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Trump Floats $2,000 Tariff Rebate Checks, How Would That Work? Newsome: "We Walked Away From This Crisis Of Men And Boys"; Former Finnish PM Sanna Marin Joins Inside Politics On New Memoir. Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired November 10, 2025 - 12:30   ET

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

[12:30:00]

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: The flip side of that is, if you are a person who just doesn't want to deal with politics and you just want to relax --

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

BASH: -- and watch football, you've got to deal with politics --

MICHELLE PRICE, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS: Right.

BASH: -- because there's the President.

PRICE: The President also just wants to do things that are fun.

BASH: Yes.

PRICE: Like, we've seen him use the trappings of the presidency. How much fun did he have when he went to Windsor Castle and was fetted by the King? I mean, he is enjoying being President, and this is one of those moments where, you know, he gets to come in and not very well -- he didn't do a great job calling that play, let's be honest.

BASH: I don't know, I mean, it was fine to me, but I'm not the audience.

Coming up, President Trump keeps promising $2,000 tariff rebate checks for Americans. How would that even work? Could the checks go out before the holidays? We'll give you that information after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:35:25]

BASH: President Trump this morning doubled down on his promise for a dividend check of at least $2,000 for some Americans funded by revenue from tariffs. Now, that happened after his own Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threw some cold water on the President's rebate check proposal.

CNN's Matt Egan is here with us now. So, Matt, the President keeps defending his tariffs by claiming the Americans will benefit from it, including with this new idea to get direct checks. It doesn't seem like that's a real simple process.

MATT EGAN, CNN SENIOR REPORTER: That's right, Dana. Well, look, this is one way to make tariffs more popular, I guess, right? Send people big checks and credit tariffs. But there's still a lot we don't know here.

This really is not a formal policy proposal. This is really just a couple of Truth Social posts at this point. But key questions include what's the income threshold, the income cutoff and whether or not children would qualify here. But there's no doubt that the President's sky high tariffs have generated gobs of money for the federal government.

So far this fiscal year alone, tariffs have brought in $36 billion in revenue. And keep in mind, this fiscal year just started on October 1st. That's more than triple what was raised last fiscal year. Of course, using all that tariff revenue to send money back to people, that's not something the President can do unilaterally. This would take an act of Congress.

Now, some in Congress have proposed doing something just like this. Republican Senator Josh Hawley over the summer, he introduced a bill that called for sending about $600 per adult and child. Of course, the President's proposal calls for an even bigger cash injection of $2,000 per person.

Now, even if Congress was on board, and that's a big if, economists tell me that this really doesn't make sense on multiple levels. First off, it's not even clear that there's enough tariff revenue to send $2,000 checks back to lower and middle income Americans. The other issue here, of course, is you'd essentially be taxing people with tariffs and then sending them the money back in the form of checks. Hard to make sense of that.

And perhaps the biggest issue here is if you send people money, they're going to spend it. And so that's going to increase demand. Of course, if you boost demand without increasing supply, that's just going to raise prices. So you could have a situation where this doesn't just fail to fix the number one issue of the cost of living. It actually makes it worse.

That's why former George W. Bush economic official Douglas Holtz- Eakin, he told me today that this idea, he said it doesn't add up. It makes no sense. Economist Justin Wolfers, he was even more critical. He told me it's pointless and dumb.

And perhaps that's why Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, he really seemed to tap the brakes on this idea over the weekend. He said that this could come in many different forms. He didn't really suggest that this is anything imminent.

One last point for you, Dana. Normally, as you know, stimulus checks, that's something that you reserve for an emergency or a recession. And it's pretty hard to square the President's frequent claim that this is the hottest economy in the world with the idea that people need to have stimulus checks sent to them. BASH: Matt Egan, thank you so much for breaking that down.

EGAN: Thanks, Dana.

BASH: Appreciate it.

Coming up, why Gavin Newsom says his party walked away from the crisis facing boys and young men in America and why Democrats can't afford to ignore it any longer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:43:23]

BASH: Are the boys all right? California Governor Gavin Newsom says the Democrats aren't paying enough attention to rising dropout rates, historically tough job markets, or an opportunity to win over a very specific group impacted by those things and more. That the party really needs young men.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D), CALIFORNIA: I say this as a Democrat. We need to own up to the fact that we ceded that ground. We walked away from this crisis of men and boys.

We can't afford, from an electoral perspective, to lose -- but we -- these folks. But we also can't on the basis of our values and what we claim to care about and represent. And I say that on behalf of women that need better men as well.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: So I have an 18-year-old daughter and a 16- year-old son. Where is the Democratic Party able to access my son? He is gaming. He's on YouTube.

NEWSOM: Yes.

TAPPER: He's listening to podcasts.

NEWSOM: Well, he may have heard me on Fortnite Friday on the gaming platform. He may have seen me down at TwitchCon in San Diego a few weeks ago. He may have listened to Charlie Kirk podcasts that I did.

Why did I reach out to Charlie Kirk for my first podcast?

TAPPER: I don't know why.

NEWSOM: It's because he was organizing these kids. He understood their grievance. Trump weaponized it. Charlie was organizing around it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: And my panel is back here as the only man at the table.

RAJU: The resident man. BASH: But we are boy moms, so we definitely have a lot to say on this. But just even on the politics of this, it's fascinating. It's not the first time we've heard Gavin Newsom or other Democrats become publicly, clearly aware of this problem that Democrats have had for the last decade or so with boys and men. But he's definitely been leaning into it more.

[12:45:11]

RAJU: Yes, and it's interesting because they recognize the problem. What the solution is, I don't think the party really knows what that is yet. I mean, he'd recognize -- Gavin Newsom is strategic in how he's trying to focus on certain individual platforms where younger men may go to. And he pointed out that he went -- he had Charlie Kirk on his podcast.

But the Democrats, what has been their message to try to win back that voting group that has gone increasingly to the GOP? Whether it's on economic issues, culture issues, and the like, we have not really seen any sort of cohesive message from the Democratic Party. But, look, you do look at the exit polls from last Tuesday.

BASH: Yes.

RAJU: Mikie Sherrill --

BASH: Let's put those up, actually --

RAJU: Sure.

BASH: -- because you mentioned them. Keep going.

RAJU: Yes. But Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger did better with men than Kamala Harris did in those states. So perhaps there's -- I'm not sure there's any specific reason why other than perhaps just concern about the way the country is going. But that's at least a reassuring trend to some extent for some Democrats.

BASH: Yes, I mean, we don't know all the specifics of why those numbers look the way they look. It could just be that the number one issue, which is being able to afford basics in life, were a problem in 2024. They're a problem now, and we're going to vote against the party that -- or vote -- yes, vote against the party that we believe is responsible for that.

But on the sort of boys and men situation, when in the wake of Charlie Kirk's murder, we talked on the show and elsewhere about the fact that he was so incredibly successful in not just his message but just the way that he got into the social media feeds or YouTube, what boys are watching, sports, et cetera.

And I don't think that there is a Democrat, to answer Jake's question, I don't know of a Democrat or Democrats who are on that level doing that kind of work that reaches the young men.

AYESHA RASCOE, NPR HOST, "WEEKEND EDITION SUNDAY" AND "UP FIRST": You need a Democratic influencer who's on TikTok and YouTube and all of that and who is -- who's really speaking to that generation. I don't think that they have that right now. I think that that could come, but they don't have it right now. But I do think it's true.

You have to go where the young men are, and they are on YouTube and TikTok and all. That's where they are, and they're on the gaming system.

BASH: Yes.

RASCOE: I mean, I got a 12-year-old.

BASH: Yes.

RASCOE: That is where they are.

BASH: Yes.

RASCOE: And so if you want to reach them, that's where you've got to go.

BASH: Yes. I mean, it's the balance between making it clear that women have a very strong role in society but not doing that and at the same time making boys and young men feel bad about themselves. And, you know, it's a learning process as society grows.

Ilyse Hogue is the project co-founder of a group called Speaking with American Men. And here's what she said a couple of months ago. "Democrats are seen as weak, whereas Republicans are seen as strong. Young men also spoke of being invisible to the Democratic coalition, and so you've got this weak problem, and then you've got this, 'I don't care -- I don't think they care about me' problem, and I think the combination is kind of a killer."

PRICE: Yes, I mean, one of the things we talked to a lot of voters in 2024, including younger men, younger men of color, who broke for President Trump in ways they hadn't in past elections. And one of the things they told us was that they were concerned about the ability to find a job. They were concerned about prices. They liked what he was saying about tax cuts.

That would explain why we're seeing some of the results we did on Tuesday last week, where those same concerns seem to be driving that swing toward Democrats. So I think it's not just enough to be at the podcast and talk about cybertrucks or football, it's actually the policy behind it. There's two parts to it.

You've got to get in front of them, but you've also got to package it in a way that shows them how they're going to benefit from this.

BASH: All right. Thanks, guys.

Coming up, at 34 years old, she became the prime minister of Finland and quickly learned about the perils of leading while female. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:53:40]

BASH: She made history as the youngest female leader in her country ever, and at the time, the youngest head of government in the world. It meant ushering Finland through the pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But as former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin recounts in her new memoir, "Hope in Action" shattering the glass ceiling sometimes comes at a high personal cost.

I recently spoke with her about her book and her message to future leaders.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate it.

I want to start with some of the big picture of your book, and that is your election, an all-female-led coalition behind you. It really became a global symbol of a new type of leadership, young, progressive, female. How did that end up affecting your ability to actually govern?

SANNA MARIN, FORMER FINNISH PRIME MINISTER: Well, thank you so much for having me on the show. 2019, when I was elected as a prime minister of Finland, it was also a surprise for me because I had to step in when the previous prime minister had to resign and then led a coalition government with five parties all led by women. And I'm very grateful that I was able to serve my country and lead my country with these amazing women.

But, of course, during our government, there were the big crises, global pandemic, the war in Ukraine, our existent NATO. So the governing part was, of course, filled with big crises and big challenges that we face together.

[12:55:16]

BASH: And so given that -- well, let's actually just pick up where you just left off, because I was going to ask you about the fact that you had so many challenges. As you mentioned, the pandemic, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, after years of saying, we don't want to be in NATO, going into NATO, and yet what you write about is finding that the media was more focused on your personal life than that work. A video of you dancing at a friend's party became what you call a scandal, where you were asked to apologize, even to take a drug test.

Here's what you write, "The real political crime here, we realized, was that I didn't look or behave like a prime minister is expected to look or behave. I was at a party full of young people at someone's apartment instead of a state dinner with eight courses and wine pairings."

Now, I just want to say you did take a drug test. You did not apologize. MARIN: I did not apologize of spending a free night out, dancing, singing, doing quite normal things. And of course, that few weeks of my life was quite heavy, because the media was, of course, after that story. And I think it also tells us a broader story, how women are treated and that there is a double standard for women in their professional lives.

We are not seeing as full people, 100 percent of ourselves, that we have that professional side, whether we are leaders or professionals otherwise. And then we can be at the same time mothers, daughters, friends, have a free time of our own. So I think it sends us an important message also, that the women are also entitled of being themselves. And I want to also show that example, that I didn't apologize something that there was nothing to apologize for, and I tried to stay myself, even though handling that very difficult job.

BASH: You know, the double standard is obviously there, and knowing and reading about your experience, it is very, very obvious. But we keep hearing about how far women have come, and they have come further than they were before. I mean, I'm sitting in an anchor chair. You were prime minister of a very important European country.

So how do you kind of square that, the fact that we have many more seats at the table, and yet you still had the experience that you did?

MARIN: Well, of course, compared to what used to be, and there are more seats on the table, but still, if we look the world, it is still very male-dominated. We don't have enough women on powerful positions. We don't have enough women leaders leading countries or leading businesses. So there is still a big, big lack of women on those seats.

And I want to support women and show through my own story and my own example that I write also in my book, but also otherwise support and encourage women to take that leadership position in their lives and seek those opportunities, because we need more women, and we need more women of different backgrounds making decisions.

BASH: And you write about in your book the fact that you do want to inspire women to get into politics in the future, but as we've just been discussing, and as you say pretty extensively, it came at a big cost for you. You write about severe burnout. You got divorced. You came under this media scrutiny that you were talking about. You ended up resigning from your seat in Parliament. If I'm a young woman thinking about running for office, I'm not sure your experience is going to want to make me jump into politics.

MARIN: Well, of course, if we look at any prime minister or leader of a government or a nation, that job is difficult, and there's no way to go around that fact. But still I want to encourage people, join political parties, run for office, vote, and try to influence, because it is our responsibility to make the world a better place.

That was the reason why I joined politics in the first place. I wanted to make a change, influence on climate change, loss of biodiversity, human rights, equality. And I thought that it was my responsibility, not only my possibility to change things, but it was my responsibility, and I want to also send that message to people -- act.

There's always hope if there's action, so act on your own behalf. Act for somebody else. Make a small or big difference in your life, in your communities, to your country. I think that is a very important message, that everybody has the responsibility to build a brighter future.

BASH: Thank you so much. The book is "Hope in Action." Thank you so much, the former Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin. I really appreciate you being here.

MARIN: Thank you so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Thank you for joining Inside Politics. CNN News Central starts right now.