Return to Transcripts main page

Connect the World

The Trump Era; U.S. President Impact On The World; Trump, Muslims Hates U.S.; CNN Speaks To Grand Imam of Al-Azhar; CNN Sits Down With Sunni Muslim Leader; NATO Member, Turkey Slams U.S. Over Syria Plans; Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Visits Wales. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired January 18, 2018 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:27] BECKY ANDERSON, CONNECT THE WORLD, CNN: Hello and welcome. This is "Connect the World" and I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi where it is

about 7:00 in evening. Almost one whole entire year the world has looked on shocked, amazed, and impressed. Bedazzle, beguiled and insert your own

adjectives, folks as one man who almost no one expected to win, and don't forget that small detail has grabbed us, spun us turning us upside down in

ways we didn't think was possible. And now, as we are mark the start of the Trump era, we are looking at how the world feels about him, and if this

things are pumped up or if they are quite frankly feeling a little deflated. From Trump and the whole world let us talk Trump and the Islamic

world starting on the campaign trail, and Mr. Trump has had what is really somewhat fraught time with the world's largest religion. Let's rewind to

2015.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Donald J. Trump is calling for the total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Why did he referring to himself in third person, well that is by his own political math, it is pretty simple.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We have to really be vigilant we are respect to the Muslim population. There's some bad, bad, bad stuff out there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And last night you told CNN quote, Islam hates us. Did you mean all 1.6 billion Muslims?

TRUMP: I mean a lot of them. A lot of them.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: And perhaps with that applause still ringing in his ears while in office, Mr. Trump went after a shutdown like that, but --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Trump once again putting the target right on the federal Judge right up to the federal court system and not agreeing

with the decisions made over the weekend.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Alongside that, the horrible suggestion that Muslims celebrating September 11th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: When the world trade center came tumbling down and I watched in Jersey City, New Jersey, where thousands and thousands of people were

cheering as that building was coming down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, let's put some video of those celebrations up, shall we? Well, we can't, because they don't exist. They never happened. In fact,

you might call it --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Fake news.

Fake news.

Fake news.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: But then, Mr. Trump also quite literally danced into Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's two holiest sites as the first foreign trip while

in office with the weight of all of that going on in mind, let's get you on the ground in Cairo now where CNN's Ben Wedeman has an exclusive for us,

and an interview with who is arguably the highest religious authority for Sunni Muslims. Ben?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky. We interviewed the Shaikh who is the grand Iman who represents more than a

billion Muslim around the world. For the last two days, he has been attending a conference on Jerusalem where he was the leader, but also in

attendance was Pope II of the Coptic Church, and (inaudible) the Palestinian president, all three of these men were scheduled to meet with

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence when he comes to the region on Saturday. All three of them are following a decision by the Trump administration to

recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and all three of those men pulled out of the meetings,

and in the exclusive interview with the Shaikh, he warned us that the decision by the Trump administration to recognize Jerusalem as the capital

of Israel could have dire consequences.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[10:05:00] SHEIKH AHMED EL-TAYEB, GRAND IMAM OF AL-AZHAR (TRANSLATOR): Decisions like this one nurture terrorism, creates it and propels it

forward to act and express itself in methods that we all reject. Unfortunately this decision was nurtured terrorism, and when terrorism

rises again, the east and the wests will drown in seas of blood.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WEDEMAN: He was quick to condemn the terrorism and saying that the Muslim world is not interested in confronting the west in any sort of violent way,

but he did want to stress the importance of international legitimacy in his words and the importance of the United States waiting to recognize

Jerusalem as whatever until the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is finally solved. Becky.

ANDERSON: Ben, this is the last show before Mr. Trump hits the big one- year mark. So let bring up this poll from Gallup that is asking in 134 countries, but the average approval of the American leadership at 30

percent. Down and way down from 48 percent just back in 2016. Are the imam's comments indicative of a wider Arab malaise or downright hostility

and not just Mr. Trump, but the American policy across this Middle East region?

WEDEMAN: It is interesting, Becky that when Donald Trump was running for President and in the very early days, and I stress the early days of the

administrations there were those who were supportive of him, and they looked forward to a strong American President to take decisive action and

for instance the Egyptian President Abdul al Assisi met with candidate Trump and the first visit as President was to Saudi Arabia where he was

warmly greeted but what we have seen beginning with the initial failed travel ban on the a majority of the several majority Muslim countries and

moving forward ending the year with the decision, the surprise announcement that the United States would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,

you have seen the enthusiasm for the current administration plummet to the point where the mere mention of President Trump's name will elicit some

fairly unkind words.

Now what is interesting today, we did meet by chance with Fouad Siniora who is the former Prime Minister of Lebanon and he said that Trump has been a

boon to the Muslim and Arab world, because it has refocused people on the question of Palestine and the question of Jerusalem and many of the old

squabbles and conflicts in this part of the world have to a certain extent been put on the back burner as people refocus on this very old and

unresolved issue. Becky.

ANDERSON: Ben Wedeman is in Cairo, in Egypt, for you today. Thank you, Ben. We are following the U.S. President's impact on the global stage in

what is this first year from the four corners of the world. We go to senior international correspondent Sam Kiley, Matthew Chance and Ivan

Watson standing by here in Abu Dhabi, in Russia and in South Korea respectively. And in Russia, the sanctions have tighten and the diplomacy

has soured despite Vladimir Putin's hope for better relations with the U.S. under President Trump. And CNN Senior International Correspondent Matthew

Chance is joining us from St. Petersburg. And now, Donald Trump is accusing Russia of helping North Korea. What has he said and what is being

the response where you are?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he has basically said that Russia helps North Korea skirt the international

sanctions designed to contain it, and to deliver the expansion of the nuclear technology and its weapons program. It is something that the

Russians have categorically denied. They have said it is absolutely groundless, and anything, but to fully live up to their commitments on the

U.N. Security Council resolutions. It is something that is rare, the suspicion is rare, but the allegation directly towards Russia from Donald

Trump is rare, because this is the man of course who was a candidate in the election and came to the presidency of the United States promising to turn

the relationship around with Russia.

He spoke about a whole range of continues on which he believed that he thought that Washington and Moscow could can cooperate, but a year on,

things just have not worked out like that, and if anything, the relationship is much, much worse than before.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

[10:10:19] MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It didn't take too long for the high hopes to fade. For the disillusionment

toward Trump and Russia to really set in. He may have been portrayed as the kremlin favorite candidate, but his vision of better relations with

Moscow never materialized. Victim of an anti-Russian media witch hunt according to frustrated Russian officials.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stop spreading lie and false news. This is a good advice for CNN.

CHANCE: Are you concerned that the investigations into Russia are going to turn up more secret meetings?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please stop this spreading lie and false news.

CHANCE: Can you give us a question?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm not going to give you a question. You are fake news.

CHANCE: It's not just insults Russia and Trump shared. Despite denials of contacts, details emerged of private meetings between Russian nationals and

Trump campaign figures.

Why did you arrange that meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and the Russian lawyer?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come join me for the show tonight.

CHANCE: Like one organized at Trump tower set up by a representative of a Russian pop star, Emin. Donald Trump Jr. released his own e-mails showing

he'd been told the meeting was to pass on damaging intelligence about Hillary Clinton. Did the Russian authorities give your family information

to pass on to the Trump administration?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Talk to my lawyer.

CHANCE: I already talked to him, he said you wouldn't comment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I wouldn't comment.

TRUMP: Wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along with Russia? Wouldn't that be nice?

CHANCE: It was that promise to transform U.S.-Russian relations that was one of Trump's most consistent campaign themes. His criticism of NATO,

calls for security cooperation with Russia, and hints at ending sanctions, all made him Russia's preferred candidate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump!

CHANCE: Trump's failure to deliver amid investigations into collusion and tightening sanctions was all the more disappointing to the kremlin.

Despite two meetings and numerous phone calls between the two leaders.

Do you sometimes sit in your office in the kremlin thinking about how badly U.S.-Russian relations are going, and regretting the day that Donald Trump

was elected?

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (TRANSLATOR): What we see is merely the growth of anti-Russian hysteria and, yes, I regret it. It's a pity because

acting together, we are more able to solve the acute problems that exist in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Office of President of the United States.

CHANCE: A year on from Trump's inauguration and the grand celebrations held in Moscow when he was sworn in, that dream of a U.S.-Russian

partnership seems more distant than ever. Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEO)

CHANCE: And the dream, Becky, it does not seem to get closer, because in the next two weeks, Becky, the U.S. congress is looking to the ratchet up

more economic sanctions against Russia which could plunge the relationship into an even deeper crisis. Back to you.

ANDERSON: Thank you, Matthew. To Korean peninsula, another source of increased tension on the Trump administration, the North and South Korean

athletes are to march together under a unified flag at next month's winter Olympics. It is a huge diplomatic breakthrough, CNN Ivan Watson reports,

there is still a lot to iron out.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

IVAN WATSON, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Weeks before the start of the upcoming winter Olympic, some 2,000 South Korean marines and

Special Forces and other Security Forces conducted exercises near the venues of the games preparing against a threat that the entire world faces

that is the possibility of terrorism.

Now, there is another a major security threat here in South Korea, and that is the nuclear arms neighbor to the north, but many analysts agree that at

this stage, the threat of a possible missile launch or the nuclear weapons test in North Korea has been dramatically reduced since the governments of

Seoul and Pyongyang have engaged in multiple rounds of face to face talks and agreed for North Korea would participate in the winter Olympics.

The agreement that has been drawn up includes athletes from both countries marching under the unification flag at the opening of the games and it also

involves inviting hundreds of North Korean musician, and performers and cheerleaders and even demonstrators of tae kwon do to come to perform

demonstrations here in the South Korean cities during the games, and South Korea has also agreed to send performers and skiers up to two resorts in

North Korea which will likely give North Korea a chance to highlight and show off these resorts to the rest of the world.

[10:15:08] Now some of the agreements still have to be ratified by an upcoming meeting at the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee

in Switzerland but the IOC made clear very much once North Korea to participate in the upcoming one other initiative proposed by Seoul has come

under some criticism from South Korean athletes that is to join the women's ice hockey team from both countries. The coach of the South Korean team

was quoted saying that this would damage her player, and suddenly bringing in new hockey players just weeks before the start of the games. CNN has

learned that both the players and the coach have since been instructed not to speak to journalists. Ivan Watson, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEO)

ANDERSON: Ok. Well, Syria, one area where the Trump White House stands in direct opposition of Russia, and we were talking to Matthew Chance out of

St. Petersburg, and the kremlin has not wavered in public at least for the support of President Bashar al Assad while Washington have supported a

motley mix of anti-Assad rebels throughout this civil war turn global confrontation, but now we are hearing of a new U.S.-Syria policy, outline

by the secretary of state Rex Tillerson this week in a speech at a University, one essentially sees an open-ended presence in the country, and

one that is also infuriating a key NATO ally Turkey angry over the U.S. backing of the Kurdish groups on their border. And Tillerson said that the

U.S. aims to crush the terrorist group, and Assad stands down and curb the Iran influence and the chemical weapons are eliminated and the conditions

for the safe return of the refugees before it will drawdown its presence. An awful lot to get into here. To help me to break it down is CNN

international correspondent Sam Kiley, and Rex Tillerson is giving details of what America's end game in Syria looks like as one of our colleagues

pointed out, unanticipated and extremely detailed.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Extremely detail and probably leading to the open-ended end game. I mean, this is completely at

odds with certainly the campaign promises coming from the Trump administration or to the pre-administration when it was all about

withdrawing from the world and putting America first. Now, clearly it would have been impossible for a U.S. Forces and large number of special

forces and the allies on the ground to sort of give up and leave at the moment when the so-called Islamic state is on the knees, because lots of

issues are out there, but above all, what this is really about from the Trump administration is about protection against the spread of the Iranian

influence. Iran was mentioned repeatedly in that speech, Becky, and this is actually, I think the key sentence when Tillerson actually just spelled

it out in one sentence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REX TILLERSON, SECRETARY OF STATE: Part of its strategy to create to a northern arch stretching from Iran to Lebanon and to the Mediterranean,

Iran has dramatically strengthened the presence in Syria by deploying Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops, supporting Lebanese Hezbollah and

importing proxy forces from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: So that is the position as far as America's concern with regard to Iraq. They want to block that effort to create that what they call the

sheer crescent leading all the way from Teheran to south Lebanon, but of course, it is always in this region a little bit more complicated than

that, because of course by having more American troops not only are you annoying the continuing regime in Damascus, but the neighboring Turkey is

of course extremely upset about this, too.

ANDERSON: Sam, what kind of presence, and Rex Tillerson here and talking about and surprising many of us who are sort of, you know, day-to-day

watchers of what is going on and what is this messy region, and so there is a strong and detailed account of why there would be an American presence

there, and what sort of American presence that would be, because that is not clear, was it?

KING: It was not clear in the speech, but it has been clear early on, they are talking about a 30,000-person or man predominantly border force made up

of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic forces that the Americans are working with close ally again to capture Raqqa, and why does that matter?

Well, looking at the map, you can see why it matters to one of the possibly in the region the most important neighbor and NATO partner and that is of

course Turkey. If we can get that map up, we can see precisely where they will try and put these troop.

[10:20:10] They are going to be spread not only along the borders with Iraq where the so-called Islamic state have been defeated but a force along the

border of Turkey, and this is the famous YPG and many of them are female fighters, but also other groups and Rex Tillerson's keen to say that the

Kurdish workers party which is a designated terrorist organization would not part of the buffer force, but it does put the Kurds on the border with

Turkey, and as far as the Turks are concerned, that is out of the question.

ANDERSON: And so, we don't have that map, and you have called for it a couple of times and it would help enormously.

KING: And I will bring a white board next time.

ANDERSON: And this is incredibly sort of the difficult region in the best of times to envision when we are talking about stuff like this. It really

helps when you have some graphics up there, but be as it may, you said that President Erdogan, one of the U.S.'s most important allies effectively on

paper in this region is infuriated by what he is seeing as this border group of terrorists effectively, and sitting on his border. On his

doorstep.

KING: Yes. Absolutely, and enraged. Now they have the two big stretches of Kurdish territory that run across Syrian border with Iran which is the

base for operations against the local Islamic state, and between them, the Turks drove a wedge down the Euphrates river and in the last 36 hours, the

Turkish president has said that he is going to be deploying troops to a town a called (inaudible) which is even closer for the Euphrates, but there

is an agreement that the Turks would stay to the western bank of the Euphrates and leaving the Americans and the Kurds to go to that side, but

he is saying he may go across that and he wants to break up any possibility of the Kurdish band of influence being able to join up.

ANDERSON: And briefly, we are just shy of the first year anniversary of the Trump administration. In this region, will that year be billed a

success or failure?

KING: I think it is billed as a success in terms of the disruption of the so-called Islamic state. That maybe it is a policy that he inherited to

some extent, but the defenders, and the admirers would say that --

ANDERSON: He would not admit that.

KING: No, it is all going to be new, but what he did is to give latitude to his military commanders to conduct the operations the way they saw fit,

alongside their allies and that is a success, but the problem in this region is, and how do you consolidate the success, because it is just so

complicated.

ANDERSON: Sam Kiley in the house. I'm Becky Anderson you are watching "Connect the World." Live from Abu Dhabi. We are taking a short break.

Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:25:39] ANDERSON: Welcome back, 25 past 7:00 in Abu Dhabi and you are watching "Connect the World." I'm Becky Anderson out in the Middle East,

and the Wales capital of Cardiff is a little razzle-dazzle with Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle paid a visit, the couple there to shine

a spotlight in Wales. Those are special significant for Harry, his father Charles is the Prince of Wales and his mother Diana was the Princess. Anna

Stewart joining us now live from Cardiff. Anna?

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, it has been a fantastic day so far. There were hundreds of well-wishers coming from all parts of

the U.K. come to see the happy couple. Some of them got here at 6:00 a.m. To get a good spot. And Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stopped here to

greet the well-wishers which is something they have are done, and then gone into Cardiff as you can see behind me to meet some sort of the local

musicians, poets, athletes and learn a little about the Wales culture, and they said that Prince Henry of Wales, but for Meghan Markle, she will not

have had the wales language, but she will have had a few words to learn like good morning and good day and good-bye.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We followed the royal family, since we were tiny girls, we go everywhere, we camped out at the royal wedding and the queen's

90th, and we go everywhere. If we get to meet her, we are going to suggest that she comes to Cardiff for an evening and we will take her around to all

of the nightclubs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are going to be very happy. They look good together. They are going to be very happy. Yes, they do. So pleased for

them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: As you heard, lots of people lucky enough to get a catch a glimpse of them and people wondering what she would wear, because every

time Meghan Markle steps out at the moment, whatever she wears sells out within hours. Today, it was a black coat that the bloggers believe it is

by Stella McCartney for $2,000 and a bag from a (inaudible) another British brand which is cheaper around 250 pound which is under $400. So we will

have to see whether those sell out and if we can get confirmations on all of the things that she wore, Becky.

ANDERSON: Fantastic. Good stuff. Thank you, Anna. Anna Stewart in Cardiff for you. We are in the UAE, just ahead President Trump is said to

be fuming over the comments made by his chief of staff coming as lawmakers are scrambling to keep the government up and running before what is a fast

approaching deadline. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:00] BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Hello, I'm Becky Anderson. You are very welcome if you just joined us. Let's take a look at some of the

stories on the radar right now. India has successfully test fired a long- range intercontinental ballistic missile. It was fired from an island off the coast of Odisha. India's defense ministry called it a, quote, major

boost to the country's defense capabilities. The missile last tested in December of 2016.

A major order from Emirates may have just saved the struggling Airbus A380 program. The Dubai-based carrier ordered 20 of the jumbo jets with the

option to buy 16 more for $16 billion. In an unusual move, Airbus said this week that they could stop making the A380 if Emirates did not increase its

purchases.

Fifty-two people are dead after a passenger bus caught fire in western Kazakhstan. Officials say there were 55 passengers and two officials on

board when the vehicle caught fire on Thursday morning. Five people did manage to escape. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Amazon has narrowed the list of the contenders of its second headquarters down to 20 cities including Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles. Two hundred

and thirty eight cities have submitted proposals to be the site of what is known as HQ2. The headquarters are expected to bring 50,000 jobs and $5

billion to whatever city in the U.S. Amazon picks.

Countdown is no longer in days, it is in hours, and it is becoming likely that Donald Trump will celebrate his first anniversary as president during

a U.S. government shutdown. The lawmakers are on a race against the clock to lock down votes for a short-term funding bill before Friday at midnight,

but they may not have enough support to pass that bill. CNN's Abby Phillip looks at that for you from Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): House Republicans scrambling to secure support for a short-term budget resolution

ahead of tomorrow's government shutdown deadline. A member of the House GOP whip telling CNN they are confident, but as of now, CNN's count shows they

do not have the votes.

A key concern, the roughly 30 conservative hardliners in the House Freedom Caucus who largely oppose another short-term fix.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Are you in a position right now to vote "yes" on what's out there for budget resolution on Friday?

REP. JIM JORDAN (R-OH), HOUSE FREEDOM CAUCUS MEMBER: No. Here's what I want. I want us to do what we told the American people we were going to do,

what they elected us to do: fund defense, hold the line on non-defense, and do what the election was about on immigration.

PHILLIP (voice-over): But even if the resolution passes in the House, it faces more uncertainty in the Senate. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham

announcing Wednesday that he will not support the short-term bill because it deprives the military of long-term funding assurance.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I'm not going to vote for a C.R. The Democrats seem to be willing to increase military spending. Many

Republicans are willing to have a DACA fix. And those who don't want to combine the two are just, I think, very naive.

PHILLIP (voice-over): By contrast, Democrat Joe Manchin declaring that he will support the short-term bill.

[10:35:00] SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D), WEST VIRGINIA: We should be able to work to keep this government operating the way we're supposed to do and that to

punish 300 million plus people is just ridiculous, for our dysfunction here.

PHILLIP (voice-over): With Senator John McCain absent, if all remaining Republicans vote "yes," Senate leadership needs 10 more votes from

Democrats.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: The revulsion towards that bill was broad and strong.

PHILLIP (voice-over): Five Democrats have definitively said they will not back to continuing resolution, leaving little room for additional "no"

votes.

Senator Graham continuing to push for a bipartisan bill he cosponsored, but President Trump rejected, but has been garnering growing support in the

Senate.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell giving this blunt response when asked why he has not yet brought the so-called Gang of Six bill to the floor.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY), MAJORITY LEADER: I'm looking for something that President Trump supports. And he has not yet indicated what measure he

is willing to sign. As soon as we figure out what he is for, then I would be convinced that we were not just spinning our wheels.

PHILLP (voice-over): The White House pushing back.

RAJ SHAH, PRINCIPAL DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president has been pretty clear. There's been plenty of discussion back and forth and

we'd be happy to contact the leaders' office another time about this.

PHILLIP (voice-over): Chief of Staff John Kelly further muddying the waters, telling a group of Democrats that Mr. Trump was uninformed when he

repeatedly made this signature campaign promise.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: But we will build the wall. Mexico is going to pay for the wall.

JOHN KELLY, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: He's very definitely changed his attitudes towards the DACA issue and even the wall. He has evolved in the

way he has looked at things. Campaign to governing are two different things.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Fascinating. Abby Phillip reporting for you. A source tells CNN that President Trump is fuming at these comments by Kelly who said his

views on the wall and immigration have changed.

In response, the president tweeted this. The wall is the wall, it has never changed or evolved from the first day I conceived of it. Parts will be, of

necessary, see-through and it was never intended to be built in areas where there is natural protection such as mountains, wasteland or tough rivers or

water.

That was followed by another tweet in which Mr. Trump insisted that Mexico would directly or indirectly pay for the wall.

CNN's Stephen Collinson is joining us now from Washington. Mr. Trump, Steven, shortly will leave the White House for a meeting with senior

military leadership in the wake of his reported fury with this one, not reported, I mean, you can see on his tweets, the fury with his closest

general man in the House as it were, Mr. Kelly. What is going on here?

STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: I think what this shows is that the president is deeply sensitive to any perception that he is being

managed or patronized or reined in by his staff. I think when Kelly said the word "evolved" and said that there was a difference between campaigning

and governing, that was particularly red rag to a bull for the president.

Because it suggests that all of the stuff that we saw on the campaign has been moderated and reshaped by the swamp in Washington which is exactly the

thing that the president was running against.

He is so sensitive on the immigration, especially because it is the thing that is the root of the campaign, and it is the magic link, if you like

Donald Trump's core supporters, and he needs those supporters to stay with him because he is so unpopular with everybody else.

Polls a year after he took office today shows that he has a 37 percent approval rating. So if those voters who like Trump because of his

immigration stance start peeling away, he is in real trouble.

ANDERSON: And he is on a tweeting spree today, it has to be said. Last hour, he tweeted this. A government shutdown will be devastating to our

military. Something the Dems, he says, care very little about, with that exclamation mark he likes to use. We are now a year into this

administration. He will not want to celebrate that with the doors locked on federal buildings, will he?

COLLINSON: I don't think so, but you have to say that the president's actions this morning intervening in these very sensitive negotiations on

Capitol Hill, putting down the red lines for what he will and won't agree, make it much more difficult for Republican leaders to get a path to avoid

the shutdown.

It is another example of how the president is so unpredictable and unrestrained that he often seems to be acting against his own political

interests. So, at this point, Becky, I think we are going to see the president make this argument that a government shutdown would hurt the

military and that is the best argument he has got.

The problem is, like many of the things that Donald Trump say, it is not completely true. The military is an essential function of government. Its

funding wouldn't be affected if the government shuts down. And it would be a number of weeks before

[10:40:00] the wages of American troops would be affected by a government shutdown. But that is the best argument that he has to make. But at this

point, we are going closer and closer to that midnight Friday deadline in the U.S. and it seems to be getting further and further away from a

solution to all of this.

ANDERSON: In the meantime, we have that cloud of Russian collusion hanging over Washington which will infuriate him as he looks to celebrate his first

year in office.

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has struck a deal with special council Robert Mueller's team, it seems, to be interviewed by

prosecutors instead of testifying before a grand jury in the Russia investigation.

Sources say he is expected to cooperate with the special council, significance and potential consequences, if you will?

COLLINSON: I think it is significant, because Steve Bannon presumably has a lot of information about what was going on in the White House when he was

a senior advisor for most of last year. He will have been in all of the key meetings. He will know what kind of conversations there were between the

president and other key aides about the Russia investigation.

He is also in a different position in a lot of other people and that he did not come to the campaign until quite late. So, he would not be implicated,

for example, in that meeting in Trump Tower between Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, and a Russian lawyer which is a key

focus of this investigation.

And furthermore and where I think there is a little bit of the worry for the White House is that Steve Bannon has demonstrated that he has very

little time for Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. Mr. Kushner was seen as one of the reasons why he was pushed out of the White House, why he lost

his job last year.

So he really has political incentive to damage them, and I think that must make the White House really worried about what he might say to Robert

Mueller down the road.

ANDERSON: This is our last show, Stepven, before Trump hits that big one- year mark. I want to bring up a poll that we used a little earlier on this hour from Gallup asking 134 countries, that the average approval of

American leadership at 30 percent, down, way down from 48 percent just back in 2016.

This is how the rest of the world perceives U.S. leadership at present. We clearly know that his approval ratings within the U.S. are weak, as you

have rightly pointed out although he is always very quick to find a poll that will make it look as if the approval ratings are slightly higher than

others. Does it surprise you, that his approval ratings are so weak outside of U.S. shores?

COLLINSON: No, I don't think so, because what Donald Trump has done has made the United States an agent of instability and disruption and

unpredictability on the world stage. It is very difficult for anyone whether it is a foreign leader or someone from another country to work out

exactly what the U.S. is doing at any given time.

You have the foreign policy that is being pursued by the Trump cabinet, the Pentagon, the State Department, and now are these wild unpredictable tweets

that the president sends off every now and again. Yesterday, for example, there was an interview with the president with Reuters news agency.

He took shots at Russia, he took shots at China, he went off to South Korea on it's economic policies at a time when clearly there is a real need for

closeness between the U.S. and South Korea because of the North Korea crisis, and no one knows whether that is a sign of an impending trade war

with China, an impending trade war with South Korea or whether it is just the president shooting off steam.

And then you have, for example, the episodes like the re-tweeting of the videos of far-right wing, nationalistic videos from the U.K. which caused a

storm in U.K. It is incredible that the president of the United States cannot make a visit to the closest ally of America, the United Kingdom,

because he is so unpopular.

So, the president's behavior, his America first instincts, the way he projects himself on the world stage, you know, really gives a reason for a

lot of people to dislike him and to be suspicious of him. The question I think that is not yet answered is how much long-term impact this is going

have?

Clearly U.S. allies around the world are wondering whether Donald Trump is an aberration or whether his America first more isolationist, less

proactive U.S. leadership stance is the way of the future for the United States after he has left office.

ANDERSON: Well, if anybody is yet to understand what America first and make America great again

[10:45:00] really means, they will at least learn a little bit more about that in Davos, the world economic forum, next week where Donald Trump is

scheduled to make a speech Friday, eight days from now, into the second year of his administration. By then it would be fascinating to hear what he

says. Stephen, thank you.

You are watching "Connect the World." I'm Becky Anderson live from Abu Dhabi. Coming up, Emmanuel Macron is in Britain to meet with Theresa May.

We will tell you what is on the agenda for the those two leaders, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Just before 10 to eight or quarter to eight, whatever way you want, you are watching CNN. This is "Connect the World." Let me just get on

with this. I'm Becky Anderson. Welcome back. French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting Britain for the first time since taking office.

He is meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May at a military training academy in Sandhurst. The talks are expected to center around Brexit,

immigration, and defense issues. For more on these talks, let's bring in CNN's Melissa Bell in Paris. Do we know what Macron hopes to get out of

this trip?

MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know, Becky, what he has already gotten out of it, and it is the 44 million Euros that is going to

be contributed by Britain to beefing up Calais security.

This is one of France's main beefs and it has been for a long time, Becky, because of the accord, the agreement that was struck back in 2003, put in

place in 2004, which essentially means that Britain's border is in France, hence all the troubles including the creation of the jungle that we have

seen in that town over the last few years. Now that problem has been brought under control in 2015.

So, 80,000 illegal attempts of getting into Britain from Calais, that was down to 30,000 last year. So that has been effective, but France wants more

help. It wants Britain to put more money into what is the British border crossing and that now has been agreed.

But Emmanuel Macron is hoping to get more. He also wants Britain to contribute to the wider development of the Calais region. That is what is

so interesting about this meeting. It is not only the first one since he took power, the French president. It is also the first one since Brexit.

And it gives us, Becky, a little insight into post-Brexit negotiations, how the new world is going to look for United Kingdom, how bilateral agreements

are going to be worked out, how borders are going to be agreed and what's so interesting is how the balance of power seems to have shifted away from

Britain.

ANDERSON: Yes, fascinating, isn't it? Melissa, thank you for that. Now, imagine visiting your friend and bringing along the picture of the time

your ancestor's took over their family home? That could be the scene with Emmanuel Macron and Theresa May during his U.K. visit. Mr. Macron

(INAUDIBLE)

[10:50:00] the Bayeux Tapestry to Britain. It would be, if it happens, the first time the artwork leaves France in almost a century. It is picture of

Battle of Hastings which led to the conquest of England in 1066. Theresa May says, quote, it is significant that people will be able to see it, end

quote.

Parting shot for you today. A story -- I hope this will make you smile. These two flight attendants in Chile were supposed to get married in 2010,

but a major earthquake destroyed their church. They had a civil marriage license, but never had a religious ceremony. That is until now. They got

the ultimate religious ceremony on Thursday. They were married by Pope Francis.

The pontiff was talking with them on board his papal plane over Chile, and he offered to perform the marriage right there at 36,000 feet. The CEO of

the airline served as the witness. Papal officials say it is the first time the pope has performed a marriage on a plane. The pontiff even had one of

his cardinals draw up a marriage license signed by the pope himself. Fabulous.

I'm Becky Anderson at "Connect the World," out of the show a little early for you tonight. Thank you for watching. After this short break, eco

solutions.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wind turbines and solar panels are part of the landscape in rural Germany. The country has long been a

renewable energy champion, but efficient storage for 24-hour use has been a challenge. Tech company (INAUDIBLE) are combining a battery with community

spirit to find a solution.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our battery systems can be used for every kind of power generation, so we are using a very specific cell chemistry which is

(INAUDIBLE) iron phosphate and we have (INAUDIBLE) lifetime and our batteries can perform easily 10,000 cycles.

SOARES (voice-over): If the technology sounds familiar, it is because tech giants like Tesla and Hyundai have some of the biggest lithium battery

installations in the world, switched on and working in Australia and South Korea. Some systems typically used in residential settings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Tesla has announced to go also into the residential (INAUDIBLE) segment and to this hope the entire industry to get

more attention and awareness.

SOARES (voice-over): The company's battery system also connects (INAUDIBLE) power plant called the (INAUDIBLE) community, where members share their

excess energy with others, even if they don't generate their own renewable power.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): This means that they are not

[10:55:00] only able to cover something like 70, 75 percent of the power consumption with cell consumption, they are able to be 100 percent

independent from the traditional utility and by also supplying each other with grit (ph) power.

SOARES (voice-over): There are 30,000 solar uses worldwide and 70 percent distributed in Germany, servicing rural and urban areas alike.

Here in Munich, six months ago, (INAUDIBLE) invested in a solar battery for his home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was immediately interested in the whole system. The motivation behind that is actually saving environment. You produce your own

electricity on the roof, but at the end of the day, it is going to save money.

SOARES (voice-over): Community members can monitor their clean power production and consumption through an app.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): I can see the actual consumption of a certain equipment in the house, and that makes you aware of what is going

on and what might to be changed in the future.

SOARES (voice-over): Battery grid technology is maturing and small scale community systems are part of the puzzle when it comes to integrating more

renewable energy into global power mix.

Isa Soares, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[11:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END