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Trump's Team of Loyalists Taking Shape as More Choices Revealed; Progressives Take Stock as House Control Still Undecided; The Role of Women in Trump's Incoming White House and Past Administration. Kremlin Denies Reports Of Trump-Putin Phone Call; Source: Trump Asks GOP Rep. Mike Waltz To Be His National Security Adviser. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired November 11, 2024 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, the Trump team of loyalists is taking shape as more of the president-elect's choices are revealed with former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin just added to the list to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. And we're expecting the architect of Trump's mass deportation policy, Stephen Miller, to make a major White House comeback.

Also tonight, how women will figure into the second Trump administration as Representative Elise Stefanik is tapped to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and as the Trump record and treatment of women remains deeply divisive for his opponent.

Plus, where the fight for control of the House of Representatives stands right now. After the Democrats loss of the White House and the Senate, House progressives are taking stock and taking aim at their party's message. We'll talk to a member of the progressive caucus this hour.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in The Situation Room.

We begin with the new additions to the second Trump administration, the president-elect hiring more of his most fervent and loyal allies for key positions with fresh announcements possible at any time.

CNN Anchor Kaitlan Collins is in West Palm Beach, Florida, covering the Trump transition for all of us. Kaitlan, what are you learning, first of all, about Trump's latest picks?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Wolf, it's been a very busy 72 hours or so here in Palm Beach. I expect that we could get more announcements potentially as soon as tonight or tomorrow as Donald Trump is making these choices, ones that, to him, he's been thinking about for some time. Certainly, Elise Stefanik as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, for example, is one of those that he confirmed today and that she accepted that position.

But other steps that he's taking here, Wolf, just fill out what we know once his administration to start working on, on day one, once he takes that oath of office, and, obviously, immigration has been a big part of that. And that is why it's no surprise that you're seeing Stephen Miller and Tom Homan return to the West Wing in two very significant roles for everyone who's watching to see what that immigration agenda is going to look like.

Obviously, Stephen Miller is someone who is a policy adviser to Donald Trump in his first term, often was doing a lot of the speech writing for him in his first term in office. He's been with him essentially ever since then, a loud voice on Fox News arguing for his strict immigration policies and also, Wolf, I should note, was part of drafting that Muslim country majority ban that was enacted in the early days of the first Trump term and also the family separation policy, something that Stephen Miller continued to argue he believed would have worked if it had stayed in place. Obviously, Trump rescinded it after there was major backlash to it.

And then Tom Homan is the other one who is notable as well. He was Trump's acting ICE director before. And now he's coming in in this czar-like role as it was described to me last night when he was on the verge of being offered this position where he is going to really be helping streamline and head up these policies. And that is something that Trump wants to start working on day one when he's in office.

And then, Wolf, the other thing that Trump has been very focused on, maybe more than anything else besides immigration is the EPA and environmental regulations and what that's going to look like. And he did announce today that he has selected Lee Zeldin, a former New York congressman who ran for governor there unsuccessfully in 2022 to lead the EPA.

Obviously, Wolf, if you want to know what Trump is going to do with the EPA, he's been promising to drill, baby, drill, has been what he has said repeatedly. He has been targeting very specific regulations, wants to reverse some of them on day one, actually already has those drafted and ready to go when he does get into office. And now Lee Zeldin is going to be the former congressman who helps him enact that if he is confirmed as the head of the EPA, Wolf.

BLITZER: And, Kaitlan, I know we have some new reporting on the president-elect's meeting that's coming up later this week with President Biden at the White House, and who won't be there.

COLLINS: Yes, not completely surprising for those of us who have been covering Trump closely. First Lady Melania Trump is not expected to join former President Trump, now President-elect Trump, at the White House when they meet with President Biden in the Oval Office on Wednesday. That's what's going to happen about 11:00 A.M.

[18:05:00]

And because of that, the first lady, Jill Biden, had invited Melania Trump to also come. It is a customary tradition. Typically, when a new president is elected, the president and their spouse are invited to the White House to meet with the outgoing president. That tradition was broken by Donald Trump and Melania Trump in the 2020 election when he was falsely claiming it was stolen and there was no invitation extended to Jill Biden or to President Biden at the time. They are seeking to reverse that and trying to, you know, make clear and emphasize that they are committed to a peaceful transition of power.

And I should note, Wolf, that one source did say that it was a scheduling conflict for Melania Trump, but it also could be some insight into how she is going to take on the first lady role the second time around, maybe less involved than she was even the first time around, Wolf.

BLITZER: We will find out. Kaitlan Collins in West Palm Beach, Florida, not far from Mar-a-Lago, thank you very much. And this note to our viewers, Kaitlan, of course, will be back later tonight, 9:00 P.M. Eastern, to anchor her program, The Source. And we'll be watching.

Let's break all of this down with our political experts who are here with me in The Situation Room. Gloria Borger, let me start with you. Given the full list of Trump appointees so far, what do you see going on?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, the adage once burned twice shy. He doesn't want to repeat what happened in 2016 and when he appointed people he really didn't know well, some of whom turned out to not be loyal to him, he felt. And now what he's doing is he's taking people he knows very well, who have worked for him before, like Tom Homan and Stephen Miller, for example, and giving them the appointments that he wants to give them. He's not -- he just wants loyalists, and he wants people who are proven loyalists, and that's what these people are.

BLITZER: You know, it's interesting, Shermichael, that Republicans touted Susie Wiles, the new incoming White House chief of staff, the first woman to be the White House chief of staff, as a measured choice. But the hardliners, as Gloria just said, like Stephen Miller and Tom Homan, they seem to be more in line with Trump's thinking. What do you think?

SHERMICHAEL SINGLETON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Look, I'm not surprised. I mean, any president's going to want some level of comfort in the individuals that are part of their key advisory team. I still think Susie Wiles is going to play a very critical job in terms of making sure the machine is operationally running on time. I mean, you're going to need someone who's going to be able to move those puzzle pieces to make sure that the president-elect's agenda is effectively being issued in on behalf of the American people. I think she's going to do that.

In terms of the other individuals, the American people voted for the former president, president-elect, based on a couple of different things, the economy and immigration in particular. And I know there's some concern on the left about some of the immigration stances of some of these individuals, but this is in part, if you look at the data, what at least a sizable percent of the country actually expects. They want someone who's going to be hardline on this issue in terms of strengthening the border and potentially removing some individuals who've broken the law.

BLITZER: You know, it's interesting, Kate Bedingfield is with us. Kate, a lot of us, of course, remember you worked in the Biden administration. You know the Biden administration. How challenging is it to see the potential changes that are about to take place, reversing so many of the Biden administration's policies?

KATE BEDINGFIELD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Yes, I think that is hard for a lot of the team that's there in the White House when you look at things like, you know, things that they are most proud of, things that they've made progress on in terms of, you know, climate, for example, the Inflation Reduction Act. You know, you have to imagine that the administration and the EPA is going to do everything they can to get as much of that money obligated, out the door, committed to local projects, and committed to doing the work it's supposed to do before the Trump team takes over, as they've stated, that rolling back some of these things is, you know, the top of their priority.

So, yes, of course, I think it is personally hard but this is also the way democracy works and administrations turn over. And I know that the team there is going to spend as much time as possible ensuring that the work that they've gotten done in the last four years, you know, is cemented in place before the Trump team takes over.

BORGER: Comes and reverses it.

BEDINGFIELD: A lot of it. Yes, but we'll see. We'll see. And, look, that will -- then that will be up for political judgment by the American people.

BORGER: Like pulling out of the Paris Climate Accords, for example.

BEDINGFIELD: Exactly. And so, you know, when voters go back to the ballot box two years, you know, in 2026, they'll look at what the Trump team has done and if they have pulled back some of those things, and, you know, the American people will get to have a verdict on that.

BLITZER: Drill baby, drill oil. That's a major change from what the Biden administration was up to as well.

You know, Shermichael, I want you to listen to what Stephen Miller said back in 2017 about judges pausing then President Trump's executive order on immigration. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN MILLER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE SENIOR POLICY ADVISER: We have a judiciary that has taken far too much power and become in many cases a supreme branch of government.

Our opponents, the media and the whole world will soon see, as we begin to take further actions, that the powers of the president to protect our country are very substantial and will not be questioned.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLITZER: How concerned are you, Shermichael, that Trump is surrounding himself specifically with Stephen Miller and others who say that the powers of the president should not be questioned?

[18:10:07]

SINGLETON: Yes, I don't necessarily agree with that. I mean, a lot of these judges were appointed by the former president, confirmed by a Republican-led Senate. The judiciary is to serve as a check and a balance on the executive. I don't know too many conservatives who would actually disagree with that. So, I would push back a little bit. Move forward with your agenda. You have a mandate. And if the mandate goes too far in terms of our laws, then some judges, including conservative appointed judges, will say, well, wait a minute here, we cannot approve this because it does infringe upon certain legal codes.

So, as long as they operate with that mandate in mind, I'm okay with it. But when you start attempting to usurp that, I don't want an all powerful executive, and I would be willing to guarantee most conservatives wouldn't want that either, Wolf.

BLITZER: Kate, I want to play for you and for our viewers what Trump's pick for border czar, Tom Homan said on 60 Minutes last month. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have seen one estimate that says it would cost $88 billion to deport a million people a year.

TOM HOMAN, FORMER ACTING DIRECTOR, IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT: I don't know if that's accurate or not.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that what American taxpayers should expect?

HOMAN: What price do you put on national security? Is that worth it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there a way to carry out mass deportation without separating families?

HOMAN: Of course there is. Families can be deported together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: What's your reaction to that?

BEDINGIELD: I, look, as an American, I find a lot of what he's saying there troubling. He seems to be very, he seems to have a very callous attitude toward what this policy would do to families. I certainly agree that you know, Trump's overwhelming victory absolutely handed them a mandate to do something on immigration, to do something on the border. I think it's very hard to look at what happened last Tuesday and say that they weren't handed a political mandate to do more on the border.

I don't think the American people want mass deportation. I don't think they want family separation, which we saw in 2017. 2018 was one of the least popular things that the Trump administration did. It generated you know, massive outrage across the country. It will also have enormous economic impact both in terms of what it would cost logistically to execute something like this and the impact that it would have on the economy, low wage workers. It's like you think food prices are high now, wait until -- are we deporting every person who works in -- you know, who works in the fields across the country? I mean, there's an economic and practical challenge to this that I think is going to be met with more political resistance in the Trump administration, the incoming Trump administration thinks right now?

BORGER: Well, just logistically, it's almost hard to imagine how they do this and the cost of it. And when Republican businessmen go to them and say, you're killing us because we don't have these workers that we need. What are they going to do? I mean, these are real ramifications of this.

Look, you're not going to find more of a hardliner than Stephen Miller. He's got a job where he doesn't have to be confirmed. You know, I'm not sure 100 percent of Republicans would vote to confirm Stephen Miller because he's so controversial. But he's doing what Donald Trump wants him to do, and so is Homan doing what Donald Trump wants him to do. Whether the American public, in the end, decides that's what it wants, it remains to be seen.

BLITZER: The deputy White House chief of staff, as you point out, doesn't have to be confirmed by the Senate.

BORGER: He's going to be very powerful, because it's not just deputy White House chief of staff, it's for policy. And what does that include? Is it just immigration, or is it more than that?

BLITZER: It's more than that.

BORGER: Yes, exactly.

BLITZER: All right. Guys, thank you very much. Just ahead, how one time Trump White House insider turned vocal critic views the president-elect's hires so far. The former Trump national security adviser, John Bolton, he's standing by live.

Plus, House progressives speak out about the Democratic Party's struggle to chart a path forward after their crushing White House defeat.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

BLITZER: We're getting new reaction now to the latest hires by the incoming Trump team from a member of the first Trump administration turned vocal critic of the former and now future president. We're joined by the former Trump national security adviser, John Bolton. He also served as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. Ambassador Bolton, thanks so much for joining us. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik of New York, she's about to get your old U.N. job, ambassador to the United Nations. What does her selection and Trump's other picks, at least so far, tell you about how he's approaching his second term? Is this the same chaotic Trump as you suggested last week?

JOHN BOLTON, FORMER TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Well, I think it's certainly moving in that direction. It's interesting, you know, this is the second time Trump has picked his U.N. ambassador before picking his secretary of state, which I think is obviously the wrong way to do it. There's only one secretary of state at a time, and I think this could lead to confusion.

I don't see any reason why Elise Stefanik cannot do the job. It looks to me like she may be pursuing the Nikki Haley script, being a successful elected official with little foreign policy experience, who gets to check that box by going to the U.N., and then who knows, maybe Elise will run for president in 2028.

BLITZER: Trump wants the ability, as you know, to make what are called recess appointments to his administration, a process President Bush used to appoint you the U.N. ambassador. His party will control the U.S. Senate, so is Trump trying to bypass normal vetting procedures?

BOLTON: Well, it remains to be seen exactly what he's saying. The recess appointment provision has been used by lots of presidents, and if there's some indication that there's obstruction in the Senate, then I think the resort to recess appointments makes sense.

[18:20:08]

In my case, as Joe Biden himself said to me, he was the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee when I was nominated to the U.N., if we had a straight up or down vote, I would have been confirmed. But at that time, you had to get 60 votes to beat the Democratic filibuster, and we didn't get it.

The confirmation process, I have to say, over a number of decades now, has gotten way out of whack with what I think the Constitution intended. And it's become not simply allowing the president to pick his team unless the officials are corrupt or totally incompetent, it's become a way to continue the election.

It has not always been that way. I did some quick statistics. In 1980, Ronald Reagan had 13 cabinet appointees. He nominated all 13 on January the 20th, the day of his inauguration. One was confirmed that day, Cap Weinberger, three were confirmed on the 21st, eight were confirmed on the 22nd, and one was confirmed all the way on February the 3rd. In 2000, George W. Bush had 14 cabinet nominees. He only nominated 11 on the 20th, seven were confirmed that day. I won't go through the rest of the statistics. They were all confirmed by February the 1st.

With Republicans in control of the Senate, they can hold confirmation hearings even before the people are officially nominated and, you know, somehow the republic's stumbled along with all those quick confirmations from Reagan's administration to Bush's administration. Using delay to slow the president from putting his team together is not what was intended in the Senate confirmation role.

BLITZER: the Kremlin is publicly denying a report of a phone conversation between Trump and Putin. You've said Russia is absolutely delighted, your words, absolutely delighted, by Trump's victory. How will this relationship impact Russia's war against Ukraine? Could Trump potentially cut off U.S. military aid to Ukraine?

BOLTON: I think it's very, very likely that the aid will be cut off soon. I think Trump wants this war off his plate before January the 20th. I think much the same is true with the conflict in the Middle East. Apparently, Trump has had three conversations with Bibi Netanyahu. He just doesn't want to have to deal with him. I don't think he particularly cares how the conflicts end.

I do want to come back to this question, whether there was a call between Trump and Putin. Washington Post reported that there was Dmitry Peskov, Putin's press spokesman, came pretty close to explicitly saying there wasn't. I think there's a little wiggle room in there. This is an on/off switch. There either was a call or wasn't a call. It's very interesting that this conflict has arisen so quickly. And it leads me to ask is this just another conversation Trump has made up.

BLITZER: Trump claims he will bring peace to the world, including to the Middle East. Do you see Trump taking any steps to constrain Israel against some of its regional adversaries, including Iran?

BOLTON: Well, I hope Bibi Netanyahu is not constrained. I hope he takes out the Iranian nuclear weapons program. And it may be, if what Trump is telling him is wrap this war up before the 20th of January, that that would be a strong incentive for Israel to strike. And really not only reduce their own threat from Iran, but reduce the threat from Iran to the Gulf Arab states, and ultimately is a threatening nuclear proliferator, reducing the threat to the United States.

BLITZER: Ambassador John Bolton, thanks as usual for joining us.

BOLTON: Glad to do it. Thanks for having me.

BLITZER: And coming up, Democrats giving new details tonight on plans to keep the next Trump administration in check, even if they don't end up controlling the House of Representatives. We'll talk with a key member of the Democratic caucus, Michigan Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, there you see her. She's standing by live.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00]

BLITZER: We're keeping a very close eye on some critically important uncalled races in the U.S. House of Representatives. Right now, neither party has secured the necessary 218 seats to win control of the chamber, but Republicans are closing in with 214. House Democrats have won 205 seats so far. 16 seats are still up in the air.

For more on what's going on, I want to bring in our Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju. Manu, with the Democrats chances of taking control of the House apparently disappearing rather quickly, congressional Democrats are being forced to confront a party reckoning, right?

MANU RAJU, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and it's actually just only beginning, Wolf. The blame we've been hearing since Wednesday in the aftermath of that decisive Trump victory, some blaming President Biden for not getting out of the race early enough, others blaming Kamala Harris campaign for not communicating enough on the economic front, and some members, particularly more moderate and centrist members, flatly blaming progressive, saying the party had moved too far to the left on issues that did not connect with a wide swath of the American public.

Today in Washington, leaders of the progressive caucus met with their new members who were just elected and they pushed back on the contention that it was the progressive policies that cost them the election and said it was instead the failure to message, to effectively deliver that message to the American people about their accomplishments.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA): We are standing up for people who deserve to be stood up for, working people, poor people across this country who are really struggling.

[18:30:05]

And there's a level of anger that I think that this election really brought out and as much as it was wonderful for many of us to think about joy.

The reality is we also have to channel a lot of the anger that's out there about the fact that people don't have a fair shot anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAJU: But there is so much debate internally and publicly about what it will take for Democrats to get out of the political wilderness, Wolf. They, of course, will be in the Senate minority. They could very well be in the House minority and no clear leader to get them out into the majority.

And now that debate will begin to take shape also today behind closed doors. House Democrats will meet for the first time in person on Wednesday to discuss their party's future and expect that to be a lively exchange, Wolf.

BLITZER: I'm sure it will be. Manu, as you know, Trump is also weighing in on the leadership fight between Republicans in the U.S. Senate. What is he saying and how are Republican senators, at least so far, reacting? RAJU: Yes. There are three Republicans who are vying for that Senate majority leader position, a critical position, one of the most powerful in Washington. Senators John Cornyn and John Thune seen as the frontrunners in that race, Rick Scott, someone who's gotten support from some of Trump allies at the moment.

But what Trump has called for is to essentially bypass the Senate confirmation process for his nominees. It's essentially to allow him to install these appointments by what is known as recess appointments. The Senate would go on an extended recess and he would essentially install these appointments without a vote, short circuiting the process all together.

That is something that has really not been done in many years. He's asking Senate leaders to take that step if they become the leaders. And what we're hearing from those three candidates, Wolf. They are all falling in line, showing you just how much power Trump wields over his colleagues. Wolf?

BLITZER: We'll see what happens. Manu Raju, thank you very much.

Joining us now, Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell of Michigan, she's a deputy whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Congresswoman, thanks so much for joining us.

Trump swept the key battleground states, all seven of them, but Democrats won the majority of competitive Senate races and they could gain some seats in the House. What do you think explains this?

REP. DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI): Look, I think that all of these races come down to individual people and how they listen to people and how they connect. I think that, one, I'm just going to tell you that I think Democrats have got to do a better job of listening to people. And I'm getting more fussed here as the week has gone on because we can't tell people, oh, we're fighting for the working people and say it in a condescending way. We need to hear what they are telling us.

And no matter what we think about all the other issues, or we think they should be thinking this or this, when a working man or woman goes to the grocery store and they're worried about how much food they can buy for their family and whether their job is going to be safe and just straight economic fears, we need to hear that. We need to understand it and we need to be responding to it.

BLITZER: But, Congresswoman, do you think Democrats blew a winnable election at the presidential level?

DINGELL: I think that this was a very complicated time. I think she had a very shortened time to do this. But one of the things that I wish that she had done -- and, by the way, I'm not into finger pointing now, Wolf. I think every Democrat's got to look into their own hearts and souls. And maybe there are a few, like Jared Golden, Maria Glusenkamp Perez, Pat Ryan, who won tough races that we need to learn from and look in our hearts and souls and listen to them.

But I think nobody -- I think they did not let people get to know who she really was. They kept her very carefully scripted. Everybody was so afraid of this, that, and whatever that, you know, here we are. But everybody has issues to look at, every single Democrat that's on the ticket, those that won and those that lost. This was a tough year and we have to do soul searching as a group because the circular firing squad is going to make sure we keep losing.

BLITZER: Amazingly, Congresswoman, there are people who voted for both Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Trump, two seemingly polar opposites. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez asked voters on Instagram why they made that choice. Here are a few of their responses. Let me read some of them to you.

It's real simple. Trump and you care for the working class. And how about this one? I feel that you both are outsiders compared to the rest of D.C. and less establishment. And then there was this one. Felt like I didn't have a choice after Biden's administration. So, Congresswoman, what do you make of that?

DINGELL: I think that they're both authentic people. Look, I may not agree with Donald Trump. He may -- I wish he was not as vitriolic and as divisive as he was, but we know who he is.

[18:35:06]

And AOC is real. She's authentic. You know who she is.

I think the American people are tired of consultants and pollsters telling people what they need to hear and that they want to hear us be more real, more authentic, tell them what the truth is, and be out there listening to them, not listening to pollsters who, quite frankly, are wrong most of the time.

BLITZER: Trump announced that he will tap former Congressman Lee Zeldin to head the EPA, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik for U.S. ambassador to the U.N. You served with both in the House. What's your reaction?

DINGELL: You know, if I'm going to be me, I'm going to try to work with both of them. I have relationships with both of them.

You know, EPA's going to be a very interesting situation, because we all know how -- well, maybe we don't totally know how he feels about E.V.s. But E.V.s have to be part of the product mix if we're going to be a global leader, because the global marketplace wants it.

So, I hope that, you know, I have said I'm going to work across the aisle. I'm going to work with everybody. If I disagree, I'll be me. I will express it. But there are things that we got to get right for the American people, for American manufacturing, for protecting jobs, bringing our supply chain back. And I am going to respect these people. There are two people that I have worked with, don't agree with them on everything, but we've got things we've got to get done for the American people. And I'm going to try to work with them. And if I disagree, I'm going to be clear on that too, but in a respectful and civil -- BLITZER: I know you'll disagree. You're not a shy person at all. I've known you for a long time. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell of Michigan, thanks very much for joining us.

DINGELL: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: And just ahead, we'll have a closer look at the role women will be playing in Donald Trump's second term, including the ones expected to be in the president elect's inner circle.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

BLITZER: Tonight, President elect Trump's choice of Representative Elise Stefanik to be the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations marks the second woman so far that he's tapping for his new administration.

Our Brian Todd is taking a closer look at the Trump record on hiring women for top jobs. Brian, what can we expect based on what we saw during his first term?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, if the past is any indication, then some of Donald Trump's closest and most trusted advisers we can expect in his second term will be women. And there's a decent chance that those women will be able to last longer in those roles than some of the more prominent men in the administration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: Susie. Come, Susie, come here.

TODD (voice over): Donald Trump has already picked two women for prominent roles in his administration. Susie Wiles, Trump's co- campaign manager for 2024 and a 40-year veteran of Republican politics, will be the first woman ever to serve as White House chief of staff. And Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a vocal supporter of the president-elect, has been tapped to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, a position that will need Senate approval.

Trump has characterized both women as, quote, tough and smart.

MERIDITH MCGRAW, NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT, POLITICO: Donald Trump has always listened carefully to the female voices around him. If you think back to the first Trump White House, his female advisers were some of the longest lasting officials in his White House.

TODD: Longer lasting than many of the men in the first Trump administration. Trump went through four chiefs of staff in his first term. The first of those, Reince Priebus, lasted only six months. General Michael Flynn had the shortest tenure ever for a national security adviser, 24 days. Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci lasted ten days.

Conversely, Senior Trump White House Advisors Kellyanne Conway and Hope Hicks and Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders lasted much longer, left on their own terms, and left on good terms with Trump.

MCGRAW: I think they all had their own style of communicating with Donald Trump, whether it was Hope Hicks behind the scenes or Kellyanne Conway, and they were known for being able to deliver messages to him that maybe some of the men around him couldn't.

TODD: Another analyst who covered the Trump White House, Annie Karni of The New York Times, told NPR, Trump didn't see those women as direct competition with him, as he saw people like political strategist Steve Bannon.

ANNIE KARNI, CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT, THE NEW YORK TIMES: These women who survived there kind of play along with him. There's no evidence that they challenged him or wanted to be seen as kind of the main player. They were oftentimes obsequious to him.

TODD: And Trump critics say there's hypocrisy at play, that while Trump elevates and trusts some women, he denigrates others, such as women who served under him and then either left under less than ideal terms or challenged him, like Omarosa Manigault Newman, who was fired from the first Trump White House. This is what Trump called her after she published a book criticizing him.

TRUMP: Low life. She's a low life.

TODD: Or Nikki Haley, ambassador to the U.N. in Trump's first term, a loyalist, until she ran against him in this year's Republican primaries.

TRUMP: Birdbrain, you know who Birdbrain is, right, Nikki?

MCGRAW: Trump is somebody who really values loyalty above anything else, and saw Nikki Haley as turning against him, even though in the end she offered to campaign for him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (on camera): Meredith McGraw of Politico says in the second Trump term, the formula for survival for the women in top positions, like the men, will be to pick their battles wisely and to not overshadow the boss. Susie Wiles, Trump's new White House chief of staff, is widely seen as someone who does have that capability. Wolf?

BLITZER: Good point. Brian Todd, thank you very much.

Coming up, we're following major developments, including a live report on what the Kremlin is now saying about a reported call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, as Russia prepares for a major new military assault in Ukraine.

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[18:49:19]

BLITZER: Tonight, the Kremlin is flatly denying reports of a phone call between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The relationship between the two leaders is being closely watched right now at a critical moment in Russia's war against Ukraine.

For more on that, I want to bring in CNN's Nick Paton Walsh.

Nick, how precarious is this moment.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. I mean, certainly, even without the uncertainty of what a Trump presidency holds for aid for Ukraine, this would be a very precarious moment for Ukraine on the battlefield.

This "Washington Post" report saying that President-elect Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin spoke clearly a bid by someone to place I think the key part of reporting that Trump warned Putin not to escalate in the war into the media there and get it part of the debate as it seems everyone's trying to continue to push their sides in anticipation of a change in the White House.

[18:50:15]

We're also hearing though, Wolf, of fears in the days ahead that potentially Russia may begin a significant offensive using some of the 10,000 to 11,000 North Korean troops that have arrived in Russia to try and retake the Kursk region on the border with Ukraine. Remember, Wolf, that was taken a significant fanfare by Ukraine in September, August, as a bid by Kyiv to try and change the narrative there, to show they were on the offensive after months of setbacks.

Well, it does appear according to one us official that Russia is amounting thousands of troops there, possibly 50,000 with the aim of pushing into that area, again part of these multiple different prongs of Moscow, Kyiv, anyone involved frankly trying to establish dominance in the narrative as a Trump presidency indeed looms and the likelihood that that may in fact bring negotiations.

Across the front line though in the east, Ukraine doing badly, losing the high ground off an over key Ukrainian military hubs to the Russians. Russia Western officials saying losing potentially 12,000 troops a day killed and injured as it pushes forward but finding themselves making small but strategic gains, Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Nick Paton Walsh, thank you very much.

And we'll be right back.

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[18:55:59]

BLITZER: All right. There's breaking news just coming into CNN on the Trump transition. For more on that, let's bring back CNN's Kaitlan Collins.

She's joining us from West Palm Beach down in Florida.

Kaitlan, tell us what you're learning. KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Wolf, we've just learned that Donald Trump has selected his first of many national security roles to fill, something that will be obviously a closely watched portfolio of his second term. He has now selected Florida Republican Mike Waltz as his national security advisor. He's the first Green Beret to actually ever serve in Congress and now he will be serving right in the West Wing with Donald Trump, obviously, navigating some very difficult geopolitical conflicts the war in Ukraine that has been going on that Donald Trump has pledged to solve in one day.

Obviously, big questions about what that's actually going to look like once he takes the oath, the war in Gaza that's been underway. All of these issues that the Biden White House is dealing with right now is soon going to be something that the Trump White House is inheriting, these global crisis that they are facing.

Of course, they are expected to handle them in very different ways and so people will be watching this space very closely. I should note, Congressman Waltz was seen down here in Palm Beach just a few days ago. He's been seen at the Mar-a-Lago club once or twice. He is someone who was rumored to be in some -- in the running for some kind of national security job, Wolf, whether that was national security advisor or defense secretary was one that was also floated to us in recent days.

And so, he's also been someone that you've seen and that people will be familiar with from television he has been an ardent defender of Donald Trump's over the last several months often out there defending him after the incident with the Trump campaign that happened at Arlington National Cemetery when they got blowback for -- for filming campaign material there.

Mike Waltz was out defending him on television. So, of course, that is someone that Trump something that Trump is always looking for in this portfolio. But, Wolf, one thing to keep in mind as we are announcing all of these new staff picks that Donald Trump is announcing seemingly by the hour here in Palm Beach is that all of these have been informed by what happened in his first term in office. Office he has tried to learn from that and said staffing was one of his biggest mistakes.

So all of that is a factor in every single person whose name you're seeing be announced, including Mike Waltz -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Kaitlan Collins reporting for us, thank you very, very much.

And finally tonight, President Biden is urging Americans to set aside their differences after last week's contentious election and unite in honor of those who served the nation in uniform.

Let's listen to some of the president's remarks today on this final Veterans Day of his term.

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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is the moment to come together as a nation, to keep faith in each other. The world is dependent on each of you and all of us, all of you to keep honoring the women and the men and the families who have borne the battle to keep protecting everything they fought for.

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BLITZER: Today and every day indeed, we say thank you to all of America's veterans for their service to our country. We are so, so grateful.

I'm Wolf Blitzer in THE SITUATION ROOM. Thanks very much for watching.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.