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New Protests Erupt in Iran Amid U.S. Military Buildup; Trump's Approval Rating Drops to 36 Percent; Economy, Cost of Living Top Issues for Americans; House Speaker Tells GOP Rep. Gonzales to Address Affair Allegations. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired February 23, 2026 - 15:30   ET

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

[15:30:00]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: A new round of protests against the Islamic regime erupting in the streets of Iran today as U.S. forces continue their large-scale military buildup in the Middle East. This Thursday, another round of nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran are set to take place in Geneva. President Trump says he's considering military strikes if Tehran does not agree to the terms that he's set for a new nuclear deal.

Let's discuss this now with Jason Rezaian, the director of Press Freedom Initiatives at The Washington Post. He's an Iranian-American journalist who was wrongfully jailed in Iran's notorious Evin prison for a year and a half, and he wrote a book about his experience called "Prisoner, My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison, Solitary Confinement, a Sham Trial, High-Stakes Diplomacy, and the Extraordinary Efforts It Took to Get Me Out."

It's been just more than 10 years now, Jason, at this point in time. So protesters are facing a severe crackdown by this regime, and yet they're taking to the street again, Jason. What is driving this new round of protests?

JASON REZAIAN, WRONGFULLY IMPRISONED IN IRANIAN PRISON FOR 544 DAYS: Brianna, I think it's a very important point that as repressive, as horrific the putting down of protests several weeks ago was, that people are out in the streets again. It's an indication that folks in Iran are fed up with the Islamic Republic, with the dictatorship, and with the repressive tactics that they have seen again and again. The reason people are out right now -- it was about 40 days ago that the regime unleashed massive force on protesters in early January.

In Shia Islam, after 40 days following the death of someone, there is another mourning ritual. People come back out again, go to cemeteries, gather together. And in previous protests over the last several years, more than a decade actually, of big protests in Iran, every time there has been a kind of wide-scale killing of protesters after 40 days, we can predict that we see something like this.

And I think it's just an indication that the protests are not going to stop in Iran anytime soon.

KEILAR: On Friday, Iran's foreign minister claimed that on the specific dates of January 8th to the 10th, during the last round of protests, there was a very well-planned terrorist operation led from the outside. That was a quote. And he said that there were, quote, armed elements.

What does the regime's messaging tell you about the relative strength of their position here?

REZAIAN: Look, they have a long track record of dishonesty. That's a nice way of saying that they lie a lot and have lied regularly over the years about any manner of things.

[15:35:00]

But when it comes to the notion that foreign terrorists had planned these protests, it's just a reminder to me that this regime does not have answers for the very realistic demands of ordinary Iranians who are saying, not only is our economic situation getting worse and worse year on year, not only are you repressive and have been killing us in mass numbers since the founding of the system in 1979, you don't have anything credible to offer us.

And I think that the foreign minister's words are designed to send a message to the rest of the world that, hey, we have this situation inside our country under control. Those are foreign elements. People on the streets don't represent the mass of Iranians who are happy with our current form of government.

I would push back on that hard. I haven't seen that kind of pushback in conversations with the foreign minister, especially ahead of what looks like another round of negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.

KEILAR: How secure is the Ayatollah's hold on power right now?

REZAIAN: I think it's tenuous at best. Look, the truth is that the firepower inside Iran is in the hands of the regime. But what we saw back in June of last year when Israel attacked and then the U.S. joined in the 12-day war, Iran does not have credible defenses to defend themselves against foreign power. What they do have is excessive force that they can met out on their own populace, which is largely unarmed and defenseless. So I think the hold on power is not very strong, probably weaker than it's ever been in the 47 years of the Islamic Republic.

And remember, the Supreme Leader is 86 years old. He's not going to live forever. A lot of what's going on right now behind the scenes has to be conversations about succession plans. But one wonders, if he dies, does the system have the strength to keep it together?

I think there's a lot of doubt about that right now.

KEILAR: Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff has said that Trump is curious as to why Iran has not yet capitulated and agreed to curb its nuclear program. Is it surprising that Iran has not capitulated as you see it?

REZAIAN: I don't think it's surprising at all, given their history. They, I think, oftentimes individuals within the regime and also, you know, ordinary citizens who threw themselves into the war between Iran and Iraq have chosen martyrdom over negotiation or capitulation, for lack of a better term. I think in this case, it's not so surprising because the leadership of that country has nowhere to go.

They are on the sanctions lists and wanted lists around the world. I think they understand very well that the amount of blood that's on their hands is not the sort of thing that's easily washed away in international courts. And at the same time, if you look back 10 years ago when the Obama administration struck the first nuclear deal, there is not a lot of sense that a deal that kind of reigns in their not only their nuclear program, but potentially their missile program as well, is the sort of thing that the United States would, A, adhere to long term, or B, help protect them from more threats.

So I think the Islamic Republic really has its back against the wall. At the same time, President Trump has sort of boxed himself in. He created a red line here and he either has to follow through with military force or strike a deal with a regime that's not only unpopular, but has just massacred thousands, potentially tens of thousands of the people of that country.

I don't think that that's something that the Iranian people want. I don't know that the American people want to see something like that happen, nor do I think the international community wants to see this regime in Iran get another free pass.

KEILAR: Jason Rezaian, thanks for being with us at this critical moment. We do appreciate it.

And ahead, President Trump's approval with independents, independent voters hitting a new low in the latest CNN poll. We'll take a look at the numbers next.

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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ERICA HILL, CNN HOST: A new CNN poll paints a troubling picture for President Trump just ahead of his State of the Union address tomorrow night. It shows his approval rating at just 36 percent. Support among key voting groups is also plunging with the make or break midterm elections on the horizon.

CNN Washington bureau chief and political director David Chalian is here now. So for the president, this is the lowest approval number that we have seen for him in his second term. How did we get here?

Where does this go? Can he bring it up?

DAVID CHALIAN, CNN WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF AND POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Yes, I mean, first of all, he's been hanging around this mark for the last five months or so. So this has been pretty consistent now that we've seen among independents. We've seen now a record low across both of his terms at 26 percent job approval among independents. And that's obviously giving heart palpitations to Republicans in Congress who are going to need those independents to get on board, as you noted, in the midterm election. So this is a tall task for him to go into the House chamber tomorrow and address the public because it's a skeptical public that the president will be meeting tomorrow.

[15:45:00]

HILL: Is a skeptical public and a public who has very clear ideas about what they want to hear from this president. And that's not what they're getting in this moment.

CHALIAN: Yes. I mean, 57 percent, a clear majority say economy, cost of living, that is what they most want to hear from him on. Nothing else comes close.

I mean, the list goes down. Foreign policy is at 2 percent, Erica. So when you're watching the speech tomorrow, anytime you hear him talking about Iran, talking about crime and safety, even talking about immigration, he's not talking where the majority of Americans want him to be talking.

HILL: I am struck. You mentioned immigration. Just the difference in that.

Economy and cost of living, 57 percent want to hear him talk about that, only 13 percent on immigration. We know how important both those issues were in the 2024 election, but that is pretty remarkable. And speaking of the 2024 election, the president does seem to want to stick in many ways to some of those issues, immigration being one of them.

But given what people want to hear about and what they would like addressed, I mean, he doesn't seem to be getting the message.

CHALIAN: I mean, nearly seven in 10 Americans in this poll, 68 percent say they don't believe he's focused on the right priorities. That is a very tough number. I would look to see how does he try and make some progress on that, convincing Americans tomorrow that he is on the right priorities.

Also, six in 10 Americans say his policies would put the country in the wrong direction. So it's not just -- they see him focused on the wrong things, and his proposals are not necessarily resonating with the majority of the people. But you note the election.

We've seen some key demographic groups really, I mean, among Latinos, 19 percent decline in job approval from just a year ago. Among young people, 18 to 34-year-olds, a 16 percent decline in approval from just a year ago, including what we talked about with independents. These groups actually helped deliver him the Oval Office two years ago.

HILL: Yes, really important. And there was a big -- you and I were talking about this briefly in the break -- but there was also a big drop among young Republicans in certain areas. And that stood out to me because, as you point out, they were critical in 2024. CHALIAN: Yes. Without a doubt.

HILL: All right, lots to watch for tomorrow night and lots to dig into in that poll. I would encourage people to go through some more of that on our website.

David, thank you -- Brianna.

KEILAR: Let's talk more about all of this now. I'm joined by former economic advisor to President Trump, Steve Moore. Stephen, great to have you. And you saw our polls there. 57 percent of Americans want Trump to focus his State of the Union speech on the economy. What should the president say tomorrow?

STEPHEN MOORE, FORMER TRUMP ECONOMIC ADVISER: Well he should first tell the American people about his economic successes. For example the big, beautiful tax bill that's saving the average family about $2,000 a year.

The fact that inflation, although its still not where we want it to be, its down to about 2.4 percent, which is a big, big improvement over remember, it hit almost 9 percent under Biden. You know, I was looking at those poll results you guys were just talking about. And its pretty clear to me that one of the turning points, because Trumps numbers were improving. And then we had these deportations and I think that was really unpopular with a lot of Americans.

And the reason I mention that is because Trump won the election on two issues inflation and illegal immigration. And he's done a very good job. I mean, were down like 93 percent in terms of illegal entries into the country which is something the American people want. Like, I don't think people supported the idea of going into cities and deporting people who are working and so on. So I think that was probably a mistaken policy.

KEILAR: On the economic piece of this. I was speaking during our program with a vulnerable Republican who wants the president to speak about the economy, really wants him to confront affordability head on and to level with the American people, as he put it, to talk about kind of what they're going through. So what is -- I hear what you're saying, which is he should focus on some of the things he's done and sell what you see as wins.

How much does he need to level with the American people and say I acknowledge, because the numbers show this, Stephen, that you're not feeling great about my economy. That I'm trying to tell you is great.

MOORE: Well, I guess I might try something Ronald Reagan did in the 80s which is stay the course you know, that were making improvements, that inflation still isn't where we want it to be, but its coming down in the right direction. You're going to get a big tax cut this year. People are going to start to feel that in their paychecks.

He should talk about not just the economy, but the fact that crime is down. Violent crime is down very substantially over the last year. And really talk about his victories. Look, those poll numbers are disturbing. As a Trump person, I would say, you know, they're problematic.

But Trump always sort of does better at the ballot box than he does in the polls. And so I think he's got plenty of time to convince the American people that were going to get the economy going in the right direction. I mean, the three areas that people are really concerned about is the price of groceries, the price of health care and the price of housing. And he's got to talk about solutions to those three things.

KEILAR: He's not on the ballot, but his policies are.

MOORE: That's right.

KEILAR: And there's a distinction that Americans are clearly making --

MOORE: Yes, for sure.

[15:50:00]

KEILAR: -- between, you know some people who might be standing by him. They might like him personally. They're not liking his policies.

I mean he's really in trouble there. And Republicans are going to have to answer for that. I wonder with that in mind after that Supreme Court decision, the president announcing ten and 15 percent tariffs.

Should he have used that Supreme Court decision as more of an off ramp instead of

MOORE: I think what President Trump will do tomorrow in that speech is say, listen, I have used this tariff policy -- and by the way, I don't always agree with Trump's tariff policies -- but it is true that he has used the threat of tariffs and the tariffs that he's imposed as a kind of bargaining tool against other countries. And he should talk about, look, I've gotten a better deal with China. I've gotten a better deal with India.

I've gotten a better deal with the Europeans.

KEILAR: How does he do that if -- I mean, I'm just thinking like as a parent, right? If I say, you know, I'm going to take something away from a child or something, right? And you use something sort of as a -- you use your sticks and your carrots.

The stick is, hey, you're going to forego something, but by the way, I can only withhold it from you for a certain amount of time. I will tell you --

MOORE: That certainly is a problem.

KEILAR: -- that doesn't -- you know this. That doesn't work as well.

MOORE: Well, it doesn't.

KEILAR: So is this a problem for him now that he's now only got these tools that have an expiration date? MOORE: That's why he was so angry with this Supreme Court decision, because his point was, look, I'm getting these very good deals with these countries. I'm leveling the playing field. I'm protecting American farmers and American manufacturers and American jobs.

And now this arrow that I have in my quiver, which is the threat of tariffs, I'm not going to be able to use that. So that's right -- but look, my own opinion is the Supreme Court did make the right decision here. We don't want this president or any president to make unilateral decisions about raising taxes.

It should all be passed through Congress. And maybe the next step is to ask Congress, will you approve these tariffs? Let's see what they have to say.

KEILAR: In an election year. Stephen, that's a whole --

MOORE: Well.

KEILAR: -- that's a whole other discussion of things that may never happen.

MOORE: But you know what, to be fair, I mean, Trump did say in the campaign many times, tariff is my favorite year. I mean, the voters knew what they were getting with Trump's trade policies.

KEILAR: Yes, it'll be really interesting to see if Congress would go for that. I'm not --

MOORE: I doubt they would.

KEILAR: I doubt they would.

MOORE: But at least let's have a vote.

KEILAR: We'll see. We'll see if they want to have a vote on things that won't pass. All right, Stephen Moore, thank you so much.

MOORE: Thank you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Next, House Speaker Mike Johnson just addressed affair allegations against Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez as at least one sitting lawmaker is calling on Gonzalez to resign. We are live at the Capitol next.

[15:55:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: House Speaker Mike Johnson has just addressed affair allegations against Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez of Texas at the same time that another member of the party is calling on Gonzalez to resign. HILL: So, Gonzalez, who is facing a primary next week, is accused of having an affair with a staffer who died by suicide last year. The congressman has denied the affair. He says he is being blackmailed.

CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju is live on Capitol Hill. So, Manu, what is the speaker saying?

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He's being very cautious about this. In fact, he says that there must be investigations first before any calls for Gonzalez to step aside, even as Johnson has previously endorsed Gonzalez ahead of the March 3 primary. He's actually fighting a pretty tough reelection battle against a conservative congressman who is a conservative candidate who has the support of the far-right House Freedom Caucus.

That's a faction within the House GOP backing Gonzalez's challenger. And just today, Lauren Boebert, a conservative congresswoman herself, said that Gonzalez should resign amid these very serious accusations of misconduct and affair allegations with a former staffer. I asked Johnson why he believes that Gonzalez should not resign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: Why should Tony Gonzalez resign, given these very serious accusations?

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), HOUSE SPEAKER: There are serious accusations, and it must be taken seriously, and I've told him he's got to address that with his constituents, and he's in the process of doing that.

You have to allow the investigations to play out and all the facts to come out. I've been intellectually consistent about this. Whether you're talking about Republicans or Democrats, you have to let the system play out. If someone -- you know, I was against, for example, the expulsion of George Santos a while back because he had been accused of a crime and indicted but not found guilty.

If the accusation of something is going to be the litmus test for someone being able to continue to serve in the House, you'll have a lot of people who would have to resign or be removed or expelled from Congress. So I think you've got to allow this to play out. I think it is very serious. The allegations are clearly very serious, and Tony Gonzalez will address it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU (on camera): And of course, if Gonzalez were to resign, then Mike Johnson would see his very narrow House majority get even narrower. Right now it's at 218 to 214 with three vacancies, meaning he could only afford to lose one Republican vote and any party-line vote. If Gonzalez were to resign and perhaps try to escape a House ethics inquiry into this situation, then it would just tighten that majority even further.

So Johnson has, of course, a reason for Gonzalez keeping that seat for now.

KEILAR: Yes, really tough stuff.

[16:00:00]

And he wants someone who is dependable when he has such a very close margin. Manu Raju, live for us on Capitol Hill. Very serious claims, Speaker Johnson is saying about this news about Congressman Gonzalez.

And "THE ARENA" with Kasie Hunt starts right now.

END