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Biden Gives First Significant Criticism of Trump Since Election; FBI Investigating Bomb Threats, Swatting Incidents Targeting a Number of Donald Trump's Cabinet Picks; Power Cut to 1 Million-Plus Homes in Ukraine After Russian Aerial Assault. Aired 1-1:30p ET

Aired November 28, 2024 - 13:00   ET

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

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BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: It's President Biden's last Thanksgiving in the White House, and he has a message for his successor on those massive tariffs President-elect Donald Trump is promising on day one.

Plus, under threat, various picks for Trump's incoming administration allegedly targeted by bomb threats and swatting incidents. The latest on this FBI investigation.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN ANCHOR: And a recipe for disaster this Thanksgiving, so soon after such a divisive election. It really could serve up some awkward political conversations around that dinner table. How to cut through some of that tension and try to keep things festive.

We're following those stories and many more all coming in right here on CNN New Central.

SANCHEZ: We are so grateful to share this Thanksgiving with you. Happy Thanksgiving and welcome to CNN New Central. I'm Boris Sanchez alongside Alex Marquardt in for Brianna Keilar today. Great to be with you, Alex.

This holiday marks President Biden's final Thanksgiving as commander- in-chief. But today, the president isn't just giving thanks. He's also offering advice and a warning to President-elect Trump.

MARQUARDT: CNN's Arlette Saenz is live in Nantucket, Massachusetts, where the first family is spending the Thanksgiving holiday. So, Arlette, what did the president say?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Alex, before President Biden even gets to his Thanksgiving dinner, he did make some news here in Nantucket as he urged President-elect Donald Trump to reconsider the tariffs he's talked about imposing on imports from countries, like Mexico and Canada. President Biden said that those tariffs could potentially jeopardize relations with some of the United States' closest allies.

Now, earlier this week, Trump said he wants to move forward with imposing 25 percent tariffs on all imports from Mexico and Canada until the two countries do more to try to curb the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States.

These comments from President Biden are quite significant as they mark the first substantive criticism that he has made of the president- elect and his policies since the November 5th election. Here is what Biden had to tell reporters a bit earlier today.

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JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: I hope he rethinks it. I think it's a counterproductive thing to do. You know, look, one of the things you've heard me say before, that we have an unusual situation in America. We're surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and two allies, Mexico and Canada. And the last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships.

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SAENZ: These comments from President Biden really serve as a reminder that he and President-elect Trump have wildly different views when it comes to issues like trade, the economy, and also relationships with allies. Biden during the campaign and Democrats had criticized President Trump's proposals relating to tariffs, saying that they would increase prices here at home for Americans. And now the president is warning that it could threaten the way that the U.S. interacts with allies, like Mexico and Canada. Going forward, he gave that advice to Trump, saying he thinks it's something that he should reconsider when he takes office.

MARQUARDT: Yes, that is something that they have really kept under wraps, at least publicly since the election.

Arlette Saens traveling with the president there for the holiday, thank you so much.

And today, the FBI is investigating multiple bomb threats and so called swatting incidents that have targeted a number of Donald Trump's picks to serve in his incoming administration. And we're now getting a clear picture of just how widespread those threats were.

SANCHEZ: In the meantime, we're learning new information about Trump's call with Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, their first talk since Trump promised to slap a 25 percent tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada.

CNN's Steve Contorno is live for us in West Palm Beach, Florida, not far from Mar-a-Lago. Steve, let's start with these threats against Trump's cabinet picks. We're getting new information about additional picks that were targeted.

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: That's right, Boris and Alex. We have now confirmed that as many as eight people that Donald Trump has nominated to serve in his cabinet or his administration have been on the receiving end of these bomb threats or swatting incidents. It includes people like his choices for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, U.N. ambassador, Elise Stefanik, and John Ratcliffe, his choice to lead the CIA.

The FBI says that it is taking these incidents seriously.

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Obviously, there have not been any that have turned out to be more than a threat, although the incidents were seriously serious enough and coordinated enough that President Biden was made aware of what was happening, and he was updated yesterday about the incidents from his national security team.

We have also seen in the last 24 hours calls from Donald Trump's allies for the rhetoric to be toned down and suggesting that the attacks of a personal nature against President-elect Trump are partly to blame for what is happening.

I will point out that the president-elect put out a Thanksgiving message on social media today that said, quotes, Happy Thanksgiving to all, including to the radical left lunatics who have worked so hard to destroy our country. Boris and Alex?

SANCHEZ: And, Steve, talk to us about this call between Trump and Sheinbaum, because they both described the calls as positive, but when you get into the details, they seem to disagree on some of the key aspects specifically on immigration.

CONTORNO: Yes. There couldn't be a bigger disconnect in the description of these two calls coming from President-elect Trump and the Mexican president. Trump has almost seemingly declared victory in the immediate aftermath of this call. In fact, an aide for Donald Trump posted to social media that one call and this is fixed, essentially is what she said, saying that Mexico had agreed to all but close the border in response to these threats of a 25 percent tariff.

Now, The Mexican president said that this call was positive, and she was very complimentary of the conversation that she had with President-elect Trump. However, she was also clear to point out that the status quo has not changed, that the border, in her mind, has already been affected immensely by the policies that they have put in place with President Biden.

And what's also unclear is whether or not what Donald Trump believes happened or what the Mexican president believes happened was enough to resolve the 25 percent tariff threat that Trump has warned is coming once he is installed as president. And I reached out to the Trump transition team to ask if the comments that they had yesterday satisfied Trump to get rid of that 25 percent tariff, and I did not receive a response from the Trump transition team. Boris and Alex?

SANCHEZ: Steve Contorno, please keep us posted if you do get a response.

Joining us now to discuss is Lance Trover, Republican strategist and former spokesperson for Doug Burgum's 2024 presidential campaign, and Democratic Strategist Maria Cardona. Thank you both for being with us. Happy Thanksgiving. Lance, what do you make of these differing details from Trump and the Mexican president? She's making it clear that no policy changes have actually taken effect, but Trump is declaring victory for policy changes.

LANCE TROVER, FORMER SPOKERSPERSON, GOV. BURGUM'S 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Yes, I'm going to take the side of our president-elect and not the president of Mexico that has allowed tens of millions of illegal immigrants to flow into this country over the course of the last several years.

And, look, when it comes to these tariffs, Donald Trump has many tools in his toolbox. That's not the only tool. I would also just caution Mexico and say, look, I don't think you should underestimate Americans' tolerance for getting this border situation under control, for getting this fentanyl crisis under control. I saw it firsthand when I was out on the campaign trail with Doug Burgum, people whose families have been devastated by the fentanyl epidemic in this country.

So, if I were the president of Mexico, I would get to the table and bring some real solutions and help work this problem out and be ready for January 20th, because it is a brand new day in this country. It is going to be a much different administration when Donald Trump takes office.

MARQUARDT: Maria, how do you square this difference of the readouts between the two sides? I mean, they both start with this complimentary language. The call was wonderful. It was excellent. But then there are clear differences when it comes to migration.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: As somebody who has been involved in the immigration debate for more than two decades, I'm going to take the side of the Mexican president who actually understands how immigration works, who actually understands how borders work, and that you can't close a border, especially to your number one trading partner. And, by the way, because Donald Trump never lies, right?

Look, it's so rich that Trump and his allies are now declaring victory for something that actually happened under the Biden administration and the Biden-Harris diplomacy, Mexico has been cooperating for months on immigration, which is why now, today, under the Biden Harris administration, you have less encounters of undocumented immigrants at the border than you did when Donald Trump was in office.

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So, let's just underscore that. And that is because the Biden-Harris administration has put a lot of thought and a lot of negotiation and a lot of diplomacy and a lot of conversation with our neighbors to the south about what needs to be done.

Donald Trump, frankly, you know, we should have just seen it right after the election. His people were saying, oh, now the economy is great. So, now Republicans think that Bidenomics worked and that the Biden-Harris economy is terrific.

So, this, I think, is just par for the course for what we're going to see for four years, which is gaslighting, lying and conspiracy theories under Donald Trump yet again.

MARQUARDT: I want to ask you guys about these growing threats against the incoming members of Trump's administration. This is what Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin had to say. Take a listen.

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SEN. MARKWAYNE MULLIN (R-OK): It's extremely concerning. And at the same time President Biden and vice president Kamala Harris, they're going to have to come forth and tell their group to calm down, to not take it this far. Because they're the ones that fed the fire and they're also the ones that can kill the fire.

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MARQUARDT: Maria, I want to come back to you because Senator Mullin there is accusing the Biden administration of fueling this. How do you respond?

CARDONA: Yes. That's not just ridiculous, but it's dangerous, frankly. And, look, none of this is acceptable on either side. But what does he mean by their side, their people? We don't know who did this, and it should be investigated. And anybody who is caught being guilty of this should be punished. This is not acceptable at all. This kind of violence and these kinds of threats are absolutely not acceptable.

But you also can't ignore the fact the kind of violent language that Donald Trump has used, that Elon Musk has used, that the right has used to go after government workers who are innocent, to go after Democrats themselves, to go after, frankly, people who are interested in keeping our democracy. Let's not forget who caused the insurrection four years ago that attacked our Capitol and who encouraged his own supporters to go and make sure that the election results were not certified.

That was not Democrats. That was the president-elect, Donald Trump. So, let's not take that away and let's focus on making sure, that everyone turns down the heat in this very divided, very polarized era. It's Thanksgiving Day, for God's sake. Can we just not say that everyone needs to bear their kind their side of responsibility in the kind of rhetoric that we have these days? And Donald Trump is not exempt.

SANCHEZ: Lance, on the Senator's comments, there's no indication that they came even from within the United States. It's still being investigated. Is it useful to point the finger at President Biden and Vice President Harris, who, since the election, have essentially allowed the peaceful transfer of power to Donald Trump and seemed to be open to assisting in the transition?

TROVER: This isn't an area where Maria and I are going to partially agree. I mean, this is a stark reminder of the dangerous times in which we live and a stark reminder that, you know, it's tough to be a public servant in this day and age. But I think the law, and I agree that the rhetoric should all be toned down, no one of any political party should have to go through something like this at all ever. And I think the law enforcement is to be commended for acting swiftly. And I commend the White House for reacting and unequivocally saying this was bad stuff, too. So, yes, again, no one of any political party should ever have to deal with this.

SANCHEZ: Lance and Maria, Happy Turkey Day to you both. Enjoy.

CARDONA: You as well, Boris and Alex.

SANCHEZ: Still ahead on CNN News Central, Russia retaliating, Moscow targeting critical energy infrastructure in Ukraine and what Vladimir Putin says was a response to strikes on Russian territory using U.S.- made missiles. We're following the latest.

MARQUARDT: And bird flu fears on the rise after the virus was found in a batch of raw milk out in California.

Stay with CNN. We'll be right back.

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SANCHEZ: Just as winter is setting in, Russia is now targeting a critical necessity for Ukrainians.

MARQUARDT: Yes, it is a major issue.

SANCHEZ: More than a million homes were left in the dark after Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles aimed at Ukraine's energy facilities. The assault forced some residents to take shelter in metro stations and injured at least five people.

MARQUARDT: The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, is saying that the attack was a response to Ukraine's strikes using American-made missiles inside of Russia.

CNN's Chief International Security Correspondent Nick Paton Walsh has this report from Ukraine.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a million homes without power in Ukraine after this significant Russian bids to cripple Ukraine's energy infrastructure yet again, constantly Moscow's target, and regions across the country reporting temporarily or for a long distance of time being without power.

KH-101 missiles fired by Russia, fast-moving, able to get through a lot of Ukrainian air defenses and clearly Russia pushing hard to do as much damage as it can as we get into the darker, colder, freezing months of winter, a bid to cripple Ukrainian morale. Already, I think it's fair to say, damaged by the relentless nature of drone strikes we've been seeing, city after city hit by waves of these Iranian-made Shahed drones.

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188 drones in total fired by Russia, a record, say Ukrainian officials, in the previous night. And that is, I think, just adding to a sense of how much the Kremlin is throwing at this conflict in these months ahead.

We've been seeing on the frontlines deep concern from troops. They simply don't have the infantry to manpower to slow Russian advances in the east, particularly around the town of Porkovsk. Indeed, that's been reflected by Biden officials in the White House hinting that Ukraine really needs to drop its recruitment age down from 25 to 18 to simply get more buddies on the frontline, and indications as well too of the likelihood of some sort of peace deal being requested for Ukraine to sign up to by the incoming Trump administration. His possible choice for envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, hinting in previous writings that he'd like to see a freeze imposed upon the conflict in the frontlines.

Many we spoke to though on the frontlines concern about what damage Russia could indeed do in simply the months until January when Trump takes office. So, fast is their progress on the frontlines. We were shown maps by some Ukrainian commanders that they said were already out of date because Russia had pushed through what was indicated as the frontlines in that particular area.

So, a deeply concerning time here, but very powerful missile strikes impacting the lives of ordinary Ukrainians as we begin to head into the freezing months of winter.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Central Ukraine.

MARQUARDT: Our thanks to Nick Paton Walsh for that report.

Let's bring in the former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Bill Taylor. He's also the vice president for Russia and Europe at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Ambassador Taylor, thank you so much for being with us.

Lots going on the Ukraine front. We just had that huge attack from Russia. The Russian president saying that that is in response to these ATACMS missiles, these American long-range missiles being used to strike inside of Russia. Is this the kind of escalation that the Biden administration has long feared, one of the reasons they didn't want to give those ATACMS to Ukraine? Is this part of the fear that Russia could in fact do more against Ukraine?

WILLIAM TAYLOR, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE: No, I don't think this is what the administration had been fearing, Alex. They had been concerned about other forms of escalation. And this conventional and Putin says this is a response to the use of ATACMS in Russia, clearly not the case. I mean, number one, we know what Putin has in mind, what he's been doing for, let's be clear, 1,009 days. He's been trying to dominate Ukraine. He's been trying to take over Ukraine. Or another way that he said it is to wipe Ukraine off the map. So, this isn't about this big attack being a response to ATACMS, it makes no sense. It's nonsense. And the Ukrainians are determined to continue to fight in order to get the Russians back on their heels.

MARQUARDT: And part of that fight, according to the U.S., is this distinct lack of manpower. There is real growing tension that we've seen between Washington and Kyiv in the past 24 hours, Ukrainian officials reacting angrily to the Biden administration, saying that Ukraine needs to lower the recruitment age to 18 from 25, where it is right now. Those manpower issues, they say, are critical and the biggest priority, as Russia, as you know well, is taking more and more territory every day. Why would lowering that recruitment age be such a controversial argument in Ukraine?

TAYLOR: Alex, I've talked to Ukrainians, you've talked to Ukrainians. You know what their responses are to this. It's a different culture. It's a different attitude toward 18 to 25-year-olds. And the United States army and military has had views about how Ukrainians would fight this war. Ukrainians are fighting the war, and they say they know how to do this. So, when they hear that the advice from the United States is to draft 18 to 25-year-old, it does not go over well.

And the reason is that the cultural differences, and Ukrainian women in particular have told me this, they're angry to the thought that an 18-year-old will be -- their son would be -- it's like, Alex, I was trying to think what the analogy would be, for us, it would be as if we were drafting 15-year-olds. That's the way the Ukrainians say it is, it is their young men. And they feel very -- they feel passionately about this. It's a raw issue.

And so for us to tell the Ukrainians how they need to get more people, they understand they need more soldiers and they're going to work to get that.

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MARQUARDT: Clearly a major fear that the youngest generation could be significantly impacted.

Ambassador Taylor, I want to ask you about these new remarks from President Putin. He praised Trump as a quote, intelligent and experienced person. He went on to say that the Biden administration is trying to create difficulties for Trump with regards to Russia. What do you make of Putin's flattery of Trump?

TAYLOR: Well, Putin is reacting to the steps that the current administration has taken, which may be supported by the new administration, that is letting the Ukrainians use these longer-range missiles deep into Russia. That puts Russia on the back foot. As I said, that puts Russia in the position of being more on the defensive is why they're responding to this kind of action. So, to the degree that the two administrations can work together, that puts Putin at a disadvantage.

MARQUARDT: Well, certainly lots of changes coming on the policy front when it comes to Ukraine as President Trump takes office in January. Ambassador Bill Taylor, you and I will be talking a lot between now and then, and certainly in the days after. So, thank you so much, and happy Thanksgiving.

TAYLOR: Thank you, Alex, and to you.

MARQUARDT: Ahead on CNN News Central, he was the Biden administration's chief science officer during COVID 19. Now, Dr. David Kessler is raising serious concerns about the rise in bird flu. So, how worried should we be? We will be speaking with a doctor, next.

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