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Elon Musk to Participate in Cabinet Meeting; Sen. John Thune: DOGE Cutting 'Needs to Be Done in a Respectful Way'; Burchett Changes Vote to Pass Budget Bill; Trump: Zelenskyy to Visit Friday to Sign 'Very Big Deal'. Aired 6-6:30a ET
Aired February 26, 2025 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KAYLA TAUSCHE, CNN ANCHOR: It's Wednesday, February 26th. Right now on CNN THIS MORNING.
[05:59:42]
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KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president and Elon is [SIC] his entire cabinet are working as one unified team.
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TAUSCHE: Who's in charge here? Today, Elon Musk, unelected and not confirmed, will be in attendance for President Trump's first cabinet meeting.
Plus, this.
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REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): We have a lot of hard work ahead of us. But we are going to deliver the "America first" agenda.
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TAUSCHE: After hours of back and forth, House Speaker Mike Johnson flips multiple Republican holdouts to pass his budget blueprint. But what comes next might be even more difficult.
Then later --
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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: It's a very big deal. It could be a trillion-dollar deal.
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TAUSCHE: Is Ukraine's president caving to Trump? The deal he's ready to sign in exchange for his country's rare earth minerals.
And later --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And tower, Southwest 2504. How'd that happen?
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TAUSCHE: How did that happen? Another close call on the runway. A Southwest airlines pilot aborts landing to avoid a runway collision.
Six a.m. here on the East Coast. You are looking at video from that aborted landing that we were just talking about.
It is 6 a.m. here, 3 a.m. on the West Coast. Good morning, everyone. I'm Kayla Tausche, in for Kasie Hunt. It's wonderful to have you with us.
In just a few hours, President Trump will host the first cabinet meeting of his second term. Eighteen of his 22 cabinet-level nominees have so far been confirmed, but no Senate confirmation is needed for Elon Musk, the world's richest man, turned special government employee, who will also have a seat in the room where it happens.
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LEAVITT: The president and Elon is [SIC] his entire cabinet, are working as one unified team, and they are implementing these very commonsense solutions.
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TAUSCHE: Potentially on the agenda at this meeting: large-scale firings. A source tells CNN the Office of Management and Budget is issuing a memo to agencies to submit what they're calling reorganization plans by March 13th.
Elon Musk seems to have already gotten the memo, threatening federal employees with their jobs if they fail to respond to his email asking them what they did last week.
The White House says one million employees responded to the DOGE demand, but it may not be going over well with some cabinet meeting attendees.
Quote, "A Trump administration official tells CNN the move led to some annoyance among not only top officials, but even some cabinet secretaries, adding that the secretaries are in charge of their own agencies and need to conduct their own reviews for where cuts may be needed."
DOGE now also facing blowback from team members within the government. Twenty-one staffers from the U.S. Digital Service, which is the precursor to DOGE, resigned in protest Tuesday.
The team members said, in part, "We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems."
Despite the controversy, Musk still seems to have the confidence of the only person he needs.
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TRUMP: I think it's a very smart thing, and it says if you don't answer, essentially, you know, there's a penalty to pay. Like that's the end of the job.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Musk has said that. The order itself doesn't say that. I think that's part of the confusion. Is he speaking for you when he says you'll be terminated?
TRUMP: Yes, yes. Everybody speaks for me. I'm the one. I'll take responsibility. You know the old statement, the buck stops here, right?
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TAUSCHE: Joining me now to discuss: Lulu Garcia-Navarro, CNN contributor and journalist for "The New York Times"; Meghan Hays, former Biden White House director of message planning; and Matt Gorman, former senior adviser to Tim Scott's presidential campaign.
Good morning. Welcome to all of you. Thank you for being here.
Meghan, I want to start with you, because we've been talking a lot about the fact that Elon Musk will be in this cabinet meeting. But when you think about the cabinet room, there is the -- the group of attendees at the table, which are the secretaries. But then there are also chiefs of staff and senior White House officials.
It's not necessarily uncommon for some of these senior most officials to be on the outer loop of that room in seats. Tell me about the dynamics here.
MEGHAN HAYS, FORMER BIDEN WHITE HOUSE DIRECTOR OF MESSAGE PLANNING: Right. And so I think that will be part of the dynamic of where Elon Musk is sitting. Is he sitting at the table? Or is he going to backbench with the staff and the other special government employees that normally sit back in -- back behind these cabinet secretaries?
It's -- it's all very well laid out and choreographed. They each have a chair with their name on the back of it. The president's chief of staff also sits at the table.
So, I do think that where Elon Musk sits will send a sign today. How close is he to the president? How close is he at the table? I think that will send a sign of where Donald Trump views Elon in his cabinet.
TAUSCHE: Lulu, we now have learned about this executive order that's going to give some of these cabinet secretaries, essentially, is a directive to reorganize their own departments, giving them the keys to have some input on what these cuts look like after there had been some pushback about exactly how Elon Musk was going about this. What do you make of that?
LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, I mean, that's the way it's always worked, right? I mean, you have a system in place where the president actually puts cabinet secretaries and then they oversee their own departments, and then they decide what is going to happen there.
What has been so unusual, why there has been so much outrage, is that Elon Musk is the person that's sort of been going in willy-nilly and making these cuts.
[06:05:02]
I think looking at this, it was kind of amazing to see Donald Trump say, "The buck stops here." You're going to see, I can promise you, that juxtaposed with Elon Musk and his -- what was it that he was holding?
MATT GORMAN, FORMER SENIOR ADVISOR TO TIM SCOTT'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: Chainsaw.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: His chainsaw. Thank you. His chainsaw. Coming up for Democrats.
TAUSCHE: There it is.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: There we are. I mean, you're going to see those two things juxtaposed, I think, for -- for Democrats coming forward. You know, this is increasingly unpopular. Polling is showing it. It's starting to hit people in their communities, and many people don't like it.
TAUSCHE: There has been a lot of public praise by the president for Elon Musk and what he was doing as recently as yesterday.
But, Matt, we know that the president likes to be the lead character in his productions. We remember the cabinet meetings from the first term, where all the secretaries went around and said how wonderful he was.
What are you watching for today in that meeting, for how the two of them interact and what it says about their -- their real relationship behind the scenes?
GORMAN: I guess I kind of take a step back, disabuse myself of the sanctity of the cabinet meeting. I -- look, these are obviously, no matter what administration, mostly performative exercises, and so I tend not to put a lot of stock into this whole thing.
Again, where he sits. Fine. Interesting.
You know, I think two things. I think, A, Elon relishes being the, quote, unquote, "bad cop" in this. Right? And I think Trump likes being the good cop. They like that sort of dynamic on this. And it seems to be working, at least right now.
I think what we saw a little bit earlier in the year, even during the transition, where they tried to kind of place a wedge, Democrats and some in the media, between Elon and Trump; doesn't seem to have worked.
I think more than anything else, that likely, as long as that stays stable, I think this relationship could go a little while.
HAYS: One thing that's interesting to me, though, is -- is when these cabinet secretaries are pushing back on these emails, who is Donald Trump going to be loyal to? Is it going to be Elon Musk, or is it going to be the cabinet secretaries?
Because there might not be a wedge right now between the president and Elon, but there could be, coming -- coming up, a wedge between some of these cabinet secretaries. It will be interesting to see where Donald Trump falls on that.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: And can I just also say that it's not the "media," quote, unquote, that's doing this. What you're seeing is polling showing that everyday Americans, something that Republicans are loving to invoke this these days, are actually increasingly unhappy with this. Elon Musk is unpopular. He's underwater.
And, you know, the question for Donald Trump is going to be how much political capital is he willing to invest in someone who is very unpopular?
And if he is willing to invest that capital, why? What is the relationship, really, between these two people? Let's not forget how much money Elon Musk put into Donald Trump's campaign.
GORMAN: I think that's the point, though, right? Like, as long as -- if -- Elon's numbers can do whatever they want, he's never -- his name will never be on the ballot. As long as Trump's stays high -- and that's the key here.
Look, you know, Harvard/Harris poll out today that said 66 percent of people believe in kind of the idea of DOGE and what they're doing.
So, look, we -- we can kind of play this all day, but I think the good cop/bad cop routine, as long as the good cop's numbers stay high --
TAUSCHE: Yes.
GORMAN: -- that's where this will be.
TAUSCHE: Well, I think Congress is also concerned about this. And we're going to talk about the town hall specifically a little bit later on in the show.
But John Thune, who's the Senate majority leader, also weighed in on this. And the Senate is going to have to be -- and the House are going to have to be actually executing on what the agenda of the entirety of the federal government looks like.
Here's what John Thune said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): If that involves some reductions in force, it needs to be done in a respectful way. Obviously, that's respectful of -- of people involved.
But I do think, as they go through this process, the objective of DOGE is to try and figure out ways to make government run more efficiently, more effectively, and reduce its cost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAUSCHE: "Needs to be done in a respectful way." Matt, is that what's happening right now?
GORMAN: Well, look, all of this stuff will be done during the reconciliation process.
And look -- look, all this talk about DOGE right now, I understand it. It's a -- it's a big thing. Trump's second term will be succeed or fail based on what the reconciliation package goes through. Like, that was what will define his term. It's what, by and large, defined the first term with health care and with the tax bill.
So, really, that is what I'm watching for. This is -- it's an appetizer, so to speak. But what comes through, and obviously, Mike Johnson last night, will be telling the tale.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yes, I mean I -- I agree. And I actually think what you -- what you saw was very impressive. I mean, you saw Trump really actually being incredibly engaged, calling up lawmakers, getting them to the table.
This is actually where a president matters. This is actually something that was a big question whether Trump was going to engage in, in this granular level. And we've seen him do it.
TAUSCHE: Congressman Tim Burchett detailed for reporters a little bit of that conversation. I believe we have the congressman, if we can play that right now.
We're going to get it in just a minute. But essentially, he was talking about the call that he received from the president and some of the -- the assurances he received.
I believe we do have it now. Let's take a listen.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, tell us why you changed your vote, Congressman.
REP. TIM BURCHETT (R-TN): Because there are legitimate cuts, and it's the right direction to go. It's not everything I wanted, but in this game, you're either at the table or on the menu. And it's time to get it to table.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did they promise you anything?
BURCHETT: There's no quid pro quo. But the president assured me that he would work towards cuts. And -- and he's never lied to me. He's always been honest about it. And the speaker backed him up.
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TAUSCHE: So, they got there. They got across the finish line for this first hurdle. But there's clearly a lot of work yet to come, Meghan.
HAYS: Yes, absolutely. And that to me, when there's no quid pro quo, means I am not going to fund a challenger against you moving forward. So, I think that that's a little bit, you know, they're getting to the table for different reasons. And it will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
But back to your question about is this being done respectfully in firing? It is not being done respectfully. But I do agree with you that Donald Trump's term is going to be defined in what happens in this bill.
TAUSCHE: And to that end, I mean, the reconciliation bill and many of those policies will last for years, if not decades, beyond this term.
Lulu, we tend to focus -- history tends to focus on a president's first 100 days. But I'm wondering if this term were going to focus on the first 130 days, because that's the length that Elon Musk will be serving as a special government employee.
GARCIA-NAVARRO: Well, we don't know how long he's going to be serving as a special government employee. Let's be clear.
But yes, Elon Musk has become a focus. And this is where I'd push back a little, because this is so unusual. When have we ever seen someone like this, the richest man in the world, coming in and having such sway over the government, over the president, and over the first term of a new administration?
We've never seen it before. And so, therefore, it is legitimately fascinating, important, and worthy of scrutiny.
TAUSCHE: There is more to come from our panel and on this show.
Ahead on CNN THIS MORNING, a peaceful night for the pope. The Vatican releasing a new update on Pope Francis as the 88-year-old spends another day in the hospital.
Plus, a massive sinkhole in the middle of a Philadelphia neighborhood. It's one of the five things you have to see this morning.
And a pilot avoids a runway collision in Chicago with just seconds to spare.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just feel very thankful for who we had flying our plane.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was already anxious. And then when that happened, I -- I was extra thankful. Very thankful for the pilot and everyone who was involved.
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TRUMP: A dictator without elections. Zelenskyy better move fast or he's not going to have a country left. Got to move.
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TAUSCHE: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is making that move. He could be visiting the White House by the end of the week, after Ukraine and the U.S. reached a deal.
A source telling CNN there's a framework agreement in place on revenue from Ukraine's mineral resources and reconstruction.
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TRUMP: I hear that he's coming on Friday. Certainly, it's OK with me if he'd like to. And he would like to sign it together with me. And I understand that's a big deal. Very big deal.
It's -- it's a very big deal. Look, it could be $1 trillion deal. It could be whatever. But it's rare earths and other things.
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TAUSCHE: CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is in Kyiv with more.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Kayla, once again, Ukraine's fate is going to rest on a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump. Really, about how well these two men get along.
The rare earth minerals deal seems to be in a very final stage, with Ukrainian officials suggesting that both sides have indeed agreed to final terms that are acceptable to both of them.
That's not something we've had openly confirmed by the White House. But when asked about this, President Trump said that he was willing to meet Zelenskyy, as he'd suggested he would a matter of days earlier, and that Zelenskyy wanted to sign that particular deal. And he called it a big deal, a very big deal.
So, positive indications, too. But frankly, the volatile nature of all of this means that, until those names are written on a piece of paper, it's going to be hard to know exactly what the final outcome is. The deal, as we understand it, does not contain security guarantees
for Ukraine. Some of the language, Ukrainian officials said, was more in favor of Ukraine's security. But at the same time, too, in Ukraine's favor. It doesn't contain some of the more onerous things the Trump administration wanted to see written down in paper.
Some of those harder discussions about Ukraine's natural resources will likely be left to later deals later. Uglier, harder talks.
But really, it is still down to whether these two men are able to get along after an exceptionally acrimonious week that they went through.
Remarkable that French President Emmanuel macron was able to get this meeting through and bring Trump back more towards the European viewpoint as to Ukraine's defense.
But a very vital meeting on Friday in the White House. Not 1,000 percent guaranteed that it, indeed, will all happen as planned. So much has changed, but certainly, a more positive slant for Ukraine in the last 24 hours, Kayla.
TAUSCHE: Nick Paton Walsh in Kyiv. Nick, thank you.
Coming up, a near disaster at a major American airport. A Southwest Airlines jet barely avoiding a runway collision with a private plane.
Plus, if this isn't a tease, I don't know what is. It wasn't Rogaine that police found under this man's toupee.
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TAUSCHE: Twenty-four minutes past the hour. Five things you have to see this morning.
A dramatic water rescue. A police officer jumping into action to save a border collie that had fallen through the ice. According to News 12 New Jersey, the dog was chasing geese when the incident happened.
Take a look at this massive sinkhole opening up on a Philadelphia street, swallowing one car and nearly claiming another. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but it did knock out water to the neighborhood.
I'm surprised it didn't knock out more than that.
An avalanche caught on camera in Southwest China. This footage shows tourists fleeing from the avalanche. They were able to find shelter in a shed before getting buried. There were no injuries.
Police in the U.K. releasing surveillance footage of the 2019 heist of a $6 million, 18-karat gold toilet. The video shows cars arriving at a palace as men with tools run to the entrance.
That is a heavy getaway car. They later appear with parts of the gold toilet before stashing
objects in the trunk and driving off. Three men -- three men are on trial for what a prosecutor calls an audacious raid.
And finally, a man's toupee in Colombia was covering up more than a bald spot. Police found cocaine under his hairpiece as he tried to board a flight to Amsterdam.
The drugs are worth an estimated $10,000.
Wow. That's incredible footage.
Coming up on CNN THIS MORNING, President Trump's budget blueprint surviving a narrow House vote. But major potential roadblocks are ahead.
Plus, a quick-thinking pilot avoids a runway collision in Chicago with just seconds to spare.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was pretty amazingly calm on the flight, you know? No one, just -- everyone just kind of looked around and just. OK, this ain't normal. But no -- nobody panicked. Nobody panicked at all (ph).
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