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Trump Administration Includes UItra-Wealthy In Top Posts; House Republican Committee Chairs Almost Entirely White Men; Wash Post: Gor Is "The Most Powerful Man You've Never Heard Of". Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired December 13, 2024 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:00]

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR: Extending the Trump era tax cuts and push those other issues like border security and energy production to the side?

REP. JIM BANKS (R), INDIANA SENATOR-ELECT: I don't care as much about the sequence. I mean, that making sure that these tax cuts on working class families don't expire and all of a sudden working families get hit with a big tax increase because we didn't do our job would be devastating not just for our party but for our country.

The easy win I think though is what Stephen Miller and Leader Thune and other Republicans are crafting in the first package that would focus on securing the border which by the way is important to union workers and working class families to save their jobs and also to focus on energy independence that will make sure that this economy keeps growing and America controls its own destiny.

So those early priorities in that first bucket in the reconciliation package are important to working class families as well. But Manu the biggest story out of Washington, D.C. this week wasn't about Republicans, it's about Democrats who have completely abandoned the working class.

You had leader Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader in the house, who traded a deal away to save union jobs from China in outbound investments in the defense bill because the Democrats were so mad about Republicans stopping funding at the Department of Defense for transgender surgeries.

So that's the priority for the Democrat Party. The priority for Republicans is to focus on this new coalition that Donald Trump built for our party, working class union voters, blue collar voters around this country that voted for Donald Trump and Republicans in a big way. This is a new Republican party and that's who we're fighting for.

RAJU: As you talk about the GOP pushing for the working class, Donald Trump is actually staffing his administration with billionaires and CEOs. I mean, by our count, Trump has appointed more than a dozen of the ultra-rich to the top positions in his administration. So, I mean, isn't this precisely what you're warning about looking out of step with those workers? BANKS: Look, this is about getting stuff done. And the Senate has to back up Donald Trump confirm these nominees, the Cabinet that he's picking, these -- all of these individuals that he's choosing to help shake up Washington, whether it's Pete Hegseth getting the military focused on lethality instead of all the woke political causes of the Biden era.

Or Tom Homan, the border czar with over 30 years of experience as a Border Patrol agent to secure the border and put American workers jobs first and to save our jobs, stop drugs and crime from coming into this country.

So, the Trump agenda is the same this time as it was the last time, the America First agenda when it comes to tariffs on Chinese steel that states -- steel jobs in my country. I don't care who -- I don't care how much the Cabinet officials are worth. If they could save our working class jobs in this country, that's who I want on the job for Donald Trump's Cabinet.

RAJU: Yes, that was my question, how much they are worth and you say, you know, you don't care how much they're worth, but what they do. But I do want to ask you about one of the nominees who are expected to come to Capitol Hill next week.

That's RFK Jr. He'll be on Capitol Hill meeting with GOP senators. There's actually been reporting in the New York Times today that says that one of his top aides who has a key role in hiring staff for Trump's Health and Human Services Department worked to get the polio vaccine banned as recently as two years ago.

And obviously, we know that RFK Jr. has had lots of vaccine skepticism, has falsely said that vaccines are linked to autism. But there's also other concerns as well. Some of the agricultural industry are concerned about his views on farming. You represent an ag state. Does -- when you look at this, does any of that bother you?

BANKS: RFK is a obviously a unique and diverse choice, a long time -- lifelong Democrat that can't -- one of the major figures in the Kennedy family. Obviously, he's -- he has a lot of views that Donald Trump appreciates and supports. But at the end of the day, Donald Trump is the president in the White House and RFK is going to work for him.

And whether it's putting American agriculture first or putting our kids first, this country is ready for a big debate about vaccines and a lot of these issues related to making America healthy again. I support RFK 110 percent to be the new secretary because I think he brings a lot to the job that's unique. He's going to shake up these departments.

But Donald Trump's in charge. He's going to be -- he's the guy in the White House that's going to be in charge and RFK is going to report to him. So I have a lot of confidence and comfort in him being the new secretary because I know who's in charge at the end of the day.

RAJU: One thing that Trump said in an interview published with Time Magazine yesterday that one of his first acts in office will be to pardon those accused or convicted of storming the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

You have said in the past that peaceful protesters had a right to be there. But back in 2022, you said this about those prosecuted for crimes on January 6.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

BANKS: There were people on the other hand who broke into the Capitol who were violent, who attacked Capitol Police officers and they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The FBI has arrested hundreds of them as they should and they should be held to a very high standard in the court of law.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

[12:35:13]

RAJU: So given what you said about violent protesters being protested -- being prosecuted, would you be OK if Trump issued a blanket pardon on the January 6 rioters?

BANKS: Yes. Manu, I've never heard President Trump talking about -- offering a blanket pardon to those who were violent or who did things on January 6 of a violent nature against police -- Capitol Police officers or damaged the United States Capitol.

I think President Trump is talking about those who were there that day, who were there showing their support for him not those who committed violent acts.

RAJU: So you would oppose that?

BANKS: I opposed the notion. I don't know that that -- I've never heard him talk about pardoning those people. But there are a lot of people who were innocent that day who were there, who were arrested for different reasons. Some of them still in jail to this point.

We have, you know, the very first woman who was arrested and convicted in the country, was a grandma from Indiana and she just happened to be there that day. And like so many others was ushered into the Capitol. And as you know, I was appointed --

RAJU: But so there's a --

BANKS: -- to be the ranking member on the January 6th committee --

RAJU: But Mr. Banks, just to be clear, there's a limit on how far Donald Trump should go. You think there should be a limit on who he decides to pardon that day?

BANKS: Let's wait and see what this pardon looks like. But Donald Trump has never talked about pardoning someone who committed a violent crime on January 6. That's not who he's talking about. We all know there are hundreds of people who were arrested that day, who didn't cause violence or who didn't destroy property at the United States Capitol who shouldn't have been arrested. And I think that's who Donald Trump is talking about pardoning.

RAJU: All right. Senator-elect Jim Banks, thank you so much for joining me this afternoon sharing your views. Really appreciate it.

BANKS: Thank you. Have a good day.

RAJU: You too.

Coming up, the Republican Party has its new committee chairs and spoiler alert, they are exclusively men and almost entirely white. We'll discuss after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:41:41]

RAJU: House Republicans have selected committee chairs for the new Congress, and the list is overwhelmingly white and entirely male. But is that reflective of the makeup of the Republican Party as a whole?

Our excellent reporters are back. So, just a look on the screen there, you can see the incoming House GOP committee chairman. They look very -- they all are -- mostly all white men. The incoming House leadership, if you look at the Democrats versus the Republicans, there's obviously more ethnic diversity among the Democrats.

Lauren, what is your takeaway from -- you know, there were some women who were actually vying for top positions in the House GOP. The Speaker said let the process play it out and the process played out like this.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, we've seen this in previous Congresses, too. This is something that Republicans have struggled with to build up the Republican bench so that it includes women. And then in this case, you have the Speaker stepping aside and basically saying that members should vote how they want to vote.

I think in the wake of this last election, I do wonder how much these identity politics and leadership wanting to get involved in exactly who is leading the party in terms of what the look is of the party. I wonder if that's part of the reason why --

RAJU: Yes.

FOX: -- Speaker Johnson decided this just isn't worth the ROI of getting involved and throwing my weight behind some women for the sake of showing that diversity.

RAJU: It's such a difference in the two parties, right? Democrats are always Pelosi's talking about -- often about the diversity of the Democratic caucus. You've heard her say for so many years and Republicans have been anti-DEI for throughout the election cycle and especially now. ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: It's interesting though because in terms of the election, it does come after Republicans made gains with --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

RAJU: Yes. Just a look on your screen, there's a great point here. They did make great gains with black voters, Latino voters, Asian voters, women voters. They cut into the Democratic margins from 2020 to 2024.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Now, that is not to say that the top concerns for, you know, I've often said in my reporting, you know, the top concerns for black voters, for Latino voters are the top concerns for American voters in general.

So that's not to say that, you know, by changing the demographic makeup of Congress that you are then going to, you know, satisfy that based on voted for you, that stretches to the economy and other issues.

However, poll after poll, has shown that, you know, voters in both parties across ages feel that Congress is out of touch and out of step with the actual needs of Americans. And you can make the argument that, at that -- within the umbrella of being out of touch, is also not looking like, you know, the broader American electorate as well.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: And it's extraordinarily different from just a few years ago. I mean, you mentioned at the beginning of the show, I'm a little bit older here. I've seen a lot of inaugurations as well.

KANNO-YOUNGS (ph): Me too.

ZELENY: Also, a lot of speakers. And you remember, this was a priority of Speaker Boehner and some others. Speaker Hastert back in the day of having more women on committees and you're seeing a lot of long time women and members of Congress.

Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Kay Granger, others take their leave. So it is pretty extraordinary. I think that -- and I can see why the speaker didn't want to have his hand in it necessarily. But there are some other ways that you can sort of change the makeup of this.

We should point out, I mean one of the reasons, obviously, Elise Stefanik was a big leader in the House side. She's going to the U.N. if confirmed which everyone believes she will be.

[12:45:02]

But it's pretty striking I think. And we'll see how this looks come midterm elections and if that slate you just showed becomes an issue sort of for, you know, in some of these House races.

RAJU: Yes. And some of it is playing out too on the Democratic side. There are fights about generational fights and playing out in the House Oversight Committee something we'll all be watching. AOC against Gerry Connolly shows you the difference in the two parties, how they're dealing with it.

All right, we'll see the implications as well.

Next, he's a DJ and a book publisher and also turns out to be the life of the party. There's a lot more you need to know about Sergio Gor. He's the man in charge of hiring 4,000 Trump loyalists to run the government.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:50:05]

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

SERGIO GOR, PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP'S CLOSEST CONFIDANTS: You and I are witnessing the greatest movement in American history. A movement that will be remembered for generations. A movement that will be remembered long after we are gone. Nothing will stop Donald Trump.

ALL: Yes!

(END VIDEOCLIP)

RAJU: You probably haven't heard of Sergio Gor, but he's one of President-elect Trump's closest confidants. And at just 38 years old, he'll soon be one of the most important people in Washington, Director of Presidential Personnel. And he'll be hiring thousands of Trump loyalists to work throughout the federal government.

Marianne LeVine and Ben Terris wrote about him in the Washington Post this week. "Is this publisher/DJ, the most powerful man in Trump's transition?" That's the headline. Marianne and my panel are back.

Marianne, great story. You write of Sergio. You say, quote, "He falls somewhere on the spectrum between renaissance man and henchman". Tell us about him and his relationship with Trump.

MARIANNE LEVINE, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER, THE WASHINGTON POST: Yes. So he is someone who's not talked about a lot publicly but he does have a very close relationship with President Trump. And he is someone, in some of the interviews we did, Kellyanne Conway, for example, described him as someone -- President Trump sees him as someone who gets things done.

And it's been really interesting to report about him because he seems really appealing to a lot of people in Trump world, which is often very divided. But we had no shortage of people contact us for this story, including Jared Kushner and Don Jr.

RAJU: Yes, I just -- before you continue on, just look at some of the quotes from your great story. "Sergio has a very easy personality. People trust him." That's what Jared Kushner said. Donald Trump Jr. called him a fun presence and said that would be an understatement.

Charlie Kirk praised him as well. Peter Navarro, Matt Gaetz. "I have never been to a Sergio DJ party where a congo line doesn't break out."

LEVINE: Yes. He also officiated Matt Gaetz's wedding. So, he's definitely been a very present force in Trump world. But he's also -- the reason we read about him, he's also going to have an incredibly important job where he is going to be in charge of the vetting for Trump's -- for many of the people serving in Trump's second term.

And I think one thing that really came through in this story was his loyalty to Trump. That's often what people said about him, or one of the first things people said about him, that he was with Trump even when Trump was not as popular, was kind of viewed briefly as a pariah after January 6th.

Sergio Gor was pretty much there with him throughout. And he's viewed as very loyal. And I think that in vetting the future Trump government, he's going to be looking at loyalty as one of the factors that's going to be really key to some of these people serving in these key administrative roles.

RAJU: It's so interesting because it just shows you people that have -- had lower level -- lower ranking positions and they're catapulted up in Trump world and being so influential. Stephen Miller, kind of like Sergio Gor.

Sergio worked for Rand Paul. I knew him at the time when he worked for Rand Paul in Capitol Hill. Stephen Miller worked for Jeff Sessions when he was a senator. Now they're two of the most powerful people in Washington.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Yes. Going from, in the case of Stephen Miller, a congressional staffer to now the architect of one of the pieces of the Trump agenda that we talk about the most, that being his immigration agenda. And we might see more of that too.

Part of Stephen Miller's role over the past couple of years has been also trying to identify some of the conservative attorneys that could be responsible for implementing this agenda too. So we have to track those names that come across.

Just to go back to the great story on Sergio too. I was taken aback that my colleagues have reported on this as well at how he is leading this team that is vetting the people that are going to be a part of this administration too.

We talk about loyalty often being a requirement for the Trump administration. Maybe the most important thing that he looks in people that he's bringing into these positions. Well, that means that the person that's vetting for loyalty is also important.

And how are they doing that? By asking for people's thoughts on January 6th. Asking for, you know, potential Cabinet appointees thoughts on the previous --

RAJU: Yes.

KANNO-YOUNGS: -- election as well. They need to show and say the answer that Trump accepts.

RAJU: And to that point, this is what Don Jr. said in your piece. He said, "He will diligently go through and understand not just where they -- where were they in 2015 and 2016, but where were they on January 7th. What were they doing and saying at that time?"

ZELENY: Look, that's a very different time, I mean, in this Republican Party. Stephen, Kevin McCarthy and others who eventually pretty quickly on later in January went to Mar-a-Lago. January 7th, most Republicans were sort of viewing the former president as the pariah.

I guess current president --

RAJU: (INAUDIBLE) coming back.

ZELENY: -- the current president at that moment.

RAJU: Yes.

ZELENY: So, look, I think that -- but to Zolan's point, loyalty is another example of what, you know, just a vast difference this administration is the beginning from eight years ago. They are vetting people from the very, very beginning, trying to root out people who are not Trump loyalists at every level.

[12:55:06]

So it will be fascinating to see. But Sergio certainly is an interesting character.

RAJU: Yes, no question about it. All right. Great story. Great discussion. Thank you, guys, so much for joining me.

And thank you for joining us. I'll be back this weekend for Inside Politics Sunday. That's Sunday at 8:00 a.m. Eastern and 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Hope you'll join us.

And you also want to tune in to the State of the Union for Jake Tapper's exclusive interview with Senator Mitt Romney as he prepares to retire from Congress.

CNN New Central starts now after a quick break.