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Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump Draws Criticism for His Recent Statement that Jewish Americans Who Do Not Vote for Him Hate Their Religion and Hate Israel; Princess of Wales Spotted for First Time Amid Intense Speculation; Ex-Trump White House Official Heads to Prison in Historic First. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired March 19, 2024 - 08:00   ET

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

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KIM PATTERSON, FATHER WAS STUCK IN HAITI: Continued to go, because Haiti is not self-sustaining. And if it weren't for the people who just have a heart for that country and a heart for the people, then it truly would be hopeless.

So we started going for just different mission work. Like I said, in 2010 was my first trip. And I really can't explain it other than it just got -- it got to me. And my dad started going a couple years later just to see what had really captured so much of my attention. And then the same thing happened to him. He fell in love with the country. So we just have a heart for just going back and doing what we can when we can.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Kim Patterson, I'm sure you're looking forward to the moment when you can hug your dad who has now finally made it out of the country. Lots of other people stuck there at this point in time. Thank you for bringing us the story.

A new hour of CNN NEWS CENTRAL starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Donald Trump is attacking American Jews again, and in doing so essentially telling Jews how they should vote or else.

So where in the world is Kate Middleton apparently remains a question today. A reported sighting, though, of the princess of Wales. Does this finally put the rumors to bed?

And Oprah Winfrey is now talking about the latest chapter in her weight loss journey and taking on the hot button issue of all of the new weight loss medications out there.

I'm Kate Bolduan with Sara Sidner and John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SIDNER: New fresh backlash this morning after former President Trump again played into an anti-Semitic trope, questioning the loyalty of Jewish Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion, they hate everything about Israel, and they should be ashamed of themselves, because Israel will be destroyed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIDNER: Trump made those comments on a podcast interview by his former White House aide and conspiracy theory peddler Sebastian Gorka. The conversation was centered around Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's recent call for new elections in Israel and his criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump slammed Schumer and accused the highest-ranking Jewish election official in the U.S. of being anti-Israel.

Joining us now, CNN's Alayna Treene on this. His remarks drew intense criticism, for good reasons, by the ADL, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Biden campaign, among others. What are folks saying this morning about these new comments by Donald Trump?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, that's right, Sara, several groups, the Biden White House, the Biden campaign, the Anti- Defamation League, all responding immediately with their own backlash to Donald Trump's remarks. I'm just going to read you some of what we heard of that response. Here's a statement, or part of a statement from Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League. He said, quote, "Accusing Jews of hating their religion because they might vote for a particular party is defamatory and patently false. Serious leaders who care about the historic U.S.-Israel alliance should focus on strengthening rather than unraveling bipartisan support for the state of Israel."

And here's what we heard, some of the statement from the White House. This is from White House spokesperson Andrew Bates. He said, quote, "There is no justification for spreading toxic, false stereotypes that threaten fellow citizens. None."

And then we also just heard recently from the Trump campaign themselves, a spokesperson for the campaign, Karoline Leavitt. They are doubling down in defending Donald Trump's rhetoric in that podcast interview. And this is what she said. She said, quote, "President Trump is right. The Democratic Party has turned into a full-blown anti-Israel and antisemitic pro-terrorist cabal."

So very strong language from both sides on how they are responding to this. But look, Sara, I do just want to point out that this language from Donald Trump isn't entirely new. Back in 2020 and shortly after the election, we heard him really lament the fact that he felt that Jewish people and Jewish Americans across the country were not going to the ballot box and supporting him during the 2020 election. He felt that his support for Israel, he often refers to himself as one of the most pro-Israel modern presidents, that should show that Jewish Americans should be voting for him as well.

And it's something we've seen from Donald Trump. He often conflates support for Israel, and really unrelenting support for Israel, with the Jewish population and support for Jewish people. And clearly that is something that many people are taking issue with, especially from that very dark rhetoric from the former president.

[08:05:00]

SIDNER: Alayna Treene, thank you so much for that reporting this morning. John?

Oh, I've got one more question for you, Alayna Treene. You talked about, you talked about how many times we've heard this rhetoric. Curious to know at this point, because there was a very close relationship, a good relationship between him and Netanyahu at one point, although Trump later criticizing him. What's that relationship like now?

TREENE: The relationship between Donald Trump and the prime minister of Israel Netanyahu, has definitely soured since he has left office, since Donald Trump had left office and lost the White House in 2020. We actually heard him speak critically of Netanyahu, and really a lot of that has stemmed from what Donald Trump felt was Netanyahu's misguided support of Joe Biden after Joe Biden had won. He felt that Netanyahu was betraying him by coming out and acknowledging that Joe Biden had won the election and agreeing to work with him. It's something that we've continued to see in Donald Trump's remarks on the campaign trail over the last several months and last year. Donald Trump really believes that, like I said, that he has been a strong supporter of Israel, and that Netanyahu should be recognizing that and he should not be embracing or working with the Biden administration.

And so it's interesting thing as Donald Trump continues to argue that he would -- he often argues that he thinks the war in Israel wouldn't have happened if he were an office. But the relationship between these two very important men is not what it once was, Sara.

SIDNER: All right, now, thank you, Alayna Treene, for all of your reporting. John?

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, with me now is Halie Soifer. She's the chief executive officer for the Jewish Democratic Council of America. Thank you so much for being with us. Donald Trump, who is not Jewish, is telling Jewish people how to be Jewish. What issue do you have with that?

HAILEY SOIFER, CEO, JEWISH DEMOCRATIC COUNCIL OF AMERICA: Thanks, John. Well, what we heard yesterday from Donald Trump was entirely consistent with the message that he sent the vast majority of American Jews for years. In 2019, he said that any Jew who supports Democrats is either disloyal or uninformed. And he's conveying this message of contempt anger toward Jewish Americans because he knows that three- quarters of us will never support him.

So our message to Trump as he continues to demonstrate animus towards Jewish Americans, the feeling is mutual. It's only going to continue to grow as we head into November. And according to the latest poll by Pew, 79 percent of Jewish voters disapprove of Trump. It's among the highest disapproval of any religious group.

So why is that? It's because he says he wants to be a dictator on day one. He aligns and admires dictators like Putin and Orban. And we've seen the horrific consequences of dictatorship. We want no part of it. He refused to condemn white supremacy. He's emboldened dangerous rightwing extremists who pose a threat to our security. And he has threatened our democracy and our freedom.

So he's a threat to our community and our values. And there's nothing he can say between now and November to change that. In fact, as he continues to speak more and more about American Jews, he's only going in to continue to lose more support among American Jewish voters.

BERMAN: Can you explain this trope of dual loyalty, which is an area where the statement that he made yesterday and he's made before, it crosses into that zone where you question who Jews are really loyal to. What's the history there and why is it potentially dangerous?

SOIFER: Well, the history is that it's an accusation that we are both loyal to the United States and to Israel. It questions our patriotism and our commitment to the United States. We are -- we are Americans, but we are also loyal to our values, including our democracy and our freedoms, which is why the overwhelming majority of Jewish voters are staunch supporters of president Joe Biden and Vice President Harris, because they represent our values. They're defending our democracy and freedoms. Whereas Trump is the antithesis of that.

BERMAN: What is a way that people in the political sphere can talk about policy toward Israel without engaging in these types of tropes?

SOIFER: Listen to President Biden. He is a remarkable supporter of the U.S.-Israel relationship. He talks about are support of Israel given the acute security threats that Israel has faced, certainly in light of the horrific attacks on October 7th. He talks about the historic relationship between our two countries. And it's important to consider that this relationship has endured over 75 years. It's not about any one party in power or any person in the White House. It is about the relationship between our two countries.

[08:10:00]

So I think it's important to not -- to not view this relationship solely through a political lens. And it's quite clear that that's how Donald Trump sees it.

BERMAN: Halie Soifer, we appreciate your time this morning, thank you very much. Kate?

BOLDUAN: So we do have breaking news coming in. We now have the new video of the Prince and Princess of Wales, the first footage of the Princess of Wales since her surgery back in January. With this video, what this now does to all of the rumors and speculation that have been swirling about her condition.

Also this ahead, Peter Navarro is about to make history today as the first former White House official to be imprisoned for a contempt of Congress conviction.

And he predicted the 08 crash. He predicted a soft landing in late 2022. Now he's betting that A.I. will turbocharge the U.S. economy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:15:17]

BOLDUAN: We do have breaking news in. We have the new video now of the Princess of Wales in public.

Now this, we are going to show you, this is the first time that Princess Kate has been seen in public since her abdominal surgery back in January.

Now, in the video released by "The Sun," you can see Kate William walking there together. We are told this is at a Farmers Market near their home in Windsor.

Now, this is big because of all of the speculation that has swirled because since Kate's surgery, rumors have taken off, fueled by the very little detail offered by the Palace about the Princess, her surgery, her condition, and where and how she has been doing since.

So does this new footage now put the rumors to rest?

Joining us right now from London is CNN Royal historian, Kate Williams.

It is great to see you, Kate.

KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL HISTORIAN: Good to see you.

BOLDUAN: We have this new video from "The Sun." I know you have seen it. Take this -- this taken in the context of just the last many weeks of intense speculation. What is going on here?

WILLIAMS: Well, exactly, Kate.

What we've seen -- Kate, we last saw her on Christmas Day, then she went into hospital. Then it was just radio silence. William pulling out of engagements and into that vacuum rushed all of these conspiracy theories, some of them extremely wild.

The Mother's Day photo was supposed to quell these ones, but all the Photoshopping caused more chaos, and over this last weekend, the Palace has been in damage control. Various sources saying she is going to be out after Easter. She might be out at Easter.

And then this farm shop visit, which yes, the paps weren't there, the paparazzi weren't there, but I do think they were expecting and hoping that people might see them, might take a photo of Kate looking great, looking healthy, walking. So that does put to rest a lot of the rumors, these rumors that she was -- she disappeared, she ran away.

But there is still are other rumors all around. This hasn't quelled everything. The Palace does need to do more. And I think it does need to put out at some kind of, I'd say a statement or a little photo of Kate in a week or so of her looking at her thank you cards. That's what the King did in the end of February saying, thank you so much for my cards.

I think that's what Kate needs to do now because there are still rumors and they are very damaging.

BOLDUAN: Yes, and I have to say look, outside, looking in, you can you can see in the video, she appears to be very well and healthy and that is wonderful news and I do wonder --

WILLIAMS: And it looks --

BOLDUAN: Go ahead.

WILLIAMS: Well, it is great, isn't it? Because there's been so much concern about her health. It is clear that she had a really tough operation with 14 days in hospital back in January. So, it is wonderful to see her out and about, walking, looking great, looking healthy, and that really is marvelous because people have been so worried about her health.

And -- but really, what I am worried about is all of sort of panic and social media panic has forced her out in the open when she is still recovering, she is still fatigued and I hope she could still can take some time to totally recover because going back into Royal life after Easter, people are going to expect her to be out there doing engagements again.

BOLDUAN: Yes, I mean, and that's what they do. They do engagements. They live in the public space. I mean, given how I am going to say oddly or strangely the Royal family seems to have handled her surgery and post-op versus how the King has handled his health concerns, they must be aware. They have to be aware. They are aware of the intense interest in how she is doing, in their lives, and the confusion around why there hasn't been more clarity on what's happened, which is then kind of become mistrust of what they say when they do say anything.

I mean, you've talked about this as a crisis for the Royal family. How big of one is it?

WILLIAMS: I think it is a crisis. It has been a PR disaster. No PR professionals would have advised them to do this or the radio silence. And then the picture, which all Royals Photoshop or Royal pictures are Photoshopped, but this one coming in the midst of all the conspiracy theories, it caused such chaos and you have a situation where photo agencies are withdrawing it, and AFP, this very respected photo agency is saying that Kensington Palace, it is on a similar level of trustworthiness as the press agencies of North Korea and Iran. I mean, that's a terrible comparison.

The Royals have to be seen to be believed as Queen Elizabeth said, there also has to be a level of trust. They don't have to tell us everything, what they do tell us should be trustworthy. So they have a long way to go to get this trust back. And I certainly think historians of the future will look back on this as an example of how the Royal image and Royal reputation can be so easily lost.

[08:20:12]

They were loved, they were adored, they were respected at Christmas, and then came all these rumors and all kinds of things said that we were could never imagine.

And now this problem of trust, which they are going to have to work hard to get back to old position.

BOLDUAN: Yes, Kate, it is great to see you as always. Thank you so much for coming on as we have this video now coming in -- John.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: Kate and Kate.

BOLDUAN: Sara, I'm so sorry.

SIDNER: It is all good.

This has never happened before. A former Trump adviser heading to prison this morning for ignoring congressional subpoenas. The last- ditch effort of Trump loyalists made to try to remain free.

Also, could buying a home soon because more affordable? What a multibillion-dollar antitrust ruling and settlement agreement could mean for home buyers and sellers and their agents.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:25:34]

SIDNER: Any moment now, Donald Trump's former trade czar, Peter Navarro expected to arrive at a federal prison in Miami making history.

Navarro, today will become the first-ever former White House official to go behind bars for contempt of Congress. This is after he refused to turn over documents or testify before the January 6 Committee.

CNN's Randi Kaye is live outside the prison now and is learning more about how his time will be spent there.

Randi, he has a consultant that he has been using as only a person of means could do, to give him some tips on how to deal with life in prison.

What are you hearing?

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Sara.

He should be arriving here very shortly at this minimum security satellite prison camp, which is just over my shoulder here behind us. But as you mentioned, yes, he does have what is known as a prison consultant.

He has hired a man named Sam Mangel, who has been helping him transition from life on the outside to life on the inside. And what we are learning from that prison consultant is that Peter Navarro will be spending time in a dormitory for elderly male inmates.

There will be about 80 men living in bunk beds. Navarro is 74 years old. This is an air-conditioned dormitory where he will be staying. He will also have to take classes. He will have to get a job.

The prison consultant told us -- told CNN that he will be urging him to work as a library clerk to try and avoid the hotter temperatures as Florida heats up and he can work inside.

But on the inside, he will be able to can make phone calls. He will have use of e-mail. He will be able to watch the news, perhaps he will even follow the 2024 campaign.

There are about a dozen TV sets, some in English, some in Spanish, we are told by this prison consultant. And just a little bit about this prison, it is one of the oldest prison camps in the country and there are quite a few inmates here from Puerto Rico because it is the closest Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to that territory.

But Sara, just a little bit about how he got here and about Peter Navarro, he was convicted in September for not complying with that subpoena as you mentioned and we do expect him -- he was sentenced to four months, so we expect him to show up here later this morning -- Sara.

SIDNER: Randi Kaye, I know you'll be there and we will come back to you if it happens during our hour. We appreciate your time -- John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, so how much stock can be put in an endorsement from Donald Trump? His influence will be put to the test today in a race that could sway the balance of power in Washington.

Oprah Winfrey gets candid about how weight loss drugs changed her life. This is a revealing new primetime special.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: You no longer blame yourself.

WOMAN: Yes.

WINFREY: Because when I tell you how many times I have blamed myself because you think I am smart enough to figure this out. And then to hear all along, it is you fighting your brain.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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