH OF OUR COUNTRIES IS SECURE.

AND THOSE ARE THE FREEDOMS THAT WE HAVE TO FOCUS ON AND CERTAINLY ON A DAY LIKE D-DAY.

AND DO YOU THINK THERE WILL BE ANY SORT OF, I DON'T KNOW, AWKWARDNESS BECAUSE OF THE PRESIDENT'S TARIFFS ON THE EU WHICH OBVIOUSLY AFFECT FRANCE AS WELL.

HE'S TWEETED -- HE SAID THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION FINDS THAT THE EUROPEAN UNION SUBSIDIES TO AIR BUS WHICH IS THE FRENCH AIRCRAFT HAS ADVERSELY IMPACTED THE UNITED STATES WHICH WILL NOW PUT TARIFFS OF $11 BILLION OF EU PRODUCTS.

THE EU HAS TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THE U.S. ON TRADE FOR MANY YEARS.

IT WILL SOON STOP.

THIS WAS ABOUT A MONTH AGO HE SAID THAT.

WHAT SORT OF CONVERSATIONS DO YOU HAVE WITH THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT ABOUT THESE KINDS OF TWEETS AND THESE KINDS OF TRADE TARIFF ACTIONS?

WELL, IT'S VERY INTERESTING BECAUSE WHAT HE'S TWEETED IS A FACT THAT WAS FOUND BY THE WTO.

SO, HE'S NOT TWEETING ANYTHING EXTRAORDINARY.

HE'S NOT TWEETING ANYTHING THAT CAME FROM HIM ALONE.

AND SO, HIS WAY OF COMMUNICATING, AS WE ALL KNOW, IS THROUGH TWEETS AND THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA OFTEN TIMES.

SO, I THINK HE COMMUNICATED EXACTLY WHAT THE FINDING WAS.

SO, I DON'T THINK THERE WILL BE ANY AWKWARDNESS AROUND IT BECAUSE EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT THE FINDING WAS.

AND DO YOU HAVE SORT OF POINTED CONVERSATION WITH THE GOVERNMENT ABOUT THE TARIFFS AND THINGS LIKE THAT?

I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S MY PLACE TO HAVE THOSE KIND OF CONVERSATIONS.

THOSE CONVERSATIONS RIGHT NOW TAKE PLACE EITHER AT THE WTO LEVEL OR AT THE EU LEVEL WHERE THEY'RE TRYING TO SORT EVERYTHING OUT.

MY PORTFOLIO IS REALLY ABOUT THE BILATERAL RELATION.

AND IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS, WE TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING, BUT WE LEAVE IT TO OTHERS IN THEIR REALM TO DEAL WITH THOSE MATTERS.

SO, LET'S GO BACK TO NORMANDY AND TELL ME WHAT THE PRESIDENT WILL SEE WHEN HE GETS THERE ON D-DAY.

WHAT PARTICULAR EVENTS?

AND ALSO, I GUESS, IT'S PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME HE'S BEEN TO THE AMERICAN CEMETERIES.

YOU'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE PLANNING.

HOW DO YOU THINK THE IMPACT OF THE VISUALS THERE WILL AFFECT HIM?

WELL, I CAN ONLY TELL YOU FROM MY OWN PERSPECTIVE BECAUSE I'VE BEEN THERE BEFORE EVEN PRIOR TO BECOMING AMBASSADOR.

NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES PEOPLE TELL YOU HOW MOVING IT IS AND NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU MAY HAVE SEEN 'SAVING PRIVATE RYAN,' IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO UNDERSTAND HOW OVERWHELMING THE FEELING IS WHEN YOU GO THERE.

AND WHEN YOU SEE THE 9,400 CROSSES THAT ARE THERE OF PEOPLE BURIED OR BEING KCOMMEMORATED THERE, IT TAKES YOUR BREATH AWAY.

LET'S NOT FORGET, WE THINK OF BEACHES AS ROMANTIC PLACES OR PLACES WHERE WE TAKE OUR CHILDREN.

AND YET, THERE IT IS WHERE ALL THESE SOLDIERS WERE KILLED TRYING TO COME IN FROM THE BEACHES.

AND IT'S JUST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET YOUR ARMS AROUND.

UT REALLY IS.

I THINK HE'LL BE OVERWHELMED AS WELL TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.

YES.

AND I KNOW IT'S NOT FOR YOU TO GET INTO THE PRESIDENT'S HEAD, BUT WHEN YOU CONSIDER A LOT OF THE VETS WHO HE'LL BE MEETING WHETHER AT PORTSMOUTH OR AT D-DAY IN NORMANDY, IT PERHAPS IS THE LAST TIME THAT THESE VETS IN THEIR 90s NOW WILL EVER BE ABLE TO COME TO A COMMEMORATION LIKE THIS.

I WONDER WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE ON THAT.

I THINK HE WILL BE INCREDIBLY MOVED.

HE HAS A FONDNESS NOT ONLY FOR THE MILITARY BUT FOR THE VETS.

I THINK HE'S KEENLY AWARE THAT THIS COULD BE THE LAST TIME THEY CAN MAKE THE TRIP.

I THINK HE'LL BE AMAZED TO KNOW THAT ONE OF THE VETS WHO'S 97 YEARS OLD IS JUMPING FROM A PARACHUTE AS HE DOES FREQUENTLY WHEN HE COMES TO VISIT I'M TOLD.

SO, I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE INCREDIBLE, JUST AMAZING.

REALLY.

AND THE EYES OF THE WORLD WILL BE ON THE NORMANDY BEACHES AND ON D-DAY.

AMBASSADOR McCOURT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

IT'S MY PLEASURE.

THANKS FOR HAVING ME.


Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Transcript of Amanpour & ...