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Trump Travels To U.S. After Contentious NATO Summit; Protests Await President Trump In London; Trump Demands NATO Countries Double Defense Spending; Trump Leaves NATO Summit In Brussels For U.K.; The Risky Route To Freedom. Aired at 8-9a ET
Aired July 12, 2018 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[08:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Welcome. I'm Robyn Curnow here at the CNN center in Atlanta.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Becky Anderson in London for you. We begin with breaking news here in London. The U.S. President set to arrive
soon after wrapping up a very contentious NATO summit.
Donald Trump began the day by showing up 30 minutes late to a meeting on Russian aggression. The President held a news conference just a short time
ago, and said he let U.S. allies know he was unhappy about defense spending among NATO allies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think it's been a very effective way of negotiating, but I'm not negotiating. I just want
fairness for the United States. We're paying for far too much of NATO. NATO is very important, but NATO is helping Europe more than it's helping
us. At the same time it's very good for us. So we have now got it to a point where people are paying a lot more money.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Mr. Trump also said he could pull out of NATO without congressional approval, but that wouldn't be necessary, he said.
Well, more on the NATO summit in a minute. First, let's bring in CNN's Nick Paton Walsh in London for more on Mr. Trump's visit to the U.K. And,
Nick, know sign as of yet, scheduled to land in the U.K. any time now. You are outside Winfield House as I understand. That is the U.S. Ambassador's
residence in London. What is the atmosphere like there?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: At this point calm apart from the extraordinary amount of security laid in here.
Already, Winfield House on normal days is pretty secure, but they've extended the perimeter around it, and encompass about a seventh of the
enormous Regents Park here, right in central London.
A vast numbers of armed and unarmed police here, buses around me, too. Protests are not suppose to really pick up there from another four hours or
so according to the official program here, and it may will be if Donald Trump is on schedule, that we may see, perhaps, him land in these grounds
at some point in the hours ahead.
But this is a country which has very little love, frankly, for President Trump. Some polling suggesting about one in 10 approve of the job he's
doing as president. Two-thirds deeply disapprove of it, and even though the Brexit vote here suggest possibly some kind of link towards the native
of his populism, Donald Trump espouses even still.
That has not increased his numbers, and there are potentially 50,000, if not more people due out on the streets of Central London tomorrow, he will
barely even go anywhere near the capitol itself. This brief hours long stop he will be making here behind me, and then finds him traveling on
today to Blenheim House where he will meet Theresa May, the British Prime Minister and her husband.
The birthplace of Winston Churchill, the man whose bust Donald Trump proudly put back in the Oval Office, and then later during his stay, there
will be a chance to see U.K. military in action, and also a visit to checkers, too, but then will be straight up north to Scotland for more yet
golfing at the weekend.
But still, a Trump blimp as its known, the six meter tall version of Donald Trump inflatable dressed as a baby holding hand -- in his hand a mobile
phone is expected tomorrow for a matter of hours to be over Parliament Square, and that, of course, is part of the general thrust here of
disapproval for what Donald Trump has done to, I think many say, the body politic in the west. Becky.
ANDERSON: Nick Paton Walsh there outside the U.S. Ambassador's residence. Of course, when asked whether he was OK about protests in London against
him, Mr. Trump said he was fine about it. He said, in fact, that he believes that people here in the U.K. like him a lot, is his quote.
We'll see how he reacts to things like that giant baby blimp in the air when he gets here. Well, the NATO summit has begun wrapping up. President
Trump spoke about the progress he says he has made over the past couple of days. Ties of actually, he says, improved among the members.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: The United States has been paying a tremendous amount.
[08:05:00] Probably 90 percent of the cost of NATO, and now people are going to start, and countries are going to start, upping their commitments.
So I let them know yesterday, actually. I was surprised you didn't pick it up.
It took until today, but yesterday I let them know that I was extremely unhappy with what was happening, and they have substantially upped their
commitments. Yes. And now we're very happy, and have a very, very powerful, and very, very strong NATO, much stronger than it was two days
ago.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Donald Trump speaking about NATO. Let's bring in Nic Robertson who is at that summit in Brussels, and what we just heard from the U.S.
President reflects sentiments, and emotions of other NATO member, U.S. allies there? This has been a particularly contentious meeting, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, Becky. We're still trying to figure that out. We're still listening to the other --
what the other leaders are saying after they're coming out themselves, and giving their own press conferences. Well, what President Trump said was
that in essence, he had speed up the rate of increase in payments of NATO members.
Those that weren't at two percent of GDP, which is a NATO commitment by 2024 to spend two percent of GDP on defense spending. He said that he's
been able to speed that up, and then he got a commitment from them -- a commitment from them, to increase that level above two percent.
Earlier in this summit, he talked about there should be a four percent figure of GDP commitment. Now, what we've heard from the French President
when he has come out of that summit -- the French President said, look, I'm not really sure if this two percent increase to four percent, I'm not
really sure if there's actually a threat that matches that. I'm not really sure of the point of an increase to four percent.
He said we're going to have to analyze this. This is President Emmanuel Macron. We're going to have to analyze this over time. So President
Macron seems to indicate at least that, you know, from what he's saying, he doesn't appear to have committed himself, as President Trump had said,
committed himself to this increase.
And Angela Merkel as well, you know, has spoken about, you know, about this -- about the meeting, about the meeting where President Trump said he's got
this agreement to speed up payment, and increase payment, and she as well doesn't seem to indicate that. She said, look, Germany is committed to
increasing. Like other countries, we are increasing. She didn't say to what figure.
So I think at the moment we're trying to learn a little more about the precise nature of this commitment that President Trump says he's got,
because I didn't hear anything that he said, and he was asked this question a couple of times.
I didn't hear anything that he said that strayed from what NATO had in its communique released yesterday that said NATO's members are committed as
they were since 2014 to spend that two percent of GDP on defense spending to reach that target by 2024.
Now, President Trump said since he'd come on the scene last year, they've spent -- there had been an extra $33 billion contribution from NATO
members. Yes, NATO members have increased their spending. We don't have a figure for that, but at the moment, again, kind of specific -- precisely
understand what President Trump meant, and was understood by the other leaders still.
ANDERSON: Nic Robertson in Brussels for you. The U.S. President also had a lot to say about Vladimir Putin during his NATO news conference. Let's
bring in Fred Pleitgen who is in Moscow, and ahead of this trip off to Brussels to U.K., after Scotland, and then onto Helsinki where he will meet
the Russian President.
Donald Trump had suggested that perhaps the easiest part of this entire trip would be that one-on-one with his Russian counterpart. What's he been
saying in the past hour or so?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Russians still, I think still very much believe that the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald
Trump, Becky, could be a lot easier than what they saw at NATO. It's probably going to be very difficult to actually be harder than what we saw,
the fireworks that we saw over the past day and a half.
However, the Kremlin this morning acknowledged, yes, it's also going to be a difficult meeting between these two leaders because, of course, there are
so many disagreements between Russia and the United States. It's quite interesting to see the messaging that's coming out of here from Russia over
the past couple of days.
The Kremlin really trying to tone things down saying that the expectations aren't that high, that it's just good that these two men are once again
talking again. But then you have other politicians, pundits, and state-run TV that say look, this could be a stepping-stone for better relations
between Russia and the United States.
[08:10:04] And the interesting thing was that President Trump once again said that he also believes that the relations could dramatically improve
with this meeting, and that he sees Vladimir Putin not as a foe, but merely as a competitor. Let's listen to what President Trump said earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: He's a competitor. He's been very nice to me in the times I've met limb. I've been nice to him. He's a competitor. Not a question of friend
or enemy. He's not my enemy. And hopefully someday maybe he'll be a friend. It could happen, but I don't -- I just don't know him very well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN: President Trump speaking earlier today. Obviously, these two men are going to get to know each other a lot better in Helsinki when they
meet. But certainly, of course, there are some very difficult questions that they're going to address. Ukraine is a very difficult topic.
Syria as well, although probably less difficult than maybe the Ukraine issue, and then you have the Russians, Becky, in the past hours -- over the
past 24 hours or so, really becoming, I wouldn't say nervous, but certainly locking in to President Trump's comments towards the Germans, and that Nord
Stream II gas pipeline.
The Russian are saying, what they're hearing from President Trump, they believe is unfair competition towards themselves. They believe that the
Americans are trying to get the Europeans to buy more expensive gas from the United States, and try to pressure them into doing so with these
defense commitments that they're demanding.
So the Russians really very angry about those statements, and that's certainly going to be one of the things that it's also going to come up in
that meeting, Becky.
ANDERSON: Fred Pleitgen in Moscow for you. So, Donald Trump's European tour then hits the U.K. today. Let's bring in the former Downing Street
Director of Communications under Tony Blair, Alastair Campbell. Do you wish that you were communicating on this trip today?
ALASTAIR CAMPBELL, FORMER DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR: Well, I'm here with you now.
ANDERSON: Are you -- are you pleased that you are not -- you haven't planned this, and you are not in charge of communications?
CAMPBELL: Well, I do think one of the things that other world leaders are having to deal with is recognizing that you can plan all you want. And I
was involved in planning with President Bush, and Clinton, and there is a lot of planning goes into it.
And as we've seen in NATO, once he arrives, he just seems to tear everything up -- he just seems to delight in tearing everything up. So,
we'll have to see whether he -- I suspect he'll be taken aback by how many people are protesting against him.
ANDERSON: Well, you see them there. I mean...
(CROSSTALK)
CAMPBELL: I mean, he sits there's with his TV zapper on. It will be -- it will be very hard to miss it. I'm told this baby balloon thing is making
big waves. I will be amazed if he doesn't know about that already. And I think -- I think there is -- somebody said there at the press conference,
people in Britain like him.
Well, I'm afraid that is wishful thinking. I think most people in Britain really find it difficult to see any redeeming features in Trump whatsoever.
I think his behavior at the summit today will just confirm this idea that actually, he doesn't like these international gatherings. He doesn't like
international institutions because they can act like a bit of a check on him.
ANDERSON: He may not like them. Does he understand them? There are people who are concerned that he just doesn't get it.
CAMPBELL: He doesn't want to. He doesn't want to get it. He goes to the G-7, and he wants to tear it up. He goes to -- he goes to NATO, and he
wants to tear it up. He pulls out of the Paris Accord, he rips up the Iran agreement because it's Obama's work, and he's a big disruptive force.
Now, that's fine, and there's a place for that in politics, clearly. Because it's about change, and making change, but I think that he does it
in a sense because he wants to do it, not because it's necessarily any strategic forethought, or purpose in it.
And I think most of us here find it utterly baffling that an American president should so clearly feel more warmly disposed towards somebody like
Vladimir Putin, or even Kim Jong-un, than he does towards Angela Merkel, or Theresa May. And I think that his conduct vis-a-vis Merkel was absolutely
astounding in the last couple of days.
ANDERSON: You saw him speaking at this press conference at NATO. Flanked by Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State, and John Bolton, his National Security
Adviser, I mean, whether he likes these international meetings, these alliances or not, I mean, they will understand why he has to be at these --
at these meetings. What will their narrative be with him? Can they control him in any way do you think?
CAMPBELL: I don't know. But also, I mean, I think they pretty -- look, he surrounds himself, seems to me, with people who pretty signed up to the
Trump view of the world. And also, he seems to take delight in not reading briefs, and not bringing in experts' advice, and not thinking outside, that
outside people may be able to help him.
He sees everything in the context of how it relates to him. Even said there, all the other leaders said, thank you. Well, I know for a fact they
didn't.
[08:15:00] And most of the leaders were astounded by the way he kind of conducted himself.
ANDERSON: Does it matter at end of the day?
CAMPBELL: Well, ultimately, what matters is what gets done, and what gets agreed. Now, here -- and he does have a point on defense spending. But he
doesn't really have a point when it comes to taking -- going into a NATO summit like that, when they are genuinely concerned about what they see as
a greater threat posed by Russia, and in all sorts of different ways, and him seeming not even to want to engage on that.
So, I think he's got a point, but the way that he makes his point tends to be in this very narcissistic, very America-first kind of way, and, look,
everybody represents their country. Everybody who goes to these summits is representing their country.
But whether we like it or not, even if you are a nationalist, as he is, a lot of the way the world works is through these international agreements,
and alliances, and cooperation. And it seems to me he has the manner, and the style, and the tactic of somebody that wants to break them all up, and
that is dangerous.
ANDERSON: Mr. Campbell in the house. We await the arrival of Donald Trump here in the U.K. He is to be met with a warm welcome, and also fierce
protests, and a, well, giant orange balloon. More on how the U.K. is receiving him just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Here is President Donald Trump making his way to London for a series of meetings. As we await his arrival, I'm joined by Professor
Michael Clarke. He's a fellow of King's College, and formerly headed up the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies.
Extensively the trip here will be clearly to talk about what we've oftentimes called the special relationship between the U.S. and the U.K.
Let me ask a very basic question. Does that still exist at this point?
MICHAEL CLARKE, FORMER DIRECTOR, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE FOR DEFENSE AND SECURITY STUDIES: Nothing like it used to. I mean, it was
always a strange relationship anyway, but at its core was a military cooperation, the nuclear cooperation, and the jewel in the crown was
intelligence.
In intelligence terms Britain has a great deal to offer to the United States. Although our services are smaller, they're every bit as good as
American services, but they do things slightly differently. And that's always been the essence of the relationship.
On the political front, Donald Trump doesn't seem to get on with Prime Minister Theresa May very well. Before he set off on this trip, a couple
hours ago, he pitched himself into the Brexit argument, which is not a clever idea when you're arriving in London because it's so fraught.
He described Britain I think as a trouble spot in that respect. So he's got a few things stacked against him when he arrives, but the government
will make sure that they whisk him from -- when he lands into Blenheim Palace, and then they will whisk him to Windsor for tea with the Queen, and
they'll whisk him off to Scotland where he'll be a great deal more comfortable on the west coast, which actually is a long ways from anywhere.
[08:20:00] ANDERSON: How important is this meeting for Theresa May, the Prime Minister here?
CLARKE: It's a problem for her. One thing, it has to happen, because she was -- she was very clear when she rushed over to Washington when he'd been
elected, and offered him a state visit. This is not a state visit, and this is probably the nearest we're going to get to one.
But it's very important that Britain seem to deliver on that invitation. On the other hand, this is a difficult time because relations between
United States and all of the European allies are difficult, and it's not just a matter of personalities.
There are some real policy differences here over the future of NATO, over the Iran deal, over the way of handling North Korea, over protectionism,
and the tariffs that the President has slapped o aluminum, and steel, and maybe more. So, there are real, genuine differences between Britain and
America, which wouldn't have arisen five years ago.
So, for the Prime Minister, this is something to be managed. It's not something to welcome. She's got enough on her plate at the moment. But
it's got to happen. She's got manage it. It would have been worse if President Trump had come to the NATO summit, not come to Britain, and then
gone straight off to see President Putin in Helsinki on Monday.
ANDERSON: So, timing, then -- you know, for no other reason, timing works so far as this trip here to the U.K. is concerned. Let's talk about this
NATO conference that he will be arriving here from. How do you read what he said, what went on, and this sort of impromptu press conference at the
back end of which that many of us are still trying to work out exactly, you know, what we should understand from his words about other allies?
CLARKE: Well, it may be a series of spontaneous outbursts. It may be that, but it may be something else. If there was a strategy behind it, it
may be a strategy of giving the NATO allies a good kicking, going to Helsinki to talk to President Putin, and then doing a grand deal to settle
for the Crimea annexation, to settle for Putin's behavior over the Donbas region in Ukraine in return for the Russians withholding, and restraining
Iranians in Syria, and maybe also restraining Russian presence in the Middle East.
And what he may be saying to President Putin is, you know, you make it easier for me in the Middle East, and I'll go easier on Crimea and Ukraine,
and indeed I'll even recognize them. And the point about the European is it then punishes the Europeans in a very big diplomatic way.
ANDERSON: Trump giving his NATO allies a good kicking, as you described it, if indeed this is all part of a strategy, will suit the Russian
President down to the crowd, won't it?
CLARKE: Yes. I mean...
ANDERSON: This is an encroaching NATO alliance as the Russian President sees it, and understands it?
CLARKE: Absolutely. I mean, the Russian President, he turn the map upside down, and look out toward in Russia. It doesn't -- it looks pretty uncozy.
It's got borders with 15 different states, and what the Russians see when they look at NATO is an alliance that has enlarged itself every few years,
about seven or eight different times from 1949 onwards.
And so the Russians say, of course, you're coming towards us. You've never stopped enlarging. And indeed, NATO, now 29 states, started at 12, and now
at 29. In the communique yesterday, they say, we're going to have a 30th state, Macedonia.
Now that Macedonia has actually settled on its proper name, they invited Macedonia to become the 30th member. And so the Russians say, of course,
NATO is coming towards us. Now, that's not the way NATO sees it.
But for the Europeans, if President Trump actually is -- if he does have a grand strategy to do a big global deal with President Putin, at Europe's
expense, them it will actually prove to NATO that he means what he says, and unless you guys in NATO are serious about doing more for your own
defense, don't expect me to do it for you.
ANDERSON: Michael, a pleasure having you on. Stay with us. We await the arrival in the U.K. of the U.S. President. He will be arriving at Stansted
Airport.
He will be flown, as we understand it, to the U.S. Ambassador's residence here in London, on to a gala this evening, and tea with both the Prime
Minister and the Queen in the next 24 hours. And we will be across all of that as you would expect from us here in London. For the time being,
though, Robyn, back to you at CNN center.
CURNOW: Thanks, Becky. We will check in with you in just a moment. But I do want to update them. At news making, headlines here at CNN, he parent
of that Thai football team rescued after more than two underground can now visit them in hospital.
Thailand's House Ministry says the boys' relatives will wear protective gowns and masks. A statement says the 12 boys and their coach actually in
great health, good health, showing no signs of dangerous infectious disease.
Meanwhile, we also getting new details about the perilous rescue through those flooded caves. For more analysis, let's head straight to Thailand.
We are joined now by the founder of Chiang Mai Rock Climbing, Joshua Morris. He was at the command center at the mouth of the cave. So how are
you feeling? It's been quite a few weeks. How are you doing?
[08:25:00] JOSHUA MORRIS, FOUNDER, CHIANG MAI ROCK CLIMBING: Well, it's an incredible relief to be complete with the operation, and lots of us have
been able to take a sigh of relief, and just feel fantastic to see these boys reunited with their families.
And also the four SEALs who are in the -- in the cave also coming out safe and sound, and unfortunately only losing one person, but really the
ultimate sacrifice from the SEAL who gave his life during the operation. So to get away with no other casualties or no other fatalities is
incredible for all of us.
CURNOW: What was the hardest part of this operation? You were there in the mouth of the cave. What was the biggest challenge?
MORRIS: Well, I wasn't in, actually inside the mouth of the cave. We had a -- there were lots of different people doing different things.
Obviously, the dive was spectacularly difficult, and those divers did a tremendous job to really perform what was a mission impossible.
And in addition to the divers, there were rescue workers -- rope rescue workers working to get the boys from the third chamber all the way out to
the entrance, and just an enormous group of Navy SEALs who are doing everything they could to make it easy to move the boys from inside the
cave, and an incredible support team on the outside.
The mission commanders, the government providing a tremendous amount of support, the Prime Minister visiting the scene, and really lifting spirits,
and obviously whatever was need to make this successful coming from his majesty the king himself.
CURNOW: And the coordination, the chain of command, the size and scope of this operation, huge.
MORRIS: Absolutely. And what was really incredible, at least for me to be involved, is seeing all of these different countries working together.
All the different branches of government, and the Thai government, you know, great leadership from everyone, from the Thai Navy SEALs to the army,
to the civilian government, and also support from the U.S. Air Force Pararescue Command, and the Australian team, and the Chinese team, and
loads of additional volunteer rescue, Thai workers, and rescuers, and then obviously the heroes, the British cave divers were just spectacular, and
the Australian cave divers as well.
CURNOW: OK. Josh Morris there in Thailand. Thanks so much for updating us on what has been an amazing outcome. Thanks so much, Josh.
OK. So we are certainly following all of the latest on the U.S. President's visit to the U.K. Donald Trump is set to meet with Prime
Minister Theresa May who is facing a political crisis over Brexit. We'll have live analysis from London. So stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:30:00]
ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson in London. And welcome back to what it out special coverage of Donald Trump's trip to the United Kingdom. The
president is set to arrive here shortly. He left a very contentious meeting in NATO summit just a short time ago. He's visiting Britain at a time when
its prime minister is in the middle of a political crisis over Brexit.
Mr. Trump is set to meet Theresa May today and have tea with the queen. As we understand it, on Friday, he and the first lady will stay the night at
Winfield House in London, home of the U.S. ambassador. He will also be met by mass protests including a big balloon, mocking Trump as a baby. That's
the big blimp. He's not going to like that if he sees it.
For more analysis, let us bring in Luke Harding, foreign correspondent of The Guardian newspaper. He has said today actually when asked about whether
he had any concerns about there being protests in London, he said he was absolutely fine about that, and indeed that the U.K. people really quite
liked him, he said.
LUKE HARDING, FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT, THE GUARDIAN: Yeah, he said he was very popular. I was a little taken aback by that. He has talked to some
friends. I counted three. Nigel Farage, Piers Morgan, I think Katie Hopkins, a columnist. But when you go further down the line, not so many.
Of course, there are going to be huge protests in this town tomorrow, Saturday, and so on. I think the interesting question is whether he reacts
to this if he sees it on Fox News. And second, whether sort of Theresa May can make this visit go well, because this morning was pretty lousy,
dramatic --
ANDERSON: Yeah. What do you make of what we've heard from President Trump as he left the NATO summit?
HARDING: Well, I mean what we hear is that he was literally berating leaders of Canada, France, Germany, telling them they're not paying enough.
These are supposed to be his allies. And I think the question that will haunt this four-day trip is whether the American Donald J. Trump is the
U.K.'s ally or something else? And of course, he will have a meeting after (ph) summit with Vladimir Putin on Monday as well.
ANDERSON: To be fair, when he says that these NATO allies aren't paying their dues, they're not.
HARDING: He's right. He has a point. But it seems to me this is a sort of pre-textual thing for a rowel (ph) to kind of -- to sort of beat them over
the head. And bear in mind, this is a kind of western security alliance that has lasted for 70 years, during the whole post-war period. And this is
not normal. This is unprecedented, what Donald Trump is doing.
ANDERSON: The demise of which would be a delight for one Vladimir Putin. You spent, what, four, five years as the correspondent for The Guardian
newspaper in Moscow (ph). You probably forgotten (ph) more about Russia than most of us will ever know. How will the Russian president be preparing
for this Helsinki leg of this trip which starts on Monday?
HARDING: Well, the flippant answer is to say in the manner of a KGB case officer preparing to deal with his assets. Now, of course, Donald Trump
denies any collusion, says it's not true. But the thing that is remarkable about this president is he is so rude about everybody including the allies
again this morning. He's so nice and almost deferential towards Mr. Putin.
Now, there is no strategic explanation for this. There is an explanation offered by Christopher Steele, a former intelligence officer who lives
here, who said that actually the Russians have been cultivating Trump and helped make him president. So, we'll have to see whether he makes any
confessions on Monday, what the body language is like. Putin has had a pretty good month. He has had the World Cup and now has this great summit
as well.
ANDERSON: Luke Harding is the foreign correspondent of The Guardian newspaper, also author of "Collusion" which is a terrific read. I highly
recommend it. Thank you, Luke, for joining us today. You're watching CNN "Newsroom." We will be right back.
[08:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN HOST AND CORRESPONDENT: Welcome back, everyone. We will be returning to our coverage of U.S. President Donald Trump's rip to
Britain. He is flying there now from the NATO summit in Brussels. But first, I want to talk about this. This week, CNN is exploring a unique side
of India. Today, we take a look at thrill seekers above the Ganges River.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): This is the Ganges River you know, the longest in India and by far the most sacred. Here in the city of Rishikesh,
pilgrims travel thousands of miles to be purified by the waters what is known as "Mother Ganges."
The destination's draw is so strong. Even "The Beatles" came here to learn transcendental meditation from a local guru.
But today, that same powerful river is attracting a new kind of pilgrim, one who thrives on adrenaline.
It doesn't get much more exciting than this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one -- jump!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Welcome to "Jumpin Heights Rishikesh," a bungee jump and giant swing platform soaring above a tributary of the
sacred River Ganges. It is 83 meters high, nearly the length of a football field, and builds itself as the first permanent bungee jump in the entire
country.
MANOJ KUMAR, CO-FOUNDER, JUMPIN HEIGHTS: This is the highest in India and probably the only jump zone in India. And we have been running it
successfully for the last eight years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): Retired Colonel Manoj Kumar is one of the company's founders.
KUMAR: When you are jumping over, you have that feeling that you are attached to more beautiful angles. It becomes more beautiful and it gives
you more excitement also.
(SCREAMING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): To date, 65,000 jumps have been made since its opening in 2010. Make that 65,001.
KUMAR: This is a once in a lifetime experience. So people want to push themselves to the boundaries and see whether they can make it. And, of
course, it gives a lot of thrill. And it has, you know, a lot of video attached to it. You can boast about it that you've done it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two --
(SCREAMING)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: Three, two, one -- yikes! Good for them. I'm Robyn Curnow here in Atlanta. I'm going to hand you straight back to my colleague, Becky
Anderson, who is in London, awaiting the arrival of the U.S. president. Becky?
ANDERSON: That's correct. Thank you, Robyn. We have been talking about how Donald Trump is visiting the U.K. at a time when the prime minister is
facing a political crisis over Brexit. Days ago, her foreign secretary, one of the leading faces of the Brexit movement, Boris Johnson, resigned as did
her Brexit secretary.
Joining me now, Boris Johnson's former communications director, Guto Harri, who wrote an article just recently in GQ magazine which was less than
flattering about your former -- your former -- do we call him boss?
GUTO HARRI, FORMER COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR BORIS JOHNSON: He was my boss. He was mayor of London and he was an excellent mayor of London. He
did great things here, all reaching crescendo with the Olympics, the London Olympics. Fantastic.
But over the last few years since he decided to back Brexit, he helped Brexit a reality. Without him, we probably wouldn't have voted for it, such
charisma. Now, he's finally just bailed out of government, so he's not there to clear up the mess that he's helped create.
ANDERSON: Principles?
HARRI: Principles? Yes, that's what he says. A lot of people doubt that. I think the big clash is that he always saw Brexit as a great, big adventure.
He is a bit like your president. This is something that would take Britain to a land of new opportunities, milk and honey, hope, excitement.
And instead, the government has treated Brexit as a damage limitation exercise. What is the bear minimum divergence from Europe that we can get
away with? There was bound to be a clash.
[08:40:00] ANDERSON: I'm Scottish, by the way. U.S. network (ph).
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: We don't have a president.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: In the building behind us today, as we speak, or may I say will be the white paper for the post-E.U.-U.K. world. The Brexit white paper
effectively, which is what all of this first at the beginning of the week was about and elicited the resignation of David Davis and Boris Johnson.
The U.S. president arrives any moment now in to what is a very difficult period for Theresa May.
HARRI: Difficult and extremely delicate. For months, she has been dodging, taking decisions because she has to keep some hard Brexiteers on line in
her own cabinet. She has a very precarious majority in the House of Commons, and of course she needs to negotiate with Europe. Having all three
aligned is very tricky. He piles in and what does he do? Does he stick by diplomatic niceties? No.
He said what Boris Johnson said when he left the cabinet, this doesn't look like the kind of Brexit the Brits people voted for. He also says for good
measure, I miss my old friend Boris Johnson. He also implies that he rather spend time with Putin than with Theresa May. So, he stirred things up at a
really delicate time.
ANDERSON: This is the arch negotiator. He's wrote the book, didn't he? Or somebody did, anyway. "The Art of the Deal." He will say the art of a good
deal is winding people up somewhat beforehand. What is the U.K. going to get out of this trip, if anything, do you think?
HARRI: I think it's one of those things where a lot of people in the U.K. are going to protest very loudly, but the rest of us will just grin and
bear it because in the end, most people, I would hazard to guess, dislike the man but they respect the office.
And we have had for a long time a special relationship. And there's a lot of -- a lot of emotion in that and a lot of history and a lot of legacy and
a lot of heritage. So, we will go through with it. He will have tea with the queen and he will dine tonight where Winston Churchill was born and
will lay on this sort of red carpet, but there will be loud protests here as well.
ANDERSON: Meantime, you know Boris Johnson well enough to know whether if Donald Trump puts in a call and says, fancy a pint while I'm here, as he
doesn't drink. Fancy a coffee while I'm here. What would the former foreign secretary say?
HARRI: He would love that. You know, one very funny thing about Boris, he has got slightly crazy blonde hair like the U.S. president. He has a
slightly sort of similar skin color. And I sent a picture to Boris of Donald Trump a couple years ago, and he was promoting his book on Churchill
in New York.
Funny enough, he said four people came up to him and told him that they were voting for him in the presidential election, thinking he was Donald
Trump. So they are soul mates. I don't mean they are real soul mates in terms of views in the world but in the way they approach things. They have
a charisma. They break the rules. They do things their own way. And it was a great success for Boris when he was mayor. Less so recently.
ANDERSON: And when he was mayor, way back when, he's been foreign secretary now for how long? Or was --
HARRI: Just couple years, since the general election.
ANDERSON: What do you think Boris Johnson achieved? What's his legacy?
HARRI: I'm afraid as foreign secretary, there have been some bad incidents. There's a British woman languished in an Iranian prison and her
sentence is longer than it would have been because of Boris' interference.
He had made a very principled stand about a third runway at our main airport that most Americans fly into, and he was away from the vote,
telling instead he would lie down in front of the bulldozers. It has been a pretty rough year for him.
The main tension is being over Brexit. And the main problem for Boris is though he does articulate the great vision of hope for Britain, nobody
really believes that this man who is multilingual, who grew up in Brussels, who adores European culture is truly a Brexiteer.
They think he was assuming for piece of party political positioning in order to strengthen his credentials to be leader of the Conservative Party.
And unfortunately at the moment, I have no doubt he'll have a crack at it at some point but it doesn't look like he will succeed.
ANDERSON: U.S. president expected any minute now to the U.K. He will be landing at an airport which is just about northeast of where we are now.
Obviously we're outside the palace of Westminster here on the other side of the river.
The U.S. president will touch down and Air Force Once will be whisked into Central London and to the U.S. ambassador's residence, which actually is in
Regent's Park here in London.
But it's -- really, aside from his trip and his night spent at that residence, he will be staying away from London. And there will be protests
here. There are some protests today. More protests expected tomorrow. The schedule for the U.S. president, one might suggest, has been organized so
that he sees as little of those protests as possible.
[08:45:04] HARRI: Yes. Very interestingly, normally when you have a visit like this, you have one schedule that's in the newspapers. For the "Times"
of London today, distinguished newspaper with a 300-year history, has two schedules, one for the protesters and one for Donald Trump. And never the
two shall meet is the plan.
So he goes to a lot of places by helicopter because you can fly over the protests. And the protesters can't get to the Royal Military Academy. That
is one of the better protected places in the U.K. And the special forces and the SEAL are going to be there as I understand it.
And the palace has got acres and acres of land around it. You can't get anywhere near them. Chequers, likewise, the country residence of the prime
minister, it is one of the most protected places in the U.K.
But I guess he will because he watches TV and he is pretty hard on social media, he will know that just over there tomorrow, there will be a great,
big giant balloon of him wearing a nappy. There is genuine contempt and anger and fury. And actually the mood is pretty grim here on a more
supervision level because of losing the World Cup last night.
ANDERSON: Absolutely, of course. A disaster for every football supporting English man and woman last night and knocked out by the Croatians 2-1, of
course. A relatively somber day in this capital city today here.
You know, this trip is important to Theresa May as she organizes to exit the E.U. and there we see Air Force One in the air as it gets set to land
to just as I say northeast of here at Stansted Airport. And Theresa May will know that cutting a deal with the U.S. going forward in whatever this
post E.U. world will look like hard or soft (ph) --
HARRI: Yeah.
ANDERSON: -- is crucial, isn't it?
HARRI: Yes. Part of the Brexit narrative, part of the narrative that we need to be unshackled from Europe is that that would free us up to evolve
and develop and consolidate the relationships with countries that are more akin to us, that have the English language in common, that have cultural
similarities and all of that.
So, when Donald Trump came in and said Britain would be first in the cube for a new trade deal, it was a massive boost for Boris Johnson, David Davis
and the Brexiteers. So when he then goes and slaps tariffs on European steel, a lot of which comes from these countries in the U.K., that is a bit
of a setback. When he then questions the approach to Brexit, that is a real setback.
When he goes to NATO and seems to attack us for not pulling our weight in NATO, that again undermines the whole case that Britain's role in the world
can still be as strong as ever outside of the European Union because we are a part of the permanent five in the United Nations, we are a big player in
NATO. He is undermining all of that while thinking in his own head that he's helping.
ANDERSON: He has -- ahead of this trip -- that is Air Force One carrying Donald Trump in the air just over Stansted Airport. It's been a half hour
helicopter ride from there to the U.S. ambassador's residence in Regents Park, where he and Melania will be staying. He had described this as a
country in turmoil ahead of this trip.
HARRI: That's not an exaggeration. For once, he's fine. To lose two cabinet ministers, another minister (INAUDIBLE). It's pretty bad. Isn't it?
Not only are they people running health policies. They are running the single most important decision that Britain has had to take for a long,
long time.
And there's a fundamental disagreement at the heart of the government. Now, Theresa May has done quite well, I think, this week in getting people
around this idea. Those left in the cabinet, around this white paper. The white paper essentially is the plan. What's our plan for Brexit? We call it
a white paper here. We present to parliament.
So she is trying to sort of have that. But already we know that David Davis and Boris Johnson will be giving their own version of events on Monday.
You can expect the two of them going around the country, neither particularly shy. Boris has an exquisite gift of expression, which he will
now use destructively rather than constructively within cabinet.
So it's going to be turbulent times. To have him come here, I think the only thing in his favor is that if Theresa May has been well advised and
she has got good people around her, she'll be bracing herself for this being an absolute nightmare.
And anything short of an embarrassing, you know, kind of miserable kind of excruciating perhaps kind of encounter with Trump, particularly at the
press conference will be a bonus.
So I think she'll go in expecting the worst, do a rather good old stiff upper lip, and maybe she'll emerge stronger from this just from having to
put up with him. I don't think she's going to be holding his hand the way she did when they first met in Washington a few months ago.
ANDERSON: Yeah, hand holding moment in Washington. You're right. That was -- beginning of the year.
[08:50:00] We know that the U.S. president has a pretty busy schedule here in the U.K., then certainly in London and over to Windsor to meet the queen
and then up to Scotland for a couple of days before he goes to meet the man he described as his competitor, the Russian president, Boris Yeltsin. And
it is interesting, isn't it, that it seems -- on this trip, that -- you know, the U.S. allies in NATO were berated.
He gave them a good kicking as one of my guests just described it. He's coming here, describing this as a country in turmoil, clearly probably
looking forward to having a couple of days at golf, but it seems it's the Russian president on this European trip that President Trump is most
looking forward to seeing, described as possibly the easiest part of this trip.
HARRI: Yes. He seems to have a pawnshop for these power-crazed kind of, you know, angry, you know, lethal men. Now, hopefully that in Korea will
deliver some sort of benefits, but Putin at the moment is, you know, about as low as you could be in the estimation of most British people because
he's widely seen to have been involved in the killing of a citizen on British soil using a horrendous lethal and unpleasant way of doing that
kill and having no shame at all.
So this bromance, as it's seen, leaves the rest of us with a horrible taste in our mouths. And, you know, good luck to him if he wants to go and
wrestle with him and do judo together.
ANDERSON: Guto, thank you. For the time being, the U.S. President has touched down on British soil. That is Air Force One arriving at Stansted
Airport. Nick Paton Walsh is very close to the U.S. ambassador's residence where the U.S. president will be spending the night as we understand it.
Nick?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are as close as we can get to Winfield House, the residence of the U.S. ambassador as
you said. This is where we believe Donald Trump will land in a helicopter shortly after being taken away from Stansted Airport where you saw him
landing just there, touch down for a number of hours, and then expected to move on to Blenheim Palace in fact 60 miles to the northwest of the capital
city.
That is frankly how far he's being kept from Central London. Such an odd working visit, frankly. Its choreography designed to show a degree of
blaster pump (ph) possibly and ceremony to make him happy but keep him away from the tens of thousands of Londoners, who will be some of them coming to
the area around me here in the hours ahead, but tens of thousands going on to the streets of Central London tomorrow.
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, pretty acrimonious relationship he has with Donald Trump to the point where he's allowed two hours tomorrow above
where you're standing, Becky, to fly a six-meter tall version of Donald Trump in a nappy, a diaper, holding a mobile phone.
There will be protests in and around the capital. People wearing toxic clothing, hazmat suits, with the words "Trump Stinks" written already upon
them. He said himself he believes that he's popular here, yet most polls suggest about 10 percent of people think he's doing a good job of president
and two-thirds strongly disapprove.
So a complicated visit and one he's making no easier for himself by suggesting he's walking in to a hot spot here because of the political
turmoil that Theresa May, the British prime minister is currently experiencing, resignations of key cabinet ministers over a Brexit crunch
that is happening right now.
And, of course, too, he will be seeing himself meeting her at the Blenheim Palace later on today, possibly overnighting behind me is the current
thought, and then moving on to display British military prowess on Friday before heading north to Scotland late Friday afternoon. Becky?
ANDERSON: Air Force One on the ground at Stansted Airport in London. Nick Paton Walsh outside Winfield House, that is the U.S. ambassador's residence
here in London. And that will be where Melania and Donald Trump spend the evening, this evening. This -- this is the shot of the helicopter which we
believe will be the mode of transport to bring Donald Trump and Melania into London from the airport which is to the northeast of the city.
And Guto, we know that he has had a pretty contentious NATO summit. We are aware that he is describing the U.K. as a country in turmoil at present.
He'll be here for 36 hours. I guess as you have described it, this is more damage limitation than anything else.
HARRI: Yes. And for a lot of people in the U.K., it will be 36 hours too long.
[08:55:01] There's a protest by women specifically tomorrow and then there will be a mass protest. And there's going to be along the river here a
smaller protest in favor of Donald Trump. One interesting very thing is the contrast.
Just in case any of the audience think that we have any anti-American tendencies here, when Bill Clinton came here in his prime, people were
panting, some of them breathless to sort of meet somebody who was such a rock star in politics.
The relationship was so strong. And he knew exactly what to say. He'd spent a bit of time at Oxford University. He knew what buttons to press. Same
with Barack Obama. He came here and it was like a visit from the pope. So this is not because people don't respect the office, don't like the United
States. It's because of this individual man. This particular individual.
And of course, the suspicion is that this is exactly what he would like. This is, if this is a game show, we are playing to the gallery. We are
giving him ammunition. He's going to have a field day on Twitter over the next couple of days if he can see the protests from the helicopter.
ANDERSON: Those protests are scheduled in London amongst other places but mainly in London tomorrow. And we do know that we are expecting to have the
U.S. president kept some distance away, let's say, from these protests. Just behind myself now is the palace of Westminster.
It's only just up from here that there will be huge protests in London tomorrow. And there will be a baby blimp, as it's being described. A -- a
nappied Donald Trump, as a baby, a balloon to be flown over the palace of Westminster here by those protesters.
That is Air Force One on the ground. Guto, we've been talking about just how important a post-Brexit U.S.-U.K. trading relationship will be and
whether that's, according to WTO rules, because there's no deal so far as Brexit is concerned or whether that's, you know, under the auspices of some
of soft-ish type Brexit.
The U.S. president will be aware that there will be, you know, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of jobs dependent in America on the trade that
the U.S. does with this country.
HARRI: Yes. So he has an incentive to try to strike a deal. I think he likes this agenda. He has compared Brexit to the kind of populism that
forced upon him in the past. So if he feels any of the obligation to put his money where his mouth is, he will try and help secure some sort of deal
there.
I think what would be an interesting contrast with his visit and he's going to Windsor tomorrow for tea with the queen, will there be protests again
outside there? Only a few weeks ago, Meghan and Harry, well, thank god for that relationship as a transatlantic bond.
And even Republicans, it is very interesting to say here, even people who don't really believe in the royal family at the moment, saying thank god
there's a fine young prince, hereditary, he didn't do anything to deserve the job, but he has found a wonderful American person, you know, of mixed
race, and multicultural kind of wedding ceremony just a few weeks ago.
That will be more of an incarnation of transatlantic relationship for a little while I suspect than the relationship between Theresa May at number
10 Downing Street down there and the man in the White House.
ANDERSON: We are told he will have tea with the queen. How these things work? How much do we know about this?
HARRI: I can say I've had tea with the queen in the sense that there were another 800 people there or maybe 500. But I've been to one of those garden
parties and you do get cucumber sandwiches. It's just thinly sliced white bread with butter and very thin cucumber on it. You get scones with jam and
cream. And tea, of course. Nothing stronger, but that suits the U.S. president.
And the queen, of course, has seen heads of state from all over the world for decades. She has seen prime ministers going back to Winston Churchill.
And sometimes when cocky new leaders arrive in front of the queen, they think that they're the man, usually the man or the woman of the moment.
And, of course, she can look at them with that perspective.
I remember Winston Churchill sitting there and Mr. Trump, whatever you are, you ain't no Winston Churchill. So, anyone would find it a sobering moment,
but we'll see whether he does.
ANDERSON: That is Winston moment as it were because he's to be vetted at the Blenheim Palace, of course, the former home of Winston Churchill
tonight. We are told there will be a military parade in his honor. We do public ceremony well in this country. We know that the U.S. president likes
ceremony. So we are doing our utmost it seems as government to ensure that he enjoys his trip.
HARRI: Yeah. It is not the mile there (ph), it is not somewhere people can get to, but it is one of the most beautiful country residences in the U.K.
[09:00:02] Anyone who may have (INAUDIBLE) visited, big TV filming and series. That is what that was based. It is a stunning location on a night
like this when the sun is setting --
END
