The Transition To a New Administration Is Underway

I WANT TO JUST START WITH ASKING YOU THE INITIAL REACTION TO THE NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM THAT PRESIDENT-ELECT JOE BIDEN HAS JUST UNVEILED.

FIRST YOU, AS AN AMERICAN IN EUROPE, ANTHONY GARDNER.

WELL, LOOK, IT'S A TERRIFIC TEAM.

IT'S A VERY EXPERIENCED TEAM.

I'VE KNOWN TONY BLINKEN FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

AS A KID GROWING UP, WE WENT TO SCHOOL TOGETHER.

I WORKED WITH HIM TWICE IN THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.

I'VE SEEN HIM IN THE TRENCHES IN SOME REALLY DIFFICULT SITUATIONS WITH A LOT OF PRESSURE.

HE LED THE INTERAGENCY EFFORT AFTER RUSSIA INVADED UKRAINE WHICH WAS VERY TOUGH TO GET EVERYONE ALIGNED BUT ALSO DEALING WITH BIG EGOS AROUND THE TABLE.

NOT ONLY DOES HE HAVE THE RIGHT PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS, HE ALSO IS AN EXCEPTIONAL INDIVIDUAL.

IT'S VERY HARD TO FIND ANYONE IN THE U.S. GOVERNMENT TO HAVE A NEGATIVE WORD TO SAY ABOUT ANTONY BLINKEN, THAT'S EXTREMELY RARE.

AS YOU SAW IN THE CLIP, HE BELIEVES IN ALLIES WORKING WITH OUR FRIENDS IN EUROPE TO ACHIEVE RESULTS.

PARTICULARLY WITH CHINA AND RUSSIA AND THE OTHER CHALLENGES.

SO DAVID MILIBAND, WITH BOTH YOUR HATS ON, NOT JUST HUMANITARIAN AND REFUGEE DRIVEN BUT ALSO AS A FORMER FOREIGN SECRETARY, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS A EUROPEAN, WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT-ELECT BIDEN?

I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT-ELECT IS NOT 'BACK,' AMERICA IS BACK, BUT THE WORD, 'TEAM' THAT HE EMPHASIZED SO MANY TIMES IN THE CLIP THAT YOU PLAYED.

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN MY EXPERIENCE ARE MADE BY CHARACTER AND CHARACTERISTICS, AND THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE ARE LOW ON EGO, HIGH ON EXPERIENCE, SERIOUS ABOUT VALUES, BUT THEY ARE ALSO PEOPLE WHO KNOW THAT THERE IS A TEAM TO LEAD AND A TIME TO LISTEN, SO I THINK THIS IS A MOMENT THAT SENDS A VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE, BOTH TO THOSE WHO ARE ALLIES OF AMERICA, GET READY FOR BUSINESS.

WE'VE GOT WORK TO DO.

IT ALSO SAYS TO RIVALS WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE WORKING ON OUR OWN ANYMORE.

WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH OTHERS.

WE'LL BE LOOKING TO COOPERATE WHERE WE CAN, BUT WE'LL HAVE TO COMPETE IN A RANGE OF AREAS, AND THAT'S GOING TO BE DONE IN A SERIOUS AND DEVELOPED AND CROSS-GOVERNMENTAL WAY BECAUSE THIS TEAM IS NOT A TEAM OF RIVALS.

IT'S A TEAM OF COLLEAGUES.