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David Pressman

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2023-11-16

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2023-11-16

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1. “Corrosive. I mean, we have ministers of this government sitting ministers who describe the United States as a dead corpse whose nails keep growing. I mean, that's a quote. We have the most anti-American Kremlin propaganda being pushed out by the government through its media channels. And at the same time, there's a ton of goodwill and deep connections between Hungarians and Americans. And so my family's life, while unique because I have a certain profile in this country and unique because we are speaking quite candidly about some serious concerns that we have with this country and the policies that its government is adopting. My family's life is quite great because Hungarians, I think, like Americans want our countries to be closer together and are prepared to engage with each other as human beings despite the dehumanizing rhetoric that its government continues to spew.”

   2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

2. “It's really interesting. My children love hungry. They are having the most, my children are about to turn 11. They love it here. They're having genuinely the most wonderful. This is not the US ambassador telling a positive tale. They are actually having an extraordinary experience because here's the thing, is despite the anti-gay rhetoric, the anti-American rhetoric, and that's really important. The rhetoric is I would be getting the kind of attacks that we experience as the United States if I were gay or not gay. It's not about being a gay ambassador. It's being about the voice of the United States and being clear about the serious security concerns that we have in this relationship. But my kids, they're doing great and they're having a great time. And when I go places and interact with Hungarians, the interactions are universally positive and warm and engaging. So there's this political rhetoric that is entirely...”

   2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

3. “We're going to be ignored when we raise concerns about whether it's a Russian bank or it's the way that they're handing out passports in a manner that compromises security or it's with respect to their continued reliance on Russia for energy. We want to be and we will be taken seriously because this is an important moment.”

   2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

4. “Well, the government here controls the media. 85% of the media in this country is either directly controlled or influenced by the government in a way that is corrosive, I think, to democracy, but is very specific. So when I read the news, I am often the front page of the news on virtually a daily basis. And David, it's not the most flattering covering. I would say, but it is very clear that the voice of the United States is being heard and being grappled with. I think that it's also clear to the Prime Minister and his government that the voice of the United States will not go saw, that we want to see and find a path forward, that this is not a relationship we're walking away from. It's actually a relationship we're leaning into, but done are the days where”

   2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

5. “You know, the first EU head of state to do so after President Putin was indicted by the ICC for war crimes. And the first NATO head of state to do so after the very early days of the war, it's extremely worrying. And that's what we're grappling with in our policy and in our diplomatic engagement with the government of Ukraine.”

   2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

6. “I mean, it's really worrying. This is, you know, rather where every other country in Europe has made extensive efforts to wean their dependence off of Russian energy. Hungary has done the reverse and increased its dependence upon Russian energy and is actually profiting from it with respect to the oil exemption it's secured in the sanctions regime. So it's basically secured itself an exemption from the EU sanctions on the oil embargo and is then taking Russian oil in at a cheaper price selling it and making a profit off of it. So it's indicative of a distance. And I think Hungary is as isolated as it has been ever from its European partners and perhaps from the United States of a set of decisions that are all about very short-term decisions that the government is making. And when we see the prime minister meeting with President Putin,”

   2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

7. “And I can only speak about this publicly because ranking member Rish has himself spoken about it publicly. I mean, the reason why arms sales are on hold to Hungary is not because of the actions of some Democrat. It's the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who has articulated his concerns publicly with respect to their holding up of Sweden. So there's consensus. There's more consensus than the politics lets on. I would just suggest.”

   2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

8. “Part of it, there is without question a flirtation between segments of the political community in the United States and this government in Hungary. But what I would want to emphasize is that one of the things that I've taken great solace in as U.S. ambassador to Hungary is that in my engagement with officials on the hill and the House and the Senate from both parties that are involved in foreign policy and national security decision making, there's actually great consensus on the concerns around Hungary. I mean, I've had some of the most conservative members of the United States Senate out here and their voice with respect to what Prime Minister Orban is doing vis- ⁇-vis Putin, vis-a-vis Beijing is as clear and as strong as the administration's voice. And I would just note, you know, one specific example, if I could, David, is”

   2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

9. “And so we designated the bank. We sanctioned the bank something we don't do often inside of NATO territory. And within 24 hours, the bank was shut down. And 48 hours, the bank was pushed out of Hungary by the prime minister himself. And it just goes to show you that at a certain point, accountability does matter. And it's applied differently in different countries at different times around the world. But here we're pretty focused on our security interests at a time where we have a land war next door.”

   2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

10. “That was doing a lot of things, David, but I don't think banking was sort of top of list for the international investment bank. And the previous administration insisted that the government of Hungary shut it down. And they ignored. And we insisted that the governor of Hungary shut the thing down and they ignored us. I mean, the last meeting I had with a senior government official on this topic, I said, you need to shut down the international investment bank. This is a Kremlin platform inside of NATO, inside of the European Union. The response I got was shut it down. We're going to increase our shares in that.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

11. “We sort of ignored Hungary. We didn't pay a lot of attention to it because we could and we asked for things, but maybe they weren't delivered, perhaps not dissimilar to the situation you're describing elsewhere. But in the hungry context, come February 24th of last year with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we can no longer ignore what's happening here. And it's important to us as a country that our security interests, the US security interests, NATO security interests are forefront and taken seriously. And so, you know, I'll give you an example, David, if I could, which is we had this situation here where across two administrations, President Trump's administration and then President Biden's administration, we had this entity in Hungary called the International Investment Bank, which was a Kremlin platform.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

12. “Deep. And just to take it, if I could, back to Hungary, because it's a parallel example in certain respects, and I can speak more freely about it, I suppose, is that for a long time, I mean, candidly, the previous administration, the Trump administration, and with respect to Obama administration as well.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

13. “And as you evaluate decisions, as you would evaluate any other decision, at certain points certain things are going to become more pressing, but they can never take a back seat or be dismissed.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

14. “The Serbian general who oversaw the worst massacre in Europe since World War II at the time, the genocide in Srebrenica? And who is, you know, for 15 years after the genocide is a fugitive and know I can find. And I think about the investment that we put, the United States put in trying to find him and to bring him to justice. And the reason we did that is both because it's important, it's the value proposition. It's important that people who commit genocide are held accountable. But it's also because you can't have sustainable peace unless people who witness their brothers and their fathers and their sons being raped and killed see that their lives also matter. And so I guess in terms of the tension between rights and interests, I would say rights, human rights are an interest.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

15. “Government, you're going to be focused and prioritizing certain interests over other interests. But the point is that you have to make sure that you're constantly evaluating and allowing all of the interests to inform what is going to serve the United States and international peace and security most formidably and best. And I think that often in the international justice space, you get posed the question, do you want to have peace? Do you want to have a peace agreement or do you want to have accountability, peace or justice? As if the two are in opposition. But the reality is when you look at history, you don't get a sustainable peace without a measure of justice. I think about people like Rockko Modic, you know.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

16. “Yeah, it's a great question. I would sort of challenge the premise in some respects because my answer to the question is I don't think you actually have to draw lines. You do have to make choices for sure. And there are moments in relationships where certain interests are going to be prioritized over other interests. But let's not fool ourselves into thinking that promoting a world that respects human dignity and human rights is not an American interest. It is our interest. It's not just a value. It's in our strategic interest. It's in our strategic interest as a country to have countries that are respecting of rules. It's in our strategic interest as a country to have countries that respect the democratic will of their people. And so in using some of the specific examples, which I won't engage on specifically, David, but the examples that you raise, of course, there are going to be times where in”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

17. “Totally agree. I mean, look, we're seeing a set of around the world of political actors who have found that they can profit by turning us against each other, that they can profit by undermining our And what that means is the people on whose back those trades are often made or the people who are the least powerful, who are the most vulnerable, whether it be racial minorities or gay people or women or whoever. And so at moments like this and including in some respects here in Hungary, having a clear voice and candor about what we're seeing, seriousness of political outreach about trying to address those concerns and where necessary accountability, I think is critical. And I think that the United States can play a unique role in all respects.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

18. “Of opportunities to have that effect magnified for sure. But this is not a time for backbenching for anyone who cares about human dignity and who cares about democracy.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

19. “Well, David, I consider myself an optimist, but we're not in a great place. And these are harrowing days. And part of the way I think we change the trajectory, and this is true for democracy and is true for human rights. I think the two go hand in hand. Individual dignity and individuals trust in governing institutions. They run together. And as I began, I think both are under attack. And it's incumbent upon all of us, particularly those of us who are privileged to serve in positions like the one I'm in to do everything we can to create the opportunity sort of for that positive exception. I mean, this is the other thing I would just go back to if I could, which is these problems can seem so big that what in some ways we just to make change, you just have to focus on the small, you know, go small, the individual life, the individual choices. And as you sort of move through government service,”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

20. “There's not a day where I am being U.S. ambassador. I am trying to do things. And there is so much to be done in this relationship at this moment that is an important relationship to the United States. It's an important relationship to the NATO alliance. And it's in a precarious place because we have a leader of this country in Hungary who is making choices that are bringing him closer and closer and deepening and expanding his relationship with the Russian Federation at a time where all of the allies and partners are making different choices. And so how we shaped that and how we make the choices clearer and create accountability for those choices is important. And it's work that I and my team wake up every day, energize and focused on, and we believe in that.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

21. “To the United States and to our allies and partners to isolate them than it was for Russia to do the work to defeat it. And when we wanted to advance LGBT rights through UN resolutions and normative development, soft law development of the kind that we saw that I went through a list earlier in this, like this is not made up stuff. We made progress. And it happened because we brought sort of the same grit, the same work ethic, the same relentlessness that you associate candidly with people outside of government. I mean, I think one of the great perils of serving in senior positions in government that I tried to avoid at all costs is now, this is my second time as U.S. ambassador, I've worked for four cabinet secretaries directly, three presidents.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

22. “That's right. Legal advisor at state. And he said to me at one point, I don't know if it was when we were already at state or before, but he said, you know, you're going to have to choose. Do you want to affect change from inside or do you want to affect change from outside? And I think Harold is one of the wisest people I've ever met. But I don't think you have to choose. The tactics are different for sure, but the work is sort of the same. And when I think about the work and the achievements that I'm most proud of that are accomplished by my teams that I've been fortunate to lead, whether in New York or here in Hungary, it's work that fundamentally happens because we want it more than the people who are opposed to it. So when we're, you know, trying to whip votes in the UN General Assembly to isolate Russia in 2014 because they invaded Crimea, like it was more important.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

23. “It's interesting. I mean, I remember a conversation I actually had with Harold Coe, who was and is a great lawyer who once told me early on, he's like, you're going to have to choose”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

24. “So we ultimately found our way through this little comedy, but George and his wife Amal are incredible friends and incredible champions of causes that are so important”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

25. “And he showed it to me so in case we get in a pinch, I'm going to show them this. And I, of course, said, George, you know, you can't show them this won't mean that. They'll kill me to prove they're serious about her.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

26. “And has been determined to use his celebrity in a way to advance justice for vulnerable people like those in Darfur. And so, you know, there's A genocide encountering this really famous person who hadn't yet been there but wanted to do something. I mean, I remember when we were flying over there actually on the plane, David, I hope I don't get in trouble for telling this story. I don't think I will, but I had explained to George that people won't know who he is in Sudan, which was an unusual feeling for him. And they certainly wouldn't know who he was in Darfur. And so he approached me on the flight over. He said, you know, David, I have a plan. And because you told me that people won't know who I am, I'm bringing this along and he took out of his pocket a crinkled up copy of the cover of People magazine Sexiest Man Alive.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

27. “Yeah, I was as skeptical, David, as they come when I was going to meet George for the very first time. We had dinner at a restaurant in New York. And I went into that discussion thanking almost looking back in sort of an obnoxious way of this is, you know, a celebrity who, you know, wants to raise their profile on an issue of relevance of the day. And over the course of that dinner conversation, what became clear to me and has certainly been come clear in the decade since, I mean, we've been working together on and off now, I guess, for two decades, is that it's not. I mean, he has had an incredible career as a writer, as an actor, as director. But he also is a very engaged citizen. And whether you agree with his politics or not, he is.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

28. “Indeed, and collaboration No, I mean, it really was. And it's a fight that continues to this day. We still are engaging with each other on issues of accountability and justice and security in and around the region and elsewhere. But in leaving, I was introduced to George Clooney, who was interested through his father, who was interested in working on these issues. had a lot of skepticism about it. I didn't know famous people. I certainly didn't know George. But about a week after meeting him, I was on a plane headed back. And this time I was on a plane headed back with one of the world's most famous people who had pledged and who I believed and who in fact did do an enormous amount to try to elevate the political conversation around the genocide in Darfur.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

29. “At the time, he was probably 15 years old And when you take that in, I mean, if you don't have to be a human rights lawyer, when you listen to people who are in and have seen such horrendous, the worst humanity has to offer, it has to beckon a response and a commitment to engage. And so when I left, I was... Actually, Samantha Power and I actually met in a green room at CNN and got in a huge fight. Like the first conversation I had with Samantha Power was over Darfur and we got in a huge fight over the efficacy of the African Union peacekeeping mission there. I mean, this is sort of how hot I was about this whole thing”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

30. “Dramatically, dramatically. You know, even upstairs in my office, I'm speaking from a conference room in the embassy that I run in my office upstairs. There's a photo of a kid who I still remember. And he's holding up a drawing. And it's a drawing of things he couldn't communicate in words to me of what he had seen done to his village. And you see in the drawing, the Antonov Plains coming over and bombing his village. You see the Jean-Jawed militia coming in with their guns and killing women and children. And then you see them burning down the huts. And this is all in a little pictogram, basically. And you also see in his eyes.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

31. “Which is a topic around dinner table conversations and churches and mosques and synagogues, but to make this a centerpiece of the conversation in American political life. And I didn't know how to do it. So I started, you know, I started as best as I could trying to go out and give talks. And of course, didn't have much reach.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

32. “War zone that are sort of surprising. And one of them was less so in Darfur and more in Khartoum, the sort of the banality of it all. You know, Hannah Rent writes about the banality of evil. And, you know, here I was in Khartoum. I was having a cappuccino and across the country there was this awful bloody war happening. And then when I was in Darfur, just a real recognition, David, of, oh my God, like the absolute last thing these people need is, you know, a lawyer from New York. Like, I am the last thing that needs to be sent by the international community. But in fact, there I was. And so when I left Sudan, I was determined, and this was in the George W. Bush administration, I was determined to raise awareness and raise health and try to translate what had not yet become what I think had ultimately became.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

33. “My interest in Darfur really directly tethers to my work for Secretary Albright and my both interest in and ultimately work on Rwanda. I had spent just a little bit of time in Rwanda working and studying the transitional justice mechanisms that Rwanda used to try to deal with the overwhelming backload of accused participants in the genocide, Kalduka process. You know, when the war and genocide in Sudan began, I was determined to figure out a way to engage and to work on the problem and managed to find my way to Sudan. And this is, I guess, probably 2005. And quickly, you know, there's a lot of things when you go to a”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

34. “It was. It was an education. It was my introduction and university and graduate school in foreign policy. All it condensed in a very intense period of time. And I also learned, you know, I learned from her. Never again. And I remember listening to and speaking to Secretary Albright about Rwanda and sort of the ghosts of Rwanda and hearing how that had haunted and affected her. And I think in many respects, that's what encouraged me when I left the State Department to focus on issues involving internationally mentoring law and war crimes and genocide.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

35. “Luck. I mean, really, really luck. And the title Special Assistant, you know, I sometimes actually joked about this with Sergei Albright before she passed away. It's, you know, I like to think, hold myself out as, you know, this great strategic advisor to the Secretary of State.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

36. “There was no question then that when Secretary Albright showed up, she was speaking for the President of the United States and she was representing the United States of America. And of course she wasn't wearing a headscarf. She was more than Madeline Albright. She was the Secretary of State. And in a smaller way, not to compare myself to my past friend and mentor, but I'm the ambassador of the United States. And it is also true that I'm a gay man. And those things can live in parallel with each other. And there is no question that the government, including the Prime Minister and others in the government, are hearing what we are saying at a time of enormous consequence for the U.S.-Hungary relationship. And that's what I'm focused on.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

37. “Say just to harken back to the Albright days for a second, I remember, I mean, if you go back at the time, I worked for Secretary Albright, she was the highest ranking woman in the history of the United States government. And I remember, and you'll probably remember the questions being asked when she goes to meet with Arab countries, will she wear a headscarf? These questions of first impression, which in some ways were innocent but were also so meaningful.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

38. “It certainly was a feature of it. I wanted this posting because I thought I could make a difference and I saw Hungary at the center of a conversation about democracy around the world. Part of that conversation are the human rights issues, including the human rights issues affecting the LGBT community here. Part of that conversation is the kind of coziness that the Hungarian government is demonstrating with authoritarian regimes, including Russia at a time where we have a land war next door and Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. But yes, I thought it was important for the United States, especially having gone through what we have gone through as a country for us to have a model of being able to voice and stand firmly for American values and principles in an environment like this where it really matters. And, you know, I would just.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

39. “Sort of encode everything I do in this country through the lens of gayness, in part because it's convenient for them politically. But in this context, in this setting and to this audience, I thought it was really important to speak to them from the truth that I know the truth that the United States know and that the president supports, which is how important the work they're doing is to advance human dignity in Hungary and around the world.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

40. “But to their own country To secure the most modicum forms of dignity in Hungary and under Hungarian law. And it was important for the United States to stand with them. And that's what I sought to do. But yes, as I said in the speech, David, that you're referencing. I mean, I've lived, my very first meeting here with a senior government official. I sit down and the official says to me, so, you know, ambassador, I know you want to talk about transgender rights and gay rights and gender ideology. And I actually had to interrupt him and say, no, no, I actually want to speak to you about your relationship with Vladimir Putin. I mean, there's this effort.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

41. “Well, and thank you. Thank you for saying that. And of course, you know, part of being, I think, an effective ambassador anywhere is and probably not dissimilar to being an effective communicator or politician or legislator is by being prepared to make yourself vulnerable and connecting with the audience. But the audience in that room, which you didn't hear from, were these extraordinary Hungarian activists. I mean, that was sort of the point is I knew in making those remarks that the government controlled media would focus on the US ambassador and what the U.S. ambassador said. But what I was really focused on was less my own story or what I brought to that speech, but about the people I was speaking to who at great risk to themselves on a daily basis are standing up and trying to introduce themselves not only to their own family,”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

42. “Proud of in some respects is securing the first time in the 70 or 80 year history of the UN Security Council, the only product that ever mentioned sexual orientation, which is something that we secured on the day of the Pulse nightclub shooting. So going from not having a seat at the table to the kind of work that was possible, I would have never guessed that that was achievable. It's fast and it's important.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

43. “You played an important role, I think everyone would acknowledge. And you know, when we started that administration, at least in the multilateral space, gay organizations could literally couldn't even get a seat at a table, couldn't even get accreditation to come to a meeting in a room at the United Nations. And when we ended that administration, not only did were we able to get LGBT organizations accreditation so that they could literally show up and participate in conversations. We managed to galvanize the international community to adopt the first UN resolution in history that said that gay rights are human rights. We managed to convene the first Security Council meeting in history on LGBT issues in the context of the treatment of ISIL, of the gay community. And I'll never forget, and one of the things I'm most”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

44. “Talked a moment ago about how quickly change happens. I mean, David, you served in the Obama administration. You made the Obama administration possible in many respects.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

45. “I mean, I was extremely painful. And it was, you know, I think there's a reckoning that there's actually an amazing line in not to quote Tony Kushner and Angels in America, but he writes of Roy Cohen describing what homosexuals are. And I won't actually use the quote, but he says that homosexuals are not men who sleep with men, but they're men who are powerless. And I didn't want to be powerless. And so a lot of my work has been about working to advance and empower vulnerable people, whether they be gay people or minorities. And for me, I found comfort and empowerment in the work, in doing the work of changing minds, of trying to make progress on these issues.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

46. “Yeah, no, I didn't come out of the closet. I certainly wasn't out of the closet when I was living in California. I didn't come out of the closet until just after graduating from college. I mean, it is extraordinary for me to watch young gays and lesbians now who are able to come out and come to terms with their own identities so much earlier.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

47. “The thoughts that I was having then about internalizing what limits that meant for me in my own future. Not that I necessarily imagined ever that I would have the opportunity to serve as a U.S. ambassador, but the possibility of the kinds of impediments to being able to excel and engage were not imaginary. I watch them. And I think that I've been fortunate for whatever reason, foolhardiness or audaciousness. I don't know to try to grapple with these challenges forthrightly and directly. And I think the amount of progress that we've been able to make on LGBT issues in the United States and around the world candidly is completely remarkable. And whatever small part I'm able to play in that, I think is one of something that makes me proud.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

48. “I mean, huge and defining. We began this conversation talking about, in some ways, my roots in Judaism and in many respects equally defining for how I've thought about issues and challenges in the world is the fact that I am gay. And, you know, David, I remember when I was one of my first jobs and certainly my first real job in government was working for then Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. And I remember sitting in my office, which was across from the Secretary's office and watching as James Hormel, who was at the time was the first out gay man. I think to Luxembourg, couldn't be confirmed and had to be recess appointed. by President Clinton. And I remember.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

49. “When, in fact, it's not democratic backsliding, it's that democracies are actually under attack. And one of the dynamics I've seen here in Hungary, I mean, you ask about Putin, is you can see ideas that are germinating in straight up authoritarian countries like Russia propagating like a virus to countries like Hungary and being ingested and adopted by their legislature, whether in the form of anti-LGBT laws, anti-NGO laws, foreign registration laws, in ways that are really dangerous.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

50. “Well, I think there's little question that Putin is taking opportunities to undermine democracy anywhere it may exist, including in the United States and including in Israel and certainly exercising malign influence here in Hungary. The reality is that, and this is one of the reasons why I was so excited for the opportunity to represent the United States in Hungary is that democracies around the world are, you know, there's this phrase, David, about democratic backsliding. And it's not a term I like because it's sort of suggests that everyone is, you know, trying to do their best to advance democracy and is sort of slipping backwards down Mount Olympus as they climb up the mountain.”

    2023-11-16 · The Axe Files with David Axelrod · Ep. 557 — Amb. David Pressman · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source