American producer explains why Rodney Mims Cook Jr. represented US at SPIEF

MOSCOW, July 14. /TASS/. American producer and president of Studio Mao, Stephen Mao, told TASS in an interview why US President Donald Trump chose Chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts Rodney Mims Cook Jr. as the head of the delegation to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"Rodney is a personal friend of the president. And he has the president's trust. They've known each other for many years. And Donald Trump is somebody whose trust is very important for him. He appointed Rodney as the chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts. So the Commission of Fine Arts is an organization that is responsible for all the art and monuments in the United States. So effectively, although we don't have this title, Minister of Culture in the United States, Rodney Cook is the Minister of Culture," he noted.

Mao recalled that Cook Jr. is currently also responsible for the new Ballroom in the White House and the Grand Triumphal Arch in Washington, whose construction is timed to coincide with the celebration of the country's 250th anniversary. "I would say that Rodney, this is just my guess, but I think he's meeting with the president at least four times a month. So he has the president's attention," the producer stated.

"We [worked] collectively, so I spoke to Rodney initially, and I invited him to St. Petersburg. And then he met with the president, and we also worked with the State Department. So this was at a time when there was no relations communication at all. There had not been any government-to-government official communication for four years prior to this. So the president chose Rodney because he trusted him," Mao said. He also mentioned that Cook's family has "a long history in Atlanta." "It's the South of America. It's a historic place, steeped in American tradition. So very much aligned with the president's way of thinking," he added.

Meeting with the Russian Ambassador

"The [Russian] ambassador [to the US Alexander Darchiev] invited him [Rodney] to Washington and he accepted. So that was the moment when that happened, and the meeting will take place, I believe it is next Friday. And this is very important, not because Rodney is a cultural person, but because of his proximity to President Trump," Mao noted.

"He will meet with the president [after his meeting with the Russian ambassador]. They will discuss whatever they need to discuss. He is very interesting, I can tell you a story. Rodney came to Russia for SPIEF. He obviously met with the president the following week because it was very important," he indicated.