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Amanpour
World Reacts to Trump Victory; Mexico's Foreign Minister Reacts to Trump Win; Russia's Reaction to Trump Victory. Aired 2-2:30p ET
Aired November 09, 2016 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:00:15] CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN HOST: Tonight, the world is reeling after the election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president. Coming up,
international reaction from the Mexican foreign minister, Europe's top foreign policy chief, NATO's chief and a member of the Russian Duma who
hopes Trump will help relieve those Western sanctions against his country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If America has the will to lift sanctions, they will be lifted by the European Union next day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: And later in the program, what now for all those dreams of all of those young girls and women around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but someday,
someone will, and hopefully sooner than we might think right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the program. I'm Christiane Amanpour in London. A seismic shock is reverberating through global
politics right now. The world is trying to digest the fact that a celebrity U.S. businessman and a reality TV star with no previous elected
office has become president of the United States of America.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now it's time for America to bind the wounds of division. To all Republicans and Democrats
and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.
(APPLAUSE)
CLINTON: Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power. And we don't just respect that, we cherish it. It also enshrines
other things. The rule of law, the principle that we are all equal in rights and dignity, freedom of worship and expression. We respect and
cherish these values, too. And we must defend them.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: As the German foreign minister said today this is not the result we expected, but we will work with it.
When it comes to foreign policy, Donald Trump has been accused of everything from unhinged to often incoherent ideas, to being at the very
least unpredictable. He's insulted allies and he's brought comfort to adversaries as we'll see in our interviews tonight. From Mexico, to Moscow
and to the heart of the European Union in Brussels.
Trump raised global eyebrows by seeming to question the very legitimacy of American democracy, calling the system rigged and saying only that he would
accept the result if he won.
Yet here's a round-up now of reaction from around the world paying tribute to the U.S. election process, congratulating the winner and throwing in
some pointed warnings about alliances, engagement and global stability.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANPOUR: If the world had had a vote, periodic polling suggested that it would look like this. Instead America voted and it looks like this. World
reaction has come in fast and furious, congratulations all round as usual.
The winner of a free and fair democratic election, but also concern. French President Francois Hollande --
FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): The U.S. is an ally of France and I ask for a conversation with the new administration
come January 20th on important subjects like the fight against terrorism. I also urge vigilance because of statements made by Donald Trump.
AMANPOUR: Statements like calling NATO obsolete and then flip-flopping and saying that he's a big fan. But that allies would anyway have to pay or
lose U.S. protection.
TRUMP: I don't want to be taken advantage of. We're protecting countries that most of the people in this room have never even heard of.
AMANPOUR: Seeming to turn the 70-year cornerstone of transatlantic security into a mere business deal. The truth is, no one quite knows what
a Trump foreign policy would look like.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel made this conditional offer.
ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): Germany and America are bound together by values, democracy, freedom, respect of law and
respect of people regardless of their origin, the color of their skin, their religion, gender, sexual orientation or their political beliefs.
On the basis of these values, I'm offering to work closely with the future president of the United States, Donald Trump.
[14:05:10] AMANPOUR: A big concern is a resurgent Russia, annexing Crimea or invading Eastern Ukraine and intervening on behalf of Syria's President
Bashar al-Assad. Trump has repeatedly praised President Putin and his leadership and today Putin returned the compliment.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA: I also want to congratulate Mr. Donald Trump with his victory in these elections. We have heard his
electoral slogans about resuming and restoring relations with Russia. We understand the way to that will be difficult, taking into account the
current state of degradation of relations between Russia and the United States.
AMANPOUR: Allies expect the next president to defend the integrity of, quote, "America," its Democratic system that underpins its global
leadership after Russia has been roundly accused of trying to undermine its legitimacy.
In Asia, too, praise for the U.S. election result and again, concern among allies like Japan and South Korea, who wonder whether a President Trump
would keep holding America's protective umbrella over them or cut them adrift to develop their own nuclear deterrent as he once suggested.
While the Chinese foreign ministry quickly try to stave off tariffs and trade barriers threatened by Trump. Meanwhile, Iran called for the U.S. to
honor the nuclear deal it signed, although Trump has called it the worst and threatened to tear it up without providing any alternative.
And in Israel, hard-line minister Naftali Bennett said of Trump's Middle East policy, the era of a Palestinian state is over.
More ominously in Europe, an outpouring of love from the far right. The Netherlands Geert Wilders tweeted, "A historic victory. A revolution. We
will also give our country back to the Dutch."
A jubilant Nigel Farage, the father of Brexit tweeted, "I hand over the mantle to Donald Trump."
Looks like 2016 is going to be the year of two big political revolutions. And the far right French Party Leader Marie Le Pen called this a new world
order.
MARINE LE PEN, PRESIDENT, FRENCH NATIONAL FRONT: The French referendum in 2005, the Greek referendum in 2015, the recent electoral success of
patriots in different European countries, the massive vote of the British from Brexit and now Donald Trump's election. These are so many democratic
choices which bury the old order and so many bricks which can build the wall of tomorrow.
AMANPOUR: As an array of strong men line up from China to the Philippines to Turkey, from Russia to Europe and now the United States, the German vice
chancellor announced "Trump is a warning to us as well. He is the harbinger of a new authoritarian and chauvinistic international movement."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AMANPOUR: And the president of the European council Donald Tusk had these words of warning. "The events of the last months and days should be
treated as a warning sign for all who believe in liberal democracy."
So as the world comes to term with a Trump victory, we're reminded that 27 years ago today, the Berlin Wall fell. That wall is down, but President-
elect Trump promises as we know, to build a new wall between the United States and Mexico.
So reaction from the Mexican government, the foreign minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu joins me now from Mexico City.
Foreign minister, welcome to the program. I know that you and your president and the government have been in all-night talks about how to
react to this election victory. We know the peso has dropped to an historic low. Just give me your initial reaction.
CLAUDIA RUIZ MASSIEU, MEXICO'S FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, Christiane, hello to you and to your audience.
The Mexico-U.S. relationship does not begin, nor does it end with this election. It is a mature long-standing relationship based on common
interest, common values and a shared vision of the future. The election is over and we're very much looking forward to starting a new chapter with the
new administration.
AMANPOUR: That is the formal position of the government and I fully understand it. How do you plan to open a new chapter on the wall, for
instance? That is the first major statement that president-elect Trump made back in June of 2015 when he made this announcement. How do you plan
to get around that wall? Or do you fully expect it to be built and to pay for it, by the way.
MASSIEU: Christiane, we fully intend to stay and start working with a transition team to talk about our vision of our bilateral relationship and
our vision of North American region.
We are convinced that we are more prosperous, more competitive, more inclusive and more secure when we work together. We're fully committed to
a free trade and to the integration process that we started with the United States and with Canada over 22 years ago. And these are the sort of issues
we're going to be talking about with the transition team in the coming months.
[14:10:17] AMANPOUR: I'll get to the wall again. But you raise NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Donald Trump has said that, you know, that's no good. He would rip it up or renegotiate it or whatever may happen in the future. What is your game
plan? What is plan B for that?
MASSIEU: Well, we are very much committed to the North American vision, to NAFTA, as the treaty, as an agreement that has yielded great results for
all free countries. Commerce and trade have increased over 300 percent, intraregionally. And we have not only traded more between each other, but
we have started to produce things together.
So we know that today, 22 years after NAFTA was signed and came into effect, there is an opportunity to modernize it so that it's more
beneficial for the three countries involved. And we are willing to talk about with the new government and with Canada as well, but we remain
committed to NAFTA, to the North American vision and to free trade as a means to creating prosperity, jobs and opportunities for our people.
AMANPOUR: So you see that there might be some wiggle room, but you insist on keeping NAFTA but you agree that it could be renegotiated in some way.
Is that what you're saying?
MASSIEU: No. We think it's an opportunity to think if we should modernize it, not renegotiate it, but modernize it. Mexico believes in free trade
and we believe all governments and the North American governments have the challenge to make sure that the opportunity is created by NAFTA are more
inclusive and that more people in the free countries feel the benefit of these integration agreement that we signed 22 years ago, Christiane.
We remained committed to that and we will talk about this with the transition team in the coming months.
AMANPOUR: You know, the president-elect has also talked a lot about immigration. You've heard it. You've been on the, you know, firing line,
Mexico. He has threatened to basically deport and throw out all undocumented Mexicans. I think he said originally within the first hour of
his election or becoming president in January.
What is the situation in terms of the flow of Mexicans to and from the United States? And give me a sense of how your people are feeling about
this election results in the United States?
MASSIEU: Well, we believe that migration is the source of prosperity and growth in our region. And we have stated this repeatedly. This is our
vision and this is at the core of our policies regarding immigration.
We have seen a reverse on the migration trends from Mexico to the United States. In the past five years, we've seen more Mexicans returning to
Mexico than Mexicans are going to the United States. So we have a negative migration today with the United States.
However, we do have a large community of Mexican people living in the United States. 12 million Mexicans born in Mexico reside in the United
States and they contribute daily with their work and their creativity to the United States' growth and prosperity.
We want to assure that they can become more integrated and have more opportunities. But we are close to our community, close at this time. We
have been closer these past months and we keep our community informed with regards to their rights and the prospects of a future.
AMANPOUR: Well, you say that very diplomatically in terms of their rights to their own pay and remittances. You know, the president-elect has
suggested seizing remittances as one way of getting Mexico to pay for that wall.
So what do you tell your citizens in the United States? Documented or not, about what's in store for them and will you accept that those remittances
are seized?
MASSIEU: Christiane, we work closely with local governments, with the federal government, current government in the United States to insure that
our people have access to more services and more rights, or people even those that are in the United States, undocumented, contribute through taxes
and through their work, to the United States economic growth and prosperity. And we will work closely with the next government to make sure
that their rights are protected and that fruit of their work is also protected.
[14:20:00] AMANPOUR: Foreign Minister Ruiz Massieu, thank you very much indeed for joining us from Mexico City.
MASSIEU: Thank you Christiane for this opportunity.
AMANPOUR: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AMANPOUR: Now Hillary Clinton won 65 percent of the Hispanic vote last night, while 29 percent voted for Donald Trump. And last night, there was
a victory. When Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat became the first Latina ever elected to the U.S. Senate.
When we come back, before, during and after this election, Moscow, the Kremlin was perhaps Trump's biggest international cheerleader. I speak to
the deputy of the Russian state Duma, next. He congratulated his own colleagues on Trump's win.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
AMANPOUR: Welcome back to the program. Now a round of applause greeted my next guest as he announced news of Donald Trump's election victory to
Russia's parliament.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VYACHESLAV NIKONOV, RUSSIAN STATE DUMA DEPUTY (through translator): Dear friends and colleagues, three minutes ago, Hillary Clinton admitted defeat
in the United States election. A second later, Trump began his speech as president-elect of the United States, and I congratulate you all.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: That was Russian state Duma Deputy Vyacheslav Nikonov earlier today. The reaction of fellow Russian lawmakers, though, is hardly
surprising, given Trump's praise of Putin during the election campaign and vice-versa, including the Russian media's high praise of Donald Trump.
So what does this all mean for the future of U.S./Russian relations at this time of heightened tension? I asked the Russian deputy just moments ago
when he joined me from our bureau in Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANPOUR: Mr. Nikonov, welcome to the program. Thanks for joining us from Moscow tonight.
Hello, Christiane.
AMANPOUR: Is it true to say, is it fair to say that you are all leaping up and down, very, very happy with this U.S. election result?
NIKONOV: Well, I would not express my feelings as happiness. I think the American people should be happy electing the new president. But I think we
have a sense of relief, actually. Because with Hillary Clinton we expected troubles in the bilateral relations, which are not very useful for both our
two countries and for the whole world, since we are serious military powers.
So I think the general mood here is more positive than a couple of days ago, though many in Russia predicted that outcome, unlike the American
press or American experts.
AMANPOUR: Yes, and you will sort of admit, though, won't you, that your press was full of praise and peons and homage to Donald Trump.
And I just want to ask you what you meant when you said to the Duma today, "I congratulate you all" on this result. Those were your words today.
NIKONOV: Actually, I didn't say that. I was actually the only one in the room, we had a plenary meeting of the Duma, who was following the election
results, the election night on the CNN.
And as soon as Hillary Clinton admitted her defeat, and the very second Donald Trump started his address, I ask for a minute and said I've just
gotten news that Donald Trump has become president of the United States. My congratulations. And there was some noise. I wouldn't call it
applause, actually. So I just informed my colleagues about the outcome of the U.S. election.
[14:20:30] AMANPOUR: There was applause. And certainly said that you congratulated all your colleagues.
But anyway let's move beyond that. You describe what you don't like about Hillary Clinton. What do you like about Donald Trump? And I mean, how do
you see the U.S. relationship developing with Russia under a President Trump? What is it about his stated policies, that you think you can work
with?
NIKONOV: Well, actually, I would not say that I like Donald Trump. I'm just cautious and optimistic about the prospects of relations between our
two countries.
Donald Trump was pretty consistent in saying that he wants positive relationship. He certainly not want America over committed itself, that
America is not going to interfere militarily in every conflict around the world, which I think positive. That America will not add to its military
bases, abroad.
And there are around 400 now American military bases around Russia. He said that it is possible to cooperate with Russia on ISIS, on Syria. And I
think there are very good prospects for such cooperation and that is a very, very bad news for the terrorists. And in general he was in a
speaking mood with Russia. He will not fear to negotiate, to use the words of John F. Kennedy.
AMANPOUR: Can I ask you what precisely you're expecting? Because, yes, he has said many things, including intimating Russia's own view, that it
deserves its own quote, unquote "Sphere of influence."
I guess I'm asking you, do you expect him not to be so adamant about Russia having to redress the balance of what's been going on in Crimea or what's
been going on in Eastern Ukraine.
And as you know very well, Secretary of State John Kerry has been over and above indefatigable trying to engage with Russia on Syria.
What more can Trump do on that?
NIKONOV: Well, I don't think Kerry tried too much, or maybe he did, but the ministry of defense was not cooperative at all. So there was probably
some disagreement between the State Department and the Defense Department.
What can he do? We can cooperate. The two militaries can very fruitfully cooperate on specific targets to hit Syria or in Iraq. And there is a
possibility for a joint operation against terrorists, which is possible.
Ukraine, I think Trump understands some realities there. And the reality in the Crimea is that 96 percent of Crimea has decided to secede from
Ukraine after the unconstitutional cool and they like to be part of Russia and this is a reality, which cannot be changed.
AMANPOUR: So are you expecting him --
NIKONOV: By any foreign power or any foreign will so --
AMANPOUR: Are you expecting him to let you get away with it? I guess it's what I'm asking. Do you expect him to wipe the slate clean and for you to
carry on in Crimea and not have to pull out and desist from Eastern Ukraine?
NIKONOV: You know, we do not need any recognition of the Crimea. Crimea is just part of Russia by the will of its own people. And, of course,
there are people living in Eastern Ukraine and they will decide their fate, not Donald Trump or anyone else.
AMANPOUR: Do you expect his help in, in tempering the west demands, the NATO demands for and the EU demands and the removal of sanctions over the
Ukraine and Crimea issues?
NIKONOV: If America has a will to lift sanctions, they will be lifted by the European Union next day. But being a businessman can understand too
well that the sanctions are harmful and not just for the Russian economy, they're also harmful for the European economy and for the American economy.
AMANPOUR: Let me ask you finally, you know, you have been blamed by American intelligence agencies, by people who are experts in the tech and
hacking sector of society for trying to interfere one way or another with the election process.
Whether or not on behalf of one candidate, but definitely to undermine the legitimacy of the American Democratic process. Brand America so to speak.
How are you going to lay that to rest?
[14:25:08] NIKONOV: Well, you know, we still think America is a great power. It's not a Banana Republic. And no foreign force can really
undermine American democracy or the image of American democracy internationally.
So I think you should decide whether Russia is a regional power with the economy in shambles or it's a great power which puts its nominees for the
U.S. presidency and influence the outcome of the election and the fate of American democracy.
I don't think Russia is that powerful. But if you think we are, probably we should start speaking in equal terms.
AMANPOUR: I read you loud and clear, Mr. Nikonov. Thank you very much indeed for joining us tonight.
NIKONOV: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AMANPOUR: And after a break, more global reaction to President-elect Donald Trump. But, first, CNN's Van Jones digesting the result last night.
On a moment of introspection for many families in America and around the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: You tell your kids, don't be a bully. You tell your kids, don't be a bigot. You tell your kids, do your homework and be prepared. And
then you have this outcome. And you have people putting children to bed tonight and they they're afraid of breakfast. They're afraid of how do I
explain this to my children?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
AMANPOUR: Welcome back to the program.
Now all around the world, the media are reacting to Donald Trump's victory with shock and disbelief.
Some in New York and Washington simply say "Trump's Triumph," but "The New York Daily News" blares out "The House of Horrors and the Divided States of
America."
And Germany's "Die Welt" asking "How Could This Happen?"
In France, the conservative "Le Figaro" ran a front-page editorial calling America a country in need of reuniting.
And as we've seen, a special edition of the left-leaning "Liberacion" struck a despairing note with "Trumpocalypse" or something like that.
In Mexico, where as we've said Trump has repeatedly threatened to build a wall along the border to keep out immigrants. One of the country's leading
newspaper said "The world underestimated Trump, whose candidacy started as a joke."
Now as pollsters and pundits, politicians and ordinary people all over try to figure out the reasons for this result, we recall what the Nobel Prize
winning economist, Paul Krugman told us would factor into a Trump win. This is what he told me at "The New York Times" democracy forum in Athens
this September.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL KRUGMAN, NOBEL PRIZE WINNING ECONOMIST: This is not in fact about economic anxiety. There are plenty of problems with the economy, but
that's not what's behind Trump.
AMANPOUR: What is it about it? What is behind this?
KRUGMAN: Race. I mean, ultimately, it's about race. You cannot understand anything sadly in this election, in U.S. politics without seeing
it as a certain, unfortunately, a fairly large fraction of Americans who don't like the fact --
END
