00:00Mr. Secretary, I know you don't want to comment on the election, but...
00:03But you're going to ask me anyway.
00:04But your allies are going to be tomorrow, because it's the first opportunity that you all meet at the G7,
00:09at the G7...
00:10We have elections. We have national elections in our country every few years.
00:14I have been now involved, I guess, going through 2011, when I was sworn in as a senator.
00:21So I've watched these things, and even in my time in the legislature.
00:24It is not uncommon to have a division of power in this country. We've seen it before.
00:28We've seen elections go one direction, and a couple of years later, go another.
00:32It's just a feature of our system.
00:34So I've been in the minority, I've been in the majority, with regards to being in the Senate.
00:37I've been in the majority with a Republican president, I've been in the minority with a Democrat president.
00:42I think I've had every iteration of it.
00:44And the Republican doers and continues.
00:46So we'll do our work, we'll continue to do our work, Congress will do theirs.
00:49I hope they do it in a way that's responsible and focused on issues that are important to our country
00:53and our people.
00:54But that's our system of government.
00:56And many of our allies will be aware, but they, too, have experienced divisions in government and divisions in their
01:01own system.
01:02So we'll have elections again in two more years.
01:05And they could look very different.
01:07They could look the same.
01:07I don't know.
01:08But this is the way our system works.
01:10Is there a particular message you're looking to bring to allies on this trip?
01:16With regards to this trip, we have an agenda, as the French have said.
01:19Obviously, we'll be talking about superimpolity.
01:21We'll be talking about some of the global topics.
01:23I'm sure we'll have a lot of questions about the status of affairs in the Middle East with regards to
01:29Iran.
01:30I think there'll be, obviously, conversation.
01:31The Ukrainians are joining us to be able to be there.
01:34So I'm sure that topic will come up.
01:36And I think they'll be curious to know if any progress is being made in the technical talks that are
01:40ongoing in Abu Dhabi.
01:42And then I imagine there's a host of other issues they'll want to discuss.
01:45But the agenda, you'll see it.
01:46I mean, it's been laid out some of the topics they want to raise and talk about.
01:50You're going to France.
01:51Is there any worry about the protests that are happening there?
01:53No, I mean, I trust our people.
01:55We asked our people.
01:56Obviously, if there was a problem, I think they would tell us.
01:59So we've got to work.
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