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Weltwoche Schweiz
Weltwoche: President Trumps new Ambassador to Switzerland, Callista Gingrich, has arrived in Bern. She will soon take over the embassy. You know her well. What can Switzerland expect from Ambassador Gingrich?
Ed McMullen: I know Ambassador Gingrich very well from the time we served together as ambassadors, she was posted to the Vatican, and me in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. I was very pleased to hear President Trump chose to appoint Ambassador Gingrich for Switzerland and Liechtenstein. She understands the issues facing our countries. And she has spent a great deal of time getting briefed and informed on the key issues. She will work closely to improve trade relations and advance all the President’s priorities. We've had four years of the Biden administration and some recent difficulties with the trade discussions that have strained the relationship. Callista Gingrich is the perfect ambassador for the United States to help resolve those strains and rebuild the great bilateral relationship it needs to be.
Weltwoche: The ambassador will have her husband by her side, Newt Gingrich, the legendary former speaker of the house. Gingrich led the Republican Revolution in the 1990s. He is a sharp analyst of current affairs. Newt and Callista Gingrich are friends of President Donald Trump, like yourself. Based on your own experiences, what asset can close ties to the White House bring for Switzerland?
McMullen: Callista Gingrich is our ambassador, and she has my full support for anything she will need. She is, in her own right, a very successful and substantive leader. And rest assured, the Swiss will have an ambassador who has a voice directly to the President as I did. I had a relationship with the President where I could pick up the phone and address key issues. Ambassador Gingrich will have that unique ability as well. Not all countries have those kinds of ambassadors. I've known and respected the Gingrichs for many years. Newt was a history professor and a brilliant leader in politics. Both are an extremely open-minded, energetic and informed team who have a historic and political knowledge that will be key to success.
Weltwoche: A direct line into the White House will be of high importance for Switzerland. We've been through a very tough few months on August 1st, our national day. Switzerland has been punished with 39% tariffs, one of the highest tariffs all over the world. We hear that a Swiss “all-star team” including leading figures of the Swiss business world have been trying hard for weeks to get a better deal.
McMullen: I know that immediately after the August 1st national day, the business community and the Swiss leadership went into full gear to fix that. Now we're nearing the end of those negotiations. I think we'll see some very good, successful final resolution in the coming weeks. I know the president is very engaged on this, as is his team. I'm proud to see the progress that's been made.
Weltwoche: Under your term as ambassador the bilateral relations thrived, the two countries were closer than perhaps any time in history. Since you left your post in 2020 you have spent a lot of time in Switzerland. What is it that you do here?
McMullen: My ties to Switzerland started long before I was ambassador. I have friends and business interests throughout Switzerland, and I’m personally invested in many swiss businesses because they’re innovative and successful. After President Trumps election victory in 2024 I had the opportunity to go back in the administration again. I chose to stay in business. I think it's very important to recognize that my success as ambassador came from my business background, not politics. After I left Bern, I was clear that I would not work or advocate for any foreign government in a paid capacity, and I maintain that position to this day.
I've had numerous opportunities to work on mandates that would be involved on the trade policy. I have refused every opportunity that has been given to me because I'm not a consultant or political advocate. As a former ambassador who is a private citizen, it’s my policy not to lobby or engage in direct negotiations. I'm not a lobbyist and I'm not a government official. I'm an interested party like everyone else who wants to see success, and I think we're going to.
I'm a businessman who's always been interested in the trade policies throughout the world, most importantly, Switzerland, because Switzerland is near and dear to my heart. I have a love for the country and her people including the business leaders I've worked with over the years. I am very much engaged in personally advocating in the United States and in Switzerland for our bilateral relationship to be strong and healthy because the Swiss investment in the United States is the sixth largest foreign direct investment. I'm proud that I played a role in that.
Weltwoche: Reporting by Weltwoche and other media has revealed that there are forces on the Swiss side, that try to sabotage a deal. They favor closer ties with the EU over a deal with the US. But there is also the impression that on the American side there are forces who are working against a deal by singularly focusing on this trade deficit. What is your view on that?
McMullen: I am not a representative of the government, so I give my personal view. There are people in both countries who have their own agendas to undermine relationships with various countries, and various businesses, and various investments that they may have.
My personal view is that in the end, the Swiss business community that came to the table after August 1st to work very closely with the administration team is very professional. The negotiators from Switzerland are fantastic. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) has an amazingly strong and brilliant team working closely with the US team. I have great confidence that those two teams are working things out well and dealing with those issues. I hope they've put them to bed. We'll always have naysayers on both sides who criticize. In the end, those working in goodwill know it’s important that the relationship grows and is strong.
Weltwoche: Immediately after “Liberation Day” in April, when Trump presented the notorious board of tariffs with Switzerland figuring among the nations with highest tariffs, you remained very optimistic that Switzerland would make a favorable deal. Some people say, too optimistic.
McMullen: I've been criticized by some in Switzerland for being overly optimistic. Anyone who truly knows me knows I am an optimist at heart. I've always been an optimist. Those people that want to sit and dwell on the negative, they never get anything done. That's not the leadership that's required. Those who are eager to move forward in an optimistic way and recognize that there will be temporary setbacks, those are the people who are going to succeed in getting a deal for Switzerland. There are a lot of optimists out there. I know it seems tough right now having 39percent tariffs. We don't need to relive why it happened, but we do need to recognize it did and fix it. I think that's what your government and our government are working very hard to do.
Weltwoche: Is there reason for hope that we will soon have a new deal with lower tariffs?
McMullen: On August 1st, I decided that I would no longer talk to the press about the trade deal because I think those conversations, crosscurrents, rumors and innuendo undermine successful negotiations. What I will say: My assessment on the situation right now is that Switzerland has an extremely capable, highly regarded vice president, Guy Parmelin, who actually knows President Trump well. They met while I was ambassador. They met in Davos twice. The president has a strong regard and respect for him, as do I. His counterpart, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, also appreciates his integrity. His team at SECO that's negotiating, is highly regarded by all levels of the government engaged in negotiations.
Weltwoche: Switzerland has improved its offer. It put more and higher direct investments on the negotiating table. Will it be enough to get a better deal with a President who seems to be focusing on trade deficits?
McMullen: Once again, I'm not privy to the details of the negotiations. I've heard things that I'm not going to add to the rumor in an innuendo. It's unproductive, but I will say this. I know that the team in Switzerland did a fantastic job educating the US on the realities regarding that deficit and the realities of their investment and future investment in the United States. Those are compelling, very compelling. I'm told that our negotiators in the United States have taken that very seriously and understand it very well. That there's a positive push in the right direction, and that's good.
Weltwoche: The new Ambassador Callista Gingrich is up for a difficult start amid the unresolved tariff discussion. What is your personal advice to your successor in Bern?
McMullen: I've had great conversations and meetings with Ambassador Gingrich. I would never divulge those discussions—she is my friend. What I will say is that the lady I know is a kind, very smart leader. She will be exactly the person we need to be representing President Trump in Switzerland to advance the message to the Swiss government and the Swiss people that this relationship cannot be damaged. It is an enduring friendship that will survive tough times. It's a message she can advance, and I think she's going to achieve success beyond anyone's imagination.