JOE BIDEN ON THE WORLD STAGE OF
THE G20 SUMMIT.
PRESIDENT, CHINESE PRESIDENT
COMING FACE TO FACE FOR A
HIGH-STAKES MEETING.
YOU THINK PRESIDENT XI JINPING
NEEDED A CHEAT SHEET?
ARE PRESENTLY DEAD.
HE GOT WAS INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW
TO ACT, FLAT OUT EMBARRASSING TO
OUR COUNTRY.
JOINING ME NOW, GORDON, FORMER
U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE EUROPEAN
UNION, HIGH-STAKES HERO.
AUTHOR OF A BRAND-NEW BOOK
CALLED ENVOY FROM MASTERING ART
OF DIPLOMACY WITH TRUMP IN THE
WORLD.
FIRST, AMBASSADOR GORDON,
CONGRATULATIONS ON THE BOOK.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW THE
PRESIDENT DID AT THE G20?
>> I’M GOING TO CUT BIDEN’S LACK
ON THE CHEAT SHEET BECAUSE OBAMA
TRUMP, BUSH, EVERYBODY GETS A
CHEAT SHEET.
THE REAL QUESTION IS WHAT
HAPPENS WHEN YOU DROP THE CHEAT
SHEET AND YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN?
I WORRY PRESIDENT BIDEN DOESN’T
HAVE A MACRO SENSE OF WHAT’S
GOING ON, WHERE HE IS AND WHAT
HE NEEDS TO DO WHICH AT THE
BOTTOM LINE, IT DOES SIGNAL
WEAKNESS FOR THE UNITED STATES.
>> THEN YOU GO TO THE READOUT
AND PRESS AND CHINA COVID, THE
PRESS IS THE GOVERNMENT.
THEY SHOW NO BACKING OFF HOSTILE
STANCE.
WE TALKED ABOUT PROGRESS BEING
MADE SO WHAT DO YOU READ INTO
THAT?
>> I SAY THIS IN THE BOOK, THE
ENVOY, SOMETIMES PROGRESS IS
DEFINED IS YOU HAVE ANOTHER
MEETING SCHEDULED.
THE PROBLEM WITH DIPLOMACY IS
DISCUSSIONS SELDOM ARE REALLY
FRANK AND THEY DON’T GET TO THE
CORE ISSUES.
THERE’S TOO MUCH CEREMONY AND
TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED IN
THE PROCESS.
I’VE GOT TO SAY THAT THE ONE
THING RESIDENT TRUMP TRIED TO DO
WAS CUT THROUGH THE BS AND GET
RIGHT TO IT AND WE NEED TO DO
MORE OF THAT.
>> SOME PEOPLE ARE TICKED OFF,
YOU ARE BYPASSING PEOPLE LIKE
YOU WHEN YOU GO TO A LEADER, IT
TAKES OFF THE STATE DEPARTMENT,
DOESN’T IT?
>> IT TAKES THEM OFF TO NO END.
WHEN I FIRST MET WITH THE
PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN
COMMISSION, THEY WANTED ME TO
TAKE A HUGE DELEGATION AND DO A
FORMAL SIT DOWN AND THE FIRST
THING I DID WAS CALLED HIM BY
HIS FIRST NAME AND SAID JOHN AND
HE SAID GORDON.
THANK YOU FOR SEEING US, WOULD
YOU BE ABLE TO SPEND A MINUTE
WITH ME YOUR OFFICE BEFORE WE
HAVE A FANCY MEETING?
HE SHUT THE DOOR AND LIT A
CANDLE AND TOOK OFF THE SHOES
AND NEVER HAD THE FANCY MEETING
BUT WE GOT TO IT OF WHAT WE
NEEDED TO DISCUSS HOPEFULLY THE
BIDEN GROUP DOES A LOT MORE THAN
THE FANCY STUFF.
>> THERE’S SO MUCH AT STAKE.
ALSO DEALING WITH UKRAINE.
YOU KNOW THAT STORY INSIDE AND
OUT.
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY IS BEING
HELD UP WITH GREAT ESTEEM AND I
THINK JUSTIFIABLY.
WHEN WE SEE THIS CONFLICT GOING
ON, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON
WHERE WE GO FROM HERE?
IF YOU STILL HAVE EU AMBASSADOR
TITLE?
>> HOW MANY LEADERS IN LIKE
ZELENSKYY WOULD SAY ESSENTIALLY
I NEED BULLETS, NOT A RIDE OUT
OF HERE?
A LOT OF LEADERS WOULD HIGHTAIL
IT OUT OF THE WAR ZONES LIVING
OFF THEIR BANK ACCOUNT.
PARDON MY FRENCH, HE HAS BIG
BALLS AND WE SHOULD SUPPORT HIM
ALL THE WAY THROUGH.
WE GOT THERE A LITTLE LATE, WE
ARE DOING OKAY, WE NEED TO END
THE WAR BY MAKING ZELENSKYY’S
CAMPAIGN DECISIVE.
UKRAINE IS THE DOORSTEP TO
EUROPE AND ONLY A SHORT STOP IN
THE NATO TERRITORY AND WE NEED
TO END THIS BEFORE IT DRAGS ON
WITHOUT QUESTION.
BRIAN: A COUPLE OF THINGS, I
WANT YOU TO SEE THIS, I DON’T
KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE THE MONITOR
BUT PRESIDENT XI JINPING IN
FRONT OF THE CAMERAS WITH A
TRANSLATOR CONFRONTED PRESIDENT
TRUDEAU OF CANADA SAYING YOU
LEAKED OUR CONVERSATION TO THE
PRESS BUT IT SEEMS HE WANTED THE
WORLD TO SEE IT.
>> EVERYTHING --
[INAUDIBLE]
>> WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK
CONSTRUCTIVELY TOGETHER.
THAT’S GREAT THE CONDITIONS.
BRIAN: FOR THAT ON PURPOSE?
WHAT YOU TAKE FROM THE EXCHANGE?
>> HE HAS A LOT, THAT’S THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK.
CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK.
THE CHINESE NEW EXACTLY WHAT
THEY WANT, WHEN THEY WANTED,
THEY LEAK AND DON’T LEAK AND AS
FAR AS I’M CONCERNED, IF HE
DECIDED IT WAS CANVAS BEST
INTEREST TO LEAK SOME OR ALL OF
THE MEETING HE HAD A STRATEGIC
REASON THEY WON’T SECOND-GUESS
IT.
I WOULD HAVE TOLD HIM TO BUZZ
OFF.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THIS IS WHAT I GET FROM YOUR
BOOK, BETWEEN WHAT YOU SAID AND
DRUMS FILE, JUST RAKING NORMS
MADE PROGRESS, TOO MUCH
CEREMONY, WE DON’T GET ENOUGH
AND THE STAKES ARE TOO HIGH.
FINAL THOUGHTS?
>> THE CAREER STATE DEPARTMENT
IS ALL ABOUT THE JOURNEY, NOT
THE DESTINATION AND ONE OF THE