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Sabrina Singh is Interviewed about the Pentagon Shakeup; W. Kamau Bell is Interviewed about Performing at the Kennedy Center; SAG Awards Balance Jokes with Heaviness. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired February 24, 2025 - 09:30   ET

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

[09:30:00]

PETER NAVARRO, SENIOR TRADE AND MANUFACTURING ADVISER, TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: That these big countries that need to export into this market, they lower their prices. And then as the trade deficit comes down, the dollar gets stronger, which gives us more purchasing power for imports, that offsets some more of it, supply chains move around and then eventually we get a lot of investment here.

When we put in the steel tariffs, we had $15 billion in new investment in that industry. What does that do? It gives you more capital to labor, more machines for people, that increases productivity, and wages grow up - go up. So, that's why we saw the last time around tariffs didn't create inflation, all they created was a level playing field.

And I think -

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let me -

NAVARRO: I think -

BOLDUAN: Let - let me jump in. Let's see.

NAVARRO: Go ahead. Yes.

BOLDUAN: Consumers - we'll see if consumers -

NAVARRO: Your turn.

BOLDUAN: If - if consumers and when consumers do believe it, because I do want to ask you about some news that just came out this morning, which is, Apple announcing it's going to invest $500 billion in expanding U.S. facilities over the next four years.

NAVARRO: There you go.

BOLDUAN: They say it's going to create 20,000 jobs.

NAVARRO: There you go.

BOLDUAN: And my question then is, does that mean, Peter, that Apple iPhones coming from China are going to be exempt from tariffs again this time around given these investments?

NAVARRO: Well, that's always President Trump's decision. We're going to have a lot of investment -

BOLDUAN: Would you be open to that exemption though?

NAVARRO: I - I have no idea. That's not my lane. I always let the boss do his thing and follow his lead. But I think -

BOLDUAN: Peter, this is entirely your lane.

NAVARRO: Well - well, no. But - but - but where - the kind of discussions he has on that - look, I think the important thing here is - is the question always has to be asked first, it's not whether tariffs cause inflation but why the tariffs to begin with. And we are in this unsustainable equilibrium in which the entire world cheats us. It didn't - they didn't just cheat us. I don't think you and I would disagree about that because we know they have higher tariffs than we have. They know have higher non-tariff barriers. These are crushing. We know we run a trillion dollar a year trade deficit. So, all of that is proof that the world's sticking it to us. And all we're trying to do with reciprocal trade, Kate, is to level the playing field.

And remember, if they lower all their trade barriers, there's no tariffs. The boss has said that repeatedly. That's the notion of reciprocal trade.

So, I think Americans, again, left and right, need to get behind this because it's good for America. It's good for jobs. It's good for factories. It's good for wages. It's good for prosperity. And you're just going to see just hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars now across different industries and sectors coming into this country. You're just investing here instead of Tim Cook going to China, like - like he has had too much of a pension to do for far too long.

BOLDUAN: Well, we - and we will see if that means that there might be a crack in the no exemptions, no way, no how position on these tariffs when it comes to Apple products given this investment.

Peter, it's good to see you. Thank you for coming in.

John.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we are standing by for an update from the Vatican on the health of Pope Francis. This morning he is in critical condition and now showing signs of kidney failure.

And while you were sleeping, big time Hollywood awards. Who won? Who lost? Who should have won and did not? And what does it absolutely, positively predict about the Oscars?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:38:10] SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, an unprecedented shakeup of military leadership as President Trump fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Charles Q. Brown, and several other high-ranking officials. The firings come as the Pentagon is planning to fire 5 to 8 percent of the military's approximately 950,000 civilian employees. More than 5,000 Pentagon probationary employees are expected to be terminated this week.

Joining me now, former deputy Pentagon press secretary, Sabrina Singh.

Thank you so much for coming in this morning for us.

I want to read you something that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said over the weekend on Fox. He talked about the dismissals affecting six, three and four-star generals. And this is a quote, saying, it "is a reflection of the president wanting the right people around him to execute the national security approach we want to take."

Isn't it fairly normal for presidents to change some of the military leadership? How is this different?

SABRINA SINGH, FORMER DEPUTY PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: Of course it is definitely, you know, a normal practice for the president and the incoming secretary of defense to look at those senior military leaders around him and make an assessment.

What is unprecedented is the number of people we saw fired on Friday night. Of course, you know, at the direction of the president, Chairman Brown and others, including, I think what's getting lost here is the three JAG officers for each of the services were also fired. Those are the people keeping the checks and balances on the system. I think that is concerning. And that's why there's so many alarms being raised, not only from the outside and from those of us that were just serving in the building, but from Congress as well. I think it's the mass firings that you saw on Friday.

And also, these are people with 30 to 40 years of service under their belts, serving under Democratic and Republican administrations. So, while the president does have the decision to make who's around him at the table, I think it's fair to look at and say, you know, why - why we are raising concerns about these - these men and women being fired on Friday night.

[09:40:09]

SIDNER: Yes, there's a lot of discussion that the president brought up about DEI, intimating that people who were hired because of DEI are not as capable or qualified.

And I want you to take a look at what's happened here and just get your thoughts. So far the president is replacing the head of the U.S. Navy, the first woman ever to lead a military service. He fired the nation's highest ranking military officer, as we mentioned, CQ Brown, a highly decorated and seasoned military leader who also happens to be a black man. And he is replacing him with someone who has not served in any of the roles that nominees are legally required to have performed in order to be nominated.

So, what message is this sending to the lower rank and file?

SINGH: Well, look, if I'm a - someone that's interested in joining the military today, I'm looking at these firings and seeing these men and women who have served some 30 to 40 years in service under different administrations, and saying to myself, I could be fired just because I, you know, have a certain view that might not align with the president.

I will say, though, that these are men and women that have served in uniform - they are apolitical. And someone like General CQ Brown, this is a fighter pilot who commanded the Air Forces in the Middle East for Central Command. So, this is exactly the type of person that you want at the table, along with Admiral Franchetti, someone who's commanded carrier strike groups in various parts of the world. So, these are folks that come with unique backgrounds, unique voices to the table but serve in an apolitical way. And I think that's really important to remember.

SIDNER: I'm curious to get your take on whether you know much about Air Force Lieutenant General Dan Caine, who is retired, being asked to come out of retirement as Trump's next Joint Chiefs of Staff pick.

What do you think of Caine, and what are you hearing from those inside of the Pentagon, if you are hearing from people about him and about what's happening at the Pentagon with these firings?

SINGH: I've heard from a few folks. Look, this is someone that is going to now have to go through Congress and testify. And, you know, I think that's fair and that - that process will play out.

I don't know too much other than that this is someone that, you know, does have a lot of experience under his belt. But again, it remains to be seen if he's even going to be confirmed by this Congress.

As you saw bipartisan reactions from, you know, members on both the House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats, on the firing of not just CQ Brown, but others, reacting to that.

So, I think it remains to be seen how his nomination will play in Congress.

SIDNER: Let me ask you this lastly. Is what is happening with the military and the comments that President Trump is making and to some degree what Hegseth is saying on the world stage about Ukraine and sort of siding with some of the Russian talking points, is it making it harder for our allies to work with America?

SINGH: I mean, I think so. I mean today is the three-year anniversary of Russia invading Ukraine. And again, we have to remind ourselves that even though this war happened three years ago, Putin has failed to meet any of his strategic objectives that he set out. President Zelenskyy still stands. Kyiv is still strong. And the NATO alliance has expanded at - even stronger than it was before the war. But absolutely, the rhetoric coming out of this White House, and the

parroting of some of these Kremlin talking points, blaming Ukraine for this war, I mean, it's astonishing. And I think that's what you're seeing on the world stage is our allies and partners questioning whether the United States will stand with them if Russia were to attack any of their sovereign territory.

SIDNER: Sabrina Singh -

SINGH: So, I - you know, I'm going to be looking to see what comes out of these - these meetings this week.

SIDNER: Yes, I think everybody's watching and waiting to see what happens with this phone call with the G-7.

SINGH: Yes.

SIDNER: And he's also supposed to sit down with Emmanuel Macron as well, the French president.

Sabrina Singh, thank you so much for coming on and talking us through that. Appreciate you.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, Donald Trump taking over one of the nation's most prestigious cultural institutions, the Kennedy Center in Washington. In response, performances canceled. But why our next guest is not. Now using the Kennedy Center to kick off his new tour.

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[09:48:53]

SIDNER: The Kennedy Center has seen a series of resignations and cancellations since President Trump gutted its bipartisan board and appointed a slate of loyalists. The board then elected him chairman. Our next guest did not cut ties with the Kennedy Center. In fact, he kicked off a ten-city tour of the U.S. from that very venue.

Joining me now, TV host, filmmaker and comedian W. Kamau Bell.

Thank you so much for being here this morning. You're up bright and early there in Oaktown, otherwise known as Oakland, to those who are not from there.

Why do you feel - why did you feel so strongly about saying, hey, you know, I'm going to do this and I'm going to keep paying attention to what's going on over there at the Kennedy Center?

W. KAMAU BELL, TV HOST, FILMMAKER AND COMEDIAN: I mean, so let's be clear on the timing. I was on a flight as Trump was taking over the Kennedy Center. So, I was on my way to D.C. to do the show. And I think that, you know, there's different ways to sort of handle these situations. There's protest, there's boycott, there's also just showing up and doing what you were going to do. And I know I'm the exact kind of performer Trump doesn't want in there. He said he - and he got into wokie. And I think I'm patient number one for patient zero for wokie. So, I was like, I'm going to turn the wokie up to 11, which is what I did.

[09:50:03]

And I got to join a protest outside of drag queens and the Free D.C. Project who were protesting the fact that he wasn't allowing - he's not going to have drag performers there anymore.

So, I got to show up the way Marian Anderson showed up on the steps when she was not allowed in Constitution Hall. I got to show up the way "Sweet Honey in the Rock" showed up when North Carolina was doing the bathroom bills, and they said we're going to go and unite that community. I'm going to show up.

Remember, Sara, I'm the guy who famously met the KKK. I - I do these things.

SIDNER: I know you do. You talk to anybody and everybody. You know how to make jokes about it, but you also know how to be real serious about what your concerns are and the concerns of the community that you come from are as well.

Speaking of which, there's been a lot of, can we say, beating around the bush about the hand gestures we are seeing from those with huge influence in the Trump world. Of course, Elon Musk. And then we saw Bannon this weekend - let - let's take a look at some of that video here. You're seeing Bannon do a couple of different things. And what would you call what you saw him do on that stage at CPAC?

BELL: I mean, you know, I think he's - he's playing footsie with Naziism is what he's doing. He's sort of trying to like, the way he did it at the end of his speech, he - he threw out the Nazi salute. He also - but he sort of did it in a way that was sort of plausible deniability. But you and I know, as intelligent humans, there are words we don't say in front of mixed company because they sound like slurs, because we know we shouldn't - we should be careful. So, the fact that he's not being careful about his actions prove that he is actually trying to signal to actual neo-Nazis and Nazis that I'm on your side. But he didn't have to do that because we already knew Steve Bannon was on the side of Nazis.

SIDNER: And some of the language that he uses, obviously, but there is also this, and I - and I thought this was interesting because I know that you have - you mentioned you talked with the KKK. We have both talked to white nationalists. And one of the very well-known white nationalists basically says, this is going too far, and it caused a far-right French politician to cancel his appearance at CPAC. What are they playing at because Musk also did this and there is always this huge response when someone accuses them of using either Nazi rhetoric or doing a Nazi salute.

BELL: Well, I mean, it's just very clear that even when far right people who agree with your ideology don't want to be caught next to you because you're doing too much, that proves that they were actually doing the thing that people are trying to pretend they weren't doing. It proves that they are actually out there really trying to sort of gaslight us into sort of thinking that they're not doing that, while at the same time signaling to the Nazis and the neo-Nazis, I'm on your side.

I mean the party in Germany, there was just an election. And one of the reasons the AfD party did so poorly is because it was a rejection of Elon Musk. It was like, they were - the people of Germany were like, we're not doing that again. And Elon Musk had spoken at an AfD event.

So, I think it's very clear - I don't know why we have to argue about this. You know, I don't know - I think they're trying to make us crazy by making us argue about this. If you can't call a Nazi a Nazi, you can't do the bare minimum of fighting for democracy.

SIDNER: When other white nationalists are doing it, you have to wonder why.

W. Kamau Bell, it is always a pleasure to speak to you. Now you can go rest there on the West Coast. Appreciate you.

BELL: I have three kids, I can't rest.

BOLDUAN: Exactly. Exactly.

SIDNER: (INAUDIBLE).

BOLDUAN: There's no rest. There's no rest.

It's the final sprint to the Oscars, friends. Hollywood turned out last night for the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The last real awards show before next week's Academy Awards.

And CNN's Lisa Respers France is here with much more on all of the big moments.

What do you think the big moments were last night, Lisa?

LISA RESPERS FRANCE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: I think one of the biggest moments, Kate, was Jane Fonda. The 86-year-old actress not only is an icon, but she also is an activist. And she showed us that side of her last night where she basically called for the resistance in her speech.

Let's take - let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANE FONDA, ACTRESS: Have any of you ever watched a documentary of one of the great social movements., like Apartheid or our civil rights movement or stonewall, and asked yourself, would you have been brave enough to walk the bridge, would you have been able to take the hoses and the batons and the dogs? We don't have to wonder anymore because we are in our documentary moment. This is it. And it's not a rehearsal. (END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANCE: You know, she gave a lot of people what they wanted. People have been saying they want to hear people speak up about the chaos that they're seeing right now, Kate. And she absolutely brought it last night. It was a powerful speech. And people are still talking about it.

BOLDUAN: Who are the other big winners of the night, Lisa?

FRANCE: Well, you know, one of the surprise winners was Timothee Chalamet. He won for best actor with his film, "A Complete Unknown," in which he plays Bob Dylan.

[09:55:00]

A lot of people thought Adrien Brody was going to take it. And not only did Timothee win, but he got up and he gave a speech in which he says he wants to be one of the great ones. And so, you know, it was one of those things where he says, people don't say it out loud, but he absolutely wanted to say it.

And also "Conclave" won for best film. And it was interesting because prior to that, when they were introducing the movie, Isabella Rossellini, one of the stars of the film, made it a point to send best wishes to the pope because he's in the hospital. And, of course, the film is about the selection of the pope in Conclave. And so people thought that was a really nice moment, Kate.

So, all in all, it was a show that people seem to really enjoy.

BOLDUAN: And then the sprint now to the Oscars. No rest for the weary, Lisa. Thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

FRANCE: Yes.

SIDNER: Berman says that all the people you saw on the screen, they will all win an Oscar. They are -

BERMAN: Well, no, there's like some tradition. Like, the SAG winners always win in some categories, not in others. What does this mean? I guarantee you it means something.

BOLDUAN: Something

BERMAN: Something.

BOLDUAN: We'll talk about it later.

SIDNER: That's helpful.

Thank you so much for joining us. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL. "CNN NEWSROOM," up next.

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