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Trump Holds Pre-Inaugural Rally In Washington; First Three Hamas Hostages Back On Israeli Soil; TikTok Returns Online 12 Hours After Going Dark; Inauguration Rally; Cold Weather Emergency. Aired 4- 5p ET

Aired January 19, 2025 - 16:00   ET

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


[16:00:42]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Good afternoon, and welcome to a special edition of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Pamela Brown from our studios in Washington.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kaitlan Collins at a very loud Capital One Arena. You can hear Kid Rock playing in the background, Pam. This is where President-elect Donald Trump is about to hold his final rally before he is sworn into office tomorrow.

BROWN: And we have three major breaking news stories that we are watching this very busy hour. As Kaitlan mentioned, that rally in Washington is getting underway right now marking a triumphant return for President-elect Donald Trump four years after leaving his first term in the Oval Office. We're expecting Trump to arrive any moment before he takes the stage next hour. Of course, we will bring you that speech to you live.

And we are also watching dramatic developments right now in the Middle East. Jubilation, hugs. Tears of joy as three Israelis returned home after a grueling 470 days held hostage by Hamas. They are the first of at least 33 hostages set to be released over the next six weeks. The first step in a ceasefire deal ending bloodshed in Gaza after more than a year of war.

Also, right now, TikTok returning. The app slowly coming back online just 12 hours after going dark. A U.S. ban went into effect at midnight, but President-elect Trump is vowing to give TikTok 90 days to work out a deal. A few hours ago, some users were greeted by a welcome back message. TikTok publicly thanking Trump for intervening with sources telling me and Kaitlan that the company's CEO is attending the Trump rally underway right now in Washington.

COLLINS: Yes, and aside from Shou Chew being here, we're also expecting to see a number of celebrities and other big names at this rally ahead of Trump's speech. Really this event marks the culmination of a pretty remarkable political comeback for Trump and his legacy from four years ago when he left office. I'm here reporting live from the rally with my colleague Jeff Zeleny.

And Jeff, just obviously watching this rally, and it's a bit loud behind us for those who are listening, because Kid Rock is here and he's performing right now, but also it just speaks to this is Trump's first rally that he has held in Washington since January 6th, 2021. And to think of how much Washington and the scene around him has changed since that day.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: It's extraordinary. I mean, when you use four words here, Trump will fix it, that really hangs over his entire second term. Now the burden is on him to fix these problems. But tomorrow, of course, the executive orders will come. But for today, it's a moment of celebration. We've seen countless rallies like this all across the country, from battleground states and beyond. But this is in the nation's capital. We are steps away from the White House, blocks away. And this is a moment where his triumphant return could not have been imagined four years ago.

He is back. He is taking control with a Republican Congress, the House and Senate. The wind is at his back. The question is, will some of the same things that bedeviled him before, the infighting, et cetera. will that be gone now? Now he knows how to be president. I think that is the biggest thing of all here that is so different. He knows what he wants to do, and he'll start doing it tomorrow.

COLLINS: Right. And also just the idea of how much this has shaped around him in terms of the CEOs who are going to be here, the big tech names that are all coming to this. Mark Zuckerberg, I was told, was at a dinner last night when the cabinet officials were there and just looking at, you know, how much all of these tech leaders are embracing Trump this time around and also trying to get in his good graces before he takes office.

ZELENY: Extraordinary. I mean, that is probably one of the biggest differences, the resistance that was so present eight years ago is much more in the background now. There truly is a rush to make nice and good with him. Mark Zuckerberg is exhibit A, so that is going to be fascinating to watch. There's no doubt about it. But again, in a very loud arena here with Kid Rock, this crowd is waiting for their president.

[16:05:05]

That's how they view him. 45, 47, we are seeing a historic turning of the page here, and it's going to be fascinating to watch it moment by moment. But it will start tomorrow at noon. Signing a raft of executive orders, immigration, (INAUDIBLE).

COLLINS: And of course we have a slate of speakers coming up here, including the Vice President-elect J.D. Vance. So obviously we'll be watching all of this very closely and also to see what Trump says.

And I should note, what you're seeing right now behind me here at the Capital One Arena is also notable, Pam, because given how much the weather has scrambled what these inauguration events are going to look like tomorrow, you will see here is where so many of the former -- of the current president-elect's supporters will be gathered to watch his inauguration festivities. They will not be out on the National Mall as planned. BROWN: That's absolutely right. And as you noted, we'll be carrying

that speech from President-elect Trump, soon to be President Trump, later on in the next couple hour, or we'll see when he actually takes the stage. You never know.

Thanks so much, Kaitlan. We'll check back in with you soon at that very loud arena.

And in Israel, let's go over there where there are some emotional moments as the three hostages released a short time ago as part of the ceasefire deal. They are reunited with their families. Here's a little bit of that footage. Just imagine how emotional this is for that family and the three families.

All three of the hostages now released are in the hospital, beginning their recovery after 470 days in captivity. British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari with a big smile after being freed, even though she lost two fingers when she was shot on October 7th. Crowds gathered in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv and in Gaza as the ceasefire took hold, and as part of this deal, hundreds of trucks loaded with aid are now rolling in to Gaza. And Israel is also expected to release 90 Palestinian prisoners.

CNN's Jim Sciutto is in Tel Aviv.

So, Jim, this is the first phase. This is just the beginning of that, a historic moment that got off to a shaky start.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: It did. It wasn't clear that this deal was going to happen even in the last hours. There was a delay from Hamas releasing, finalizing the names of those three hostages that would be released today. As you said, Doron, Romi and Emily. But they got through and they are now out and they're free.

And I have to tell you, having covered this from the beginning, going back to October 7th and what has been a long string of almost uniformly sad and devastating news in Gaza here in Israel, relentless bombing of Gaza, the plight of the hostages, families waiting for any news, waiting for months for a deal to come through, to have moments like you're seeing there today of those hugs.

I'll tell you the images that really got me were the first hugs between those young women and their mothers. Mothers hugging their little girls once again. It's a moment of happiness, but it's a small one because we should acknowledge that many more hostages are left behind. Over the course of the next six weeks, 33 in total will be released. Three today, 30 more during that six weeks period. And then if you get out of that first phase into a second phase, is when you begin to see some of the other hostages come home.

But we do know that of the nearly 100 hostages still held there, perhaps a third, a third of them are already dead. Then, of course, you have the ongoing suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza. Many thousands of structures destroyed, their leveled homes, many tens of thousands killed, the vast majority of them civilians. That suffering, of course, doesn't end in a day either.

Our Jeremy Diamond is here with me, and he, of course, has been covering the war since October 7th as well.

You were down at the border today of Gaza, Israel and Gaza, as the three were coming out. Tell us first what your impressions were having talked to and known those families for so long.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, I've spoken to their families and they have endured so much uncertainty. And I think that that was the biggest thing today was in addition to being finally reunited with their daughters, it was the fact that they finally knew and found out today for the first time that they were, in fact, alive.

SCIUTTO: That's something that people forget because the doubt is real. They don't have any proof or any confidence that their loved ones are alive until they see them.

DIAMOND: Without a doubt. I mean, you think of Doron Steinbrecher, the last video of her that Hamas released was a year ago, in January of last year.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

DIAMOND: And so her mother finally getting to embrace her daughter and know that she was alive. You know, we saw today, we weren't sure exactly where they were going to come out. The Israeli military had prepared three different crossing points along the Gaza border where they might emerge. Ultimately, they came out via a route in central Gaza.

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They were taken to this Reim military base where we were there. We saw these helicopters landing to come and pick them up. Once they had their initial evaluations, they were able to meet with their mothers. They were at that base for about an hour and a half, and then those helicopters whisked them over to Sheba Medical Center right here on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. But certainly a moment, a long time coming, and one that we expect to be replicated over the course of the next six weeks as long as the ceasefire.

SCIUTTO: That is the plan. And we should acknowledge, and I've been speaking to mental health experts today who've dealt with hostages when they come out of captivity like this, that the wounds last beyond the captivity, the psychological wounds and the physical wounds of course, as we saw, for instance, with one of the hostages today.

Tell us about the Palestinian side of this because Gaza is just devastated, both in terms of the loss of human life, the loss of the structures there, most of the hospitals, and shortages of just the most basic things.

DIAMOND: That's right. And I think that when you see the moments of celebration there, as they were counting down to this ceasefire this morning, you get a sense of all that they have endured. At the same time, the smiles on people's faces, the embraces, doctors at a hospital hugging each other, you know, after enduring unspeakable tragedies day after day for 471 days. We've also seen some people starting to return to northern Gaza, and we've gotten new footage, drone footage, for example, showing the absolute devastation of northern Gaza.

SCIUTTO: Yes, look at that now. We have it on the --

DIAMOND: You can see the very few structures actually still remain.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

DIAMOND: And what we are also, of course, critically seeing is hundreds of trucks of aid starting to flow into the Gaza Strip. And that, of course, is what is most needed right now. They expect to ramp up to some 600 trucks of aid per day, as long as the ceasefire holds. But again, as you know, there are questions about whether we can make it through this six-week ceasefire period and whether or not that can then be extended.

SCIUTTO: So many steps along the way. Are we confident that the people that need it most will get that aid in Gaza? Because there have been allegations and quite a lot of evidence that Hamas and other groups siphon some of the aid off for themselves.

DIAMOND: And there's no question that there has been some evidence of that, although the extent to which it has happened is, you know, there is somewhat of a question mark on that. But what we certainly have seen is that hundreds of trucks are making it in. There haven't been any major security problems today. And so, you know, that will still be a question mark over the course of the next few weeks. But certainly that aid is starting to make it in.

And I think once you get away from the scarcity problem and, you know, you have enough aid issues like skimming that aid off or it being diverted or people, you know, trying to steal those trucks, I think those issues will certainly be mitigated.

SCIUTTO: Yes. No question. Listen, this is a happy moment. It took a lot of work to get here many months. Cooperation between the outgoing Biden administration, the incoming Trump administration, and there is some relief for so, so many people.

Jeremy Diamond, thanks so much.

One note, Pamela, I spoke to a grandson of a hostage still being held in Gaza. In fact, a great grandfather, Oded Lifshitz. And he said that he feels great joy to see three families happy today. But he, like the other families, feel like they'll still be in the tunnels of Gaza themselves until all the hostages are released. And I think that is a feeling that you might say Israel itself feels they want all of those hostages to come home.

BROWN: Right. Everything is still very, very delicate and tenuous. But as you noted, a moment of happiness today for those three families at the very least. Thank you all. Thank you, Jim and Jeremy.

And in just a few minutes, President-elect Trump is set to take the stage at Capital One Arena here in Washington, D.C., and he's got a lot to talk about. You have the ceasefire deal, TikTok being banned, his plans for day one. We're going to speak with a member of his transition team up next.

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COLLINS: You're watching CNN's special live coverage ahead of Donald Trump's swearing in as the 47th president of the United States tomorrow. In just a few moments, the president-elect is going to be on that stage that you see over my shoulder. It's a victory rally here that he is holding at the Capital One Arena in Washington. Right now one of his key immigration advisers, Stephen Miller, is on the stage. He'll be playing a key role in tomorrow as far as the executive orders that we're expecting to see.

After that, Trump and the first lady, incoming First Lady Melania Trump, will hold a private candlelight dinner tonight. Donors who wrote some of the biggest checks to his inaugural committee will be there, and supporters who either gave a donation of $250,000 or raised half a million, will get two tickets to tonight's dinner, as well as other events, including tomorrow's swearing in ceremony and black tie ball.

Those who either gave a donation of $1 million or raised $2 million will get six tickets for the featured events, plus two seats at an intimate dinner with the Vice President-elect J.D. Vance and his wife Usha.

As CNN previously reported, Trump has seen a parade of CEOs trekking to Mar-a-Lago to curry favor with him since his victory. That includes Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who is slated to co-host a reception ahead of tomorrow night's balls. All of this is going on as our sources are telling my colleague Pamela Brown and myself that the CEO of TikTok, Shou Chew, who you can see here, thanking Trump, will also attend today's rally.

[16:20:02]

Joining me now is Jason Miller, the Trump-Vance transition senior adviser.

And Jason, on that TikTok CEO, he's going to be here with the president-elect in a few hours. Trump came out today and said he will sign an executive order tomorrow to essentially save TikTok from being banned in the United States. Is that order done yet, or is it still kind of being crafted? What does that look like?

JASON MILLER, TRUMP-VANCE TRANSITION SENIOR ADVISER: Yes. Kaitlan, thanks for having me. And my understanding is that an EO will be signed to extend the amount of time that TikTok has to come up with the deal. A lot of people might not remember, under President Trump, he directed them to keep their data here in the U.S. during his first administration. That's of course now housed with Oracle. Now they're moving to divest and have the country someone domestically be in charge of the platform.

They're working through that. That ultimately isn't the responsibility of the administration. But I think it's a good sign that negotiations are underway, as we saw from the announcement and with the service being restored. The president is going to save the platform.

COLLINS: So the executive order is not finished yet exactly. It's still being crafted.

MILLER: Don't know if it's been finished. My understanding is they're still working on that, still finalizing that. But what it will do is it extends the amount of time that TikTok has to go and put that deal together so they can keep service here in the United States, which, of course, President Trump did great with younger voters in this last election and keeping the platform was a campaign promise he's making good on.

COLLINS: What was the president-elect's reaction, though, to some of his biggest allies on Capitol Hill, people like Senator Tom Cotton, who said that, you know, this law passed overwhelmingly, it is a law that's been passed by Congress, the Supreme Court ruled to uphold it? Is he expecting legal challenges to that?

MILLER: Well, because keep in mind, the whole issue here is about making sure that it's removed from foreign control, that it's -- that everything operationally about the platform is here in the United States, or at least removed away from China. So the goal has always been to save the platform. But under Biden, Biden couldn't get it done. But with President Trump, I think they will do it, and I think will address the security issues, but also keep an enjoyable platform for tens of millions of Americans.

COLLINS: So that is one executive order we know he's going to sign tomorrow. There are others that we're expecting as well on immigration, energy, all sorts of things. Undoing some of the executive orders that President Biden has signed in recent days. What is that going to look like tomorrow? What should we be expecting?

MILLER: Yes. So the president, and this is the thing with President Trump, we know exactly what he's going to do because we saw the first four years of Trump. And of course, we saw President Trump on the campaign trail. I expect the president within minutes of being sworn in to already start addressing some of these executive orders. And when he gets over here to Capital One Arena, that will be a part of the program tomorrow of actually signing EO's, putting things into action for securing the border, increasing the energy production, getting rid of some of the wokeism and DEI, and addressing things like Schedule F, some of those types of things.

He'll literally do that from the stage back behind us as part of the program tomorrow.

COLLINS: OK, so he'll sign some executive orders on Capitol Hill and then sign some when he's here where his supporters are.

MILLER: He could do some. It's a little bit of a moving target that he could do some from the rotunda when he's actually there, particularly with regard to the border. Remain in Mexico, ending catch and release. Popular policies such as that. But then a lot more once we get here to Capital One Arena. So it's going to be a whole day long. And then even after tomorrow, there'll be a lot more in the coming days.

COLLINS: I imagine it's been a pretty busy few days changing the entire inauguration and moving it from outside where it traditionally is held to inside. When President Trump gives his speech tomorrow after he's sworn in, what should we expect to hear from him? What does he want to say in that speech?

MILLER: Well, I think you're going to hear president Trump really stick with that theme that we're going to bring about this golden age of America, whether we the golden age of industrialism, we talk about this golden age of the American economy, restoring our strength. But a lot of it is, I think, in previous inaugurations, you've seen presidents talk about the next 100 days, 30 days, 60 days. The difference with President Trump is he's going to be doing it immediately, right away on day one, because he's done it before.

He knows what policies he wants to put back into place. So this is going to much more speak to how he's going to improve people's lives immediately. You're not going to wait around for months or years, like you would say in a brand new administration. He's going to start making it happen literally on actually day one. I'd say even before now, as we saw with the peace deal in the Middle East, he's already getting it done.

COLLINS: American carnage is one of the most famous lines from his speech that he gave eight years ago. Will it be a similar vibe to that, or should we expect something different in the eight years that have passed since then?

MILLER: I think you're going to see it be a very unifying and upbeat speech. I think it's really going to speak to the fact that President Trump won with such a mandate, 77.3 million votes, 312 electorals, of course, winning the popular vote. It's -- he knows that he has a mandate. He's put together a coalition unlike anything we've ever seen in American history. He knows he wants to move quick and he has to move quick.

We have to get things done. We've had four years living in the wilderness as a country without strong leadership in the White House. That changes tomorrow.

COLLINS: A lot of these CEOs that are here, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook is going to be there as well, Bill Gates, I believe potentially.

[16:25:04]

He met with Trump, I know, and had a dinner with him in recent day -- in recent weeks. Some of them have feuded with Trump or had fierce criticisms of them, or vice versa. Trump said he wanted to put Mark Zuckerberg in jail potentially for the rest of his life, and he's now going to be attending the inauguration. How is the president-elect viewing those relationships? Does he see their support as authentic? Because Steve Bannon said he doesn't believe that it's genuine.

MILLER: Well, the thing with President Trump is he's always put together these coalitions and these groups unlike anything we've ever seen before in American politics. The other thing, too, is that, yes, there were people who weren't with him before previously. But President Trump wants to have them on board as part of that effort to go and improve the country. And I think it's a very savvy approach that he's taking.

I mean, there were people who literally weren't supportive of him up until election day. He now is embracing and saying, we want you to be part of the effort. We see the CEOs, we see the international leaders coming to the table. We need a lot of people to fix this country. And I think that shows that he's also grown as a leader to where he can bring them all in and turn it around real quick.

COLLINS: Jason Miller, thank you for your time. Thanks for joining us. Busy few days for you.

Coming up here for us live at the Capitol Arena, also President Biden is hours away from handing over the power of the presidency to his successor, Donald Trump. How the president is spending his final full day in office, including what we just heard from him.

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BROWN: President Biden is spending the last full day of his presidency in South Carolina. That's a state credited with winning him the White House in 2020.

The President made remarks at the African American museum in Charleston. And during a service at Royal Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston, he reflected on his presidency, telling the crowd to keep the faith.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm not going anywhere. I'm not kidding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: CNN's (INAUDIBLE), Kayla Tausche, I should say, is at the White House for us. So, Kayla, tell us a little bit more about Biden's parting message.

KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Pamela, Biden's parting message was one of gratitude, and also reflection on not only the five decades of his time in office, his campaign, his presidency, but also the arc of history that came before it. Here's a little bit of what he had to say, during remarks at the International African American Museum that he just finished a few moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We must know the good, the bad, and the truth about who we are. That's what great nations do.

CROWD: (INAUDIBLE.)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And we're a great nation. We're unique among nations. Our nation is not based on religion, ethnicity or geography or some ethnic component. We're the only nation in the world, the only one in the history of the world, built on an idea. The idea was we're all created equal and deserved to be treated equally throughout our lives.

Standing here, we know we've never fully lived up to that idea, but we've never walked away from it either. From slavery to emancipation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: From the civil war to the civil rights movement.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: From the reckoning on race today, there has been a long line of black patriots who've helped make the promise of America real for all Americans who've helped us become the nation we say we are and want to be.

And, as my presidency comes to an end, I know how it started because of this movement.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAUSCHE: Biden's message also one of gratitude to black voters specifically, and to the palmetto state which, essentially, put him back on the presidential map five years ago. And revived his campaign when he secured a critical endorsement there to win South Carolina's primary, go on to clinch the Democratic nomination and then the presidency.

In those remarks, though, Biden has acknowledged that the campaign pledge, that he made back then to restore the soul of the nation, has been difficult to achieve. But he says that work remains ongoing, and he is not going anywhere.

But this trip, in the final moments of his presidency, come as President-Elect Trump supporters already descended on the nation's capital. The two presidents will spend some final moments together tomorrow, Pamela, before Biden officially exits office.

BROWN: All right. Kayla Tausche at a very snowy White House in Washington. Thank you so much, Kayla.

Still ahead this hour, tomorrow's inauguration might be the coldest one, since Reagan's second inauguration in 1985. And, as you saw there in Kayla's live shot, it just started snowing here. CNN's Derek Van Dam will update us on the freezing temperatures barreling through the nation's capital.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Indeed, Pam, the snow has just begun falling. The winds are picking up and the temperatures are dropping rapidly, when what could prove to be one of the coldest inaugurations in American history. I'll have all the details coming up after the break.

[16:34:17]

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BROWN: We are less than 24 hours away before President-Elect Trump takes the oath of office as the 47th President of the United States. And former vice president, Mike Pence, confirmed that he will attend Trump's inauguration ceremony, marking only the second time both men will be seen together in the same room since January 2021.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And that means the clock is ticking for the inauguration committee, who has been scrambling a lot over the last few days, to move this ceremony indoors. Into the Capital rotunda where, of course, typically, it is outside on the west front of the Capitol. But given those temperatures tomorrow, it is going to be inside here at the -- at the Capital, Pam. Obviously, a lot of moving parts that have been going on.

BROWN: Yes. And you were just interviewing Jason Miller, of course, a top Trump adviser. And he was talking about some of the things that might play out tomorrow, including Trump signing some executive orders there at the Capitol. I think I heard. It was loud. But there and at the Capital One Arena, right after that, as part of sort of the show, correct?

COLLINS: Yes, it's been a bit of a moving target, of course, because they've been changing basically everything that had been planned for months. And changing it within days here.

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COLLINS: And so, as they've been going through all of that and looking at it, they are, right now, having -- planning to have the President, once he's sworn in as the president, sign executive orders at -- on Capitol Hill tomorrow. Then, come here to the Capital One Arena, where he will sign other executive orders.

Because this is where his supporters are going to be watching the inauguration happen tomorrow. So, obviously, that is changing a lot of the factors here, in terms of what this is going to look like. And, really, how they're going to be implementing his agenda, once he's sworn in and has that newfound power. And I should note, Stephen Miller, one of Trump's top advisers, his

immigration advisor, was just on stage here behind me. And he just briefed lawmakers earlier on what exactly those are going to look like.

And so, of course, we'll be watching to see exactly what he signs and what order. I would imagine that he would sign the ones that are maybe more crowd pleasing here, with all of his supporters that are going to be gathered at Capital One Arena. We know a lot of them will pertain to immigration, energy, even how they hire people for the federal government.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny is here at the rally with me, as we have been watching all of this play out, Jeff. And just hearing from Jason Miller talking about what this is going to look like, in terms of we've never seen a president be sworn in and then come somewhere like this to sign executive orders. Obviously, Trump is not a conventional president. But it also just speaks to, logistically, how difficult this is.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: With that question, I mean, we've also, though, never seen a president, that I can recall, that rallies were such a central part of his rise. I mean, a political rally like this, you have covered dozens, if not hundreds, as have I, around the country. And this truly is the heart of the Trump base.

But tomorrow, that is going to be the interesting part here. This Capital One Arena, which is normally home to the Washington area sports teams, will become truly the MAGA base. The outdoor parade, which will not happen because of a heavy snowstorm happening now in bitterly cold temperatures. The parade will be here. But, as you said, it's a working day.

Tomorrow, in every moment of the day, President Trump is going to show that he is already at work. And signing executive orders right here, that really shows that he'll have applause. Imagine the picture from that.

Executive orders, normally as we know, are signed in the Oval Office in a, kind of, ceremonial format. This will be a celebratory format to the nth degree.

TAUSCHE: Yes, it's executive orders like we've never seen signed before. Obviously, a lot of those will be rolling back what President Biden did in his final days, also implementing his top items.

And the reason he'll be signing those here is given the weather and how it's disrupting these plans. And for a live look at what that looks like here in Washington, we have CNN Weather Anchor and Meteorologist Derek Van Dam. He is live at the National Mall.

Derek, it's a bit hard to actually see the Mall behind you, given just how much it is snowing there right now, what we're looking at. Tell us what we're expecting today, and just really over the next 24 hours. Because, by this time tomorrow, Donald Trump will be at the White House after coming here and signing those executive orders.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good evening, everybody.

VAN DAM: Yes, that's right, Kaitlan. As if right on cue, the snow has fallen and the temperatures are dropping rapidly.

We would normally be able to see the U.S. Capitol directly behind us, now shrouded in this snowstorm that is ongoing across the nation's Capital. In fact, this just in to CNN. The mayor of Washington, D.C., Muriel Bowser, just indicating that a cold-weather emergency is now activated for the city. Temperatures will be dangerously low overnight.

We knew it was coming. This is really just the curtain raiser. But we feel the marked temperature difference, just in the past three or four hours, since we've been standing out here.

Now, the coldest inauguration that has ever happened in D.C. was back in 85 for Reagan's second inauguration. It won't be that cold, in terms of the physical temperature. But it is the wind-chill values that will make it feel like one of the coldest inaugurations in American history.

So, when you look at the actual wind chill forecast for D.C., tomorrow around noon when the inauguration will take place, 11 degrees. So, you think about all the VIPs, the delegates, and the thousands of people that were scheduled to be outdoors for this event, maybe taking a sigh of relief, as they no longer have to wade to the mother nature here with winds in excess of 30 mph.

Again, this snow that's moving through now will end overnight tonight. But that just locks in the cold air across the area. And it will be dangerously cold tomorrow morning, especially when you factor in the wind chills. That is a big, big factor here in the coldest inauguration in four decades. Pam, I'll send (?) it back to you.

BROWN: I have to be out there very early in the morning, at like 6:45 a.m. at St. John's Church. How many layers should I be wearing tomorrow morning, Derek?

VAN DAM: If I could recommend one thing, it's called a heated vest and heated gloves. It works wonders. I've got them.

[16:45:00]

BROWN: All right, I'm going to have to go dig that up somewhere.

VAN DAM: You should get them, too.

BROWN: OK. Thank you for that tip.

All right. So, you have the weather. Also, security for today's Trump rally. And tomorrow's presidential inauguration is sky high with the Secret Service as the agency taking the lead for both events.

I'm joined now by Jonathan Wackrow, a former Secret Service agent, and a CNN Law Enforcement Analyst. All right, Jonathan, so, how does the decision to move the inauguration indoors impact security in this, you know, truncated time frame yes.

JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST (via Webex): Yes. Listen, it changes it very slightly because of the locality.

But, you know, from the Secret Service standpoint, there are some advantages. One, we're no longer putting a protectee out in the open, whether it's at the U.S. Capitol or along the parade route.

Typically, the President, during the presidential parade, does step outside of the limousine. It does, you know, expose himself, you know, to the public and try to, you know, meet some of the followers.

So, all of that is taken out of the security plan right now. And everything is moving indoors. So, there's a little bit of a security advantage that is given to the Secret Service there.

But when you think about the challenge that this event, you know, today and the events of the inauguration tomorrow present for the United States Secret Service, it's -- the reason being is it is a national special security event. And this designation by DHS doesn't just make the Secret Service the lead agency for specific events, but for the security of the entire region.

So, that planning process has been taking place for the last year or more with, you know, the federal law enforcement, local law enforcement, and, you know, state entities, to bring a whole-of- government approach to security planning.

So, while some of the elements of the, you know, specific locations are changing, the overall strategy and understanding what the threat environment is that are surrounding all of these events, you know, regardless of where they're occurring, has not changed at all from the Secret Service standpoint.

BROWN: And the threat level is high, right? I mean, that is the environment they're operating in. You have today's rally and tomorrow's presidential inauguration coming after President-Elect Trump has been the target of two apparent assassination attempts.

And then, you had New Orleans, right? That was a target of a New Year's terrorist attack. So, how have those events influenced the security preparations for these events?

WACKROW: Yes, well, it's a great point. And to that, you know, there was just, recently released, a joint threat assessment by the Secret Service, FBI, DHS, and other law enforcement partners, that said just that.

They assessed that the primary threats for these events are mass casualty events by foreign terror groups or by domestic violent extremists. And, you know, we have seen that happen with those two assassination attempts, and the ISIS-inspired or directed attack earlier this month in New Orleans. Those are all top of mind for law enforcement. So, that is why you will see, during all of these events starting today running through all day tomorrow, anything connected to the inauguration, a heightened sense of security. Something that's unprecedented, when it comes to, you know, regional security planning. This is -- you know, the Secret Service is, you know, sparing no expense and no resource to ensure that all of these events, you know, whether on the ground or in terms of airspace security, are protected.

So, you will see this mobilization of law enforcement entities around the city. Not just at specific sites but citywide, ensuring that the entire region is safe for everybody who is participating in the change of government tomorrow.

BROWN: A lot of pressure on the Secret Service, and we hope everything goes off without a hitch. Everything is safe. Jonathan Wackrow, thank you so much -- Kaitlan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said I am a firm believer --

COLLINS: Yes, Pam. And I should note, speaking of all those preparations that are being made outside, we are expecting the vice president elect, JD Vance, to set -- set to take the stage here inside. He is going to be speaking ahead of the President-Elect, himself, in just a few moments.

I should note, we've just learned that the President-Elect is on his way here to the Capital Arena. Of course, we'll bring those remarks to you live when they happen. Back in just a moment.

[16:49:17]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: And welcome back to a special edition of CNN NEWSROOM. Any minute now, we're going to hear from president-elect Donald Trump at his victory rally in Washington, D.C.

I want to bring in my panel, Shermichael Singleton, Audie Cornish and Chuck Rocha. You know, Audie, when you take a step back, Donald Trump is going to take the Oval Office again in a very different way than eight years ago, right.

And already we're hearing some things about how different it's going to be on day one. He's going to be, apparently, signing a flurry of executive orders at the Capitol building, as well as there at the Capital One Arena tomorrow, after the initial inauguration ceremony.

It is -- it is pretty remarkable. What are you expecting in the first days ahead?

AUDIE CORNISH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The first days ahead. We just have to get through tomorrow, given this weather. But I think that, in a way, while it's different, the preoccupations are the same. When you think about immigration. When you think about trade. He is going to pick up where he left off, so to speak. The benefit he has now is of the wisdom of those earlier battles, meaning all of those legal fights in the -- in the 45th term. He will have learned from them, so to speak. The people around him will have learned from them.

And maybe we will see a different approach. And by that, I mean something that can sustain a legal fight. If you think about immigration, in particular, I think that's an area that's ripe for that conversation.

[16:55:02]

BROWN: Yes, and we do expect -- I mean, he has talked about, you know, there will be mass deportations day one. But do you think, given the actual practicalities, the logistics, the cost, he could be overpromising on that front?

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I don't know, Pamela. I think it's an expectation that a lot of Americans expect from the President-Elect. You look at a lot of these unique demographic groups, particularly men who have been displaced by work. Youve seen economic dislocation. Youve seen de-industrialized rural areas say, hey, we're voting for you because we want to feel empowered.

We want our jobs back. We want economic security. And we feel that immigration as a part of the problem. We feel that we have not seen enough resources coming back to our localities and to our areas.

And so, I think the president will have an absolute mandate to do those things. I think people are looking at the economy. They're looking at immigration. They're looking at foreign policy. And they have seen, after four years of the Biden-Harris administration, complete destabilization domestically and abroad.

They're expecting Donald Trump to get this train back moving in the right direction. And he has the possibility to do that.

BROWN: Chuck, I want you to respond to what Shermichael said. But also, I just have to ask, you know, given what we have seen lay out with this inauguration. How different it is. You have all these tech billionaires trying to curry favor with Donald Trump in a way that we have never seen before, right?

You know, Democrats, for their part, for years, have tried to paint Trump as this existential threat to democracy. Sort of the end of America, as we know it. I mean, where does the resistance movement stand now?

CHUCK ROCHA, PRESIDENT, SOLIDARITY STRATEGIES: Well, now, we're going to get to see if we we're right or not, coming up after we get sworn in tomorrow night. You're going to see a lot of those examples in the first couple of days.

And to your point about immigration. There's a difference in the ways that different parties handle immigration. And Donald Trump got elected a lot on the verbiage of immigration and trying to be tough.

It reminds me of growing up in east Texas. There's a lot of old boys who talk about being tough. Watch the old boys who ain't saying much. Because, as my granddaddy said, they're the ones who are really tough.

Barack Obama deported 1 million more people than Donald Trump did in his administration. But Barack Obama didn't talk about it. He just went and did his job. If somebody needed to be deported, he did that. And he tried to follow all the means of the law.

What's going to happen with Donald Trump is he's going to go find 10, 15, 20 immigrants who've probably done something bad, who should be deported. And then, make that a big national scene to where he's saying, look how tough I am and what I'm doing.

Because, like you said, and lots of folks on this network have said, it's really hard to deport 11 million people, 99 percent of them who came here just looking to try to make America a better place.

SINGLETON: But whatever he decides to do, it's a lot more than what President Biden has done, in my opinion, over four years. Chuck, let's be honest about that. Democrats have failed completely on this issue.

ROCHA: But immigration in December was lowest than it's been since 2020.

SINGLETON: And why is that? It's not because of Biden's policies. That's for sure.

ROCHA: So, Biden was just there. Nothing he did did anything? They just decided --

(CROSSTALK)

SINGLETON: Well, we don't know if Biden even realizes he's there. But that's a whole other conversation.

BROWN: So, to be clear, the facts here. Immigration did spike. It did reach record levels under the Biden Administration.

ROCHA: It did.

BROWN: But then, Biden did sign that executive order on changing the asylum rules and it did plummet. And now, it is very low. In fact, I believe that there are fewer crossings now across the border now than when President Trump left office before.

So, I think that that context is notable. But, of course, there are some complexities.

And we're seeing here Eric Trump, and his wife, Lara Trump, and their kids, speaking there at the victory rally. Let's listen in.

ERIC TRUMP, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, TRUMP ORGANIZATION (live): You guys want to take it away? LUKE AND CAROLINA TRUMP: Yes. I pledge allegiance to the flag of United States of America. And to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

ERIC TRUMP: That's real America, ladies and gentlemen. That's America. That's what we love about this country. And guys, we, as a family, love you so much. This is the greatest political movement ever created.

And you know what, guys? They tried to stop him. They tried to indict him. They tried to take him down. They raided his home. They went after his children. They tried to bankrupt him. They tried to in prison him.

BROWN: OK. So, that was Eric Trump, President-Elect Trump's son, speaking there at the rally. Again, we are expecting Trump to speak any moment now. So, we'll, of course, bring that to you live. And a lot to look forward to ahead. Stay with us.

[17:00:00]