1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,679 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Hammer and Nigel Show, and Nigel 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: and Tamer right over there with a very special guest 3 00:00:04,720 --> 00:00:05,559 Speaker 1: on the hotline. 4 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:08,920 Speaker 2: Longtime friend of the show and now he is the 5 00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 2: principal spokesperson for the US State Department, Tommy Piggott joins us. Tommy, 6 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:17,120 Speaker 2: thank you so much for joining us. I know you're 7 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:19,680 Speaker 2: super busy right now because there's a lot of chatter 8 00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:23,079 Speaker 2: going on about what's going to happen with the US 9 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 2: and Iran. We're hearing all these stories. What can you 10 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:28,640 Speaker 2: tell us, what's the latest. 11 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 3: Well, look, the President has been very clear about what 12 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 3: he wants to see from the Uranium regime. He's been 13 00:00:35,120 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 3: encouraging them to make a deal. The broad a context 14 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 3: of this is the maximum pressure policy we've had from 15 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:44,279 Speaker 3: the beginning of this administration, which are sanctions and other 16 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:46,840 Speaker 3: things to deny the Iranian regime the revenue they need 17 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:51,519 Speaker 3: to continue their line activities. That includes funding their terrorist proxties. 18 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 3: That includes their nuclear weapons program, that includes ballistic missiles. 19 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 3: We've had this program in place, and the President's been 20 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:01,680 Speaker 3: very clear he wants to even make deal. But no 21 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 3: one can doubt what the President means, what he says, 22 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 3: I mean, if you look at the last time that 23 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,639 Speaker 3: the Ragnian regime refused the deal, we saw Operation Midnut Hammer, 24 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:10,840 Speaker 3: and so the President's and the fender national interest, the 25 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:12,760 Speaker 3: President's clearly wants to have a deal. I'm not going 26 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 3: to pred with the president may or may not decide. 27 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:17,119 Speaker 3: That's ultimately his decision. But President Trump means what he says, 28 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 3: and the message has been clearly delivered. 29 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: Tommy, let me ask you this real quick, like, what 30 00:01:21,560 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: kind of damage has been done by previous administrations. I'm 31 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: talking about Obama, I'm talking about Biden and the position 32 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:32,679 Speaker 1: now that Donald Trump is in when negotiating with Iran. There, 33 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 1: I mean a big picture, thirty thousand foot there was 34 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 1: damage done by previous administrations. 35 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 3: Well, two things here. First is that we have a 36 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:43,720 Speaker 3: president who's the best dealmaker that we ever had as president. 37 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:45,959 Speaker 3: And so I think when you have President Trump going 38 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 3: into these negotiations, there's been so many different times. And 39 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 3: we were talking about the specific example of I ran, 40 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 3: but think about the rebalancing of trade, Think about the 41 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 3: other piece deals he's been able to accomplish throughout the world. 42 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 3: Think of all the different agreements he's been able to 43 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:02,120 Speaker 3: strike for the American people. Clearly, as evidenced by what 44 00:02:02,160 --> 00:02:04,200 Speaker 3: he's been able to accomplish to a very long career 45 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 3: and now as president, is an amazing deal maker. I 46 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 3: think the Secretary outline some of what you're getting at 47 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:10,359 Speaker 3: in the speech I'm going to he delivered us over 48 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:13,079 Speaker 3: the weekend. Part of that speech was talking about the 49 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 3: mistakes that were made by the West over recent decades, 50 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:20,359 Speaker 3: the fact that there were policies that encouraged mass migration, 51 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:23,480 Speaker 3: the fact that there were policies that were climate alarmists. 52 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 3: We're anti energy, hurting our national security, hurting our environment, 53 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 3: hurting our economies. There has been a clear message from 54 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 3: this administration to change those policies. It's a wake up 55 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 3: call to say we don't have to be in decline. 56 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,320 Speaker 3: Decline is a choice that we can reject. We've rejected 57 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 3: it before at the nation. We can reject it now 58 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:42,360 Speaker 3: under President Trump. And that's exactly what we're doing. 59 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 1: Tommy. 60 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 2: One more thing here on Iran before we focus on 61 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 2: some other things worldwide that are happening with the United States. Here, 62 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:54,639 Speaker 2: whenever we hear these rumors that there may be action, 63 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 2: oh we're hearing this, We're hearing that it's always important 64 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:02,600 Speaker 2: to get fact from fit. How's the United States State 65 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:08,360 Speaker 2: Department officially told anyone overseas near Iran to shelter in 66 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:10,360 Speaker 2: place or be leery of something. 67 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 3: Well, look, that's what you're getting at. Here is a 68 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:16,680 Speaker 3: decision for the president. That's where this decision lies. And 69 00:03:16,720 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 3: the president that's spoken about this very clearly, he retains 70 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 3: his options. He wants to see the air ranm regime 71 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 3: make a deal. He is that deal maker, he is 72 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 3: that peacemaker. We do have a degree of travel warnings 73 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 3: around the world, you know, travel warnings in certain areas 74 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:29,799 Speaker 3: where you tell people not to go, and that's part 75 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:31,960 Speaker 3: of the normal process that we have in place to 76 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 3: give the American people the information they need to travel 77 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 3: safely or not travel at our at all. Where we 78 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:40,120 Speaker 3: have those chapel warnings one kind of separate from this conversation. 79 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 3: But people can see those travel warnings, they buck up. 80 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 3: And I really do encourage people before they make a 81 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 3: trip or make a plan to check those travel warnings 82 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:49,280 Speaker 3: to register with the state departments so we know you're 83 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:51,640 Speaker 3: in the country if you need help. It really is 84 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 3: incredibly important when you're traveling abroad to do that. I 85 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 3: can't stress that enough, especially you never know what might 86 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:00,560 Speaker 3: happen in life, right, life is a is a completely 87 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:03,200 Speaker 3: unpredictable thing. So ultimately it's up to the president. We're 88 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 3: talking about this specific issue up to the president. The 89 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 3: President retains his options, he wants to see a deal, 90 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 3: and the message has been very clearly delivered to the regime. 91 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 2: We're speaking with Tommy Piggott, the principal spokesman for the 92 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:14,119 Speaker 2: US State Department. 93 00:04:14,640 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 1: Uh, Tommy. 94 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 2: I watched Marco Rubio's speech overseas and it was a masterclass, incredible. 95 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:24,599 Speaker 2: And then I watched AOC in Gavin Newsom and I 96 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:27,920 Speaker 2: felt like I was watching an episode of Jackass or something. 97 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 2: If you wouldn't mind compare and contrast what the world 98 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 2: has seen from the Trump administration's spokesperson Marco Rubio compared 99 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 2: to when AOC and Gavin Newsom tried to pop off. 100 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:45,360 Speaker 3: Well, I think there there are many people that are 101 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 3: trying to double down on the policies that have failed 102 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:50,000 Speaker 3: us in the past. Mentioned some of those just a 103 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:55,360 Speaker 3: few minutes ago, the mass migration policies, the climate alarmist policies, 104 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 3: policies that have demonstrably failed have led to real har 105 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:04,279 Speaker 3: for nations in Europe the United States. And so the 106 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:07,800 Speaker 3: contrast you saw in many ways was people that are 107 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:11,080 Speaker 3: doubling down on what I view as indefensible these policies 108 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:15,920 Speaker 3: have failed, versus Secretary of State clearly delivering President Trump's 109 00:05:15,960 --> 00:05:21,640 Speaker 3: vision for revitalization of our alliances, revitalization of our civilization, 110 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:25,119 Speaker 3: racing boldly into the future to address these problems, learning 111 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:28,120 Speaker 3: from the mistakes of the past in order to stop 112 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:30,000 Speaker 3: those mistakes, but then also not being afraid of the 113 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:32,919 Speaker 3: future in the sense of we can capture these industries, 114 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:34,960 Speaker 3: we can be part of these industries, we can lead 115 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:37,120 Speaker 3: to we can have peace and prosperity for our people 116 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:39,720 Speaker 3: based off of the challenges we have. It's not just challenges, 117 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 3: also opportunities. Part of making sure that we're able to 118 00:05:42,880 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 3: do that is having that frank conversation about the challenges 119 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:47,479 Speaker 3: that we faced. You can't ignore them, you have to 120 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:49,360 Speaker 3: address that on So I think that was the real 121 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 3: contrast here, a contrast of people that were doubling down 122 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:56,160 Speaker 3: on the failed policies of the past, like mass migration, 123 00:05:56,400 --> 00:06:00,640 Speaker 3: climate alarmism, versus an administration that is a vision for 124 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:04,919 Speaker 3: revitalization of our civilization of our nation and is ready 125 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:07,839 Speaker 3: to make sure this next century is also a Western century. 126 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:10,680 Speaker 2: One more thing here, Tommy before we let you go, 127 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:12,360 Speaker 2: And I know you've got a hard out. You've got 128 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:15,520 Speaker 2: a lot of stuff going on right now. The latest 129 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 2: on Russia Ukraine kind of feels like this has kind 130 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 2: of fallen out of the news cycle a little bit. 131 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:24,160 Speaker 2: Any updates on whether or not we're going to get 132 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:26,239 Speaker 2: some sort of resolution anytime soon. 133 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:30,080 Speaker 3: Well, Special Envoy Wikoff has said that there has been 134 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:32,120 Speaker 3: tremendous progress that has been made from those meetings in 135 00:06:32,160 --> 00:06:35,000 Speaker 3: Geneva a few weeks or months ago. There are still 136 00:06:35,640 --> 00:06:37,720 Speaker 3: there's still work to be done, There's still things that 137 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:41,080 Speaker 3: need to be overcome in terms of reaching a negotiated settlement. Ultimately, 138 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:44,200 Speaker 3: a negotiated settlement can only be reached by the parties involved. 139 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 3: That's the way that negotiated sentiment would happen. But from 140 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:49,560 Speaker 3: the United States's perspective, from President Trump and this administration, 141 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:52,440 Speaker 3: we stand ready to aid in the cause of peace. 142 00:06:52,440 --> 00:06:55,400 Speaker 3: And that's why you've seen the engagement from this administration. 143 00:06:55,480 --> 00:06:58,159 Speaker 3: You have seen an administration when it comes to conflict. 144 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 3: The only goal President Trump's only goal is to stop 145 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:03,480 Speaker 3: the bloodshed so people can go home and live prosperous 146 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:06,280 Speaker 3: lives for their families. That's why we're seeing this engagement. 147 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 3: So only President Trump's leadership has brought us to this 148 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:10,920 Speaker 3: point in terms of where we're seeing these conversations happen. 149 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 3: There has been movement, it's as a possible negotiated settlement. 150 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 3: There's still work to do there. There's a serious exchange 151 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:18,760 Speaker 3: of ideas to try to get there. Ultimately, this up 152 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:21,080 Speaker 3: to the parties involved. But the stress again, our our 153 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:24,200 Speaker 3: fundamental motivation here is ending the bloodshed, ending the conflict, 154 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 3: and trying to bring about peace. 155 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:30,840 Speaker 2: Tommy Piggott, the principal spokesman for the United States State Department. Tommy, 156 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 2: You've always been incredibly kind to our program here in Indianapolis, 157 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 2: and we thank you for your time and please keep 158 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:37,400 Speaker 2: us up to date. 159 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 3: Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. 160 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:40,640 Speaker 2: It's the Hammer and Nigel Show.