Return to Transcripts main page
Wolf
Trump Assesses His Performance as President; What to Expect from Trump's Speech to Congress. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired February 28, 2017 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:30:03] RICHARD HAASS, PRESIDENT, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: So, an America first formulation, I worry, seems a little bit narrow. It also sends the message to everybody else we're necessarily there for them and that might mean that our allies decide they have to defer to powerful neighbors or it might mean that they have to take matters into their own hands. For example, develop weapons of mass destruction themselves. Either way, it's potentially a more dangerous world. It's clearly a world of less US influence.
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: The president is preparing, it seems, with his budget to make a concrete step in this direction in sort of realizing his worldview, with a major increase to defense spending, $54 billion, financed in part by really a draconian cut in the State Department. You served in the State Department. 30 percent other foreign aid, etc. Does that math work for you in terms of making America safe? You have 120 retired military leaders writing an open letter to the president saying the State Department funding is critical to keeping America safe.
HAASS: I think there's a good case for increasing American defense spending. We've got to be prepared for the sort of counterterrorist efforts we've been carrying out throughout the Middle East and Africa. And we also have to prepare for all sorts of conventional conflicts in places like Asia, say, with North Korea, with Russia in Europe, with Iran or others in the Middle East. So, I understand the case for defense spending, but it shouldn't come at the cost of diplomacy, it shouldn't come at the cost of foreign aid. These also contribute significantly to American national security.
If there's a place that needs to be cut, it needs to be entitlements. That's the part of the budget that's not an investment in our security. It's not an investment in our future, like discretionary domestic spending, and there's lots of things that can be done. For example, simply means testing some of our entitlements. So, the wealthy don't get the same things as the poor or raising retirement ages for people who are still in their 40s, so they can plan their life differently, but given the fact that Americans live a lot longer. So, there are things we can and should do without robbing one part of national security to pay for another part of American national security.
SCIUTTO: Russia, of course, a major topic, particularly in this president, including the president's differing approach to Russia. In an interview with The New York Times, Sergey Markov - he's a leading analyst who is friendly to the Kremlin - he was quoted as saying the following. Right now, the Kremlin is looking for ways that Russia can use the chaos in Washington to pursue its own interests deeply. Do you believe that's true?
HAASS: Well, it's always hard to speak for this Russia because it all comes down to one guy named Vladimir Putin. The one thing we can control, though, is ourselves. So, you ought to be taking steps to make Europe less vulnerable to Russian military pressure. That means going ahead with the re-strengthening of NATO, particularly those countries that are near Russia.
We ought to also open up more of a diplomatic dialogue with Russia. Our goal is not to humiliate them or to isolate them. We've got to decide where we're prepared to use military force to protect our own interests in in the Middle East. We can't simply leave the region to Russia or assume that Mr. Putin has any sense of self-restraint.
So, we need a comprehensive serious policy towards Russia and that ought to be one of the priorities for the new administration.
SCIUTTO: Richard Haass, author of A World in Disarray: American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order. Available now. Thanks very much for joining us, ambassador.
HAASS: Thank you, Jim. Good to be with you.
SCIUTTO: Coming up, President Trump says he would have handled the White House leaks differently than his press secretary did, but the president also concedes that he may need to adjust his own messaging. The details after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:38:04] SCIUTTO: Welcome back. As President Trump prep for his biggest address to the nation since his inauguration, he's taking an honest look at his performance so far.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think I get an "A" in terms of what I've done by, but in terms of messaging, I give myself a "C" or "C-plus."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SCIUTTO: He's hoping to bring up that grade in his speech tonight to Congress.
Let's talk with Jason Miller. He was the senior communications for the president's transition team and he was the senior communications adviser for the Trump campaign. Jennifer Granholm is a senior political commentator for CNN and also a former Democratic governor of the great state of Michigan.
Jason, you first. Do you agree it's just about messaging?
JASON MILLER, FORMER SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS ADVISOR FOR DONALD TRUMP ADVISOR: I would give him a much better grade than a "C" or "C-plus." He's the master at setting the bar and we'll see an "A-plus" performance. Really, I think what we'll see tonight is a bit of something for everybody from existing supporters. They'll like what they hear about the president in terms of keeping promises and also this unifying message for people who did not support the president. We're going to hear a lot of that. In particular, there's a line in the speech. I even only seen a small amount where he talks about everything in our country that is broke can be fixed. There's a beautiful package that is a unifying theme. More important than that, it reminds voters he's a business man, a problem-solver, and a fixer, and it's really uplifting.
SCIUTTO: Governor Granholm, first on the grade and but I'll give you a chance to respond to the message as well.
[13:39:41] JENNIFER GRANHOLM, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think it would be amazing if he were actually unifying. And he does have to speak to the whole country. It's not just Congress, obviously, but the people who are against him. You've heard him bluster his way through, bluster his exaggerations, be a showman. I would be grateful if he'd just level with us, tell us that he understands, for example, the role of Congress and the courts, even when he pushes the envelope, he appreciates the American institutions. Tell us, for example, yes, he has access to the nuclear codes but he's not going to use them. Tell us, for example, yes, he understands Russia wanted to impact the outcome of the election but he's going to look into it because that's not good for America. Level with us. Take down the temperature just a bit.
SCIUTTO: Jason, those aren't big asks there, right? Particularly when you're talking about a unifying message. Let's be honest. Many of the president's public comments, he's thrown barbs and arrows at anybody who criticizes him.
(CROSSTALK)
SCIUTTO: How can he turn on a dime so dramatically tonight?
MILLER: I think the way the president moves people is by doing thing and shows that he can get it done and, in particular, I think the economy is one we've seen so far. The president has shown a laser- like focus on jobs, bringing in CEOs. We've seen all the stock markets doing great, the consumer confidence, the job market confidence. The polling numbers are fantastic for the president right now.
(CROSSTALK)
SCIUTTO: -- the economy --
(CROSSTALK) MILLER: Right. They're showing -- that's what people want. Obviously, there's going to be a political divide. But they see he's focused on the economy. That's what is going to bring people in.
Governor, respectfully to your point, that sounds like a Democratic phone book to get up there and read on talking points against him. He has his message. He won 306 electoral votes. And people voted for him because of these pledges and policies.
(CROSSTALK)
GRANHOLM: Great. He's a minority president. He wasn't elected by the majority of people. He has a lot of persuading to do. So when he came in, people were giving him the benefit of the doubt. He had about a 45/45 approval/disapproval rating. Now he's 12 points underwater. People are watching this economy. What they're seeing is, yes, he's bringing in CEOs, but he's taking credit for things that were already happening.
(CROSSTALK)
GRANHOLM: Name one actual action he's taken --
(CROSSTALK)
GRANHOLM: -- that he's been able to have an impact on the economy, that's his responsibility?
MILLER: We saw it even before the president was even inaugurated. We saw the Carrier deal.
(CROSSTALK)
GRANHOLM: But the Carrier deal was the result of state tax incentives. He did nothing but shine a light on it.
(CROSSTALK)
MILLER: I would say if you ask any of those families getting --
(CROSSTALK)
GRANHOLM: No, I'm about this happening but what is his --
(CROSSTALK)
GRANHOLM: He didn't provide any incentives. So the question is really, what is he going to do --
MILLER: We're going to see that tonight.
GRANHOLM: OK. That's what I want to hear.
MILLER: We're going to see the president is going to talk about his priorities. Obviously, we know about taxes, trade, immigration, and national security. There are a couple of other big things we'll see tonight as we talk about Americans doing big things. That's really the tenet of the speech tonight. In addition to the core campaign promises we'll hear about the president talking about renewed commitment to the space program and talking about good things. Also I think you'll see the president school choice, which is something he introduced as part of his urban renewal project during the campaign, part of the reason I think he did so well with the African-America and Latino communities in the country. I think you're going to see him talking about that. And these are things I think will really show --
(CROSSTALK)
GRANHOLM: I'm not so sure he did so well with African-American voters.
(CROSSTALK)
GRANHOLM: But he's bringing a person to highlight this school choice issue, which is a young woman who actually got a vouch to be able to go to a private school. And with the person he put in charge of the Department of Education, who has been in supportive of vouchers, is this something we're going to see, too?
MILLER: You know from Michigan and the struggles your state has had over the years.
GRANHOLM: Yes.
MILLER: But competition is what's going to improve education. And our secretary --
GRANHOLM: Are you going to take money away from the public sector to put to private schools? That's really the question.
SCIUTTO: I do want to have more time because that's one you have to dive into.
I do want to ask about the Democrat's response.
GRANHOLM: Yeah.
SCIUTTO: You have Maxine Waters, as you know. As you remember, there were a number of members of Congress who boycotted it. You don't have members like that now but Maxine Waters and others like Eliot Engel saying he's not going to shake the president's hand as he goes down the aisle. Do you think they should boycott?
GRANHOLM: I don't think boycott. He is the president of the United States. You hope you can help as a partner to move him in the direction that helps everyday citizens.
What they've seen so far has been alarming to them, so you can understand, because of the divisive actions and the districts that they represent, why this would be alarming, but you have to try. Only 40 days in to work with the president.
However, they are going to hold his feet to the fire on these promises, on jobs. If he's going to represent the everyday person, why, right out of the bag, did he make it more difficult for everyday people to get mortgages.
(CROSSTALK)
[13:45:13] GRANHOLM: Why, right out of the bag, you can't have financial advisers when making decisions. I know you've got to go.
(CROSSTALK)
GRANHOLM: I'm just saying.
(CROSSTALK)
SCIUTTO: Quick final thought, but it's got to be a sentence.
MILLER: We've seen the president come out of the gate get rid of job- killing regulations, start moving on how we're going to get our tax code fixed. And the way we're going to see this economy continue to grow, putting people to work is going to improve our country. And --
(CROSSTALK)
GRANHOLM: I agree with that.
MILLER: -- A clear focus on this. I'm looking forward to a big unifying theme this evening. I'm excited.
GRANHOLM: All right.
SCIUTTO: The test will be what happens after tonight.
Jason and Jennifer, thanks very much. We ought to do this more often. Very calm, reasonable, friendly discussion.
Tonight, President Trump will address a joint session of Congress, as we were saying. Up next, our political panel will tell you what they think you can expect from tonight's speech.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:50:32] SCIUTTO: The stakes are high, so are the expectations for President Trump's speech before a joint session of Congress tonight. What can we expect and watch for?
Let's get to our panel, Dana Bash, Gloria Borger, Nia-Malika Henderson.
Thanks very much.
The theme, the title, "Renewal of the American Spirit and an Optimistic Vision for All Americans."
The second part grabs me because it is to bring everybody together.
Can he do it? GLORA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: Have you ever heard a presidential speech that's not supposed to be optimistic and bring all American together?
(CROSSTALK)
SCIUTTO: A bigger challenge for this president at this time.
BORGER: Bigger challenge. That's right. How detailed is he going to be on health care reform? He's got a divided Republican Party. And is this going to be a campaign speech or governing speech and by governing speech, does he reach out in any way, shape or form beyond the I'm going bring the county together rhetoric in any real way on any issue does he do that?
SCIUTTO: Dana Bash, if you look at the inaugural, there were a lot of negative -- there was they were going to make America great again.
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was pretty dark and stormy, dark carnage.
SCIUTTO: It was dark and stormy.
(CROSSTALK)
BASH: Just based on what I am hearing from fellow Republicans on Capitol Hill. One who was back in his home state doing a lot of town halls, a Senator, getting the push back on Obamacare, the key thing he said he wants to hear from the president is the why. Meaning they need him to do what he does best, be a salesman, keep the big picture, and explain why Affordable Care act needs to be repealed, why Obamacare needs to be replaced and to make the case, because the President and Republicans in Congress have done something President Obama couldn't do himself, make his plan popular. The threat of repeal has turned the polling --
(CROSSTALK)
BORGER: Saying it's a disaster.
BASH: Saying it's a disaster, but what they need to do generally philosophically, to do it. And the reason is, Gloria, is because they have been losing the public relations battle.
(CROSSTALK)
NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: This is exactly why he gives himself a "C" and "C-plus" in terms of messaging because he hasn't explained the why in terms of Obamacare, or in terms of the wall other than to say it's a campaign promise but why do you spend $20 billion on it? What is the why of the travel ban. That's what got him in trouble in terms of the court.
(CROSSTALK)
SCIUTTO: He did explain the why -- HENDERSON: Yeah.
SCIUTTO: -- but is backing off of the why.
But isn't it I've done an "A"-grade job, it's the messaging that's the problem. It's that
(CROSSTALK)
SCIUTTO: He says, I'm doing such a great job but no one knows how great a job I'm doing.
BORGER: Obama used to complain it's the communication strategy. No, it's never the communication strategy. I think President Trump's problem is there's no plan that everybody can support. If there had been a plan and members would have been able to go home to their district and say here is how we're going to fix it, they would have been in much better shape.
BASH: Even the House speaker, I was in a breakfast with him this morning, insisted by the end of the night that the people are going to see that Congress and Republicans are on the same page on how they'll replace it, talking tax credits, high-risk schools for those --
(CROSSTALK)
SCIUTTO: Keeping the pre-existing conditions.
(CROSSTALK)
BASH: Exactly. But regardless the idea is that they're going to appear he says to be on the same page. But again, when you're talking about big picture, it's one thing when you get to the nitty-gritty.
SCIUTTO: You have these major disagreements in his own administration on key foreign policies. Do you support NATO or not? Did Russia attack the election or not? We're hearing his new national security advisor, new defense secretary had input on tonight's speech. Do you expect the president to be clear on these issues?
HENDERSON: He certainly hasn't been clear, consistently clear, and on the same page as the folks around him and people will be looking for that. There's a number of audiences, the American audience, the broad audience, the audience gathered in the room, and then leaders in foreign capitols around the world who have been confused by the mixed messages coming out of this White House.
[13:55:23] SCIUTTO: Confusing a little bit --
BORGER: Will he say "radical Islamic terrorism?"
(CROSSTALK)
SCIUTTO: And militarily. And also on the budget cut severely cutting the State Department, and we heard one military leaders say won't keep the country safe. (CROSSTALK)
SCIUTTO: Malika, Dana, Gloria Borger, thanks very much as always.
And thanks to all of you. That's it for me. Wolf is back tonight, 5:00 p.m. eastern tonight on "The Situation Room." CNN's live coverage of the president's address to Congress begins at 8:00 p.m. tonight eastern time.
The news continues right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:00:09] BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Brianna Keilar, coming to you live from Capitol Hill for CNN's special coverage of the president's first address to Congress.
