U-S AMB TO JAPAN EMANUEL TALKS TO CNN
<p><b>***FULL INTERVIEW CAN BE DOWNLOADED HERE:***</b></p>\n<p></p>\n<p>https://f.io/l8XmMUVK</p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--SUPERS</b>--</p>\n<p>:00 </p>\n<p>Christiane Amanpour</p>\n<p>Washington, DC </p>\n<p></p>\n<p>:29</p>\n<p>Rahm Emanuel</p>\n<p>U.S. Ambassador to Japan</p>\n<p></p>\n<p>6:00</p>\n<p>File </p>\n<p>Lima, Peru </p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--LEAD IN</b>--</p>\n<p>WASHINGTON IS ALREADY BEING ROCKED BY PRESIDENT ELECT TRUMP’S CABINET PICKS EVEN BEFORE HE ASSUMES OFFICE. </p>\n<p>WHILE THE CURRENT PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN LANDS IN AFRICA, THERE WAS ANOTHER CONTROVERSIAL CHOICE OVER THE WEEKEND, KASH PATEL FOR FBI DIRECTOR, AND ONE MORE SWING OF THE TARIFF AX: NOW THREATENING 100% DUTIES ON GOODS FROM THE BRICS ALLIANCE IF THEY DON'T REMAIN PEGGED TO THE U.S. DOLLAR.</p>\n<p>THIS COULD STOKE FURTHER TENSIONS WITH BEIJING, AND CONCERN REGIONAL ALLIES LIKE JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREA, WHICH HAVE SHORED UP THEIR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE U.S. UNDER PRESIDENT BIDEN. <tab /><tab /></p>\n<p>THE U.S. AMBASSADOR TO JAPAN, RAHM EMMANUEL, TALKED TO CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR ABOUT ALL THIS. </p>\n<p></p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>***ATTENTION AFFILIATES: BELOW IS A ROUGH TRANSCRIPTION PROVIDED BY AN AUTOMATED SERVICE. THIS MAY NOT BE EXACT. PLEASE CHECK FOR ACCURACY BEFORE TAKING TO AIR.***</b></p>\n<p>So, look, I'm in Washington. So it's all very much in the prism of us domestic politics and how we get out of there as quickly as you can to keep your, it's a field trip. Um You know, we, we're seeing all this going on. So you said get out of there and keep your sanity. What right now from either your perspective as an ambassador in Asia or as a democrat is driving you insane? Well, I don't know how much time we have in this show. But look, first of all, it's not driving me insane. I think there's certain things that I obviously don't agree with that happened. I'm gonna stay in the lane of being an ambassador. So I'm not gonna be partisan about politics. I think we uh but closer to home, what we're building our allies feel right now, very reassured about America's uh posture in Indo Pacific. They're uh committed, whether it's on the trap between the United States, Japan and Korea, the United States, Japan, the Philippines, the quad about our commitment to the region, commitment to the security being politically, economically, strategically engaged. And I think uh there's, you know, from where it was in 2020 to where it is today. Uh And ma many voices uh on the hill, Democrat republicans all agree that we're in a better position. China is isolated in their own neighborhood by their own actions. And we have made the most of that. I think there's a lot to be built on if you have a theory of the case that allies are actually important to your strategic vision. Well, look, that's the point, isn't it, President Trump has demonstrated in his first term and in his words, ever since that, he's not really a multilateralist. He's not one who actually believes in, you know, people being stronger together. It's a very America first to coin his own phrase and very transactional. What do you think? Well, what do you know, for instance, the Japanese government is thinking and perhaps even what do you think the Chinese are thinking with the latest uh tariff threats? So, first of all, let me the way I kind of break it down and I don't like sports metaphors in this, but I think it works. The Indo Pacific is a home game for China. It's an away game for the United States. You wanna make it closer to a home game for the United States, you gotta work with your allies. That's the only way to do it. It's the idea that you're gonna deal with China on any strategic level from the economics fair or the strategic fear, the military security side, the diplomatic, you have to have allies, that's our force multiplier and so many different fronts. If you don't view that you're not gonna be able to be a force, we are a permanent pacific power and presence. You can bet long on the United States. That's true. For Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, et, et cetera. And I think you have to have that concept. Otherwise you're gonna do it from Long Beach, California or from Hawaii. And that just doesn't have the reach and the capacity. So that's just kind of a fundamental question. Now, China wants everybody to believe the United States is out of here. We're the permanent. They are gonna be the uh big boy in the field there and uh the United States is declining power and either get in line or we're gonna use all our economic strategic power to crush your sovereignty. That is why the people, whether they're allies, treaty allies or friends want America invested in that region. And it's not. And you can't be America first when and believe in America first in the Indo Pacific if you're not doing it with allies because that's the only way it becomes an America first agenda. Uh And second is one of the things that draws people from the United States is that we, you know, we haven't been perfect at this. We've had our mistakes in execution of this, but we have extended ourselves on behalf of another country's interest, which is why they're willing to align their interests with ours. Now, I think c I can't speak for uh China, but you can see right now they're making moves to try to amend with other countries in the region. They did something recently with India on the border. They recently have done something with Japan on the fish from the uh Japanese waters and Fukushima because I think they're trying to make amends in the in the region to allies who may be unnerved. And so I think we have to kind of double down on what we built. This is always, it's nothing you don't hit an equilibrium. It's a work in progress. I do think the going from a hub spoke to a uh trilateral multilateral uh structure is better serves America's interests. And we flipped the script on China. They go from trying to isolate a country to being isolated in their own region. So, you know, the tariffs are a big issue and I know you sort of touched on it. But what do you think that will do? You know Xi Jinping congratulated Trump in a way that said, we also have to find a way to get along obviously politically and in any other way. But what do you think the tariffs will do for America's security and alliances, but also for the American people, including the big ones he has already threatened on Canada and Mexico. Let me say this. You know, when the head of the Chinese Communist Party says we have to figure out a way to get along. Well, we weren't the ones that decided we were gonna go from strategic competitor to strategic adversary. You decided that we're responding to what you've done. You wanna figure out how to get along. Let's not steal intellectual product for you from Google. Let's not steal intellectual property from A S M L. Let's not when the International Court makes a ruling on behalf of the Philippines, you decide to totally disregard it. So if you wanna have a way in which you say the world is big enough for two big powers, OK. Got it. But you're the one that made the change is in the concept. I think one of the faults for the United States, we're all responsible uh for this. Um those who have been in government is we held on too long to the belief that China would be a committed uh country to the rules based system because they so benefited from the rules. When in fact, they have violated those rules and intellectual property theft, economic espionage, coercion on allies, Wolf Warrior strategy violating their E E Z S. Uh economic zones is a core piece of the core piece of their strategic and economic uh business model and you can't do that. So I do think, you know, look, I don't think the tariffs the p uh is the end all and be all is a negotiating strategy. I don't know, they haven't been clear, there's multiple decisions on that. And I wanna be careful, I'm still an ambassador. I don't wanna take a partisan political position. It depends in service of what end and to what strategic vision is it, the, is it the on, is it a tool in the toolbox or the toolbox? And so to me, if it's a tool in the toolbox to what end does it serve, what are the other tools you're gonna use? How are you gonna treat allies to be part of a strategy where I still believe conceptually, you wanna isolate the isolator now, in terms of America's allies. So Japan, where you've been or where you are and South Korea and we've got Taiwan as well. I think they are all expecting to be pressured to put more money into their defense, to pay for the American soldiers or, you know, military who are there? Is that the impression you're getting? And do they seem ready and willing to do it? Well, as you know, in the last three years, probably been the most significant change in both the military structures of the United States and Japan, we're taking a piece of the Indo Pacific that's been based in Hawaii, the command and control center, moving it to Japan, Japan even before there was a tank on the Ukrainian border, a Russian tank on the Ukrainian border agreed to go to 2% of GDP of defense budget, acquire counter strike capabilities, align their national security with our national security and our visions in that area normalize relations with Korea. So when you look at all that component from a security standpoint, Japan's on the third year of hitting that 2% mark. Uh way ahead. There's not a criticism but an observation of countries in Europe where you have a hot conflict which you don't have in the Indo Pacific. And they've done very, very significant things from interoperability and capacity to align closer to the United States. They're gonna go from the ninth to the third largest defense budget in the world. We're the number one defense supplier where they purchase weapons from. So we have an interest uh there and they have an interest with us. Um You can sit here and argue about cost of a base. It's an issue, it's not the issue and the ability to just take, you said Taiwan. But I happen to think the Philippines is a real uh event right now in the South China Sea. You don't have to wait until 2027. It's happening right now between what China, how China is treating the Philippines. But if one of the strategies on Taiwan is a quarantine, the Philippine uh area in the South Island, southwest islands of Japan, make a quarantine of Taiwan, much more problematic for China to execute So again, example, a if you wanna have a strategy to deal with kind of a deterrence to China, you're not gonna do it without allies, just as one, just look at the map, not possible. And from that scenario, number two, I do think and this is on us, this is where uh I would think uh when they say to us, oh, if we would say to them, oh, you're gonna have to pay more for a base. You know, the United States uh military industrial base to me is our number one security risk. They've never met. None of the big four have ever met a budget timeline or a deadline for producing a major weapon. And so the idea, you know, I can't tell you how many times I've been asked to renegotiate a contract where because our companies have not met the deadline or the cost. So I would say to you is we have an ally. We're the biggest supplier of defense product. They're the biggest, one of the biggest purchasers gonna become the third largest defense budget. They rely on not just our security commitment but also the purchases of weapons from all the major foreign military industrial companies who can't meet a budget, can't meet a deadline. And so I see. So I, you know, and every one of them are in major stock buybacks. I will tell you one lesson I came out of here. We should have a policy in the defense budget, you cannot do stock buybacks if these 10 X weapons that you produce aren't on budget on timeline. Now, I I'm I'm saying this both rhetorically, it is so frustrating from a security commitment where you always have to go back and renegotiate with an ally who's purchasing weapons from you. So let me ask you because all of this is obviously going to come up in spades as we go along. But you are also a very prominent democrat and as you know, here in Washington where I am and elsewhere around the country, there is a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth, what happened, you know, trying to do post mortems. And I just wonder whether you think there are some prominent democrats who would say stop freaking out, just stop. It, just take stock and let's really analyze the real issue which the bottom line they believe is the economy and others say, no, no, no. We've got to just, you know, stop and this and that I want to know where you stand on this because your name is also being brought up as potential running for the D N C. But just noteworthy on this, the Washington Post and Yougov did a blind test of 100 policies. Harris's agenda was overall more popular than Trump's. So, what do you think went wrong for your party? I think there's three layers and I'll try to do it quickly. I want it on the top line when 70% of the country think that it's headed in the wrong direction or the economy is not good. That's a structural architect, structurally, anti incumbent and any leader that's lived through COVID, it's been bad for the body and not great for the body politic. And it's an example of the elections throughout both the developed, developed world. So there's structural there, but a layer below that, when the top of the ticket runs below senate and congressional candidates, that's about the kind of campaign you run. You'd have Senator in Pennsylvania if we weren't running below the ticket. And that is about the campaign. That was run example. Look, if you were worried about democracy, which is a big issue, but we had you on. Hello Donald. And again, I want to be careful here given I'm an ambassador. But the idea that the race that we run is more about how the oval office is gonna become like ebay. And we're, whether you're for one day, you're for tiktok the next day against tiktok the next day. You're for Tik Tok and one of his biggest supporters of investor in tiktok, oil and gas interest. We are the Democrats and again, I wanna be careful, are the thin blue line protecting you from major special interests. They're gonna run rampant through Washington. That should have been the core argument. There are other things to talk about. And then third below that, which is not this election but this moment in time. And that is, I think if you go back through three events, an Iraq war which the American people were deceived, spent trillions of dollars people, thousands of soldiers lost their lives. People maimed for life. People were deceived and lied into a war and not one person responsible for that deception ever was held accountable. Six years later, the financial industry lies to the American people. People lose their homes, their livelihood and the bankers are screaming for their bonuses. Nobody held accountable. Fast forward. We we are for those remaining years. The anti-establishment in COVID, the Democrats become the establishment voice in so many different ways. And the the component also is in this period of time is the first generation of Americans to believe that their kids future is gonna be worse than theirs, which has never happened in 200 years of history. And we become the establishment. We literally talk like the establishment who talks like about the caring economy. It's called nurses, it's called teachers. Nobody talks like that except for an adjunct professor trying to become a tenure professor. But we are, there's other things that we talk about defund the police. When you say that's a crazy. They all say, well, it doesn't mean that, well, don't use the English language then, ok, because that's how we communicate. So there's a whole things that happened in COVID and people's lives get upturned and still haven't gone back to kind of a normal routine and they're angry and the establishment, I'm part of it. We're all guilty for having actually many, many different ways. Never actually have a rule book that applies to uh universally. There's one for those in the elite, in the establishment and one for everybody else. So to me, the elections can be understood in layers. And I think the bigger thing is to understand this moment in time re establish a connectivity where the values and the ideals and uh uh that we believe in we're going to fight for and they're wider. Uh And this is one of the things that's important in politics are wider than the loudest voice. And I, and I wanna add one thing that's important. The public believes that the Democratic Party is more controlled by the far left. This is a cultural, far left than they think the Republican Party is by the right. And when you look at John Kennedy, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. John Kennedy gives a speech in Dallas about the Catholic church president uh Clinton at that time, gives a speech about Sister Soldier, the uh at operation push. And President Obama gives a speech about Father Wright. They show that they are bigger than any one component of the coalition that has not happened. And we need to re-establish that we are a coalition party, but no one voice is bigger than the totality of our and the singularity of our voice and that did not, has not happened in past presidential campaign, do you think? I mean, you've got seven weeks to go. Uh I guess a, how are you feeling about coming back from over there? And B are you gonna follow David Axelrod's uh advice and apply for the D N C job? Look, I'm looking forward. Uh and I've got a couple of things left, I'm still gonna execute them. I mean, it's not just verb verbage. I'm gonna run through the tape on a couple of things. You'll be seeing that in the next seven weeks. I, before I turn the page over and before I'm done, I also want to say it's been an incredible honor to serve the country. I've learned a lot, not only about the region, learned a lot about America being away from America. And when I first thing I'm doing today after uh this visit, I'm gonna go back to Chicago back home. Uh and I look forward to returning home uh to Chicago and I'll take a sense of where I'm gonna go. I'm not done with public service. What road I take in public service uh will be something I determine uh in the future. But I am gonna spend the remaining time of the honor. I've had to be the US ambassador in Japan at this critical moment in time in our history to run right through the tape. And there's about three or four things you'll see in over the next seven weeks that, uh, indicate exactly what I just said. All right. Well, we will be watching Rahm Emmanuel Ambassador. I will buy you a one way Amtrak ticket out of Washington to see. Hurry up, get on it. There's an Excel right now to take you anywhere you wanna go. Uh, you know, I'm here as a foreign correspondent. Ram. That's all I can tell you. The emphasis word was foreign. Not correspondent, Ram Emmanuel. Thank you so much. You got it.</p>\n<p><b>-----END-----CNN.SCRIPT-----</b></p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--KEYWORD TAGS--</b></p>\n<p>IN- INTERNATIONAL INTERVIEW TRUMP AMBASSADOR </p>\n<p></p>\n<p><b>--MUSIC INFO---</b></p>\n<p></p>