Secretary Tony Blinken, Breaking the Silence and Trump's Biggest Foreign Policy Mistake
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hey, everyone, and welcome to the Andy Beshear podcast. Today's episode takes us from the world stage to the front lines of democracy right here at home. First up, I'm joined by Secretary Tony Blinken, who spent four years as America's top diplomat. He'll talk about rebuilding alliances, standing up to China and confronting Russia's war crimes in Ukraine. We're going to get into where things stand with Iran right now, why he believes China understands something about the future of AI that Washington still hasn't fully caught up to, and what he calls the real secret sauce behind American innovation, the alliance between government, universities, research institutions, and our national labs paired with a welcome mat for the best and brightest minds in the world.
Secretary Blinken believes that formula is being ripped apart right now, and he's gonna tell us exactly what that damage looks like. Then I sit down with Garland Gilchrist, who is running for Michigan's Secretary of State at a moment when that office matters more than almost any other office in the country. Donald Trump just used a prime time address to order the FBI to investigate long debunked claims about Michigan's elections. Trump's Department of Justice is sending federal monitors into three Michigan cities, including Garland's hometown of Detroit. And Garland's opponent, a sitting county clerk, has hired someone tied to January 6th to work in his own office. We're gonna talk about what it actually means to defend an election right now, not in theory, but in practice.
Let's get started. Our first guest on the Andy Beshear podcast is former Secretary of State Tony Blinken. He has spent his life in service to the country he loves, helping to shape how America shows up in the world and what it stands for when it does.
How did Tony Blinken assess America's global standing and alliances?
Over three decades in foreign policy, he's worked alongside presidents, allies, and citizens alike to advance the simple but powerful idea that America leadership at its best can deliver real benefits to people's lives. At the heart of that vision is a belief that America is strongest when it works in common cause with others. Secretary, thanks for joining the podcast.
Great to be with you. Thanks for having me.
I've got to think right now, with all your service, especially related to foreign policy, you've got a lot of concerns with the standing of the United States abroad. Tell us a little bit about how you see the landscape.
Well, Governor, I think what we're seeing in so many places in so many ways is the bottom dropping out in support for the United States, in seeing the United States as a credible leader that other countries want to work with and follow. And you don't have to take my word for it. We see it in poll after poll, in country after country, polls showing that China is considered more reliable, more trustworthy. that the United States is considered an adversary by countries like Germany. 70% of people in one recent poll in Germany said the United States is an adversary. We're seeing similar numbers in other countries across Europe, Korea, Japan, and other places. That's not just bad in and of itself. It's bad because it makes it so much harder for us to do the things we need to do to deliver for the American people, because it's harder to bring all these other countries along to deal with problems that as strong and powerful as we are, we simply can't effectively deal with on our own.
Talk to our listeners about the importance of alliances, the difference between going into an international conflict or significant diplomacy with friends around you versus what we see out of this Trump administration when he starts this war with Iran and then somehow just demands that others get involved.
You know, I think Americans feel this instinctively. They know it. We're much better off having friends in the world than not. And one of the things that has set us apart for decades were these alliances, voluntary in nature, not something that we did under the barrel of a gun.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:08–2:03
2
How did Tony Blinken assess America's global standing and alliances?
2:03–9:33
3
What went wrong with the U.S. approach to the Iran conflict, according to Tony Blinken?
9:33–13:09
4
Why does Blinken warn about losing U.S. leadership in AI and China’s governance push?
13:09–15:24
5
What personal insights did Blinken share about being Secretary of State and diplomacy?
15:24–23:33
6
How did the hosts react to recent policy moves: tariffs, troop losses, and public health?
23:33–33:37
7
What is Garland Gilchrist’s case for running for Michigan Secretary of State?
33:37–35:07
8
How does Garland explain the risks of Trump’s SAVES Act and election monitors?
35:07–1:09:21
Speakers
5 identifiedMore from Andy Beshear Podcast
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