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Trump: I Don't Know if I Have to Uphold the Constitution; Interview with Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY): Trump's Tariffs on Foreign- Made Movies, Economy; NY Budget Plan; Newark Airport Hit with Flight Delays, Cancellations for 8th Day; Government Restarts Collection of Defaulted Student Loans. Aired 8-8:30a ET

Aired May 05, 2025 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm John Berman with Sara Sidner and Kate Bolduan. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: The economy, tariffs, immigration, there are many policies and actions President Trump says he's sure of. But when asked if he should be upholding the Constitution as president, his answer? I don't know.

A stunning response, one he used over and over again during a revealing interview with NBC.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You campaigned on a promise to bring prices down on day --

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your Secretary of State says everyone who's here, citizens and non-citizens, deserve due process. Do you agree, Mr. President?

TRUMP: I don't know. I'm not a lawyer. I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, the Fifth Amendment says --

TRUMP: I don't know. I don't know if that's constitutional.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president?

TRUMP: I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is anyone in your administration right now in contact with El Salvador about returning Abrego Garcia to the United States?

TRUMP: I don't know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SIDNER: What he does say is he will follow the Supreme Court's decision.

CNN's Mark Preston joining us now. I mean, there are questions, Mark, right now as to whether he's already defying the Supreme Court, which ruled that he needs to facilitate the return of the mistakenly deported legal migrant from Maryland, Abrego Garcia. What do you see in all this?

MARK PRESTON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, a couple of things. One is we don't know what he would do if it does get to the Supreme Court. Let's assume the Supreme Court were to rule against him.

So far, as you've noted, through the courts, he hasn't really paid much attention to him. In some ways, he's acting untouchable. And Congress at this point is in many ways toothless because Republicans have control of the House and they have control of the United States Senate.

So they are in lockstep behind Donald Trump right now. So Democrats in many ways are kind of at a loss to do anything to stop Donald Trump. And it is very much affecting Democrats right now who are upset of the position they're in -- Sara.

SIDNER: Yes. I mean, those are all really good points. I do want to ask you, how might all of the things that Donald Trump has already done, including these sort of conversations where he's saying he doesn't know if he should follow the Constitution as president, I mean, how might all of this play into the 2026 midterm election?

With you noting the Democrats have a very low approval rating, lower than Republicans right now.

PRESTON: You know, Sara, you know, I've thought a lot about this, and honestly, I just don't know. I mean, I just don't know. No, I'm only kidding.

I mean, look, the reality is, you know.

SIDNER: Don't know what, Mark? You had to go there.

PRESTON: The reality is I had to go and it was too easy. But but look, the the reality is that was a strategic point on his part, on Donald Trump's part to say, I don't know. By doing so, he doesn't get himself in trouble. He puts everything back onto the administration.

Moving into the midterm elections right now, we have Republicans, again, lockstep behind Donald Trump. That may affect some of these Republicans who are in districts or states that are pushing back against Donald Trump.

What do Democrats do? They've got to offer another vision, a different vision. And honestly, right now, Sara, they don't seem to be doing so.

SIDNER: They should do it very fast because we know how quickly these midterms roll up on us. Thank you so much for the jokes at 8:02 in the morning. Really appreciate you, Mark Preston -- Kate.

BOLDUAN: Thank you, Sara.

Let's focus in right now on the president's comments on the Constitution and much more. Joining us right now is the Democratic Governor of New York, Governor Kathy Hochul. It's good to have you here.

GOV. KATHY HOCHUL, (D) NEW YORK: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Let's start there where Mark and Sara were talking about the president saying that he does not know if every person on U.S. soil should be afforded due process under the Constitution. What do you make of that after hearing the president?

HOCHUL: He basically said that he doesn't have to follow or even understand what the Constitution of the United States requires of every person who takes that oath of office. I took the same oath of office 31 years ago to run for town board. I knew I was supposed to uphold the Constitution.

I got to think a president who took the oath of office not once but twice understands that there are limitations and that is the body of the Constitution. He must follow it. Otherwise, the democracy that we fought for and upheld for 250 years is just going to go down the drain. And we're not going to let that happen.

But it was shocking and it tells you all you need to know about this presidency and this man that he doesn't give a damn about the U.S. Constitution. And that is frightening in itself.

BOLDUAN: Also overnight, he announced that he wants to put a 100 percent tariff on all films made overseas. I actually saw, I was looking at the budget that you're rolling out, and as part of the budget you're actually expanding tax credits, tax breaks to try to bring more film production to New York.

[08:05:00]

I mean, while not clear how the president would apply a tariff on intellectual property, something that's not a physical good, I guess maybe if I can set that aside for a second, do you like the idea of that?

HOCHUL: You know, these midnight ideas that he has or throws out on the table and we're all supposed to process. I'll tell you what, I am fighting hard for this industry in New York State. It's an economic driver. It's part of our identity. The talent wants to be in New York, and so I'm in competition with other states, but indeed other countries. So I'm focused on what I can do here in the state of New York.

I don't know if that leads to retaliatory tariffs in other countries, because once you start the trade war, who knows where it ends.

BOLDUAN: Right, does it backfire? HOCHUL: Right now, we're on the bad end of that war, because if we're talking about everything from children's dolls and toys going up, it may not be here for Christmas. So that's not what Americans thought they were getting with this president. These were promises they did not expect to see upheld.

They thought they're voting for possibly tariffs, but they had no idea that when they go to Walmart this Christmas, the shelves may be empty because of what Donald Trump has done.

BOLDUAN: Let me play -- you mentioned the dolls. Let me play how he said that, just to remind our viewers how he talked about that when asked, acknowledging the prices would go up. And then he said this, let me play this for you again.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I'm just saying they don't need to have 30 dolls, they can have three. They don't need to have 250 pencils, they can have five.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: What is your reaction to the president's take on that? I heard Mark Short, who's a longtime Republican operative, say this feels very let them eat cake at the moment, even hearing that from a Republican.

HOCHUL: It's so condescending on so many levels. But as a mom who has bought dolls for my little girl and my granddaughter, I mean, come on. I mean, the president of the United States telling you that, oh, you don't need that.

This is a millionaire, maybe billionaire -- who really knows what his records show. But he has a lot more money than the average American. It shows a disconnect with the people who voted him into office, many of them, that he doesn't care.

He doesn't care about the families. And this is the contrast that I'm drawing with the budget that I just unveiled. And so he shows he doesn't care about them. And I think they're starting to hear this and feel this. And they feel they've been betrayed. And that's a very overwhelming feeling across the state of New York.

People in the North Country who voted for him, people on Long Island who voted for him, who now lost offshore wind jobs. The North Country, our small businesses are saying, why are you at war with Canada? These are our customers.

And now they're not coming to places like Lake George and Saranac Lake. They're not spending money here because you antagonize one of our best friends in the whole world.

So people across New York who did vote for him, the majority did not. But those who even did, they're like shaking their heads. What is happening? BOLDUAN: I want to ask you about the budget, the state budget that you're rolling out. I've seen it described in more than one place, actually, as providing a possible roadmap for Democrats far beyond New York and the coming cycle and in the Trump era. You know, not to get into the weeds of a state budget, but you included measures of increasing public safety and lowering taxes for all but the wealthy.

Do you see success for yourself in the coming election and your party as -- I will broad strokes it as, moving more towards the center versus the left, which we're seeing this conversation happen within the Democratic Party?

HOCHUL: This is not a new movement for me. I've always found comfortable in the very wide center, where I believe that most New Yorkers really are. And what it does is it provides a blueprint for anyone who really cares about delivering what the constituents actually want.

They want you to focus on two things. Are they and their families safe? Can you do more to make me feel safer, whether I'm on the subway, so I put more police officers there, on our streets, putting more money for gun interdiction, up in our rural communities, making sure that our law enforcement has what they need.

You have to feel fundamentally safe. And Democrats have to talk about that. Don't be afraid to talk about fighting crime.

BOLDUAN: Do you think that's been one of the misses and lessons from the election?

HOCHUL: Well, for many, many years, not this year, many years, we will protect defendants' rights without a doubt. But I changed the laws so no longer will people see cases, violent criminals walking free because there were technical reasons why a case was dismissed. We ended that.

We're going to make sure that that does not -- so I'm focused on that. But it's also public safety and the economy.

People are worried about prices and their bills. And you see everybody walking around looking at their cell phone, what their 401k plan is plummeting and turning into, you know, numbers that they never thought could go that low. It is frightening for New Yorkers.

And I think about the Walmart moms and the people who shop in the big box stores. Like I said, I used to do as a mom. Like, you're clutching your coupons, hoping it's enough to get you out of that cash shop without being embarrassed in front of your kids that you didn't have enough for the groceries that week because tariffs drove up the prices.

[08:10:00]

So I'm putting money back in people's pockets, $5,000 inflation rebate. $1,000 for kids under the age four, $500 for school age. The biggest, as you mentioned, the biggest tax cut we've had for the middle class in 70 years. It's all about putting money back in their pockets. And lastly, letting them know I care about their families because their family is my fight.

I'm banning cell phones in all schools. So our kids can finally get their childhood back. So you talk to people about things they understand.

You don't give them a 25 point blueprint on, you know, future energy needs. Just tell it like it is. Talk like a regular citizen, a regular New Yorker, a regular person, and stop being so condescending ourselves and talking down to people. This is what they want.

BOLDUAN: You're going to face some competition in your reelection effort. Her just heard Elise Stefanik, who was up to be U.N. ambassador for Trump. Obviously, that did not happen.

And she was out just yesterday and had some really harsh words to say about you, saying you're the worst governor in America, that she dubbed Andrew Cuomo that, not thinking anyone could do worse. She's clearly -- she's exploring a run against you. Are you concerned?

There has been a lot of talk about the growing Republican sentiment in the state of New York over cycles. Are you concerned about a Republican challenger?

HOCHUL: No, no. Donald Trump has made sure that the Republican Party brand is so tainted in New York that no matter who runs against me, they will have the baggage of explaining why that people's prices went up, why they lost health care, why they lost Medicaid, why they lost education, all to fund tax breaks for the wealthiest. I look forward to that fight no matter who it is. It's not settled yet, but I say bring it on.

BOLDUAN: Governor, thanks for coming in.

HOCHUL: Thank you.

BOLDUAN: Good to have you here. Thank you -- John.

BERMAN: All right, thanks so much.

Check your flight status. Major delays and multiple cancellations at one of the busiest airports in the country. This could have a ripple effect across the entire nation.

And two suspects now in custody after police foiled a bomb plot at a Lady Gaga concert, more than two million concertgoers were in harm's way.

And new testimony set to begin this morning in the murder trial of Karen Read, the woman accused of killing her police officer boyfriend. What the jury could learn today about her blood alcohol level on the night of the murder.

[08:15:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right, happening now, we are getting word that Newark International Airport, New Jersey is seeing huge delays this morning with new cancellations reported. This is the eighth consecutive day of issues.

The nationwide shortage in air traffic controllers, airport refurbishments are some of the reasons causing this holdup. United is canceling nearly three dozen flights there, citing passenger safety as a region.

Let's get right to CNN Aviation correspondent Pete Muntean with the latest on this. This is a real ongoing issue in Newark, Pete.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Yes, these issues at Newark are not really new, John. But the FAA imposing air traffic control, imposed delays because of staffing shortages for seven and now going into eight straight days are really unprecedented. We have to talk about the background here.

The FAA has had these problems for some time. But equipment issues that started last Monday cascaded into these staffing shortages. And now it's having a major impact on United Airlines.

That's a huge hub for United at Newark Liberty International Airport. A lot of transcontinental flights and transatlantic flights go out and into Newark. Now, United CEO Scott Kirby is saying that the airline will have to preemptively cancel about 35 round trip flights a day. Thirty five round trips. That means 70 individual flights each day.

And the United CEO goes one step further. He says that this is because of those equipment issues that led to these staffing shortages. That is because he says 20 percent of the controllers responsible for Newark Airspace walked off the job last week. That number not officially confirmed by the FAA.

This has been a huge problem for the Trump administration and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who visited the air traffic control facility responsible for the Newark Airspace. It's actually in Philadelphia on Friday. And he answered the big question that so many people have.

Is it safe to fly in and out of Newark right now? It's top of mind for so many. And I want you to listen now to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEAN DUFFY, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: Someone will say, well, is it safe? Of course it's safe, because what you saw here is when we have problems with air traffic control, we actually shut down the airspace. We will ground flights. They won't take off. But the consequence is the delays and the cancellations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: The big question now, where do we go from here? Will this end any time soon? The FAA currently mum about that.

The big plan from the Trump administration is to revamp the back end technology at air traffic control facilities across the country. And Sean Duffy said on Friday that the Philadelphia facility responsible for Newark Airspace will get new equipment first. But this will not be an overnight fix, Duffy says.

He says this will take three to four years, really should have been fixed, he says, by previous administrations.

[08:20:00]

But he says the Trump administration will not continue kicking the can down the road on this. We will be pressing the FAA today to see what can be done in the short term as these delays and cancellations continue -- John.

BERMAN: I've got to say, when we look at these boards out of Newark, delayed, delayed, delayed, delayed. That is something to see.

Pete, separately from this, the NTSB is investigating some recent situations at Reagan. What's going on there?

MUNTEAN: Well, the big issue is on last Thursday, around 2:30 in the afternoon, an Army Blackhawk helicopter, from the same Army battalion that was involved in the January 29th midair collision, caused two inbound commercial flights to Reagan National Airport to go around. That helicopter was going into the nearby Pentagon. Those flights were coming in from the north down the Potomac River on what are called the River Visual.

The FAA initially said that this was because that Blackhawk helicopter was taking the, quote, scenic route into the Pentagon instead of coming in straight from the West.

Now there's a bit of a scuttlebutt about that, and the Army has released a new statement saying that that helicopter actually had to abort its landing, causing those two inbound commercial flights, a Delta flight and Republic flight, to abort their landings. Still a lot to be investigated here.

The NTSB has taken on this investigation, also the FAA investigating. Of course, they will want to know if the procedures were properly followed here. Helicopters essentially banned from an area over the Potomac River and Reagan National Airport since that midair collision on January 29th, although that piece of airspace around the Pentagon, not part of the special exclusion area for helicopters over National Airport -- John.

BERMAN: You know, clearly a lot of sensitivity about that airport and that area. Pete Muntean, thank you very much for that report -- Sara.

SIDNER: It's a mess. All right, the government has a big warning out today for those with student loans in default. Pay it back or your paycheck could be smaller.

Plus, the iconic Popemobiles and the late Pope Francis's final wishes for one of his. That story ahead.

[08:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SIDNER: All right, new this morning, the Department of Education restarts today collecting federal student loans in default after the long pandemic-era pause, leaving millions of Americans worried they could have their paychecks or benefits garnished. A new study by TransUnion shows a significant number of Americans with student loan debt are seriously behind on their payments.

CNN's Matt Egan is with me now. So, wow, what are you learning from all this? Because having your paycheck garnished is a big, big thing if you simply can't afford to repay it right now.

MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Yes, Sara, look, this is a real problem. And this new research suggests that, yes, a lot of people who are stuck with student debt are struggling just to get by. So TransUnion found that just over 20 percent of all federal student loan borrowers who have money due are seriously delinquent.

That is defined as 90 days or more past due. Now, this translates to about four million people. And when we look at the trend, you can see that this is the highest level on record. Up from 11 percent back in February 2020, just before COVID. It takes out the previous record high of 15 percent back in September.

Now, what's notable here is that TransUnion only looked at federal student loan borrowers, not private. And they're excluding people who have deferment plans or who are already in forbearance. So this is really people who owe money and are not paying.

Now, why is that?

Suggests that some people may not be able to pay. Right. Some people may be deciding not to pay and others might not realize that they owe money again.

Because remember, there was this pause back in March of 2020 during COVID-19 where federal student loan payments, plus collections and interest were all suspended because of the health crisis. There were a number of extensions. And then in late 2023, payments started to become due again.

But they were given this 12 month on ramp, this grace period to start to make those payments again. And starting today, the Department of Education is resuming collections. And look, this is a real issue for some people.

I talked to a 29 year old in Southern California and he told me that he's got about twelve thousand dollars in student debt. He doesn't owe anything right now because he's on one of these income plans. But he's got two different jobs just to try to get by.

And he's got credit card debt. And he said, look, I voluntarily took on student debt, but it adds up way more than you expect. He said it feels like I'm drowning.

SIDNER: Well, I know one thing is that this can impact your credit score, can it not?

EGAN: Absolutely. It can do real damage to your credit score, which could make it more expensive later in life to borrow, like to try to get a mortgage.

SIDNER: That's right. Matt Egan, thank you so much. I really appreciate it -- John

BERMAN: A groundbreaking discovery in cancer research, the new medicine that could help treat patients without invasive surgery or chemotherapy.

And just moments from now, jury selection set to begin in the federal sex trafficking trial of Sean Combs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:00]