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One World with Zain Asher
Trump Hosts Jordan's King Abdullah At The White House; Trump: Free Hostages BY Saturday Or "Let Hell Break Out"; Runway Incident Leaves One Person Dead; Russia Echoes Trump On Ukraine "Becoming Russian"; Trump Imposes 25 Percent Tariffs On Steel And Aluminum Imports; Justice Department Moving To Drop Charges Against New York's Mayor; Aired 12-1:15p ET
Aired February 11, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:29]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Another busy day in Washington. Very soon, Donald Trump is going to be hosting the King of Jordan for a meeting.
We'll be watching that very closely.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: ONE WORLD starts right now.
All hell is going to break out, the words from Donald Trump as he says Hamas has until Saturday to release all of the hostages.
ASHER: Also ahead, domestic crash. A rockstar's jet collides with another parked plane. Two pilots and two passengers were on board.
GOLODRYGA: And here's your warning. Valentine's Day, Zain, is just three days away. I hope you've been saving up because the price of chocolate,
well, it is skyrocketing. How you can save a little, we'll tell you later this hour.
ASHER: We're coming to you live from New York, I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga. You are watching ONE WORLD.
And we begin with a high-stakes meeting that could impact the fate of some two million Palestinians and the future of billions of dollars in U.S. aid.
ASHER: U.S. President Donald Trump is hosting Jordan's King Abdullah any minute now at the White House. We're waiting for them to arrive. They were
supposed to arrive about 30 minutes or so ago.
These are live pictures just outside the White House in the driveway. Just to recap for you, Donald Trump is threatening to withhold vital funds,
vital U.S. aid from Jordan and Egypt if they do not agree to take in Palestinians from Gaza. Both countries have already rejected that idea.
GOLODRYGA: This as President Trump says that Palestinians would not have a right to return to their bombed out homeland under his plan to take over
Gaza.
And just as you are seeing right now, King Abdullah is pulling into the White House there. The president there greeting him as he comes out for a
very important meeting. This is the third head of state to be visiting President Trump since he's been in office. And it goes without saying what
happens in this discussion is incredibly crucial because there's a lot of pressure now on King Abdullah as he is pushing back and has forcefully
rejected Donald Trump's plan, but at the same time knows that he is the recipient of so much U.S. assistance.
So this is going to be a delicate balance for him to walk. I believe that's his son as well with him. So we'll be watching this meeting very closely.
ASHER: And a lot of people are wondering whether or not this is some kind of negotiation tactic by the U.S. president, whether or not he actually
means it, this idea that he's going to be withholding U.S. aid from Jordan unless Jordan takes in Palestinian refugees.
Jordan has, of course, as you point out, Bianna, rejected this idea flatly. And a lot of people are wondering whether or not the King of Jordan is
actually going to be coming up with other proposals, other plans in order to offer the president something else, an alternative to what the president
is suggesting.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Let's go to senior White House reporter, Kevin Liptak, who is joining us now with the latest. We should also note, Kevin, that a near
majority of Palestinian citizens today are -- of Jordanian citizens today are of Palestinian descent as well.
This is going to be a very crucial meeting, as we've noted. And the president has been doubling if not tripling down on that bombshell that he
informed the world of last week at that press conference standing next to Prime Minister Netanyahu that the U.S. would eventually take control over
the Gaza Strip and allowing voluntarily, at least, as they've presented it, for Palestinians that live in the enclave to leave no other country in the
region, most U.S. allies say that that is not a feasible, not a good, perhaps not even legal plan.
Walk us through what we're expected to hear today.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And that plan that the president laid out about a week ago would require buy-in from countries
like Jordan to accept the major influx of Palestinians from Gaza under the president's proposal. That's, of course, something that King Abdullah has
said is a non-starter.
And in this meeting that is now getting underway in the White House, I think what President Trump wants to do, in his words, is strike a deal, to
try and come up with some way to convince King Abdullah that it would be in his own benefit to accept these Palestinians into his country.
But as you mentioned, Jordan is already a nation that is experiencing a delicate demographic balance between native Jordanians and Palestinians.
And for King Abdullah, this is an existential question. At a moment of popular dissatisfaction with his rule, he will have to come up with some
alternative plans for the president to think about if he thinks this will be able to move forward.
[12:05:13]
Of course, President Trump thinks he will be able to use as leverage the billions of dollars in American assistance that is sent to Jordan every
year. It's about a billion and a half dollars that is sent to that country.
And it has helped prop up its budget. You know, unlike other Arab states in the region, Jordan is not sitting on a wealth of oil reserves. And it
really does rely on that American assistance to prop up its own economy.
But in return, it has also acted as something of a stalwart American security partner. U.S. troops have been based in Jordan. You'll remember
just last year, Jordan helped fire down that barrage of Iranian missiles that was fired towards Israel.
So King Abdullah is not coming to this meeting without his own leverage as well. And so I think when they sit down, and when they get to talking, he
will want to provide some alternative plans. What exactly those look like aren't exactly clear.
But I think it's very evident that the plan that the president is suggesting is just a non-starter with him and there will have to be some
other ideas coming forward. And I think the question is whether that was the point all along, whether the president, in coming out alongside
Netanyahu one week ago, unveiling this plan to take ownership of Gaza, raise the buildings there, build developments and invite the world's
population to come live there.
Whether that was a serious proposal or whether it was the start of a negotiation. And I think King Abdullah certainly wants to ascertain that as
he sits down with the president today.
Of course, the backdrop to all of this is sort of the tenuous position of the ceasefire in Gaza. At the moment, President Trump saying last night
that all hell would break loose if all of the hostages aren't released by the weekend.
Certainly, his proposal for Gaza has lent a degree of chaos to those ceasefire talks and that is something I think they will also want to
discuss as they get to sitting down just now.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Kevin Liptak, thank you so much.
ASHER: And as Kevin was just touching upon there, these critical talks come at a time when mediators are working to keep the fragile Gaza ceasefire
from collapsing. A diplomatic source says that Qatar and Egypt are engaging with Israel and Hamas to resolve a furious dispute that came to light on
Monday.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Israel and Hamas are accusing each other of failing to honor last month's deal. Hamas says that it won't go ahead with the next
hostage release, which was scheduled for Saturday, claiming that Israel has violated the truce by opening fire on Palestinians in Gaza and blocking
certain aid deliveries.
This was President Trump's response to that announcement from Hamas.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I would say this, and I'm going to let that because that's Israel's decision. But as far as I'm
concerned, if all of the hostages aren't returned by Saturday at 12 o'clock, I think it's an appropriate time, I would say cancel it and all
bets are off and let hell break out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Jeremy Diamond joins us live now from Tel Aviv. I mean, given those comments, given the fact that you have Hamas saying, listen, we're going to
withhold the hostages. We're not going to release any more hostages for the time being because we believe that Israel violated this truce.
Just given all of that, how fragile is this ceasefire at this point in time, Jeremy?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: I think this is the most tenuous moment for this ceasefire. You know, we are just past the halfway
mark of this initial six-week ceasefire, which is phase one of what should be a three-phase ceasefire deal if the parties can get there.
But right now, I think the question is really about whether or not this six-week ceasefire is going to last for that amount of time.
And we have actually just heard from the Israeli prime minister, who just released a video statement saying that following a four-hour meeting with
the Israeli security cabinet, the decision is this, quote, if Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon, the ceasefire will end and the
IDF will return to intense fighting until Hamas is completely defeated.
Now, a couple of caveats to that very bold statement from the Israeli prime minister. He does not say all of our hostages, which is what President
Trump had said.
And separately, we are being told by an Israeli official that the Israeli cabinet expects that nine remaining living hostages set to be released
during phase A. Those are the hostages that Israel expects to be released within the coming days.
So it does appear that the Israeli government is joining on to the ultimatum that President Trump issued, modifying it slightly, and most
critically, perhaps, remaining quite vague in official statements about exactly what the nature of this ultimatum is which could give the parties
some wiggle room to, you know, stick with this ceasefire deal, but also, you know, very, very possible that this ceasefire could collapse on
Saturday.
[12:10:03]
Now, given this statement by the Israeli prime minister, if Hamas doesn't follow through on releasing a large number of hostages by Saturday, just 24
hours after they said they wouldn't release any hostages on Saturday unless Israeli ceasefire violations that they've alleged are addressed.
ASHER: All right. Jeremy Diamond live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Let's take a closer look at this rapidly developing situation with David Hale, a Global Fellow at the Wilson Center. He's a former U.S.
undersecretary of state and has previously served as a special envoy for Middle East peace as well as an ambassador to Pakistan, Lebanon and Jordan.
Ambassador Hale, thank you so much for taking the time.
So it's now been over a week since the president announced his bombshell of a policy that the U.S. would, at some point, take control over Gaza. The
only thing that he seemed to have walked back on is the role of U.S. troops on the ground there, but we know that the ripple effects that has had in
the region, as he is going into this meeting with the King of -- with the Jordanian King.
Talk about the implications here. What's at stake? And what, if anything, do you expect King Abdullah to say to the president in terms of trying to
change his mind?
DAVID HALE, GLOBAL FELLOW, WILSON CENTER: Well, thank you. This is a very consequential meeting today, given all that you've said. I think that
President Trump is clearly still attached to the idea he unfolded.
And, frankly, I think he's entitled to try to come up with creative ideas to tackle the new realities that we're facing. The old thinking and the old
assumptions about diplomacy didn't deliver. So I give him a credit for that.
Now, this particular idea has a lot of complexities to it. And the Palestinians and most Arab states have rejected it, so I think it's a bit
of a non-starter.
But King Abdullah, undoubtedly, will thank the president for expressing a commitment to contributing to some kind of solution to the problem that
we're facing. And then offer, perhaps, ideas of his own on how to -- how to proceed.
Because for Jordan to accept these refugees is really to ask too much of a solid friend. They're an island of moderation. We give them assistance, not
because it's in their interest. We do it because it's in our interest to make sure Jordan stays on a path of moderation.
ASHER: So what's at stake for Jordan if Donald Trump decides to withhold financial aid from the country? But also, what's at stake for them? I mean,
again, I'm pretty sure this is a non-starter, but in terms of them taking in Palestinian refugees, and, obviously, they did that in 1948. And there
has been a lot of tension between Jordanians and those of Palestinian descent, which is about 50 percent of the population within the country,
hasn't there?
HALE: Well, there's -- at root, really two basic problems with this concept for Jordan. One is, as you've said, they've already been generous and
circumstances have compelled them to take what is now 60 percent of their population, Palestinian origin.
And the rock hard east bankers, who are the solid foundation for the king's domestic support, say no, not one more. So that is -- that is problem one.
Problem two is there is a longstanding idea that surfaces from time to time in Israel that Jordan should be the substitute Palestinian state instead of
the West Bank and Gaza. And the essence of the dispute between the Palestinians and the Israelis from the Palestinian point of view is their
plan.
So if the king were to give up this claim by the Palestinians to Gaza, even if for humanitarian reasons it seems logical to us, he will be viewed as a
traitor to the Arab cause. And both of those things will be a disservice to him and to our bigger interests, frankly.
The king of Jordan is a strong ally on a lot of fronts, including combating Iran, which is what they should really be talking about in detail right
now. That -- how do we -- how do we make permanent the reversals that Iran has suffered, thanks to the IDF?
GOLODRYGA: Yes. It's vital to U.S. interests, but one could also say to Israel's interests, the stability of the government there in Jordan as
well. We should remind our viewers that Jordan and Egypt were the first two countries in the region to sign peace deals with Israel.
And the concern is if there is upheaval, if we do see perhaps Hamas resurface in countries like Egypt or the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Or we
see that the regime of King Abdullah fall apart, then at risk here and at stake are these very long-term peace deals between these two countries.
HALE: That's right. And in my experience, Israel has always been a quiet, but very important supporter for the American approach toward Jordan and
for the robust assistance that we provide for all the reasons you just said.
But it will be incumbent, I think on the King and other Arab leaders to come up with their own ideas. If President Trump listens carefully to the
King and understands these complexities and burdens that his idea proposes, undoubtedly, he's going to ask, well, what are you going to do? And that is
perfectly valid question to ask.
[12:15:15]
And, unfortunately, the Arabs have shown that they're not willing or interested in helping stabilize Gaza unless it's linked to an Israeli
commitment to head toward a two state outcome, which in the current climate is just not going to happen.
GOLODRYGA: All right. David Hale, we will continue to watch the developments there and bring our viewers any updates in the back end of the
meeting between King Abdullah and President Trump. Thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it.
HALE: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: And still to come for us, a jet owned by an American rock star is at the center of an investigation after it crashed into another plane.
What airport officials are saying happened.
ASHER: Plus, the battle for AI supremacy getting personal. The feud between two of tech's biggest names could be turning into a takeover battle. That
story, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. For the fourth time in two weeks, U investigators -- US, rather, investigators, are looking into a deadly plane crash.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. This one happened Monday in Scottsdale, Arizona, when a small plane crashed into a parked plane as it was landing. At least one
person was killed, and three others were treated for injuries.
ASHER: Yes. The plane is owned by the lead singer of Motley Crue, Vince Neil, who's actually not on board. His girlfriend, Rain Hannah, however,
was among those who were injured.
Let's get the very latest from Pete Muntean in Washington, D.C. I mean, Pete, I think that, you know, it's only been, what, a month and a half
since the year started and I feel like we're talking to you quite a bit about --
GOLODRYGA: For all the wrong reasons.
ASHER: I know. You've got to be nervous when he comes on the show, right?
So as I understand it, one of the arriving planes, two sets of landing gears essentially failed upon arrival. Just take us through what happened
here.
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. This is the second fatal crash in recent weeks involving a Learjet, the first in Philadelphia just 11 days
ago, and that was a Mexican medical flight that crashed on takeoff and into a neighborhood in Philadelphia.
And now there's this crash involving a 36-year-old Lear 35A. Those can be picked up on the used market for about a million dollars, but cost a lot to
maintain over time. A bit of a paradox there, which really raises some questions about the longevity of this aging fleet of private jets.
Maintenance records are something the NTSB always investigates. And the agency says it has opened a probe into this crash.
[12:20:03]
The chain of events here started as this flight was arriving from Austin, Texas on Scottsdale, Arizona's runway 21.
Pretty busy airport, pretty popular for private jets. And we know according to a statement from the city that the left landing gear failed on
touchdown. This plane apparently started veering off the runway. You saw it in the video there, out of control and into a parked Gulfstream jet.
Now, the flight tracking data from ADS-B Exchange shows this plane going about 65 miles per hour at the time of the collision. So we're talking
highway speed, a lot of force. Four people on the Learjet. One, a member of the crew was killed, according to the preliminary report just out from the
Federal Aviation Administration. Another member of the crew and both passengers seriously injured. City spokesperson says they were all taken to
nearby hospitals.
You mentioned earlier the Learjet's owned by the front man for Motley Crue, Vince Neal. And a representative of the singer says he was not onboard at
the time of the crash. But we keep talking about air disasters that seemingly are happening all the time. There was this one, there was the
crash in Philadelphia, like I mentioned, and then the crash of American Airlines flight 5342 and a Black Hawk helicopter operated by the United
States Army only 13 days ago. We're almost at the two week mark there.
So it seems like crashes are in the news all the time. And, of course, a flying public, very jumpy about that right now.
ASHER: Yes, absolutely. Myself included. Pete Muntean, live for us there. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: Well, there's a showdown between tech titans brewing at this hour.
ASHER: Yes. We're talking about these two, Elon Musk and OpenAI chief, Sam Altman. There's a long-standing rivalry between both of these two men,
including several lawsuits from Musk alleging misconduct at OpenAI.
GOLODRYGA: Now, the latest row, Musk says he's bidding to buy OpenAI for nearly $100 billion. Altman told Bloomberg that this is a typical Elon Musk
move.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM ALTMAN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, OPENAI: The OpenAI is not for sale, the OpenAI Mission is not for sale. Elon tries all sorts of things for a
long time. This is the late, you know, this week's episode.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You take it seriously at all? What do you think he's trying to drive at with this?
ALTMAN: I think he's probably just trying to slow us down. I wish he would just compete by building a better product, but I think there's been a lot
of tactics, you know, many, many lawsuits, all sorts of other crazy stuff, now this. And we'll try to just put our head down and keep working.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: This as U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is in Paris for the AI Action Summit there. Vice President Vance made it clear he was there to
talk about AI opportunity, not AI safety.
He warned against stifling free speech and allowing access to all forms of opinions, taking aim at the E.U.'s Digital Services Act and its
regulations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Many of our most productive tech companies are forced to deal with the E.U.'s Digital
Services Act and the massive regulations it created about taking down content and policing so-called misinformation.
And, of course, we want to ensure the internet is a safe place. But it is one thing to prevent a predator from preying on a child on the internet.
And it is something quite different to prevent a grown man or woman from accessing an opinion that the government thinks is misinformation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The vice president went on to say that the U.S. believes that overzealous rulemaking could kill the artificial intelligence industry just
as it's -- as it's beginning to take off.
GOLODRYGA: Well, after years of American shipments of weapons and aid to Ukraine, Donald Trump says the U.S. should get a little something in
return. His thoughts about the future of Ukraine, that's next.
ASHER: And the president is also making a big request of Jordan's king as well. We spoke about this earlier. We're going to look at whether Donald
Trump can change the King's mind about his Gaza plan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:25:24]
ASHER: Welcome back to ONE WORLD. I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: And I'm Bianna Golodryga.
You know, we don't do that often. We're actually learning about it. Like minds.
Well, at this hour, Donald Trump is meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah.
ASHER: Yes. He's trying to sell the king on his Gaza plan in which the U.S. would take over the territory and rebuild it. Jordan and Egypt are among
the Middle Eastern countries that have rejected the plan.
GOLODRYGA: And the president wants those two countries in particular to take in Palestinians. He adds, if they refuse, then the U.S. could block
aid to those countries.
ASHER: The Kremlin is echoing Donald Trump's remark that Ukraine might someday become part of Russia. President Trump said it in an interview with
Fox News Monday, adding that Ukraine should share its natural resources in exchange for U.S. assistance.
GOLODRYGA: The Kremlin says many Ukrainians want to be part of Russia, claiming referendums staged in four Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine
prove it, though international observers dismissed those ballots all as a sham.
Well, during a stop in Germany earlier, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that the U.S. believes Europeans should pay for the lion
share of their own defense.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: We're going to review force posture across the world, right? President Trump's planning assumptions are
different in many ways, or at least strategic assumptions, than Joe Biden's were. We certainly don't want to plan on the back of the withdrawal from
Afghanistan and what happened on October 7th and the war that was unleashed in Ukraine.
You have to manage and mitigate those things by coming alongside your friends in Israel, ensuring their defense, and peacefully resolving the
conflict in Ukraine. But those shouldn't define how we orient, and with, hopefully, a rapid peace deal in Ukraine which the president is committed
to delivering.
We can then --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: All right. Time now for The Exchange. We're joined live now by Nigel Gould-Davies. He's a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the
International Institute for Strategic Studies. Nigel, thank you so much for being with us.
So, just in terms of Donald Trump's comments, this idea that he's saying that perhaps part of Ukraine might be part of Russia someday. We know that
Donald Trump has talked about trying to end the war on day one, trying to negotiate some kind of deal between Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy.
Obviously, this is music to the Russians' ears, but at the same time, they have to know that Donald Trump is temperamental, he's unpredictable, he's
mercurial as well. So they also have to tread carefully as well. Give us your take on this.
NIGEL GOULD-DAVIES, SENIOR FELLOW FOR RUSSIA AND EURASIA, INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES: Yes, you're exactly right. And
unpredictability is the name of the game. And President Trump and some of the key people around him have been making a number of statements, which in
some respects point in different directions over the past few weeks.
[12:30:08]
So just to take this particular one, which people are fastening on now, that Russia -- that Ukraine may become part of Russia someday, he then
continued that sentence to say, or it may not be part of Russia someday.
So it struck me as very equivocal, in no sense a statement of intentional likelihood, something quite off the cuff. He was really more focused on
this question of getting access to Ukraine's resources and maybe even come on to that.
But I think if you're in the Kremlin, you're quite alarmed by some of the more significant things that President Trump has perhaps unexpectedly said.
On day three of his presidency, he made a statement on Truth Social about the possibility of more severe sanctions on Russia. And these sanctions are
really beginning to hurt and really beginning to bite. The economy's in deep trouble now. The prospect of more will alarm the Kremlin.
A few days later, President Trump publicly calls on OPEC to lower the oil price. The Russian economy is fundamentally dependent on the oil price as
well. So if you take these statements in the round, I think there's more to worry the Kremlin than to reassure it at this point. But again, it's
unpredictability, so we await the flow of future statements and more important actions.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. We see the results of that unpredictability, not just as it relates to the war in Ukraine, but as we've been discussing the war in Gaza
there as well.
We have an important summit coming up, the Munich Security Conference, this weekend. And one can't help but think that we are just now approaching the
three-year mark of the start of this war. Three years ago, it was President Zelenskyy, who was pleading with the world for more military assistance.
Going into this conference just days later is when Russia would launch its illegal attack.
What do you expect to see coming out of the meeting, in particular with Keith Kellogg, President Trump's envoy to the region, and President
Zelenskyy, as both sides seem to be publicly saying they are willing to embrace this transactional deal of more U.S. assistance for minerals out of
Ukraine?
GOULD-DAVIES: Yes. Well, the -- I would say the emerging idiom of President Trump's policy is economic as much as security. He has mentioned his desire
to gain access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals. Around half of those are in areas currently under Russian occupation, so there's a problem there to
resolve.
President Trump has also talked about getting some of the figure he puts at $300 billion back of support that he says America has provided to Ukraine.
So very important economic questions.
But more fundamentally, there is the question of the peace deal, that Munich Security Conference, there will be the first opportunity for a
senior figure in the administration to talk directly to European leaders and Ukraine about the possibilities.
Now, my view is that the likelihood of an early end to the war is greatly overstated. And that's fundamentally because of Russia's position. And I
don't think it's sufficiently widely noticed that in recent weeks, President Putin has repeatedly and emphatically rejected the possibility of
a freezing of a conflict or a ceasefire.
He has made clear, as clear as you possibly can, that Russia only wants a full and final end to the war, essentially on Russia's terms.
And while President Zelenskyy has moderated his rhetoric and his posture in recent weeks, signaling he's willing to explore some kind of compromise,
we've had the opposite from Russia. We've seen a hardening of the view.
I think if I'm right, and that the prospect of a peace deal found us because of Russia's lack of interest in it, the question then becomes, how
will President Trump respond to that?
ASHER: Yes. Of course, for the ceasefires actually get off the ground, you need both parties to be completely onboard with it, including and
especially Vladimir Putin.
I'm curious about how ordinary Ukrainians feel. I mean, obviously, they're going into the third year now of this war, of this war that has senselessly
stolen so many innocent Ukrainian lives. Obviously, they do want peace, but are they willing to -- if it even comes to this -- I mean, obviously, you
talk about this idea of a ceasefire prospect being greatly overstated.
But if it came down to this idea of being willing to give up 25 percent of Ukrainian land over to the Russians. Are ordinary Ukrainians -- and, of
course, we can't generalize with the entire country, but are the majority of Ukrainians on board at that?
[12:35:08]
GOULD-DAVIES: It's hard -- I mean, it's hard to generalize. The key question would be, what does Ukraine get in return for that in terms of
security guarantees, even if the guns fall silent, even if the reappearance of a compromise which says that Russia either de facto -- well, probably de
facto, wouldn't be under international law, you know, gains control over that area, the guns fall silent. There would be no reassurance whatsoever
for Ukraine.
The Russia, in due course, won't simply rearm, reconstituted forces and launch a further devastating assault against a weakened Ukraine.
Ukraine would have to be confident that it had received cast iron security guarantees from the Western Alliance that they would come to its direct
military aid and defense were Russia to resume its assault on Ukraine.
So there is a sense, I've heard Ukrainians quietly say this, everything is negotiable except the security guarantee. That is non-negotiable.
You can understand that from the Ukrainian point of view. They don't want to give up anything if there is no guarantee that would bring a lasting
peace. It would simply be a breathing space for Russia to once again resume its invasion.
ASHER: Yes. And there's some concern as to -- I mean, to your point, Nigel, I mean, you have to have security guarantees in place so that Russia
doesn't regroup and start the war again. And what does that look like? Does that look like peacekeeping troops on the ground?
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And notably, what you're not hearing from President Zelenskyy is defiance that for this war to come to an end, Ukraine must
join NATO. I mean, he's sort of taken back that demand and instead really pushed for some sort of security defense, both from the United States and
from the Europeans, and that is quite notable at this point, too. A bit of reality possibly setting in.
Nigel Gould-Davies, thank you so much for joining us.
GOULD-DAVIES: Thank you.
ASHER: All right. The head of the U.S. Federal Reserve was on Capitol Hill earlier for his first congressional briefing under the new Trump
administration.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Jerome Powell says the U.S. economy is doing well, but the Fed is not in a rush to cut interest rates. Democrats had plenty of
questions about how Donald Trump's policies would impact the U.S. financial system, especially the president's move to shut down the agency tasked with
protecting consumers from misconduct by banks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA): If the CFPB is not there examining these giant banks to make sure they are following the laws on not cheating
consumers, who is doing that job?
JEROME POWELL, CHAIRMAN, FEDERAL RESERVE OF THE UNITED STATES: I can say no other federal regulator.
WARREN: No one, in other words. So thanks to co-president Musk and CFPB acting director Vought, Wall Street banks no longer have to show the bank
examiners that they're not illegally opening accounts people didn't ask for, like happened with Wells Fargo or charging illegal junk fees like the
Bank of America did.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: And, of course, one of the biggest questions for the U.S. Federal Reserve is how Donald Trump's tariffs is going to be impacting the U.S.
economy. President Trump says he is ready to announce reciprocal tariffs on any country that currently has a tariff on U.S. imports.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And on Monday, he slapped a 25 percent tariff on all steel and aluminum being sent to the U.S.
CNN's Paula Newton has more on how this will impact U.S. relations with Canada.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's on this factory floor in Canada that Donald Trump's demands for fair trade are being tested.
NEWTON: What are these over here?
ROB WILDEBOER, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, MARTINREA: For the Silverado.
NEWTON (voice-over): These are parts for the Silverado, a GM truck made in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. And they're made by Martinrea.
WILDEBOER: These are thousand-ton, stamping presses.
NEWTON (voice-over): Global auto parts supplier with thousands of workers in all three countries.
Trump tariffs would strike at the very heart of this business and its workers in North America, says executive chairman, Rob Wildeboer.
NEWTON (voice-over): President Trump would say why Mexico, why Canada? Why can't you just make it all in the U.S.?
WILDEBOER: I don't know anyone in our company that wants tariffs between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, because we work very well as a unit. We take
care of our people, everywhere. We make great parts in every jurisdiction. And, quite frankly, we benefit from that. We've got some great plants in
Mexico, in the United States and in Canada.
NEWTON: Do you believe a U.S.-made car then would be more expensive?
WILDEBOER: Yes. For sure. For sure.
NEWTON (voice-over): That's the math, he says. A calculation made every day here as the threat of tariffs hang over one of the most prized
manufacturing industries on the continent.
[12:40:09]
Canada's auto industry directly employs at least 130,000 people in dozens of towns and cities, including Martinrea's facility in Vaughan, Ontario
just outside of Toronto.
They depend on these stable jobs, as do workers at this Martinrea facility in the U.S. state of Kentucky.
WILDEBOER: I'll put my U.S. hat on, right, because we are an American supplier. We're a Canadian supplier. We're a Mexican supplier. But we have
twice as many people in the United States as we do in Canada.
And in a number of communities, we're the largest employer. So Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Jonesville, Michigan and others, we're a big --
we're a big deal. We're a big deal locally. We take care of a lot of people.
And I would say a lot of those people probably voted for President Trump. They liked his message of lower inflation, more jobs, stronger economy. But
with the tariffs and so forth, they're getting higher inflation, less jobs, weaker economy.
NEWTON (voice-over): Despite that pitch, even employees here know what they're up against in the Oval Office. And some told us they approve of
Canada standing up to the threat.
NATIK JARIWALLA, MARTINREA EMPLOYEE: It's going to hurt anyhow. It's like either you deal it right now or in the future.
NEWTON (voice-over): And it's not just Canada. Trump is challenging the very template of free trade right around the world.
The European Union can see what's coming their way. It has one of the largest trade deficits with the U.S. It too, says it will respond firmly to
any tariffs.
But it is Trump's tough talk about an economic takeover of Canada that cannot be reconciled.
TRUMP: What I'd like to see, Canada become our 51st state.
NEWTON (voice-over): It's triggered an uncommon anti-American backlash in Canada that may have legs.
(MUSIC)
Booing the U.S. anthem, boycotting American products, all of it, so far, seems to have staying power.
DON PEPPER, BURLINGTON, ONTARIO RESIDENT: Well, I think it's ridiculous. We've been friends for years, traded for years. And then all of a sudden
this happens.
NEWTON (voice-over): For Martinrea's executives and its North American workers, tariffs could still be a reality within weeks, putting at risk a
profitable business and good paying jobs in the U.S. and beyond.
They are asking President Trump, why mess with that?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right. There's a new body of water south of the U.S. It is called the Gulf of America. The Gulf itself obviously isn't new, but the
name is, at least on Google Maps.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. And to make things even more confusing, users in Mexico will still see the Gulf of Mexico on their maps. Now, Google Maps
officially made the switch after Donald Trump signed an executive order to honor what he calls American greatness.
ASHER: Google says its policy is to apply name changes when they're updated on official government sources.
And on that note, we'll be right back after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:45:46]
ASHER: The U.S. Department of Justice is preparing to drop the federal corruption case against New York Mayor Eric Adams. Adams has been accused
of bribery, wire fraud, and conspiracy connected to his relationship with Turkish officials.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. The mayor has denied all wrongdoing. The Justice Department admits the decision to drop the charges has nothing to do with the
evidence. Instead, it says fighting the case has been a distraction for Adams and is getting in the way of his efforts to assist in President
Trump's immigration crackdown.
Adams spoke just moments ago and said he wants to get back to the job of making New York better.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC ADAMS, NEW YOK MAYOR: I thank the Justice Department for its honesty. Now, we can put this cruel episode behind us and focus entirely on the
future of our city. It's time to move forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Gloria Pazmino is tracking the story for us.
If there weren't other breaking news all over the world, Gloria, this would be the top story we've been covering. A real shocking development. And I
know from New York prosecutors, especially, this was something that they didn't see coming.
GLORIA PAZMINO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is certainly the top story here in the state of New York. And it's been widely discussed because of this
incredible decision that the Department of Justice has made.
They issued this memo yesterday directing the Southern District of New York federal prosecutors here in New York to dismiss these charges.
Now let's remember where we all started back in September when the mayor was first indicted, accused of accepting and soliciting donations from
foreign nationals, specifically Turkish nationals.
Prosecutors alleged that Adams took those donations in exchange for using his influence to direct city agencies to do favors on behalf of those
donors. The prosecutors also alleged that Adams had received travel perks, free hotel rooms, and all other sorts of gifts in order to buy his
influence.
Today, addressing New Yorkers for the very first time, as you were seeing there, just a minute ago, Eric Adams essentially said what he had been
saying from the beginning, that he did not do this, that he did not break the law, and that he never would.
Now, if we can read in between the lines of the mayor's statement, you played the sound bite in which he thanks the Department of Justice.
I should mention that there's been a lot of speculation in recent weeks of whether or not Eric Adams --
GOLODRYGA: Gloria, I'm so sorry. I'm going to have to interrupt you. We're going to go to the White House now for the pool spray with President Trump
and King Abdullah of Jordan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Fantastic job in his country. His son, we're lucky enough to have a son with us today, so it's good to see you again.
We've had some quick discussions just now. And we're going to have some longer discussions after this. And the relationship with Jordan has been
very strong, has been with me, and it really has been with the country.
But I think I've been closer than other presidents to Jordan and what Jordan represents. And it's an honor to have you and your son with us
today. And if you'd like to say a few words. And thank you very much.
KING ABDULLAH II, JORDAN: Mr. President, thank you very much for having us. And so short after your inauguration, I think just as a testament to what
you said is a special relationship between our two countries and the personal relationship of friendship and trust between the two of us.
Mr. President, I truly believe that with all the challenges that we have in the Middle East that I finally see somebody that can take us across the
finish line to bring stability, peace, and prosperity to all of us in the region.
And it is, I think, our collective responsibility in the Middle East to continue to work with you, to support you, to achieve those lofty goals. So
I'm very delighted to be here. And as you said, sir, we've got some very interesting discussions ahead of us.
TRUMP: Very good. Very good. Thank you very much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, many people in the region, especially Jordan, are worried about the annexation of the West Bank. Will you give
the -- His Majesty the guarantee that you won't allow Israel to annex the West Bank? And how are you going to afford it?
[12:50:02]
TRUMP: I think that's going to work out very well. That's not really what we're talking about today. I think that's something that's going to work
out automatically. And it's in good shape. And we discussed it. Other people have discussed it with us and with me. That's going to work out.
West Bank is going to work out very well.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, why should the King take in the Palestinian people? He's made clear he doesn't want to.
TRUMP: Well, I don't know. But he may have just something to say because we discussed just briefly. I think maybe you want to say it now or?
KING ABDULLAH II: Well, Mr. President, I think we have to keep in mind that there is a plan from Egypt and the Arab countries. We're being invited by
Mohammed bin Salman to discussions in Riyadh.
I think the point is, how do we make this work in a way that is good for everybody?
TRUMP: Right.
KING ABDULLAH II: Obviously, we have to look at the best interests of the United States, of the people in the region, especially to my people of
Jordan. And we're going to have some interesting discussions today.
I think one of the things that we can do right away is take 2,000 children that are either cancer children or in very ill state to Jordan as quickly
as possible. And then wait for, I think, the Egyptians to present their plan on how we can work with the President to work on the Gaza challenges.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you're going to start --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: I want to tell you -- excuse me, please. I didn't know that what you just said, 2,000 children with cancer or other problems. And that's really
a beautiful gesture. That's really good. And we appreciate it. And we'll be working on the rest with Egypt.
I think you're going to see some great progress. I think with Jordan, you're going to see some great progress. Three of us will have some others
helping. And we're going to have some others at a very high-level helping. And the whole thing will come.
It's not a complex thing to do. And with the United States being in control of that piece of land, a fairly large piece of land, you're going to have
stability in the Middle East for the first time. And the Palestinians, or the people that live now in Gaza, will be living beautifully in another
location. They're going to be living safely. They're not going to be killed, murdered, and having to leave every 10 years, because I've been
watching this for so many years. It's nothing but trouble.
Everyone's being killed. They're being robbed. It's like living in hell. And they're going to end up having a great home, great families that don't
have to get mugged and killed and beaten up and harassed by Hamas and everybody else.
And I know we'll be able to work something. And you -- and you what you just said about the 2,000 is fantastic. It's so beautiful. It's music to my
ears.
But we're going to be able to work something. And I know we'll be able to work something also with, I believe, not 100 percent, but 99 percent, we're
going to work out something with Egypt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, during your election campaign, you have -- how is the U.S. -- how is the U.S. going to own Gaza? Your White House
has made clear taxpayer dollars won't be used for this. So what money are you going to use to buy Gaza?
TRUMP: No. We're not going to buy anything. We're going to have it. We're going to keep it. And we're going to make sure that there's going to be
peace and there's not going to be any problem and nobody's going to question it.
And we're going to run it very properly. And eventually, we'll have economic development at a very large scale, maybe the largest scale on that
site. And we'll have lots of good things built there, including hotels and office buildings and housing and other things.
And we'll make that side into what it should be. And the people from Gaza who wouldn't be able to be there for years because you're talking about
just to get it and prepare it and to take care of all of the problems that currently it has, as you know, tunnels and people are in those tunnels.
And you have some good people and some bad people and you may have hostages right now. You know, you have the hostages possibly there. They don't know
where they are. And, you know, I have a Saturday deadline. And I don't think they're going to make the deadline personally. I think they want to
play tough guy, but we'll see how tough they are.
But it's going to be a wonderful thing. It's going to be wonderful for the Middle East. I think it'll turn the Middle East. I think you're going to
have peace in the Middle East. You're going to eventually have peace in the Middle East.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, couldn't this deadline risk undermining the talks that you're having with the King today? Risk, the kind of why the
peace that you'll turn into.
TRUMP: No, because that's not -- we're not talking about a big situation. We're talking about something that can go very quickly. We're talking about
-- it's going to go quickly. It's not going to take a long time. OK? That's not going to take a long time
You know bullies? You know the bully is, right? You know the bully? Oh, I've always and I found it throughout my life. A bully is the weakest
person and they're bullies. Hamas is bullies.
The weakest people are bullies, you know that, right? All right. Go ahead.
[12:55:01]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, you were saying that Palestinians will live somewhere else safe. Where exactly do you want them to live?
TRUMP: Well, it's not where I want them to live. It's going to be where we ultimately choose as a group. And I believe we'll have a parcel of land in
Jordan. I believe we'll have a parcel of land in Egypt. We may have someplace else.
But I think when we finish our talks, we'll have a place where they're going to live very happily and very safely.
And, you know, don't forget, they only want to be on the Gaza Strip because they don't know anything else. They never had an alternative. And they
don't want to be on the Gaza Strip, but they have no choice. They have to be. And they're being killed there at levels that nobody's ever seen. No
place in the world is as dangerous as the Gaza Strip. They don't want to be there. They have no alternative. When they have no alternative, not one
person will want to stay where they are. Nobody wants to stay there. They're living in hell. It's a -- it's a death trap.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, how do you know that the Palestinians don't want to leave their land? Some people say this is ethnic cleansing.
You won't be able to force them to leave their land. They stay in there.
TRUMP: We're moving into a beautiful location where they have new homes, where they can live safely, where they'll have doctors and medical and all
of those things. And I think it's going to be great.
TRUMP: Yes, any questions?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: King Abdullah, what do you think about the U.S. taking over the Gaza Strip? Do you want to see the U.S. own the Gaza Strip?
KING ABDULLAH II: Well, I think, as I said earlier, the President is looking at Egypt coming to present their plan. As I said, we will be in
Saudi Arabia to discuss how we can work with the President and with the United States.
So I think let's wait until the Egyptians can come and present to the President and not get ahead of ourselves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And is there a partial land in Jordan that you're willing to have Palestinians --
KING ABDULLAH II: Well, I think what we said, I have to look at to the best interest of my country. I think the president is very happy that we do this
thing with 2,000 children as quickly as possible.
And again, I believe that the President is looking forward to getting a group of us Arabs here to discuss the overall plan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And last question, the 2,000 children, are those from the Gaza Strip?
KING ABDULLAH II: Absolutely, from the Gaza Strip.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you willing to change your mind, Mr. President?
TRUMP: That's from the Gaza Strip, the 2,000.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you willing to change your mind if you hear the Egyptian and the Arab plan end of the month? If they present you something
different, are you open to a lot of plans?
TRUMP: I think we sort of have gone down the line. We know pretty much what is going to be presented. And I think it's going to be something that's
going to be magnificent for the Palestinians.
They're going to -- they're going to be in love with it. I did very well with real estate. I can tell you about real estate. They're going to be in
love with it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But Mr. President, doesn't concern you that moving two million people from there?
TRUMP: It's a very small number of people relative to other things that have taken place over the decades and centuries. It's a very small number
of people.
And they're living a terrible life. Look at -- look at the way they're living now. Nobody's living like that in the entire world.
They're living under buildings that are mostly fallen down and will continue to fall down. And they're living under. People are being killed
every day. The conditions are horrible. There are no conditions anywhere in the world that are worse than the Gaza Strip right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But don't you have concern that you can't --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, is it all hell -- you said all hell will break out if all the hostages are not released on Saturday. What did
you mean by that? And are you encouraging Netanyahu to walk away from this deal? Have you talked about this with him?
TRUMP: So I've looked at what -- at the condition of people coming out of the hostage situation, and it's horrible. I looked at the before and after
yesterday. Three young men, one is dead now, as you know, the older gentleman who died, which everybody said he was alive and well. He's dead.
But the three young men, and I looked at them from a short while ago, and I look at them now, they are emaciated. They look like Holocaust survivors.
They looked -- I mean, they'll get better, but they're in rough shape. They were treated really badly. And we've heard things from them since.
And I think the reason that Hamas is playing so cute is because they probably -- they saw the reaction to these three people that came out. And
the other words, look, the one young lady had her hand blown off, practically, and they were not in great shape either, but she's missing her
fingers and a big part of her hand.
You know what she did? She was stopping a bullet that was aimed at her. She went like that. And it blew off her hand.
Now, I think what they're -- I think they want time because I think the people that they have living are in such bad shape, because they're sending
the most healthy people out, because they don't want to send the least healthy people out. And there was an uproar when they saw the people from
yesterday.
So these people are -- so I don't want to do two and then we do another two in another week, and then we do four in three weeks. No, no. They either
have them out by Saturday at 12:00 or all bets are off.
[13:00:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, would you still consider withholding aid to those countries if they don't accept your plans to accept --
TRUMP: Well, I don't want to say that because we've had such a good relationship and we're doing so well just in the short time that we've been
talking. I mean, the king just made a statement. I didn't ask him to do that, about literally saving 2,000 young children from the Gaza Strip. We
didn't know about that, you didn't know about that, nobody did, except for the king and his son. I assume you told your son, right? And I just thought
it was great.
No, I think we'll do something. I don't have to threaten with money. We do -- we contribute a lot of money to Jordan and to Egypt, by the way, a lot
to both, but I don't have to threaten that. I don't think -- I think we're above that. I do believe we're above that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you consider other countries, not Jordan and Egypt, there was talks about Indonesia, Albania, other places?
TRUMP: Yes, sure. We will. And we have other countries that want to get involved. We have a lot of people that want to get involved. There's a
great sense of wanting to help the Palestinians. They really -- there's a lot of good countries out there. People that rule those countries with big
hearts. And this gentleman is at the top of the list.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And if they don't want to leave, how are you going to force them, Mr. President?
TRUMP: Oh, they're going to be great. They're going to -- they're going to be very happy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Your Majesty, should we expect that the Jordanian response would be part of a coordinated Arab response?
KING ABDULLAH II, JORDAN: The response will be from a multitude of countries, Arab, international. I know the Europeans want to step in. And
again, we'll probably have to look to the help of the United States to make sure that COGAT, which is the clearing agency on the Israeli side, makes it
as efficient as possible. Because 2,000 kids, the best way to get to them is by helicopters, and get them straight to our institutions. I also
believe that quite a few countries would also probably like to take some of those kids and have them treated in their hospitals. So, we hope to launch
this ASAP.
TRUMP: Yes, and that's right. This should have been done by the Biden administration. But, you know, they didn't do anything. They didn't know
what the hell they were doing. So, this should have been done by the Biden administration. This should have never happened, because October 7th would
have never happened, if I were president. Zero chance of happening. You wouldn't have had that whole mess where the Middle East got blown up. And
you wouldn't have had Ukraine and Russia fighting, that would've never happened.
And by the way, we're making good progress there, I think. I really think we're making some very good progress.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, you've said before that the U.S. would buy Gaza, and today, you just said, we're not going to buy Gaza.
TRUMP: We're not going to have to buy. We're going to have Gaza. We don't have to buy. There's nothing to buy. We will have Gaza.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What does that mean?
TRUMP: No reason to buy. There is nothing to buy. It's Gaza. It's a war- torn area. We're going to take it. We're going to hold it. We're going to cherish it. We're going to get it going eventually where a lot of jobs are
going to be created for the people in the Middle East. It's going to be for the people in the Middle East, but I think it could be a diamond. It could
be an absolute tremendous asset for the Middle East. And you're going to have peace. It's going to bring peace in the Middle East.
Gaza, the way it is right now, every 10 years you're going to have the same thing happening. I've watched it so long. All the death and destruction of
Gaza. The civilization's been wiped out in Gaza. Now, it's going to be a tremendous thing. It's fronting on the sea. It's going to be a great
economic development job. It's going to put people to work. A lot of people to work. And those people are all going to be from the Middle East.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just to follow up with one on that for King Abdullah. Can you clarify again, sir, how do you feel about the U.S. taking Gaza, as
the President said?
KING ABDULLAH: Well, again, this is something that we as Arabs will be coming to the United States with something that we're going to talk about
later to discuss all these options.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Mr. President, taken under what authority? It is sovereign territory.
TRUMP: Under the U.S. authority.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, Mr. President, would you seek to personally develop property in Gaza after this happens?
TRUMP: No, no. I've had a great career in real estate. I don't -- you know, when you've done what I've done in the last number of years,
including the four years that we should have been doing something else, frankly, because people see that now, for sure.
But when you've done what I've done, you can just do more good for people when you're president. When you're president, we can do things. This is all
things that should have been done, but actually things that shouldn't have had to be done. Gaza, absolutely, would have been -- it would have been so
great if the Biden administration would have started this.
[13:05:00]
But actually, in all fairness to them, it was -- they should have never let it happen. It did happen. And because of the fact that they let this
happen, this catastrophe of October 7th, something like this becomes practical and very real, meaning the development and all of the things that
I've talked about with respect to the Gaza Strip.
If you didn't have the October 7th catastrophe, and it was a horrible catastrophe, then probably you wouldn't be talking about that. But the only
thing I can say is this is going to bring stability and peace to the Middle East. And ultimately, when it's developed, which will be in quite a while
from now, because we want to let things calm down, but when it's developed, it's going to bring tremendous numbers of jobs to the Middle East,
including the people of your country.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, what if it does not bring peace to the Middle East? There are many Palestinians, even though you say that
everything is going to be beautiful, everything is going to be lovely, they're not going to want to go back, there be people who want to go back
and feel like that it is their right to do that. You haven't said, will there be any type of repercussions or anything that happens?
TRUMP: We don't think that's going to happen. We think it's going to -- we think people are going to be very happy, thrilled. A lot of those people
that you're talking about are going to end up maybe living there and maybe working there. But it'll be in a different form.
We have had tremendous support for this project. And we think the biggest asset of the project, it's going to bring peace ultimately to the Middle
East. All right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One last question.
TRUMP: Go ahead, behind you. You've asked enough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, one of your promises on the campaign trail is to bring peace to the Middle East. It was a promise to your
voters, Arab voters here. The Arab voters in the United States oppose this. What do you say to that?
TRUMP: Well, you know, if you look at Michigan, where we have a large Arab population, as you know, I was just telling the king that we won -- as you
know, I won the Arab population. Now, when I started off, I wasn't leading. When I finished a few months later, we started campaigning in Michigan. And
when I finished, we won it by a tremendous amount, by 30 points.
So -- and my relationship with the Arab population has been fantastic. And my relationship with the Middle East is very good. Very good with all the
countries, just about all the countries. Let's see. I would say all the countries. And they all want to do something and they want to see peace in
the Middle East.
But all the stories you hear about the Middle East not really wanting peace, that they want war, they want this, they want to go a certain place,
let me tell you, those stories are false. They want to have peace. I know them all very well. They want to have peace. They want to have a good life
like other people.
And we'll bring -- this will be a big factor in bringing peace to the Middle East. Thank you very much, everybody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Guys. Thank you, guys. Let's go. Come on, guys. Quickly, please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Thank you all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, quickly. Thank you, guys.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Thanks, guys.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, guys.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Out this way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Quickly, please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right here.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: All right. You've been listening to President Trump take questions alongside there with King Abdullah of Jordan
in the Oval Office ahead of an important meeting between these two leaders. The president reiterating and doubling down on his new policy he's unveiled
last week that stunned the world and that is that the U.S. would have control ultimately of the Gaza Strip. When asked under what authority, he
said under U.S. authority and then said that the Palestinians who live there will be resettled to other countries, notably Egypt and Jordan.
It's interesting last few days ago, he said that Palestinians would not have a right of return but now, he said some that may want to come back
will have the opportunity to live there. He said also when asked about those who do not want to leave their homeland, he said when they have an
alternative, no one will want to live there. He said this idea will bring peace and stability to the Middle East.
In terms of King Abdullah's response when asked how he feels about this plan and proposal, he sort of tap danced around it, suggesting that he
needed to speak with other Arab leaders, notably the president of Egypt and the crown prince of Saudi Arabia and others in the region.
He did tell the president that Jordan would now be accepting about 2,000 pediatric cancer patients into Jordan, which the president seemed to be
very receptive of, called it music to his ears.
I want to bring in Senior White House Reporter Kevin Liptak, who's been listening to all of this with us. Kevin, the president also doubling down
on his threat ultimatum, really, to Hamas, who he called bullies of that Saturday deadline to release all of the remaining hostages, or as he said,
all hell will break loose. And he said, we will see how tough they are. Walk us through what else stood out to you.
[13:10:00]
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes. And he specifically said he did not think that Hamas would meet that deadline, which is
significant. And he said that all bets would be off if that wasn't reached. So, I think the president there not voicing a lot of optimism that this
fragile ceasefire in Gaza will hold through the weekend.
But, you know, heading into this meeting, I think the question for King Abdullah as he was sitting down with President Trump was whether this plan
that he revealed one week ago for Gaza was a serious position or was this a negotiating tactic to try and convince other Arab nations to come up with
their own alternative plans?
I think listening to President Trump in the Oval Office sitting across from him in those chairs, it was very evident that the president views this as a
real plan. He plans to execute on this idea to clear the Palestinians out of Gaza, to raise out the rubble, to build glass towers with Mediterranean
booze, and to invite the world's citizens to come live there.
And it was so striking, this moment between the president and King Abdullah, you had the president on one side, very much expressing a view
that this was an operable, feasible plan that he was planning to execute, only to hear King Abdullah say, well, let's wait. Let's see what the
Egyptians come up with. Let's see what the other nations come up with. And we'll come to you with these alternative plans.
The president said that he had been down the line. He had studied all of these plans, and he seems intent on moving ahead with this proposal,
despite the objections of people like King Abdullah and other leaders in the region.
And so, I think watching this meeting -- and I should note, this meeting was not originally intended to be open press. It was designed to be behind
closed doors, and they only allowed reporters in at the last minute. I think it just goes to show that some of these differences and some of these
tensions that now exist have not necessarily been resolved.
The president seems very squarely intent on following through on this proposal and how, I think, those divisions are resolved remains very much
to be seen. He said specifically, he thinks the Palestinians could be relocated on a parcel of land in Jordan, on a parcel of land in Egypt.
Clearly, King Abdullah is stopping very well short of saying he supported that plan sitting next to the president.
So, what they talk about behind closed doors, now that the press is out of the room, I think could perhaps be a little more explicit. But very
clearly, the president viewing this idea as a very real one.
GOLODRYGA: Yes, the president also, when asked about other countries that may be willing to take in Palestinians, he mentioned Indonesia, Albania, he
said, yes, a lot of countries want to help the Palestinians. And, Kevin, when he said the 2 million people, when asked how you can just relocate 2
million people from their homeland, he said historically, you know, that is a small number of people. And to see King Abdullah sitting there, you know,
listen, he clearly was prepared in knowing how to speak to President Trump.
The first statements from him were finally you can -- we have a U.S. president who can bring us over the finish line for peace and prosperity.
Prosperity being the key word here, sort of music to the president's ears, about the region there, but also knowing that so much of this is not really
up to him there as he mentioned numerous times, others in the region, other leaders, and notably President Sisi, who in the coming days is expected to
meet with President Trump as well, who he said, we need to resolve this and come up with a plan of our own.
Just wondering how those meetings will unfold. We've seen public statements already refusing to follow along with President Trump's plan last week,
just hours after he unveiled it from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia there, MBS, and similar responses from both the Jordan and Egypt.
LIPTAK: Yes. And you know, the king of Jordan, who's here today, is the first Arab leader to visit the White House. Traditionally, he has sort of
made himself that position for a succession of presidencies. And this meeting was so difficult because of those reasons that you just laid out,
because of all of the other leaders in the region who have come out so forcefully against this plan.
In a lot of ways, King Abdullah is here voicing that collective view to the president. I do think it was notable when the president was asked whether
he would be willing to withhold aid to Jordan. He has also threatened to withhold aid to Egypt if they don't go along with this idea. He said, no.
He said, we are above that.
So, I think if King Abdullah is coming out of this meeting with any silver lining, that could be it because, of course, Jordan really relies on
American assistance, it's about a billion and a half dollars a year. It helps prop up that country's budget. And so, if he is emerging from this
meeting sort of with any glimmers of hope that some deal could be reached, that could be something that he attaches himself to.
[14:15:00]
But by and large, these are two men who really voiced very divergent opinions in the Oval Office.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. Egypt, Jordan, and Israel, the three largest recipients of U.S. military aid. We should note, interesting, the president said that 99
percent he believes that they'll be able to work something out with Egypt as well. Kevin Liptak, thank you so much. We'll continue to follow this
meeting and any headlines that come out of it.
That is One World for this hour and 15 minutes, extended One World. I'm Bianna Golodryga. Thanks so much for watching. Amanpour is up next.
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