Victor Ponta
Appearances
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
First of all, good morning in America. It's not morning in Romania, but we are really looking for sunnier weather here in terms of politics, and we have great hopes after the new Trump administration came. Yes, I was prime minister a long time, 10 years ago, when Romania was trying to become a real strategic partner for the United States when Romania was making big economic advances.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
But in the last years, unfortunately, a sort of network of, like you say, you call it in America, the deep state, took over the power. It was strongly supported by some people in Brussels and even some people in your former administration. Romanian people, they just want to live peacefully, to be a part of Europe, but to have a special relationship with the United States.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
There was a lot of hope with the new administration, with the Trump administration, We will go back to our shared values. But as you mentioned, and I'm sure you want to get to the point, what happened in the elections showed us that the former system do not surrender, do not accept the vote of the people.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
Last year in November, it was the first round which was cancelled based on some allegation never proved. And since then, we are in this turmoil. Officially, we will have new elections in May, but every day something new is happening.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
And I think that what is happening in Romania is significant for the whole fight for freedom of speech, for the will of the people, and the change of the former system in the US, in Europe, and all over the world.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
So let's try to explain something which is difficult to explain even to the Romanian people. The ones who get to vote, they saw a result with two candidates in the second round. One is Mr. Georgescu, the other one a lady from a very progressive party. They qualified for the second round. It was obvious, according to all the polls and the public mood,
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
that Mr. Georgescu was going to win, and then the Supreme Council of Defending the Country, which is a body chaired by the former president of Romania, who finished his mandate. they recommended the Constitutional Court to cancel the elections based on an allegation that it was Russian and foreign interference in support of one of the candidates. We were all shocked.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
First, because in our democratic society, experience in the last 35 years, it was first time that an election is canceled. Second, because the allegation coming from the former president were so, let's say, really shocking, Russia interference. We've just, us and US and Europe and the independent observers, they just said, show us the proof, show us the evidence.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
We've seen that also in your election, so many allegations of Mr. Trump being supported by Russia, and we haven't seen any evidence up to now. The election was still canceled by the Constitutional Court, and the turmoil, the angriness of the people, it's going towards the idea, you don't accept our vote,
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
unless our vote is the direction that you wish, something that Vice President Vance underlined in the recent Munich conference speech, and which our political establishment rejected, but the majority of the people consider it right and true regarding our situation.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
So the main allegation was that the TikTok campaign of one of the candidate has been massively supported from outside of the country and by a state entity. This is called in this Supreme Council of Defense statement. And then, yes, the Constitutional Court in Romania, it has the general right, like it is the Supreme Court in the United States, of defending the Constitution.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
It doesn't say in any provision that they can cancel the election or they can... It's just... guarding the Constitution and also the Constitutional Court is supposed to certify the result of the presidential election. But it has never interfered before. We had many presidential elections. We had good results and bad results, depending on which candidate we supported.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
But the Constitutional Court, if you ask me very specifically, it's first time in 35 years when it takes such a decision of examining and cancellation of presidential election. That's why we are all so frustrated and so worried about the real democratic rules, because majority of us, we feel that this is not democratic, that if the people vote, a body made up of nine people, they can cancel this.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
Yeah, that's very true and that's very bluntly said.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
Unfortunately, Charlie, it was the response that you for sure you will expect. They immediately took the official statement and they support it without having any more datas than the statement from Romanian
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
authorities and they said yeah it's obvious that russia has interfered and i would also add that your former state secretary mr blinken maybe in 48 hours had the same opinion and the public he published his opinion we support romanian government and authorities on cancelling the election when the administration change and we are happy for this
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
it started to be a real debate and it started to first of all the u.s new government to ask questions really what are your proofs what are your evidence how did you take such a decision how do you want to give us your partners
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
clear messages that you will respect the will of the people, but December, regarding your very direct question, the European establishment and the Biden administration, they just took it for granted, the short communication of the Romanian authorities, and they didn't check, they just supported without getting too deep into this.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
I am very concerned because I've seen what happened in Romania in the last years. And because you mentioned, yes, we come from the communist bloc, but even during the Soviet time, we succeeded to preserve our national values, which is loving our country, religion, family. traditional values which are very close to our mentality.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
And in the last years we felt like coming from Brussels this time, not from Moscow, it was the same effort of trying to change our values, our mentality, our traditions. And the reaction of the people, including myself, it was like, look, we want to be in Europe,
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
we feel well in Europe, but we want to be Romanians, and we want to put Romania first, and that's why the majority of Romanians, they were clear supporters of President Trump when saying America first. It's something that not only Romanian people, but I think the eastern countries felt even more than the western ones. It was a sort of dictatorship of unnatural and unnatural
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
unspecific values from Brussels, besides the huge bureaucracy, the hypocrisy coming from there, and this very easy Orwellian speech, if you are with us, you are good, If you disagree on something, you are with Russia or you are with somebody bad. It was a huge pressure.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
And this is how I explain why the two candidates coming from the government, from the main parties, they did not even qualify for the second round. It was first time in our democracy and it gave a very, very strong message about what Romanian people really want. It's a big change. not changing the Moscow times with the Brussels times. We don't love Russia.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
We are afraid of Russia, but we see the United States as being our ally, which will guarantee not only our military safety, but also our values and our democracy and our freedom of speech and everything that we and our parents have fought for.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
I strongly believe that, first of all, the values, most of the values that the Trump administration is trying to reinstate in the United States are not only acceptable, but are feeling very familiar to Romanians. Once again, To put your country on first position, you put the United States and President Trump is doing this.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
We should put Romania on the first position always and to fight for our sovereignty and our national interest. Also, once again, respecting all the people. But we have a tradition, we have a religion, we have our values which should be respected and In Europe, we just have to be member of a club, but not surrendering our tradition and our national interest.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
Being more concrete regarding this new, because it's a new, let's call it a conflict between US and European establishment. First of all, I think that the idea of change, it's more than necessary for Europe like it is for America.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
Whatever it's important about reducing bureaucracy, reducing getting back to the real values, cutting off the Soros fake values that were imposed, it's something good for Europe and it's something good for Romania. Besides that, in terms of security, Romania wishes to contribute more.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
We understand that we cannot just say, we don't care, America will defend us against Russia, so it's US concern to bring here military. No, we want to share. We want to have a very pragmatic approach, saying, look, Romania can afford now to pay, to invest more, as long as we have a strong and reliable partner in the United States. And I strongly believe that Europe is going to be weaker now.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
without United States. I strongly believe that NATO without United States doesn't exist and doesn't work. And it's the interest of Romania and it's in the good interest of Europe to strengthen the relationship, military, politically, economically with the United States, not to look for a for a conflict which will totally be in disadvantage of my country and Europe.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
So when I was Prime Minister, this is something that, to my big surprise, my enemies and my friends are sharing. The Romanian economy was growing based on very low taxation and less reglementation, and also we strengthened the partnership with the United States, and we tried, I was the one, to start the big projects with American companies regarding our natural resources.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
Romania is a very rich country. Human richness, but also natural resources. We started the exploration for the natural gas on the Black Sea, so big economic projects, which made the life of Romanians much better, and they felt it like this, they felt it in their pockets. They felt it in the quality of education and health.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
This is something that Romanians really appreciated to see the economic growth. What I would do differently, and I will do differently, I will take from... President Millet of Argentina, I will take maybe not a silver, we are a very rich country in gold, I will take a gold machine and cut our bureaucracy, and also I will start the fight with the only bureaucracy which is worse than Romanian,
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
I mean the Brussels and European bureaucracy. I think this is the biggest problem for development of Romania and Europe. And besides the bureaucracy, because this is very important to mention, the Soros network ruled Romania and it's still ruling. And it doesn't rule Romania in the interest of our people.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
I think the values that they imposed on us, they were wrong values, and I'm sure that I will assure that Romanians are living every day based on their values, not on imposed values.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
The worst thing that... people financed and supported not only by Soros NGOs but sometimes even from your USAID funds and we were so happy to see that you started in America to unveil how those funds were used and how those funds were used against the interest of the people but rather to control different countries and different nations.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
So maybe the worst thing that they do, they try to control the judiciary. and a lot of prosecutors and judges, they just persecuted people for, because we were promoting different political ideas, they prosecuted people for having different opinion on social networks or in the media. The Soros network built up a sort of network of
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
analysts reporters journalists here influencers who are just telling us this is the true these are the values you have to obey to this or otherwise our prosecutors will prosecute you for something else and now just crossing my mind i remember that uh the biggest protesters against all energy and natural resources projects that we started with big American companies.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
So the protesters, they were openly financed and supported by Soros. That's why we remained so much looking to our resources without being able to use it for our people. It was a very bad network. and it is still in place, and they are the one telling us right now, Trump is bad, America is bad, we have to fight with them.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
But thanks God, the public mood this time really changed, and it's not so easy to be intimidated or manipulated like it used to be before.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
So I would just wish to take this great opportunity to talk to you, you have so many followers, so many people in America, first of all, to tell you that majority of American people, they really look to United States like the model for democracy and for freedom. And even my parents, they looked at this, and my grandparents.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
They were waiting for the Americans to free us, to make us live in peace and freedom and democracy. And it's still the same. And I also wish to tell you that all the Romanians, most of the Romanians, who are working in America or with US companies, they try to prove that we are good partners and reliable partners. We share the same value.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
We like to go to church, we like to go to family, we like to love our country and to be allowed to do this. And I'm sure that... that even that we are not such a big country, but we are a significant country in this area, you can rely on us as long as you find the trustworthy people. I strongly believe That this partnership is a win-win. It's not Romanians asking from Americans.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
It's rather, let's live together on the same, sharing the same values. Let's do business together. Let's defend together and pay our fair share for this. And let's make America great again and make Romania free and... independent again.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
Your reaction, sir. Yeah, I was listening to the speech of Vice President Vance, and for most of the Romanians, it was like, you see, they come to help us when we need. Our president, our politicians, they were enraged. Oh, it's not true, but yes, it's true. Are we a strong democracy? Then if we are a strong democracy, we don't use undemocratic tools to cancel election.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
We have to prove if Russia has been involved or not. Otherwise, the people went to vote. You have to respect that vote. That was the message that I got from Vice President Vance, and I think it was what the majority of Romanians wanting to hear and they were pleased to see that our big partner finally has such a strong voice supporting the Romanian people will.
The Charlie Kirk Show
A National Language, Debating Newsom, Wisconsin, and... Romania?!?
It's more than correct. You will see Romanians are wonderful people. It's a wonderful country and we will fight for our rights and we will be most welcome to a new free and democratic Romania. I'm sure about it. And it's going to be very soon.