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The Situation Room

Americans Frustrated?; Trump Administration's Impact on Children's Health?; Interview With Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta; Trump's Foreign Policy Agenda. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired April 29, 2025 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:00]

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And he has voiced open frustration at various points along the war, along these negotiations about ending the Ukraine war.

The latest came yesterday, when the president -- actually -- sorry -- this was last week. The president told "TIME" magazine -- quote -- "Crimea will stay with Russia."

Well, that didn't sit well with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has not conceded that Crimea is going to stay with Russia. That is a real point of contention.

We can say, though, that the president and Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a good and productive meeting. This was reported by both sides, a good and productive meeting at the Vatican over the weekend on the sidelines of the pope's funeral, where they made some progress in these negotiations.

And it also comes as the president has openly expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin for continuing to fire missiles at the time that they're trying to negotiate a peace deal in Ukraine. And this is a far cry -- this relationship was Zelenskyy proving a far cry from what we saw in February, when the two of them had a very contentious and open argument in the Oval Office over the war in Ukraine, Pamela.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Well, we also -- we talked about the trade war with China. The president's trade war has also upended relations with our neighbors to the north and the south.

How have Canada and Mexico responded?

TODD: Our best friends, right? We get along with them famously.

Well, not recently, Pamela. In -- the president even yesterday kind of ramping up the tension a little bit, he posted a tweet on TRUTH Social saying -- again alluding to the possibility of Canada becoming the 51st state. This was a tweet when he wished the people of Canada good luck in their parliamentary elections, but, again, kind of just jabbing them a little bit again with the talk of the Canadians becoming the 51st state. This, of course, comes after the president floated the idea of calling

the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. That rankled people on the Mexican side and many Americans as well. And you have got the tariff issue again, as we talked about with China, the U.S. imposing 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico for steel, aluminum autos, auto parts and goods that were not covered in that U.S.-Canada-Mexico agreement.

So, again, very contentious relations of late with our neighbors to the north and south, Pamela.

BROWN: All right, let's turn to another war that Trump promised to end, Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza. Where do things stand on that front?

TODD: Well, we can tell you, Pamela, that the president can count two victories in his -- just on his side since he's taken office, the freeing of two Israeli-American hostages, Sagui Dekel-Chen freed in mid-February, Keith Siegel freed on February 1.

That happened during Donald Trump's first 100 days, but no major breakthrough on a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, as both sides continue the negotiations, also Israel expanding its operations in Gaza last month, so, far from resolved.

And it didn't necessarily help matters that, in February, the president posted this video. This is an A.I.-generated fake video that the president posted on TRUTH Social in February kind of imagining what life would be like under a U.S. takeover of Gaza, kind of a ridiculous video showing Elon Musk eating hummus by the sea, other images of people frolicking, golden statues of Donald Trump.

The Palestinians have not taken well to the idea of a U.S. takeover of Gaza. They have rejected it soundly, Pamela.

BROWN: Also, in the Middle East, we have seen an ongoing U.S. military operation targeting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and talks over the future of Iran's nuclear program.

What do we know there?

TODD: Well, talks have actually been fairly productive in recent days, Pamela. That's another feather in the president's cap moving things along after he scuttled the previous deal with Iran back in 2018.

He's revived the talks. They have made progress in recent days. But this also comes as the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and the U.S. forces in the Gulf of Aden have engaged in back-and-forth, the U.S. pounding the Houthis in recent days, killing several Houthi leaders and pounding their targets.

But we can also report, our national security team reporting that, in recent days, the Houthis have destroyed at least seven U.S. Reaper drones, which -- that showing their ability to kind of counterattack the Americans. That has prevented the U.S. from ramping up their campaign against the Houthis even more by possibly targeting Houthis leaders.

That has delayed that, so the Houthis firing back at the U.S., kind of putting just problems with the U.S. in their military planning against the Houthis. So that campaign kind of drags on, Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Brian Todd, thank you so much -- Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Excellent analysis from Brian.

I want to get some more analysis right now. I want to bring in Leon Panetta. He served as defense secretary and CIA director under President Obama.

Mr. Secretary, thanks so much for joining us 100 days now into President Trump's second term. What's your overall assessment of his foreign policy record, at least so far?

LEON PANETTA, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, there's a great deal of cause for concern, because the foreign policy that this country's had for 80 years under both the Democrat and Republican presidents, in which the United States has exercised strong world leadership, has built strong alliances, has been a strong world leader in terms of our values of democracy, that foreign policy has been turned on its head.

[11:35:10]

We're basically operating alone. We have walked away from our allies and from our alliances. We have walked away from some of the fundamental values that have always marked the United States' position in the world in terms of support for freedom, support for democracy.

Our adversaries -- obviously, we are still trying to struggle to determine just exactly what our strategy is with our adversaries, particularly with Russia and particularly in Ukraine.

And so the bottom line here is that there's a great deal of chaos, a great deal of turmoil, and there isn't much clarity with regards to the overall strategy for the United States in dealing with a very dangerous world.

BLITZER: And, Mr. Secretary, when it comes to the war in Ukraine, the president, President Trump, has turned a bit more critical, a bit more critical, of Vladimir Putin in recent weeks. He even acknowledged that Putin might not be interested in peace and is simply stringing him along.

Do you think Trump's views on Putin and Russia, for that matter, are genuinely shifting right now?

PANETTA: I think, for the last 100 days, that the administration has badly misjudged not only dealing with Putin, but dealing with Ukraine and dealing with our allies.

With regards to Putin, the reality is that the president thought he could just simply say pretty please to Putin. And pretty please never works with Mr. Putin. You have to operate with Putin from strength. You have got to make very clear to Putin that he will not succeed in Ukraine and put pressure on Putin if you expect Putin to in any way do what is necessary here in order to achieve peace.

I think he's also misjudged Ukraine. He basically said Ukraine did not have any cards. The reality is, Ukraine has the most important cards of all, which is their country and the fact that they are willing to fight and die for their country. Those are pretty good cards to have.

BLITZER: They certainly are.

PANETTA: And, lastly (AUDIO GAP) our allies as well.

Our allies have come to the rescue of dealing with Ukraine. Frankly, the United States ought to be part of that effort.

BLITZER: Another sensitive issue, Canada, and who would have ever thought that U.S.-Canadian relations could be in trouble?

The Liberal Party just won federal elections yesterday in Canada. It's a stunning turnaround. Many see that election as a referendum on Trump. How is Trump shaking up the political landscape all across the world, including with our closest friends and allies?

PANETTA: Well, again, look, this is a dangerous world, Wolf.

We're dealing with an aggressive Russia. We're dealing with China. We're dealing with Iran. We're dealing with North Korea. We're dealing with terrorism. That's a lot to focus on. And to have the president, rather than focusing on all of those danger points, raise issues about taking over Canada, taking over Greenland, taking over the Panama Canal, those are diverting issues that in many ways undermine the credibility of the United States and the rest of the world.

If the United States is taking time out in order to go after Canada and go after Greenland, then I think the rest of the world looks at that. And very, frankly, the United States is losing its credibility in the world in terms of really dealing with the danger points that are out there.

BLITZER: Leon Panetta, excellent analysis. Thank you very much for joining us.

PANETTA: Good to be with you.

BLITZER: And we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:43:28]

BROWN: Happening today: President Trump marks the first 100 days of his second term, and Democratic voters aren't just frustrated with him. They are also frustrated with their own party.

The approval rating for Democratic leaders in Congress is just 38 percent amid growing frustration from voters who say they aren't doing enough to disrupt Trump's agenda.

BLITZER: And joining us now, Pamela, is CNN senior political commentator Van Jones, who served with President Obama.

Van, thanks for joining us.

What message do these low approval numbers send to the Democratic Party?

VAN JONES, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: That people are -- feel like they're sitting on a white-hot stove of fear and concern and anxiety because of the attacks on the Constitution, the rule of law.

It's not just -- look, everybody's freaked out about the economic uncertainty, the tariffs. Everybody's 401(k)s have become 401(q)s and 401(z)s. So everybody's concerned about the economic piece.

I think that, for Democrats, we really believe in the Constitution. We believe in the rule of law. We believe that everybody should obey the law, including the president of the United States.

And to see the Supreme Court say, listen, bring this human being back to the United States, give him his fair treatment, and the president to basically just laugh it up in the Oval Office and say, I'm not doing it, kind of a dictator, say, we're not doing it, and just go on like nothing's happening, I think people would want to see, let's do -- let's see senators do a Cory Booker every day.

Cory Booker stood on his feet for 25 hours. I think we got 40 more senators. Shut the thing down and give the American people a chance to have a real conversation about, do we want to have a Constitution or not? I think that's where the base is at.

[11:45:09]

And I think that the numbers are going to go lower before they go higher. Governor Pritzker said, look, it's time for disruption. I think Cory Booker set a good example of how you can peacefully and nonviolently stand for something and get the world's attention.

We got 40 more senators. They should be doing the same thing.

BROWN: It wasn't just Democrats who scored low in our polling. We should note Republicans did as well. Democrats, as you're well aware, they're in the minority.

What other opportunities do you think exist for your party? You mentioned giving speeches on the floor like Cory Booker. What else?

JONES: Well, listen, obviously, the normal toolkit is limited because we're in the minority in both parties.

But I do think that the pain of ordinary people, everyday people, could be lifted up. You could imagine a situation where some of these people who had their -- the rug pulled out from under them, these grants, I don't mean grants going to fancy colleges. I mean grants going to neighborhoods where people have been using dollars in the federal government to stop gun violence.

Those grants have gone away. They have talked about -- Trump's talked about putting the military on the streets of America to deal with crime. Crime was going down in places like Philadelphia because of grants that have now been taken away.

So I think you have got to put a human face on the people who have the rug pulled out from under them, people who are not going to be able to pay for their medicines because they have changed some of those rules. And, by the way, what sense does it make to have a country where we have had so many DOGE cuts that we now cannot properly evaluate milk?

We're giving milk to children and we don't have milk inspectors. I mean, some of this stuff is so absurd. I think there needs to be better coordination. Every day, there should be putting forward, here's another set of people who've been hurt. Here's another set of people. Here's another set of disabled children. Here's another set of veterans. Here's another set.

And you just continue to build the drumbeat. But, listen, the impatience of the base is not going to go away until the midterms, until the Democrats prove that we can win elections, that we can get one of these chambers back, probably the House.

I think people are going to be upset, because we played by the rules under Obama and Biden. And to see the rule book be burned in the trash can, I think, is very hard for people.

BLITZER: Van Jones, appreciate it very much. Thank you.

BROWN: Thank you, Van.

JONES: Thank you.

BROWN: Coming up: checking up on your health, how the Trump administration has impacted the nation's health policies 100 days in.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:53:29]

BROWN: In the first 100 days of the second Trump administration, the president and other top health officials are reshaping children's health, and parents have a lot of questions.

BLITZER: They certainly do.

And to help break all of this down for us, we go to our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Sanjay, thanks for joining us.

The president has said he wants to fight chronic health conditions in kids. How big of an issue is this in our country? And what is the plan? DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so, first of

all, this is a big issue. If you look at the United States, a country that spends $4 trillion a year on health care, a lot of times you think we don't have a lot to show for it.

Specifically, when it comes to children's health, over here is the 60 percent of children who do not have a health condition, only 60 percent. At least 40 percent of children in this country have at least one, sometimes several different health conditions. And that is very different than it used to be several decades ago in this country and very different than in many other countries in the world.

When we talk about these health conditions specifically, I mean, there's a lot of them, but these are some of the ones that come to mind. Obesity, 30 to 40 percent of children in the United States, children, have obesity now.

Where the administration is choosing to spend a lot of their attention, though, I think is important. For example, we have heard a lot about autism recently and this plan that Secretary Kennedy talks about in terms of actually finding the causes for autism within the next few months, something that has been studied for 30 years.

And we have learned that changes in the brain occur in utero in children with autism, that there's genetic factors. How they're going to piece that all together by September, they say they're going to do it. That's one of their big focuses. Fluoride is another big focus, petroleum dyes.

[11:55:09]

Those are some of the things that we have heard about over the past 100 days now. We will see what that translates to.

BROWN: All right, that also raises the next question of childhood vaccines and the administration's approach to that, Sanjay.

GUPTA: Concerning and confusing is what I would say when it comes to vaccines.

On one hand, we have heard Secretary Kennedy say, look, we're not planning on taking away anyone's vaccines. He even went so far as to recommend vaccines the middle of this measles outbreak. But we're also seeing a lot of concerning changes that are happening with regard to vaccines.

The FDA vaccine safety head resigned, big job, resigned over transparency issues. Independent vaccine advisers that have always been part of, for instance, creating the next flu vaccine, they have been sidelined.

And, as Van Jones was just talking about, there have been so many cuts, we're not sure where they're going to find the resources or the energy to actually investigate some of the questions that they're raising about vaccines.

BLITZER: And, Sanjay, what do we know about the new health organization the Trump administration has created?

GUPTA: Well, so it's -- first of all, it's called AHA, Administration for a Healthier America. AHA, that's the acronym. Look, here's the concern, and you guys have been talking about it all morning.

There have been a lot of cuts. That's what this new administration is sort of, at least initially, known for, 10,000 full-time employees, 10,000 additional volunteer departures. They want to save $2 billion, and they want to consolidate a lot of the various organizations.

That efficiency is probably really important. This is a huge organization. But at the same time, there are some audacious goals that a lot of those people who have been cut were actually working to try and achieve.

BROWN: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you so much.

Remember to scan the Q.R. code on your screen and send us your questions about the Trump administration's health policies and their impact on children's health. Dr. Gupta will be back tomorrow to answer them.

BLITZER: He's going to have good answers.

Thank you, Sanjay, for all of us.

And, to our viewers, thanks for joining us this morning. You can always keep up with us on social media @WolfBlitzer and @PamelaBrownCNN. We will see you back here tomorrow 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

BROWN: "INSIDE POLITICS WITH DANA BASH" is next right after a short break.