From fast food to high politics: Ambassador on the game between the USA and EU

Andrew Puzder, former fast-food executive and now President Trump's envoy to Europe, views the transatlantic relationship as a strategic game akin to chess rather than checkers. Puzder, who has been in his Brussels-based role for nine months, believes the relationship is complex but not headed for separation.

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I do not foresee us going our separate ways.

"I do not foresee us going our separate ways," Puzder told Dagens Nyheter. He finds the role intellectually challenging and satisfying, feeling that he is accomplishing tasks. The US embassy in Brussels, where he works, occupies a significant portion of the sidewalk, reportedly irritating local cyclists.

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I see it as more like chess than checkers.

Puzder, 75, is a self-made American businessman, not a career diplomat. He was the first in his family to attend university. His father was a car salesman and the son of Slovak immigrants.

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It is a ridiculous statement.

He dismissed French President Emmanuel Macron's recent statement that China's Xi, Russia's Putin, and Trump were "completely against Europe." Puzder argued that if the US were truly against Europe, trade and critical raw material agreements would not exist, nor would the intertwined defense industry. He acknowledged that Trump remains upset over European countries' refusal to allow the use of military bases or airspace for the operation in Iran.

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If the US had been 'completely against Europe,' we would not enter into a trade agreement or an agreement on critical raw materials, and we would not maintain our strongly intertwined defense industry.