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Trump Takes Questions from Reporters at White House; Artemis II Crew Meets with Trump at the White House; Trump: Putin Offered to Help with Iran's Uranium Stockpiles; Interview with Rep. Rick McCormick (R- GA): Hegseth Testifies on Capitol Hill for First Time Since Iran War Began. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired April 29, 2026 - 14:30   ET

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

[14:30:00]

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... Or they're saying, man, that's incredible. So they're building these massive buildings that cost billions of dollars, and they're building their own electric plants. So they're not taking from a source or the old grid, you know, an old grid that would be able to do it.

No, we're leading with everything. But in the history of our beautiful world, there's never been a country that has so much money being invested in it as us. And tremendous number of auto plants, by the way, the auto plants are coming out of Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Germany, they're all coming to the United States.

And the reason is I have a very smart tariff policy. We were taken advantage of for years, we're being ripped off by other countries for years. And those days are over.

Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, regarding Iran, how long are you prepared to maintain the blockade? Could that go several more months?

TRUMP: Well, the blockade is genius, OK. The blockade has been 100 percent foolproof. It shows how good our Navy is, I can tell you that nobody's going to play games.

We have the greatest military in the world. And I built much of it during my first term. And we've been building it since and the greatest anywhere in the world, nobody even close.

And you see that every -- whether it's Venezuela, which and they have a good military in Venezuela, but it was over in one day, it was actually over in about 48 minutes. Iran, the same thing. I mean, militarily, we've wiped them out.

They have no military left there. It's all -- the Navy's at the bottom of the sea, the Air Force is never going to fly again. We've got an amazing military. Now we now they have to cry uncle, that's all they have to do just say, we give up.

We give up. But their economy is really in trouble. It's a dead economy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Epic Fury and the blockade, get Iran to nuclear talks fast enough? Or do you think another wave of strikes will be necessary?

TRUMP: I don't know. It depends. We have talks.

We're having talks with him now. And we're not flying anymore with 18 hour flights every time we want to see a piece of paper, we're doing it telephonically.

And it's very nice. I make a call or I have my people make a call. And you know, the answer.

I always like face to face, you know, I consider it better. But when you have to fly 18 hours every time you want to have a meeting, and you know what the meeting is all about. And you know, they're going to give you a piece of paper that you don't like before you even leave. It's ridiculous.

They've come a long way. The question is whether or not they're going to go far enough. So at this moment, there will never be a deal unless they agree that there will be no nuclear weapons.

Yes, go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you considering relocating NASA's headquarters out of D.C. states like Florida, Texas and Ohio have expressed interest?

TRUMP: You're going to have to say it differently.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sorry. Are you considering relocating NASA's headquarters out of D.C. once the leases up, in states like Texas, Ohio and Florida?

TRUMP: Well, the best man to tell you that is a man sitting right over here. You heard that question with those beautiful ears of yours. He's got great hearing, you know, super. He's got super hearing.

JARED ISAACMAN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: Trick of the trade, sir.

TRUMP: And what's the answer?

ISAACMAN: I think the answer to that is we have a number -- we have 10 amazing centers around the country that all kind of bubble up to contribute to the mission we're able to undertake like Artemis II.

I think in terms of the headquarters, we have a lot of people very interested in our mission. So being here in D.C. gives us the opportunity to kind of interact from all our stakeholders, make sure we make the right decisions for the nation.

TRUMP: Yes, D.C. is an advantage, I guess, for you. It's got to go around. It's got to see some senators, make sure they keep going, right? ISAACMAN: Yes, Mr. President, probably.

TRUMP: Staying around sounds so bad. And importantly, Washington, D.C., is now one of the safest cities in the country. When I came here a little more than a year ago, it was a very unsafe city. And now, maybe even more importantly than that, we have the hottest country anywhere in the world. And you help make it hot.

You know, you help make it hot. When a year and a half ago, and I say it a lot, the king of Saudi Arabia and others also, the king of Saudi Arabia said, Mr. President, a year and a half ago, a year ago, we thought you had a dead country. We thought the United States was a dead country.

And now you have the hottest country anywhere in the world. And we do. And believe it or not, I mean, when everybody in the world was watching that incredible performance by NASA, these incredible people behind me, where they get the bravery, I have no idea.

But you're a big part of it. We have the hottest country in the world. Thank you very much, everybody.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, thank you, sir.

[14:35:00]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: We've been watching President Trump answer questions from reporters as he is flanked by the crew of Artemis II alongside the NASA administrator. Most of the conversation from the president had nothing to do with that historic mission. He did answer a number of questions about Iran, notably his one and a half hour call today with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. He said that Putin offered to help the United States with handling that highly enriched uranium that is believed to be hundreds of feet under Iranian soil, the crux of this ongoing stalemate in negotiations with Tehran.

President Trump saying that he told Putin he prefers help on a ceasefire with Ukraine. He spoke extensively about the possibility that Putin may declare a ceasefire with Ukraine.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins was in the room and asked, which war do you think ends first? The president seemed amused with that question and said, maybe they're on a similar timetable.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yes, he talked about James Comey. He talked about crime in Washington, D.C. And I think we should just also point out this is what a tough spot for these incredibly accomplished astronauts who have just renewed so much interest in space travel with their incredible achievement of this Artemis II mission. You know, two of them are active duty military, one of them Canadian, by the way.

So you can understand being in the middle of a situation like this where some of this is getting politicized. It's just it's extraordinary. It's bizarre.

And it's not an incredibly comfortable position. It's really, the whole point of them being at the White House is supposed to be to acknowledge their achievements. We'll talk about that in a moment. Let's first talk about these important headlines.

We are obviously at a critical point in the middle of this war with Iran and also the war in Ukraine. Let's go to retired Army Major General James "Spider" Marks to talk about that. What did you think about what you heard there?

And also this idea of Russia being interested in this highly enriched uranium and that being part of their conversation?

MAJ. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes, I'm not surprised that Putin raised his hand and said, I can help you with that. And I appreciate the president's response, which is let's cover Ukraine. I want you to focus on Ukraine, see if we can get this thing terminated in a favorable way.

And then in terms of Kaitlan's question to the president, which was a good one, you've got two wars ongoing right now. What do you think the horizon looks like for these two? President offered his opinion.

I think, frankly, looking at what has been accomplished in Iran so far, where we are and the possibility of what I would call a phase three post ceasefire and then maybe a continuation of a ceasefire and a new protocol in terms of what's going on moving forward. We may be closer to an off ramp there. And clearly what's happening in Ukraine.

Look, we are smack dab in the middle of what's known as the fighting season. Russia has indicated a no desire to stop. I think the longer term challenge that Putin has there is that his economy is completely in the -- it's a basket case. It's a wartime economy.

And even if he were to give up fighting today, he would have significant challenges recovering that economy back to the prewar state that it was four years ago. But if he could have a ceasefire, if it could be sustained, I would posit that maybe the markets would open back up and corporate -- all the different corporate entities would be based on conditions, be prepared to go back into Russia, and that could be part of his recovery.

But that's a long term effort on his part. So looking at these two, I think it's fair to say we are postured in Iran to continue military operations. That's what you have with the carrier strike groups you have with the Marines, you have with the possibility of troops on the ground coming your Army troops on the ground that could be there in just a matter of hours.

And that gives that combatant commander options. If there was going to be some determination about highly enriched uranium, and that is the issue. Clearly, we have to continue operations through the Straits and those have to be maintained.

But it's all about the highly enriched uranium. And so far, that's nonnegotiable on both sides. I have heard and I've read that there could be the possibility of buying the highly enriched uranium. That seems like that might be a pretty good start, as long as we can have a protocol to go forward to make sure that they don't get back into their behavior of continuing the enrichment.

SANCHEZ: Sure. General Marks, please stand by. Let's bring in CNN's Tom Foreman for the sort of NASA aspect of this conversation.

The president seemed to recognize the tough spot that he was putting these astronauts in. He actually said, quote, I don't want to get you guys involved. I can't imagine what you're thinking as he's talking about all of these political issues, James Comey, etc.

It was also notable that at one point he was asked the question about NASA headquarters and he pivoted to the NASA administrator and sort of unnecessarily threw a dig at him about his years.

[14:40:00]

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, yes. He said, I know you're in a tough spot. And then he made it tougher.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

FOREMAN: By kind of saying, you know, I know what you're thinking, which also can be read as, you agree with me. I'm not going to have you speak about that.

Yes, what they did here was really remarkable. This flight of Artemis II is, you know, honestly, I think one of the few things that we can point to in a big way in this country in the past several months or whatever, where a lot of people, left and right, would agree this was an amazing accomplishment. And isn't it great that they went out there?

And this was an accomplishment that was built over many years, not just Donald Trump's years. But nonetheless, they're there to be honored and almost no time at all. You're seeing there when he talked to them in space, he talked to the astronauts much longer in space than he did when they were in the room with them.

SANCHEZ: It's also notable, Tom, because as this was going on, you pointed out that the Trump administration has tried to take money away from NASA.

FOREMAN: Yes, this is kind of like embracing your guests for the party while you're having their cars towed. Because, I mean, the thing is, right now the Trump administration, just like they did last year, is trying to get almost a quarter of the NASA budget removed, much of it for science programs. This has met opposition from Republicans and from Democrats.

The Planetary Society, founded by the great Carl Sagan, now championed by Bill Nye and others, has said you cannot do this. If you do this, you will strip away the U.S. dominance of space at the very time that China is trying desperately to take over that dominance and beat the United States to Mars and beat the United States to setting up a moon base. So even some people who want to support it are saying, well, the problem is, if you cut that much out, a lot of that does directly impinge upon your ability to keep running missions like the Artemis mission.

So, kind of a fraught moment. It could have just been a normal press availability, where he said wonderful things about the astronauts, and they said thanks for the opportunity, and that was the end of it. But it turned into something very different.

KEILAR: Yes, could have seen more astronauts.

FOREMAN: And we barely saw them at all.

KEILAR: That's right. Tom Foreman, thank you so much. General Marks appreciate it.

And after a quick break, we'll be talking to a lawmaker about a big day on Capitol Hill. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testifying for the first time since the Iran war began. He said that the war has cost $25 billion, and that's just so far.

We'll talk about that next.

[14:45:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Back now to the breaking news on Capitol Hill. Right now, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is getting grilled by lawmakers in his first hearing since the Iran war began.

Earlier, the Pentagon said the war has cost roughly $25 billion so far. Democrats confronting the Secretary over the price tag, as well as a number of other things. Here's one exchange.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RO KHANNA (D-CA), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: Do you know how much it will cost Americans in terms of their increased cost in gas and food over the next year because of the Iran war?

PETE HEGSETH, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: I would simply ask you what the cost is of an Iranian nuclear bomb.

KHANNA: I want to give --

HEGSETH: I would simply ask you what the -- You're playing gotcha questions about domestic things. I'm not --

KHANNA: You're asking -- you're saying it's a gotcha question to ask what it's going to be in terms of the increased cost of gas?

HEGSETH: Why won't you ask what it costs to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb?

KHANNA: I give you that, sir, but let me -- HEGSETH: What would it cost? What would you pay to ensure Iran doesn't

get a nuclear bomb? What would you pay?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: We're joined now by a member of the Armed Services Committee, Georgia Republican Congressman Rich McCormick. He served in the Marine Corps as a helicopter pilot. Thank you so much for being with us.

Can you talk to us about how you're seeing that price tag? The Secretary did not seem to want to discuss sort of the domestic repercussions of it, but obviously that's something you and your colleagues cannot avoid. I know you're hearing about it from constituents.

Should American taxpayers be OK with $25 billion and growing?

REP. RICH MCCORMICK (D-GA), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: That's less than 3 percent of the military budget that goes towards keeping Iran from being a nuclear power. I say it's a good investment. Five presidents, five presidents in a row said that Iran cannot become a nuclear power.

It happened to come on Trump's watch that they were going to become a nuclear power, and it couldn't be allowed. I mean, if it was Hillary, she said she would invade. We've seen other presidential people say we're not going to allow that.

I just think it was the time to act. I don't think we had a choice in the matter.

KEILAR: And on the price of gas and the price of products that are affected by the holdup of everything in the Strait, the effect on farmers, what about that?

MCCORMICK: Yes, I get it. It's going to be an inflationary cost for a short period. I hope we get to the other side of this very quickly.

But once again, imagine the cost of a nuclear-armed Iran. This is a country who said they're going to rain down fire from heaven on the great Satan. It's not just little Israel.

They call that the little Satan. We're the great Satan, and they've threatened us literally, seemingly through nuclear armament. And I don't trust an autocratic theocracy with nuclear arms.

And I think that would be far more expensive to the American public.

KEILAR: But the administration had also assured Americans that their nuclear ambitions were obliterated in Iran with Operation Midnight Hammer. He's now saying to his aides that they need to prepare for an extended blockade of Iran's ports. So I hear you saying that this is temporary, but he's talking about an extended blockade of Iran's ports, which sounds like a very different story than what you're talking about in terms of being temporary.

[14:50:00] MCCORMICK: We have a choice. We need to get the nuclear-enriched uranium out of Iran. If they hand it over to us, they allow us access.

I know Putin said he'd help, which kind of makes me laugh, because of course he'd help. He'd love to get his hands on that. But 10 nuclear arms worth of upgraded uranium, that's a lot of uranium. We have to lay our hands on. That's part of the agreement, that first of all, they have to hand that over and not pursue it again. That's the thing -- that's the crux of the issue right now.

And until it becomes painful enough for them to do that, they won't. And that's where we're at right now. Unfortunately, the only other option is to literally go in there and obliterate the entire nation, and then go and take it by force, which I think would cost us more American lives.

KEILAR: Secretary Hegseth said the biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless, and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans. He's talking about lawmakers, including veterans of the forever wars, who have been raising critical concerns and questions about this war. Isn't that what Congress is supposed to do?

MCCORMICK: You know, I don't imagine there's anything wrong with calling into question what the strategy is, or even the intent is. That's open for debate. I think you have to be very careful.

And I do think it's reckless when you say the president's going to be held up on war crimes, because, quite frankly, we as military leaders cannot execute a plan without breaking the law then ourselves, because we're not allowed to follow orders that are unlawful.

KEILAR: If I can just rewind there because he's talking about the defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans. I don't know that that would include what specifically that talking point that you're talking about. He seems to be talking about people who aren't on board with the administration, which is a very different thing that you're talking about.

Is it an acceptable role of Congress to be asking those questions, to be challenging the administration about a war, especially when Congress has been cut out of the policy decisions here?

MCCORMICK: There's no problem challenging that premise. But I think what he's referring to is people who are literally cheering for the enemy, happy when they get something through a blockade, happy when something goes wrong, calling into question whether this is a lawful war, whether we're going to be prosecuted for war crimes, including the military, because once again, we can't follow an unlawful order.

KEILAR: Do you see that broadly happening? Do you see that broadly happening with Democrats and some Republicans, that they're celebrating and cheering when Iran gets something through a blockade?

MCCORMICK: No, but I do see some people doing that, and that is problematic. And I think it's, quite frankly, unpatriotic too. KEILAR: I don't know if that's what he's talking about, because he's talking broadly about Democrats and some Republicans, and that they're the biggest adversary here. Are they really a bigger challenge or adversary than Iran, which is holding the global economy hostage and has killed and injured U.S. troops?

MCCORMICK: Oh, I agree. Iran is the ultimate enemy. They've attacked us over 40 times through proxies.

We lost 1,000 Americans, including three Georgians, just two years ago when I'd President Biden to actually go after those factories, when they fired on our Naval ships to sink their Navy. I've been calling for the consistency, whether it's Biden or Trump, I've been very consistent in this policy and its application. And I get why the Secretary of War is very frustrated right now with those people who would hold out against that.

KEILAR: And finally, the original timeline from the White House was four to six weeks. We're not seeing a resolution here. Is it time for Congress to get involved?

We're two days away from the 60-day notification to Congress.

MCCORMICK: I think we're going to have that day real soon. I think the majority of this war is over unless we want to get more violent. I hope we don't.

I hope that this will cripple their economy enough with a blockade that they actually cannot fund their force anymore, and they actually come to the table and do the right thing. Right thing not only for world peace, but for their own people. And that's my hope.

I can't predict the future as far as how we're going to negotiate this. But we started it. I think we should finish it.

I've been asking for this for a long time, regardless of who the president is.

KEILAR: How much time has to pass from now before that answer changes from you?

MCCORMICK: That's a great question. Actually, I want to point out to American people, for people who are watching, anytime these days -- we're a little bit spoiled. I mean, we spent very little as far as we're talking about the capital of American lives and the civilian casualties over there.

This is about the cleanest you've ever seen a war executed. We've gone out of our way to do this right. And war is a horrible thing.

Don't get me wrong. I never want to see war. I hate war.

My sons are of age, they can join the Marine Corps right now. I had friends die in every deployment I've ever been on. I wear a bracelet in honor of people I know. But sometimes the price is worth what you're paying. And in this case, you keep the entire region stabilized and keep us all safe as Americans into the future. And I think that's really important.

KEILAR: Yes, I will just say the war isn't over.

[14:55:00]

And we often don't know the cost of the war for years and years afterwards. But I guess we'll see. Congressman Rich McCormick, thank you so much for being with us.

MCCORMICK: Thanks for having me on.

KEILAR: Ahead on CNN NEWS CENTRAL, the former director of the FBI surrendering at court this afternoon. James Comey not entering a plea but posting on social media that he is innocent and that he's not afraid. We'll have that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Now to some of the other headlines that we're watching this hour. London police have arrested a 45-year-old man in what is described as a terrorist incident. A suspect stabbed two Jewish men in broad daylight today.

Authorities say the suspect is seen in this surveillance video lunging toward one of the victims with a knife. The suspect shoved the other victim against a sign before stabbing ...

END