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Honoring Jimmy Carter; Trump Speaks at Mar-a-Lago. Aired 11- 11:30a ET

Aired January 07, 2025 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: And you're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

At any moment now, we're expecting to hear from president-elect Donald Trump. He is set to speak at his Mar-a-Lago estate less than two weeks from his inauguration in Washington.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny joins us now.

What are we expecting to hear, Jeff?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, we are going to hear for the first time from president-elect Trump really as he begins to not only shape his administration -- of course, those nominees are well-known, and then confirmation hearings will begin next week -- but also his agenda.

And we know, of course, what he intends to do, but how he intends to do it, particularly getting things through the House and the Senate, is something that is going to be discussed.

We're told that the president-elect is going to be going to Washington tomorrow, actually, for the Jimmy Carter state funeral on Thursday, but he will be meeting with Senate Republican leaders tomorrow, and then House Republican leaders will actually be coming down here to Florida over the weekend.

So, a reminder, in just less than two weeks' time, Republicans will be in charge of the entire branches of government, and they will have his agenda and try and work it through, but they are very narrow majorities. So the questions are, how exactly are the extension of the tax cuts, the immigration plans and policies and other agenda items going to get through, one bill, two separate bills?

Now it looks like one large reconciliation bill. That's a budget process. But we will likely hear from the president-elect here shortly about that and many other questions. Of course, there are many questions about, in the wake of January 6 yesterday, that anniversary, what are his plans to pardon the January 6 -- the defendants?

So many questions, of course. We will see how long he actually takes to answer those questions, if he does, coming up shortly in Mar-a-Lago -- Pamela. BROWN: Yes, that's right. And on the pardons, you have the Proud Boys

leader who was sentenced to 22 years in prison asking for a pardon. It'll be interesting to hear what he has to say about that. As we know, he's been looking at potential pardons on a case-by-case basis, a lot to discuss and hear from the soon-to-be-President Donald Trump. Thank you so much, Jeff Zeleny.

And we have a panel here to discuss what we could hear, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia Larry Sabato, senior political analyst, and Republican strategist Lee Carter.

Lee, I want to kick it off with you. What do you want to hear from Donald Trump today? He is expected to meet with GOP leadership on Capitol Hill tomorrow. He's been talking about this big, beautiful bill where he wants all of his agenda items to be in it. Of course, that reality may be a little tougher, but could this be a preview of their agenda?

LEE CARTER, REPUBLICAN POLLSTER: I think it could well be a preview of their agenda.

I think, when you look at what the American people want to hear from Donald Trump right now, they're looking to hear about his plans to keep us out of war. They're looking to hear about his plans on immigration and how to reduce crime, on the economy.

And so my hope is that we're going to hear some of the things that he's planning to do to move the needle forward. I think a lot of people are feeling a little rudderless at the moment in the country. And I think this is a real opportunity for him to come out strong and give people hope again.

Now, there's two ways this can go. We know that Donald Trump can come out with the make America great again Donald Trump or the one that comes out with a list of grievances. My hope is that we come out with a make America great again Donald Trump, who's going to lay out a strong agenda and show what his leadership plan is going forward.

BROWN: Well, Jackie, the reality on Capitol Hill, even though he has both chambers of Congress, is that it could be easier said than done to actually get one bill through with all of his priorities, right?

JACKIE KUCINICH, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: I mean, you can say that again. Barely got Speaker Johnson over the line, and that was someone he full-throatedly endorsed.

You're absolutely right. The margins are so small in the House, and they're not that wide in the Senate either. And it really is going to take a lot of those phone calls, a lot of compromise within the Republican Party itself in order to get his agenda done.

And spending is going to be a huge issue, particularly with House Republicans. They have put their foot down already with the former president because he wanted to raise the debt ceiling in the bill that passed before Christmas. That did not happen. So we will see how he decides to turn the political screws, if he does, going forward in this next Congress to get his agenda through.

BROWN: And, again, with time, this is just a couple of weeks before the inauguration.

Larry, to you. Trump has been claiming that the Biden administration has been making this transition as hard as they can. His chief of staff, Susie Wiles, however, said the opposite to Axios. I am old enough to remember that the last Trump administration didn't exactly make it smooth with the incoming Biden administration, just to note that, as Trump was contesting the election results.

[11:05:03]

But what do you make of that, Larry?

LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CENTER FOR POLITICS: I hope people remember the history or are reminded of the history, because Donald Trump cooperated with the incoming administration, the incoming Biden administration in 2020, less than any modern president has with his successor.

They didn't provide the funding that was available for the transition until weeks after they were supposed to. Of course, Trump himself didn't have Biden into the Oval Office, the way that President Obama had had Trump into the Oval Office. And, believe me, Obama wasn't, I'm sure, very happy to have Trump in, but he did it because it was the right thing to do.

And then Trump didn't even attend his successor's inauguration. It was really actions that are difficult to forget and ought to be remembered. So, by comparison, the Bush -- the Biden-to-Trump transition here has been terrific. And they -- many of the people associated with Trump say so.

And Trump ought to say so if he wants to keep people, if not united, then at least not at loggerheads.

BROWN: All right. So, Larry, there's something else going on right now that is very important. And that is former President Carter's coffin leaving the Carter Center as -- before it makes its journey here to Washington, D.C., for his funeral.

This is a poignant time, Larry.

SABATO: Oh, it absolutely is.

And Jimmy Carter reminds people of the simple virtues that we associated with him and ideally would associate with at least part of American politics. Carter had loads of fights while he was president. But there are a lot of billboards showing up around the country. I'm not sure who's sponsoring them, but they're beautiful, Jimmy Carter's picture and the word "character" in large letters.

And if you look at character carefully, you see that the name Carter is part of the word character. And I think that's how people are remembering Jimmy Carter, maybe in a way they didn't think of him in all those years that he was an ex-president doing great things.

BROWN: Yes, he really defined what the post-presidency life could look like.

Jackie, as you watch this, what is going through your mind?

KUCINICH: Well, I think -- I was about to say the same thing, Pam.

He had a very difficult presidency, but what he did after he left really did, as you rightly put it, to find what post-presidency is, his humanitarian work around the globe. And one of the things that when I think about Jimmy Carter is Habitat for Humanity, him with his beloved Rosalynn sitting next to him for standing next to him often helping build houses for people.

So that is something I think that really is going to endure as Washington and the country, the world prepares to say goodbye to Jimmy Carter.

BROWN: And we actually had a hostage, one of the Iran hostages who was -- who said that Jimmy Carter actually saved his life. He actually gave a lot of credit to Jimmy Carter, Larry, and said that he saved his life and that, at the same time, as we know President Carter, he got a lot of flak and a lot of criticism for how he handled that deal.

SABATO: Well, he did. Of course, he did have a rescue mission and, tragically, it ended badly with the helicopters crashing in the desert.

But one thing that people forget is, if Jimmy Carter had mounted a series of military actions against Iran, don't you think the probability was that some of those hostages either would have been killed as American troops were trying to rescue them or would have been killed in retaliation?

So the fact that they were all released alive and well is very significant. And Carter was barely given credit for that at the time. And even now, it's rarely mentioned.

BROWN: Yes.

And actually join us now is Barry Rosen,one of the Americans held hostage in Iran for 444 days.

Barry, as I pointed out, you credit him for saving your life.

BARRY ROSEN, CO-FOUNDER, HOSTAGE AID WORLDWIDE: I do.

I mean, those were extraordinary times. There was a lot of difficulty dealing with being a hostage, guns pointed at my head, not even walking outside even for more than 10 minutes one time in the entire period that I was held hostage. But any anger that I had towards President Carter swiftly changed immediately once we were freed.

[11:10:09] Yes, it took a long time, but those were extraordinary times. That was the first time that you really had hostage diplomacy taken by Iran, and it has been doing it ever since then.

BROWN: And learning more about you and your story, you have actually dedicated your life to helping other hostages, right?

ROSEN: Yes, I work on behalf of Hostage Aid Worldwide. I was one of the original founders. And we have our people on the ground looking for Austin Tice right now.

I work with United Against Nuclear Iran as a senior adviser on hostage affairs. And I am -- I have kind of, I would say, dedicated my life to thinking about hostages all over the world. It's part of my DNA.

And those 444 days of misery made a real impact on my life. And I want to make certain that others don't go through the situation that we did.

BROWN: Eva McKend, you are there. Bring us to the scene as former President Carter's casket leaves the Carter Center for the U.S. Capitol.

EVA MCKEND, CNN NATIONAL POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Pam, sometimes, it's easy to forget all that goes involved -- all that is involved when a precedent transitions.

But for President Carter, it is truly fitting. It matches, I think, the outpouring of love and admiration that we have seen from all corners across this region for over a week now. Right now, this is a ceremony in the Circle of Flags here at the Carter Center.

This is primarily Carter Center employees that are saying final goodbyes, as this is the final ceremony here in Atlanta before the body and the family go to Dobbins Air Reserve Base and then ultimately to Joint Base Andrews in Washington, D.C., before they go to the Navy Memorial.

This is similar to what we have seen throughout the week. I mean, we were at the Carter Center all this time and we saw people emerging with tears in their eyes, holding hands on their hearts, just the enormity of the moment, and of what they witnessed in paying respect to President Carter.

So, when he arrives in Washington, what we will see is really remarkable, because he is going to -- the late president will take the very same route that he did when he was elected president, when he very notably made that walk from the Navy Memorial to the Capitol. That is something that subsequent presidents have done and has become a bit of a tradition.

But President Carter really wanted to be a man of the people, and he started that tradition foot. And now, today, we are going to see a horse-drawn casket make that very same journey, Pam.

BROWN: I want to bring in former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Keisha, you have said that Jimmy Carter was the epitome of a servant

leader. Explain that for us.

KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS (D), FORMER MAYOR OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA: Well, he certainly has given us an example of what it means to lead and to serve people, and not to be self-serving in so many ways.

And he has also shown so many of us what it means to have a life after politics. I was born in 1970, just after the civil rights movement, and it was left to this next generation of leaders to help fulfill Dr. King's dream. And Jimmy Carter did that throughout my lifetime.

He was sworn in as governor of Georgia in 1971. I was almost a-year- old, and he made us all so very proud. And I heard an anchor on CNN refer to him as an evangelical. I never thought of him in that way, because there are so many political connotations that we think of.

But as I looked up the definition, he certainly walked his faith. He spread his faith. But he also balanced that with this brilliant mind that he had as a trained nuclear engineer.

BROWN: Barry, I want to bring you back in. You have such a unique perspective. You and your fellow hostages were freed just minutes after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated and the former president flew to West Germany to greet all of you.

Bring us into that meeting as we see his casket leave the Carter Center now.

[11:15:00]

ROSEN: Well, it was an amazingly surprising moment. He knew that he wanted to finish the work that he had to do to save us.

His -- look, he knew he had a difficult time during the hostage crisis. And it really did in many ways end his presidency. But he cared about us as people, as human beings who suffered through a terrible situation.

And there we were. There were many of us who were upset at the president, wondering why he admitted the shah into the United States. But once we saw him and listened to him while he was standing with Vice President Mondale and Secretary of State Muskie, everyone sort of melted -- all the angst that we had melted away.

And we really felt so good and we hugged him. And it was an expression of true love in many ways. I think Jimmy Carter was very much misunderstood by many Americans. He really was a steadfast individual with a great deal of character and who really cared about me and my family.

In fact, when Barbara, my wife, President Carter, she gave him a photo of my young son, Alexander, at that time, 3 years old, and my daughter, Ariana, who was just about 1. He took that photo in his hand and he looked at it. And I know he put it in his pocket. And I'm almost sure he spent the rest of the day thinking about our lives and the sacrifices that he made during that entire period of time.

There's a funny anecdote that I just love to express. And that was -- there were phone banks all around us. And after we had our session with President Carter, I was talking to my mother-in-law in Brooklyn, New York, and Jimmy Carter tapped me on the shoulder.

He said: "Barry, I'd like to say hello." So he said: "Hello, this is Jimmy Carter."

And my mother-in-law said: "Jimmy who?"

(LAUGHTER)

ROSEN: And everyone broke down in laughter, because he was -- he was special. He really was special.

And I really admire what he had done with his life. And in many ways, that's what really compels me to work on behalf of hostages who are taken all over the world, and especially in Iran.

BROWN: We now know that he has left the Carter Center and he is on the way to Dobbins Air Reserve Base. He will be flown here to Washington to Joint Base Andrews, where he will lie in state and then be put to rest.

Keisha Lance Bottoms, just to you as we wrap up this conversation. He chose to go back to his hometown in Georgia after being president of the United States, the most powerful man in the world. What is his legacy there in the state?

BOTTOMS: His imprint is far and wide. And I know many people who want to hear his Sunday school teachings in Plains, Georgia. And he continued to make us proud even to the end.

Like, even when you think of the location of the Carter Center, almost in the heart of downtown Atlanta, and it's more than just this grand presidential library. It is this gathering place, where there are book discussions and there are lectures and just a place that community can come together.

And so I just salute President Jimmy Carter. This is a man who could have settled anywhere in the world. But, instead, he came back home to the red clay of Georgia and continue to do God's work. And we are just forever grateful for him.

BROWN: Keisha Lance Bottoms, Eva McKend, Barry Rosen, thank you all so much.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:24:33]

BROWN: Any moment now, President Trump will speak for Mar-a-Lago. I want to bring in CNN Jeff Zeleny. And my panel is also with me, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, Larry Sabato, CNN political analysts Jackie Kucinich, and Republican strategist Lee Carter.

I want to kick this off, though, with Jeff Zeleny, who is there.

When are we expecting to hear from him? And what is he expected to discuss, Jeff?

ZELENY: Well, Pamela, look, I mean, we certainly know the broad outlines of the agenda that the president-elect is hoping to move through Congress.

[11:25:06]

A better question is sort of how that gets done with such a narrowly divided Republican Congress. And there is a bit of a disagreement between the House side and the Senate side, one of many disagreements that we will see. Of course, they do agree on implementing the Trump agenda on immigration, on extending tax cuts.

But how to do it is certainly more complicated. So that is something that the president is obviously going to leave to senators and House leaders sort of how to do the nitty-gritty of it. But we do expect him, of course, to be asked about his preference for one bill or two bills.

The Senate majority leader, John Thune, just told reporters just a few moments ago on Capitol Hill that there was still no resolution for if there would be one large bill or smaller bills. Of course, raising the debt limit also is in this conversation.

But, look, I think that we have learned a lot from Donald Trump over these many years. And the fine details, the nitty-gritty of legislating is not his forte. So I think he will talk about what his interests are, his goals are.

And then I expect also, January 6, that, of course, is so fresh in the mind. He was watching as his election was certified yesterday. Of course, one question is, will there be blanket pardons? Will there be just a few pardons? Also, Canada. I mean, the world has changed so dramatically.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Let's listen in, Jeff, because he just walked up to the podium.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (R) AND CURRENT U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: Many things are happening that are exciting, very exciting for our country.

And we're honored to welcome one of the most respected business leaders in the Middle East, indeed, the world. He's a founder and chairman of DAMAC Properties, Hussain Sajwani, a very respected gentleman.

And I'm thrilled to announce today that DAMAC will be investing at least $20 billion over a very short period of time into the United States. And they may go double or even somewhat more than double that amount of money. It's a great thing. And I believe he will say that he's doing it because of the fact that he was very inspired by the election.

They wouldn't do it without that election, I can tell you. A lot of people wouldn't. You saw last week where we have somebody who's going to go from $100 billion to $200 billion. And we have many other people. And we will be bringing some of them out. Some of them like to do it somewhat more quietly and some don't.

And they feel so strongly about the country that they want to let people know about it. But it's an honor to have such a great investor investing in our country. The investment will support massive new data centers across the Midwest, the Sun Belt area, and also to keep America on the cutting edge of technology and artificial intelligence. He's very big into the data centers.

And that's going to be a very hot item in the coming years, as you know, with A.I. in particular. The first phase of the project will be in Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana, those places.

And, Hussain, I'd love you to come up and say a few words. Thank you very much.

HUSSAIN SAJWANI, CEO DAMAC PROPERTIES: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President.

It's been amazing news for me and my family when he was elected in November. We have been waiting four years to increase our investments in U.S. to a very large amount of money. We are a company operating in more than 20 countries around the world. We have delivered more than 45,000 luxury units and another 45,000 in the pipeline.

In data center, we are in 10 countries around the world, in Asia, Europe, and Middle East. And we're very, very excited now with his leadership and his open strategy and policy to encourage businesses to come to us.

For the last four years, we have been waiting for this moment. And we're planning to invest $20 billion and even more than that if the opportunity in the market allows us. But at the moment, we're planning $20 billion in data center catering for the A.I. and cloud business for the hyperscalers.

TRUMP: Fantastic.

SAJWANI: Thank you, Mr. President.

TRUMP: A great honor. Thank you very much. SAJWANI: Thank you.

TRUMP: So nice. And that man knows what he's doing. He knows.

So, Hussain, we're going to work with you and make sure everything goes smoothly. We have powers that haven't really been used in terms of environmental.

If you invest over a billion dollars in the United States, we're going to give expedited reviews to everybody, because everyone's afraid they're going to come and get caught in the quagmire, which is very prevalent in the United States, unfortunately, the quagmire of environmental and various other regulations and rules.