BEAVER CREEK, Colorado — Richard Grenell was mocked for declaring at the Republican National Convention that he watched President Trump charm German Chancellor Angela Merkel, but the presidential envoy has no intention of backing down from his statement.
Mr. Grenell, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Germany from 2018-20, said Friday the idea that foreign leaders like Ms. Merkel have disdain for Mr. Trump is “one of the biggest misconceptions in the media, and it drives me crazy.”
“I literally said in that speech that President Trump has charmed the chancellor of Germany while also demanding that Germany pay more for their NATO obligations and for their security,” said Mr. Grenell at the Steamboat Institute Freedom Conference. “It’s a totally accurate description. If anybody could see how the president negotiates — he’s a great charmer, and it’s not a phony charm.”
Mr. Grenell, who now serves as special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations, was bombarded on social media after his Wednesday speech at the RNC with photos and videos of Mr. Trump and Ms. Merkel looking confrontational, but he said they had a “great relationship.”
“[H]e’s always totally respectful, always, But at the same time, he fights for the American people with a respect for the other side that they’re also fighting for their people,” said Mr. Grenell. “It’s a great charm, and I don’t back down from that at all. He definitely charms the chancellor, and I’ve seen him do it to others.”
Charmed. https://t.co/CPIBlKEfOD pic.twitter.com/VPGi9K27jz
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) August 28, 2020
Mr. Grenell was appointed by Mr. Trump in February as acting Director of National Intelligence, making him the first openly gay man to hold a presidential cabinet post in U.S. history.
Even so, he told the audience via Zoom he has been attacked by what he called “Gay Left Inc.” for his conservative views on issues such as foreign policy, immigration and abortion.
“I would say don’t subscribe to the Gay Left Inc., because they really are not about gay issues, they’re about Democrat lefty issues,” said Mr. Grenell. “I mean, all of the leaders of Gay Inc. in Washington are truly people that have been at Planned Parenthood or at unions. They’re just in Democratic politics, and so they’re going to do everything they can to help the Democrats.”
He also took a swipe at those who equate the number of gay staffers in an administration with actual political influence.
“Somebody asked me recently how many gay people were in the Trump administration, and I said I had no idea,” Mr. Grenell said. “And they said, well, see, that’s the problem, because in the Obama-Biden administration, we had 2,410. And I said, I am so offended that you kept a list. And by the way, who kept a list, and who’s asking people who they’re sleeping with?”
He continued: “Were they hired because they needed more names on the list? Because I don’t want to have the rainbow table down the hallway where I’m sitting and I get [trotted] out every four years to say, look at our rainbow table. I want to be at the cabinet table, which I was.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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