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Trump Defends Withdrawal, Says U.S. Has Protected Kurds; Trudeau's Liberals Projected to Win Canada Election. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired October 22, 2019 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our viewers all around the world I'm, John Vause and we begin this hour with the coronation in Japan.
Emperor Naruhito will claim his enthronement in a long ceremony steeped in tradition dating back to the 7th century. These are live pictures from the Pine Pavilion in the imperial palace and shortly those curtains will be drawn back.
And this is the high point of the ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, the rituals began in May with a much smaller event when he replaced his father who abdicated for his failing health.
Shortly Naruhito will announce to the world his new status as the 126th emperor and when he does he will stand before the audience of kings and heads of state as well as princes, princesses and dignitaries from 200 countries and prime minister Shinzo Abe will lead the crowd in a cheer, which means 10,000 years or long live the king.
Surprisingly, CNN's Will Ripley did not get an invite to the ceremony but he joins us live.
When Naruhito does speak, I guess there is an expectation that he will follow his father in many ways to pacifism.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He is certainly not expected to be far from the script, if at all. That is to be expected because one thing that we know about the throne which prides itself as claiming to be the worlds oldest hereditary monarchy, you do that because things stay relatively the same and this ceremony is expected to look very similar to the emperor Akihito's back in 1990.
Looking at those old archives helped us piece together what we expect to see which should be really extraordinary because it gives us a glimpse into Japan's heritage, its past, a colorful, beautiful ceremony and a ceremony that is now in recent years within one lifetime opened up to the public because, back in the past, prior to World War II, the emperor was considered an absolute sovereign but basically a demigod. There was no access or no interaction with the public. This is one of the few monarchies in the world where as they continue to open up, their favorability ratings increase. More have a favorable impression of the monarchy today than 20 years ago, which is fascinating, according to a poll which is out within the last couple of days.
Nancy Snow, a professor of public diplomacy, knows a lot more about what we're going to see in the next few minutes.
And Nancy, this is one of the days in Tokyo, you're walking down the sidewalk and the umbrella flips upside down. I might be speaking from personal experience but now the sun is out.
It's very auspicious?
NANCY SNOW, KYOTO UNIVERSITY: It's quite a celebration. We need to look at this as a celebratory ceremony because this is the continuity of Japan regarding as you said the longest serving hereditary monarchy. And there is still excitement. We're just six months in.
RIPLEY: This is name of the new era in Japan after the end of the Heisei, which was Akihito's.
SNOW: Will, as you pointed out, I think there is additional excitement given how modern this couple is. They're really coming into their own. And the emperor was educated abroad. As we know she went to Harvard. Also was educated in U.K. and she was a diplomat for over five years and he really pursued her and she was a commoner like the empress emeritus as well.
But there is an interest amongst the public in their biography and what they plan to do as being the symbols of the state and also representing the unity of the Japanese people.
These are critical roles even if they aren't per se political. Nevertheless, they have a duty to be carried on, especially most recently with the typhoon devastation. And there will be an interest in these victims of natural disasters, which will surely continue in Japan.
RIPLEY: We're talking to John Vause in Atlanta. He can hear you.
John, natural disasters have been one of the most tragic events that binds the Japanese people with the monarchy certainly with Akihito.
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RIPLEY: One of his biggest moments of his reign was after the Fukushima Daiichi tsunami and subsequent nuclear meltdown when he met with the victims and kneeled down at their level. We actually saw the new emperor Naruhito doing the same thing just a week ago.
SNOW: That's right. Not only that, the new emperor, they visited as a couple in the Kobe earthquake back in 1995 I was just recently watching footage and they really showed so much emotion and identification with what people were going through right after 2011 and 3/11, they were doing the same.
So that's so important that they connect with the people, especially who are suffering. Because they are also supposed to be symbolically representing the emotions of the people, even though we are seeing a very formal ceremony, we will see a celebration showed and three cheers coming from Prime Minister Abe.
VAUSE: On the formality of the ceremony and the tradition, we have an idea of the dress if you like of the emperor, which was tweeted out a little bit earlier. This is the first look if you like of what he will be wearing. It's the traditional kanmuri, it's about 6-7 meters high and the white robes as well.
And this is what he will be wearing for the first part.
But Will, this is not just a stand-alone ceremony. It's part of the ascension to the throne which began in May, and there is a third part which comes in a couple of weeks.
RIPLEY: Right. There is supposed to be a parade before the ceremony expected to last a few minutes and before tonight's banquet, several with the emperor and empress. But they actually postponed the parade not because of today's wicked whether, because of the supertyphoon in Japan last weekend.
I think it was probably a good call, would you say?
Given the fact that more than 70 people were reported killed.
SNOW: Absolutely, that was the right call. They made it on Friday and I think we're going to see blue skies and sunshine and make that prediction on Sunday, November 10th.
RIPLEY: If that's an accurate forecast, you will be the best weather woman that we've ever seen in the world.
SNOW: That will bring more people out on the streets and there's the possibility of having the beautiful Toyota Century limousine going about 5 kilometers from the imperial palace to the Akasaka residential palace.
VAUSE: That's where the new emperor will break from his father's tradition because 30 years ago, he was in a Rolls-Royce so this is very much a nice touch if you like.
SNOW: It is a nice touch. Again, I think symbolically, it represents so much because remember, Naruhito is interested in sustainability, participant with the water, the sea and how people deal with these disasters.
And it's a multi-island nation but I could foresee the two of them actually getting involved in that issue, which is a global issue. This might take them overseas and he is the first to give a speech at the United Nations on water back in 2013, which was the first from the royal household to do that. And that's quite significant as well. RIPLEY: One question people will be asking is will the emperor give speeches as well because she was a promising career diplomat with Ivy League education and was working at the ministry of foreign affairs and reluctant, according to news reports, for years to say yes to the then crown prince who was so persistent that eventually she did.
Then she marries into the imperial family and all of a sudden this modern career diplomat, promising diplomat, is standing silent and waving and smiling. And it's been that way for more than 25 years. You wonder if that will change under this.
SNOW: I will make another prediction, Will, she will speak because we've been waiting to hear from her more. And this is somebody who is fluent not only in English but also French and German. She grew up as a little girl in New York City, in Moscow; she's the daughter of a diplomat and was involved in negotiations in the OECD, having to do with trade.
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SNOW: And I think she has a lot to say and knowing the emperor, he has been supportive of her and spoke so eloquently at the time when she did go into more seclusion.
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RIPLEY: She had some health issues that she struggled with for a number of years.
SNOW: Yet they are blossoming, even in the last several months, noteworthy was their speaking English initially without that translator when the president and the first lady were here.
RIPLEY: A thoroughly modern couple, despite the fact that by all appearances we're seeing a lot of ancient tradition -- John.
VAUSE: In case you're just joining us right now, it's 10 minutes past 1:00 in Tokyo and the ceremony we believe began at 1:00. The officials were brought into the Pine Pavilion. Dignitaries with almost 200 other countries have gathered essentially for the emperor Naruhito to announce his new status to the world as Japan's new emperor.
Among that guest list is impressive names, but representing the United States is the transportation secretary Elaine Chao, who's a late substitution for the vice president Mike Pence. But Aung San Suu Kyi, the civilian leader of Myanmar, has there been any criticism of her, given her fall from grace around the world in the role she's played in the persecution of the Rohingya?
RIPLEY: Not that I've seen in Japanese media at all John although she's the one that mentioned as Prince Charles and South Korea prime minister, President Moon Jae-in who is expected to meet with prime minister Shinzo Abe with the deepening rift between the two countries over historical issues. And not only -- we know in this part of the world history plays a very
big role in what's happening in current events. The bigger controversial figure we will see is Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam.
Here in Tokyo, there have been small protests in support of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. The organizers of those protests are saying that they will not be out protesting today. This is a day for the emperor and not for distractions, which I think speaks to how considerate the Japanese culture is.
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VAUSE: Nancy -- we just want to interrupt for a moment because it looks like they will be drawing back the curtains. One moment.
We have the drawing back of the curtains on the thrones and both the emperor and empress now essentially -- the enthronement ceremony underway before the dignitaries from around the world.
We're expecting to hear from emperor Naruhito. There will be a short speech that's about two or three minutes and then from prime minister Shinzo Abe. Both in very traditional Japanese dress and this very traditional ceremony --
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VAUSE: -- going back to the 7th century.
Go ahead, Will.
RIPLEY: I have to say, that image of the curtain separating was almost identical to the archive footage I've seen of emperor Akihito back in 1990. It's just extraordinary how the tradition continues.
VAUSE: Question for Nancy.
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SNOW: -- something about his reign going forward.
VAUSE: -- you talk about the protesters who decided to stay away out of respect for the tradition and the emperor on this day, the protesters who were upset about Carrie Lam.
SNOW: That's not really unusual because, again, this is a day for the emperor to celebrate the actual enthronement. You have to look at this first year of Reiwa, these common acts which are ritualistic performances and they're very sacred.
And I think that it would probably considered bad taste to be taking away from that and stealing some of this media.
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RIPLEY: Here goes the emperor.
Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, one of the few people allowed in the room to witness this, the rest of foreign dignitaries, heads of state, kings from across Europe Prince Charles all are watching from monitors from another room. Few people actually inside the Pine Pavilion watching us right now.
VAUSE: Will, the video link they have for the ceremony is also part of that.
RIPLEY: That's right, yes. Normally people don't get to see this so this is yet another example of how slowly the Japanese imperial family welcome to a lesser extent than other monarchs, when you think about the British. But they had Instagram and Twitter. You won't see that anytime soon from the Japanese emperor Naruhito.
However, we are seeing a glimpse like we haven't before, which is a real treat to see this unfold.
VAUSE: Nancy, the emperor has the gifts that he inherited and to the gifts from the ceremony back in May, two of the gifts, he does not have the mirror but he has the sword and the gem. Is that correct?
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SNOW: That's right.
VAUSE: What do they represent?
SNOW: They have the jewels and the sword and on either side, you will see the desks (ph) that hold these. He has not seen them. They are that secret and that sacred.
RIPLEY: We'll talk more about the imperial regalia after we wait to see when the emperor begins what's expected to be very short remarks, followed by the prime minister Shinzo Abe.
VAUSE: If these remarks are any indication, (INAUDIBLE) back then. There was something really controversial and it was very much as expected and that will be the case this time as well?
RIPLEY: Akihito used this speech to reaffirm his commitment to the people.
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RIPLEY: We expect it right now as well.
NARUHITO, EMPEROR OF JAPAN: (Speaking Japanese).
RIPLEY: What we are expecting the emperor to say is to reflect on his father, Akihito, more than 30 years on the throne and continue to reaffirm the goodwill that the Japanese feel for his father. He will pay tribute to him and like his father did.
VAUSE: Why is the former emperor, Akihito, not attending the ceremony today?
RIPLEY: Both the emperor and empress emeritus, once they step out of the public eye, they are out and we won't see them much at all anymore. They have relinquished and handed over their official duties, even though they do still live within the imperial palace now, they will move to the Akasaka palace, where the emperor and empress lived for years and they will eventually move, after renovations, move everybody's things over and it will be a long process.
The emperor is watching and he will have discussions with his son later today but he will not be visible in any of these events.. This is emperor Naruhito's moment and Akihito stepped out of the public eye for good to retire.
RIPLEY: We don't expect any -- obviously there's no political message in this speech. This is a speech reaffirming his pledge act as a symbol of the state and the Japanese people, the Japanese emperor no longer has absolute power and Akihito was the first to fully embrace the role. He was just a teenager when World War II changed everything and took away much of the imperial family's power.
The remarks have just finished --
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VAUSE: Nancy, just curious, there has been some reports of tension between Shinzo Abe, who has a more robust view of Japan's role in the world and what the constitution says. And Akihito, the former emperor, is a pacifist view and his commitment to a nonaggression treaty.
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VAUSE: Is there that tension there? Are those reports real? Will those tensions continue on?
SNOW: I wouldn't say they really dominate the conversation here. I would point out that Abe's role today is to be the representation of the Japanese people. So while there will be discussions about changes with the constitution, that will come down the road.
RIPLEY: Today is not the day.
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RIPLEY: -- understated all of this is. When you think about when I was in Thailand and Bangkok for the Thai king's coronation and he was carried through the streets by soldiers on a palanquin, nothing like that here in Japan, even though the price tag is 150 million U.S.
For the total ceremonies that include the parade next month on November 10th, the way that Japan does it is elegant and simplistic.
SNOW: That's what Japan is known for with its hospitality and its architectural style. They do it very well and they're very precise about it. And I think so far from what we're seeing this is quite moving.
RIPLEY: For people watching this, what does this moment mean?
SNOW: Whether you are that pro monarchy there's a pride about the nation. The emperor and empress and their family represent the nation state, brand Japan and it's still a very prominent role beyond politics. I think we would like to have conversations that get us beyond politics and focus on
RIPLEY: Here's Shinzo Abe.
SHINZO ABE, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (speaking Japanese).
RIPLEY: Again, we do not have the full remarks but we will get them to you as soon as we can. It is not expected to be in any way political. It is simply the prime minister of Japan fulfilling his role as a representative of the people who, public opinion polls show that 70 percent of Japanese have a favorable view of the imperial family, which is extraordinary in this day and age.
VAUSE: Absolutely. Shinzo Abe is essentially congratulating the emperor and it's pretty standard stuff for enthronements as they go in Japan. After he does that, there will be congratulations, which means 10,000 years of kings.
It's interesting that the stability of Japan's royal family is essentially what is a reason why he's so popular in Japan and it's traditional, it's stable and everything as you said, Will, everything moves at a glacial pace and people know what to expect. There's a certain consistency and reliability there.
RIPLEY: I think about this because, yes, things do move at a glacial pace. And if you've ever dealt with the imperial household agency, getting permission for anything in this massive bureaucracy, you can pull your hair out.
Imagine trying to live in that where you have all of these people around you, these palace bureaucrats, micromanaging every single detail of your life, which for someone born into it, I guess, you get used to it.
But for the empress months ago, this is something that she did not. She experienced life as a free citizen and then gave that up gave it up for the gilded cage of the palace life, where every move you make is watched.
So I can't imagine, other than her wedding day, any bigger moment where the reality of what her life has become is really setting in as she stands in the Pine Pavilion in robes that are so heavy, it's difficult to walk, probably difficult to stand up and she is now the empress of Japan, alongside the emperor. VAUSE: I'm curious, one of the issues that he will to face -- oh, one moment.
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RIPLEY: -- firing, echoing through the streets of Tokyo. We hear it from our balcony here.
VAUSE: It's all part of the ceremony, we will see the drapes of the imperial throne will close and they'll leave the Pine Room or the Pine Pavilion and that will be it. Almost on time.
I'm wondering, if one of the issues he will be facing is the issue of whether or not women within the royal family will be able to ascend to the throne because there is a crisis of not enough boys being born in the royal family, right?
SNOW: Right. That is a discussion that will take place as well. It will not be one that we would see the empress lead, of course but I know there is a lot of excitement about her role as speaking out more and traveling with the emperor.
And I think that we will give them some time to find their roles in this new era. It may be a little bit too soon to predict exactly how they will be different and more modern. But I think they have wonderful role models on which to really grow their roles as global leaders for Japan.
VAUSE: Who are the role models?
RIPLEY: Now the curtain closes.
You get goose bumps seeing -- we talked about the modernization of the imperial family, yet looking at this, we are getting a window into Japan's past, into this legacy; 1,200 years of continuous hereditary bloodline and, in many ways, what we are witnessing right now are traditions that the public never got to see a century ago but were happening behind those palace walls.
SNOW: I would also add that it's important to view all the dignitaries there as witnesses. This is also a sign of Japan's continued leadership in the world, that the world really relies on Japan's peace brand.
I think there is some talk about updating that. But Japan has had this legacy of 70 plus years of living with this constitution that has really done them well. And you remember the last time we saw anything equivalent, that would've been at the height of Japan, the bubble economy but still Japan maintains this huge economic role, the third largest economy.
RIPLEY: It's something to have the kings of Belgium, Sweden, Prince Charles of the U.K. all in the same room, along with heads of state like Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte, the vice president of China, deputy chairman of the Federation of Russia.
And this is an opportunity for prime minister Shinzo Abe to hold political meetings. The emperor will not because his role is strictly apolitical. He's not supposed to even have an opinion about events. But he can influence the public through the nuanced ways that he speaks, like his father did, never overtly saying.
SNOW: Akihito did not even use the A word when he gave his speech.
RIPLEY: He basically said everything else but I want to retire. But every single Japanese person knew what he was saying. He said I'm getting older and my health is fading. I'm can't, fulfill my duties, which is Japanese for I want to retire.
SNOW: That was very persuasive communication because the public very quickly got behind him on that.
RIPLEY: It's a beautiful day in Tokyo.
VAUSE: They moved everything in inside because of fears of the rain and the artifacts involved so they needed to keep it out of the bad weather but it turned out to be a clear day, which as Nancy mentioned, is an auspicious sign for the new emperor and empress as they announced their enthronement.
We would like to think Will and Nancy for walking us through, what has been a fairly low key but meaningful ceremony in Tokyo, we will take a short break but more news when we come back, you're watching CNN.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody.
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U.S. forces who were welcomed as allies when they joined Kurdish fighters to defeat ISIS in Syria. Now as they leave, they're being pelted with rotten potatoes and rotten fruit. A ceasefire with Turkey will end in the coming hours, and Ankara has given every indication it's ready to resume its military offensive unless the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces pull out of the so-called safe zone. And even if Turkey honors that safe zone, it's unclear if Turkish-backed rebels will.
Abandoned by the U.S., the Kurds have made new allies with the Syrian government and its Russian backers. The whole situation will make for an interesting meeting between the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Sochi on Tuesday.
Meantime, the U.S. president defending his Syria strategy. Donald Trump says that some troops may stay behind to guard the oil.
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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Where is the agreement that said we need to stay in the Middle East for the rest of humanity, for the rest of the civilization to protect the Kurds? It never said that. And we have protected them; we're taken very good care of them.
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VAUSE: With us now from Cambridge, Massachusetts, is David Sanger, CNN political and national security analyst; national security correspondent for "The New York Times," as well.
David, thanks for being with us.
DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Great to be with you, John.
VAUSE: OK. Well, the president, who was very blunt on Monday about what he believes the Syrian Kurds are owed and what they're not owed. Here he is.
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TRUMP: We have a small group there, and we've secured the oil. Other than that, there's no reason for it, in our opinion. And, again, the Kurds are going to be watching. We're working with the Kurds. We have a good relationship with the Kurds, but we never agreed to, you know, protect the Kurds. We fought with him for three and a half to four years. We never agreed to protect the Kurds for the rest of their lives.
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VAUSE: So in other words, next time, they should, what, get it in writing? Technically, though, he is right. There was an official agreement, but this also sort of seems how Donald Trump ran his businesses, in a way. You know, there was no regard for morals or ethics or, you know, what was right and what was wrong, at least at times.
In some case, he would use the letter of the law and the courts, you know, to avoid and delay, you know, making good on payments, in a way. This is just Donald Trump being Donald Trump.
SANGER: Well, it may be, and certainly, if you talk to people who worked with him in the real-estate business and some who worked with him in the first two and a half years in this presidency, they'll tell you that loyalty runs in one direction. It wouldn't be the first White House that happened to.
But if you parse his statement a bit, John, there's an interesting element in it. First of all, he makes it sound as if this protection of the Kurds is a one-way street. Well, the Kurds were doing a lot of work for the U.S. They were doing a lot of the fighting out there. They were guarding the ISIS camps, not a small task. They were holding this part of Syria which, while a relatively small slice, is a significant slice of the population, and kept the Russians and the Iranians from exercising influence of (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And then lastly he referred to we're protecting the oil. Well, he's referring to oil fields that did support British operations and so forth, but it's interesting that that's a higher priority for him than, say, making good on our alliance, keeping out the Russians and the Iranians.
VAUSE: Well, America's setting a standard for the world to follow, which is once did when it came to doing the right thing.
The president also said in that statement the Kurds are very happy, and they're continuing to work with the United States. That doesn't seem entirely clear right now, but here's how the Kurds farewelled some U.S. soldiers in northern Syria on Monday.
They were pelted with that vegetables and rotten fruit. You know, obviously, they're not happy. Some are angry and many are terrified. And this is kind of like "Yankee, go home."
SANGER: Well, it's worse than "Yankee, go home" in many ways, because these are people who feel betrayed.
The Americans here were invited. There was a mutually beneficial relationship which the president just terminated two weeks ago in the conversation with President Erdogan of Turkey.
So I think this is the rotten vegetables of betrayal. And it can't feel any better for the American troops there, who have built up relationships with these Kurdish forces, feel about them that they're allies, and now have been ordered to abandon them.
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VAUSE: And the president has made it perfectly clear that, you know, he believes the troop drawdown was not only a key election promise -- he said that again on Monday -- but he also added this sort of personal note about, you know, the toll, I guess, still taking on him, you know, the fatalities of U.S. servicemen and women.
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TRUMP: It would be much easier for me to let our soldiers be there, let them continue to die. I go out to Dover, and I have to -- I meet parents. It's not a pleasant thing. It's the most unpleasant thing I do. Most unpleasant thing I do.
When I see that big cargo plane open, and I see those coffins get rolled off. I've sent many letters home to parents, saying their son or daughter has been killed over in the Middle East. For what? For what? There are times to fight, and there are times not to fight. There are times to be smart.
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VAUSE: But earlier this year, in a report in the "USA Today," they're actually reporting on two U.S. servicemen who died in a suicide bombing in Manjir (ph) in northern Syria, they said, basically, since 2016, four U.S. troops have been killed in Syria.
So, you know, the total is six. There's been another death which was non-combat-related so maybe seven, that's 2016. So when you look at all of this, we put this together. You know, you have the American troops who died and clearly, you know, that's tragic and with no disrespect to those lives which have been lost, it's a minimal cost for what the impact has been.
And then, also, the other part is, you know, these soldiers are not coming home to the United States. They'll be sent across the border to Iraq, at least for a short time, we believe, to Iraq. So how does all this marry with what the president is saying about this commitment to bring them home?
SANGER: You know, John, one of the curiosities here is that the president frequently seems to conflate combat deaths with -- with part of the endless war complaint he has, with forces that are essentially conducting peacekeeping operations.
And while any death is too many, obviously, along the Syrian border, we've had very low casualties and in return, you had a way to keep Iran and Russia at bay, ISIS contained. and that's an awful lot of return on the investment.
That's not the way the president discusses it. He talks either about the monetary cost or says that we're facing a human -- a terrible human cost. And I'm not sure along that part of the border, that we have had a very high cost, particularly compared to the Afghan and Iraq wars.
VAUSE: David, thank you so much. I appreciate your reporting. I appreciate you being with us.
SANGER: Always great to be with you, John.
VAUSE: Thank you.
Well, normally in Canada, they're so polite and so nice. But there's been an unusually nasty election campaign, now it's over. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's fight to stay in office after a number of major scandals.
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VAUSE: Well, Canada's prime minister has won one of the country's closest elections in years, but he did not win enough votes for a majority government.
The CBC and CPB project Justin Trudeau will form a minority government. It was a nasty campaign with the conservative challenger Andrew Scheer in a dead heat with Trudeau for most of their campaign.
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Paula Newton live with this. I guess a lot of people, Paula, will wait and see if that blackface controversy will have any impact. It didn't seem to have any effect. That was predicting a minority government before then.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you can say that. At the same time, it was really an interesting campaign, in the sense that it was so truly negative, more negative than they'd ever seen there.
As you said, though, it essentially came out unscathed in the sense that he is still Canada's prime minister but a much diminished one here, John, in terms of the fact that he will not have the stature that he had abroad, does not have the votes to pass legislation. The seats, I should say here, in Canada.
And that will mean that Canada's posture globally is different, and it also means that, despite what was a thriving economy -- think about it, John. He had an appointment rate that was an historic low, and he came out of this race losing seats and having to actually go to other parties to be able to pass any significant legislation.
I should say that during this campaign, the former U.S. president, Barack Obama, broke with convention, John, and decided he was going to endorse Justin Trudeau.
And right now, we just heard from Donald Trump, saying quite a gracious congratulations here, John, saying, "Congratulations to Justin Trudeau on a wonderful and hard-fought victory. Canada is well-served. I look forward to working with you."
That is interesting, as well, because remember, John, Donald Trump called Justin Trudeau a liar about 14, 15 months ago after the G-7, something that Justin Trudeau has been called again and again and again during this campaign. And then it seems the U.S. president is ready to work with him again and for one specific reason. He wants that trade deal passed, right, the USMCA. He knows it is important to Donald Trump's reelection.
That will likely pass here in Canada, but it might need a little bit more tweaks along the way. That doesn't mean it will be completely renegotiated, but suffice it to say if you're a Republican right now, trying to pass that USMCA because you need it for your reelection, you are keeping a very close eye on Canada to make sure that at least they will be able to do what they said they would do and ratify that deal.
Not a whole new ball game here in Canada, John, but certainly a significant change to the state of play and to the playbook that the liberals under Justin Trudeau will -- will look to use, whether it's in their domestic policy or, more importantly, abroad -- John.
VAUSE: Yes, at a time, Paula, we'll have more of this next hour, but it's not a new playbook. It's an old one from 50 years ago, from Trudeau's father. Start strong but then struggle to be reelected. Interesting stuff.
Paula, thank you. We'll talk to you next hour.
Head to Israel now. A major change on the face of politics there. The prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has abandoned his attempts to form a new coalition government.
And that means for the first time in a decade, the mandate will pass to another political leader. That person likely to be Benny Gantz from the Blue and White Party. Israel's president intends to give him an opportunity to form a government, but that is no guarantee Gantz will actually end up being able to be in a position of power.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. WORLD SPORT is next.
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VAUSE: Hello. Welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm John Vause.
Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, as the Kurds pull back, the U.S. pulls out, and Turkey gives every indication its military offensive in northern Syria will resume when a ceasefire ends just hours from now.
Canada's Justin Trudeau and his Liberal Party appear to win a second term, but after a very bitter and nasty campaign, he'll be leading a minority government.
And just like it was 1,200 years ago, the coronation of the 126th emperor of Japan.
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