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One-On-One With Maryland Gov. Wes Moore; Trump Speaks With Zelenskyy After Record Russian Drone Strikes; The War And Treaty To Perform In CNN's All-Star Special. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired July 04, 2025 - 12:30   ET

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

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Now, Governor Moore is putting his message right up against President Trump's.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

GOV. WES MOORE (D), MARYLAND: This binary, this us versus them, this, you know, that the only way that I can win is if you lose. That we're just showing in the state of Maryland that we think differently. We don't have to just fall in line with what the president of the United States is doing, that we can actually provide an alternative.

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BASH: And joining me now is Maryland Governor Wes Moore. Thank you so much for being here. Happy Fourth to you. I know that you are --

MOORE: Happy Fourth to you.

BASH: -- like most Democrats, not a fan of this bill that the president is going to sign into law later today. About 1.5 million people in your state of Maryland are enrolled in Medicaid. What is your plan now that you know that there are a couple of years that this legislation gives you and other governors to put in place the parameters for these changes? How are you going to do that and protect people who you believe should be and need Medicaid?

MOORE: Yes, and I actually don't think it's just most Democrats, I think it's most people. When they learn the details of the Greed Act of 2025, they realize this is the largest consolidation of wealth that we have seen in our nation's history. And it is something where you are knocking the most vulnerable off of any type of basic supports that were promised to them.

And so, if you look what's happening in the state of Maryland, you know, we are seeing how the Greed Act of 2025 will kick over 200,000 Marylanders off of health care. That is going to gut around a quarter of $1 billion from our rural hospitals. And so the truth is that there is no state, Maryland and no other state, that has the coffers, that has the balance sheet to be able to make up for the hole that the federal government has just put us all in.

And so it's really disheartening that, especially on a day like Independence Day, a day that's supposed to represent how it was our unity that made us such an exemplar in the world, that this is the day that Donald Trump is choosing to sign a bill that is literally saying that you are all now on your own on this.

BASH: Governor, I'm not sure if you heard Mike Lawler, he is a Republican who voted yes, even though he had made a lot of statements questioning Medicare cuts, excuse me, Medicaid cuts. And he said the conclusion that he came to was that people who are eligible, who need it the most, will not be thrown off Medicaid rolls.

And that, yes, eligibility will change for people who are able bodied and can work. And for, for example, people who are undocumented immigrants. Is there something to be said for --

MOORE: Yes, it's --

BASH: Is there something to be said for just those two groups of people, maybe not being on Medicaid and not getting the benefits, as the Republicans are arguing?

MOORE: No. What he's saying is not true. And I'm sure, frankly, the people of his district will remember that next year when he runs for re-election. You know, what people will know is that we are watching a bill that will indiscriminately go after our community's most vulnerable.

And they're going to go after the health care of individuals by making these cuts to -- they're making these cuts to Medicaid. And we see what the impacts are going to be like where I was just, just a few days ago, I was at a senior center in Maryland and speaking to people where we know that around a quarter of all, of all Marylanders receive or receiving Medicaid supports.

And we know there's going to have a distinct impact on our seniors and our veterans and the disabled community. That I was just recently at a food pantry down in Montgomery County, Maryland. And we were talking with them called Mana (ph) and we were talking with them. When you look at the -- there's over 360 food pantries or food service industry areas within the state of Maryland that are now about to get hacked because of the cuts that we're going to have towards SNAP.

And so to, you know, when I hear things like, well, we're going to have no taxes on tips, which by the way, runs out in 2028, I would say this to people, save your tips. Because when you look at this bill and it's in all its entirety, it is coming after the most vulnerable.

So all those people who think they will benefit from no tax on tips, even though it runs out in two years, I hope you're saving those tips because you are going to need it when every other support that is laid out is then pulled out from under your feet.

BASH: Governor, you well know that your job as governor could not be more different than your fellow Democrats who are in the House and the Senate. Having said that -- particularly because they don't have any power, they don't control Congress. Having said that, how do you feel about your party leadership? How did they do with this debate?

[12:35:08] MOORE: Well, I think that the thing that we saw is that in this moment, we have to be able to lead in the seats that we are in. You know, I think about what's happening in the state of Maryland. And I think we are showing what an alternative looks like, where, you know, in the budget that we just passed, you know, I actually gave the middle class in my state a tax cut.

That we, that 94 percent of Marylanders either got a tax cut or saw no change at all. And we asked those who have a lot more to give a little bit more to be able to make sure that we have world-class schools, to make sure that we are not laying off our firefighters and our police officers.

And on the federal side, we literally saw the absolute opposite. We saw them the largest giveaway that we saw giving millionaires a tax cut and then hosing everybody else. And so the thing that I love about executive leadership that we're able to show inside of our states right now is we can show what an alternative actually looks like, giving the middle-class a tax cut, asking millionaires to pay a little bit more.

And yes, being able to turn a deficit into a surplus. And now in the state of Maryland, we have turned being 43rd in the country in unemployment to having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the entire country and still raise the minimum wage to make sure honoring work.

BASH: And notice you talked about what you are doing and you can do because you are an executive of the state, but not about the Democrats in Congress.

MOORE: Yes, because the truth is I don't control the Democrats in Congress. I don't have a vote on this and the people who I have to represent, the 6.5 million people in the state of Maryland, you know, they're not looking for me to pontificate on what Democrats in Washington should be doing.

I, frankly, I think people are very disappointed in Washington right now when they're watching a president of the United States today sign the Greed Act of 2025 which is going to hurt middle-class Marylanders. And so I think people are looking to me, not necessarily to give a grade to people in Washington, but to turn around and say, what are we doing to make sure we're defending values in Maryland, which I think the people in my state are saying that we're doing.

BASH: I want to ask you about something that's going on in Maryland because, you know, nationally, particularly from the president, we hear a lot about Democratic states, Democratic run cities having a big problem with crime and Republicans have an advantage when you look at the perception that Americans have of Republicans versus Democrats.

You are in Baltimore right now. I know you're going around the state for the 4th of July. The mayor there announced that the city had a nearly 24 percent drop in homicides, 23 percent drop in nonfatal shootings. I know you're trying to get the message out on things like that, but why do you think that given those stats, Democrats are having trouble shaking voters' perceptions?

MOORE: Well, I think people, you know, people realize in the state of Maryland, when, you know, I first became the governor, I said, I refuse to be a governor that just spends my time attending funerals and giving thoughts and prayers. And so we decided to work with the -- work the great work with the mayor and our local law enforcement.

We made historic investments in local law enforcement, historic investments in technology and predictive analytics, historic investments in community groups and community violence interruption groups. And you're absolutely right. What we have seen where we had a major problem with violence before our administration came on board, when there was actually a Republican governor.

And now since we've come on board, we have seen homicides in Baltimore city dropped 62 percent since our administration came on board that we have the first half of this year. We are now seeing the lowest homicide rate in the first half of this year than we've ever had in recorded history.

And it's not just what we're seeing in Baltimore. We are seeing one of the fastest drops around the country statewide in the state of Maryland. And so I think people are seeing that we are making sure we're focusing on accountability. We are being tough on those who are choosing to violate the law and being tough on those who are choosing to use violence and handguns.

But we're also making sure we're working with the community. We're working with local elected officials. We're working with our state's attorneys and our law enforcement and our community groups to drive the kind of results that people were hoping for. And we've got more work to do, but I'm very clear and I'm very proud of the work that we've been able to see in the state of Maryland in these first two and a half years.

BASH: Wow. From the crime stats to all the other economic stats that you're talking about, it seems like they would be, you know, topics that one would talk about when one runs for president. But I'm not going to ask you about that. I'm going to leave it there and let you go enjoy your Fourth of July, Governor.

Thank you so much for being here. Appreciate it.

MOORE: Thank you so much. I appreciate you. Happy Fourth.

BASH: Thank you.

And up next, we have new details on President Trump's conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Stay with us.

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[12:43:32]

BASH: Now to the White House where President Trump just wrapped up a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it comes as Russia escalates its attacks on Ukraine, hitting the capital city of Kyiv with a record number of drone attacks. This just hours after the president held what he describes as a disappointing call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

CNN's Kevin Liptak is at the White House. Kevin, what are your sources telling you about the conversation that he just had with President Zelenskyy?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: They're describing it as a good call. And I think that barrage of missiles and drones was an important backdrop to this conversation. Certainly, Zelenskyy going into this call, wanting to talk to President Trump about the importance of continued U.S. assistance, continued U.S. shipments of these defensive weapons.

You know, patriot missile batteries are the only weapon that can intercept some of these Russian missiles. And I think Zelenskyy wanted to get some clarity from the president about where things actually stood. You know, it was only a week ago that President Trump, after meeting Zelenskyy in the Netherlands, said that he was open to sending new Patriot missiles to Ukraine.

But just this week, we heard from the administration that those weapons shipments would be halted, concerns about dwindling U.S. stockpiles. And so, for Zelenskyy, I think he wanted to hear President Trump's view of all of this. And at least according to the Ukrainian side, it does appear as if he made some progress.

Zelenskyy is saying on social media that Trump was well-informed about the situation, that they agreed to strengthen protection of our skies. So President Trump clearly open, I think, to helping Ukraine defend itself.

[12:45:09]

Now, we did also hear from President Trump yesterday about his call with Putin. He said it was disappointing. He said he made virtually no progress. All of that underscoring, I think, that for all of the successes that President Trump has had these last few weeks, Ukraine remains a glaring example of a place he's really not been able to make any progress so far.

BASH: Yes, it's a really good point.

Kevin, thank you so much for that reporting. Appreciate it. Happy Fourth.

Coming up, we're going to venture outside politics because country music stars The War and Treaty are here for the Fourth in America. They're going to talk about a performance I cannot wait for tonight. Stay with us.

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BASH: I am really excited for tonight's annual July Fourth special, especially a performance from The War and Treaty, who will sing their new single, "Feels Like Home," and the hit song, one of my favorites, "Hey Driver." The Grammy-nominated country music couple Tanya and Michael Trotter Jr., you see them? They're right here. They are The War and Treaty.

Thank you so much for coming in.

TANYA TROTTER, THE WAR & TREATY: Thank you.

BASH: I really am excited. And you're going to be right near where Boris and I are going to be tonight. So just the idea of performing on July Fourth. Michael, you are a veteran.

MICHAEL TROTTER JR., THE WAR & TREATY: Yes.

BASH: You did combat tours in Iraq while serving in the Army. And Tanya, I know you've spoken out about service and about struggles.

T. TROTTER: Yes.

BASH: You talk about your love. You are obviously a couple. Talk about those experiences and how you're going to kind of channel it tonight on the Fourth.

[12:50:02]

T. TROTTER: Well, first of all, thank you for having us. And we're very excited to be here as well. And I'm from Washington, D.C., so I've always been, and my dad was a cop here for 25 years. And when I met Michael, who served in Iraq, the Iraq war, you know, and we found out that he was suffering from PTSD, we automatically went to work for that. And so to be able to come back after all that we've gone through as a couple and sing and just celebrate, you know, it's a joy.

M. TROTTER: It means a lot to me. I'm not talking about PTSD this time --

T. TROTTER: Yes.

M. TROTTER: -- but it means a lot to me because of the state our country is in. I think that we're forgetting the spirit of being together and feeling together and being loved and loving on each other. And so this is about freedom and being here in Washington, D.C., the melting pot for that just feels really, really good. And to be a beacon and a representative of the flag and someone who served and protected those freedoms, this means the world to me.

BASH: And thank you for your service.

M. TROTTER: Thank you.

BASH: Speaking of that, you both kind of came up in music in a very different way. The story that I read, first of all, you had a solo --

T. TROTTER: Yes.

BASH: -- R&B career. The fact that you -- correct me if this is wrong --

M. TROTTER: OK.

BASH: -- because it's almost --

M. TROTTER: I'm ready.

BASH: -- so fantastical, it's hard to imagine. You started really being passionate about music while you were serving in Iraq and you learned to play the piano on Saddam Hussein's piano?

M. TROTTER: Yes. Yes. Well, I've always been passionate about it. I grew up in a musical family, but --

BASH: OK.

M. TROTTER: I wasn't purposeful. And when I served, I was introduced to the piano that we had in our palace, which was Saddam's palace that we took over. And I didn't know how to play it fluently or anything like that. But it wasn't until some tragedy struck that it unlocked me to be able to connect with that instrument.

And so I taught myself to play in 2005 in Baghdad, Iraq, while serving.

BASH: Wow.

M. TROTTER: And I wrote my first song about the fallen there. And from that point on, General Peter Jones, shout out to Peter Jones, he felt that I would best serve the unit that way, raising the morale of the troops.

BASH: You are called The War and Treaty. You were a couple. What's the story there?

T. TROTTER: Well, twofold. It depends on the day, you know --

BASH: OK.

T. TROTTER: -- who's the war and who's the treaty. But it has a dual, you know, dual name. And we actually got the name in the middle of an argument. We were arguing about changing the name.

BASH: OK.

M. TROTTER: Yes.

T. TROTTER: So we had like eight different names and Michael kept changing the name of the band. I was like, uh-uh, nope, we're not doing this anymore. This is not the war. We have to come to --

M. TROTTER: She's so professional.

T. TROTTER: -- some kind of treaty. And he was like, that's the name of the band. So that's how we got it.

M. TROTTER: Yes.

T. TROTTER: And of course, Michael served, so.

BASH: That's great. OK.

M. TROTTER: Yes.

BASH: So you are going to be performing your new single, "Feels Like Home," --

M. TROTTER: Yes.

BASH: -- on tonight's special right here on CNN, the Fourth in America.

M. TROTTER: Yes.

BASH: In the song, you sing, "Come and go through pain and tears and all the tears we've sown. With you, it feels like home."

M. TROTTER: That's right.

BASH: Let's listen to a little clip.

(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)

(SINGING)

(END VIDEOCLIP)

BASH: OK. I'm not crying. You're crying.

M. TROTTER: Yes.

BASH: Wow, you guys sound fantastic.

M. TROTTER: Thank you so much.

T. TROTTER: Thank you.

M. TROTTER: Thank you.

T. TROTTER: Thank you so much.

BASH: Did you write it together?

M. TROTTER: Yes, yes. It was some years ago, but this just felt like the right time. Just thinking about the feelings of home and being on the road so much and just missing our bed and our shower --

T. TROTTER: Yes.

M. TROTTER: -- that Tanya has created for us, it's like a little mini car wash to me. But just really wanting people to connect with the feeling of home.

T. TROTTER: Yes. I mean, and I'm actually home watching the D.C.

BASH: Yes.

T. TROTTER: But as Michael said, you know, we tour with our band. We're always on the tour bus. Our son, he travels with us, our daughter. So wherever we go, we try to make it feel like home. And with Michael, wherever we are, it feels like home.

M. TROTTER: Yes.

BASH: That's so nice. How old are your kids?

T. TROTTER: We have a range. We have a 14-year-old, he'll be 14 next weekend, all the way up to 30.

BASH: Amazing.

T. TROTTER: I started at five years old.

M. TROTTER: Two boys, two girls.

BASH: Obviously. That goes without saying, absolutely. So you grew up in Washington, so you've seen the spectacular fireworks --

T. TROTTER: Oh yes.

BASH: -- many, many times.

T. TROTTER: Oh yes.

BASH: Have you?

M. TROTTER: Yes, yes, yes. I've been here since '96, so, yes.

BASH: OK. So you know.

M. TROTTER: Yes.

BASH: Thank you so much. It's so great to be here with both of you.

M. TROTTER: Thank you.

BASH: I really am excited --

M. TROTTER: Thank you.

BASH: -- for your performance tonight.

M. TROTTER: Thanks for having us.

T. TROTTER: Thank you for having us.

BASH: And thanks for giving us a little sneak preview.

And to hear The War and Treaty perform their new single, "Feels Like Home," tune in to CNN as we celebrate the Fourth in America. [12:55:01]

I'm going to be joined by my wonderful colleague, Boris Sanchez, for a night of fireworks and really incredible musical guests. It starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

Thank you so much for joining Inside Politics today. Have a Happy Fourth of July. CNN News Central starts after the break.

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