WILBUR ROSS IS THE COMMERCE SECRETARY, HE WAS ON THE TRIP TO
SAUDI ARABIA WITH DONALD TRUMP.
WHEN HE GOT THERE, HE THOUGHT
THIS WAS GOOD BECAUSE THEY ARE, QUOTE --
>>OH, THEY ARE?
I'M NOT SURE I KNEW THAT.
HAVE THEY ALLOWED
WOMEN TO DRIVE ONCE IN A WHILE?
HAS A PRINCESS BEEN ALLOWED TO
DRIVE WITHOUT BEING FLANKED BY PEOPLE?
I'M NOT SURE.
WILBUR
ROSS AND THE TRUMP TEAM WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SOME DEALS AND GET
PAID, SO ALL OF A SUDDEN, SAUDI ARABIA IS GREAT.
DURING THE
CAMPAIGN, DONALD TRUMP SAID OVER AND OVER THAT WE SHOULD BE GOING
AGAINST SAUDI ARABIA, WHEN WE ATTACKED IRAQ WE SHOULD HAVE
CONSIDERED SAUDI ARABIA INSTEAD BECAUSE 15 OUT OF THE 19
HIJACKERS WERE SAUDIS.
IT'S TRUE, IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE
GAVE HIM CREDIT FOR DURING THE CAMPAIGN, NO ONE HAS SAID THAT,
AND IT HAS THE MERIT OF BEING ACCURATE AND HONEST, AND IF HE
FOCUSED ON THE REAL PROBLEMS THAT EMANATE FROM SAUDI ARABIA
THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL.
THE SAUDIS FUNDED A LOT OF THE
INSURGENCY AGAINST OUR TROOPS IN IRAQ, SO THE SAUDIS HAVE A LOT
TO PAY FOR AND A LOT TO EXPLAIN TO US.
AND IN FACT TRUMP TALKED
ABOUT HOW MAYBE THEY SHOULD DO COMPENSATION FOR US.
THEY GO
OVER THERE, TRUMP BOWS TO THEM, THERE'S NO TALK OF COMPENSATION
OR HOLDING THE SAUDIS ACCOUNTABLE, AND INSTEAD
WILBUR ROSS COMES OUT AND SAYS THIS.
>>I THINK THE OTHER THING THAT WAS FASCINATING TO ME -- THERE
WAS NOT A SINGLE HINT OF A PROTESTER ANYWHERE THERE DURING
THE WHOLE TIME WE WERE THERE.
NOT ONE GUY WITH A BAD PLACARD.
>>SECRETARY ROSS, THAT MAY BE NOT NECESSARILY BECAUSE THEY
DON'T HAVE THOSE FEELINGS THERE, BUT BECAUSE THEY CONTROL
PEOPLE AND DON'T ALLOW THEM TO COME AND EXPRESS THEIR FEELINGS
QUITE THE SAME WAY WE DO HERE.
>>IN THEORY THAT COULD BE TRUE, BUT BOY, THERE WAS CERTAINLY NO
SIGN OF IT, THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE EFFORT OF ANY
INCURSION, THERE WASN'T ANYTHING.
>>IN THEORY?
THAT'S TRUE IN PRACTICE.
YOU THINK THEY LIKED
YOU, YOU SCHMUCK?
I DON'T KNOW, MAN.
ARE THEY JUST PURE EVIL, OR
ARE THEY THE STUPID?
I THINK WILBUR ROSS GENUINELY LOOKED
AROUND LIKE, THEY ARE VERY CIVIL HERE, THERE ARE NO PROTESTERS AT
ALL, NO BAD PLACARDS.
I LOVE AUTHORITARIAN DICTATORSHIPS.
OF
COURSE!
YOU KNOW WHAT THEY DO TO PROTESTERS THERE?
LET ME READ
YOU THIS FROM AIDEN MCGLAUGHLIN AT MEDIAITE --
>>YEAH, WILBUR, I'VE GOT NEWS FOR YOU.
YOU ARE NOT GOING TO
GET A LOT OF BAD PLACARDS WHEN YOU CHOP PROTESTERS' HEADS OFF.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S THE KIND OF LIBERALIZING YOU LIKE AND IF
YOU ARE IN FAVOR OF, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HEAD US INTO THAT
DIRECTION, OR YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING ABOUT SAUDI
ARABIA.
PICK YOUR POISON.
BUT APPARENTLY COULDN'T STOP GUSHING.
>>AT THE END OF THE TRIP, AS I WAS GETTING BACK ON THE PLANE,
THE SECURITY GUARDS FROM THE SAUDI SIDE HAD BEEN HELPING US
OVER THE WEEKEND, THEY ALL WANTED TO POSE FOR A BIG PHOTO
OP, AND THEN THEY GAVE ME TWO GIGANTIC BUSHELS OF DATES AT THE
PRESENT.
>>OH MY GOD, THE SAUDIS ARE SO GOOD.
TO EVEN ALLOW FOREIGN
DIGNITARIES, WHO THEY ARE MAKING BILLION-DOLLAR DEALS WITH, TO
HAVE BUSHELS OF DATES.
THE SAUDIS ARE GREAT.
AND YET PEOPLE
COMPLAIN ABOUT THEM.
OKAY FINE, 15 OUT OF THE 19 HIJACKERS WERE
SAUDIS AND THEY'VE FUNDED TERRORISM AGAINST US OVER AND
OVER AGAIN, BUT THEY GAVE US DATES.
WOW.
THANK YOU, WILBUR.
I
HADN'T CONSIDERED THAT.
WILBUR ROSS IS ALSO THE CALLOUS MANIAC
WHO REFERRED TO THE SYRIAN BOMBING WE DID AS --
>>SCORES OF PEOPLE WERE KILLED, BUT WILBUR ROSS WAS ENTERTAINED.
AND NOW HE WILL HAVE SOME DATES TO EAT WITH HIS AFTER DINNER
ENTERTAINMENT