Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Wife, Sophie, on Kennedy Comparisons, Breastfeeding And Lif

KATIE COURIC: [SPEAKING FRENCH] SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: [SPEAKING FRENCH] KATIE COURIC: [SPEAKING FRENCH] SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: [SPEAKING FRENCH] KATIE COURIC: That's about the extent of my French. SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: [SPEAKING FRENCH]. It's enough. KATIE COURIC: Well, it's so nice to meet you. SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: Thank you for having me. KATIE COURIC: And I understand that I'm to call you Madame, because you're not-- there are no first ladies. There's no such thing as a first lady here in Canada. SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: No, there is no actual title, except sometimes wife of a prime minister, which, you know, we could be a little bit more progressive. But please, call me Sophie. [MUSIC PLAYING] KATIE COURIC: Her name is Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, and she just may be the most talked about woman in Canada. The striking former TV host is married to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. And the pair has quickly become the it couple in Canada and beyond. Trudeau, 44, has promised sweeping changes for his country, championed the cause of Syrian refugees, and has been outspoken in his support for the LGBT community. He's also been a target for Canadian conservatives, who say the new prime minister isn't ready for prime time. STEPHEN HARPER: Justin Trudeau, the Liberal leader, speaks very little about the specifics of his economic plan. He actually doesn't want to talk about it at all. As we know, it's all, you know, if I can be blunt, it's all unicorns and rainbows. KATIE COURIC: The couple has inspired comparisons to America's most famous first family-- the Kennedys. I talked with Sophie Gregoire Trudeau about her marriage, her three children, all under the age of 8, and her commitment to helping girls and women around the world. How would you describe your role? I mean, what are some of your official duties, and how is it different than say, the first lady of the United States? SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: Well, you know, I think that because there's no official role for the wife of the prime minister, you have to make it your own. And before I met my husband, I was a public advocate on self-esteem in young women and eating disorders. And I worked in television. I was a cultural reporter. So you guys are creating for a great cause-- right to play. What's your affiliation with them? KATIE COURIC: I understand that you're a big admirer of Michelle Obama's. What is it about the way she's served in her role as the wife of the president that is sort of inspiring and appealing to you? SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: Well, I think that there's lots of authenticity in her personality, in the way in which she connects with people. But obviously what I admire is the causes that she's undertaken and the actions that she's undertaken as well, talking about nutrition and exercise with American people. And I think that everything that has to do with girls' education is important to her, and it's also so close to my heart, gender empowerment. Having more justice and equality in our society for me is huge. So yeah, I absolutely admire her path. KATIE COURIC: You and your husband, I think, are kind of considered the new it couple in many ways, because you're attractive and young. Some have compared you to the Kennedys, at least in the American press. What do you make of that comparison? SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: Well, I don't make much of comparisons in general. It's not how-- I think people construct themselves, and I don't think it's a healthy way of dealing with your own reality. KATIE COURIC: It's sometimes difficult, the white-hot spotlight of a public persona. SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: What people see on television, the fancy events that we go to and the nice dresses, that is a part of my life. It's a small part of my life. And my daily life is mostly spent with my three kids and raising them. So I think you have to create a distance between the thoughts that are out there in the media and the true person that you are. KATIE COURIC: You got a lot of attention, it went viral, so to speak, when you sang at that lunch, that MLK, Martin Luther King lunch. And you just sort of burst out in song. SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU (SINGING): And some people fight without knowing why. KATIE COURIC: And I'm curious, what inspired you to do that? It was so wonderfully spontaneous, but unusual. SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: What inspired me to sing was that everybody before me sang. KATIE COURIC: Really? SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: Every single person who went and spoke on stage sang a song in their own different language to really share the message of hope. And for me, singing a song that I composed-- KATIE COURIC: It was a song you had written for your daughter? SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: For my daughter, but it was really about how a child holds so much hope in this world. And for me, the message of peace and hope and children is all related. JUSTIN TRUDEAU: [SPEAKING FRENCH] KATIE COURIC: Let's talk a little bit about your husband, because he's been praised and also criticized as being sort of inexperienced and a lightweight and nepotism at work. When you hear those things about him, what is your reaction? SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: I try not to focus on it. I really try not to. It's tough sometimes. I'm not immune to it, obviously. He's the man that I love. But I try to focus on the job that needs to be done-- bottom line. [SPEAKING FRENCH] KATIE COURIC: He actually catapulted onto the national stage when he delivered a eulogy, one of the eulogies at his father's funeral. SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: Yes. [MUSIC PLAYING] KATIE COURIC: Were you there at that funeral? SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: I watched it, but I wasn't there. KATIE COURIC: Tell me your thoughts as you watched him speak. SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: Oh- that it came from a true place of love-- of love from a son to his father-- bottom line. KATIE COURIC: It was extraordinarily moving, wasn't it? SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: Yes, yes. I mean, I can't even think of that, because now I have sons, and the love of a son towards his father or his mother for me is the biggest gift of all, really. KATIE COURIC: How would you describe him as a person and as a leader? SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: You know, my husband is a teacher at the core. And he is patient when he teaches. And he takes the time to listen. And I see that in his leadership style. And he's not a yes man, yes man. He likes to be surrounded by people who really challenge him in his views. He is a deeply open-hearted and warm-hearted individual. He has a huge respect for humanity. He has the capacity for unconditional love, which I've rarely seen. And he has taught me that. And we've been together for 12 years. It's not always easy, but we're here and strong. KATIE COURIC: I know that in Vogue, there was a picture that was described as a steamy embrace. SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: We weren't even kissing. KATIE COURIC: Someone else wrote about you when you were watching him from the audience, sort of you were gazing at him adoringly. SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: That's funny, because the moment where I was gazing at him at him adoringly, it was really about the moment. I mean, I was proud of him and what we had accomplished, but I couldn't believe the love and the support and the vote of confidence that we had gotten from our fellow citizens. That I was deeply touched by. I mean, I love him, but-- it's only my husband. KATIE COURIC: It wasn't like you were like, ah. SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: No. [LAUGHTER] [MUSIC PLAYING] KATIE COURIC: I know your husband has embraced immigrants, and he awaited the arrival of Syrian refugees at the airport and presented them with coats. How has that refugee population been embraced here in Canada, and contrasting it perhaps with the United States? SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: I watched when he welcomed the Syrian refugees. It was important for me to watch. And it was emotional. And it was a reflection of the man that he is, and the movement that we're creating. And there's been so much warmth, and families sponsoring Syrian families coming in. It is a reflection of how we must celebrate our compassion and empathy and openness and celebration of diversity here in Canada. DONALD TRUMP: We need to build a wall. And it has to be built quickly. KATIE COURIC: I have to ask you, though, Sophie, what you think of Donald Trump, because he is the American obsession currently. SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: I can't comment on the American election. But I do think that we need to remember that in a country like ours and in a country like yours, the diversity is the richness. The diversity makes us who we are. And we must foster relationships that really promote openness and acceptance. KATIE COURIC: I mean, it's an incredibly fascinating time in the United States politically. SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: Well, even in Canada, we had lots of polarity politically. So I can't wait to see how the American people will come together and decide what's best for the the common good. KATIE COURIC: Do you think they will? SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: I truly hope so. I truly hope so. KATIE COURIC: Online searches, by the way, of how to move to Canada, spiked by over 1,000% in the US after Donald Trump swept Super Tuesday. SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: So you're not going to tell me it's because my husband was elected? That's what I want to hear. KATIE COURIC: Maybe that was reason. But I think it happened at a particular moment in time that was indicative of people's feelings about Donald Trump's success on Super Tuesday. I'm just sort of connecting the dots here. SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: Listen, I'm here with open arms. Come on over. KATIE COURIC: What are your thoughts about having a woman as president of the United States? Do you have any thoughts about Hillary Clinton? SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: The thought is not directed towards a particular individual, but the thought of having a female president and a woman as a president I think is it is amazing anywhere in this world, and it's happening. And I truly believe that the more women we get involved in the political process, the more we will begin to foster even greater democracy. KATIE COURIC: I know that you care deeply about girls and self-esteem. How did you get interested in that? SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: I came out saying years ago that I suffered from eating disorders. And eating disorders are like any other kind of compulsion and of mental illness. So for me, learning about the fact that so many thousands and thousands of girls in my own province and my own city and my own country were suffering from the same thing, I said, I have to use my voice to be able to make a difference. And I do think that in a world where we are obsessed with youth, we are losing brain power, spirit power and authenticity and integrity to become the real people that we are. KATIE COURIC: You suffered from bulimia when you were a teenager, into, your, I guess, early 20s. And how do you talk about that with other girls who may have those tendencies, or may have suffered, or are suffering from eating disorders, whether it's anorexia, bulimia. Now there are girls that exercise obsessively, which is a different kind of body image issue. SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: Absolutely. The eating disorders are really the tip of the iceberg. The problem is deeply rooted in a lack of-- of low self-esteem, and of a lack of control, because we live in a society that imposes a lot of things upon us in our culture. And I try to speak from a place of truth, a place of experience. I can only teach by experience. So I share my story. And I try to be as authentic and opened about it. And the more you're authentic and opened about your own experience, the more people are ready to confide, and the more people are ready to get together and push this cause forward and bring positive change. KATIE COURIC: Recently in a magazine, Sophie, that-- SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: Uh-oh. KATIE COURIC: You said in a magazine interview not too long ago you're still breastfeeding your 2-year-old son. SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: Yes, I am. KATIE COURIC: And I'm not sure what the discussion in Canada is over breastfeeding, but it seems to incite all kinds of opinions in the states. So why do you think that is, and do you have any thoughts on sort of that issue? SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: I do have thoughts on that issue. I think that it's a woman's choice. I breastfed my three babies. I also gave them formula. I don't judge what your decision is. I do think that reading the facts-- and I'm very much interested in women's health, so I read about nutrition, about sleep patterns, about exercise, everything that has to do with women's health. And yes, there are the scientific facts that prove that breast milk is amazing. So if I can continue to feed my child, even if he's 2, I'm not going to stop if he wants it. And I think it's a beautiful bond. And I encourage it. But if-- like I said, I don't judge. And I also gave formula to my kids, so come on, I mean, find your own balance. KATIE COURIC: What do you miss most about your life before you became the wife of the prime minister? SOPHIE GREGOIRE TRUDEAU: This is my life. This is the path that I'm on. And I'm not someone who lives with regrets. I look forward. Obviously there's been a lot of adaptation, having security around me and all that, but the freedom, it comes from within. It's just been a wonderful path of service. And I want to make sure that I give of myself so I can affect as many people in a positive way as possible.