Ueli Maurer on CNN – oh no!

Ueli Maurer on CNN: Oh no!

It is a rare event to see a Swiss politician being interviewed on CNN. An interview that can last just a couple of minutes can be seen around the world by millions of viewers. 

So, when Swiss President Ueli Maurer’s visit to US President Donald Trump made the headlines, for American viewers it was a hope that Switzerland would become the middle man between the USA and Iran during a time of crisis.  

2 Minutes of Fame

For the Swiss, it represented a chance to be viewed favorably by the world. After all, the President of every country represents all of its citizens.  For myself, an American with Swiss citizenship, I was holding my breath that President Maurer would do a good job. The anticipation can best be described as watching an amateur athlete from your hometown participate in an Olympic event for the very first time.

What a pity! We are all saying the same thing.  Who organized this interview?  Did he really say: It’s nothing for the publicity? And who was the person helping out with partial translations not brave enough to get on camera? Is that the best we could do?

Going viral

The video is now going viral. There are those who do see the humor in it and are asking well-known comedian, Trevor Noah, who actually is half Swiss half South African, to do a skit based on the interview.  Others are even trying to get the well-loved Saturday Night Live crew to do a satire, as they are professionals at imitating Trump with the help of actor Alec Baldwin. 

Yes – of course. Really, I get it.  This short CNN video is worthy of satire.  But at the same time, my heart goes out to Ueli.  I run an English school focused on helping business professionals improve their English, to prepare them for interviews and other crucial situations that can make or break their career.  President Maurer – I would love to help you.  You might get a second chance.  Could you choose me to help you through it?   We are just a phone call away:  www.thebostonschool.com.

Here’s the way we wanted you to appear – check him out speaking all three Swiss languages fluently during his presidential acceptance speech.

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