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00:00There are certain moments in history when a certain speech at a certain time catches global attention.
00:05Churchill's fight them on the beaches speech or the British colonel Tim Collins on the importance of being magnanimous in victory after the toppling of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
00:15Well, is the French senator Claude Mallaret also going to be added to the annals of history for comments he's made this week on Europe's turning point,
00:23a speech that he spoke for eight and a half minutes, a soliloquy to the Senate that's become a viral sensation, a call to arms for Europe.
00:32It's been seen by many to get its house in order. Here's Catherine Viet.
00:38An eight minute takedown of the American president.
00:42Never in the history of the United States.
00:45In a speech to his colleagues, French Senator Claude Mallaret accused Donald Trump and his administration of trying to destroy democracy.
00:55Washington has become the court of Nero, a fiery emperor, submissive courtiers and a ketamine fueled gesture in charge of purging the civil service.
01:05Trump's message. There is no point in being his ally since he will not defend you.
01:10He will impose more customs duties on you than on his enemies and will threaten to seize your territories while supporting the dictatorships that invade.
01:20His scathing remarks following on the heels of Washington's announcement that it's freezing aid to Ukraine.
01:27But his speech wasn't all dire warnings.
01:30Mallaret conceded that in American history, freedom fighters have always prevailed and they're beginning to raise their heads.
01:37The video from last week has gone viral with more than 600,000 views.
01:42Several U.S. media outlets have been playing the clip while the Democratic Party scrambles to come up with a plan to challenge some of Trump's proposals.
01:53Claude Mallaret is with us this evening. Great to have you on the program, Claude.
01:58First, let me ask you, you know, you gave that speech. Often they come and go, don't they, in the Senate.
02:04As you walked out that day, did you think people will pay attention given the passion that you put into that?
02:12Well, I was absolutely sure that people in France would pay attention because this is not my first speech in the Senate and I have a number of followers.
02:24But I was absolutely surprised that someone would translate the speech.
02:31I didn't translate the speech, but someone translated it into English and that it would become so viral in the United States.
02:41I tried to understand why. And then I read a little part of all the messages I have received, thousands of messages.
02:55The impression I got, the sensation I got is that they don't have answers to what Trump is doing now from their own politicians.
03:08And they are glad to find answers coming from outside. There is a lack of answer from the American politicians.
03:18Republicans are afraid of Trump. The Democrats are still paralyzed by their defeat in the presidential elections.
03:27And nobody seems to... This is what I can read in the messages.
03:33Many Americans are angry at what is happening and they try to find answers outside of the United States when they don't come from the American politicians.
03:45It strikes me as two things going on. I've got the script of the speech in front of me.
03:50That this is a very calculated sense of almost getting your anger out on the page, methodically going through the moments that you felt actually this was a key turning point.
04:02That the Americans had turned their backs, looking at the Munich security conference, the moment J.D. Vance started to give that very blunt critique of Europe as he saw it, about free speech as well, suggesting that just wasn't in existence.
04:15You say here, I have confidence and solidarity of American democracy in the country already protesting.
04:21But in one month, Donald Trump has done more harm to America than in four years of his last presidency.
04:27We are at war with a dictator. Now we are fighting against a dictator supported by a traitor. Tell us about that.
04:35This is the feeling here in Europe, of course. And I think this is the feeling also of many Americans.
04:43What happened in the Oval Office between Trump, Vance and Zelensky was absolutely unbearable here.
04:56The fact that Trump is designating Putin as the good guy and Zelensky as the aggressor, all of this is really intolerable here in Europe.
05:08But the main reason of anger is the fact that the Atlantic Alliance seems to be shattering.
05:17We don't know where it's going to go.
05:21And at the same time, I might say thank you for a small part, for a little part.
05:31Thank you, Trump, because now the Europeans have understood the problem, have understood the risk, have understood the danger.
05:40And they have understood what they haven't been understanding for 40 years, is that Europe needs strategic autonomy.
05:50This is what is happening. The speeches by Ursula von der Leyen, of which Mertz, the new German chancellor, show how they will be followed by actions and not only by words.
06:06But I think the Europeans are, for the first time in many years, are understanding that they need to build their own defence autonomy.
06:16You also asked towards the end of the piece, Claude, let me quote this to you.
06:20You question openly about, is this the end of the Atlantic Alliance?
06:24The risk, you say, is great. And you note, you say, in recent days, Zelensky's public humiliation, all the crazy decisions over the past few months have finally stirred Americans into action.
06:34Quote, poll numbers plummeting, Republicans elected officials greeted by hostile crowds in constituencies, even Fox News becoming critical.
06:43So your point here is that you feel that what President Trump is doing isn't universally being met in the US with satisfaction right now.
06:51Well, this is my feeling. And this is my feeling when I receive all the messages on the different social media.
07:00I think many Americans included, many of those who voted for Trump, were not prepared to what is happening, didn't foresee what is happening.
07:12At the same time, inside the Atlantic Alliance, but also the problem of tariffs with Canada or Mexico, the declaration, the, how should I say, the threatening of Greenland, Panama and so on.
07:34I'm sure many Americans included, those who voted for Trump, were not ready for that, that they are, it's a deception, they are unquiet and they are probably, as we are in Europe today, very angry.
07:53Now, let me put this to you. I listened to those supporting Donald Trump. I even heard actually the former British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon say this week, let's see what happens in Saudi Arabia.
08:05We don't know if publicly what Donald Trump is saying is just in order to get to the room and the real work starts in Saudi Arabia.
08:12We may see something where there is more pressure put on the Russians, but at least they're there. So give him time. How do you see that?
08:21Well, you know, as nobody can, as Trump is absolutely unpredictable, and that is, in fact, his strategy to be unpredictable, of course, things could change absolutely in every respect.
08:40So I don't know what's going to happen in Saudi Arabia, but things may change. Up to now, when you hear the position of Trump saying that Putin is a good guy and that Zelensky is the aggressor, I don't think it's going to change very much.
08:58But I admit that we are going to see many things which you haven't seen before. Right now, these things are absolutely despicable. I hope that they will go in the right direction. I'm really not sure of that.
09:24And have you heard back from, because with things like this, Claude, let's face it, when they go so big, they get the attention on X of Elon Musk. Have you heard back from him or any of his supporters, supplicants, in taking the flak?
09:39No, I didn't hear anything. You know, generally, the best way on X and social media is not to, in some circumstances, is not to answer, but rather to let things be forgotten. After all, everybody can think that after a few days we'll talk of something else.
10:05This is the problem of the social media that never had any answer and any reaction.
10:11And briefly, Claude, come off the hour, come off the man. There's so many messages you're getting. And so it's more than a million times that we've seen these, your statement retweeted and on YouTube as well.
10:26Are you walking down the streets of Paris or in your constituency and are people recognising you and say, you're the guy that wrote that speech?
10:36Well, I'm not. How should I say? I'm not unknown, neither in my constituency nor in the street of Paris. I was in the French government before. And right now I'm senator. So some people, part of the French people know me.
10:52But yes, right now, those who know me or those who didn't know me before and that I see in the streets, most of them, most of them say 99.9 percent of them tell me that I was right to make this speech and that Trump has to be addressed.
11:14Trump knows only, like all the apprentice dictators, knows only force. I don't know the word in English, rapport de force in French, knows only the strength. And this is how it should be addressed.
11:30Claude, pleasure to talk to you this evening. Claude Mallaret, French senator and viral sensation. Good to talk to you. Stay with us here on France 24. We'll be back in just a moment.