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Inside Politics

Trump Harnesses Government To Put Critics On Defense; Democratic Outrage Escalates As Party Looks For New Leader. Trump Keeps Musk Close Amid Questions over Conflicts; Conan O'Brien Honored at Trump-Led Kennedy Center; White House Solicits Corporate Branding for Eater Egg Roll. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired March 23, 2025 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:37]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

MANU RAJU, CNN HOST (voice-over): Settling the score.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's a lunatic.

RAJU: Using threats, retribution and the levers of presidential power.

TRUMP: A judge sitting behind a bench that has no idea what goes on.

RAJU: Donald Trump unleashes the federal government on his critics.

While Elon Musk pushes the limits.

REPORTER: Mr. Musk, did you get a classified briefing?

TRUMP: He's going through a lot what they're doing to him.

RAJU: What guardrails remain.

Plus, revolt.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are not interested in hearing that you are in the minority. We know that.

RAJU: Democrats itch for a fight.

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): We need a Democratic Party that fights harder for us, too.

RAJU: My new reporting on House Democrats' next moves. Is this their tea party moment?

And rolling over? New watchdog concerns about Trump putting his own spin on the White House Easter egg roll.

INSIDE POLITICS, the best reporting from inside the corridors of power, starts now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAJU (on camera): Good morning. And welcome to INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY. I'm Manu Raju.

This week, President Trump is harnessing the power of the federal government to get his foes and political rivals to bend to his will. From universities to government watchdogs to private companies whose policies he disagrees with, as he tests the authority of federal courts who are blocking a slew of his major moves. And in a dramatic escalation against the American legal system, Trump this weekend directed his government to target law firms battling his actions.

And Democrats have been caught in the crosshairs, including Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton and several others who saw their security clearances revoked.

In an interview last night with a conservative radio host, Trump said his strategy is paying dividends.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

TRUMP: If you look at the inauguration and look at the people that were on the stage, there was a who's who of a world that was totally against me the first time. It's a much different presidency.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

RAJU: All right, so lets break this all down with an excellent panel this morning. "Punchbowl's" Anna Palmer, Zolan Kanno-Youngs of "The New York Times", and NPR's Tamara Keith.

Good morning, all. Nice to see you guys. Thank you for being here.

And Trump is saying this is a different presidency now than it was back in 2017. And perhaps this is one reason why a lot of these companies, a lot of these institutions are in fact catering and bending to his will.

Just look at just in the last couple of days, the Columbia University adopt changes after Trump pulled $400 million in federal funding, there was a Democratic law firm that dedicated about $40 million in pro bono legal services after Trump targeted these firms. And then earlier, there was ABC News agreeing to pay for money to Trump's presidential library to settle a defamation suit. Meta, also involved in --in this effort to settle Trump's trying to settle these scores against all these different institutions.

Tamara, you covered the White House. This has to just only embolden Trump to continue this and maybe even go even further.

TAMARA KEITH, NPR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I don't know that he needs any emboldening.

(LAUGHTER) KEITH: He -- he is already going further. And this is very much a different presidency than the first Trump presidency. In the first Trump presidency, he surrounded himself with people who were a little bit more establishment. He -- he was sort of looking to fit in, to be the definition of presidential at times.

Now he is Donald Trump. He is doing it his way. He is just barreling through institutions and norms and going straight for laws. And, and you know, the White House would say, oh, no, his retribution is success. But let's just say the law firms and others that are being targeted are pretty sure that the retribution is more than just success.

RAJU: I mean, speaking of those law firms, I mean, this is one of the guardrails, right? People who are suing Trump in court agree or disagree with their positions. That is the system, right? You disagree. You file a lawsuit in court, you can battle the administration. We'll see how the courts react.

Now we're seeing the Trump administration going after these law firms. In fact, over the weekend, the Trump administration directing the Justice Department to review conduct about any firms who have sued the government over the last eight years and determine whether they should be sanctioned in any way.

And look, this comes as the Trump administration is facing, what, roughly 160 lawsuits or so against their policies.

Do you think this is going to have a chilling effect for these other firms who may think about, may have second thoughts about challenging the Trump administration?

[08:05:01]

ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Yeah. I mean, we've heard those concerns from private law firms, from other oversight mechanisms and nonprofit space as well, as you've had this sort of retribution tour from the Trump administration.

You know, in the process of that, you also do have concerns of an erosion of any guardrails. The president has in his early weeks in office, fired inspectors general, as you noted, he has remade the federal bureaucracy, conducting loyalty tests to have instead of career bureaucrats that in the first term might have pushed back on some of the more radical policies. This administration going back to the transition was very intent on bringing in loyalists that would be focused on implementing this agenda without pushing back, without having dissent as well.

So, yes, there is sort of an absence of guardrails here. You have seen federal judges in recent weeks trying to sort of deter or -- or push back on some of this expansion and consolidation of executive power. But, of course, we've also seen a multi-front attack on the judiciary as well in the process of that.

ANNA PALMER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS CEO & CO-FOUNDER: And it really plays into the fears of a constitutional crisis, right, that we are coming up to that, that these are bending norms and the ability to challenge the administration, both Democrats and Republicans. This is something that presidents of both parties have faced over many, many years.

But Trump kind of taking it to the next level, not just complaining anymore, but outright now challenging law firms as well as judges and saying, hey, Congress, it's time for you to act as well.

RAJU: Yeah. And look, speaking of going after judges in the federal judiciary, we've seen these escalating attacks against a number of the judges who have stepped in front of blocked Trump's actions, notably, one of the judge in the deportation case and those Venezuelan migrants who were sent over to an El Salvadorian prison that's being fought out in court right now.

Trump posting on truth social yesterday that there is a, quote, conflict of interest with this judge who participated in a photo on your left there of with in a Shakespeare Theater Company mock trial live performance. The reason why he says this is conflict of interest. He was standing next to Doug Emhoff, who, of course, is Kamala Harris's husband.

Of course, the company has been putting on these performances since 1994, in features a bipartisan group of lawyers and justices. And this is a judge, disagree with this decision or not, he voted 96 -- he was confirmed by 96 to no vote by the Senate. And he also has ruled in favor of conservatives in the past, including in the Hillary Clinton email case.

KEITH: And he was roommates in law school with Brett Kavanaugh, the Supreme Court justice. And he is -- he is not a raving left wing lunatic, as I think President Trump has called him. He is -- he is a judge who was initially appointed by George W. Bush.

And just because someone disagrees with you or is -- has a different interpretation of the law than the president and the White House does not necessarily make them left wing, there are, constitutional conservatives who are very concerned about erosion of the First Amendment, the Fifth Amendment, the Fourth Amendment, like many, there are a lot of conservatives who are -- are very concerned about what's happening, on the legal front.

So it was interesting, but this is classic Trump, right? Going after judges like he's been doing that since, since he was running the first time.

KANNO-YOUNGS: And again, its worth remembering this judge in this case actually hasn't ruled definitively here, issued a temporary injunction.

RAJU: Yeah. How is that going to affect the ruling? Right. I mean, if you're a judge getting attacked, you're going to -- I mean, perhaps that\s not the best way to work a referee.

KANNO-YOUNGS: The judge could come around, you know, and agree with the administration. You don't know what this was basically putting a temporary injunction to seek more information about, really, you know, this invocation of a wartime authority that's only been used three times and in this case, to deport these migrants to El Salvador, seeking information about the timing.

RAJU: And we still don't have any information about these migrants either.

KANNO-YOUNGS: That's right. The White House says that they're all gang members, but we've actually seen lawyers in the United States relatives, questioning that, saying that's my relative, that that has no criminal history as well. So that's the kind of information that comes out in a judicial review at this point.

RAJU: And, of course, now there's this talk about impeaching judges. This is does not have the votes in the United States Senate, certainly to convict it requires two thirds of the United States Senate to convict anyone to remove them from office. It does require a majority vote in the House. So theoretically, in this narrowly divided Republican House, Mike Johnson could keep his members in line, get it through.

But there's a -- it seems unlikely, given this, you'd be charged with a high crime or misdemeanor. These are not high crimes and misdemeanors to block a -- to block a policy because you disagree with the legality of it.

But how are Republican leaders going to deal with this? Because Trump is demanding these guys, these judges get impeached?

[08:10:04]

PALMER: Right. You have some members going for it saying, hey, here's a bill that we want to have that could impeach judges, do a whole slew of different things. This is not what mike Johnson wants to be spending his time on right now, right? I mean, he's got massive challenges when it comes to tax reform, when it comes to actually passing this administration's agenda.

This is seen by a lot of Republicans, I've been told as a distraction, as something that they feel like they have momentum. Democrats are in disarray. Why would we be going down this line?

And so the question is going to be, do they refer it to a committee and it kind of dies there. Does he allow for a vote? It would be pretty extraordinary for this to pass in the house, even with I mean, just a slim majority.

RAJU: It seems highly unlikely. But, you know, I'm sure they'll do something to make Trump sound like they're doing something, but maybe not actually go that far, because it would be a major effort to try to actually impeach a federal judge.

Zolan, a lot of these efforts to expand Trump's power are tied to his push, of course, to increase deportation. You and your colleagues reported that the Trump administration was shutting down three watchdog agencies at the Homeland Security Department. This comes as there was reports last night that the IRS is nearing a deal with ICE to actually share address addresses of suspected undocumented immigrants, the IRS getting that information from ICE. It seems that way. What is the significance of all this?

KANNO-YOUNGS: Well, we talked about the erosion of these guardrails, right? And I think you're seeing a direct targeting of oversight mechanisms for a policy agenda that's at the center, really at the centerpiece of this administration and this president's political identity, to that being this deportation campaign.

Immigration, he has already deployed massive amounts of federal resources, the military, towards this effort as well, which would make some of the oversight mechanisms the civil rights office and DHS, as well as the ombudsman offices pretty relevant. But we reported that in recent days, all of those nearly entirely the entire nearly the entire staff was put on administrative leave for 60 days. They're given 60 days to find another job. If they don't, they will be fired at that point.

RAJU: Yeah. All right. We'll see how folks react to that, this great reporting.

Thank you for that.

And more coming up for us, just as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are drawing massive crowds for the rest of the my new reporting on House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, how will he handle the outrage Democrats heard from voters while they were home last week?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:16:50]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are now looking at cuts to Medicare, Medicaid. What is Congress going to do for us?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All these things are happening and no one is stopping him. Why isn't Congress or the police or somebody saying no?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why is he having so much power? Isn't anybody going to stand up to him?

SEN. MICHAEL BENNET (D-CO): I do think on the leadership question, it's always better to, you know, examine whether folks are in the right place. And we're certainly going to have that conversation. Let me just say its important for people to know, you know, when its time to -- to go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: That last comment from Senator Michael Bennet could be seen as a shot at Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who has tried to reassure his many Democratic skeptics that he is up to the job. Now, House Democrats are telling us they want the leader of their

caucus, Hakeem Jeffries, to take the reins from Schumer and begin laying out a badly needed vision for a party in crisis. By new reporting this morning with my colleague Sarah Ferris highlights how Jeffries' cautious and calculating leader is about to face unrest within his caucus from members fearful that they are losing the messaging war and need to sharpen their tactics to retake the House next year.

My excellent panel is back.

So as part of our reporting, we found that Nancy Pelosi and Hakeem Jeffries, while they were battling over funding the federal government with the Senate, she talked to Jeffries and she said, quote, use your power in terms of trying to sharpen your strategy, use your power against Chuck Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, who was on a different page in the House Democrats over keeping the government open. That still led to all this infighting.

But they since then, they've been back home, these members have been hearing so much as we saw from just a taste of it right there, from their constituents, from their voters who want them to do more. How do you think the Democrats are going to adjust to this reality and what they're hearing from their voters?

PALMER: I think what you're hearing is that rank and file kind of constituent who's upset is where a lot of House Democrats are, right? They are fueling this same fear that Democrats don't have any message. They don't have a strong leader. They have no ability to combat with, you know, President Trump and all of the things that he's doing.

I think that's going to be a massive problem for Democrats. And so far, Hakeem Jeffries has not been that person who's willing to really not only take on Schumer, but he hasn't been super aggressive in terms of finding the message that, you know, meeting the moment for Democrats when it comes to going against Trump.

RAJU: Because these things are happening so quickly. They're trying to figure out what to focus on, on just in some of the members who are saying, well, we need to focus on everything. So I'm saying pick and choose your battle. And it's led to this muddled message and just also just a crisis of confidence, really, among voters.

The Democratic Party right now, just look at the sharp drop on the net approval of congressional Democrats among Democratic voters. This is Democratic voters from their high point back in 2009, plus 57 points on net approval. That is down to minus nine now. I mean, that is 66, if my math is correct, point drop since 2009 to 2025, that is staggering.

KANNO-YOUNGS: It is staggering. And I think this is why you saw so much pressure building on Democrats when it came to the recent congressional spending fight, too.

[08:20:04] You had progressives, particularly House Democrats as well, looking for some act of defiance here in the face of this administrations consolidation of executive power. And really, they're the variety of aggressive moves that we've seen. Now, you saw Democrats in that case, you know, work with Republicans to avoid a shutdown.

But I think just that period there speaks to the angst and the progressive base right now for something. Up until this point, it's been almost choosing what to swing at. But the risk of a cautious strategy as you come off looking passive as well. And it seems like that's the concern right now for Democrats in their base.

RAJU: Yeah, no question about it. And speaking of the base, just over the last couple of days, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has, along with Bernie Sanders, of course, they speak to that wing of the party. They've been stumping in some of a couple of states having these massive rallies, and they have been massive.

According to Bernie Sanders' team, there were more than 86,000 people who came out for weekend town halls. They claimed that there were 34,000 people in Denver. That's what they say is the biggest crowd Sanders has ever attracted. They're calling it a quote, fighting oligarchy tour.

And this is what the taste of what they said to their voters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OCASIO-CORTEZ: And it's not just about Republicans. We need a Democratic Party that fights harder for us, too. That means communities choosing and voting for those Democrats and elected officials who know how to stand for the working class.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): But it's not just Republicans. You got billionaire Democrats who are telling candidates, don't stand up for the working class.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: I mean, these are the people who are getting the biggest audience. You know, this is where the energy is with the Democratic Party. I mean, if you're the Democratic leaders, how do you deal with that right now? And what do you make of the fact that they're getting these massive crowds?

PALMER: I mean, this is where the progressive base is. It's not necessarily surprising that this is where they're getting the crowds.

But I think the challenge Democrats have is they have this energy over here, but they look and are trying to have a reflection period of why did we lose to Donald Trump? They say it's the economy. They say we don't have a message that really hits those kinds of voters.

And there is, I think, a continued division within the Democratic Party about should they lean into this progressive value set, or is it time to say, hey, actually, we need an economic message. It's the price of eggs, and that is what is going to win general elections.

RAJU: The classic debate over tactics, strategy, messaging, the progressives versus the moderates, and some warnings to Ramesh Ponnuru wrote for "The Washington Post" and his opinion column about the risks of this of the of the base. Here, he says, any wise old sages of the Democratic Party should be careful about responding defensively to their intraparty critics. Republicans who tried that in 2009 mostly got run over.

Democrats have to strike a precarious balance. They have to show that they share their voters' outrage at Trump, but they cannot let that outrage come across as unhinged to swing voters.

I mean, that's -- the end of the day. It is swing. Yes, it's a base. The base needs to come out for midterm elections in particular, but the swing voters are someone they have to be concerned about.

KANNO-YOUNGS: That's right. I mean, and I think that's the reason why you have seen sort of this cautious strategy for those who do back it as well. The last election, you know, as Democrats start to go back and look at what they did wrong, what comes up is the economy and immigration at times, you know, the issues that really impact people, or at least voters felt impacted them day to day.

So that's a reason why you've seen sort of at least some Democratic leaders choose to hold back at this point.

KEITH: Well, what I would say is that Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, they are talking about economic issues. They're talking about it in a progressive voice. But, you know, I was talking to a Biden wing Republican.

So more moderate -- or Democrat, I mean, a Biden wing Democrat who essentially was praising Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, saying their message about the economy is the message that all Democrats need to be pushing forward. That Trump is going to lower taxes for billionaires, for instance, that that's what the -- you know, they're working to cut social security so they can have money for the -- for the billionaires.

RAJU: Is that their message is essentially that of the mainstream of the Democratic Party.

KEITH: Well, and that it is a message that many Democrats think will work in 2026. Maybe not the tone, but the -- the message about the economy, about working class people sort of returning to where Democrats were before and less catering to, you know, the business class and the, you know, sort of the establishment and norms and more about dollars and cents and pointing to Elon Musk, all of that under the umbrella of also saying, look at the worlds richest man right now, dictating federal policy. At least that's the accusation.

RAJU: What a perfect segue, because we're going to talk about Elon Musk next. Yeah, exactly. We didn't just plan that coming up.

Elon Musk's companies hold billions of dollars of federal -- contracts with the federal government.

[08:25:02]

Is that about to grow?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RAJU: Elon Musk was by President Trump's side last night as they attended the NCAA men's wrestling championship, a show of support from the president, all amid questions about Musk's role purging the federal government while he has billions in contracts before the very same federal government.

Trump has even suggested that people vandalizing Tesla dealerships should be sent to prisons in El Salvador. And this week, Trump's commerce secretary went on national TV and told Americans to invest in Musk's business.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD LUTNICK, SECRETARY OF COMMERCE: I think if you want to learn something on this show tonight, buy Tesla. It's unbelievable that this guy's stock is this cheap. It will never be this cheap again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: All right. My panel is back.

Of course, this is Musk and his businesses, they have an enormous amount of money before contracts, before the federal government, roughly at least $38 billion in government contracts, loans, subsidies and tax credits. That's over the past two decades or so.

So does the White House care about the optics here of all this, or is it, you know, they're ok with the way this looks?

ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, NEW YORK TIMES: I mean, I think you said earlier, Tamara, that this White House doesn't need a reason to like to be emboldened right now. I point -- put this under that category, too.

This is a White House that feels that they're incredibly confident right now and things like this, I don't know if there's that -- there's that concern about the optics.

RAJU: Because like, look, what if DOGE is touching things that Elon is involved with --

KANNO-YOUNGS: Which it is.

RAJU: Yes.

KANNO-YOUNGS: I mean --

RAJU: How does he -- how does he deal with that? Do we know how he deals with it? KANNO-YOUNGS: Elon's attempt right now and DOGE's efforts have already impacted agencies that either opened or were actively investigating or, excuse me, conducting oversight over the contracts for his private companies at this point.

So I mean, we have heard some comments from the president where he's been pressed increasingly on a potential conflict of interest, and you've seen him sort of get defensive at that point.

But this is something that's actively going on right now. SpaceX has pending applications to the Pentagon as well to do even more projects at this time. So this is ongoing.

ANNA PALMER, CEO/CO-FOUNDER, PUNCHBOWL NEWS: And Starlink as well. But don't you think it's a -- it's a zoom out here, right? Like the president likes rich people. He likes to be around people that are rich.

He also feels like he was unfairly vilified and that now Elon Musk is being unfairly vilified. Those are two things that kind of cement this relationship that I think has gone on in a positive way for him, more than a lot of people predicted.

People said, oh, this is all going to blow up. Blah, blah, blah. It hasn't yet because I think oftentimes Elon Musk doesn't care about being liked. And so he can be the tip of the spear on so many of these things that are top priorities for this administration. And Trump can kind of step back.

We saw this with the Pentagon meeting where he said, oh, you know, they had a pullback. But he said, I didn't even know it was happening. Right. Like there is this kind of symbiotic relationship that has worked in Trump's favor so far.

TAMARA KEITH, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, NPR: I mean, Elon Musk can be a little bit of a shield for Trump. He can be the Bond villain or not Bond villain. He can be the villain. We will not say what cinematic universe, but he can be the villain and Trump can hang back and just be the president who's like, oh, this is what Elon is doing. It's fine.

I will say again in the -- this is not the first Trump administration. Kellyanne Conway got in big trouble --

RAJU: Wait, wait. Hold on, hold on. Before you say that, we have that -- we didn't find this either. We have the sound bite. Let's roll that sound bite.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLYANNE CONWAY, FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO DONALD TRUMP: Go buy Ivanka's stuff is what I would tell you. I'm going to. I'm going to shopping and go get some myself today. I'm going to give a free commercial here. Go buy it today, everybody. You can find it online.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KEITH: So the Office of the Special Counsel, which enforces the Hatch Act and other things which are related to the White House, they went after her. They said, you can't do that.

Well, Trump has fired the head of the Office of the Special Counsel this time around, another one of the watchdogs that's been booted.

And so, you know, Lutnick can go out there and say what he says, and maybe there'll be a slap on the wrist eventually, someday, somebody will be like, oh, Hatch Act, maybe you shouldn't do that again.

RAJU: Yes.

KEITH: Trump doesn't have to follow that. So Trump can open up a Tesla dealership on the south lawn if he wants to. And there are no rules that apply to the president.

RAJU: He almost did that. I mean, remember he had -- they were hawking Teslas on the White House lawn just not too long ago, I think it was maybe last week or the week before.

But yes, there it is. You see on your screen, Trump and Musk with the Teslas and the like. Perhaps in another era that would have raised even more alarms. Now it's of course, seemingly increasingly normalized.

But you talked about the heat shield, him serving as a heat shield for Donald Trump. Just perhaps the numbers bear that out. Look at the favorable versus unfavorable Elon Musk versus Donald Trump.

Elon Musk, there is 35 percent favorability rating. Trump 42 so higher. They both have similar disapproval ratings.

But when you drill down into the numbers about the opinion of Elon Musk, look at the Independent numbers. 60 percent of independent voters have an unfavorable view of Elon Musk. How does the White House take that?

KANNO-YOUNGS: Well, this is -- this could be the concern moving forward to you. As we especially talked about how we've had these intense town halls for Democrats.

Well, you know, Republicans have also been getting pressed on everything that's happening here in Washington -- DOGE's sort of efforts to upend the federal bureaucracy. Those aren't just jobs in Washington. Those are jobs all over the country. And look, if you have consumer prices also go up, economic anxiety also go around the country.

[08:34:47]

KANNO-YOUNGS: You know, the line, the attack line from Democrats of pointing to Elon Musk's activity grouped with that economic frustration, that is a concern for the president's allies and defenders of the White House.

PALMER: And a potential opportunity for Democrats --

KANNO-YOUNGS: Yes, that's right.

PALMER: -- right. And they're starting to seize on it, right. I think those numbers point out that, hey, we have a midterm election in a year and a half from now. Democrats in the House are already starting to cut campaign ads with that feature, Musk as the boogeyman, as the guy who's taking your jobs is increasing, you know, doing all these bad things in Washington.

And it is going to be interesting to see how that plays, particularly with Independents.

RAJU: And not just the House, but also the Senate. Just yesterday, Senator Jon Ossoff, he's a Georgia Democrat. He's in his first term right now. He could be the perhaps the most vulnerable Democrat on the map yesterday.

And part of his message was talking about Elon Musk, talking about Donald Trump and mentioning the wealth of Donald Trump's cabinet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JON OSSOFF (D-GA): Trump's cabinet is worth like $60 billion. That's not even including Elon. They are literally the elites they pretend to hate.

Secretary of Commerce is pumping up Tesla stock. The White House has been converted into a Tesla showroom, while Elon's money -- Elon's money is what keeps Republican senators in check.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: You know, I found this interesting because you would -- sometimes members who are in swing states like Georgia, maybe red- leaning state, they take a much more moderate message, perhaps say, like they want to work with the White House.

This is a clear calculation that they -- that he believes going after Elon Musk could be beneficial in a race like this.

KEITH: Right. And if you look at the numbers on Independents, who he will need in order to win, if he could possibly win, then sure, this message makes sense. And it's not that different from, as we talked about before, Bernie Sanders' message.

It's the well, its pitting the wealthy Trump and his wealthy friends against -- against the American people and the veterans who have been -- lost their jobs. And, you know, like there is a kernel of a message in there for Democrats if they can figure out how to land on it, and it may end up being that different Democrats end up on different messages, and that there is not one, one message.

RAJU: That's totally true. And, you know, you're right. It does sound like a lot like AOC and Bernie Sanders because he said they are literally the elites they pretend to hate, which seems to me is like going to be the beginning of a Democratic talking point in the campaigns.

PALMER: I mean, you could see that be a really salient -- it's a direct message, direct hit that this -- that lands with middle America, right.

They're kind of struggling, trying to figure out how to pay for gas and milk and all of those things. And that -- that is something that you could see Democrats be on every single campaign billboard and every single campaign ad.

RAJU: Yes. Bringing it back to the last segment, I wonder if AOC will be stumping with the Senator Jon Ossoff.

KEITH: That's going to be a bridge too far.

RAJU: Maybe just a little too far, right. We'll see. A long way to go to the midterms, but obviously hugely consequential.

All right. Coming up, Conan O'Brien is set to receive a prestigious award tonight. Why Trump's takeover of a key cultural institution may make the vibes, well, a little bit different.

Plus, it's not your grandmother's easter egg roll. New reporting on this year's White House event that's caught former officials from both sides by surprise.

[08:38:07]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TINA FEY, ACTRESS AND COMEDIAN: I want to Thank everyone involved with The Kennedy Center, or as it will soon be known, the Tea Party Bowling Alley and Rifle Range.

JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS, ACTRESS AND COMEDIAN: The old cliche about laughter being the best medicine turns out to be true which is good because that's what the current administration is trying to replace Obamacare with.

DAVE CHAPPELLE, COMEDIAN: The First Amendment is first for a reason. The Second Amendment is just in case the First one doesn't work out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: All right. Tonight in Washington, Conan O'Brien will join a long list of comic legends when he accepts the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at The Kennedy Center, essentially the Nobel prize for comedy.

But O'Brien will be honored in an institution that Trump now controls after he named himself chairman of the board, chairman of The Kennedy Center, fired board members and installed loyalists instead. And that will probably be the elephant in the room.

My panel is back.

So this is Trump, he would tour The Kennedy Center last week, and he said that there needs to be a lot of changes to it. This is a taste of what he's thinking.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You can't have this looking like it does. It's a very big part of the fabric of Washington, D.C.

I'm going to make a lot of changes, including the seats, the decor, pretty much everything needs a lot of work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: It needs -- it needs a lot of work. I'm not sure what he's been -- I've been to The Kennedy Center several -- many times. It's a beautiful place.

KEITH: It is a beautiful place. This man is a developer at heart. And you just saw that. He is also a big fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals. We know this for a fact. It is part of his soundtrack.

When he's at Mar-a-Lago, he hits tunes from "Cats" and "Phantom of the Opera and this is just another cultural institution or another institution of Washington that President Trump is bending to his will.

[08:44:42]

KEITH: And coming back to the theme of everything I've said all day, you know, in 2017, one of the honorees for The Kennedy Center Honors said he was going to boycott the White House reception related to The Kennedy Center Honors.

Trump then boycotted The Kennedy Center Honors for four whole years. This time, he's taking over The Kennedy Center.

This is just another case of him saying, last time I just hung back. Last time I wasn't trying to change anything. I would accept that you guys didn't want me there.

This time he's taking it over, and he's going to make sure that people want him there.

RAJU: A very long memory, of course, we know with Donald Trump that any perceived slight, he certainly remembers. How much is Trump trying to put his MAGA stamp on just this. And really, all matters of society.

KANNO-YOUNGS: Yes, yes. That's this is a primary example that the efforts to remake societal institutions in Trump's image is not limited to the federal government this time around.

You have seen executive orders to dictate hiring practices in the private sector. We talked about the intent to punish some of these private law firms as well that may have connections to people Trump perceives as political enemies.

And then you also have The Kennedy Center to a this this effort to put the MAGA stamp on an art institution as well. It -- to your point, I think it's obviously not as significant, maybe as, you know, the upending of the federal bureaucracy, but it's still in the retribution tour category.

It's also an example of how confident they are, as Trump really tries to upend various aspects of society.

RAJU: I mean, look, conservatives have long complained that there's too much liberalism in Hollywood, in entertainment, and they say they're well within their rights to do this, for Trump to do this.

This is how Trump described it to The Kennedy Center board meeting. This is according to "The Washington Post". He said, "In the past, I mean, these are radical left lunatics that have been chosen. I didn't like it. I couldn't watch it. And the host was always terrible. We'll go slightly more conservative, if you don't mind, with some of the people."

So there seems to be a political test for some of these honorees.

KEITH: Well, also, according to the reporting, President Trump has offered that he might just host The Kennedy Center Honors going, you know, TV producer Donald J. Trump.

RAJU: And he said the ratings would go through the roof, of course.

KEITH: Of course, the ratings would go through the roof. He also wants to put it out to bid to other networks. It's always been on CBS.

Again, he is he is trying to put his stamp on it and he probably will. Already, "Hamilton the Musical", a touring Broadway production of "Hamilton", said they weren't coming because they were worried that the contract wouldn't be kept and other challenges.

And so Trump's not a big fan of "Hamilton". President Obama was a big fan of "Hamilton".

RAJU: And just to look at your screen, those are the other cancellations or withdrawals, several of them. Perhaps there will be more.

KEITIH: Yes, and certainly there could be. And Trump and his allies are hoping to fill it in with artists that are more to his taste, shall we say?

RAJU: Yes. The crowds have, you know, they may have been more Democratic, they may be more liberal-leaning, but they also have greeted J.D. Vance when he was there with not such a warm reception. You see, he got booed there as well.

What do you think about will they adjust in any way if we see more cancellations? Or will they say, fine, if you want to -- don't want to come, you don't want to come to The Kennedy Center, don't. KANNO-YOUNGS: I don't really see this administration -- adjusting

doesn't really seem to be in this administration's really view right now. So I think you can probably expect some more Lee Greenwood at The Kennedy Center at this point.

RAJU: We shall see.

All right. Another change here in Trump's Washington.

Still ahead, brand new reporting on the White House easter egg roll. Are the Trumps trying to hatch a golden egg?

[08:48:34]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RAJU: New this morning, CNN has learned that the Trumps are putting their stamp on a White House tradition that dates back to 1878. And that's the annual easter egg roll. Seeking pricey corporate sponsorships that are raising some ethics concerns, it's the subject of a new story by my excellent colleague Betsy Klein. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Betsy, thanks for being here this morning. Fill us in on what you've learned and why this is unusual.

BETSY KLEIN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: So, Manu, the White House this year is soliciting corporate sponsorships from prospective sponsors ranging from $75,000 to $200,000 through this outside event production company called Harbinger.

And I have obtained this nine-page document kind of laying out the sponsorship opportunities. And when I sent this to sources who have planned this event in the past, as well as ethics experts and lawyers, the overwhelming reaction is one of shock and concern.

So I just want to read to you some of the opportunities that they are offering. Naming rights for key areas or elements, sponsor logos featured on event signage, custom branded baskets, snacks, beverages or souvenirs, as well as mentions in official event communications and social media posts.

Sponsors are also going to get tickets to this brunch or the egg roll. As you know, they're very hard to come by, as well as a brunch with the first lady and tour of the White House.

Now, the funding mechanism for this is the White House Historical Association, and any excess funding is going to go to future White House events like Halloween or the 4th of July.

RAJU: Now, you've talked to ethics experts about this as well. There are some concerns that you're hearing about. One of the things that you write about in this article, it says, "The solicitation marks an unprecedented offering of corporate branding opportunities on White House grounds, running counter to long-established regulations prohibiting the use of public office for private gain." [08:54:52]

RAJU: So, running counter to long established regulations.

KLEIN: Yes. And the concerns I'm hearing here are twofold. Number one, this document itself and the explicit logo and branding opportunities it's promising.

I talked to Richard Painter, who's a former White House counsel under George W. Bush. He said this never would have passed muster in his White House or most other White House Counsel's office.

The other piece is what this looks like to have logos on the south lawn, as well as what it means for these social media posts to, as promised to mention, are they going to come from official White House accounts? We just don't know the answer to that just yet.

RAJU: And has the White House commented on this yet?

KLEIN: Not yet.

RAJU: Not yet. Ok. We'll see what they say. Certainly scrambling the easter egg roll, that's for sure.

All right. Betsy Klein, thank you so much for your terrific report.

That's it for INSIDE POLITICS SUNDAY. You can follow me on X @mkraju, follow the show @INSIDEPOLITICS, and follow me on Instagram @manu_raju.

If you ever miss an episode, you can catch up wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for INSIDE POLITICS.

Up next, "STATE OF THE UNION WITH JAKE TAPPER AND DANA BASH". Dana's guests include Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Congressman Ro Khanna.

Thanks again for sharing your Sunday morning with us. We'll see you next time.

[08:55:56]

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