If I may, to underline first of all that I am very much impressed that in spite of the very tough election campaign, this transition period in the United States of America follows democratic principles and is all about the American people. It's about the destiny of the American people.

...climate change is accelerating. It threatens our well being, our security, and our economic development. It will lead to uncontrollable risks and dramatic damage if we do not take resolute countermeasures.

The land of unlimited opportunity was for me, for a long time, impossible to reach. The wall, barbed wire and the order to shoot at those who tried to leave limited my access to the free world.

There's a rumour going around that states cannot go bankrupt. This rumour is not true.

If you've worked together with somebody very well, leave-taking is very difficult. But we are all politicians. We all know that democracy lives off change. So, in the United States of America, the Constitution has very clear stipulations on this. It's a tough rule. Eight years and that's it, out goes the president and a new one comes in.

I want to see everyone contribute to the overall costs of the system, and with their entire earnings. I'm convinced that an objective discussion will reveal that the differences between the parties, which have been greatly exaggerated in some quarters, aren't that significant after all.

The substance of the constitution is preserved. That is a fact.