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Trump Speaks with Reporters; Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) is Interviewed about New Air Force One and Democratic Primary Wins; Duke University's Ashley Ward is Interviewed about the Threat of Extreme Heat; Medicare to Cover Weight Loss Drugs. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired July 01, 2026 - 08:30   ET

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

[08:30:00]

GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, Sara, I do want to say very quickly, I know people are wondering. It's gray, it's round, it's made of concrete, it's kind of ugly, frankly, Madison Square Garden, why would Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have their wedding inside of it? Well, you know, in some ways it makes a lot of sense. This is going to be an extremely secure location. No windows. Very difficult access. So, it does sort of make sense if they're trying to have an event where prying eyes and certainly lots of Swifties that are expected to descend to catch a glimpse of the couple will not be able to get into.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: OK, Gloria, girl, you gonna need security calling Madison Square Garden kind of ugly because, after the Knicks win, like, I'm worried about you. I'm concerned about you and Bonnie (ph) out there. You guys better, like, get somebody to stand around you. Don't say that so loud, Gloria. Don't say it so loud.

Thank you so much for your reporting. I do appreciate it.

PAZMINO: Just saying. Just saying.

SIDNER: All right. Kate.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: It's the -- it's the esthetics that might not be attractive. The inside soul of it is just pure New York.

SIDNER: That's -- very well done. That's it, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Exactly. I'll defend Gloria always, always.

SIDNER: I like it. I think --

BOLDUAN: All right, on to this.

This morning, millions of Americans are facing. I mean, it's just hot, hot, hot. And so many areas are expected to see, it's not just one day, but consecutive days of triple digit, very dangerous heat. We're talking about all of that and bringing you the forecast.

And one custom puffer jacket, 22 live crabs -- and we're going to go to this, Donald Trump speaking out for -- outside Joint Base Andrews.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I said to Boeing, what's the best one? They said, this is the best plane ever built. And you're going to have the privilege of flying it. And I have a privilege also of flying it.

But this is the first flight. We're going to the Teddy Roosevelt Presidential Library's opening. And that will be very good. That will be a lot of fun.

But I think, you know, to be honest with you, I am excited about the first flight. It's something --nobody's ever seen anything like it. Even you people with all your experience and all of your talents, you will never see anything like this.

So, they just completed it. They made it appropriate for a president. That means the security and all of the different bells and whistles. They put on very complex stuff. But it's really quite something.

And this is a plane that the United States of America should have. Our Air Force One was 35, 36 years old, and it would be parked next to the new ones like this. And it really didn't look appropriate for our country.

So, we're very proud of this. The country's very proud of it.

And you can do two things. You can low key it or you can show it. And I think the country should be very proud of it. And it's beautiful. And you'll see that in a little while when you board.

As far as things are going, the denuclearization of Iran is moving along well. They've had very good meetings. And we'll see. We hit them very hard for three nights, as you know. But we're getting along very well. So, I call it the denuclearization. And it's all taking place. It's all going well.

The stock market is setting records virtually every day. The oil prices, way down. We're down at $68. I see it hit $68 today. That's lower than when I started the, I guess you could call it, an attack on Iran so that they never have a nuclear weapon. So, the oil price is now lower. The retail prices, the gasoline is coming down rapidly. And if you have any questions, let's go.

REPORTER: Mr. President, what's your favorite upgrade to the new plane and how much did it cost American taxpayers to upgrade the plane?

TRUMP: Well, of course, very little relative to what it would cost if we did it a different way. So, this was a gift from a country that's treated us very well. And they're an ally of us over in the Middle East, Qatar. And I went to Boeing, I said, who has the best one? They said, Qatar. There's no -- there's never been a plane like it.

Frankly, we couldn't build a plane like this because we wouldn't be willing to spend the kind of money necessary. They spent top dollar. So, the head of Boeing said, this is considered the best 747 they've ever built. And I went to Qatar, I said, I'd like to use it for a period of time because the other ones, as you know, are under construction. They'll be here in two years. And because, you know, the plane is 35 years old.

So, I said, I'd like to use it. And the emir, Thani, who's a great gentleman, he said, no, no, I'd like to make a contribution to the country.

So, you know, it was very nice. And we were able to do it in about five months, you know, bring it up to the presidential standard, meaning security wise.

[08:35:00]

And you're going to get -- you're going to get a kick out of it. There's just nothing like it.

REPORTER: And, Mr. President, your financial disclosure shows you had a very lucrative year last year. What message does this send to average Americans, especially those who are struggling right now financially?

TRUMP: Well, I, you know, I don't get involved in my personal -- we have funds that run my money and --

REPORTER: But you are benefiting. I mean we're talking (INAUDIBLE).

TRUMP: Well, I've made a lot of money before I became president, and they invest my money. And I don't talk to them. I never -- I don't even speak to them. So, I have many people, I don't know what they call it, closed accounts or something. You put your money in and that's it. I don't talk to them. They're big institutions and they run it.

But, yes, I've had a great career. In business I've had a great career.

REPORTER: Concerns about conflict of interest?

TRUMP: I don't know if I've had a better career in politics or business, but I had a great career in business. And, you know, you saw the cash and you report the different things. And what they do is, we gave it, I think it's called a blind account, but they basically they take it. And I purposely -- I never speak to any of the people that run the money, but they're at big institutions and they invest in whatever they invest. I don't know.

REPORTER: But critics who say -- but critics will say you're profiting off the presidency.

TRUMP: Well, you know why I'm profiting, because the stock market's going up. Everybody's profiting. If you have a -- you have a 401(k)? How's your 401(k) done? It's about up 85 percent. Thank you, President Trump.

So, we're all profiting. I'm profiting because I have a lot of money and a lot of cash and we -- I give it to institutions. I don't know if they know what they're doing or not, but they buy a vast array of things.

REPORTER: President Trump, you've been meeting with Secretary Hegseth and General Caine about potentially returning to an all-out war with Iran. Does this mean you've been unhappy with Iran's adherence to the MOU?

TRUMP: Well, I think they've come a long way. We hit them very hard last week. I think they're fine. I think we're going to -- it's the denuclearization of Iran. It's very simple. And Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon otherwise all of this stuff that we look at, all of these things that we do, the country's never had activity like it's got right now.

So, we're building more factories and car plants and other things. We went for years without ever building one car plant. Now we're building many car plants. We're building A.I. We're building -- we're building all over the country. $19.1 trillion being invested. The record was like two. And we've got 19.1. And it's going to continue.

And when those buildings open, you're going to see something like the country's never seen before. That's why the stock market's going up every day. That's why your 401(k), because everybody benefits. When the stock market goes up, everybody benefits. More jobs, more everything. And we're creating more jobs. We have more people working today than have ever worked in the history of our country. It's great. And that's before these places open. They'll be opening up over the next year, and we have them coming into Taiwan.

We have, from Taiwan, we have more chip makers. And the biggest -- the biggest company in the world, actually, the chip maker. But they're coming in. They're building in Arizona. And they just announced they're going to double the size.

We could have 50 percent of the chip market by the time I leave office. You know what we had now? Nothing. And then I got, as a gift, another gift, I said to Intel, give the United States of -- they needed something. They needed some help. The chip maker. I said, give the United States of America -- I'll do it for you, but give the United States of America 10 percent of your company. He said, you have a deal. He said it so fast. I said, I should have asked for more.

But he said, you have a deal. And that stake is now worth $80 billion. I made $80 billion for the country in eight months. Does anybody talk about it? No.

Have a good time. Have a good flight. Enjoy the plane.

REPORTER: Mr. President, real quick, quick question. Got DNI Pulte over there as the new director. We also know you have the task force set up on declassification, maybe looking -- talking about international, maybe looking at some declassification. Are you able to give us an update on that?

TRUMP: We are. We declassify almost everything. And, you know, by the way, we have Jay Clayton who's going in. You know, Bill Pulte's a very talented guy, but he's just there temporarily until Jay Clayton. And Jay Clayton is going through the process. And Jay Clayton, highly respected. And so is Bill Pulte. But Bill is there just for a fairly short period of time. But while he's there, I said, you can declassify whatever you want.

REPORTER: Do you think we're going to get something soon on maybe 2020 --

TRUMP: I told him he can do it as fast -- you got to ask him.

REPORTER: All right.

TRUMP: But I think -- he's a friend of yours. I think that --

REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE).

TRUMP: I think that Bill will declassify. I told him you can declassify whatever you want.

So, Bill's there just, you know, for maybe a month or two months or something. And Jay is going through the process. He's got a hearing in two weeks. Highly respected man, Jay Clayton. OK.

REPORTER: Thank you.

TRUMP: Thank you.

So, you get any more Pulitzer Prizes?

[08:40:01]

REPORTER: Not yet.

TRUMP: You know what, a Pulitzer Prize, a picture of the plane.

Margo (ph), are you taking care of everybody?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course.

TRUMP: How's Margo? OK?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).

TRUMP: Thank you, everybody. Thank you.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump right there boarding the new Air Force One for his first flight on this plane that was a gift from Qatar. Of course, a foreign nation, and then retrofitted by U.S. taxpayer dollars. It's the first time he is flying on this plane. It is meant to serve as a temporary gap between the old planes used as Air Force One and two more that are being constructed right now. And then it's expected this plane could very well end up in the Trump presidential library. This is the president's first time flying on it.

A few things that he said there that need clearing up. He said, Jay Clayton will be the DNI. He's going through the process. The Director of National Intelligence. He wasn't going through the process because the president basically canceled a hearing for Jay Clayton. So, the reason that the process has been delayed is because of the president. He might very well be the Director of National Intelligence now, not Bill Pulte.

The president was also asked about reports that he's made an enormous amount of money since being in office. This from new financial disclosures. We just had Eric Lipton from "The New York Times" on talking about the billions of dollars, perhaps, certainly over $1 billion, the president's made since in office. The president said he doesn't know anything about it. It's all handled by private people. But he said it with his two sons standing right behind him, two people who are actually involved with that money. He said, yes, I don't ever talk to the people who do anything with this money. The two sons right behind him, they were right there.

With us now is Congressman Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat from Virginia.

Congressman, good to see you.

I just want to read a quote from that "New York Times" article I was referencing about the president's financial disclosure. Eric Lipton from "The Times" writes, "never before in American history has there been anything like Donald J. Trump, a president who, in his first year back in office, has collected about $1.4 billion in new revenues from cryptocurrency businesses that directly benefited from his actions as president."

What is your reaction to the news of his disclosure?

REP. SUHAS SUBRAMANYAM (D-VA): It's not surprising. We've known for a long time now that the president is using his office to personally benefit to the tune of billions of dollars. We know that his sons are operating this grift and that they're going around the world and selling our foreign policy to make the family more money. And it continues. It's not like they've stopped. It's not like they've tried to hide it very well. They've used crypto to try to mask who the contributors are, but that only goes so far.

What's also interesting from that press conference is, I think he admitted that he solicited the gift of the plane from Qatar. And so, that's -- you know, if I solicited a gift of more than a couple hundred dollars, I would be sanctioned. And so, he solicited a $400 million gift from Qatar. So, this is the way the president has been operating. He has used his office to benefit himself and his family financially.

BERMAN: You are on the House Oversight Committee. If Democrats retake control of Congress, what plans do you have? What suggestions would you have to your committee chair for dealing with this new information?

SUBRAMANYAM: Oh, we plan to do our job, which is to have oversight over one of the most corrupt administrations in modern history. There is so much to investigate. And we're talking about hundreds of different cases, not just the president, but cabinet members, deputies who are all taking advantage of their position to earn themselves and their families and friends more money. And so, this is something that should have been investigated starting last year but Republicans in Congress decided that they work for the president, not for the American people. And that's why, if we are in charge, we are going to have real accountability and oversight.

BERMAN: The president said he doesn't talk to the people who handle his money. Again, his two sons were standing directly behind him when he said that. Would you call Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., before your committee to testify about this?

SUBRAMANYAM: Oh, 100 percent. Remember, the president also pushed Oversight Republicans to bring in Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, right? And so they've said now, and set the precedent now that even the president himself is not immune to having to testify before Congress. That was a precedent that was very rare before. So, even the president himself has made himself fair game, but certainly his family and all the people around him who have benefited financially should be investigated. They should come before a committee and answer tough questions under oath.

BERMAN: So, Democratic primaries continue throughout the summer. And last night in Colorado, for the third time in eight days, a Democratic incumbent was beaten in a primary, Diana DeGette. What message are voters sending you who are in office right now?

SUBRAMANYAM: Yes, voters are frustrated. They want change. And they don't just want change in the White House or in the Republican Party, they want change in the Democratic Party, too. And so, it's not surprising to see a lot of people who are outside of D.C. winning some of these races.

[08:45:06]

And that's probably going to continue. And until we are in a position where we're providing real oversight, aka in the majority, I think voters are frustrated and they want to see more results from the Democratic Party, too.

BERMAN: And some of these candidates who have won these primaries want to see more results from Democratic leadership? Melat Kiros, who won the primary in Colorado last night, has indicated she will not support Hakeem Jeffries for party leader. Darializa Avila Chevalier, here in New York, has indicated she will not support or might not support Hakeem Jeffries for party leader.

Do you think he's the right man for it if voters are calling for change, Democratic voters?

SUBRAMANYAM: Yes, Hakeem Jeffries is the best person to lead us into the majority and keep us united. Even now, we have, DSA members and we have blue dog members who are far to the center, and they all come together on votes because Hakeem Jeffries keeps them together. He's also raised the money. He's gone all around the country. He's fighting all these redistricting fights. And so, he's far and away the best person to lead us into the future. And I think, when we're in the majority, there's going to be a lot of infighting in the Democratic caucus. And so, you need someone like Hakeem Jeffries who can actually keep people together.

BERMAN: What do you say to these at least two candidates, and there may be more saying they may not support him?

SUBRAMANYAM: Yes. I mean, I don't even know if they've met Hakeem Jeffries, frankly. I welcome them to the caucus. I'd like to see them come and join our caucus meetings and get to be more integrated into what's going on here. And I'd love to see their ideas for change too. But, you know, if they want to vote for someone else for leader, if someone else wants to run for leader, they're welcome to, I just don't expect them to win.

BERMAN: Congressman Suhas Subramanyam, thank you so much for being with us this morning. Always appreciate talking to you.

Sara.

SIDNER: All right, thank you, John.

Ahead, a father facing charges this morning after police say they stopped an eight year old riding a jet ski all by himself. More on this. By the way, guilty.

Anyway, millions of Americans are facing dangerously hot weather this holiday weekend. How we need to adapt as temperatures get a lot hotter. Dangerously so.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:51:53]

SIDNER: The dangerous heat wave is upon us. Day after day of scorching temperatures, 100 degrees, over and over and over again in places like D.C. as we head into the July 4th weekend. One hundred and fifty million Americans under heat alerts today across the eastern half of the U.S. And some of our biggest cities may hit 100 degrees over and over and over and over again at the very time we're all going outside to enjoy the July 4th weekend. It is a dangerous time.

Let me give you some sense. We talked about D.C. Let's go to Philadelphia, set to see three straight days there as well of 100- degree heat. And New York City, three straight days at or near 100 degrees. Central Park hasn't seen that since 2012.

Joining me now is Ashley Ward, the director for the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke University's Nicholas Institute.

It's good to see you.

Let's talk about this. Look, people go, it's summer. It's going to be hot. Like, yes, we're used to this. What's different about what we're seeing now? ASHLEY WARD, HEAT POLICY INNOVATION HUB DIRECTOR, DUKE UNIVERSITY'S

NICHOLAS INSTITUTE: Certainly. I mean, it is summer and it is hot. And this is one of the big issues that I think -- it makes this situation so dangerous because people don't fully understand their risk.

One thing that people need to know is that with climate change we're now seeing the baseline is higher. So, while things like heat domes and these high-pressure areas are typical weather events, they're starting at a temperature that is higher than what we've seen in the past. So, it's much easier for these events to then move into those extreme record-breaking temperatures that you're talking about. And also with high humidity, which makes it particularly dangerous for human health.

SIDNER: Look, I guess we need to talk about who's -- we're showing some video now of people, you know, grabbing water for, you know, and kind of trying to stay hydrated. Who is at the most risk here as you see these temperatures where even at night you can't really cool down, even in the evening hours. What -- who needs to protect themselves the most and what should they be thinking about?

WARD: Well, I'm so glad you mentioned overnight temperatures, because, you're right, that is actually very dangerous. When we see most -- a majority of the health outcomes occur when overnight temperatures are persistently high and coupled with these daytime temperatures, high temperature and humidity. The people who are vulnerable are those that, you know, live alone, have chronic conditions, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, something that most people might not understand is some of the medications they take can interrupt your body's thermoregulatory process. So, people who take medications for things like high blood pressure, anti-anxiety or anti-depression medication, very common medications, actually make it harder for your body to thermoregulate.

Of course, pregnant women, people who work outside or in high heat exposure jobs, like manufacturing. Even those who work like in delivery or food service industries.

[08:55:04]

If they come home and they can't recover from exposure during the day, you know, in some of the parts of the country that you mentioned, not everybody has air condition.

SIDNER: That's right.

WARD: Our communities weren't built for the air condition. So, if you do have an air conditioner, you know, it's important that you're able to afford to run it, that it's efficient and effective at adequately cooling your home. So, there's a lot of elements to this (AUDIO GAP) like this where we have an environmental exposure that is coupled with people doing all kinds of activities, whether it's work or social activities, and then their ability to cool themselves at home.

SIDNER: It's a, it's a really good point. I know we're going to have you on more, Ashley. We are out of time. But I've also been to Durham, where y'all are at, and I -- it's just such a beautiful place, but it also gets real hot there as well.

WARD: It does.

SIDNER: So, stay safe and we'll be talking to you a lot over these many, many next weeks and months.

Ashley Wward, thank you so much. I do appreciate it.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: So, starting today, Medicare will start covering the cost of GLP-1s, those wildly popular drugs for weight loss for the very first time. It's a pilot program and could cut the cost of prescriptions for meds like Wegovy and Zepbound from hundreds of dollars a month to just $50. By one estimate, nearly four million people could receive this benefit.

Joining us now is CNN's Tami Luhby, who's got more details on this.

So, Tammy, who qualifies for this?

TAMI LUHBY, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: Yes, Kate, this is a very exciting time for many, many seniors who have been waiting for years for Medicare to treat obesity just like any other condition. As you mentioned, it's estimated nearly four million people will qualify. That's from KFF, a nonpartisan research group.

However, not everyone who -- not every Medicare enrollee who's obese or has -- is overweight will qualify. There are very strict conditions. You have to have a BMI of over 30 -- of 35 or more, or you have to have a BMI of 30 to 35 with other conditions, such as uncontrolled high blood pressure or a certain type of heart failure or prediabetes. Or you can have -- you can have a BMI of 27 to 30 and have prediabetes, a previous heart attack or stroke or blocked arteries in your arms and legs.

But many seniors, even though this seems rather clear, many seniors and doctors have told me that they're unsure whether they qualify, and they're going to have to wait to go through the process.

BOLDUAN: Yes, it's going to be -- a lot of people are going to be asking these exact questions of exactly what are the parameters here. Which medications are specifically covered? And is -- are the estimates spot on that it could be -- just be $50 a month?

LUHBY: Yes, the $50 a month is under a deal that President Donald Trump signed with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly last November as part of his most favored nation agreements. So, the manufacturers agreed to sell to Medicare the medications for $245 a month, and seniors will be paying -- or Medicare enrollees will be paying $50 a month. And they can receive the Wegovy tablet or injection. They can receive the Eli Lilly's Foundayo tablet, or they can get the KwikPen, the Zepbound KwikPen, but it doesn't cover the Zepbound single dose vials or injections.

BOLDUAN: So interesting. Tami, thank you so much. This -- I mean, that is quite a savings for so many people who've been waiting for this. I appreciate it.

John.

BERMAN: All right, off of Florida's Gulf Coast, police stopped an eight-year-old that was riding alone on a jet ski all by himself out there, apparently. Marine patrol officers asked where his parents were. Police say the boy's father will have to appear in court. Florida law apparently requires a person to be at least 14 years old to operate a personal watercraft by themselves, although I will say, Sara Sidner claims she used to do it all the time. Kate is backstage making a citizen's arrest.

This morning, A Florida man falling backwards over his tractor right there. Doesn't seem to be going well. Charged with DUI. Deputies say he crashed his pickup truck and then used his tractor to drive back to the scene and try to tow it away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you aware that in the state of Florida that you driving anything, any motor vehicle, can be considered DUI when you enter Florida roadways?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, sir, I did not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: The sheriff's office said they found a 15 pack, a half rack of cold beer, and several open containers in his truck.

In Washington, wildlife officers caught four people hiding dozens of Dungeness crabs. Officials say the crabs were hidden in pouches sewn into their clothes, including a puffer jacket, a bodysuit of some kind and a sun hat.

[09:00:07]

This is the story that got me in trouble with Kate, but they were hiding.