Return to Transcripts main page

The Lead with Jake Tapper

Jan. 6 Rioters Released From Jail After Sweeping Trump Pardons; Denver Braces For Possible Trump Immigration Crackdown; Trump Announces $500B A.I. Infrastructure Investment In U.S. Aired 5-6:00p ET

Aired January 21, 2025 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[17:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Of one of those American hostages is here to share their message. But let's start with Trump's today, his first full day in office. Just moments from now, the president could make a major announcement on artificial intelligence and infrastructure. Trump also just met with Republican congressional leadership at the White House as he tries to pass his packed agenda with a thin majority. Today, the president is also expecting to continue signing hundreds of executive orders that he began signing yesterday.

Those included declaring a national emergency at the U.S. Southern border. Cities and advocates for immigrants are bracing for a series of immigration enforcement sweeps and rates to begin to ramp up within days. Trump also signed an executive order trying to end birthright citizenship. But this would seemingly conflict with the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. It's already setting off legal challenges.

Here's a quick snapshot of a few other Trump executive actions. He delayed the ban on TikTok by 75 days, even though both Houses of Congress signed the ban into law, as did the president at the time. The U.S. Supreme Court said it should take effect. Trump withdrew the United States from the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accord. Trump also ended remote work for federal employees.

Then, of course, the president of the United States offered blanket pardons to approximately 1,500 January 6th rioters who, fueled by his own election lies, stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election. And no, Mr. Trump did not make any distinction between those who were not convicted of violent offenses and those who were found guilty of violent offenses, including attacking assaulting police officers. Let's get straight to CNN Anchor and Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins.

Kaitlan, how does what we're seeing at the White House this afternoon fit into President Trump's immediate agenda?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, a lot of it just has to do with activity and what Trump wants to see on his first full day in office here, Jake. And I should note we're going to see him any moment now, truly in the Roosevelt Room. We just got a two minute heads up that he's about to walk in there. We're expecting him to be with these top tech CEOs, including Sam Altman of OpenAI and others, and talking about this investment that they want to do in AI.

This is something that Sam Altman, who was an attendee at the inauguration and has been someone who has been meeting with Trump and officials over the last two months since he won the election, has actually been urging U.S. officials to work more with the private sector on this issue, warning about just how far the United States is behind China when it comes to this AI race, which, you know, we've heard from these officials and experts who have said this is going to affect everything from military capability to technology to everyday life for a lot of people in the coming years. And so, this is an important announcement. We'll be listening very closely as he's meeting with SoftBank's masses on and also Larry Ellison of Oracle to see what it is that they are announcing in full here as we hear from the president in a moment now.

And of course, I would say a note of caution. You've got to listen and also wait to see what happens because here in the first term, remember there was that big announcement with Foxconn, this Taiwanese company that was going to build a manufacturing facility in Wisconsin, and it never ultimately materialized to what it was announced to be. So, with all of these announcements, you have to watch and see what actually comes to fruition. But certainly something that we've heard from a lot of tech leaders say that this is something that is needed in the United States, a coordination with the federal government on these issues. So we'll be watching that closely.

But this comes after the president just met with congressional leadership here at the White House, Republican congressional leaders. And that's a big thing to watch as well, Jake, because we saw all of those executive orders being signed yesterday, and there were many, and they will certainly have impact. But also a question of legislatively, how Trump is going to achieve his agenda and all of those campaign promises that he made.

TAPPER: Something that was not a campaign promise, but you're now reporting, within hours of taking office, he did. Donald Trump revoking the security detail for his former national security adviser, John Bolton. I mean, we know it's been reported Iran's government is actively trying to kill John Bolton. Why would Trump revoke his security?

COLLINS: Well, and not just that, the Justice Department charged an Iranian national in August of 2022, I believe it was, with plotting to assassinate him. This is a real active threat that's against him, one that the Trump team is all too aware of because they themselves have been the target of threats by Iran. They were repeatedly briefed about that during the summer by top officials in the federal government. And the real concerns that they had about Iran ramping up its attacks and intelligence that they were seeing. And John Bolton is no stranger to that.

I mean, Jake, as you know, he has quite a large security contingent with him. These are real threats that are not just facing him, but other top U.S. national security officials, both current and former. And what I learned was that within hours of taking office, Trump stripped John Bolton of that Secret Service protection, meaning he no longer has that. The federal government no longer provides that to him. That doesn't mean the threat has gone away.

And a lot of that, of course, for people who watch. John Bolton has been heavily critical of President Trump, and that's a big factor in all of this and how they're viewing it, of course. I should note, he was also pretty critical of President Biden's national security decisions and his policies. But it was President Biden who actually restored John Bolton's Secret Service protection when he took office. Trump had taken it away after John Bolton left as his national security adviser in 2019, and then when Biden took office, clearly understanding how real this threat was, he and his administration made the decision to restore it.

[17:05:17]

TAPPER: A reminder that Ambassador John Bolton will join us live later this hour to react. Kaitlan, thank you so much for your reporting. And don't forget to catch Kaitlan's show, "The Source," tonight at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. Among her guests, Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. That's tonight at 9:00 Eastern only here on CNN.

Let's bring in my panel to discuss. And President Trump was clear in the campaign about what he wanted to do right away. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VT)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.

We're going to put the tariffs on your products coming in from China.

When I get to office, we are going to not charge taxes on tips.

We're going to take care of Israel. And they know that.

I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine totally settled.

(END VT)

TAPPER: But let's start with the pardons, David Urban, 1,500 people who attacked the Capitol on January 6, even those who violently attacked law enforcement, what is the deal? Whatever happened to back the blue?

DAVID URBAN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Yes, I mean, Jake, I look, I stand firmly with now Vice President J.D. Vance, who was on a Sunday show, I think, last weekend, saying we're going to do this selectively, we're going to do this smartly. People who assaulted police officers, right, are not going to be pardoned and let go. And I think that's where you draw the line, Jake. I mean, that's where I draw the line.

If you support law enforcement, you support it, you know, good, bad and otherwise, people attack police officers should be prosecuted and charged to the fullest extent of the law. We shouldn't have a Republican standard and a Democratic standard for supporting the police fine men and women who protect us every day and keep the peace in America. So, I think that's unfortunate. I think it's a mistake.

I think there are people -- and by the way, there are people who are charged who shouldn't have been charged. I think they should have been charged less. They should have been the misdemeanor charges there were overcharged. But people who assaulted police officers should be in jail.

TAPPER: What's your take?

AMESHIA CROSS, FORMER OBAMA CAMPAIGN ADVISER: I think that for Trump, this is promises made, promises kept. He was speaking to his base throughout the election cycle. And even though now he's president of the United States, so it extends well beyond his base and those who voted for him he is signaling that it is OK, if you're doing it in his name, to attack these police officers. I think that's a scary message to send, particularly because this is also someone who has said back the blue, this is also someone who was endorsed by several police unions. This is also someone who has time and time again said that he stands by police officers.

So what can you say to those Capitol Police officers, many of whom were attacked, several of whom are still living with the, you know, traumatic experience, whether it's mental health or otherwise, who have since spoken out? These are individuals who were last night, the ones who were actually convicted, these are individuals who are hoping they would get out just in enough time so they could go to a Trump party. There is a problem here in normalizing not only January 6, but also eradicating the crimes that were committed on that day.

TAPPER: So Donald Trump was asked, I think, by Kristen Welker why he thought he won. And he said something about high prices. And I do think inflation was a major contributor as well as the border. Why do you think he's coming out of the gate? I mean, he's obviously doing some border stuff, and we've covered that already.

But why do you think he's coming out of the gate not doing anything obvious about prices and inflation and instead focusing on the stuff that isn't the stuff that he won because of?

DASHA BURNS, WHITE HOUSE BUREAU CHIEF, POLITICO: Well, it's interesting, actually, Steve Bannon, in an interview with me last week, kind of gave him a bit of a hard time about that. He's like, why aren't we hearing more about no taxes on tips, no taxes on Social Security, and instead talking about some of these other issues.

January 6, though, Jake, is one of those issues. There are several of them of which Trump cannot let go, no matter how much his staff tries to keep him from talking about it, keep him from taking action on it, maybe, especially because it's one of those don't go there issues, he's -- he wants to go there. Don't think about pink elephants. Trump thinks about pink elephants, right? Abortion was another one of them on the campaign trail.

His staff didn't want him touch it. He kept going there. So I think that's part of this. It is interesting, though, to look at the different priorities that he's touched here. There are those wedge issues like January 6th, like ending birthright citizenship, and then there are those issues like crypto, I know you had fun at the crypto ball this weekend, like AI, like TikTok that aren't necessarily partisan.

In fact, for TikTok you have Democrats and Republicans who want it shut down and he is going for it because the youth, that's another group that voted for him and they're not so partisan on that issue.

TAPPER: So --

CROSS: Well, Trump wanted it shut down before he wanted it not shut down.

BURNS: That's right.

CROSS: Part of that was a victory for his election cycle (ph).

TAPPER: Yes. TikTok. Right. Yes.

URBAN: I think on the, economy, Jake it's also -- you know it's not as easy to do by EO. You can't fix the economy by EO, right? This is the debate that they're having -- the president was just having with House Republicans and Republican leaders. You know, one bill, two bills that's kind of the what do you do reconciliation. How do you get taxes done?

They're going to have a huge disaster supplemental here for California. So how does this all get played out so you can accomplish those things so you get no tax on tips, you get to revisit the salt, the state local income tax deductions. All those things cost money, right? No tax on overtime. It's going to be a juggling act, juggling chainsaws here to get those things accomplished.

[17:10:16]

BURNS: Well, the thing that he kept saying on the campaign trail, and he said even yesterday in one of his speeches is he actually thinks immigration is the issue he won on his said -- his staff kept saying talk more about the economy, but he really thinks it's immigration, which is going to cost the government money, by the way, but he wants to deliver on that.

TAPPER: So on that subject, we've seen it -- we have seen some action on immigration, including a push to have ICE step up deportations. And here is Tom Homan, who is the border czar, the man leading Trump's efforts, talking to Dana Bash earlier this afternoon.

(BEGIN VT)

TOM HOMAN, BORDER POLICY ADVISER: People in the country illegally that have a criminal conviction, that makes them a public safety threat. That's our priority.

(END VT)

TAPPER: So people with a criminal conviction, I think most people would not take issue with that if they are in this country illegally and have a criminal conviction, especially a violent criminal conviction.

CROSS: No, that's absolutely true. And I don't care whether you're from a red state, a blue state or a purple state, that remains factual. The thing is, in the EO in and of itself, Donald Trump has various expanded language. He is also -- whether this is by just a messaging strategy for him or not, only time will tell. When you go in and you raid communities for people who are undocumented, they're not asking whether or not these individuals have committed crimes.

Same thing with him shutting down the app that many people were going through the process to actually enter this country legally to, you know, file asylum claims and other things, shutting that down immediately. Taking Spanish language translations off of the WhiteHouse.gov website, this is someone who is really pushing towards erasure of the Latino population, be it whether they're undocumented and have committed crimes or not. He's tossing them all in the same barrel.

I'm a Native Chicagoan. Choosing Chicago as your top priority city with the acknowledgement that it's a sanctuary city and a sanctuary state is a political play for him and a ploy that he's using because he wants to attack liberal states.

TAPPER: All right.

URBAN: You also have a very unpopular mayor in Chicago who's likely to kind of have a knee jerk reaction and not handle it well. I think he'll overplay his hand and it'll be perfect for partisan politics.

TAPPER: A foil, a Trump foil.

URBAN: Yes, a Trump foil. And one, by the way, that not too many Democrats will stand up and support either.

TAPPER: Thanks one and all. Appreciate it.

As President Trump makes his first moves to curtail illegal immigration, some cities that are expecting to be targeted by sweeps and raids are working on their own playbooks for how to respond. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:16:38]

TAPPER: In our national lead, the Trump administration's immigration crackdown is here. President Trump now says ICE agents can arrest people at churches and schools. This is Trump's borders are -- border czar Tom Homan tells CNN, quote, "Targeted enforcement operations will begin today." Homan did not specify where these operations will start or what they will look like. But some major cities, such as Denver, are already preparing for possible mass deportation.

CNN's Rosa Flores is live from outside a nice detention center in Aurora, Colorado, right outside Denver.

And Rosa, you obtained a copy of Denver's playbook in case of mass deportations. What's the city's plan?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, these are policies that the city has drafted and has handed to staff members in case ICE tries to gain access to city owned property, city owned buildings. And what it does is it lays out various scenarios. For example, if an ICE agent tries to get access to a public space, staffers have been told to allow ICE into that public space.

However, if an ICE agent is trying to get access to a restricted area, that staffer has been told that they should ask for a warrant signed by a judge. Now, if the ICE agent gets aggressive, the staffer has been told that they should try to get the ICE agent's badge number, call the city attorney, and they've been told that they should not get in the way of ICE making an arrest.

Now, there's one very important point, Jake, when it comes to welcoming cities like Denver, that a lot of the times there's a misunderstanding about when the city police will comply with ICE. And according to this policy, city police will comply with ICE when it involves a criminal. Now, they will not be an arm of the federal government and try to enforce civil type of actions by the federal government, but when it comes to a criminal, they say, and according to this policy, anyone who commits a crime will be prosecuted regardless of immigration status. Jake.

TAPPER: How is the immigrant community reacting to these possible mass deportations?

FLORES: Jake, There is a lot of fear. I just talked to a waitress who said that her daughter begged her not to go to work today because of the fear that mass deportations could start today. So there is some fear. And then there is Jeanette Vizguerra. And if that name sounds familiar to you, it's not by mistake.

In 2017, she was one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World. In 2017, during Trump's first term, she took sanctuary here in Colorado. She took sanctuary in a church to avoid deportation. And she's fearless. She says that if she gets caught in these mass deportations with what she would say to President Donald Trump is cast the first stone. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEANETTE VIZGUERRA, UNDOCUMENTED MOTHER & ACTIVIST: Try pick up all criminals in this country, he have 34 felonies. There could be more. He is the real criminal. He not take consequence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: And what she's saying there is that Donald Trump has 34 felonies and that people like her don't. And so, what we have been doing is checking in with her and with other grassroots organizers, with officials here in Aurora and in Denver. [17:20:14]

And also with the program director of a hotline, Jake, a hotline that people can call in case they see ICE enforcement in any community here. And by all the phone calls we've made and all the checks we've made, we have not seen those mass deportations that President Trump promised on day one happening at least here in the Denver area. Jake.

TAPPER: All right. Rosa Flores in Aurora, Colorado, thanks so much.

Let's bring in Democratic Congresswoman Diana DeGette of Colorado. Her district includes Denver.

And Congresswoman, do you support Denver city officials' playbook on how to respond to potential operations by ICE?

REP. DIANA DEGETTE (D-CO): Jake, thanks so much for having me. The Denver policy has been our policy for quite some amount of time. Everybody believes somebody convicted of a crime and also people who are a threat to national security should be deported and the Denver police will comply and coordinate with the ICE agents on that.

But this idea of mass deportations of ICE agents sweeping through communities, through churches and schools and taking people who might be here legally separating families, that's not going to help. And what's not going to help, it's not going to help reduce food prices. It's not going to help increase national security. So, I support very much what my city and my state are doing.

TAPPER: During an interview with CNN's Dana Bash earlier today, the border czar, Tom Homan, did not specify where these targeted enforcement operations are going to start, but he did say nonviolent criminals could be arrested in sanctuary cities. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOMAN: Nothing in the INA, the Immigration Nationality Act, says you got to be convicted of a serious crime in order to be removed from this country. So, there's going to be more collateral arrests in sanctuary cities because they forced us to go in the community and find the guy we're looking for.

When we go find that priority target, which is a criminal alien, if he's with others in the United States illegally, we're going to take enforcement action against them. We're going to enforce immigration law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What's your reaction to that, Congresswoman?

DEGETTE: Jake, as a lawyer myself, I will tell you this idea of ICE agents coming through and trying to identify people who they think are nonviolent criminals and then without having been charged or convicted anything deporting them, that's against the law and it's not American. TAPPER: Do you ever wonder if the Biden administration had done more to enforce the border and to take the crisis at the border more seriously in 2021, 2022, then Donald Trump wouldn't have been able to run as strongly on this issue? In other words, if Democrats had taken this more seriously, then you wouldn't be dealing with Tom Homan and Donald Trump on the issue?

DEGETTE: Democrats have always taken this very seriously. We think that we need to have a strong border. We think we need to enforce the laws to make sure that criminals are deported. But Donald Trump doesn't -- truth is, not an impediment to him. He just says whatever he thinks to get people afraid.

And, in truth, the Biden administration did quite a bit to try to enforce the border. People coming in was decreased last year.

What we need to do now is Congress should get -- I've been in Congress for a long time. We've been trying to do a comprehensive immigration policy. Politics always gets in the way. But in this situation, I think we can agree we should have a strong border. We should make sure criminals are deported.

And then we should work to make sure that we have the workers we need, both the high tech visas, but also the agriculture workers, the people we need in the ski industry and the construction industry in Colorado. And we need to get a regular process to it. It's not helpful when we have 12 million people who are here, virtually all of them who are not disobeying any laws, who are working. We should have bipartisan agreement. We'd be happy to work with the Trump administration.

But instead I think what Donald Trump wants to do is just prey on people's fears. And that's a shame.

TAPPER: One other thing I wanted to ask you, one of our correspondents, Paula Reid, said that after President Biden pardoned Hunter, the Trump team, that was the legal team working on who Donald Trump would pardon if he won or after he became president, rather, said that they had much more leeway to do whatever they wanted to do with January 6th prisoners, criminals, because Joe Biden had done that, had pardoned his son. And then of course, on his way out the door, he pardoned his two brothers, one sister and two in laws. Are you concerned at all about that?

DEGETTE: Jake, what I want to say to you is I think Donald Trump was finding -- trying to find any excuse that he could for pardoning those 1,500 insurrectionists. I was in the gallery on the day of the insurrection and he's been saying all along he's been trying to write history. I don't think -- I think it's a shame when Joe Biden feels like he has to give pardons for people who did nothing wrong, like his family and like Dr. Tony Fauci, just because he's afraid of the vindictiveness of Donald Trump. And I would pledge right now to work with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and the other side of the Capitol to try to get some more comity. I don't think people should be having to pardon innocent people because they're afraid of retribution.

[17:25:30]

TAPPER: I wasn't talking about his innocent relatives. I was talking about Hunter. But I hear what you're saying.

Congresswoman Diana DeGette of Colorado, thank you so much. Really appreciate your time.

The parents of one American hostage still being held by Hamas are in Washington, D.C. meeting with President Trump and his Middle East envoy. Have they gotten any assurances that --

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:30:07]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: In our World Lead, the families of hostages still being held by the terrorist group, Hamas, are urging the new Trump administration to make sure that the Hamas-Israel ceasefire deal stays in place and all of the hostages are brought home. As of now, only three have been able to come home.

Joining us now, Ruby and Hagit Chen, the parents of Itay Chen, a U.S.- Israeli citizen who was killed on October 7th and he remains a hostage held by Hamas. And Ruby, you spoke with President Trump yesterday at Capitol One Arena. You also met with Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff today, who he helped negotiate the -- the ceasefire and hostage deal. How did the meetings go?

RUBY CHEN, FATHER OF HOSTAGE ITAY CHEN: We had some time with President Trump. I told him that we are New Yorkers so we have something in common. And I just urged him to guide his team to finish the job, get it done, meaning all the hostages come out, including seven U.S. citizens. And Steve Witkoff, he I think needs to -- we need to show gratitude to him. He, even before the administration came into office, he has been to the Middle East multiple times, got on a plane to Jerusalem to meet the prime minister when needed. And he put the finishing touches indeed to make sure that this deal is in place.

TAPPER: Hagit, how -- how are you feeling about how the hostage deal and ceasefire deal came to be?

HAGIT CHEN, MOTHER OF HOSTAGE ITAY CHEN: Our son, Itay, is not part of the first -- first phase, is not among the 33 hostages that are supposed to come out. And we don't know yet how it's going to come out, when. So I have mixed emotions because, you know, on Sunday when I saw the three female hostages coming, it was very emotional and I was truly happy to see them, you know, as a woman, you know, thinking what they went through during the captivity, it's terrible. But, you know, I'm so sad that I don't know yet how Itay is going to come home.

TAPPER: Yes, Ruby, President Trump expressed doubts that the deal will continue being upheld. What do you think? Are you -- are you worried?

R. CHEN: Well, the only thing that you could predict about the Middle East is that it is unpredictable and therefore there is a short window of opportunity to actually expedite the current deal. I was in Doha myself two weeks ago with my wife. And this week we also met Qatari officials. And what we understand is that the framework that has been put in place, which took a long time to get in place, is the same framework that they intend to extend for the second phase, meaning if it works, don't fix it. So the amount of energy that it's required to continue to the second phase is minimal.

As such, we urge the President and his team not to wait 16 days, but actually as soon as possible, start moving on to the second phase of the deal that hopefully will include five U.S. citizens that were not part of the first part of the deal.

TAPPER: Ruby and Hagit, thank you so much for being here. And I'm sorry about Itay. May his memory be a blessing. Thank you for joining us. We'll keep covering the story.

R. CHEN: Thanks.

[17:33:24]

TAPPER: The $500 billion announcement that President Trump just made at the White House, that's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TAPPER: This just in, President Donald Trump just moments ago made announcement on technology and infrastructure but also a massive claim about pending job creation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Together these world leading technology giants are announcing the formation of Stargate. So put that name down in your books because I think you're going to hear a lot about it in the future. A new American company that will invest $500 billion at least in A.I. infrastructure in the United States and mo -- and very -- very quickly, moving very rapidly, creating over 100,000 American jobs almost immediately.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Let's bring in CNN's Jeff Zeleny as well as Clare Duffy. And Clare put that -- that promise, 100,000 new jobs into context.

CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yes, Jake, look, I mean, what these companies are trying to do, this is OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank. They are trying to invest in the growth of artificial intelligence infrastructure in the U.S. That is data centers, but also the electricity, the water resources that are needed, the computer chips. These A.I. leaders have really been ringing the alarm needed in this infrastructure in order to keep up with the pace of A.I. advancement that we've seen and crucially, to stay ahead of China in the A.I. arms race because, of course, this technology is going to have huge implications for the economy, for military technology.

And OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in particular has said it is going to cost hundreds of billions of dollars to get the U.S. where it needs to be in terms of this A.I. infrastructure. So this appears to be the start of that effort to invest in this. Of course, this could take years. These data centers don't just pop up overnight. And so this promise, about 100,000 jobs, I don't think that we'll see that right away. What these companies are saying is that they're going to start with a $100 billion investment and plan to get to that $500 billion number over the next four years.

TAPPER: Jeff, explain how this fits into Trump's agenda and his priorities.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, it fits into the priorities and agenda just by creating jobs. But as you said, that the number of jobs, that's very much an open question here because once these data centers built, they actually employ very few people. However, the process of building the data centers, which is a long ways away, that obviously employs more people.

But in the short term, with Larry Ellison standing there, as well as the other two executives in the -- for the first time really over the last 24 hours, this means that five of the world's richest people have been in the president's audience. Of course, yesterday we saw it in the rotunda, Larry Ellison is the fourth of the fifth there. So this shows that businesses are eager to cooperate with this new president. It's considerably different than eight years ago.

[17:40:03]

So that's what this is first and foremost. We saw it during the transition down at Mar-a-Lago. President-elect Trump was having business leaders come in and make their announcements with him. So we are going to see a string of that. But the bigger question here, putting this in some historical context, I still remember in the first term the Foxconn investments in Wisconsin, they did not come to a pass. So these announcements are always good for the economy potentially, but we must follow them through.

But the President, after meeting with congressional leaders here at the White House on his legislative agenda, that is of course, is going to determine his success as a president. Then he met with these leaders. He did not put the congressional leaders on camera today. He chose to put these business leaders on camera. That is also very interesting in terms of what his priorities are on his second full day -- on his first full day, his second day in office, Jake.

TAPPER: That's right. Jeff Zeleny, Clare Duffy, thanks to both of you.

Next we're going to speak to former pre -- to President Trump's former national security adviser to get his reaction to Trump removing his security detail even though he remains under direct threat from Iran. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:45:32]

TAPPER: Also in our Politics Lead, President Trump has taken one of his first steps in seeking revenge against those he considers political opponents. Today, President Trump terminated the Secret Service detail for his own former national security advisor, John Bolton, who is facing death threats from Iran. And in fact, there was an arrest of someone plotting against him a couple years ago.

Last night, Trump also signed an executive order revoking Ambassador Bolton's security clearance, along with the clearances of 51 other former intelligence officials, including former CIA directors, secretaries of defense, directors of national intelligence, and so on. All of them signed a 2020 letter saying that e-mails from a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden carry, quote, all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation, unquote, even though that laptop did ultimately prove legitimate.

Joining us now is former national security adviser during Trump's first term, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton. Mr. Ambassador, what's your reaction to Trump revoking your sec -- your security detail and ending your security -- your se -- Secret Service detail?

JOHN BOLTON, FORMER TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Well, I've had better days, that's for sure. This is, I think, typical of Trump, the man. This is -- this is the kind of character, or lack thereof, who's now president. You know, when President Biden recognizing the threat against me and -- and several other current and former U.S. government officials authorized the Secret Service to -- to restore protection, which I had when I was national security adviser. I -- I'm sure he probably wasn't the happiest man in the world because of the criticisms that I've made of him on his -- his foreign policy.

But he did it because it's simply not permissible to allow a rogue state like the terrorists in Iran to threaten Americans, whether they're in government or not, simply for expressing opinions. Or in the case of the government employees doing their job, Trump has decided to reverse it. It's obviously within his power to do it, but I think this is a matter that people should take seriously and -- and let us contemplate who made the right decision here, President Biden or President Trump?

TAPPER: Well, let me ask you what ultimately you think it means because your life is at risk. There has actually been an arrest made of an Iranian national who was seeking -- who -- who is part of a plot against you, is he ultimately saying, I hope you die? I mean, how do you interpret this?

BOLTON: Well, I think it's certainly a downer for expressing your opposition to Donald Trump. As I say now, I'm going to make sure measures are in place to provide protection. But -- but I think the signal is clear. I -- I don't know what's happening to the others who also have protection. I'm the only one, I think, at the moment who had Secret Service protection because I worked in the White House. Others worked at the State Department, the Defense Department, elsewhere have protection from those departments.

But it's -- this -- this should not be a partisan matter. It should not be a matter of differing opinions on policy or personalities. This, to me is an act of war against the United States by the government of Iran in threatening current and former American officials for doing their jobs.

TAPPER: When it comes to your security clearance, Trump's executive order said this about your book, "The Room Where It Happened." It says, quote, the memoir's reckless treatment of sensitive information undermined the ability of future presidents to request and obtain candid advice on matters of national security from their staff. Publication also created a grave risk that classified material was publicly exposed, unquote. What's your response to that?

BOLTON: Well, to remind everybody that the book went through a four- month long pre-publication review to make sure there was no classified information in the book. That's been explained in court documents. And I think fully justifies the decision to go ahead and publish. And I've not heard a single statement in the nearly five years now since the book was published of any classified information in the book. Donald Trump didn't like the book because it was critical of him and it came out in June of 2020. That is an assault on free speech, pure and simple. As to the security clearance, I frankly don't think I have a security clearance anymore. So it will make no practical difference whatever.

TAPPER: I do want to ask you about something that Donald Trump just said. He was asked about his sweeping pardons of the January 6th criminals. He pardoned 1,500 people, including those who violently attacked police. Now, specifically, he was asked about how he commuted the sentences of the Proud Boys who were convicted or charged with seditious conspiracy. Here's what President Trump said just moments ago. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[17:50:13]

TRUMP: Given a pardon, I thought their sentences were ridiculous and excessive. One of the guys took down a flag that was anti-American flag and he was given years in jail. I don't know the exact number, but he was given many years in jail. I thought it was very excessive. And at least the cases that we looked at, these were people that actually love our country. So we thought a pardon would be appropriate. Yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: What's your reaction to that? Well, I wouldn't have pardoned any of them. It's just ridiculous to say that these people didn't realize that they shouldn't have been in the Capitol on January 6th, that there was -- they had no purpose there. They -- they -- they had no excuse to be there. And maybe some of them just walk through and wonder at never having been in the Capitol before, but they -- they should have known better. They're -- they're adults. The ones who actually committed the violence, frankly, I -- I -- I'd put them in jail for as long as the sentencing guidelines permit. And I absolutely would not have pardoned them. This is -- this is a signal that if you're supporting Donald Trump, commutations and pardons await you. And if you don't support Donald Trump, something else awaits you.

TAPPER: Absolutely. A -- a strong signal from the White House. Former Ambassador John Bolton, thanks so much. Really appreciate your time. Stay safe.

Up next, an important story from our CNN --

BOLTON: Thank you.

TAPPER: -- health team about antibiotic prescribed to millions of patients each year. In rare cases, this antibiotic has led to severe reactions, even death among young people. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:55:56]

TAPPER: And we're back with our Health Lead. The antibiotic widely referred to by the popular brand name Bactrim is prescribed to an estimated 3 million people in the United States each year. For most, it's an incredibly helpful and important drug. But in rare cases, some patients have had serious, even fatal reactions to it. CNN medical correspondent Meg Tirrell has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Twelve-year-old, Emmie, is recovering after spending more than three months in the hospital.

EMMIE BELLUCCI, HOSPITALIZED AFTER TAKING BACTRIM: I think the hardest part is missing out. It do because you're here.

TIRRELL (voice-over): It all started when she was prescribed two courses of the powerful antibiotic best known as Bactrim to treat cystic acne. One of the World Health Organization's essential medicines, Bactrim is commonly prescribed for a range of conditions from drug resistant bacteria to UTIs and gastrointestinal infections.

But researchers have begun looking at some rare cases in which young patients have had severe reactions that landed them on life support. Some have needed lung transplants and some have died.

BELLUCCI: Pray, praying every day.

TIRRELL (voice-over): The medical detective work to uncover the link to Bactrim started in 2018. CNN published a story about Zei, a 16 year old with a mystery illness that caused her lungs to fail.

DR. JENNA MILLER, PEDIATRIC CRITICAL CARE, CHILDREN'S MERCY KANSAS CITY: And because of that article, we received additional patients and families who shared a story that was very similar to Zei's. And at that time, I contacted my friend and colleague Dr. Goldman, who I knew had been doing Bactrim research for years. And I said, could this be?

TIRRELL (voice-over): Zei ultimately died from the reaction. Dr. Jenna Miller and Jennifer Goldman diagnosed hers as the first ever reported case of Bactrim associated lung failure. And they successfully lobbied the FDA to add a warning to the drug's label that severe pulmonary adverse reactions can occur within days to weeks.

BELLUCCI: They put me on next set of Bactrim and then maybe the next couple of days, I started running a fever from after that point of going to the ER the second time, that's about where my memory stops.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We thought we lost her.

TIRRELL (voice-over): It's not yet clear exactly why Bactrim causes these rare reactions in some patients, but Miller and Goldman are continuing to investigate. They and others have identified a genetic marker that all of the patients they've tested have in common. And they're looking for more cases so they can learn more about the link.

DR. JENNIFER GOLDMAN, PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASES, CHILDREN'S MERCY KANSAS CITY: Twenty to 30 percent of us walking around have that genetic marker. So although we know that's a first step needed to develop this reaction, we need to better understand other genetic risks.

TIRRELL (voice-over): They're hopeful that with more research, they can identify additional triggers or factors leading to the reaction and develop a test that could be given before doctors prescribe the drug.

GOLDMAN: If we could develop a quick kind of point of care test to say, hey, you actually have this marker that you shouldn't be taking it, that would be the ideal.

TIRRELL (voice-over): They emphasize Bactrim is an important medication and they want to spread awareness of this rare reaction so doctors and patients know if they should stop taking it and seek care if they develop respiratory symptoms. It's a low risk, they say, of a serious reaction.

BELLUCCI: They could change many lives by -- just by researching.

TIRRELL (voice-over): All to help more patients like Emmie.

BELLUCCI: All I know is that it's a miracle that I'm here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TIRRELL (on camera): And Jake, you know, the doctors emphasize that sometimes Bactrim is the most important and the best drug that can be used for a certain situation. And so it's really, as with every medicine, a risk benefit analysis that needs to be taken into account. But both they and the FDA, which has sent a recent notification to healthcare providers to make them aware of this, say that patients and doctors should know that if the patients develop a cough, a fever or shortness of breath while taking this, they should notify their healthcare professionals right away. Jake?

TAPPER: All right, Meg Terrell, thanks for that important story.

In our National Lead down south, a once in a generation winter storm dumping rare snowfall in places such as this Montgomery, Texas, and drastically dropping temperatures. The Florida panhandle is also covered in snow. The snowfall on pace to break the all-time statewide record of 4 inches. And the winter weather does not stop there, the heavy snow and strong winds leaving whiteout conditions in southern Louisiana and even prompting the first ever blizzard warnings in that area.

[18:00:19]

The news continues now on CNN with Wolf Blitzer in The Situation Room. I'll see you tomorrow.