Marie Yovanovitch had decades of experience as a diplomat and was the United States ambassador to Ukraine at the time.
When she woke up in Ukranian on November 9, 2016 hours ahead of most Americans, she turned on the television to see that CNN was reporting electoral victories in Ohio and Florida by then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Yovanovitch revealed in her new book, Lessons from the Edge, that she was deeply affected by the election results, which seemingly clashed with her beliefs about American leadership.
She wrote that as talking heads explained the significance of the returns, she felt like she was watching a car crash. I couldn't imagine what that would mean for the US and for Ukraine.
Yovanovitch felt that the values that she felt were a core part of American identity were not mirrored by Trump.
She wrote that Trump didn't seem to share many of the bedrock American principles that formed the basis for our partnerships around the world.
Yovanovitch pointed to the economic and cultural issues that allowed Trump to attract support in swing and rural areas as the reason for her dislike of his signature "Make America Great Again" slogan.
She wrote that Trump wanted to close our borders, halt inclusion, and shut us off from global engagement in order to undermine much that made our nation great.
Yovanovitch stated in her memoir that she would not have disclosed her opinions about Trump if she were a government official.
As she prepared to give a speech at the America House in downtown Kyiv that morning, she revealed that she appeared with a big smile and a scruffy upper lip to hide her inner turmoil.
In her public remarks that day, Yovanovitch sought to project unity, even though her speech was not filled with skepticism or unease.
She said that the speech would have been the same regardless of who won. I wanted to assure Ukrainians that America's strong bipartisan support for Ukraine would not change regardless of who won.
According to The New York Times, she would be recalled from her position by Trump in 2019.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
