some made their way through the narrow alleys of an arab neighbourhood, waving flags and chanting slogans. the palestinian red cross said more than 70 people were injured in clashes. now on bbc news stephen sackur is in washington with hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk from washington. i m stephen sackur. the received political wisdom here is that economic issues pretty much decide elections, and that may be true in this midterm election year because of a dramatic spike in the cost of living. and yet, there is a sense here that right now, values and culture are at the centre of the political argument. my guest today is danica roem, a democrat and the first transgender person to take a seat in a state legislature. what does her story tell us about america s culture wars? danica roem, welcome to hardtalk. thank you so much. it s good to see you. it s great to have you on the show. now, when you won your election back in 2017 to become a state legislator in virginia. mm hm. ..you we
my guest today is danica roem, a democrat and the first transgender person to take a seat in a state legislature. what does her story tell us about america s culture wars? danica roem, welcome to hardtalk. thank you so much. it s good to see you. it s great to have you on the show. now, when you won your election back in 2017 to become a state legislator in virginia. mm hm. ..you were seen across america as a trailblazer. do you still feel like that trailblazer? well, so, here s the thing. i don t try to put, you know, that title to myself. when other people ascribe it to me, that s fine. that s their interpretation. myjob is to make sure that i m fixing route 28, that i m taking care of health insurance for my constituents and really taking care of those day to day basics. and, while i m doing that, if i m able to inspire other trans people to step up and run for office, great. and when i was sworn in to the virginia house of delegates onjanuary 10th, 2018, for my first of w
Would you say you have seen American Power and influence on the wane . Well, i certainly hope not. Yes, ive visited over 80 countries, for 30 years i have been in intelligence as a member, as a top democratic intelligence committee, as speaker and leader, for 30 years been involved globally in terms of security, that is an oath we take to protect and defend. I think that the previous occupant occasionally of the white house was a setback for us in terms of. You mean donald trump . You dont want to name him, is that it, or. . For me, it is almost like a curse word. Laughs to be clear, you are saying. Thats who im referencing, yes. You are saying that americas standing and its reach and its influence has been affected by the trump. Well, i think there were certain questions that arose when he was questioning our commitment to mutual security in nato and the rest. But not to be talking about him, we are very proud of our president , president biden, as to how he came into office. Again, w
Countries, for 30 years i have been in intelligence as a member, as a top democratic intelligence committee, as speaker and leader, for 30 years been involved globally in terms of security, that is an oath we take to protect and defend. I think that the previous occupant occasionally of the white house was a setback for us in terms of. You mean donald trump . You dont want to name him, is that it, or. . For me, it is almost like a curse word. Laughs to be clear, you are saying. Thats who im referencing, yes. You are saying that americas standing and its reach and its influence has been affected by the trump. Well, i think there were certain questions that arose when he was questioning our commitment to mutual security in nato and the rest. But not to be talking about him, we are very proud of our president , president biden, as to how he came into office. Again, we are back to nato full force in terms of our respect for the countries in nato, and then when the invasion of ukraine occur
Yes, ive visited over 80 countries, for 30 years i have been in intelligence as a member, as a top democratic intelligence committee, as speaker and leader, for 30 years been involved globally in terms of security, that is an oath we take to protect and defend. I think that the previous occupant occasionally of the white house was a setback for us in terms of. You mean donald trump . You dont want to name him, is that it, or. . For me, it is almost like a curse word. Laughs to be clear, you are saying. Thats who im referencing, yes. You are saying that americas standing and its reach and its influence has been affected by the trump. Well, i think there were certain questions that arose when he was questioning our commitment to mutual security in nato and the rest. But not to be talking about him, we are very proud of our president , president biden, as to how he came into office. Again, we are back to nato full force in terms of our respect for the countries in nato, and then when the