Inclusion. Good day to you, im peter alexander. Weve been listening to the House Minority leader nancy pelosi as shes been speaking her first News Conference since donald trump elected as if president praising Hillary Clinton for efforts in the course of her campaign and saying its important that this country moves forward together. Right now, expecting to hear any moment from president obama alongside Angela Merkel in berlin, they will both be taking questions as well. This, of course, part of the president s final overseas trip as commander in chief. In fact, his final trip to europe as president. We will bring you that News Conference live but we do want to begin with some breaking news that weve been reporting here on msnbc. It comes from the pentagon. James clapper, the director of National Intelligence announced his resignation from his post. I submitted my letter of resignation last night which felt pretty good. I got 64 days left and i think id have a hard time with my wife with anything past that. Nbc news correspondent hans nichols who was at the hearing and a sense not so much a surprise, clapper had said that this was going to be happening nonetheless. It does sort of indicate the real wholesale changes that are about to take place in terms of the american intelligence infrastructure. Reporter peter, thats exactly right. President elect donald trump needs to fill a variety. We have a clear telegraph and did this early, giving them plenty of time but essentially putting the trump team on notice. I am not going to stick around. He said this before, its not a huge surprise. He will serve up until the very end. Thats vejanuary 20th when the inauguration takes place to be there for the next 64 days. His office is making that very clear. Whats also clear is the trump team has not contacted the pentagon and we do not have a lot of indication that these ground teams are up and running and this transition is moving fast as some in the Intel Community might like it to move. Peter . Hans nichols reporting. The head of the dni. Hans, thank you, as we wait to hear from the president. This News Conference taking place in germany with that countrys chancellor, Angela Merkel. Worth noting president elect donald trump will be an extremely busy day for him at trump tower and the first meeting with a foreign leader and tweeted this morning, my transition team, working long hours and doing a fantastic job will be seeing many great candidates today. That revolving door should be spinning all day. Kellyanne conway confirming on morning joe the president elect will meet with japanese Prime Minister shinzo a abe, his first face to face meeting with a foreign leader. She confirmed the president elect to meet with nikki haley, South Carolina governor, a short list of secretary for state as first reported here on msnbc and heres what conway said about former new york city mayor Rudy Giulianis public pronouncements indicating he wants to be secretary of state. These conversations are always best in private. Particularly when you form a cabinet and a senior staff, no question. Thats why i wont say too much about myself. He would have a certain presence around the world but someone highly involved with the transition, we have long short lists for every position. Expected at trump tower, this man. Florida governor rick scott fueling speculation hes considered for a job in the Trump Administration. Cnbc last week, doesnt plan on being a cabinet member but he was certain one of the first on board with the Trump Campaign and as we await announcements of picks for this new Trump Administration, a top official telling nbc news that the president elect expected today, retired army mike flynn whos been a trump advisor as his National Security advisor. Nbcs kristen welker, my friend and colleague with us in the washington bureaus. You were among the first to get this new information that he is the leading contender to be clear for this role. Weve been talking about his sort of proximity to trump. I traveled with him for months, trump, and flynn was there much of the time. This is a guy that he relies on closely. All signs are pointing to Lieutenant GeneralMichael Flynn but nothing is finalized until we hear it come from trumps mouth or a press release as it were. This is someone who, as you point out, essentially serving in the role of National Security advisors throughout the campaign and i think theres a couple of key things to think about here. He has the loyalty aspect that trump values so much. Were seeing in number of these picks or the people hes eyeing, folks who have been loyal to him and then second of all, hes a little bit controversial. Hes someone who kind of eschews Political Correctness and i think appeals to president elect trump. He is unconventional. That has given some democrats pause for concern. Hes someone who has. Hes turned off most of the intelligence community. He has. At the Republican National committee, stood on the stage, said lock her up, you dont typically see these folks engage in politics. And questions about how he handled sensitive material. He said, look, all of that is false and misinformation. Bottom line here, theres some questions about his past that undoubtedly the Trump Transition Team is looking into. Theyre going to have to determine if theyre comfortable with that and president elect trump will determine if hes comfortable with that. I think whats striking though, peter, we see the the urgency inten start to fill out some of the blanks of whos going to be in this administration. Among the blanks is secretary of state. Worlds top diplomat, traveling around the globe as Hillary Clinton did recently and john kerry does now and the idea of a secretary of state nikki haley is an interesting one for a variety of reasons. We know little about her Foreign Policy, not just credentials but her positions and the fact that she was not a trump loyalist. This is a person very critical of him over the course of the campaign and remember stand by side with marco rubio which seemed to be a shot across with jeb bush back in the primaries. This is what trump tweeted then. The people of South Carolina are embarrassed by nikki haley. So what message is donald trump sending by, in effect, taking this meeting with haley right now . I have to think about the team of rivals, right . I think that theres a lot of people who are saying to him, its important to expand your scope beyond just loyalists. Nikki haley would obviously be a diverse choice. Shes a woman. Shes a minority. Shes someone who is widely respected in South Carolina. I think your point about, does she actually have the Foreign Policy credentials . That was the key question. Donald trump doesnt. He needs someone an anchor in the role undoubtedly. She may be and thats what hell find out when talking to her today and you recall at the rnc, one of our reporters asked a question to him. Are you going to vote for donald trump . And she dodged that question. So i think thats going to be an issue. Thats going to be a real question, something hell have the get over but who did president obama pick for secretary of state . Hillary clinton, one of his rivals. The bottom line, they try to create diversity, not just demographically but geographically, check all the boxes as well which matters in a cabinet as well is. Good to see you. Thank you. We follow breaking news from germany. We expect shortly to hear from the president and german president Angela Merkel. You can see the scene, flags in position. Theyll hold this News Conference after having a private meeting. This is, we reported, president obamas last trip overseas and trying to assure world leaders, many rattled by the election of donald trump and america is committed to strong relations. Nbc news senior White House Correspondent chris jansing. Shes been traveling with the president through europe on this trip. The german media has called the election, a quote, dirty mud campaign and characterized the presidency as apocalypse now. Has the focus of the leg on Donald Trumps trip been . Reporter everyone including the president by his own admission was stunned by what happened and they dont know what to expect. Take a look. This was after the election, oh my god, with statue of liberty over her face but the main magazine here, the end of the world with a meteor that looks like donald trump. To say the people here are unsettled is again, an understatement. You have issues from the economy, trade, huge trading partners, the u. S. And germany. Climate change. All those things that the president thought he was going to come here to kind of take a victory lap, he has such a close relationship and such a meeting of the minds on so many issues with Angela Merkel and obviously, peter, its turned into something very different. Some reporting, not yet confirmed by nbc news but mike pence meeting privately with House Republicans a short time ago that pence told republicans according to these reports right now that donald trump told the president to reassure european allies that the president elect does believe in a strong nato alliance. Whats striking is it comes on top of this joint oped today for a german business magazine, the future of these Transatlantic Relations right now. What was the message delivered in that sort of shared statement . In effect, a rebuttal from merkel and president obama to donald trump . Reporter i mean, obviously, they have this world view that they share. They want the world to know where they stand. I think, nato, a strong support for nato is important. Donald trump has talked about how many countries dont pay their fair share into nato. I think this was really trying in many ways to refocus attention on the issues at hand. I talked a little earlier, peter, to the National Security advisor, susan reiss. A lot this was going to be in some part a fun trip for them, a place where the president had 200,000 people screaming for him when he first visited berlin in 2008 but instead talked about the intensive meetings going on, peter. Chris jansing, traveling with the president in berlin. Thank you very much. Outstanding reporting over the course of the last 72 hours. I want to get right now to our panel, ryan crocker, the former ambassador to syria, iraq, and now executive professor at texas a m university and nbc news chief correspondent Richard Engel joining us as well. Ambassador, ill start with you. Quickly to get your reaction if i can to the National Director james clapper. He resigned, not going to be here for the transition into Donald Trumps presidency. What is the impact in the handoff from Barack Obamas administration to the one that will follow . As you said, this was widely expected by people whove followed National Security developments. Director clapper has been saying it for months in private so this is not something we need to spin up into another mini crisis of competent people. Talk about intelligence passed from one director to a next, in effect. Theres a whole new community of Intelligence Leaders that are expected to come not the least of whom is the potential nsa, the new National Security advisor of the president , likely to be the Lieutenant GeneralMichael Flynn. I think that is why general clapper announced this as soon as he did. So there will be a lot of time here and more than 60 days for the new administration to decide who they want to go into that job, so whatever else happens in this transition, this should be fairly seamless. The security and intelligence front, the White House Press conference josh earnest on morning joe today asked about a concern of a postelection terror attack either here or abroad as a way in effect to test president elect trump. Heres what he said. There is always vigilance about doing what is necessary to protect our homeland and to protect our allies and the truth is that vigilance would be in place whether or not an election has just occurred. And this is the kind of cooperation and coordination with diplomats, military, Law Enforcement thats critical to the success of our efforts to keep our country and our allies safe. Richard, talk about that coordination, that effort. The Foreign Community right now, what theyre saying as they witness donald trump coming to power about the cooperation for terror attacks and threats around the world. Frankly, he was giving a diplomatic answer and always on alert but the fact of the matter is i think that isis right now has a lot to prove and isis sees this as a good opportunity. One, it has to prove that the group is still relevant. Its taking losses in iraq and in syria but mostly in iraq right now around the city, in and around the city of mosul. So the group is trying to come out and come out swinging. Also, isis has made it clear that it sees Donald Trumps asen d ascendancy. Antimuslim statements. Perhaps isis could use to their advantage to attract recruits, so i would say that there is a possibility that isis could try and make hay in this period, carry out some sort of attack whether the group has the ability to do that remains to be seen and most Security Experts were talking to say that the threat continues to be against the american interests, abroad more than in this country directly. Ambassador, what keeps you up at night on this front . What are the things you worry about most as we lead into a new administration in terms of the security, National Security as it affects americans and this country . I would really agree with richard in terms of the motives of our enemy. They are going to want to cause us pain. I think theyre less encumbered by the calendar. Its when they can get something together to pull the trigger on it and weve got to be ready. What keeps me up at night . I worry about the structure of transition. What do you mean by that . President elect does not have experience in the National Security world. Thats important in and of itself but also very important what team he surrounds himself with. Thats why, whos going to be named to state, to defense, National Security advisor. Its got to be a strong team. And i would also say, it kind of needs to be composed of people who are not exactly like the president elect himself. Once we see those three key appointments, i would add dni to it now, i think that will tell us a lot about how the Trump Administration is going to function at the highest levels. So what do you make of nacme like nikki haley, no Foreign Policy experience or credentials like donald trump. Is it necessary to have that experience on the foreign stage to serve in that capacity . Its always a good idea. Is it absolutely essential . No. We have had instances of very capable cabinet level individuals who also didnt have that kind of experience. But again, im certainly not going to sit here and speculate who the president elect is going to pick. Its a Great Washington parlor game but i think we need not to get ourselves all spun up until were looking at the shape of the administration. Richard, the reporting today is that the leading contender for National Security advisor is the Lieutenant GeneralMichael Flynn. Give us a sense. Obviously, hes a controversial figure. Even in republican circles, recommending regime change and close ties to russia. Can you give us a better understanding of his bio and why it poses some concern for some people right now . Hes seen as quite aggressive. Hes seen as someone who is not, doesnt have great diplomatic skills. He wants what he wants. Believes what he believes. Hes been seen as quite hawkish against islam, believes that islam is truly, or a part of islam is truly at war with the United States. Hell say to his credit, he was an early recognizer of the dangers of isis. But he is not necessarily seen, hes seen as someone who looks to the hammer, frankly, more than diplomacy and if that is the case, hes talked about his close ties with russia, hes gone to russia. I think thats going to create a lot of concern right now. Lets take it issue by issue. If you look at syria, for example, is he going to get more involved in syria or agree with russia that what Bashar Al Assad is doing right now is in fact a counterterrorism campaign, joint alliance with russia . Frankly, there are a lot of concerns and some are legitimate. Nbc news chief foreign correspondent. Gentlemen, thank you, we appreciate it. Breaking news right now from capitol hill. Vice president elect mike pence is Holding Meetings at the Transition Office and finished up a closed door visit a short time ago and talked with our colleague kasie hunt as he walked out and kasie joining us live. Give me a sense about those meet l l ings right now and give a little bait to get him talking. What did he have to say to you and what do we know about what he did privately . Reporter i think this was really the first celebratory moment for elections. Theres uncertainty about what it will mean. I think republicans expected Hillary Clinton to win this election and a lot of looking around and thinking, okay, how are we going to go forward from here . I think mike pence gave them the opportunity to celebrate a little bit the fact theyre going to be running the government, both houses of congress and the white house. Mike pence, of course, coming back to his old stomping grounds. Up here for 12 years, member of the house leadership. He took a selfie and i think we can show you with all of the members of the house gop conference behind closed doors. He used a selfie stick, you can see in the background there, everyone smiling, kind of excited. Pence in the front with the selfie stick. But he talked a little bit about the fact hes going to be really the bridge, i think, between the Trump Administration and the congress. I asked him what this would mean and what his position will mean for the congress in a Trump Administration. Its humbling to me to be back in a room i spent 12 years as a member of congress and to be there with members i serve with, with many men and women who have been elected since then and to see the enthusiasm for the president elects agenda for this country. What is item one . Confident as we move toward inauguration, bring together a great team, work in concert with leaders in the house and the senate. Well move an agenda thats going to rebuild our military, revive our economy, and in a word, make America Great again. Reporter so we learn out of the meeting the Trump Pence Administration wants congress to fund the government through the end of march. Thats set to expire on december 9th. So it looks like that will be agenda item number one for republicans in congress. And they do seem to be at least presenting a unified front right now. Now, contrast that with democrats who are having a little bit of family feuding going on over nancy pelosi and whether or not shell remain the leader of the house. She was just talking to reporters. She said its all going to be fine. No problems here. Its just a family kind of division but were also learning that congressman tim ryan from the mahoney valley of ohio whether or not hes going to challenge her for that leader position, peter . Tim ryan said, not fun to wallow in the minority. Its funny how a win can unify a party. All of the sudden, big selfie stick and unified today representing the gop. Kasie hunt at the hill for us. Donald trump tore down the democrats blue wall. Still ahead, well take you live to michigan to hear the voices of those voters and one of the countriy counties that flipped from blue to red and latest, the efforts to contain wildfires burning in ten states across the southeast and next, more on Hillary Clintons emotional first appearance since conceding last week. For the sake of our children and our families and our country, i ask you to stay engaged, stay engaged on every level. We need you. America needs you. Your energy, your ambition, your talent. Thats how we get through this. vo pro plan bright mind adult 7 promotes alertness and mental sharpness in dogs 7 and older. ray the difference has been incredible. She is much more aware. She wants to learn things. vo purina pro plan bright mind. Nutrition that performs. I will admit coming here tonight wasnt the easiest thing for me. There have been a few times this past week when all i wanted to do is just to curl up with a good book or our dogs and never leave the house again. That was an emotional Hillary Clinton speaking out publicly for the First Time Since conceding last week appearing at an event here in washington last evening for the childrens defense fund. Thats where she started her career. Heres more of what secretary clinton had to say. I know that over the past week, a lot of people have asked themselves whether america is the country we thought it was. The divisions laid bare by this election run deep but please listen to me when i say this. America is worth it. Our children are worth it. Believe in our country, fight for our values and never, ever give up. Also this morning, hearing from secretary clintons former rival for the democratic nomination. Senator Bernie Sanders whos now been elected to the Democratic Leadership Team in the senate. Msnbc political reporter Alex Seitzwald was there. He brought up steve bannon, controversial appointment of the executive of breitbart. Reporter reiterated his call to rescind nomination of steve bannon and said hes a racist with no place behind the president of the United States and watch how democrats deal with the incoming president is Bernie Sanders talked about how to work with the president elect who he said ran on a populist message and actually said theres a lot to Work Together on. Take a look at what he said. We look forward to working with them to make sure that he does not cut social security, medicare, and medicaid. He talked about raising the minimum wage to 10 an hour. Thats not high enough for me but better than 7. 25 an hour. He said a lot and our job is to make and hold him accountable and we intend to do that. Reporter sanders also called trump a smart man. Nobodys fool. And trying to coopt the parts of the trump agenda that democrats like that especially populists like Bernie Sanders like and kind of an attempt to draw a wedge between that version of donald trump, the populist donald trump and the conservative donald trump that the paul ryans and the Mitch Mcconnells will want to try to use to enact their agenda on capitol hill but peter, most of what Bernie Sanders has been talking about in these last couple of days and this morning at the Christian Science breakfast is the Democratic Party and feels like he lost the battle and the primary against Hillary Clinton but winning the war. He was just elected to the leadership post and the senate, as noted. His ally, Keith Ellison is the frontrunner for the next dnc chair and the new book out, going around town, giving these speeches as clinton is, you know, very somber and kind of fading from the National Public life. He was very gracious about her and said she still has a role in the future of the Democratic Party but clearly trying to assert himself and his ideas as the future of the party. Notable, the two have been and yet to speak since her defeat. Thats right. Said they spoke on a Conference Call but not personally which i think, you know, speaks to the lack of a relationship they have and speaks to a lack of time that Bernie Sanders had in the Democratic Party before he took it by storm and also asked whether hes going to become a democrat and still an independent and said, no, he was elected as independent and will finish his term in the senate as an independent. We are livie ing in interest times. Alex seitzwald. Thank you very much. Next, how much did trumps visit to michigan the day before the election . The eve of the election help him turn the blue state red . Well hear from voters in one of the critical counties there that helped flip that state. See ya next year. This season, start a new tradition. Experience the power of infiniti now, with leases starting at 319 a month. Infiniti. Empower the drive. Breaking news right now. You can see that live picture from germany. Berlin, Angela Merkel about to speak alongside president barack obama. His final overseas trip. Lets take a listen. Translator after visiting us in his capacity as a candidate, we met. We saw each other when he gave a speech in elmo and again at the fair comes to mind and today, again here in berlin. So eight years are coming to a close. This is the last visit of barack obama to a country, to germany. I am very glad that he chose germany as one of the sort of stops on this trip and thank you very much. Thank you for the friendship youve always demonstrated. Thank you for the reliable friendship and partnership in difficult hours of our relationship, so let me again pay tribute to what weve been able to achieve, to what we discuss, to what we were able to bring about difficult hours come to mind, as i said. Those that had a bearing on the cooperation of Intelligence Services and very grateful that barack obama as president very much put protection of privacy on the agenda due to islamic terrorists all over the world and the threat, we recognize how important the cooperation and first and foremost also with the services of the United States is. We need this cooperation and we say this from a german perspective very clearly and unequivocally. Our bilateral relations are close, good in the areas of business and of the economy and the United States and also america last year, important trading partners. Both for European Union and the United States of america are the big important economic areas for us which is why ive always come out strongly in favor of the trade agreement with the United States of america. We have made progress. Quite a lot of progress. They cannot be stopped, those negotiations. What will keep and achieve so far and absolutely certain that one day, we will come back to what we have achieved and build on it because that is my deep conviction and globalization and i think we share this conviction is that globalization needs to be shaped politically, it needs to be given a human face but we cannot fall back into preglobalization times so this conclusion of trade agreements that go beyond the scope of tariff agreements, kus topscust agreements most important and glad we were able to bring this to fruition and made great progress particularly if we look at one of the great global issues namely climate protection without the engagement of the current leadership under obama and this Paris Agreement would never have come about. There has been a change in the attitude in the United States towards that agreement that there is always a better cooperation with china. So last year, we were able to conclude a paris climate agreement which will lead the way for the rest of the world which is Ground Breaking and together, with the Sustainable Development goals of the agenda 2030 for the whole world, this is indeed see change we see and will be implemented and particularly, the engagement and commitment to africa for us europeans. Africa is a continent of prime importance in the development of african countries in our very own vested interest. As germans but also as members of the European Union to deal with this. It will be top of our agenda and a lot of areas where we cooperate and fight against isil, for example, here germany was able to contribute to a certain extent in certain areas. Well continue to do so, in supporting pe supporting peshmerga and United States had most of the burden and brunt of this responsibility so i take your remarks very seriously, barack, European Union as a whole but also germany that this is our common alliance, Transatlantic Alliance that we have to step out our engagement because in the long run, we will not be allowed to accept this imbalance as regards to contributions we give to this alliance and have understood this message and we have started to react. We have worked very closely together, for example, in afghanistan. Were continuing to do so and very pleased that this military engagement together with a political road map that we developed, we were able to continue. We want to bring about a political solution there. We work very closely together on the issue of annexation of crimea and attempt to conquer ukraine and they did so. Part of the territory and tried to come through a peaceful settlement and our interests are very much aligned and cooperation very much aligned and continue to build on what weve already achieved in these last months of the administration and will continue also with the new administration. This is the end of an 8 year cooperation that was very close indeed. From a german point of view, german american, European American relations are a pillar of our Foreign Policy. And Foreign Policy that is obviously guided by interests but that is very much also committed to shared values, so we have a platform, democracy, freedom, respect of human rights that we would like to see respected all over the world and also a Peaceful World order. We have shared those values. We continue to share those values and obviously, we will continue to cooperate with the new administration but today, i think a word of gratitude is at hand. Thank you very much for this very close cooperation. Wonderful to be back in berlin. This is my sixth visit to germany. It will not be my last. I have somehow continued to miss oktoberfest, so thats probably something that is better for me to do as a former president rather than as president. Ill have more fun. Its also wonderful to be back with my great friend and ally chancellor merkel. As i reflect back over the last 8 years, i could not have asked for a steadier, more reliable partner on the world stage. Often through some very challenging times, so i want to thank you for your friendship, leadership, and commitment to our alliance and i want to thank the german people. The partnership in our country that have been able to establish all these years. Last week marked the 27th anniversary of the fall of the berlin wall. The United States was proud to stand with the people of germany as this nation and continent reunited, rebuilt, and reached for a Better Future and a reminder that the commitment of the United States to europe is enduring and its rooted in the values we share, values that angela just mentioned. Our commitment to democracy, our commitment to rule of law. Our commitment to the dignity of all people in our own countries and around the world. Our alliance with nato partners has been a cornerstone for nearly 70 years. Good times, bad, and president s of both parties because the United States has a fundamental interest in europes stability and security. The commitment that angela and i share to this guiding principle has formed the basis for conversations this afternoon. We discuss our efforts to keep countries competitive and create jobs and opportunity on both sides of the atlantic. The negotiations on agreements like teta have been challenging and a moment where theres concerns about globalization and the benefits that accrued at particular people, it is important those negotiations and channels of communication remain. Because ultimately, what we have shown over the last several decades is that markets and trade and commerce can create prosperity in all of our countries that its not a w win lose situation but a winwin situation and at times when the european project can facing challenges, its especially important to show economic integration by continuing to invest in our people and working to reduce inequality both in and across our countries. I reiterated our hope that negotiations over the united kingdoms exit from the eu will be conducted in a smooth and orderly and transparent fashion and preserve as closely as possible the economic and political and security relationships between the uk and eu and i continue to believe what i said in hanover that the eu remains one of the worlds great political and economic achievements and that those achievements should not be taken for granted, that they need to be nurtured and cultivated and protected and fought for. Because the achievements that weve seen on this continent in contrast to a divided europe of the previous century are ones that remind us of how important it is that we Work Together. And that we are willing to uphold principles that have resulted in unprecedented prosperity and security throughout europe and around the world. With the threat of Climate Change only becoming more urgent, angela and i focus on american and eu leadership to advance global cooperation. Both of our nations were proud to join the paris climate agreement which the world should work to implement quickly, continue Global Leadership on climate in addition to increasing private investment in clean energy is going to be critical to meeting this growing threat. Of course, we discussed our meeting to shared security challenges with countering cyberthreats and making sure iran lives up to the iran nuclear deal. I commended angela for her leadership along with president hollande in working to resolve the conflict in ukraine and continue to stand with the people for the basic principle that nations have a right to determine their own destiny and discussed the importance of maintaining sanctions until russia fully complies with the agreement. As part of the coalition against isil, we are putting that terrorist network under tremendous pressure. Here this week in berlin, Coalition Members make sure we are unified and focused on our mission to destroy isil and grateful for the vital forces to this fight and shared intelligence with Reconnaissance Aircraft including additional nato and continue the liberation of mosul, im pleefzased that n will be starting this january and continue to stand united with germany and nato allies to build peace and stability in afghanistan. On syria, its clear that the indiscriminate tax by the assad regime and russia only worsen the humanitarian catastrophe and a negotiated end is the only way for lasting peace in syria. Angela and i also agree the need for a comprehensive and humane response to the devastating humanitarian crisis in syria and the influx of migrants and r refugees around the world. We need to build on the progress achieved at the u. N. Refugee summit which yielded new commitments from 50 nations and organizations. The United States is doing our part by increasing the number of refugees we resettle and again to commend angela and more importantly the german people for the extraordinary leadership and compassion that you have shown in the face of what i know is a very difficult challenge. You are not alone in trying to deal with this challenge. This is not an issue that any one country should bare but is in need of an International Response and i not only intend to make sure that we have put in place more robust support for the United States but im hoping that that continues to be on my administration. On this final visit, i am reminded of the visit i made here before i became president. It was eight years ago. I had no gray hair. But i believed today what i said then. If you want to model for what is possible, if you want to see how to build a peaceful and prosperous and dynamic society, look at berlin and look at germany and look at chancellor merkel. Her personal story helps to tell the story of incredible achievement and that the german people have embarked on and i think is something you should be very proud of. It is not inevitable that we make progress. It requires hard work, sometimes it may seem as if progress is stalled but what the history of postwar germany shows is that strength and determination and focus and adherence to the values that we care about will result in a Better Future for our children and our grandchildren and on behalf of the american people, i want to thank the german people and chancellor merkel for your steadfast partnership. Thank you very much. Mr. President , you and the president elect have very different views on russia. After your meeting with him last week, can you assure chancellor merkel that a Trump Administration would also support strong against moscow . Similarly, what have you told president putin about russias influence on the u. S. Election and how would you advise European Countries to deal with the same threat . Lastly, if i may, would you like to see your friend, chancellor merkel, run for reelection next year . [ speaking german ] pulling out your german, showing off. Translator can the american president during the policy of his successor on Climate Change and russia, he has allayed all fears and after the election of mr. Trump, would you, as a sign of civility, wouldnt you actually have to be a candidate again . I try to make it a rule not to mettle in other peoples politics. As i can say is that chancellor merkel has been an outstanding partner. A and, you know, chancellor merkel is perhaps the only leader left among our closest allies that was there when i arrived. So, in some ways we are now the veterans of many challenges over the last eight years. Although we have not always been in sync on every issue, in terms of our core values, her integrity, her truthfulness, her doing her homework, knowing her facts, her commitment to looking out for the interest of the german people first but recognizing that part of good leadership on behalf of the nation requires engage the world as a whole, and participating effectively in multilateral institutions, i think shes been outstanding. So, its up to her whether she wants to stand again and then ultimately it will be up to the german people to decide what the future holds. You know, if i were here and i were german and i had a vote, i might support her. But thats i dont know whether that hurts or helps. With respect to russia, my principle approach to russia has been constant since i first came into office. Russia is an important country. It is a military super power. It has influence in the region and it has influence around the world. And in order for us to solve many big problems around the world, it is in our interest to work with russia and obtain their cooperation. We should all hope for a russia that is successful, where its people are employed and the economy is growing and they are having good relationships with their neighbors, and participating constructively on big issues like Climate Change. So, ive sought a constructive relationship with russia, but what i have also been is realistic in recognizing that theres some significant differences in how russia views the world and how we view the world. The values we talked about, the values of democracy and free speech and International Norms and rule of law, respecting the ability of other countries to determine their own destiny and preserve their sovereignty and territorial integrity. Those things are not something that we can set aside. And so, on issues like ukraine, issues like syria, weve had very significant differences. And my hope is the president elect coming in takes a similarly constructtive approach, finding areas where we can cooperate with russia, where our values and interests align, but that the president elect also is willing to stand up to russia where they are deviating from our values and International Norms. And i dont expect that the president elect will follow exactly our blueprint or our approach, but my hope is that he does not simply take a real politic approach and suggest that, you know, if we just cut some deals with russia, even if it hurts people or even if it violates International Norms or even if it leaves smaller countries vulnerable or creates longterm problems in regions like syria, that we just do whats convenient at the time. And that will be something that, i think well learn more about as the president elect puts his team together. I am encouraged by the president elects insistence that nato is a commitment that does not change. And his full commitment to nato as the foundation for interNational Security, i think, is very important. Finally, in terms of my conversations with president putin, these are conversations that took place before the election. As i indicated, there has been very clear proof that they have engaged in Cyber Attacks. This isnt new. Its not unique to russia. There are a number of states where weve seen lowlevel Cyber Attacks and industrial espionage and other behavior we think should be out of bounds. And i delivered a clear and forceful message that although we recognize russias intelligence gathering, will sometimes take place even if we dont like it, theres a difference between that and them either meddling with elections or going after private organizations or commercial entities. And that were monitoring it carefully and we will respond appropriately if and when we see this happening. I do think this whole area of cyber is something that at an International Level we have to work on and develop frameworks and International Norms so that we dont see a cyber arms race. A lot of countries have advance capabilities. And given the vulnerabilities of our infrastructure and our economies to digital platforms, we have to be careful in making sure that this doesnt become a lawless, lowlevel battlefield. And weve started trying to put together some principles that were adopted in the g20, the g7, and at the u. N. Levels, but a lot more work remains to be done on that front. Well, allow me if i may to underline, first of all, that im very much impressed that in spite of a very tough election campaign, this transition period in the United States of america, because it is it follows democratic principles is working smoothly because this is all about the american people. Its about the destiny of the american people, the Outgoing Administration is sharing its knowledge, its expertise with the Incoming Administration and this, to us, is a sign of encouragement, to continue the good cooperation that we have built between the United States of america and the federal republic of germany, that is in our mutual interest. So we will continue this. I will continue this. I approach this with an open mind and ill do it on the basis of a deep conviction with president elect trump. Secondly on russia, i can only repeat what the president said previously. This is all about respecting certain principles. And im saying this from a european vantage point, from a european a german van tanning point, sorry. The fact for over 70 years we have been able to enjoy peace, live in peace, depends on territorial integrity, sovereignty of each and every european country being respected. In view of