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The Situation Room
President Trump Meets With Irish Prime Minister; Trump Backtracks on Strait of Hormuz Request; Airport Delays. Aired 11:30a- 12p ET
Aired March 17, 2026 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:30:00]
RYAN YOUNG, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And we're told, even at this sign right here, it's more than an hour wait as you get past these gates, so many TSA agents calling out. The impact is real.
Take a listen to passengers who are just frustrated by what they're having to deal with.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD ALEXANDER, TRAVELER: My understanding is, the Democrats are proposing separate bills for the various agencies impacted, and the Republicans are killing those bills on the floor. It's disgraceful what's going on here.
Wait until November, and a lot of these people get thrown out because they're not legislating appropriately for the people of this country.
GRANT ELLINGSON, TRAVELER: The people that could pay them aren't paying them. I'm very frustrated. And I guess I'm a good Republican, and I think the Democrats have got it screwed up. That's my opinion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: Yes, the dynamics here really go on both sides, Wolf.
But you see the line, and it stretches all the way back this distance, people sitting here waiting to figure out whether or not they're going to be able to make it on vacation.
I see you guys standing here. I'm just going to stop. How long have you been waiting in line so far?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just actually got in line. We ate over at IHOP to kill some time, so yes.
YOUNG: What do you think? Are you going to make it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we're good. We got a good time. We got a delay, so...
YOUNG: So, some people feel pretty good. They might have a delay. They might make it. You look like you're...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm glad you all are filming these, because some of the rudest employees I have ever seen.
YOUNG: Wow. Are you stressed? You think you're going to make your flight?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope so, but it's like I can't...
YOUNG: How long do you have?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I have an hour-and-a-half.
YOUNG: OK.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I should make it. But I can't believe just how rude some of these employees are, why they can't just be helpful. Is this from people not showing up to work and being laid off?
Thanks, TSA.
YOUNG: Wow.
And there you have it. Wolf, people are walking up and literally giving us their opinion about what's going on nonstop. Sometimes, you have to beg people to get on mic. This is not one of those situations. People are stopping to talk to us. They're upset about what they're seeing. They're missing their vacations.
You understand the frustration. And at the same time, we're not sure how long they could sustain this with the amount of workers that are showing up at this point.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Yes, I feel bad for everybody. I feel for the passengers. Feel bad for the TSA agents who aren't getting paid. It's a horrible, horrible situation. They got to fix this.
Ryan Young over at the Atlanta Airport, thank you very much -- Pamela.
PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: It's like the one time that you actually are happy your flight is delayed, so you can catch it, given those long lines.
BLITZER: Yes.
BROWN: And also happening now, drivers nationwide are fretting over increasing gas prices, and now airlines say they are feeling the pinch.
Delta's CEO said that jet fuel prices have increased dramatically since the war in Iran broke out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED BASTIAN, CEO, DELTA AIR LINES: Jet fuel prices have almost doubled just since the start of the quarter, and that's a fairly significant hit for us, about $400 million in the quarter. That said, the demand strength has been really, really great. There's been a number of fare increases just in the last two weeks.
The industry -- Delta's brand is really strong. And so when you have that level of resiliency, you have that strength of pull for demand, customers understand, if fuel prices are up, you need to -- cost of doing businesses. It's incumbent upon us to figure out ways to recover that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: These comments come after CEOs of the nation's top airline companies are imploring Congress to fund DHS and end the partial government shutdown.
And new this morning, the TSA's acting deputy administrator is also warning that some smaller airports may even be forced to shut down, not a good situation here.
Let's go live now to see CNN senior business reporter David Goldman for more insights.
So, David, fuel prices have been soaring since the end of February. Walk us through how this is hitting the airlines and how it could trickle down to the consumer.
DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Yes, well, you heard Ed Bastian, the CEO of Delta, say that, for Delta, they might be able to weather this. They cater to a somewhat higher-end customer, somewhat wealthier customer.
But he also made the point that, for other airlines, this might hurt sooner rather than later, and they might have to raise prices sooner rather than later. If Delta is already raising airfares over the past couple of weeks, you know that other airlines, like regional airlines, discount airlines, they're going to start to raise prices for customers as well.
BROWN: And you have some new reporting, David, on what else could get more expensive because of the war. Where can we expect to see these increases beyond what we're seeing at the pump and potential flights?
GOLDMAN: Right.
I mean, the Strait of Hormuz, as we have been talking about, is locked down. About 20 percent of the world's oil comes through there. But that's not the only thing. Other ships that don't carry oil, but carry other products, are also stuck in the Persian Gulf. And they carry things like helium, aluminum.
They carry food -- they carry fertilizer, which is a key ingredient for food. Food prices could start to surge as well. And one of the other things is natural gas. And, remember, our electricity runs on natural gas. One of the big power sucks is A.I. right now, and natural gas powers that. So, all of that could compound and make prices a lot more expensive
for people.
[11:35:00]
BROWN: Wow. All right, David Goldman, thanks so much -- Wolf.
GOLDMAN: Thank you.
BLITZER: And there's more breaking news. President Trump is reversing his request from just a few days ago, when he asked NATO allies for help protecting the Strait of Hormuz. That's a crucial oil shipping route near Iran.
He's got a new position that's just been released. We will share it with you right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We've got breaking news, President Trump now reversing chorus, saying -- and I'm quoting him now -- "We do not need the help of anyone" when it comes to joining the war with Iran.
[11:40:04]
Let's go to CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak.
Kevin, tell us more about what the president said and how this seems like a shift in his request from just a couple days ago when he was asking NATO allies for extra assistance.
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Yes, he wasn't just asking. He was demanding, suggesting that some of these European countries were disloyal because they weren't immediately sending warships to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
He spent most of yesterday cajoling them in public, saying that because they were more reliant on Iranian -- or -- sorry -- oil that transits the Strait of Hormuz, that they should do more in protecting it.
Now the president is essentially saying that he has been rejected. He said that the U.S. had been informed by these NATO countries that they don't want to get involved here, and that is true. Many of these countries said that they cannot sort of join this effort while active hostilities are under way.
The president does say that he's not surprised. He says that he had always been concerned that NATO countries were acting on what he calls a one-way street, that we will protect them, and that they will do nothing for us.
And then he goes on to say this: "Because of the fact that we have had such military success, we no longer need or desire the NATO countries' assistance. We never did, likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea. In fact, speaking as president of the United States of America, by far the most powerful country anywhere in the world, we do not need the help of anyone."
So the president is saying there that this coalition that he very briefly in the end was trying to build is no longer necessary to reopen the strait. That does raise the question of what exactly the plan is now. The U.S. has said that its own Navy will begin escorting tankers at some point through the Strait of Hormuz, but that hasn't happened yet.
The Navy and the military has told energy companies that it's still too dangerous to go about that. We will hear from the president now any minute in the Oval Office with the taoiseach of Ireland, Micheal Martin.
Ireland, of course, not a member of NATO itself, but certainly a member of the European community, and this topic very likely to arise in that session. He has said that Ireland wants to see a peaceful resolution to this conflict, but President Trump now suggesting that, after a very momentary position where he seemed eager to get other countries on board with what he's doing here, now suggesting that the U.S. is happy to try and do this by itself.
BROWN: All right, Kevin Liptak, thanks so much live for us from the White House.
BLITZER: And coming up: why you may need to start treating your cholesterol earlier than you had thought. What's behind the shift and what might treatment look like?
Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us to break down the new guidelines, information you need to know.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:47:16]
BROWN: Happening now, the head of the National Institutes of Health is on Capitol Hill for a House Oversight hearing.
Dr. Jay Bhattacharya's appearance comes days after new data from the NIH showed the Trump administration has dramatically slashed the number of grants for medical research, funding 3,900 research grants in 2025 compared to 5,000 the year before. Bhattacharya is also serving as temporary head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
He spoke moments ago about the cuts in CDC staffing that were made at the start of President Trump's second term and also how the NIH plans to fund future research.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. JAY BHATTACHARYA, NIH DIRECTOR: Frankly, it's very critical to the CDC, as during the COVID pandemic. And what I found was that there was a real openness to discuss things where there are disagreements within public health, again, a real sense of professionalism there.
I have in the last several weeks I started out in despair having to wear two hats that, you're right, that we shouldn't have the same person wear for all that long. But I have come out of it with an increasing sense of hope, a concrete sort of signpost of this is the way that CDC has responded to the measles outbreak in South Carolina.
REP. ROSA DELAURO (D-CT): Can you assure this committee that the decisions about how NIH research funding and awarding that funding will be based on scientific merit?
BHATTACHARYA: That alone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROWN: We're going to have to break out, because President Trump is speaking as he meets with the prime minister of Ireland right now.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Some big discussions today concerning trade, concerning lots of different subjects.
We have a tremendous trade relationship with Ireland, and we will keep it that way. I think it's going to be expanded very greatly. Probably, they want to talk a little bit about tariffs, but I won't mention that. We won't bring that up. But you might want to be discussing that a little bit.
But it's an honor to have you and thank you very much for being here. Thank you.
MICHEAL MARTIN, IRISH PRIME MINISTER: And may I thank you, President, for facilitating this visit, and in what is for us probably one of the most important weeks in the United States.
And, in many ways, you're affirming the tremendous bonds between Ireland and the United States that go back to the very foundation of this republic. And 35 million people in this country claim Irish descent and Irish heritage.
And I spent, of course, two days in Philadelphia...
TRUMP: Right.
MARTIN: ... going back really into the heart of that history, and the fact that three Irish people born on the island of Ireland signed the Declaration of Independence.
It was printed by an Irishman, John Dunlap, and disseminated across the colonies. And Charles Thomson, who we discussed earlier...
TRUMP: Right. That's right.
MARTIN: ... he designed the bald eagle, the seal of the U.S.
[11:50:02]
So, in many ways, our connection is foundational. It's historic. And the Irish helped to build America. We're very proud of that connection. And we think you hosting us here in the White House is affirmation to all the Irish Americans out there and to our diaspora in this country for what they have contributed to America.
And that's very much through the prism of this year the America 250. It's a very exciting year.
TRUMP: Right.
MARTIN: We're discovering new things. I mean, even a guy from my own city, a guy called Stephen Moylan, who was an aide-de-camp to Washington, he's regarded as the guy who came up with the phrase the United States of America.
TRUMP: Oh, that's good.
MARTIN: The first written record.
TRUMP: That's great.
MARTIN: And it's New York in (AUDIO GAP)
TRUMP: Yes.
MARTIN: ... history of those bonds.
TRUMP: Yes.
Well, you told me something before that was maybe the most interesting of all. How many presidents are in some way related, related through blood with Ireland?
MARTIN: Twenty-three, 23 Irish presidents.
TRUMP: Can you believe it? They're great politicians. The Irish are great politicians.
MARTIN: Absolutely.
TRUMP: No, but think of it; 23 are in some form, and many of them have gone to Ireland.
MARTIN: Absolutely.
TRUMP: Grant was...
MARTIN: Grant went to Ireland after his presidency.
TRUMP: Right.
MARTIN: I was saying earlier, Ronald Reagan's visit was an extraordinary one...
TRUMP: Right. Right.
MARTIN: ... in a place called Ballyporeen and County Tipperary.
TRUMP: That's right.
MARTIN: And, of course, John F. Kennedy's...
TRUMP: That's right, sure.
MARTIN: ... grandfather was Irish, came back I think early '63. And that's a very memorable visit because of what -- tragedy that happened subsequently, the assassination...
TRUMP: That's right.
MARTIN: ... which touched people in Ireland very deeply for the Kennedy family.
TRUMP: Very popular.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: The Kennedy family is strong.
TRUMP: Very, yes.
(CROSSTALK)
MARTIN: ... with Ireland.
TRUMP: Well, we like the family too, one person in particular.
MARTIN: Yes.
TRUMP: One very noncontroversial person.
MARTIN: I know that, yes, yes, yes.
TRUMP: But now he's doing a very good job. No, he really is.
But we have more, I think, people here by far than you have in Ireland that are of Irish descent.
MARTIN: Absolutely.
TRUMP: We have -- so you have quite a few, but we have a lot.
MARTIN: You have a lot more than we have.
TRUMP: It's pretty amazing, and by a lot.
(LAUGHTER)
MARTIN: Absolutely, yes.
TRUMP: Anyway, thank you very much. It's a great honor. MARTIN: Yes.
TRUMP: And any questions?
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)
TRUMP: Well, I'm having -- it's a great thing. My son and my family, we have a great, great golf complex in Ireland, one of the best in the world, called Doonbeg. It's in Doonbeg. And it's been amazing.
And Rory McIlroy loves it. They all love it. Great golfers. You have a tremendous golf tradition. And it was chosen for the Irish Open, which is a big deal. That's a big event.
MARTIN: Absolutely. Looking forward to it.
TRUMP: And everybody wants me to be there.
You just said: "I hope you're going to go."
MARTIN: I did.
TRUMP: And we're going to try. We are going to try. But it will be an honor.
But it was a great honor to be chosen. They only choose the best courses in the world for the big opens. That's one of the big ones, the Irish Open. It's really become one of the most important tournaments in the world. It's going to do -- I hear it's going to be a fantastic success.
MARTIN: It will be a great success, yes.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: A very hard course. It's a very hard course, however.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: What progress have you made, Mr. President, in getting America's allies to assist the U.S. in escorting those oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz?
TRUMP: Well, we don't need too much help. And we don't need any help, actually. In fact, we just put out a notice. I was watching over the last couple of weeks, and all of our NATO allies were very much in favor of what we did.
They thought it was very important. We were just discussing it, actually. Very important that we take out the nuclear threat from Iran. And we've done that very strongly, very powerfully. We've wiped out their navy, wiped out their military in every aspect. Their air force is now decimated. They have no air force, no navy. They have no radar. Their radar is entirely gone. Their anti-aircraft
machinery is gone. Everything is gone. Their leaders are gone. I guess one of the -- the top person was -- they say -- a lot of people say their actual top was killed yesterday, along with somebody else, that who was responsible for the killing, the man that was responsible for the killing of 32,000 people over the last two weeks.
He was in charge of the killing of protesters. It's an evil group. I mean, they killed much more than 32,000 people. And the man who was responsible for that was also killed yesterday. And all of the NATO allies agreed with us. And they don't want to -- despite the fact that we helped them so much, we have thousands of soldiers in different countries all over the world. And they don't want to help us, which is amazing, I mean, amazing.
[11:55:03]
And I didn't do a full-court press, because I think, if I did, they probably would be. But we don't need help. We have -- that war has been long prosecuted, as far as I'm concerned, almost from day one. We knocked out many of these things. We knocked out the navy, essentially, in a couple of days.
But I was surprised to see that NATO, while they agreed that it was a very important thing to do -- they agreed fully. Nobody said, oh, you shouldn't do it. They had -- they would have had a nuclear weapon within one month of when we had the B-2 bombers bomb the nuclear potential. I call it the nuclear dust.
So I think NATO is making a very foolish mistake. And I have long said that I wonder whether or not NATO would ever be there for us. So this is a -- this was a great test, because we don't need them, but they should have been there.
The other thing is -- and I think very important, we didn't have to be there for Ukraine. Biden chose to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on Ukraine. And I guess the head of Germany just made a statement that, well, they weren't involved, and they have nothing to do with the war.
But at the same time, they think we did a great thing by knocking them out. Nobody wants to have -- nobody wants to have Iran or anybody, but nobody wants to have Iran with a nuclear -- because these people are crazy. They're absolutely crazy. And they're vicious, violent.
I mean, they killed -- think of it. They killed now I hear it's about 41,000 people. They put out a notice two days ago. Anybody that protests will be immediately shot and killed. That's pretty tough stuff. So everyone agrees with us, but they don't want to help.
And we, as the United States, have to remember that because we think it's pretty shocking.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: President Macron has just said in the last hour that he will never join a task force in the Strait of Hormuz until hostility is finished. Yesterday, you said that...
TRUMP: Who said that? Who said?
QUESTION: President Macron of France. What's your reaction to that, sir?
TRUMP: Well, he will be out of office very soon, so we will have to see. You know, I don't know.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: On Doonbeg, you're building an extension to it.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Yes, we have.
QUESTION: But there's been an objection put in, and it's being held back at the moment due to small snails. What? Are you disappointed with that?
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: I haven't -- I have not heard that, no.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: I mean, the course was built and it's been operated very successfully. Somebody's objecting? You mean an environmental group is objecting to (AUDIO GAP).
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) Strait of Hormuz? Which countries are joining? (OFF-MIKE)
TRUMP: Well, we have had great support from the Middle East. Qatar has been great. UAE has been -- absolutely, they have been great. Saudi Arabia has been terrific. Bahrain has been very good.
The Middle Eastern countries have been very strong in their support. And, of course, Israel has been our partner. Israel has been very, very strong, along with (AUDIO GAP). I was against Iran long before I even thought about Israel being against Iran. I was.
If you look back, many years ago, I talked about Iran was a big threat to this country, to this world of ours, and it turned out to be I was right. In fact, I said you have to attack Kharg, Kharg Island. You have to attack them years ago when they were acting up. They have been acting up for 37, 47, I guess now 48 years.
For 48 years, they have been bad players, vicious players, and you can't let them have a nuclear weapon. If they got a nuclear weapon, I would say they would have used it within 24 hours after having it. And they would have had it. If we didn't bomb them out from the great raid with the B-2 bombers eight months ago or so, you would have had a nuclear war in the Middle East and maybe beyond.
I think it would have hit Europe, maybe not Ireland, but it would have hit Europe. I think you would have been a nice piece of it. It all gets you. It's big enough that you would have been affected. They would have hit Europe eventually.
(CROSSTALK)
QUESTION: Mr. President, your director of national counterterrorism, Joe Kent, he just resigned today. He said he can't support your conflict with Iran. What's your reaction to that? And did you...
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Well, I read his statement. I always thought he was a nice guy, but I always thought he was weak on security, very weak on security.
I didn't know him well, but I thought he seemed like a pretty nice guy. But when I read his statement, I realized that it's a good thing that he's out, because he said that Iran was not a threat?
