Return to Transcripts main page

The Lead with Jake Tapper

Trump Budget Chief Vought Says Layoffs Have Begun; Remaining 47 Hostages To Be Released Within 72 Hours; Officials Provide Update On Tennessee Deadly Facility Explosion; Woman Shot After Allegedly Attempting To Hit ICE Agents With Car; Trump Undergoes "Semi-Annual" Health Exam At Walter Reed; Trump Reignites Trade War, Announces 130 Percent Tariffs On China; Hegseth Announces New Qatari Air Force Facility In Idaho. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired October 10, 2025 - 17:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:00:08]

KASIE HUNT, CNN HOST: All right. Thank you all, my panel for being here. It's fun to be in New York. I never get to see some of you on the regular. So really appreciate it.

And if you miss any of today's show, you can always catch up by listening to The Arena's podcast. You scan that QR code below. You can follow along wherever you get your podcast. You can also follow us on X and Instagram at The Arena CNN. Mr. Jake Tapper is standing by now for The Lead. Hi Jake. Happy Friday.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Happy Friday to you. I wondered why you seem so much more gritty. It's because you're in New York. It makes much more sense. Thanks, Kasie. Appreciate. We'll see you back in The Arena next week.

The acronym of the day, RIF, R-I-F, reduction in force. We'll explain. The Lead starts right now.

The Trump administration is making good on its threat. They are beginning the process of mass firings at multiple federal agencies. What CNN is learning right now about who's getting and can't and the top official that Trump once portrayed as the Grim Reaper who's putting this all in motion.

Plus, breaking news out of Tennessee. 19 people are missing right now after a powerful blast at a military explosives plant. What went so terribly wrong?

And fierce winds, drenching rain, significant coastal flood, the monster Nor'easter targeting the east coast with one state already declaring a state of emergency.

Hey, everyone, welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. We're going to start with breaking news in our Politics Lead. The Trump administration's threat to fire federal workers during this government shutdown when the president does enjoy greater executive powers. Well, that threat is now reality. The firings are happening right now.

According to White House budget chief Russell Vought, a man who so relishes the role of job killer, the president joyfully shared his social media AI video featuring Vought as the Grim Reaper killing people's livelihoods.

CNN's Rene Marsh is with me. CNN senior White House correspondent Kristen Holmes is at the White House. Kristen, how did this all come about?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, everyone found out roughly the same time when Russell Vought, who you mentioned, posted this on Twitter saying essentially the RIFs, the reduction in forces have begun. He has been really the mastermind behind all of this, the government shutdown as well as what agencies and programs to cut.

Now, were told by White House officials that the number of jobs cut for federal workers was going to be, quote, unquote, substantial. But interestingly, the White House is not sharing specifics of which agencies and workers are included in these layoffs.

As we know, those rifts started going out today. They've gone to various agencies, but there's still a lot of concern here among federal workers.

Remember, this is now happening at the same time that these federal workers who are not legally allowed to be working, so they're getting emails on their computer. So how are they going to be checking their computer if they're not legally allowed to work, if they're furloughed? On top of that, this comes right after President Trump essentially said that some of these workers wouldn't be getting back pay after signing a law in 2019 saying they would if they were furloughed. So there's a lot of uncertainty right now for federal workers.

TAPPER: Rene, do we know which federal agencies are getting hit with these layoffs right now?

RENE MARSH, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jake, you know, when that announcement was made via social media, there was no additional information as far as which agencies. So our entire team started making calls. And here's what we've been able to confirm at this point.

We know that the Treasury Department, Department of Education, Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security and HUD have all confirmed to CNN that there will be a reduction in force, these mass layoffs happening where they will be separating from federal employees.

I will point out we don't have number as far as scale at each of these agencies. Quite frankly, the labor union doesn't quite know just how many of these federal employees are getting these notices saying that they no longer have jobs at these agencies. We are hearing from that labor union, the president, Everett Kelley,

he says to CNN in a statement that in the labor union's 93 years of existence under several presidential administrations, including during Trump's first term, no other president has ever decided to fire thousands of furloughed workers during a government shutdown.

And that is the truth. I mean, we should point out, Jake, that the president and many Republicans have said that these layoffs or these mass layoffs have to do with the shutdown, and they're blaming the Democrats. But this is totally separate.

It is the president's decision to move forward with these mass layoffs that we are seeing happening, these reduction in force that we are seeing happening at these agencies.

[17:05:02]

There is nothing that says that during a government shutdown that you must lay off thousands of federal employees. So we do want to make that clear.

The labor union, Jake, did file a lawsuit to block the administration from moving forward with these mass layoffs. Right now they are waiting for a judge to weigh in on this. They have asked for a temporary restraining order blocking the administration, but the judge has not yet ruled on this. Jake.

TAPPER: Rene, how do federal employees even find out if they've been fired amid the shutdown?

MARSH: Yes, so as Kristen point out, traditionally during a shutdown you're not allowed to check your work email. You're not supposed to do any work. What I've been told by at least one person at one agency is that individuals who are a part of this reduction in force are receiving the message via their personal email addresses as well as their work email addresses.

So that is the case for at least one agency that they are getting this information sent to their both their personal and work email. Jake.

TAPPER: All right. Rene Marsh and Kristen Holmes, thanks to both of you. There's already a legal challenge to these firings, as Rene said. Skye Perryman is the president and CEO of Democracy Forward. That's a nonpartisan national legal organization. Skye, thanks for joining us.

Last week your organization filed a lawsuit with when the firings of federal workers during the shutdown was just a threat. Now appears, now it appears to be a reality. How does that news impact the lawsuit going forward, if at all?

SKYE PERRYMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, DEMOCRACY FORWARD: Well, we are in court today asking for emergency relief, asking that the court weigh in and stop what is a deeply unlawful and unprecedented move by the president. There is just simply no legal basis for what the president is doing. And beyond that, it is quite harmful. The government is not coming

forward. They are not being transparent about what they're doing. So we're going to have an try to take all of that up with the court.

TAPPER: So the White House argues that the firings are necessary and that the lapse in government funding gives the president the ability to get rid of programs that they don't have the money to operate. What would be your response to that?

PERRYMAN: Yes, I mean, the White House is just wrong on that. The government shutdown does not totally give the president the ability to shut down programs and offices that Congress have set in place for many years to do the work of the people. It's also highly inefficient. The government sort of with one hand says, oh, you know, we don't have money to operate this program today that is why the workers would be furloughed.

But then if we do have money tomorrow, we'll just go back to the drawing board and have to take a bunch of other inefficient actions to bring things back. So it's really, it's arbitrary, it's capricious. There is longstanding federal law that has existed for decades against precisely what the president and the White House is doing now. And we're confident that the court will see it that way when it hears the motion.

TAPPER: Ultimately, it will be up to the courts. As you note, on whether these firings are legal, are you concerned that this is going to end up all the way at the U.S. Supreme Court where the justices have seemed a majority of them anyway, inclined to let President Trump be a strong executive and exert his power as he wishes?

PERRYMAN: Well, interestingly, the Supreme Court has not actually said that what the president has done with federal workers overall is lawful. It has enabled some plans to go forward. What we are mostly concerned about is the harm that this will have for the American people, for people that are relying on the government to deliver services, to keep them safe. And this is something that the White House seems unconcerned with.

So we're going to continue to push this forward in the courts that it's in. And we're willing to go the distance, obviously, all the way up to the Supreme Court if we have to.

TAPPER: All right, Skye Perryman, thanks so much. We're standing by for an update from authorities on a devastating situation. A powerful blast at a military explosives plant in the state of Tennessee. As of now, authorities say 19 people are missing. We're going to bring you that update when it happens.

But first, the fragile ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. The window for the hospital release is now open 72 hours. What we're learning about the next step in this phase in the ordeal, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:13:13] TAPPER: in our World Lead, the clock is tick, tick, ticking in the Middle East. Hamas has 72 hours to release the Israeli hostages. Authorities believe 20 are living, 27 are dead. This is according to Trump's plan. Israeli forces are withdrawing from parts of the Gaza Strip right now as thousands of displaced Palestinians are attempting to move back into what were their neighborhoods.

33 bodies were discovered in the rubble of Gaza City earlier today, according to a hospital director. Though the ceasefire does appear as of this hour to be holding, there remain huge questions for the near and distant future about the fraught Israel Palestine relationship.

For the first time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today implied that not all of the killed hostages that remain in Gaza might be returned, while the Israeli military spokesperson says they're, quote, well prepared to go back into combat, unquote, with Hamas if the terrorist group retains control Gaza.

President Trump is expected to arrive in Israel on Monday as the first few points of his 20-point ceasefire and peace plan become reality. Joining us now to discuss is the Israeli Ambassador to the United nations, Danny Danon. Mr. Ambassador, thanks for joining us.

After Hamas releases the hostages and Israel releases the Palestinian prisoners, after that comes 0.6 of President Trump's 20-point plan. Six reads, quote, Hamas members who commit to peaceful coexistence and to decommission their weapons will be given amnesty. Members of Hamas who wish to leave Gaza will be provided safe passage to receiving countries, unquote.

That is obviously easier written than done. What will Israel do if Hamas does not lay down their arms or leave?

[17:15:05]

DANNY DANON, ISRAEL AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.: Well, Jake, everyone in Israel is holding their breath for the release of the hostages in the next 72 hours. And we hope it will start even tomorrow. But I agree with you, that will be the easy part because it is very clear what we are receiving, what we are giving in exchange. The complex part will be the implementation of the second phase, the demilitarization of Gaza.

And you know, we know that we are dealing with Hamas. That is why the withdrawal of the forces of the IDF is gradual. What we did last night, we pulled back, but not completely out of the Gaza Strip. So we will still be there and we will follow what's happening there.

I hope that they will comply with the agreement, that they will actually lay down their arms and allow international forces to take over and to start the reconstruction of Gaza, the redecalization of Gaza. But we will still be around watching very carefully what's happening.

TAPPER: Point nine of President Trump's 20-point plan establishes President Trump is the head of a, quote, board of peace. That board will oversee a temporary transitional government in Gaza. Has any part of that process started yet? And if not, who's in charge in Gaza right now?

DANON: No. As of now, it's still a chaos. You know, it's a war zone. It's chaotic. I think now they are in the process of collecting the hostages and preparing the release of the hostages and also receiving the terrorists.

You know, one part of the agreement, which is a very painful one, that we will release thousands of terrorists in the next coming days. So now they are working on the arrangements to receive those terrorists back into Gaza.

I think, you know, we will have to rely on the international community. And that is why President Trump, you know, is also speaking with other leaders to think about the day after, who will actually send forces, who will contribute knowledge management forces in order to govern in Gaza. They don't have any ability today to govern them by themselves.

TAPPER: Yes or no, do you think this huge achievement would have happened without President Trump?

DANON: I don't think so. I think it was a combination of the determination of our leadership and the IDF forces and the pressure of President Trump, the combination of diplomacy and military pressure, it brought us to where we are today. You know, a very long process. Two years, people are suffering in captivity, many casualties on both sides, and we are thankful for that.

TAPPER: So you agree that Prime Minister Netanyahu could not have done this without Trump's help?

DANON: I think it came together, you know, the timing of the pressure, the decision of the government to actually capture the city of Gaza and we meant it. You know, we bought the forces. We were about to enter Gaza City and I think it was a real threat. And the pressure of the President Trump put in with his team, I think it brought us to the position it wouldn't have happened by itself.

TAPPER: Ambassador Danny Danon, thank you so much for your time, sir. Appreciate it. The case of a woman shot by federal agents in Chicago after those agents say she rammed their vehicle with her car. That case was back in court today. We're going to go live to Chicago for the update. Her lawyer denies what the agents are saying. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:22:30]

TAPPER: Breaking news in our National Lead, we are currently standing by for an update from authorities who earlier said that 19 people could be dead. They are missing after a massive blast at an explosives facility earlier today in Tennessee. About 80 people worked at this location, according to the county mayor. But it's unknown how many were at work at the precise time of the explosion. According to the company's Facebook page, Accurate Energetic Systems

manufactures various high explosive compositions and specialty products for the Pentagon and for U.S. industrial markets. It's unknown what exactly caused the explosion. We will bring you that update later today when it comes to our screens.

Also internationally, despite a court ruling halting National Guard deployment in Illinois for the moment, clashes such as this one that you're seeing on your screen between Chicago area residents and federal agents continue escalate in the area.

Recently, one woman was shot five times, we're told, by a Customs and Border Protection agent for allegedly ramming her car into a law enforcement vehicle. It's a claim her lawyer disputes and he says he has body camera footage to prove that it didn't happen. CNN's Whitney Wild is outside an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, outside Chicago.

Whitney, the suspect was supposed to appear in court today. What happened?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Well, that suspect was supposed to have a preliminary hearing today, but instead that was canceled after she was indicted by a grand jury. As you mentioned, her defense attorney is vigorously fighting this. He says that the body cam shows that she was not the instigator, but in fact that an ICE agent, or rather a DHS agent, was the instigator and that was what prompted the series of events.

We have not yet seen this video. We do hope to see it when it is inevitably entered into evidence, Jake, but that is the latest from court on that case.

TAPPER: And Whitney, this is just one example of escalating tensions in the Chicago area. Tell us what else you're seeing on the ground there.

WILD: Well, what we've seen through the day is that there were some small clashes between some protesters and state and local law enforcement earlier today. But for the most part now, for the rest of the day, Jake, it has been very calm at the Broadview ICE facility. This has been the flashpoint. This is where we've seen the clashes between protesters and law enforcement that prompted the Trump administration to say the National Guard was absolutely necessary.

Let me show you what you see out here on the ground. This is a few dozen protesters.

[17:25:00]

It's very calm. It is mostly singing. It is occasionally shouting, but it is mostly singing. And again, the crowd here is very small. Jake. There is a question about whether or not the National Guard is ever going to come back to Broadview. We have not seen them today.

What we understand from the Department of Defense is that they will remain in a federalized status. But at this point, the judge's order makes clear that they are restrained from moving throughout the state of Illinois.

Meanwhile, let me just show you the fence here because that's the other news of the day here, Jake. This fence has been up since September 22nd as a way to keep protesters away from that ICE facility. This Broadview -- officials here really wanted this fence to come down. They went to federal court to try to get it taken down. They won. That ruling came out last night. What we now know from the judge today is that this fence has to come down by Tuesday night. Jake.

TAPPER: All right. Whitney Wild in Broadview, Illinois, just outside Chicago. Thanks so much. Coming up next, what the White House is now saying and what they're doing not saying about President Trump's second visit this year to Walter Reed Medical Center for a semiannual physical.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:30:00]

TAPPER: In our Health Lead earlier today, President Trump made an unusual return to the Walter Reed Health Facility for the second time. Yesterday, Trump described the checkup as routine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm also going to do a sort of semi-annual physical, which I do, and I think I'm in great shape, but I'll let you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Trump's latest visit to the facility comes just six months after his annual exam back in April this past summer. There have been many questions about the President's health after photographs surfaced of his bruised hands and swollen ankles. Let's bring in CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Sanjay, does this visit to Walter Reed seem surprising? It's pretty soon after his annual physical back in April.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. So -- so just six months. Yes, it is a little surprising, especially given the backdrop as well, Jake, as you know. The White House has a pretty significant medical facility. So for, you know, a lot of things, they can sort of assess, they can do testing, things like that. What they can't do is more sophisticated images like CT scans and MRI scans.

So if someone's going to Walter Reed, you know, again, it could be this routine visit. But is there more extensive testing going on? That's typically what you would go there for. But, you know, if you go back and you look at the first term, Jake, January of 2018, we know he had a visit at that point and then about a year later, February of 2019.

But then you remember, Jake, it was November of 2019 where he had that surprise visit to Walter Reed.

TAPPER: Yes.

GUPTA: It was not announced. I think it was even on a weekend where all of a sudden he went to Walter Reed. And then again in June. So if you look at the cadence of that, there have been times when it's more than -- more than annual. So in that sense, not that surprising.

But again, you know, I -- I worked at the White House. I seen that White House medical facility. It's pretty good. If you're going to Walter Reed, it's usually for more extensive testing.

TAPPER: So this obviously comes in the context of those photographs that we've seen of his bruised hands, swollen ankles. We've talked about this before, but -- but how concerning are those images?

GUPTA: Yes. Well, you know, the way that I would sort of look at it is that I think they're concerning, which is why questions have been asked. Investigations have been performed. And the White House medical team has commented on it. So if you look at the hands, for example, first of all, they say that, look, he's on blood thinners.

He shakes a lot of hands. If you look closely at that, it's more bruising on the right than the left, the -- the shaking hand, you know, the hand that you shake hands with. So that kind of fits a lifetime of sun damage. The -- the skin on the back of the hand is quite thin. So it's a little bit more susceptible to bruising like this.

So my point being that it fits. The -- the explanation sort of fits, attracts. With regard to the ankles, the swollen ankles, I think we're pretty clear. And again, that can be of concern. But, you know, the blood is not flowing through there as well. It's -- it's pooling or accumulating in the ankles. And they say that is something known as chronic venous insufficiency.

The veins just aren't pumping the blood as well back to the rest of the body. They're not moving the blood as well. Again, that tracks. About one in 20 people have this and it gets more common as you get older. So, yes, to just look at it concerning, investigate. And those explanations do make sense, Jake.

TAPPER: What do we know about President Trump's health, because in January he became the oldest president ever inaugurated in the history of this country. He's now 79.

GUPTA: Yes. Yes. And -- and to give context, the -- the lifespan for a man in this country is just under 76 years old. So, you know, I mean, both these last two presidents have been far older than average life expectancy. What we're likely to hear is what we heard back in April.

We're going to hear his -- his height and his weight, 224 pounds. His blood pressure was normal. They've talked a lot about this dementia screening test known as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. I think he's taken it a few times now and his doctors and him say that he's gotten a perfect score. The skin I just mentioned, he is on medications, including a couple of different cholesterol lowering medications. His cholesterol numbers back in April, they look good. And certainly those medications are helping with that. And he's on aspirin, this blood thinner, which may be contributing to that bruising.

That's basically what we know, in addition to the fact that he had a cardiac CT scan back in 2018 to look for calcium. And he -- he had an elevated score, 133, which is indicative of a common form of heart disease. But that -- that is basically what we know at this time, Jake.

TAPPER: So do you remember when Ronny Jackson, the White House physician, said that Trump weighed 239 pounds? A lot of people were skeptical. Now they're saying he's weighed 220, about 200. What was that, 220, 224?

[17:35:10]

GUPTA: Two hundred twenty four. Yes.

TAPPER: Yes. He looks like, yes, so he looks like he's lost a lot more than 15 pounds, though.

GUPTA: Yes, I can't -- I can't tell, you know. And look, when you hear these -- these briefings, I was at that briefing with Ronny Jackson. He also said that he thought President Trump would live to 200 years old and -- and all this sort of stuff. So, you know, you've got to take some of these numbers with a grain of salt. But I agree. Overall, maybe he looks like he's lost more weight.

TAPPER: Yes, I just -- I never, this is my -- this is me, not you saying it. Like, I think there should be a law requiring much more transparency when it comes to any president's health. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you so much.

We have breaking news from the White House. President Trump just announced a massive new tariff against China. The details in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:40:06]

TAPPER: And you're looking at a lot of red in our Money Lead. U.S. markets tumbled before closing tonight after President Trump announced an additional 100 percent tariff on China, on top of the existing 30 percent. It's a massive escalation after months of a trade truce between the two countries.

Let's get right to Kristen Holmes at the White House. Kristen, what's behind this move? Why this 100 percent tariff?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so, well, it seems as though this is coming out of nowhere. President Trump himself actually posted online that China's hostility in trade came out of nowhere. This has actually been going on for a little bit of time and building up. Essentially, this is all about China ramping up what they have on export controls when it comes to rare minerals.

That's items that are used in a number of different electronics. So those prices were soaring coming into the United States. And President Trump seems to have just become aware of this today. Earlier today, he wrote a lengthy post on it saying this was hostility and seemingly canceled his meeting with President Xi he was supposed to have on the sidelines of a conference in South Korea at the end of the month.

Now you're seeing this escalation of 100 percent on top of that 30 percent, so essentially 130 percent tariffs, which certainly makes it feel as though we are back in a trade war with China after, as you noted, there had been essentially a truce. Where this goes from here, again, they are no closer to a deal with China than they were at the beginning of this administration. In fact, now, again, they seem further than ever.

TAPPER: All right, Kristen Holmes, thanks so much.

In our National Lead, the Secretary of Defense or Secretary of War, as he prefers to be called, Pete Hegseth, made this announcement earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Today we're announcing or signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Amiri Air Force facility at the Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: A lot of people heard that and said, what? Hegseth added it's going to be a combined training opportunity for the U.S. and Qatar's F-15 pilots. CNN's Natasha Bertrand is here. Natasha, obviously the U.S. has bases all over the world. How common is it for the U.S. to host other countries in this capacity?

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jake, so a U.S. official told us that this is actually pretty routine. This is something that the U.S., for example, has done with Germany and Singapore. And in fact, Singapore's Air Force already has a presence at that Idaho base where this Qatari facility is going to be built.

Now, the agreements with these partner countries are essentially a way to foster increased coordination, interoperability between them and the U.S., which obviously can help if you're in a situation where you have to train alongside these partners or, of course, a real world situation where, for example, Qatari pilots might have to operate alongside U.S. pilots.

It's a way for the U.S. to essentially train them better on the jets that the U.S. has sold them. And so Qatari fighter jet squadron, Qatari fighter pilots, they are going to be at this facility at this Idaho U.S. military base. And it's important to note that while the Qataris are going to be paying for this, they're going to be doing so through the foreign military sales process.

The U.S. military is actually going to be physically building the facility. And we should also note this is actually a project that dates back to 2022 under the Biden administration. They have been exploring this for several years, but it only recently came together in the last few weeks, Jake.

TAPPER: It's quite a turnaround. In 2017, the President said that Qatar has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level, and he supported a blockade against the country. I guess this is a slightly different attitude. It is yet another growing example, another example of the growing friendship between the Trump administration and Qatar, which was host to Hamas to the degree that the Israelis bombed Hamas targets in -- in Qatar.

BERTRAND: Yes. The timing of this is definitely notable. Obviously, it also comes just weeks after President Trump signs an executive order for the -- for the U.S. to guarantee the security of Qatar, which is a really significant commitment to make to a non-NATO Arab ally.

And of course, the U.S. has also been praising Qatar for its -- its role in the mediation of the talks between Israel and Hamas. And, of course, let's not forget that Qatar gifted President Trump a luxury jet to use as the new Air Force One. So clearly, this is a very important relationship that the Trump administration wants to maintain. Jake?

TAPPER: All right, Natasha Bertrand, thank you so much.

In our Politics Lead, the White House, is criticizing the Nobel Prize community -- Nobel Prize Committee for what it says is a snub, a snub of President Trump after the Nobel Prize announced -- committee announced that the award is going to go for peace, going to go to Venezuela's main opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado.

Machado spoke with Trump on the phone today, and she said she was dedicating her prize to the Venezuelan people and to Donald Trump. You could say this all was a bit of a disappointing news for the President who has been riding highs since successfully securing phase one of the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[17:45:17]

TRUMP: I think I'm going to get a Nobel Prize for a lot of things if they gave it out fairly, which they don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: That's Trump in 2019, but he's made comments like that for years and years and years. Let's discuss with presidential historian Douglas Brinkley and CNN national security analyst, Beth Sanner. So, Beth, the White House says the committee is putting politics over peace with their decision to not pick Trump. Is that a valid criticism, do you think? BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: I think that the real problem here is the President. I think that the timing of President Obama getting the award has made it really hard for the Nobel committee.

TAPPER: Hold on. We're having a problem with your -- your microphone. Let's go to David while -- let's go to Doug, not David. You're dating yourself with David Brinkley -- the David Brinkley reference. Douglas, the President also poked at Obama, who got that Nobel Peace Prize, awarded him really aspirationally early, early in his term before he'd even achieved anything. Here's President Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Obama got a prize. He didn't even know what he got. He -- he got elected and they gave it to Obama for doing absolutely nothing but destroying our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: When you look at what Obama won his award for, and it was aspirational in a return to diplomacy is really in response to the Bush years, I think. What do you -- what do you think? I mean, do you think Obama deserved his Nobel?

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: It was aspirational, as Barack Obama will tell you, but he was following in the wake of Nelson Mandela and the world was hungry for a peacemaker, somebody that can pull the world together. And Obama was a fresh entity. Civil rights had been so much part of the United States is a difficult history in the 20th century.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. won a Nobel Prize. Ralph Bunche, African- American diplomat, won a Nobel Prize. But Obama was seen as a great hope. I think the -- and so, yes, aspirational with Donald Trump. The thought of giving it to him would be keep him thinking he's a peacemaker, keep him thinking he's a protector, get him into that lane. Otherwise, he's very belligerent.

Trump, a bull carrying his own china shop around with them. So it was to keep, I think, if even -- even if Trump was considered, it would be more to give him something to keep him in that lane, so to speak.

TAPPER: That's interesting. Beth, let's try it again with your microphone. You said you thought Trump is his own worst enemy when it comes to, it's not really even about what he achieves. It's about him as to why the Nobel Committee might not give it to him. Is that -- is that what you're saying?

SANNER: I was saying that I think that this idea that the Nobel Committee at once gave this prize as an aspirational kind of puts everybody --

TAPPER: Oh, I'm sorry. Your microphone's still not working. Guys, can we figure out what's going on here?

SANNER: And that doesn't matter. It's a jump on anyway.

TAPPER: So in any case, the First Lady, Melania Trump, made a rare public statement today and addressed her ongoing efforts alongside Vladimir Putin to reunite Ukrainian children with their families. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELANIA TRUMP, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: President Putin and I have had an open channel of communication regarding the welfare of these children. For the past three months, both sides have participated in several back channel meetings and calls, all in good faith. We have agreed to cooperate with each other for the benefit of all people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: All right, Beth, I'm going to hand you my microphone because we're having problems here. We don't hear very much from the first lady. What do you make of her coming forward on this issue?

SANNER: Yes, I mean, I honestly, Jake, I -- I -- I think that this is something that's so consistent with Melania Trump in that, you know, I remember when I was briefing President Trump and there were occasions when he would turn to her on these issues that related to the welfare of women and children in -- in desperate conditions. I don't want to say too much about what those issues exactly were.

But, I mean, I think consistently her view as a mom and being, you know, really absolutely caring about children, this is a real thing. So I really welcome this and I think it's a great thing. But it is one child at a time, right. Eight people out of --

TAPPER: Thousands.

SANNER: -- 20,000.

TAPPER: Yes.

SANNER: Twenty thousand. So a long way to go.

TAPPER: Insane. So, Doug, the -- the just on the -- on the disappointment that President Trump feels for not getting his prize. Nominations were taken until February 1st of this year. I mean, the President had only been inaugurated on January 20th. That's only 11 days in office. And obviously his biggest peace achievement, if one, most optimistically looks at this Gaza ceasefire deal, just happened days ago.

[17:50:21]

So I -- I think it's fair that he might be a legitimate contender for next year, depending on how the next year goes with this peace process -- peace process and Hamas and -- and Netanyahu. But how could he have been a serious contender if the deadline was February 1st? BRINKLEY: He wasn't a serious contender. There was the Abraham Accords of his first administration, but around the two of Trump that he hadn't done anything yet. As he said, it was kind of closed. What -- what -- what was the possibility of it? Almost nil. What he was doing was just hyping himself. I want this. I deserve it. Don't I? I ended war after war after war.

TAPPER: I've never seen anybody campaign for it.

BRINKLEY: Nobody.

TAPPER: Other than him.

BRINKLEY: No. I mean, we've had other presidents have won it. But, you know, Theodore Roosevelt for the Russo-Japanese war mediating it. You know, Woodrow Wilson for the settlement of World War 1. You know, Obama, we mentioned Jimmy Carter as ex-president.

TAPPER: Well, that's the other thing. Jimmy Carter got it as an ex- president, but he didn't get it for one of his greatest achievements, this Camp David Accords. It went to Sadat and Begin but Carter was snubbed.

BRINKLEY: And -- and Carter should have gotten it with them. But there was paperwork that hadn't been properly filled out, believe it or not, for Carter's nomination. So they only gave it to Sadat and Begin and left Carter kind of out. It would have helped him as a credential. But Trump's just being Trump.

He's saying I deserve -- he'll say I deserve an Academy Award. "The Home Alone" was the greatest act.

TAPPER: "Home Alone 2."

BRINKLEY: "Home Alone 2."

TAPPER: Get -- get -- get your -- get your history right, Doug.

BRINKLEY: But you're right. Next year, maybe if phase one of Gaza- Israel becomes 10 more phases and it sticks.

TAPPER: Yes.

BRINKLEY: It would be --

TAPPER: It's a serious achievement, but it's early, early days yet.

Beth and Doug, thanks so much. I'm so sorry about our audio difficulties, Beth.

Coming up, the dangerous weather moving into parts of the East Coast this weekend.

But first, breaking news from Europe. A shocker in France. The prime minister, who just quit a few days ago, is now back on the job. What -- what is that about? We're going to go live to Paris next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:56:27]

TAPPER: Breaking news in our World Lead in a shocking and truly unprecedented move. The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, just reappointed his country's prime minister, the same prime minister who quit on Monday. CNN's Melissa Bell is following the breaking news from Paris. Melissa, what in the world is this back and forth about?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been an extraordinary period of real instability here in France. Sebastien Lecornu, a man who resigned on Monday, Jake, having tried to form his government the night before he'd appointed a bunch of ministers who essentially rebelled. He then resigned by Monday morning, just hours after appointing them. He was urged to say on by President Macron, what's happened today is there's been a meeting of all the main political parties here in France, apart from the far right and the far left.

Some sort of consensus appears to have emerged around the need, not just for France to get a budget for 2026 through, but a number of compromises being made to the left, for instance, on the suspension of pension reform, which had been particularly unpopular. That consensus led the President to name once again Sebastien Lecornu, who's going to have another go at trying to form a government, Jake, and trying to push through this budget, hopefully for 2026, a smaller one than we've seen in previous years because of the problem of the debt here in France.

But this is a man with his work cut out with him. He says he's taking it on out of a sense of duty. It is time to put, he says, this period of instability behind the country, Jake.

TAPPER: All right, Melissa Bell, thanks so much.

In our National Lead, New Jersey will enter a state of emergency tomorrow night as a powerful nor'easter slams the east coast of the United States. CNN's Derek Van Dam is in the CNN Weather Center for us. Derek, what's the latest?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Jake, it's best if we think of this as a nor'easter without the snow. The impact's more in line with a strong tropical storm as this coastal low strengthens and deepens right in parallel with the eastern seaboard through the duration of the weekend. Yes, I said the weekend, and perhaps beyond. So this is a long-duration event, and that's part of the problem that we're facing here across the Outer Banks into the Mid-Atlantic and southern coastal New England.

This long duration of winds over 45, 50 miles per hour will obviously cause problems in terms of travel delays as well as potential power outages, but it's also going to churn up the western Atlantic. So we have miles upon miles of coastal flood alerts extending along basically the entire eastern seaboard. Coastal erosion is a concern, and coastal flooding is a real concern with some of the areas here seeing some of the highest coastal flooding potential, at least, Sunday into Monday, in over 10 years.

So when we talk about rainfall totals for this region, you can see that it'll be highest across the Carolinas, but there will be spots across southern New England that could pick up a quick 2 to 4 inches of rain. Check this out. Atlantic City, you've got high tide. These are unusually high tide levels as well.

So when we have a long duration of wind coming out of the east that will pile up the ocean waters and potentially cause that coastal erosion. The other big story we're following is this multi day rain and flooding threat across the Four Corners region, specifically into Utah and Arizona.

Heads up after this initial surge of moisture moves through overnight tonight, another round of rain expected through the course of the weekend. And for the normally dry desert southwest, 2 to 4 inches of rain certainly is a lot, could cause some localized flooding. Jake?

TAPPER: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper. This hour, the grim reaper has arrived. Today on the 10th day of the federal government shutdown, the Trump administration has started firing federal workers as threatened. We're learning more about what agencies in which workers are affected.

[18:00:09]