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Trump Escalates Trade War; Bryan Barnett is Interviewed about Tariffs; Probe into a Fire at GOP Headquarters; More than 2,000 Dead in Myanmar Earthquake. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired March 31, 2025 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

MONICA CROOMS, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY: It's just - it's devastating. It's devastating to not only their families, but to the communities in which they live, because people are terrified.

JULIA VARGAS, CNN ANCHOR (voice over): The couple spent years and thousands of dollars in legal help. Much of it, they say, from unlicensed or disbarred individuals.

CROOMS: Our hope was that the board of immigration appeals would see this and agree with us that there was just a gross miscarriage of justice with respect to how Gladys and Nelson were represented, and would reopen their case to allow them to potentially seek legalization through one of their daughters.

VARGAS (voice over): The couples daughters launched a GoFundMe, raising over $75,000 from more than 750 donors to help their parents rebuild in Colombia and pay for future legal efforts.

CROOMS: They'll have to start over again, but the hope is that they will be able to come back.

VARGAS (voice over): Julia Vargas Jones, CNN, Orange County, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: Bracing for tariffs. Minutes away from the opening bell on Wall Street as Donald Trump's looming liberation day tariffs are causing a global selloff.

And search efforts continue after the worst earthquake in a century hits Myanmar. Thousands are dead, and officials fear that number will - could soar.

And a foul turn, if you will, at -- -- at a - it turns into an all-out brawl at an NBA game. Players, coaches ejected. Lots of stuff happened there.

Sara's out today. I'm Kate Bolduan, with John Berman. This is CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, breaking this morning, a global market selloff. It was ugly. And it is setting up major jitters for the opening bell on Wall Street, just minutes away.

And this all has to do with tariffs. New, big and sometimes conflicting threats from President Trump and his advisers. As we said, this sent the Asian markets down. You can see 4 percent in Japan. That's a lot. U.S. stock futures have been down this morning. You can take a look right there with the Nasdaq down more than a point. The S&P down nearly a point. And this comes after a huge 700 point drop on Friday.

So, the president has said this new 25 percent hike on all cars and car parts imported into the United States will take effect starting Wednesday. He also said he, quote, "couldn't care less" if foreign car prices go up.

We're going to get to the White House. CNN's Kevin Liptak in there.

And that's not all that he and his advisers are saying on tariffs. And I've got to say, sometimes, Kevin, the messages conflict with each other.

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: A lot of the times the message is conflicting, including President Trump with President Trump. You know, he has been promising these reciprocal tariffs for six weeks, but two days before they're set to go into effect, it is very unclear what exactly the president will be doing.

And behind the scenes there is this intensive work underway, really aides scrambling to try and finalize the details of what the president calls liberation day, these reciprocal tariffs. Just last night on Air Force One, you heard a couple of different things coming out of President Trump. He said that these tariff rates would potentially be more generous than what many people have been expecting. But he's also saying that this would apply essentially to every partner of the U.S.' when it comes to trade.

Listen to what the president said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: How many countries will be in that initial tranche?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You start with all countries. So, let's see what happens. There are many countries.

REPORTER: (INAUDIBLE).

TRUMP: I haven't heard a rumor about 15 countries, 10 or 15.

REPORTER: So, you're starting with all countries?

TRUMP: Essentially. All of the countries that we're talking about, we'd been talking about all countries. And not a cutoff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIPTAK: So, what the debate appears to be right now is whether to apply individualized tariff rates on the U.S. trading partners, essentially dollar for dollar tariffs. That's something that the president has promised. Or does the president apply a universal rate, perhaps as much as 20 percent, on all countries that the U.S. does business with? That's something that the president promised on the campaign trail.

What he is planning to do isn't explicitly clear, and that uncertainty is part of what is lending so many jitters to the financial markets this morning. One thing that these tariffs will do in the eyes of the president's advisors is raise a lot of revenue. We heard Peter Navarro, over the weekend, say it could be as much as $6 trillion over the course of the decade. That could be used, potentially, to offset the tax cuts that the president wants to sign. And so, you know, at the end of the day what economists say is that Americans will pay the costs of these tariffs, no matter what form exactly they take.

John.

[09:05:00]

BERMAN: Kevin, you did a great job explaining that. And I like how you put it, sometimes it has been Trump versus Trump on tariffs, how he says they will go into effect.

Thank you so much, Kevin.

With us now, Bryan Barnett. He is the Republican mayor of Rochester Hills, Michigan, which is a kind of a suburb of Detroit. It's also, like, you know, you can practically see Canada from Rochester Hills.

Mayor, thank you so much for being with us.

It's hard to know exactly what tariffs are going to go into place on April 2nd, as the president promised, but let's say it is 25 percent on all cars and car parts. What would the impact be on you in Rochester Hills?

MAYOR BRYAN BARNETT (R), ROCHESTER HILLS, MICHIGAN: Well, first, thanks for having me.

It would be really a perfect storm. In southeast Michigan, our biggest trading partners are Canada and Mexico, and our biggest industry is the mobility industry. So much of what we do in southeast Michigan is tied to that industry. And every vehicle has parts made in Canada and Mexico. So, it would be devastating.

And, you know, I mean, part of it, as you just shared, is the uncertainty. There's so much uncertainty as we enter this week where so much is supposed to happen. I think industries are really paralyzed to try to understand how to move forward.

BERMAN: How can you plan for this? I mean what - what are you planning for?

BARNETT: Well, I've been talking to a lot of my businesses, my business community, to try to find out what they're doing. And, I mean, the scenario is pretty simple, at least what most people think is, you know, higher tariffs lead to higher costs. Higher costs leads to lower demand. Lower demand leads to lower production. And ultimately that's where it becomes the mayor's issue. Lower production and lower demand means job loss. And that really is a significant issue.

We've gone through really challenging times in southeast Michigan before. And I'm not sure, you know, these are just negotiation tactics. I hope the president and his team are able to move quickly. I was pleased that he had a very positive meeting with the prime minister at the end of last week. But the uncertainty as, you know, you see the markets reacting to it, it's daunting. It's impossible to prepare.

BERMAN: You think this could lead to job losses in Rochester Hills?

BARNETT: I think it could very quickly. I think most of the folks I'm talking to say, you know, they can survive this kind of back and forth for about maybe 30 days. You know, they've been preparing to try to have supply here, to try to handle supply chains. But if this is something that we're waiting for jobs to repatriate back to the United States, we know that takes - I mean that's a great and wonderful plan. We're all supportive of that. But that can take 24 to 36 months. And most companies wouldn't be operating at the same levels they are now if - if you have this tariff environment for two or three years. It simply couldn't be the same.

BERMAN: Yes, talk to me more about that because the president does say his goal here is to get manufacturing back to the U.S.

BARNETT: Yes, I mean, I think that's a - certainly. I mean we're - we're - we're in the manufacturing capital of our country. And we've - it's our bread and butter. We would love to see that. But, you know, maybe these - these negotiations and tariffs that we talk about, some sort of graduated approach that people have six months or 12 months or 18 months to show progress to do that. But to hit tariffs right out of the gate, again, you see the markets reacting, the volatility, the uncertainty. You know, if you're a business owner, if you're, you know, want to repatriate jobs back to the United States and you know it's a two to three year process, how confident are you right now that this current environment is going to be the same environment two to three years from now? You have to make billions of dollars in (INAUDIBLE).

So, it's really a challenging position for most business owners. And - and, ultimately, business owners means, you know, the rank and file, the union members.

BERMAN: One of the things the president said over the weekend was that he couldn't care less if foreign car prices went up. How - again, what do you think of that and how would that affect you?

BARNETT: Well, the definition of foreign cars is - is pretty unique. I mean almost every American vehicle has parts that are assembled in Mexico, produced in Canada. They say a vehicle goes across the border, at least here in Michigan, six to eight times before it's actually produced. And those are the traditional sort of Detroit big three that we would consider American made cars.

So, I understand the president's comments, but when you get down into, you know, what kind of - what percentage of parts in an American made car are built and produced and manufactured either in Canada or Mexico, it's a really high number, which means those tariffs are going to impact the kind of big three autos, the big three Detroit manufacturers that we all think are local.

BERMAN: What are you hearing from voters on this? I mean I know you're very busy doing your job governing and governance, but what are voters saying about this? And could this have a political impact?

BARNETT: Well, I think - I mean, obviously, everything could have a political impact. I know that President Trump cares a lot about Michigan. He was here a lot in advance of the election. It's a state that supported him. I know he cares about the auto industry. And I think people are just nervous because there's so much uncertainty.

[09:10:04]

Again, just looking at your reporting, I mean, every 24 hours the countries, the amounts, the days that starts and stops just start and stop, you know, for - for end users. And - and that makes it so difficult. It makes it difficult for capital. It makes it difficult for long term planning. It makes it difficult for local officials to try to understand how we can support.

My job right now is to just keep sharing the stories of my community, of Rochester Hills, and how I think it will impact our community, and hope that the president will take that into account as he makes - he makes decisions.

BERMAN: Mayor Bryan Barnett, you're going to have an interesting week. I do appreciate you taking a second to talk to us this morning. Good luck.

BARNETT: Thank you.

BERMAN: I'm obviously hearing from a local official there, fascinating as he will feel this impact on a day-to-day basis.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Coming up for us, a blunt message from President Trump to Vladimir Putin. He's pissed and Putin better come to the negotiating table or else.

And a fire now being investigated as a possible arson at the state headquarters for the Republican Party in New Mexico. FBI and ATF now involved.

An historic Final Four in NCAA men's basketball tournament. There are no Cinderella stories, people. Not this year. We have all of your March Madness highlights for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [09:15:48]

BOLDUAN: This morning, a fire at the Republican Party's state headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is under investigation. Now, party officials say they believe it is a deliberate act of arson. They say they found the words ICE equals KKK spray painted on the building.

CNN's Josh Campbell is joining us now with the latest on this.

And, Josh, ATF, FBI, they are now involved. What are you hearing?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Very much a federal investigation. Now, as you mentioned, those agencies joining local officials in Albuquerque trying to investigate the origins of this fire that happened yesterday at the headquarters of the New Mexico Republican Party in Albuquerque.

First responders were dispatched around 6:00 a.m. The fire department said that they were able to bring the fire under control within about five minutes. The building did suffer structural damage both to the entryway. There was also smoke damage throughout the building. Thankfully, no one was injured.

But as you mentioned, in addition to the actual destruction of the building, the Republican Party there says that they found the words ICE equals KKK sprayed on the side of the building. That obviously an apparent reference to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Now, the chairwoman of the GOP there in Albuquerque spoke out condemning what she says was an intentional attack.

Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMY BARELA, CHAIRWOMAN, REPUBLICAN PARTY OF NEW MEXICO: We can stop the violence by saying, this is not the way to fix our political system or to represent every single one of the people that we are trying to fix the United States for, the state of New Mexico for. We can continue to argue and - and agree to disagree and work together on issues to fix things rather than attack each other like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMPBELL: Now, the city's Democratic mayor issued a statement saying, quote, "we do not yet know the full details of the fire this morning at the Republican Party's headquarters, but let me be clear, arson is a violent and cowardly act that has no place in our city." He said that politically motivated crimes of any kind are unacceptable, and that he was grateful to the fire department for its swift response.

Now, of course, this is notable because we've been reporting on this wave of other types of incidents impacting Tesla facilities. We've seen suspected arsons. We've seen vehicles that have been set on fire, as well as attempted assaults. And so, obviously, something that has captured the attention of federal law enforcement, both the FBI, as well as the U.S. attorney general said that they will be investigating those incidents as acts of domestic terrorism.

Officials say it's too early right now after this incident to know exactly what the root cause was, but it's very much under investigation. Of course, if the Feds find that there's some type of domestic terrorism angle, there could be potentially serious charges on the table for any of the alleged perpetrators.

Kate.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely.

Josh, great to see you. Thank you so much for the update.

Coming up for us, the death toll from last week's earthquake in Myanmar rising again. And already this morning, thousands now confirmed dead. But search and rescue efforts, they continue.

And we are standing by for the opening bell on Wall Street. Investors clearly worried as we kick off a week that President Trump says will include liberation day, promising a massive package of tariffs. Another one.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:23:26]

BERMAN: This morning, the death toll is rising after the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar. Officials say at least 2,000 people there have died, more than 3,900 injured and nearly 300 people are still missing.

Let's get the latest from CNN's Mike Valerio.

Good morning, Mike, what are you hearing?

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, John.

Well, we have two emotional centers of gravity in this catastrophe. We're going to start in Bangkok, the site of that imploded skyscraper. And we began our reporting this morning with 76 people believed to be underneath that concrete pile. We got two new interviews from wives and relatives who have loved ones working on that building, who are still missing. Let's listen to what they said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): He's the head of our family, the one who provides for us. He is our family's hope. Without him, I don't know what will happen to us. I just want him to be safe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): May a miracle happen. May the rescuers find them soon and find them easily without struggle. If they're still alive, I hope the team hears a heartbeat or pulse. And if they're gone, may there at least be a scent so they can be found quickly and given a proper religious farewell.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIO: But, John, nobody found today. That key 72 hour mark, three days of, if you survive an earthquake and are trapped under rubble, that's kind of the golden window to, you know, be found and be able to recover. That golden window has closed. It closed earlier this afternoon.

[09:25:00]

And after that window closed, no reports of anybody found alive.

Moving over to Myanmar. The other huge center of gravity for this human catastrophe. Since Sunday, John, there have been 36 people who have been found alive, pulled out of earthquake rubble and wreckage. One woman found in the rubble of a hotel 60 hours later. And at last check, according to our reporting from our teams in Hong Kong, on the border of Myanmar and here in Korea, in stable condition.

So, where this thing is going, the herculean humanitarian task of giving aid to a country that is in the middle of a civil war. So, this isn't just a magnitude 7.7 quake. This is giving help to a country where the military took over in 2021, and there have been a mix of pro-democracy and ethnic resistance groups fighting back ever since.

So, to that end, John, wrapping up here, the head of the World Food Program for Myanmar, when we asked him earlier today, how are you going to get into these areas that are still at war, that are fighting the government? He expressed optimism. He said there was one food distribution site opened yesterday. There are now three open today. And he's confident, optimistic that there is going to be a truce so that badly needed help will get to the catastrophic, hard to reach areas.

John.

BERMAN: Let's hope. There is so much need there. The pictures, just devastating.

Mike Valerio, thank you so much for that report.

VALERIO: Yes.

BERMAN: Kate.

BOLDUAN: President Trump is not happy with Russian President Vladimir Putin, telling NBC News in a new interview this. "I was very angry, pissed off, when Putin started getting into Zelenskyy's credibility, because that's not going in the right location," Donald Trump told NBC's Kristen Welker.

And because of that, the president is now apparently threatening to retaliate against Putin in this way. He says, "if Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia's fault, which it might not be, but if I think it was Russia's fault, I'm going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia." So, what now? Joining us right now is the former NATO supreme allied

commander, Admiral James Stavridis. He's a partner at The Carlyle Group and serves on the board or advises or - or as an advisor for a handful of defense-related companies. He is also the author of the newly released book "The Admiral's Bookshelf."

It's good to see you. Thank you so much for being here.

So, these are some of, I would say, Donald Trump's strongest words against Russia as we've been watching these negotiations kind of take place. What do you think of this?

ADM. JAMES STAVRIDIS (RET.), CNN SENIOR MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I find myself in agreement with President Trump. I'm pissed off at Vladimir Putin, too. So are 40 million Ukrainians. And so is any sensible person. We ought to be angry with Putin because he invaded Ukraine. So, I'm happy to hear the president of the United States express real frustration.

But, Kate, will this go on? Is this performative at some level? Does it mean that, sotto voce, off stage, Steve Witkoff is saying to Putin, you got to get to the table, or is this just a performance for the media? We don't know yet. I certainly hope there's sincere anger on the part of the president of the United States because right now Putin is playing rope a dope with him and not moving forward on a ceasefire.

BOLDUAN: Because it does - and you pose the exact kind of state of play, which is the question, which is, how real is this when you hear the president say this because do you - do you even think the threat of sanctions or secondary tariffs is enough to bring Putin to the table on this?

STAVRIDIS: I think it will influence Putin's decision making. It's probably necessary, but not quite sufficient to get him to the table. And, Kate, worth pointing out two different things. Secondary tariffs would be much less of a hammer than secondary sanctions. Secondary sanctions would mean you do business with Russia, you can't do business with the United States. Secondary tariffs mean you do business with Putin. We're going to tax your goods coming here. Note that the president talked about secondary tariffs. I hope he ratchets that up to secondary sanctions. That would get Putin's attention, believe me.

BOLDUAN: We also know that one thing that President Trump is keenly focused on is getting this rare earth - this rare earth minerals deal in place with Ukraine. And he talked to reporters about this last night. Let me play this for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I think Zelenskyy, by the way, I see he's trying to back out of the rare earth deal. And if he does that, he's got some problems.

[09:30:00]

Big, big problems.

REPORTER: Does it -

TRUMP: We made a deal on rare earth. And now he's saying, well, you know, I want to renegotiate the deal. He wants to be a member of...