SAN DIEGO—“There's only room for one alpha male in the international system, so how long do you think [the] bromance [between President Trump and Vladimir Putin] will last?” Condoleezza Rice told attendees at NMHC's Annual Meeting here last week. The former Secretary of State participated in a conversation led by Bob DeWitt, vice chairman, president and CEO of GID, which garnered a standing ovation from a packed ballroom as Rice was introduced.

Rice was frank about a variety of issues, including her approval of Jim Mattis, Rex Tillerson, retired General John Kelly and Betsy DeVos for cabinet positions in the Trump administration. She said it's important to get those secretaries in place in order for everybody to be more comfortable with Trump in the White House and to make things happen.

When asked about her views on the way Trump handled the call from the president of Taiwan before the inauguration, Rice said, “There are better ways to send a message [to Beijing], but Beijing is tied up in protocol until they want to break protocol.” She added that China is doing “problematic things” in the South China Sea, so it's not bad to have a course adjustment, but it needs to be done “in a disciplined way.” Taking the call wasn't a bad thing or a big deal, but “this is where the secretary of state can channel it in useful ways.”

Russia, however, is a different situation. “I know Putin well,” said Rice. “He thinks he is reuniting Russia in greatness. We're going to need the Russians to deal with Kim Jong-un,” whom she called “unhinged,” and other international-diplomacy situations. “We need to manage Russian cooperation. But there's room for only one alpha male in the international system, so how long do you think that bromance will last?” Rice said as the audience erupted in laughter and applause.

When asked about whether she thinks the presidential election was hacked by the Russians, Rice said, “Putin likes to mess with us.” His attitude is, “You interfered in our elections for years; now we're going to mess with yours. But it's better to not overreact with Putin.” She said we should have told him that we have confidence in our electoral system, and we will make him pay for that interference at a later time of our choosing. She added that we have a good electoral system, but our intelligence service “went too far” in exploring Russia's involvement with it. “They didn't know about what Russia was doing in Crimea or Syria, but they knew about this?” she criticized. Those inside “have to think about the nature of the breach and how they want to respond” to Russia's alleged involvement in the election, she said.

Rice added that if the Russians can hack into our systems, this shows that our cybersecurity is not good. “Most cybersecurity problems are caused by people being careless with their own information,” she pointed out, commenting that procedures and training need stepping up in order to make it harder for others to breach our systems.

Rice also said that there are ways for Russia to be a productive part of the international system without completely rebuilding itself. “This is a sophisticated population” who sits around the house and recites poetry. “They could do better,” she said.

Rice commented that one trend she is worried about with Trump's election and Brexit before it is people's view that globalization has gone too far. “We must listen to the people who feel disenfranchised by globalization.”

DeWitt asked Rice, if Trump can't solve the problems he has set out to solve, where can his constituents go next since they have rejected the elite political class? Rice agreed that when people go outside the institutions to solve problems, it's not a good sign. She said she worries about what's happening with education, where all you need to know is a student's zip code in order to know if they're getting a good education. The biggest problem with this is eventually having two societies—the “haves” and the “have-nots”—one of which is capable and the other of which is not. “It better be true that you can come from humble circumstances and still make good.” She also said that school choice is good, that she wants to give poor parents a choice to give their kids a better education.

Regarding immigration, Rice said she's troubled about protectionist policies keeping good people out of the country. “Some of the best citizens come from someplace else.”

Rice, who is currently Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, also commented that Millennials are “a challenge. They are used to getting participation trophies, and it throws them off when they don't get them.”

SAN DIEGO—“There's only room for one alpha male in the international system, so how long do you think [the] bromance [between President Trump and Vladimir Putin] will last?” Condoleezza Rice told attendees at NMHC's Annual Meeting here last week. The former Secretary of State participated in a conversation led by Bob DeWitt, vice chairman, president and CEO of GID, which garnered a standing ovation from a packed ballroom as Rice was introduced.

Rice was frank about a variety of issues, including her approval of Jim Mattis, Rex Tillerson, retired General John Kelly and Betsy DeVos for cabinet positions in the Trump administration. She said it's important to get those secretaries in place in order for everybody to be more comfortable with Trump in the White House and to make things happen.

When asked about her views on the way Trump handled the call from the president of Taiwan before the inauguration, Rice said, “There are better ways to send a message [to Beijing], but Beijing is tied up in protocol until they want to break protocol.” She added that China is doing “problematic things” in the South China Sea, so it's not bad to have a course adjustment, but it needs to be done “in a disciplined way.” Taking the call wasn't a bad thing or a big deal, but “this is where the secretary of state can channel it in useful ways.”

Russia, however, is a different situation. “I know Putin well,” said Rice. “He thinks he is reuniting Russia in greatness. We're going to need the Russians to deal with Kim Jong-un,” whom she called “unhinged,” and other international-diplomacy situations. “We need to manage Russian cooperation. But there's room for only one alpha male in the international system, so how long do you think that bromance will last?” Rice said as the audience erupted in laughter and applause.

When asked about whether she thinks the presidential election was hacked by the Russians, Rice said, “Putin likes to mess with us.” His attitude is, “You interfered in our elections for years; now we're going to mess with yours. But it's better to not overreact with Putin.” She said we should have told him that we have confidence in our electoral system, and we will make him pay for that interference at a later time of our choosing. She added that we have a good electoral system, but our intelligence service “went too far” in exploring Russia's involvement with it. “They didn't know about what Russia was doing in Crimea or Syria, but they knew about this?” she criticized. Those inside “have to think about the nature of the breach and how they want to respond” to Russia's alleged involvement in the election, she said.

Rice added that if the Russians can hack into our systems, this shows that our cybersecurity is not good. “Most cybersecurity problems are caused by people being careless with their own information,” she pointed out, commenting that procedures and training need stepping up in order to make it harder for others to breach our systems.

Rice also said that there are ways for Russia to be a productive part of the international system without completely rebuilding itself. “This is a sophisticated population” who sits around the house and recites poetry. “They could do better,” she said.

Rice commented that one trend she is worried about with Trump's election and Brexit before it is people's view that globalization has gone too far. “We must listen to the people who feel disenfranchised by globalization.”

DeWitt asked Rice, if Trump can't solve the problems he has set out to solve, where can his constituents go next since they have rejected the elite political class? Rice agreed that when people go outside the institutions to solve problems, it's not a good sign. She said she worries about what's happening with education, where all you need to know is a student's zip code in order to know if they're getting a good education. The biggest problem with this is eventually having two societies—the “haves” and the “have-nots”—one of which is capable and the other of which is not. “It better be true that you can come from humble circumstances and still make good.” She also said that school choice is good, that she wants to give poor parents a choice to give their kids a better education.

Regarding immigration, Rice said she's troubled about protectionist policies keeping good people out of the country. “Some of the best citizens come from someplace else.”

Rice, who is currently Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, also commented that Millennials are “a challenge. They are used to getting participation trophies, and it throws them off when they don't get them.”