Informal Communication

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

Benjamin Franklin Room

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Good afternoon.  Welcome.  Welcome back to the State Department for so many of you.  Welcome to the Ben Franklin Room, newly refurbished.  A lot went into this.  And I think maybe a word about Ben Franklin before we get to today’s event.

As you all know, he was America’s first diplomat, ambassador to France, negotiated our first treaty, charted the Gulf Stream, pioneered el

Roles: Everyone: All Users

Regions: China, France , Japan , Philippines , Ukraine , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Treaties and International Agreements

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

London, England

Grosvenor House Hotel

QUESTION:  Antony Blinken, good to see you, and thanks for being with us at the Global Boardroom.

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Great to join you.  Thank you.

QUESTION:  Let’s start – let’s start with the pandemic.  The U.S. wants to lead the global response to COVID-19.  We always hear that.  But at the same time, there have been criticism that, one, you

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Regions: Canada , China, India , Iran , Korea, North , Russia , Saudi Arabia , Taiwan , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Climate and Environment, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Refugee and Humanitarian Assistance, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Treaties and International Agreements

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

Ben Franklin Room

SECRETARY BLINKEN:  Good afternoon.

Since the United States recorded its first COVID-19 death in February 2020, more than 550,000 Americans have died in the pandemic.  More than 30 million Americans have been infected. Millions of Americans lost loved ones, often without having the chance to say goodbye.

No one has been immune to the virus.  It’s hit people of color

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Regions: Canada , Mexico , United States

Topics: Coronavirus (COVID-19), Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Global Health, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State

Washington, D.C.

QUESTION: So good afternoon and welcome to the 548th meeting of the Economic Club of New York, and I’m Marie-Josee Kravis, the chair emerita of the Economic Club of New York and a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. Just reminding you that the Economic Club is one of the nation’s leading nonpartisan forums for discussions of economic, social, and political issues, and I think our mission is as important today as ever

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Regions: Afghanistan, Australia , China, Hong Kong , Iran , Israel , Japan , Korea, North , Korea, South , Russia , Taiwan , United Kingdom , United States

Topics: Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Economic Prosperity and Trade Policy, Energy, Global Health, Human Rights and Democracy, Science, Technology, and Innovation, The Ocean and Polar Affairs