OF BOTH NATIONS.
LOU: OUR FIRST GUEST HAS BEEN IN
ATTENDANCE AT THE MEETINGS
BETWEEN PRESIDENT TRUMP AND
MEXICAN PRESIDENT LOPEZ OBRADOR.
JOINING US TONIGHT IS THE
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER,
ROBERT O’BRIEN.
ROBERT, IT’S GREAT TO HAVE YOU
WITH US, AND THIS IS AN
EXTRAORDINARY MOMENT.
GIVE US A SENSE OF HOW THOSE
TALKS HAVE GONE, AND AT FIRST,
IF YOU WILL, JUST THE ATMOSPHERE
AND THE TONE BETWEEN THESE TWO
MEN.
>> WELL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING
ME, ON, LOU.
IT’S A VERY WARM DAY HERE IN
WASHINGTON, AND THE WARMTH HERE
OUTSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE IS
MATCHED BY THE WARMTH INSIDE.
THE MEETINGS HAVE BEEN
EXTRAORDINARY LIQUOR Y’ALL
BETWEEN THE TWO PRESIDENTS AND
THE TWO DELEGATIONS.
WE’RE MAKING A LOT OF PROGRESS,
BUT PRESIDENT LOPEZ OBRADOR AND
PRESIDENT TRUMP REALLY HIT IT
OFF.
YOU COULD SEE THAT EARLIER IN
THE ROSE GARDEN, AND WE HAVE A
GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH MEXICO.
AS THE PRESIDENT SAID, IT’S
NEVER BEEN BETTER.
AND WHAT A FANTASTIC VISIT BY
THE PRESIDENTS.
I KNOW YOU TALKED ABOUT
MONUMENTS EARLIER.
ONE OF THE NICE THINGS IS THAT
PRESIDENT LOPEZ IF OBRADOR,
EARLIER THIS MORNING, WENT OUT
TO THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL AND
PLACED A WREATH IN FRONT OF
ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
WHAT A GESTURE OF FRIENDSHIP AND
RESPECT FROM A SOCIALIST
PRESIDENT DOWN IN MEXICO, TO
COME UP AND HONOR PRESIDENT
LINCOLN THAT WAY.
WE WERE VERY PLEASED TO SEE
THAT.
LOU: AND HE EXPECT PRESIDENT
SHARE SOMETHING ELSE -- AND THE
PRESIDENT SHARE SOMETHING ELSE,
IT’S NOT OFTEN GIVEN MUCH
ATTENTION AT LEAST IN THE
LEFT-WING MEDIA, AND THAT IS
BOTH MEN ARE POPULISTS AND
BELIEVE STRONGLY IN THEIR
RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE PEOPLE
RATHER THAN, IF YOU WILL, THE
COMMERCIAL INTERESTS OF THEIR
RESPECTIVE NATIONS EVEN THOUGH
BOTH ARE PURSUING BETTER TIMES
FOR ALL AS A RESULT OF THEIR
EFFORTS TO GET MORE PEOPLE
EMPLOYED.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MOST
PEOPLE HAVE IGNORED HERE,
ROBERT, AS YOU KNOW, IS THAT
THESE TWO MEN ARE OPERATING AS
PARTNERS AS WE HAVE NEVER SEEN
IN ALL OF THE TIME THAT I HAVE
BEEN COVERING BOTH MEXICO AND
THE UNITED STATES.
AND THAT GOES BACK TO SHREE --
SALINAS IN THE FIRST BUSH ERA.
THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY THING.
AND, BY THE WAY, I, FRANKLY, AM
ASTONISHED THAT THE WHITE HOUSE
COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT, THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN DOESN’T MAKE MORE OF
THE FACT THAT THESE TWO MEN ARE
OPERATING AS CO-EQUALS IN
BATTLING THE CARTELS, DRUGS AND
BUILDING A NEW TRADE
RELATIONSHIP.
>> NO, 100%, LOU.
WHEN YOU SAID THEY HAD SOMETHING
IN COMMON, I THOUGHT YOU WERE
GOING TO SAY THEY BOTH LIKED
BASEBALL.
IT’S A CUSTOM TO BRING A GIFT
FOR THE PRESIDENT, AND THE
PRESIDENT RETURNS THE GIFT, THEY
EXCHANGED BASEBALL BATS TODAY.
SO THE PRESIDENT SIGNED AND GAVE
A CUSTOM LOUISVILLE SLUGGER TO
PRESIDENT HOE E PEZ OBRADOR,
PRESIDENT LOPEZ OBRADOR GAVE THE
PRESIDENT A BEAUTIFUL BAT
MANUFACTURED IN SOUTHERN MEXICO.
AND THEY’RE BOTH BASEBALL FANS
AS WELL.
YOU’RE RIGHT ABOUT THE
PARTNERSHIP, I MEAN, NOBODY
THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE POSSIBLE.
PRESIDENT LOPEZ OBRADOR SAID
THIS, HE SAID PEOPLE WOULDN’T
BELIEVE THIS.
BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS DONE, HE’S
BUILT A WALL.
IMMIGRATION IS DOWN
DRAMATICALLY.
PART OF THAT IS THE WALL, PART
OF IT IS ALSO BECAUSE THE
MEXICANS HAVE DEPLOYED 27,000
TROOPS TO THEIR BORDER.
WHY HAVE THEY DONE THAT?
LOOK, THEY DON’T WANT HUMAN
TRAFFICKERS ON THEIR BOARD,
NARCO TRAFFICKERS ON THEIR
BORDER, THEY DON’T WANT ILLEGAL
IMMIGRANTS FROM CONFLICT ZONES
ON THEIR BORDER, SO WE’VE GOT A
LOT IN COMMON WITH MEXICO.
AND, OF COURSE, A LOT OF FOLKS
IN THE MEDIA WOULD IGNORE THAT.
BUT PRESIDENT LOPEZ OBRADOR AND
PRESIDENT TRUMP ARE WORKING
TOGETHER AS PARTNERS, AND I
DON’T THINK WE’VE EVER HAD A
BETTER RELATIONSHIP.
AND AS YOU JUST MENTIONED,
YOU’VE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS FOR A
LONG TIME, LOU.
LOU: INDEED.
AND IT’S NICE OF YOU TO POINT
THIS OUT, LOU.
[LAUGHTER]
>> SINCE YOU WERE 12.
[LAUGHTER]
LOU: GOD BLESS YOU FOR BAILING
ME OUT.
THE FACT OF THE MATTER THAT BOTH
COUNTRIES HAVE AN IMMENSE
INVESTMENT IN ONE ANOTHER.
THE FUNDAMENTAL IDEA BEHIND
NAFTA WHEN IT WAS FIRST CREATED,
AND I WAS THIS FOR THAT MOMENT
AS WELL -- THERE FOR THAT MOMENT
AS WELL AND SERIES OF MOMENTS,
THE UNITED STATES FELT IF WE
WERE TO BE ENRICHING ANYONE, WE
SHOULD ENRICH OUR NEIGHBORS
FIRST; THAT IS, CANADA AND, OF
COURSE, MEXICO.
AND THAT IS PRECISELY WHAT HAS
HAPPENED.
NOW THIS IS A MORE MATURE
RELATIONSHIP, AND THE PRESIDENT
IS BRINGING GREATER BALANCE.
AND LOPEZ OBRADOR IS WORKING TO
INSURE THAT THE CARTELS MEET
THEIR APPROPRIATE FATE.
HAS THERE BEEN MUCH DISCUSSION
ABOUT THOSE CARTELS AND WHAT
BOTH COUNTRIES CAN DO TO RID
THIS HEMISPHERE OF THEM?
>> WELL, THE CARTELS AREN’T JUST
IN MEXICO.
WITH RESPECT TO MEXICO, BILL
BARR, OUR ATTORNEY GENERAL, HAS
BEEN DOWN TO MEXICO CITY A
COUPLE TIMES THE LAST SEVERAL
MONTHS, AND EVER SINCE THOSE
TERRIBLE MURDERS OF THE AMERICAN
FAMILY IN MEXICO, THEY’VE
EXTRADITED A NUMBER OF CARTEL
FIGURES TO THE UNITED STATES,
HAVE BEEN COOPERATING CLOSELY
WITH THE DOJ AND WITH ATTORNEY
GENERAL BARR.
THE OTHER THING WE’RE DOING
WHICH MEXICO TRULY APPRECIATES
IS THE PRESIDENT DEPLOYED NAVAL
AND COAST GUARD ASSETS AND
SOLDIERS, SAILORS, AIRMEN AND
MARINES TO THE EASTERN PACIFIC
DOWN NEAR BAJA, CALIFORNIA, AND
THE CARIBBEAN.
LOU: RIGHT.
>> AND WE’RE INTERDICTING TONS
AND TONS AND TONS OF COCAINE AND
MARIJUANA, WELL OVER $2 BILLION
IN STREET VALUE OVER THE PAST
THREE OR FOUR MONTHS.
SOME OF THOSE DRUGS WERE
ACTUALLY GOING TO MEXICO, SO SO
WE’RE DOING A FAVOR FOR THE
MEXICANS AND TO OURSELVES AS
WELL AND STOPPING THOSE DRUGS
FROM COMING IN, PRIMARILY FROM
VENEZUELA.
AGAIN, THAT’S ANOTHER AREA OF
PARTNERSHIP, INTERDICTING DRUGS
COMING FROM THE NARCO REREGIME
IN VENEZUELA.
LOU: ANY NEW INITIATIVES BETWEEN
THE TWO LEADERS THAT YOU CAN
TELL US ABOUT THIS EVENING?
>> WELL, I THINK ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT WE’VE BEEN DOING,
I’M NOT SURE IT’S NEW, BUT A LOT
OF PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT IT.
MEXICO’S BEEN HIT HARD WITH
COVID, WE HAVE, AND THE
PRESIDENT HAS BEEN GRATEFUL TO
THE SUPPORT WE’VE GIVEN.
WE’VE SENT DOWN OVER, I THINK,
600 VENTILATORS TO MEXICO TO
HELP WITH THEIR ICU CAPACITY.
BOTH COMPANIES ARE SHARING
KNOWLEDGE THAT THEY’RE GAINING
REGARDING THE COVID VIRUS.
SO WE’RE WORKING TO COME OUT OF
COVID WHICH CAME FROM CHINA, OUT
HIT THE WHOLE WESTERN
HEMISPHERE, AND WE’RE WORKING
TOGETHER TO COME OUT OF THAT
COVID CRISIS AND STRENGTHEN BOTH
THE MEXICAN AND AMERICAN
ECONOMIES.
AND, AGAIN, WE’RE BLESSED TO
HAVE NEIGHBORS LIKE CANADA AND
MEXICO AND HAVE A GREAT
INTEGRATED MARKET HERE IN THE
WESTERN HEMISPHERE.
AS WE MOVE OUR SUPPLY CHAIN HOME
FROM CHINA, MEXICO E AND CANADA
WILL PLAY A BIG ROLE, SO IT’S