USA: "TRUMP 2.0"? "We will put America first" – US diplomat Richard Grenell

WORLD: Mr. Ambassador, you are considered one of Donald Trump's confidants. A discussion is now underway as to whether you will be the next foreign minister. Richard Grenell: Oh, come on. We're facing an election and if you know Donald Trump, you know he's focused on it. That's why it's all just stupid talk at the moment. That's what reporters do. They want to find out who is in and who is out. The reality is that my European friends know exactly what to expect from Donald Trump. Exactly what they got in the first term. There are no surprises. WORLD: Do you think German politicians would like you to become foreign minister? Grenell: I don't care what they think. It's about America. We will follow Donald Trump's lead and put America first, just like every other country puts itself first. I spent eight years at the United Nations. There, 193 countries have always put themselves first. I have attended thousands of diplomatic meetings. There has never been a meeting in which the other country does not ask us for something. We have a national debt of $35 trillion. Think about it. Germans achieve a budget surplus every year. We would like to have an airport like Munich. We would like to have an opera house on every corner. We would like to have the infrastructure that Germany has. We spend too much money. WORLD: Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in 2019 that he was moved to tears by the now appointed candidate for the post of Vice President, JD Vance, when he read his bestseller “Hillbilly Elegy”. A year ago, the Chancellor described it as a “tragedy” that Vance went from being a “conservative opponent of Donald Trump” to a fiery supporter of “this right-wing populist.” What do you think? Grenell: Well, JD Vance and I are friends. Yes, we are populists. I don't take offense to that, because the opposite of that is an elitist leftist. WORLD: Do you think Scholz is an elitist leftist? Grenell: I do. I think that many parties in Germany have been taken over by a few people who like the system and want to keep the system, but it does n't benefit the people. Look at the German economy right now. I like Olaf Scholz, I really enjoyed my limited time with him. I found him very clever. But, you know, politicians do political things and they speak with a double tongue and they say things like: I love this book. And then, suddenly the author of the book is a Republican, and then they say, I don't like that. That's silly. We all see that. We all see the double standards in this. He thinks he can get away with it. But he won't. WORLD: Ricarda Lang, leader of the Green Party, said the nomination of JD Vance was “worrying” for Europe. Grenell: There is a war going on in Europe. There was no war when Donald Trump was president. Look, when I was in Germany, I defended Donald Trump's policies. The German government has been incredibly terrible about Donald Trump's policies against Nord Stream 2, the instructions to meet NATO's 2 percent target and us telling German companies not to do business with Iran . Now I could argue that Nord Stream 2 was one of the reasons we have the war in Ukraine. And if Iran had been pressured, it would have no money to support Hezbollah and Hamas and wage a war in Israel. I don't hear these politicians apologizing now. But I hear them quietly changing position. You now agree with Donald Trump. But they won't say they were wrong. WORLD: What is the best way to talk to Donald Trump? Should Olaf Scholz learn and play golf with him? Grenell: I think it's not that complicated. Just present your ideas to him, then you can talk to him and we'll see if there can be a deal. WORLD: Should Scholz call him now? Grenell: Of course. There is a war going on in Europe because the Russians invaded Ukraine. But Joe Biden, the world leader, hasn't spoken to Vladimir Putin in three years. I think talking to people is a tactic. It's not the solution, but that's how you start talking about goals and solutions. “I'm only concerned about America” - The interview with Richard Grenell in the video WELT: According to an agreement between Biden and Scholz, the USA should station rockets and cruise missiles with a range as far as Moscow in Germany by 2026 . Will Trump stick to this plan? Grenell: We are currently focused on the election. WORLD: Donald Trump has announced that he will no longer defend allies who do not pay. Grenell: That's not true. Let me make this clear. Someone came to Trump and asked the question what he would do if an ally said to him: No, I will not pay our 2 percent. Would he still defend him? The answer is simple. If a child doesn't follow the rules, do you let them get away with it? No. WORLD: Scholz said that “any relativization” of the mutual aid guarantees is dangerous. Grenell: The most dangerous thing is when someone pretends to be a full NATO member but doesn't fulfill their obligations. So being part of a club but not paying the dues. WORLD: The slogan at the NATO summit was: The alliance must become Trump-proof. What do you think about that? Grenell: Oh, that's what the media said. I know members of NATO who are heads of state. Privately, they will tell you that NATO was much stronger under Donald Trump. WORLD: Let's talk about Ukraine. Donald Trump said he could achieve peace within 24 hours with a meeting with Putin and Zelensky. Do you really think that's realistic? Grenell: One hundred percent. Look, Donald Trump has achieved peace agreements between Arabs and the Israelis. There were no wars in Europe during his time in office. The reality is that he poses what I would call a credible threat. There is a difference between a threat of military action and a credible threat of military action. The difference is who says it. I would like to give you an example of this. When an evangelical pastor named Andrew Brunson was imprisoned in Turkey, many Americans were upset because this NATO ally was holding him against his will. Donald Trump finally achieved this too. And he said to Erdogan, if you don't release this pastor, I will ruin your economy starting tomorrow. Pastor Brunson was released the next day. The difference is that Erdogan believed that Donald Trump would do something immediately. He didn't think Donald Trump would send a memo to the Treasury or State Department to figure out what to do in a three-month process. Erdogan knew there would be new tariffs or whatever the next morning. The Ukrainian and Russian leaders also understand that Donald Trump is credible on these issues. So, yes, he could solve this quickly. WORLD: Russia's Foreign Minister Lavrov was pleased with the nomination of JD Vance. Because Vance says he doesn't care about Ukraine and we shouldn't give them any more money if this continues. Grenell: JD Vance never said he didn't care about Ukraine. And Vladimir Putin , for his part, has said he wants Joe Biden as president because he is predictable. WORLD: Do you think that was Putin's honest opinion? Grenell: Why do you think Lavrov expressed an honest opinion about JD? You turn the argument around when it suits you. Vladimir Putin said: “I prefer Joe Biden because he is predictable.” And Vladimir Putin is right, Joe Biden is predictable. Vladimir Putin wants Joe Biden to win this election because he doesn't want to deal with an unpredictable, credible Donald Trump. WORLD: How would you describe the relationship between Trump and Putin? Grenell: You just have to look at the facts. Donald Trump is absolutely concerned about the safety of Americans. That's why he met Kim Jong-un. Kim Jong-un has Missiles fired that could threaten Los Angeles, where I live. I know a lot of people on the East Coast don't pay that much attention to North Korea. We on the West Coast definitely need to pay attention to North Korea. That's why I was happy that he met President Kim Jong-un. Donald Trump is also committed to protecting Americans against Vladimir Putin. Putin and his media have constantly attacked Donald Trump and me over the Nord Stream 2 sanctions. Chancellor Merkel and Joe Biden later lifted the sanctions because Putin wanted it that way. WORLD: What could peace look like for you? Because when I talk to Ukrainians, they say that Vladimir Putin has no interest in peace. Grenell: That's what they say under a US President Joe Biden. I don't want to go into too much detail. I haven't spoken to Trump about it. I could talk for hours about Michigan and Pennsylvania, how we win there. That's what we're concentrating on. I can only offer my personal view. I would say that the Minsk agreements failed because we had no follow-up. As soon as it was signed, a lot of people celebrated and then it continued. WORLD: Well, other steps followed, even meetings with Zelensky and Putin... Grenell: Not with credible people. WORLD: Also with Merkel and Macron. I would say both of them are credible. Grenell: Things would be different under a Trump administration. There are absolute promises that you have to stick to. WORLD: What happens if Donald Trump becomes president, also with regard to Ukraine? Do you expect Germany and Europe to pay more for Ukraine than they do now? Grenell: Of course. It's war in Europe. WORLD: What does that mean? Grenell: He's in your backyard. If there was a war in Mexico, we would do most, if not all, of the work. And we certainly wouldn't ask the Germans for help if there was a war in Mexico. WORLD: Does that mean that the USA would no longer pay anything to Ukraine? Grenell: This is a decision that Donald Trump has to make alone. WORLD: There is currently an open revolt in the Democratic Party against Joe Biden. The majority of Democrats believe he should not run. Do you still expect Joe Biden to run against Trump? Grenell: First of all, we had a democratic process in this country, the Democratic primaries, and the Democrats elected Joe Biden. The people of this country, in all 50 states, voted for Joe Biden. It's the Democratic Party elites in Washington who don't like the polls. They want to throw out what the people voted for. I keep hearing warnings about the erosion of democracy, blah, blah, blah. If we are talking about undermining democracy, then it should be a scandal that Joe Biden is stripped of his candidacy. WORLD: But it could also be that Joe Biden says he doesn't want to run for office anymore. Grenell: That's a different story. I believe he is being pushed off the stage by elites who are undermining democracy. They voted for Joe Biden. Are you telling me that Joe Biden suddenly developed dementia in July 2024? We all saw that last year. They elected him and they knew exactly who he was. WORLD: Is there a politician in Germany that Trump respects very much? Grenell: I love the Germans. I have so many German friends and I love the camaraderie we have. Germans and Americans are very similar. German and American companies are closely linked to one another. I think the problem is the German government. And I think that the German government is not listening to the people. I think when it comes to Donald Trump, there is no secret. He must be treated as if he were another head of state fighting for his people. And if he is elected, you have to talk to him and his people. WORLD: But is there a German politician he will respect the most? Grenell: I've been saying this for a long time and I really believe that Germany has the potential to become Donald Trump's favorite country. It is well governed. It has a great economy. And by well-run I mean that the society functions. It has a great structure and the people have a strong voice. It is a very powerful country. So I would say Donald Trump would appreciate the person who leads Germany in a way that cares about the people and makes decisions for Germany and doesn't try to interfere in other countries' affairs. That's what we're trying to do in America.