Amb. Grenell on N. Korea: Trump ‘Knows How to Really Use Both the Carrot and Stick’

‘This all started from President Trump doing really tough diplomacy with the Chinese’

RUSH EXCERPT:

MacCALLUM: "Wait and watch, so fascinating. John, thank you very much. Here are now in a story exclusive, newly confirmed ambassador to Germany, ric grenell. Ambassador, great to see you. Do you think this Singapore summit will happen?"
GRENELL: "I think as President Trump said, wait and see. This is an issue that has frustrated many administrations before the Trump Administration, and I’m very pleased to see the action that we have seen over the last couple months. This all started from President Trump doing really tough diplomacy with the Chinese. We have seen the Chinese raised their hand for sanctions at the U.N. Multiple times, and yet, not really implement those things. What President Trump data early on in his administration was signal that diplomacy was going to be tough, and he pressured the Chinese to actually implement the sanctions that they had voted for previously, in consecutive years. So what we saw pretty quickly was, once the Chinese decided to implement the sanctions, we saw action. We saw the North Koreans feel the squeeze, feel the squeeze of President Trump’s diplomacy, and come to the table. Now we have to have clear eyes and wait and see what happens but I’m confident that this president knows how to negotiate. I have seen him negotiate and he also knows how to really use both the carrot and the stick, if you will, and he’s been very successful at that."
MacCALLUM: "That is what we are seeing with the cte deal, which you wonder if it isn’t getting back on track."
GRENELL: "He has said he’s going to fight for the American people and use all of the tools that the government has. Not just make one argument but he will say as he said to president XI early on, if you help out with North Korea which is a very serious policy for us, a threat to the American people. If you help us out on North Korea, he will be able to get a better trade deal from us. Those types of negotiation skills, to intermingle multiple issues, I think it is a fantastic way to negotiate. I’ve waited a long time to see a president actually use all of the tools of the U.S. Government has at its disposal, and this president has shown he is willing to do that."
MacCALLUM: "I want to put up a tweet that you sent may 8th, right after you began your ambassadorship in Berlin. As President Trump said, U.S. Sanctions will start to target Iran. U.S. Companies doing business in Iran should wind down operations immediately. There’s lots of corporate entanglement between Europe and Iran and they don’t necessarily want to unwind that ambassador."
GRENELL: "I think President Trump is very clear about U.S. sanctions on Iran. And he has been very clear that companies get to choose. They can either choose to do business with the United States, or they can choose to do business with Iran but, they won’t get to divorce. President Trump has been clear about that and secretary Pompeo has been clear about that. What you are seeing here throughout Europe are companies telling us that, of course they are going to choose the United States. When forced to make a decision about choosing either doing business with the mola, or the United States, it’s the diplomat’s duty to follow the directives and policies and be out front. All we are trying to do is present that choice to businesses throughout Europe. It is their choice, they can decide which government or which market they are going to want to play in, and at the end of the day, whatever they choose is their decision."

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