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One World with Zain Asher
Appeals Court Reduces The Amount Of The Bond That Trump Has To Pay In His Civil Fraud Case; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Cancels Israeli Delegation's Planned Trip To Washington; Judge In Donald Trump's Hush Money Case Sets The Trial Date With Jury Selection To April 15th; Boeing CEO Says Announces His Plan To Leave The Company At The End Of The Year; Trump's Media Company Announces Its Shares Will Begin Trading On The Nasdaq On Tuesday. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired March 25, 2024 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:01:05]
VOICE-OVER: This is CNN Breaking News.
ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: All right, coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher. My colleague, Bianna Golodryga is off today. You are
indeed watching "One World". This is a major day for former President Donald Trump and, of course, all of his legal problems. Just a short time
ago, he got a major win from the New York Appeals Court.
The Appeals Court has dramatically reduced the amount of the bond that Trump has to pay in his civil fraud case. He now needs to pay just about
$175 million, not the nearly half billion dollars that his lawyers said that he simply could not pay. The Appeals Court is also giving him 10 more
days, so a little bit more additional time here, to make that payment.
Today had been the deadline to pay that bond, and the New York Attorney General could have begun to seize Donald Trump's bank accounts, to freeze
the bank accounts, and to seize his assets, his properties, if he missed the deadline. He now, of course, has an extension, and the amount has been
significantly reduced.
Trump is also in court today for an important hearing in his New York hush money case. That case is due to start in exactly one month, but the judge
is considering at this point in time whether or not to set a new trial date. Donald Trump's lawyers are trying to delay it at issue today. It's a
dispute over document discovery that has already delayed the case once.
The judge has seemed somewhat skeptical of Trump's lawyers' arguments thus far, and commented that their legal filing on the issue went far afield. He
also scolded Trump's lawyers for accusing prosecutors of misconduct without presenting any evidence to back that up. We'll be covering the story from,
of course, a variety of angles.
There's so much to get through today, but let's start with CNN's Alayna Treene. So, Alayna, a huge victory just going back to the reduction of this
bond amount by more than half -- $175 million is what Donald Trump has to come up with in the next 10 days or so. A huge victory for him, but he just
came out of the courtroom moments ago still criticizing Judge Engoron. Just walk us through what happened there.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Well, that's right. And I, also, Zain, just as you were speaking, we actually received a statement from the former
president's campaign. I'll read to you some of that. But I do just want to echo what you were saying, as well, which is, this is a lifeline for Donald
Trump. And without getting too much into the financial weeds of it, the problem really was that $465 million was something that Donald Trump and
his team found very, very hard to match.
Not only did Donald Trump not have the cash to pay that, but also it was very problematic for him and challenging for him to try and find insurers
to, you know, underwrite that bond for him and to put up the bond for him. And again, I think just to point this out, the way these insurers work is
essentially that they expect about 120 percent to be paid if they're going to put up a bond. That brings the amount -- it would have brought the
amount to about $550 million, money that Donald Trump did not have.
But here, I'm going to read you the statement of how they're reacting in light to this new Appeals Court decision. And at the start of the
statement, Donald Trump and his team, again, criticized Judge Arthur Engoron in the civil fraud trial, same thing Donald Trump just did as he
was leaving the courtroom. But then it went on to say that referring to the judge, and that of Letitia James, the attorney general -- the New York
attorney general, has been shattered.
"We will abide by the decision of the appellate division and post either a bond, equivalent securities, or cash. This also shows how ridiculous and
outrageous Engoron's original decision was at $450 million." The statement went on to criticize the case and say that he did nothing wrong.
But look, even though Donald Trump is in court, as we just saw him leaving the courtroom there, he's been in court today for his criminal case, a
hearing on, you know, where they're expecting maybe to get a new trial date in the New York hush money case. His main focus and what has really been
consuming him has been this bond deadline.
[12:05:00]
And so, this is a massive win for him. It reduces the amount that he would have to post for a bond by roughly $300 million. It makes it so much more
easy for his team to try and find an insurer. They also gave him 10 more days to do that or to have him put up his own cash.
And really a big issue that we were all looking for today and what some people were questioning whether we would see this from the attorney
general, Letitia James, would be whether they would begin trying to seize Donald Trump's properties, his assets, because that's really where Donald
Trump's value is. It's all in his properties. But with this new decision from the appellate court, it looks like they're going to be able to avoid
that.
ASHER: Yeah, it's interesting because it sort of seems as though no matter what is thrown at him, no matter what is thrown at Donald Trump legally, he
always seems to somehow emerge victorious. He always sort of seems to be that cat with more than nine lives. He defies gravity. But this whole thing
has really shattered the image that the public has had of him, of this sort of consummate businessman. How do you think that will affect him
politically, if at all?
TREENE: Well, that's exactly what he was most worried about, Zain. You're completely right. Donald Trump -- he had been tangled in legal issues for
several years. Even long before he became President of the United States, he had been caught up in many legal battles regarding his properties,
regarding money. And so far, he's been able to successfully avoid what he was potentially facing today with that bond deadline and the seizing --
potential seizing, I should say, of assets and properties.
And the problem there is, one, it does strike to the core of who he is, that case. You know, he's a wealthy businessman. He was a businessman
before he became a politician. And it's something he wants the country and his voters to see him as. The other thing is, again, the public perception
around the idea that he might not have as much cash as he claims.
And, so that's where a lot of this comes in. And again, as I mentioned, it is a lifeline for Donald Trump, this Appeals Court decision. It really does
allow him to avoid the embarrassment of not being able to post the bond in that judgment. And so that's really where it comes down to.
I will say, however, that with all of his four criminal indictments, as well as the charges in the trial we saw with the New York civil fraud
trial, Donald Trump and his campaign have successfully used that to their advantage. They have successfully been able to fundraise a ton of money,
raise a lot of donations off of these different trials and court appearances, as well as really galvanize the Republican base around him.
But the big question now is, as we look ahead to his other future potential trials, we look at this, you know, squabble over the bond, is how will it
play with general election voters? And that is still something that I know from my conversations with the Trump campaign. They're not entirely sure
how that will play out.
And it's something that they are very much concerned about and trying to deal with behind the scenes as they plan for what's going to be a very
aggressive and busy campaign cycle and him being on the campaign trail, while also having to potentially be in court for this New York hush money
case, as well as potentially if there's other trials that he faces before the November election. Zain.
ASHER: All right, Alayna Treene, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right. For some legal analysis on everything that's happening today, and
there is so much that's going on right now, let's bring in trial attorney Misty Marris. Misty, always good to have you on the program.
As Alayna was just saying, the hush money case is, of course, important, sure. But the bond case, the financial fraud case, really strikes at the
core of who Donald Trump is, his reputation, his identity, dare I say it, his ego, as well.
Just in terms of what happens next, obviously this idea of him having to only pay $175 million or come up with $175 million is a huge win for him.
But the big question is whether or not bond underwriters would be able to cover that amount -- would be willing to cover that amount. What happens if
they don't? Just walk us through what the next steps are in terms of what we can expect over the next 10 days.
MISTY MARRIS, TRIAL ATTORNEY: Yeah, absolutely. So, a victory reducing that amount that needs to be posted because $175 is still a tremendous amount of
money, right? But if he cannot receive a bond or a company to underwrite that amount of money, which I think the general amount that is able to be
done in most business transactions and what he did put in his papers is about $100 million.
So, he has 10 days to post that bond. If he's unable to do it for some reason, then we would go back to where we were before. The process of the
file judgment and the potential liens on properties and seizure of assets could be done.
Now, it seems like they're pretty confident because of these public statements. And I've gone through all the filings that $175 million is
feasible. But look, it's still a feat to be done. And we'll have to wait until the expiration of the 10 days to see if it's actually accomplished.
ASHER: Yeah, so for Letitia James right now, it's just sort of a wait and see game.
[12:10:00]
At the end of the 10 days, if Donald Trump isn't able to sort of post that bond, if he's not able to post the money, just walk us through the sort of
complicated process of Letitia James moving to perhaps, obviously this is speculation at this point, but perhaps trying to seize some of the assets.
Just in terms of how the ownership of some of these assets, some of these properties may have been structured. Obviously, you know, there's mortgages
on them, as well. So, the banks would have to get paid first in terms of if there is some kind of fire sale. Just give us a sense of how that process
would work, as well.
MARRIS: Absolutely. It's really, really complicated. When it comes down to the seizure of assets, it's not a quick process. There are a lot of legal
hurdles to overcome in New York State and protections in New York State. So, on one hand, as you pointed out, these companies are not just owned by
Donald Trump. They're owned by LLCs. They're part of a trust.
There's mortgages, there's lenders, there's banks, there's taxes. There's all sorts of issue involved in the very complicated corporate structure of
every single one of these properties and of these entities and of all of the potential assets that could be subject to seizure and ultimately
subject to satisfying that judgment.
So it's a long process. The first step would be potentially to find any bank accounts. That's maybe the most clear cut and easy to identify bank
accounts and go to those bank accounts and present that warrant that comes with the execution of a judgment.
With respect to properties, it's a bit more complicated because of that complicated corporate structure. There's going to be a lot of legal issues
to actually move forward and actually seizing the companies, which would then result in a sale and then that money would go to satisfying the
judgments. You're talking years and years down the road and a unique analysis with respect to each property, if it were to get to that point
where the attorney general is actually seizing the properties to satisfy the judgment.
Right now, though, we're on pause, right? The appellate process will play out. You know, the 175 million will be there. And then after the appellate
process plays out, will he owe the rest of it? Will it be less? Will it be the same? We can't possibly tell at this point.
ASHER: Let's talk about the hush money case unfolding in your courtroom right now. Donald Trump's lawyers are trying to get the trial date
essentially delayed or actually dismissed outright to one or the other. But they are crying foul because of this sort of last minute introduction of
100,000 potential pages of documents related to an investigation into Michael Cohen. Just walk us through what's happening on that front.
MARRIS: Absolutely. So, there's -- there's an issue with respect to discovery. The discovery process is where documents and information are
turned over by the prosecutors to the defense. What happened in this case is back in July, a whole host of documents were turned over by the district
attorney's office. There's what's called an open records discovery process with the D.A., which basically means that every single piece of paper,
every single piece of information in their possession is turned over. That was back in July of last year.
Now, come January of this year, Trump's legal team actually serves subpoenas on the Southern District, New York, and they serve that for
documents and information relating to Michael Cohen, who is a central witness in the Hush Money case that we're going to see in a New York
courtroom. So, there's a really long period of time before Donald Trump's team even tries to get additional documents. So that's just in January.
Now, those documents have been received. You know, there's hundreds -- there's over one hundred thousand documents. That's a lot of documents.
Initially, a 30 day delay was agreed upon. But upon review of the documents, what the state district attorney is saying, a lot of these are
either not relevant or duplicative. They already had them. So, there's only a couple hundred that really matter to the case. And because of that, we
can get this trial underway much faster.
So, it's not really about the amount of documents. It's about the content. What are they and what do they mean as far as the discovery process? So,
that's at the heart of the dispute. And again, Trump's team is saying that there was prosecutorial misconduct.
You know, the judge in the courtroom today, very, very skeptical of that, saying that they were holding these back, these documents purposefully. But
that timeline that I just set out, that's the reason why the judge is not buying the argument.
ASHER: And actually -- and actually --
MARRIS: -- because the prosecutors turned over documents and then they demanded more in January. So, it's not really that easy.
ASHER: Right. And actually to your point, yes. To your point, Missy, the judge was certainly skeptical, but we just actually just got breaking news.
The judge has ruled that the trial date is set to start April 15th. And for a little bit more on this breaking news is in terms of the judge setting
the trial date for the hush money case, I do want to go to Alayna Treene right now, who's standing by. Elena, just walk us through what the latest
is here.
TREENE: Well, that's right. The judge ruled that the trial will begin on April 15th with jury selection.
[12:15:00]
And that date was really the earliest date we could have seen this trial be moved to remember. The trial was initially set to start today, March 25th.
But that was delayed due to document production or the defense, excuse me - - turning over thousands of documents that the judge agreed the defense needed more time to go through.
So, that is really the big news that we were not totally expecting, but where I think a lot of people were hoping to see if we would have a trial
date today. And now we officially have one. And look, I think the significance of that is this is officially going to be Donald Trump's first
criminal trial. He has four criminal indictments he is facing. It's unclear if the other criminal cases will go to trial before the November election.
So, this could potentially, as well, be the only trial that Donald Trump faces before the November election. And, you know, at this time, given an
April 15th trial date, it's unclear. But he could potentially have a, you know, decision in this case before the November election, as well.
So, a lot of significance hinging on this court date. And I think, you know, I haven't had a chance to talk to Donald Trump's team yet as this
just broke. But I can tell you that I'm sure they're not entirely thrilled with this decision. They had been hoping they could delay this even
further. And we've seen that strategy across all of his legal cases.
Their big strategy has really been to delay, delay, try to push these as long as they can beyond November, if possible. I mean, or, you know, and an
even better scenario for them, it would be to try to dismiss these outright. But clearly they will have a trial starting April 15th. It's very
unlikely that changes at this point. And so, we're going to be seeing a lot more of Donald Trump in New York City come next month.
ASHER: Yes, we certainly will. I mean, like what I was going to say was that, you know, to your point and actually to Misty's point just a second
ago, this idea of delaying and dismissing this particular case because of the last minute introduction of the one hundred thousand pages worth of
documents, that was always going to be a long shot. The judge was skeptical pretty much from the get go. And he made that clear here today, right?
TREENE: Oh, exactly. He did make that clear. And there was other tussles that they had in the courtroom, including some characterizations that were
thrown out about the prosecution being misleading, something the judge didn't like, as well.
But, yes, it looked like he did not want to give in to Donald Trump's team and give them a further delay. I think that, you know, they had secured
really a small victory initially when the judge agreed to give them a 30- day delay from the trial, pushing it from March 25th to the earliest date being April 15th or 30 days later. And so, they had that small victory.
But today, they are going to be moving forward with an April 15th trial. And I do just want to point out as well, Zain, just to put this case in
particular into context. Again, Donald Trump is facing four criminal indictments. There is one in a federal -- at the federal level in
Washington, D.C.
ASHER: Alayna, Alayna. Donald Trump is speaking now. Let's listen in.
(LIVE COVERAGE BEGINS)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESUMPTIVE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: -- three and a half years ago, and now they're fighting over days because they want to try
and do it during the election. This is election interference. That's all it is -- election interference and it's a disgrace. We'll obviously be
appealing. But this is a pure case of voter intimidation and election interference.
And it shouldn't be allowed to happen. This case could have been brought by the D.A., but they didn't want to bring it because they said they have no
case. And then they bring it anyway. As you know, D.A. Bragg did not want to bring this case. He was forced into it by for outside reasons. And it's
a disgrace that it can happen.
This was a case that had been brought three and a half years ago. And they decide to wait now just during the election, so that I won't be able to
campaign. We'll be appealing this. On the other decision, it will be my honor to post and we'll post whatever is necessary, whether it be cash or
security or bonds. This is a decision we appreciate and respect the appellate division very much.
And we will, I think, do very well in that whole thing. We have a judge who I believe is a crooked judge and a crooked attorney general. Absolutely
crooked. We did nothing wrong at all, 100 percent. And that was proven. And everybody there said it was proven. All you have to do is read the legal
scholars and you see that it was proven. But we will continue with that. But we appreciate very much the decision of the appellate division. Thank
you very much.
(LIVE COVERAGE ENDS)
ASHER: Donald Trump really sort of angry about the fact that the hush money case is set to go to trial on April 15th. He described it as election
interference, voter intimidation. He said that he can't campaign essentially. He's going to be obviously in the courtroom. He's going to be
on trial. He can't campaign.
[12:20:00]
This obviously affects him politically. He says that the timing -- he's skeptical of the timing. He says that they could have brought this case
years ago, that they instead chose to time it so that he could not campaign during an election year. Alayna, just walk us through your thoughts on what
Donald Trump just said there about the hush money case going to trial on April 15th.
TREENE: Well, it's funny because, you know, what he used, the rhetoric and the language he used just there isn't necessarily specific to this case or
this trial. It is the same type of rhetoric that Donald Trump uses to rail against all of the legal battles that he is facing.
We've heard him time and again describe every single indictment that has been brought against him as being political, as being election
interference. Now, I will say him giving these remarks now, and we do believe he may be giving remarks in New York later today, as well, to speak
with the media. It's very clear that he is using this as a campaign stop in itself.
Yes, it's going to be very difficult for Donald Trump to run the type of normal presidential general election campaign while he has this trial
ongoing at a very key pivotal point in 2024, a very big election year. But he's going to continue to do these types of stops and speaking with the
media while outside court, wherever he can, to try and take advantage of the media narrative.
And I will say they've been able to do that so far to great effect. We've seen them successfully be able to fundraise off of all of the charges that
he is facing, as well as galvanize voters around him. But you can tell definitely he is very angry about this. And I do just want to point out he
addressed the bond deadline today, as well as the appeals court decision, which lowered that bond by around $300 million, making it far easier for
Donald Trump and his team to pay that bond.
But that and this trial date and the hearing in his New York hush money case, those are two things happening on the same day in the same city. And
both, I have to emphasize, are really two of Donald Trump's longest and greatest held fears. One, that he could face potentially a criminal
conviction. And the other, that he seemingly does not have as much cash on hand as he had been claiming, Zain.
ASHER: Yeah, and that's why he praised the appellate court decision at the end.
TREENE: Exactly.
ASHER: But obviously, his main focus at the top there was indeed the hush money case.
And the fact that he is going to be on trial just months before an election, unprecedented in the United States. Alayna Treene, live for us
there. Thank you so much. We'll be right back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:25:02]
ASHER: All right, I want to turn out to another breaking news story that we are following. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled an
Israeli delegation's planned trip to Washington. He's upset because the U.S. abstained from a U.N. Security Council vote calling for an immediate
ceasefire in Gaza rather than vetoing it, which Netanyahu would have preferred. The resolution also demands the unconditional release of all
hostages, as well as the lifting of barriers to the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Senior Israeli officials were expected in Washington this week to discuss next steps for Gaza, as well as a planned incursion into Rafah. The White
House says those talks will still continue. Earlier, the U.S. Vice President again warned against an Israeli ground operation into Rafah. Take
a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAMALA HARRIS, U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: We're looking at about a million and a half people in Rafah who are there because they were told to go there, most
of them. And so, we've been very clear that it would be a mistake to move into Rafah with any type of military operation.
RACHEL SCOTT, ABC NEWS CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A mistake, but would there be consequences if he does move forward?
HARRIS: Well, we're going to take it one step at a time, but we've been very clear in terms of our perspective on whether or not that should
happen.
SCOTT: Are you ruling out that there would be consequences from the United States?
HARRIS: I am ruling out nothing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right, let's bring in CNN's Jeremy Diamond who joins us live now from Jerusalem. Jeremy, this is significant. I mean, Netanyahu made it
clear that he wanted the U.S. to veto that resolution. Instead, the U.S. ended up abstaining. The fact that he's gone so far as to cancel an Israeli
delegation's planned trip to Washington.
Obviously, there are already so many differences between the U.S. and Israel right now, especially when it comes to that planned incursion into
Rafah and also getting aid into the enclave, as well. But the fact that this trip has been canceled, what does that say about the growing divisions
between both sides, Jeremy?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, it is a significant statement by the Israeli government and the Israeli Prime Minister himself to go so far
as to cancel this delegation, which has been highly anticipated over the course of the last week and which the Israeli Prime Minister himself agreed
to send after a direct personal request from President Biden during their phone call at the beginning of last week.
This is a way for the Israeli Prime Minister to voice his growing frustration with the United States, growing criticism of the way that
Israel is conducting this war, is U.S. concerns about a potential ground offensive in Rafah and ultimately culminating in the U.S. allowing this
U.N. Security Council resolution to actually pass via an abstention rather than vetoing that resolution altogether.
The Israeli Prime Minister stated reasons for canceling this is because he says, according to his office, that this resolution does not demand -- does
not link the release of the hostages to an immediate ceasefire. But we should note that the text of this resolution does indeed demand both. It
calls for an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan, and it also says that it, quote, "demands the immediate and unconditional release of all
hostages".
That apparently wasn't enough for the Israeli Prime Minister, who canceled this visit by Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel's National Security Adviser, and Ron
Dermer, one of the Israeli Prime Minister's closest advisers and a member of the war cabinet. Both men were scheduled to leave tonight for Washington
to discuss this potential ground offensive in Rafah.
And what the U.S. wants to discuss, which is alternatives to that ground offensive. But we should note that this visit, despite the fact that the
Israeli Prime Minister had agreed to send some of his top advisers to hear out U.S. alternatives to this ground offensive, he has repeatedly
telegraphed over the course of this last week that there was no alternative that he would accept, saying that he believed that a ground offensive in
Rafah is the only way to achieve his goals of dismantling Hamas, and in this case, dismantling what he has described as Hamas' last bastion in
Rafah.
But certainly, something that could potentially increase the tensions in this relationship between the United States and Israel. Although, of
course, as it relates to Israel actually accepting any U.S. alternatives, this visit probably wasn't going to change that anyways. Zain.
ASHER: All right, Jeremy Diamond, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, still to come, more on our breaking news story out of New York.
Donald Trump gets a big win from a New York Appeals Court. We'll have details on that when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:33:12]
ASHER: All right. Welcome back to One World. I'm Zain Asher. We now know when Donald Trump's hush money case will go to trial. Just minutes ago, the
judge in that case announced that jury selection will begin on April 15th, which is about four weeks from now. Trump has been in court today alongside
his lawyers as they argued to push back the trial date.
Meantime, a little more than an hour ago, Donald Trump got some pretty good news from a New York Appeals Court. He has been given a significant
lifeline in terms of paying that huge $464 million bond in his civil fraud case. The appeals court actually reduced that amount by more than half to
$175 million. Still a big amount, but of course, a lot less than the half billion that Trump said he could not pay.
What's more, the court is giving Trump a bit more time, another 10 days to make that payment and avoid the possibility that New York attorney general
could begin seizing his assets, which he also called his babies.
Trump has also been in court today for a key pre-trial hearing in his hush money case, which is currently due to go to trial in 30 days. Of course,
all of this legal action has an impact, both positive and negative, on Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Let's bring in my friend and CNN
Political Commentator Alice Stewart. Alice, always good to see you, my friend.
Let's talk about the political significance, okay? I just want to sort of pause and just think about how much of a huge moment this is, not just to
see a former U.S. President on trial, but to see a former U.S. President who is running for office again and actually has a decent chance of
winning, who could become the next president of the United States, as well. Just give us a sense of your thoughts on what a significant moment this is
in U.S. presidential history.
[12:35:00]
ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Right. And I, as well. Great to see you and talk with you, Zain. Look, Donald Trump looks at this much
differently than -- than many other people, and his base believes exactly what he's saying on this issue. And what he's doing, whether we're talking
about the two cases today, one being the hush money case in New York where the judge has just issued an April 15th date for that court, that trial to
start.
Needless to say, Donald Trump was frustrated with that. The other issue being that the Appeals Court has ruled in New York that the -- the fine he
had to pay was one hundred seventy five million as opposed to half a billion. And they're giving him 10 extra days. That's a relief for Donald
Trump in terms of he can come up with that kind of money and also has a little bit more time to do so.
That being said, Donald Trump lumps these two cases as well, as the other two cases with the exact same vein, and that these all are instances where
the legal system, liberal justices are going after him and targeting him because they see him as a threat to Donald Trump. They look at this. He
says this is a witch hunt. He says this is prosecutorial misconduct.
And as he said just recently, when the trial date was set just a few moments ago, Zain, he said that this is election interference and they're
trying to keep him from being out on the campaign trail because they see him as a threat to Joe Biden.
Look, most rational people, Zain, see that all of these cases are different. There are different charges in each separate case and they
should be looked at differently and separately. And he should face the consequences if there is wrongdoing. But what he's doing is appealing to
his base, putting him as a victim here. As he walked into court earlier today, he told the press this was a hoax.
And he doesn't look at these cases individually, whether it's -- whether we're talking about Fani Willis, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, Jack Smith,
each of those involved in these cases, he's not looking at them from that standpoint. He says these are all Biden trials -- all Biden trials to go
after him because he is a threat to Joe Biden. Look, that's not the case, but that's how he's appealing to his base.
But Zain, the problem is right now, this is a game of addition. He not -- doesn't need to just energize his base. He needs to broaden the electorate
in the general election if he wants to -- to do well in November. And putting himself as the victim here isn't the way to go about it. I think he
needs to get on the campaign trail and talk about issues that voters care about, which are inflation, immigration and national security.
Well, his ability to campaign is going to be interrupted, isn't it, this year because of the trial. But just in terms of what you're saying there, I
mean, obviously, yes, it does help him with his base. This idea of, you know, look, I told you, see, they're all out to get me. They're all out to
get me. I told you. But the independent voters in this country, they see this.
They see a former president on trial in an election year. And they think, what? I mean, you've got to remember, this is more to our international
audience, that independent voters in America, they're the ones who actually decide elections in this country. So, what are they going to make of this?
That's the key point, Zain, is that the independent voters or what we call the mushy middle, they're the ones that move a general election one way or
the other. Look, Donald Trump's voters and his base are going to come out for him.
President Biden's base will come out for him. But the larger sector of American voters are these independents. And the key right now is we're
seeing a lot of polling right now. They're looking at these legal issues and saying this is a concern. But many of them also say if he's convicted
in any of these cases before November, they're not going to vote for him.
So, that's the concern for the Trump campaign is these independent voters are actually waiting to see what happens with these legal cases. And if
they go and if he's convicted, that could turn a lot of these voters away. And that should be a -- that is a huge concern. That's why they continue to
try and delay these cases or certainly request for them to be dropped. But because they know that this is a real liability with independent voters.
ASHER: And just in terms of the appellate court reducing this bond to a $175 million, I mean, both sides of the aisle are going to be interpreting
this very differently. I mean, Democrats are going to look at this as hugely unfair and look at it as sort of a once again, evidence of a two
tiered justice system in the United States.
There's one rule for me, one rule for very wealthy individuals like Donald Trump who are running for president -- who have been president. But of
course, for his supporters. You know, Donald Trump once again able to defy gravity, able to beat the odds. It sort of really cements him as this kind
of heroic figure in their eyes.
STEWART: Right. And look, there's a lot of things at play here. And you have to remember during this trial, the judge in this case had some harsh
words for Donald Trump, the way he behaved in the courtroom and statements he made outside of the courtroom.
[12:40:00]
And there's the argument to be made that the judge imposed this massive half a billion dollar fine, in large part due to the fact that Donald Trump
showed no remorse. He showed no contrition for the charges against him and his behavior was not suitable, according to this judge. And that's why he
imposed such a large fine.
Donald Trump and his base say that was beyond the pale. Many legal experts, those that even are not in support of Donald Trump, say this massive fine
shocked the conscience of many people and thought that this might have been a little excessive even for someone with his amount of money.
So, I really believe that the legal system for those that had the idea that there was justice was not blind in this case and the justice system was
tipping the hand against Donald Trump, that this was important to at least calm the waters and calm the fears to say that this was an egregious fine.
And giving him 10 days and reducing it went a long way to making sure that people did not think that there was the appearance of impropriety on the
part of the justice system. Now the issue is for Donald Trump. They gave in to you. They made this easier for you to come up with the money and also
more time. And the case now is let's let the facts play out in a court of law as opposed to in the court of public opinion.
ASHER: Yeah, to your point, $175 million is not nothing. And by the way, half a billion dollars to come up with or to get underwriters to cover for
you is not easy, even if you have the net worth of someone like Donald Trump. Alice Stewart, live for us there. Thank you so much. We'll be right
back with more.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(INSIDE AFRICA)
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ASHER: All right, back to our breaking news this hour. The judge in Donald Trump's hush money case has set the trial date with jury selection to April
15th. I want to bring in Kara Scannell, who is in the court in New York with Donald Trump for that significant moment, for that hearing. Just walk
us through what that moment was like, just in terms of Trump's reaction.
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, the judge came back on the bench after about a 45 minute break. They spent the whole morning arguing over
whether the prosecutors had engaged in misconduct by withholding or slowing down the production of certain materials in the case. And so, after that
argument, the judge came back on the bench and he said he was prepared to rule. And that was a surprise because the judge had previously said he
would make his ruling following the hearing.
[12:45:00]
So, he got back on the bench, a judge, and he said that he found that the district attorney's office was not at fault for the late production of
these documents from federal prosecutors. And that he believed that the district attorney's office had acted in good faith. At that moment, Trump
shook his head from side to side, clearly knowing that this was not going his way.
The judge then said that this case was moving forward with jury selection on April 15th. He was not going to give Trump's team any further delay that
they had been seeking. He said that things would move forward. Trump's lawyer made another effort to try to delay the trial, saying he wanted to
bring a motion about all the pre-trial publicity that has been going on in this case.
One of the prosecutors shot back and said that a lot of this pre-trial publicity is of Donald Trump's own making. The judge said he would allow
them to make these motions, but he made it very clear that this case is moving forward. At the end of the hearing, he said to everyone, see you on
April 15th.
ASHER: Yeah, the judge was always skeptical of Trump's lawyers' arguments, just in terms of them being angry at the sort of last minute introduction
of those documents related to the investigation into Michael Cohen -- 100,000 pages or so. Kara Scannell, live for us there. Thank you so much.
All right. His legal troubles may be mounting, but Donald Trump is chasing a $3 billion payout. We'll explain for you just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: The CEO of Boeing says he's stepping down following a period of turmoil at the aerospace giant. Dave Calhoun announced his plan to leave
the company at the end of the year. Boeing's Chairman and the head of the commercial airplane division are also set to depart, as well.
Boeing has, of course, seen many years of problems, including two fatal crashes and in January, a door plug flying out, essentially getting blown
out, leaving a gaping hole in the aircraft mid-flight. The issues have led to multiple groundings over safety concern and more than $30 billion in
cumulative losses. CNN's Pete Muntean has more.
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: Zain, this comes as there have been calls for a major shakeup at Boeing. The only person to get the ax
before this was the head of the 737 MAX line, which many saw as a scapegoat. Now, CEO Dave Calhoun is leaving along with Larry Kellner, the
Board Chair at Boeing, as well as Stan Deal, the head of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Remember, Dave Calhoun became the Boeing CEO after the two 737 MAX crashes of 2018 and 2019, 346 people killed in those crashes. Nobody died in the
January 5th Alaska Airlines door plug blowout, but it exposed a huge quality control issue at Boeing.
[12:50:00]
Calhoun said this in his message to employees, quote, "As you all know, the Alaska Airlines flight 1282 accident was a watershed moment for Boeing. We
must continue to respond to this accident with humility and complete transparency."
There's some surprise in the aviation community that Calhoun is not leaving immediately. His resignation takes hold at the end of the year, but Calhoun
notes that there are these investigations taking place, not only the NTSB investigation that found that Boeing workers did not reinstall the door
plug bolts at the factory in Renton, Washington, but also the FAA audit of Boeing quality control and a Department of Justice investigation to see if
passengers on that Alaska Airlines flight may have been victims of a crime.
The timing is really telling here. And just last week, Boeing reported a huge financial loss in the first quarter. Boeing has also lost the
confidence of some of its major customers. Alaska Airlines wants compensation from Boeing. United says its new plane orders are now in
limbo. The saying in corporate America is the buck stops at the top. But in this case, the money talks, too. Zain.
ASHER: Pete Muntean, thank you. All right. Donald Trump may be fighting off multiple legal threats today, but he's also just one day away from a return
to "Wall Street". Trump's media company just announced its shares will begin trading on the Nasdaq on Tuesday. Shareholders voted last week to
take the company public with the merger closing in the past hour.
CNN's Matt Egan joins us live now. I mean, people had been wondering, they had sort of been speculating whether Donald Trump could sell his shares,
perhaps, and raise enough money to cover the bond in this New York fraud judgment case. But it's a lot more complicated than that because there is a
lockout period. So, you can't immediately sell his shares or get loans based on their valuation. Just walk us through that.
MATT EGAN, CNN REPORTER: Yeah, that's exactly right, Zain. This is a big financial win for the former president, but it's not one that he's going to
be immediately able to monetize, which, of course, is really what he needs.
But just to go back to the news that really just came in the last few minutes, Digital World Acquisition Corporation, that is the publicly traded
Shell company, they announced that they have closed this merger with Truth Social owner Trump Media and trading is expected to begin tomorrow under
the ticker symbol DJT on the Nasdaq.
And so, this sets the stage for the former president to own a dominant stake in the new company. The SEC filings call for Trump to own 79 million
shares of this company. And Digital World stock has gone up significantly, 26 percent higher at last check, 25 percent.
And so, the higher this stock goes, the richer that Trump is, at least on paper, because that stake is now worth more than three billion dollars. But
to your point, Zain, he can't immediately get at that money because there are these lock-up restrictions, right. I mean, insiders are generally
prevented from immediately hitting the exit as soon as the ink dries on a deal. And I think that's for good reason, right?
It doesn't usually look good, but it would look particularly bad here because Trump is -- he's not just the face of the company. You know, he's
arguably the product itself. And so experts have told me that in all likelihood, these restrictions would prevent Trump from immediately selling
or even borrowing against the value, the rising value of that stake.
Of course, those restrictions in theory could get waived. We haven't gotten any word that that's the case here. But there's another big concern and big
issue here with this company and this merger, and that's the valuation.
Experts tell me that the market has a very, very high valuation right now on Trump media that doesn't really make any sense when you look at the
fundamentals, right? I mean, this is a company that has been burning cash. It's piling up losses. Truth Social itself is losing users. The company has
generated very little revenue, and yet the market is valuing this company in the billions of dollars.
One professor told me that this stock is clearly a bubble. Another told me that it's basically a meme stock. So, we're going to have to watch very
carefully what happens, because Zain, you know, as well as I do, that as soon as this starts trading tomorrow, you're going to have a lot of real
people start to go into the stock, whether or not it makes sense.
ASHER: Yeah, I was going to say three billion dollars. I mean, that is a staggering amount by any standards, especially when you point out Truth
Social is losing millions of dollars every single year. And yeah, I think it only generated about three point three million dollars in revenue just
last year. So, Matt Egan, we have to leave it there. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.
EGAN: Thanks, Zain.
[12:55:08]
ASHER: All right. He danced his way into our hearts in 1984, and now he's about to show his moves to a bunch of high school students back where it
all started.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOICE-OVER: He's the new kid in town and the music's on his side. "Footloose".
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Who doesn't love that movie actor Kevin Bacon got footloose there in the iconic film about a small town where dancing is forbidden. Forty years
later, Bacon is returning to the school where "Footloose" was filmed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN BACON, ACTOR: Thank you. Thank you. And I'm going to come. I got to come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Oh, touching. Students at Utah's Payson High School launched a social media campaign to get Bacon to attend the event. Payson is moving to
a new location at the end of the school year. I might go back to high school if only for the chance to dance with Kevin Bacon. I can get
footloose, too.
All right. That does it for this hour of "One World". I'm Zain Asher. Thank you so much for watching. Amanpour is up next. You are, of course, watching
CNN.
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END
