Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Bush's Day to Mix Politics and Money

Aired April 25, 2001 - 11:08   ET

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

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we've got something else pretty amazing coming up now on CNN. We've live exclusive with the president of the United States.

We're going to begin at the White House where just four days from now President Bush marks the end of his first 100 days in office, and in just about 30 minutes, CNN senior White House correspondent John King will sit down with Mr. Bush for the live interview that we've been telling you about.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve joins us now from Washington with a preview and to tell us more about the day ahead -- Jeanne?

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After his exclusive interview with John King, Mr. Bush heads out to Louisiana and Arkansas to mix politics and money.

In New Orleans, the president will push his budget and tax plans and that the remarks are being made there is not an accident. Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu is on the White House list of those who might cross party lines to help the Republicans on budget and tax- cut issues. Landrieu is coming to the end of her first term in the Senate, and the White House wants to convince her that Louisianians support the tax cut, and it would be politically wise for her support it as well.

And then from New Orleans, the president moves on to Little Rock and a more conventional fund-raiser, this one for Republican Senator Tim Hutchinson. All of this coming as the first 100 days wind down, and the polls are staying up.

Kyra and Leon, back to you.

PHILLIPS: Jeanne, what issues do you expect John to talk about with the president?

MESERVE: Hard to predict how far he's going to get in what I'm sure is a very long list of questions, but one has to believe that China is going to be right at the top, particularly in light of the recent statements from the president to other networks and also the situation just recently resolved with the U.S. surveillance plane on the ground in China. I would guess that's going to be the headliner. From there, nobody can tell.

Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right.

MESERVE: Except John, of course.

PHILLIPS: Yeah, that's right. He knows what's going on. All right, Jeanne. Thanks so much. And just like we said, in just about 30 minutes, our John King will have an exclusive sit-down interview with the president of the United States. That's coming up -- Leon.

HARRIS: As Jeanne mentioned just moments ago -- she mentioned the polls and where Mr. Bush stands in them right now. The latest Gallup poll shows, as you see here, more than three out of five Americans approving of the way President Bush has been handling his job. Twenty-nine percent of those surveyed disapprove.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com