Take a look at what Der Spiegel was trying to get him to say.
Also, McMaster is not correct that Trump is a “symptom” of what’s going wrong in the USA, not to mention that the notion of Republicans and Democrats working together is usually in the context of pushing the country further left.
I see your points- but actually, I think the president IS a symptom, or reflection, of our country, four years ago AND today. Trump wouldn’t have been elected without a profound disgust on the part of millions of us with our government. He reflects our extreme frustration with the status quo. A Romney or McCain or Bush would have lost to Hillary.
As far as wanting to see cooperation between the two parties McMaster may not realize how deep the divide has become.
Der Spiegel did what the media does- ask leading questions hoping for reaction.
I’m not a huge fan of McMaster, but given the hysteria we see from many public figures, he seemed reasonable to me.