Trust is Not Something Easily Earned According to Former CIA and Deputy Director Beth Sanner

MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) — Trust in the government has continued to fall greatly over the years. Beth Sanner, a former CIA agent and advisor to President Trump, shares that trust is something that isn’t easily earned.

“Even if they knew that that person was a good person or they knew about them. Because anything could happen between that last meeting and when you were seeing them. The person could be co-optive, they could be manipulated,” said Beth Sanner, Former Deputy Director of National Intelligence.

Sanner has 35 years of experience in national security, where she held leadership roles in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the CIA, the National Security Council, and the U.S. Department of State. She specialized in analysis on Russia, Europe, South Asia, and more.

“People say you know the worst thing is to say is that the government is here to help, but actually I feel like the intelligence community is one of those places where people get out of bed every day and come to work and really try to protect America and make it better,” said Sanner.

Sanner is a resident distinguished fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States and former deputy director of national intelligence for mission integration, where she served as the president’s intelligence briefer.

“Things that I’ve learned here at home about how to listen to people, how to respect people is really been the key to me being able to earn the trust of the most important people in America. And I feel like I worked really really hard to earn the trust of President Trump during the first administration,” said Sanner.

Sanner also spoke against President Trump’s tariffs and mentioned how the relationship with our allies are not going so well.