ONE YOUNG GIRL IS GOING VIRAL
AFTER TAKING A PICTURE WITH
CLINTON.
WE'LL TELL YOU WHAT SHE SAYS.
THE TOP STORY, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S
NEXT GUEST, GERMAN CHANCE LETTER
ANGELA MERKEL SET TO HAVE LUNCH
WITH THE PRESIDENT IN WASHINGTON
TODAY.
ON TOP OF THE AGENDA IS THE
CONTROVERSIAL IRAN DEAL ALONG
WITH IMPENDING U.S. TARIFFS ON
STEEL AND ALUMINUM PRODUCTS.
TENSE RELATIONS COULD BE
ESPECIALLY APPARENT COMING OFF
OF THE PRESIDENT'S WARM
RECEPTION OF PRESIDENT EMMANUEL
MACRON OF FRANCE.
JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT THAT IS
K.T. GUTENBERG.
THANK YOU FOR WEIGHING IN THIS
MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> MARIA: YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT
WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE LUNCH
BETWEEN ANGELA MERKEL AND DONALD
TRUMP.
>> WAS WE'RE SEEING THIS WEEK IS
THE EUROPEAN DIPLOMATIC CARAVAN
COMING TO WASHINGTON, D.C.
HOWEVER, AFTER BROMANCE, AFTER
THE POSTER BOY FROM PARIS, WE
HAVE PRAGUE MA
HAVE PRAGMATMA
HAVE PRAGMATISM APPROACHING
TODAY WITH A WORKING LUNCH,
WHICH DOESN'T RAISE MUCH
EXPECTATION FROM MY SIDE.
IF YOU'RE HONEST, MACRON HAD
MORE TO OFFER TO DONALD TRUMP.
SO MY HIGHEST EXPECTATION OR
PROBLEM YOU BRING THE BIGGEST
OUTCOME OF GERMAN/AMERICAN
RELATIONSHIP WILL BE THAT WE
FINALLY HAVE A NEW AMBASSADOR
FOR GERMANY FROM THE USA,
ACTUALLY A GREAT GUY, RICK
GRINELL.
ALL THE HOT TOPICS, I DON'T HAVE
MUCH EXPECTATIONS.
>> MARIA: GERMANY HAS A
$70 BILLION SURPLUS WITH THE
U.S.
WE HAVE A DEFICIT WITH GERMANY.
IS THAT GOING TO BE LOWERED?
WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE ALUMINUM
AND STEEL TARIFFS?
WHERE DO YOU THINK THE
POSITIONING IS ON THAT
CONVERSATION?
THAT'S GOING TO BE REAL
IMPORTANT TO OBVIOUSLY THE
CHANCELLOR.
>> DEFINITELY.
AND THIS IS A POINT WHERE THE
EUROPEANS STICK TOGETHER AND
THEY DO HAVE AN THAT
THEY DO HAVE AN IHAT
THEY DO HAVE AN INTT
THEY DO HAVE AN INTEREST THAT IT
DOESN'T COME TO THE FIRST OF MAY
IMPOSING OF THE TARIFFS.
AS YOU HAVE HEARD, THE EUROPEANS
AND THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION IS
PREPARED TO ANSWER THAT, IT'S
PREPARED TO ANSWER ANY STEP
COMING FROM THE U.S. SIDE WITH
MEASURES COMING FROM THE
EUROPEAN SIDE.
I CAN ONLY SAY WE HAVE TO DO
EVERYTHING TO AVOID THAT BECAUSE
THAT COULD LEAD TO TRADE
CONFLICT NOBODY WILL PROFIT FROM
AND THAT WILL BE THE POINT THAT
ANGELA MERKEL WILL BE MAKING
TODAY.
WILL SHE ACHIEVE ANYTHING HERE?
MACRON WAS SUCCESSFUL WITH HIS
APPROACH.
I THINK THERE'S A GOOD
POSSIBILITY THEY MIGHT SEE TRADE
TARIFFS BEING IMPOSED NEXT WEEK.
I DON'T THINK IT'S A GOOD
SOLUTION.
I THINK IT WILL HARM OUR
RELATIONSHIP EVEN FURTHER AND
THAT'S NOTHING WE COULD HAVE AN
INTEREST IN.
>> DOES MACRON'S VISIT CHANGE
THE POSSIBILITIES FOR MERKEL?
WE KNOW HER FIRST MEETING WITH
THE PRESIDENT WAS LESS THAN
CORDIAL.
IT WAS CORDIAL BUT THERE WASN'T
A STRONG RELATIONSHIP THERE.
BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT SEEMS TO
HAVE A STRONG RELATIONSHIP WITH
MACRON, DOES THAT MAKE THINGS
EASIER FOR MERKEL OR DOES IT PUT
HER IN A TOUGHER SPOT COMING TO
THE U.S. ON HIS HEELS.
>> IT'S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO
PLAY SOME KIND OF A GOOD COP,
BAD COP GAME FROM THE EUROPEAN
SIDE.
ON THE OTHER HAND, IT'S NO GAME.
IT'S DEAD SERIOUS TOPICS WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT HERE.
AND I THINK DONALD TRUMP
UNDERSTANDS THAT HE'S STILL
DEALING WITH THE MOST POWERFUL
EUROPEAN LEADER HERE.
MACRON MIGHT BE THE MOST
CHARMING ONE AT THE MOMENT BUT
GERMANY'S THE STRONGEST ECONOMY.
GERMANY IS STILL RESPONSIBLE FOR
A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAVE IMPACT
ON AMERICAN INTEREST AS WELL.
SO SPECIFICALLY REGARDING ALL
THE ECONOMIC INTERESTS WE HAVE,
SPECIFICALLY ALSO THE INTEREST
WE HAVE ON HOW TO TACKLE CHINA
IN THE FEW CHURKS I THINK IT'S A
GOOD -- FUTURE, I THINK IT'S A
GOOD POINT TO MAKE FROM ANGELA
MERKEL'S SIDE TO SAY LET'S
TACKLE THESE THINGS TOGETHER,
LET NO,
LET'SO,
LET'S NOT GO SEPARATE WAYS HERE.
THAT MIGHT BE HER APPROACH.
I'VE NEVER SEEN A GERMAN
DELEGATION BEFOREHAND LOWERING
EXPECTATIONS OF A VISIT AS MUCH
AS THIS TIME.
>> DAGEN: I WANT TO RAISE
THE ISSUE OF IRAN.
THAT SEEMED TO BE THE BIGGEST
NEWS OUT OF THE MACRON VISIT
EARLIER IN THE WEEK THAT
EMMANUEL MACRON SEEMED TO BE
WILLING TO ACCEPT A REVISED IRAN
DEAL WITH SOME OF PRESIDENT
TRUMP'S DEMANDS IN IT, REAL
PROGRESS TOWARD IRANIAN NUCLEAR
DEAL REVISION WITH THE U.S. AND
EUROPE STANDING SIDE-BY-SIDE.
WHERE DOES MERKEL STAND ON THAT?
WILL THAT BE A POINT OF FOCUS?
>> IT WILL DEFINITELY BE A POINT
OF FOCUS.
WHAT I HEAR FROM MY EUROPEAN
FRIENDS IS THAT THEY WERE
SURPRISED ABOUT THAT STEP MACRON
TOOK, BECAUSE THEY EXPECTED HIM
TO STAND FIRMLY ON THE LINES
THEY HAVE NEGOTIATED BEFOREHAND
AND TO SAY OKAY, WE'RE NOT
MOVING A SINGLE INCH BECAUSE
OTHERWISE WE'RE OPENING A GATE
HERE AND WE MIGHT EVEN SEEM
INCONSISTENT FOR ANY FUTURE
DEAL, FOR INSTANCE, FOR NORTH
KOREA AND THIS IS THE BIG NEWS
OF LAST NIGHT AS WELL.
SO ALL THESE THINGS HAVE TO BE
TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT.
WHAT I HEAR WAS THAT THE GERMAN
DELEGATION WAS SURPRISED ABOUT
MACRON'S STEP BUT I THINK THEY
WILL FOLLOW HIS LINE BECAUSE THE
LAST THING WE NEED HERE NOW IS
THE EUROPEAN UNION BEING
SEPARATED ON THAT ISSUE AS WELL
BECAUSE THAT PLAYS INTO THE
HANDS OF THOSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO
PLAY WITH OUR COMMON SHARED
INTERESTS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE
ATLANTIC.
>> YOU MENTIONED ANGELA MERKEL
IS THE STRONGEST EUROPEAN
LEADER.
IT SEEMS SINCE THE LAST GERMAN
ELECTION, HER INFLUENCE HAS BEEN
WANING.
HOW MUCH INFLUENCE DOES SHE HAVE
OVER WHAT THE GERMAN PEOPLE WANT
AND IS THAT ONE OF THE REASONS
WHY YOU'RE SEEING MACRON
STARTING TO TAKE THE LEAD
BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T KNOW HOW
MUCH INFLUENCE SHE WILL BE ABLE
TO SWAY OVER IN GERMANY.
>>
.>> THAT'S A GOOD POINT.
MACRON BY HIMSELF AND FRANCE
ALONE CANNOT PUSH THE EUROPEAN
UNION FORWARD.
IT NEEDS A COALITION BETWEEN
BERLIN AND PARIS AND THAT'S
EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO
FORM.
SO A LOT OF POWER STILL IS AT
LEAST THEORETICALLY GIVEN IN
BERLIN.
OF COURSE SHE HAS LOST INFLUENCE
AFTER THE ELECTION BUT MAINLY
DOMESTICALLY.
ON THE EUROPEAN STAGE SHE IS
EXTREMELY INFLUENTIAL BECAUSE OF
THE ECONOMIC POWER GERMANY HAS.
THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE
TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.
EUROPE HAS PROBLEMS, THE U.S.
HAS PROBLEMS.
THERE ARE A LOT OF MOVEMENTS
GOING ON WE HAVE TO FIGHT AND
THERE ARE MORE THINGS WE CAN
LOOK AT, WHETHER WE CAN TACKLE
THAT ON A GOVERNMENTAL LEVEL AND
ALSO FROM PRIVATE FISH YA
ACTIVITIES AND OTHER --
INITIATIVES AND OTHER THINGS, SO
THERE ARE THINGS HAPPENING ON
BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC.
WE HAVE TO CONCENTRATE ON THOSE
THINGS TOO.
>> MARIA: DO YOU THINK HE WILL
PULL OUT OF THE IRAN DEAL AND
HOW WOULD CHANCELLOR MERKEL FEEL
ABOUT THAT IF HE TONE
ABOUT THAT IF HE DONE
ABOUT THAT IF HE DOEE
ABOUT THAT IF HE DOESN'T RENEW
IT ON MAY 12th.
>> FROM A EUROPEAN POINT OF
VIEW, THAT WOULD BE A DOES AS
TEAR.
THE EUROPEANS WOULD NOT FOLLOW
AMERICANS' LEAD HERE.
THE EUROPEANS WILL MOST LIKELY
TRY TO KEEP TIES ALIVE WITH
IRAN.
WE HAVE TO TAKE INTO
CONSIDERATION IS IT NOT ONLY THE
EUROPEANS, IT'S ALSO RUSSIA AND
CHINA SITTING IN THE BOAT AND
THEY'LL SHAKE THE BOAT EVEN MORE
IF WE SHOW UNITY ON BOTH SIDES
OF THE ATLANTIC.
PULLING OUT OF THE IRAN DEAL
ENTIRELY LEAVES US WITH NOTHING.
RENEWING THE DEAL OR COMING TO A
DEAL THAT'S A BIT MORE CREATIVE
THAN THE LOUSY DEAL WE HAVE SEEN
SO FAR IS PROBABLY THE BETTER
OPTION THAN NOTHING.
AND WHAT SHE'LL TELL THE
PRESIDENT AS MACRON DID, IF YOU
PULL OUT AND IF YOU TRY THEN TO
FIND A SOLUTION WITH NORTH
KOREA, YOU MIGHT NOT BE HE VERY
CREDIBLE.
>> MARIA: WE WILL LEAVE IT