“President Trump and his closest associates are very aware of the great support they had among Serbs in the recently concluded elections, both among those who live in America and have the right to vote, and those who live in Serbia and Republika Srpska. They are grateful for it and will know how to appreciate it,” Ranko Ristić, a businessman from Chicago and one of the leaders of the MAGA Serbs movement, who spent the American election night in the company of the new US president and his closest associates in West Palm Beach, Florida, tells Serbian Times.
“Ristić, who received a special invitation to this event as a major sponsor of Trump’s campaign, had previously met with Trump in May at his headquarters in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, where he introduced the newly elected US president to the problems faced by Serbs in America, as well as Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and Republika Srpska (you can read about it HERE!)
AT THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME: Serbian delegation with Trump (Ristić first from the right)
-In Trump’s campaign headquarters, our delegation, led by former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojević, numbered 6 members, and we were greeted very warmly, as his people recognized us from previous meetings in Mar-A-Lago. Wherever we appeared, we were greeted with smiles and the words: ‘Here are the Serbs!’, because they know that we were with Trump when he was at his hardest, when he was being persecuted in American courts and given draconian sentences, accused of sexual harassment…, emphasizes Ristić.
MEETINGS WITH SIGNIFICANT PEOPLE OF AMERICAN POLITICS: Serbian delegation with Senator Marco Rubio and the family of Vice President J.D. Vance
“He adds that the Serbian delegation immediately gathered at the hotel upon arrival and held a meeting to discuss how best to represent the interests of American Serbs, Serbia, and Republika Srpska, in the event that Trump won the election.
FIGHTING FOR SERBIAN INTERESTS: Our businessmen from the USA in West Palm Beach Bobby Kennedy thanked the Serbs for their support
-Already at the hotel, we met with the team of Robert Kennedy, one of Trump’s closest associates, the nephew of former US President John F. Kennedy, and the son of Senator Robert Kennedy, who made a great impression on us because they seemed like one big family. This meeting also had its symbolism because Trump, a Republican, was supported by a respected member of the Kennedy family, which had been the embodiment of the Democratic Party for decades, and Rod Blagojević, who was twice elected governor as a Democrat. We were invited to a reception at the Kennedys’, where we presented Robert Kennedy with a monograph on 140 years of diplomatic relations between Serbia and the USA. Kennedy, who is the leader of the MAHA program (Make America Healthy Again) and is expected to hold a high position in the new Trump cabinet in the White House, was delighted with the book and the support of the Serbs, and we were delighted with him, because he is a wonderful, humble man, says our interlocutor from the MAGA Serbs organization.
KENNEDYS AS A BIG FAMILY: Ranko Ristić and Filip Milivojević with Robert Kennedy
Ristić adds that they met the son and daughter of Robert Kennedy there, who led his campaign and is exceptionally knowledgeable about international relations and the problems of Serbia, having previously worked for the CIA for 10 years.”
“He adds that they met the son and daughter of Robert Kennedy there, who led his campaign and is exceptionally knowledgeable about international relations and the problems of Serbia, having previously worked for the CIA for 10 years.
-I donated money to Kennedy’s campaign because I consider him an exceptional expert in the field of medicine, pharmacy, and healthcare, topics that are important to all of us, to our children. Of course, I was just one of many sponsors, so I was pleasantly surprised that everyone on his team was aware of it, knew my name, approached me to greet me, and thanked me. Kennedy’s team made a great impression on me, and I am sure that his support in the campaign meant a lot to Trump.
FAMILY ATMOSPHERE: Most of the people in Kennedy’s MAHA team are women
Then the delegation of Serbian businessmen joined Trump’s closest associates at his headquarters, where the election results were expected.
-As soon as we arrived, you could feel the atmosphere that a victory was expected because everyone was positive, in a good mood, friendly, and there was no nervousness. There were senators, congressmen, the most important people from his campaign, owners of large companies, and the biggest sponsors. The mood grew as the results came in, and the victory in each state was celebrated with ovations and toasts, Ristić recalls and emphasizes:”
“Dodik’s cap and the American flag -For me personally, the key moment was when I saw that in the state of Illinois, where I live, and where Democrats usually win convincingly, as much as 45% of voters voted for Trump. Then I knew he was winning the election! We found out that the victory was final long before Fox News announced it because we were getting the results before the media. A big celebration followed, and then Trump’s appearance on stage with his family and address. I was impressed that he didn’t speak pompously, that he didn’t gloat about that great victory and the greatest political comeback in American and world history, but was humble, and serious, thanked the people who helped him, and emphasized their merits.
SERBS IN THE FRONT ROWS: Trump’s address after the election victory
The celebration, he says, lasted until 5 in the morning, and he was particularly pleased that many people approached him and thanked him for Serbian support.
-Trump’s team was delighted with the gesture of the President of Republika Srpska, who was the only statesman, besides Hungarian President Orban, who openly supported Trump in the campaign. Dodik was also the first president to congratulate him on his victory. When I showed that article from your Serbian Times, one of the people from his campaign asked me for a link and shared that text on social media. I showed them reports from the Serbian media that followed the elections around the clock and they simply couldn’t believe that in a distant country, there was so much interest in the American elections, as well as such great support for President Trump. Especially when they saw that a celebration was organized in Banja Luka and that President Dodik, who is under US sanctions, is holding an American flag in his hand, and a MAGA cap on his head, says the Serbian businessman from Chicago, a member of the MAGA Serbs movement.
A GEST THAT MEANS A LOT: The President of RS supported Trump and celebrated his victory”
Ristić believes that Dodik’s support for Trump had a significant impact in America, where a large number of Serbs from Republika Srpska live.
“His call contributed to many of our people coming out to vote, which is a big deal. Just as it’s a big deal that in Republika Srpska, a country whose people have suffered a lot due to the policies of some previous American administrations, they are celebrating while waving American flags, and that the Banja Luka Palace of the Republic is shining in American colors.
OUR PEOPLE ON THE RIGHT SIDE: With the Adžić family, major Trump sponsors
Serbia and Republika Srpska now have a chance… It must be seized! Ristić believes that everything that happened in Florida, as well as in the previous months of the campaign, is a guarantee that Serbia, Republika Srpska, and the Serbian people on both sides of the ocean will have a chance in the next four years to improve relations with the US and have our voice heard better in Washington.
“I think that for the first time as a Serbian community, we acted as a team and that as our first organized delegation, MAGA Serbs, we did a great thing. Now everyone, from President Trump onwards, people from his team, his family, know very well how much the Serbs contributed to his victory, financially, with our votes in key swing states, but also in the media. We had the opportunity to talk to Trump and personally convey that support to him, and I am sure he will know how to appreciate it. The chance is there and it must be used!” emphasizes Ristić, but adds that it is now necessary to continue with the activities:
VIP ROOM: With Ben Carson, former US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
“Serbs have made a mistake in recent decades because they have not been involved in American political life. Now we have corrected that mistake, but we need to continue working. We, as American citizens of Serbian origin, must find ways to align Serbian interests with American interests and to fight for a fair relationship, which we did not have before. The good thing is that the historical moment is favorable. Serbs have been victims of globalization so far, and for the next four years, we will have a White House that does not support globalization. These elections have shown that the majority of the Serbian and the majority of the American people support the same principles, which is very important. Our diaspora in the US has taken the first, big step in bringing Serbia and America closer together. But nothing comes overnight and automatically, especially when it comes to US foreign policy. I hope that our politicians in Serbia and Republika Srpska, Presidents Vučić and Dodik, will know what to do in the future, and that they will be persistent and use the current balance of power.
MAGA TEAM: With businessman Karim Lenier and his wife
“Furthermore, I don’t think this situation should be exploited to the detriment of other peoples in the Balkans. Instead, we should work towards a better future for everyone and to ease tensions. As someone from Republika Srpska, I believe that the stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina is in everyone’s interest. And the fact that the US will no longer be the world’s policeman will allow other nations, including the Serbian people, to take their destiny into their own hands,” concludes Ranko Ristić, a Serbian businessman from Chicago and a member of the MAGA Serbs movement.
WITH THE HUNGARIANS AND POLES: Everyone wanted to take pictures with the Serbs.
A LADY FROM THE KENNEDY CLAN: With Pat Noble
Sanctions against Dodik could be lifted
President of RS Milorad Dodik has been under sanctions since 2017 for obstructing the Dayton Peace Agreement, and yesterday his son Igor Dodik was also added to the sanctions list. Ranko Ristić believes that these sanctions could be lifted, but certainly not immediately.
“Politics is the art of the possible, and I hope that after years of conflict with the US ambassador to BiH, the American flag flying in Banja Luka will represent a turning point. Actually, an opportunity for it to happen, but it will be a long and arduous process. The State Department is a cumbersome apparatus that hasn’t changed much since the 1990s, when Serbs were the bad guys. The Serbian people in Republika Srpska have suffered a lot due to previous US policy, there is distrust, but now the conditions have been created to move things in a positive direction, and I have no doubt that it will happen.
TIME FOR CHANGE: Dodik celebrates Trump’s victory in Banja Luka”
“Trump’s Millionairess Who Loves the Serbian Soul”
Ranko Ristić highlighted his encounter with Ms. Elen Bek from Arizona as a particularly special experience. She is the leader of one of the most prominent Christian groups within the Republican Party and a significant donor to Trump’s campaign.
“I met Ms. Bek in May at Mar-a-Lago when our delegation had dinner with President Trump. During the meeting, I addressed the president and shared my life story, how we fought against 3,000 mujahideen in Bosnia while CNN and the American media portrayed us as the bad guys. And how two mujahideen who were in the El Mujahid camp near Zavidović, on my late grandfather’s estate, Al Mihdar, and Al Hazmi, just a few years later hijacked American Airlines flight 77, crashed into the Pentagon on September 11,” Ristić recalls and adds:
MY LIFE STORY: Ranko Ristić and Elaine Beck
“The whole time, sitting next to Trump was an older lady whose name I didn’t know then. I found out that same evening when President Trump, addressing the gathering, asked if there was any Republican in the audience who was willing to donate a million dollars to the campaign, and who would in return get a chance to speak from the stage. Ms. Bek raised her hand, came out, and said just one sentence: ‘God told me to support you and I am doing it now!'”
At the reception that followed, I was surprised when Ms. Bek approached me and spoke to me. She told me she had heard my speech before Trump, and that she thought God had sent her to be by Trump’s side, but had sent her to meet me. She invited me to be a guest on her podcast, where many famous American politicians, such as Senator Ted Cruz and Ben Carson, had been guests, and to tell my life story – how a young refugee boy, whom America had bombed after such an injustice moved to the US and became an American patriot. In the end, we recorded four episodes that she aired, and that is an experience I will remember for the rest of my life. Now we met again on election night, and celebrated the victory together,” says Ristić.
Trump as a guarantor of world peace
Our interlocutor believes that Trump’s new mandate is an opportunity for a new era of peace and reduced tensions to prevail worldwide.
“He has already announced his commitment to stopping the conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East, and I do not doubt that he will use all his influence to get Zelensky and Putin to the negotiating table, as well as to stop the conflict between Israel on the one hand and Palestinians and Iran on the other. His previous term was the only one in which America did not start any wars, tensions with North Korea were reduced, which did not launch a single missile for four years, Palestinians and Israelis signed a ceasefire… As for us, Trump is credited with the agreement between Vučić and Kurti, the implementation of which, unfortunately, the Biden administration stopped immediately upon taking office. Now is the chance to fully implement that agreement…
HIGH SOCIETY: Serbs with the governor of Iowa, the governor of Mississippi, the Jewish delegation…”
Article BY: Antonije Kovačević Photo: Private
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