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Boston Judge Halts Deportation Order Against Tufts University Student. Denmark Pushes Back After VP Vance Says The Country Is Neglecting Greenland. Trump Pushes For Takeover Of Greenland As Vance Visits Island. Death Toll Soars To 1,600-Plus In Devastating Myanmar Earthquake. Top Vaccine Official Resigns From FDA. RFK Jr Announces New Cuts Of 10,000 Employees At HHS. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired March 29, 2025 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: All right, hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
We begin this hour with a federal judge in Boston issuing an order to stop immigration officials from deporting a Tufts University grad student who was confronted on the sidewalk and arrested this week.
CNN's Rafael Romo is following developments, and he's here with me right now. Rafael, what's the latest?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a very controversial case, to say the least, Fred. And what's temporarily stopping U.S. immigration authorities from removing the 30-year-old PhD student is an order published by a Massachusetts District Court.
Judge Denise Casper wrote that Rumeysa Ozturk, who is currently in detention at a Louisiana facility, shall not be removed from the United States until further order from this court. As you may remember, Fred, Ozturk was arrested Tuesday night near her home by six plainclothes officers who suddenly encircled her on the street near her apartment in Somerville, Massachusetts, in the Boston area.
Her attorneys say that Tufts University international student was transported across multiple states before ending up at the Louisiana facility. In a statement, Ozturk attorney Mahsa Khanbabai said the following about the federal judge's order. "This is a first step in getting Rumeysa released and back home to Boston so she can continue to her studies. But we never should have gotten here in the first place. Rumeysa's experience is shocking, cruel and unconstitutional."
Ozturk is one of several international university students facing deportation following a Trump administration order to crack down on pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses.
This is what Secretary of State Marco Rubio had to say about these cases.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're saying it could be more than 300 visas involved (ph)?
RUBIO: Sure. I mean, at some point, I hope we run out because we've gotten rid of all of them. Why would any country in the world allow people to come and disrupt -- we gave you a visa to come and study and get a degree, not to become a social activist that tears up our university campuses. And if we've given you a visa and then you decide to do that, we're going to take it away.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right, Rafael, you mentioned that there are several other foreigners whose visas are being revoked. Is there, you know, a case that stands out in particular?
RUBIO: Yes, there's one that caught my attention. This case, Fred, it's one of a Russian scientist who was detained after failing to declare frog embryos upon returning to Boston from France, according to her attorney.
Kseniia Petrova, who works at the Harvard Medical School, has been detained for weeks and could be deported. Her attorney, Greg Romanovsky, says his client faces deportation to her native country where he says she would face immediate arrest over her previous outspoken opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Romanovsky says she has an immigration court hearing in Louisiana in early May. But again, yes, there are several of these cases pending right now.
WHITFIELD: All right, Rafael Romo, thanks so much.
All right, just hours after Vice President JD Vance's controversial trip to Greenland, a stinging rebuke from the country's foreign minister.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
LARK LOKKE RASMUSSEN, DANISH FOREIGN MINISTER: But let me be completely honest, we do not appreciate the tone in which it's being delivered. This is not how you speak to your close allies. And I still consider Denmark and the United States to be close allies.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
WHITFIELD: Vance, along with the second lady, Usha Vance, and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, visited the island Friday as President Donald Trump pushes to take over the Danish territory.
CNN's Tom Foreman has more on how the visit was received.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We need Greenland, very importantly, for international security. We have to have Greenland.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even as President Trump continued beating the drum for a U.S. takeover of Greenland, his Vice President JD Vance, was there.
JD VANCE (R), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's cold -- here. Nobody told me.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Towing the White House line at the U.S. military base, Greenland has hosted since World War II, insisting Russia and China's interest in nearby shipping channels are making the largest island in the world unsafe.
VANCE: We can't just bury our head in the sand or in Greenland, bury our head in the snow and pretend that the Chinese are not interested in this very large landmass.
FOREMAN (voice-over): The trip by Vance, his wife, Usha, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright was clearly aimed at a very different photo op. The second lady was set to lead a delegation attending Greenland's national dog sled races, making nice with locals.
USHA VANCE, SECOND LADY: I look forward to meeting many of you soon and to learning from you about your beautiful land, culture and traditions.
FOREMAN (voice-over): But the dog sled diplomacy was soon on the run. A poll earlier this year showed Greenlanders strongly objected to the idea of a takeover, and the trip quickly unraveled as they and their leaders began sounding off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't want you here.
[13:05:04]
FOREMAN (voice-over): Calling the visit uninvited, unwelcome and highly aggressive, the U.S. delegation ended up more than 900 miles away from the Greenlandic capital, a move no doubt fine to officials in Denmark, who said --
METTE FREDERIKSEN, DANISH PRIME MINISTER (through translation): Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people, and Greenland is part of the Danish kingdom, and that is not going to change.
FOREMAN (voice-over): Still, Team Trump keeps hammering away that anyone who opposes the proposed land grab by political, economic or even military force must step aside.
VANCE: This has to happen. And the reason it has to happen, I hate to say it, is because our friends in Denmark have not done their job in keeping this area safe.
TRUMP: And I think Denmark understands it. I think the European Union understands it. And if they don't, we're going to have to explain it to them. (END VIDEO TAPE)
FOREMAN (on-camera): The Vice President says he thinks that the move for independence in Greenland can somehow be turned into a movement to join the United States. But that seems unlikely, since many there are now saying MAGA should really stand for Make America Go Away.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
WHITFIELD: All right, Tom, thank you.
The Trump administration is facing continued fallout from the leak of military strike plans by top U.S. security officials. On Capitol Hill, Democrats and some GOP leaders are calling for an investigation into the matter. But on Friday, Vice President Vance says he and President Trump are standing behind the members of the national security team who were on the text chain.
CNN's Betsy Klein is joining us now from West Palm Beach near Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, where he's spending the weekend. Betsy, what's the White House saying about this growing controversy?
BETSY KLEIN, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE PRODUCER: Yes, Fredricka, this entire signal chat text debacle, really, on one hand, it underscores the use of this app called Signal to communicate classified information about forthcoming strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen by top national security officials.
At the same time, has -- and how it has been communicated by the White House press team, has really been the first major self-inflicted crisis of President Donald Trump's second term. And Signal, which is that encrypted messaging app that was used to communicate those sensitive details, is something that the President himself didn't even know about until Monday.
So our colleague Kevin Liptak reports that President Trump has only really recently started to communicate via text message in the last couple of years, and an aide had to explain to him how Signal worked and what had happened here.
Now, the way the President talked about the app, as he was questioned about it throughout the week, made absolutely clear he had not used it in the past. Ultimately, he pinned blame on his National Security Adviser, Mike Waltz, for adding the Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to that chat.
Of course, the President has a very long-held grudge and contentious relationship with Goldberg, who reported during his first term that the President had referred to Americans who had died in war as suckers and losers. And sources familiar with the President's views say this entire episode has really frustrated the President, who believes it marred an otherwise strong start to his second term that has had a really tight and unified messaging operation so far.
He has privately told his top lieutenants to review guidance on how Signal is used within his administration. Of course, most of that finger pointing internally aimed at Mike Waltz. And President Trump less concerned with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who shared some of those very sensitive operational details about this plan to attack the Houthis in Yemen.
CNN has reported that the text may have done long-term damage to the U.S.'s ability to collect intelligence on these targets going forward, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Betsy Klein, thank you so much.
All right, let's talk more about this. Joining me right now is Democratic Pennsylvania Congresswoman Madeleine Dean. Congresswoman, great to see you.
REP. MADELEINE DEAN (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Good morning, good afternoon, good to be with you.
WHITFIELD: Thank you. So let me begin with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi downplaying the security concerns about the use of the Signal app. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is Signal not going to be used, or is it going to be used going forward? Are you aware of it?
PAM BONDI. ATTORNEY GENERAL: Well, I think Signal is a very safe way to communicate. I don't think foreign adversaries are able to hack Signal, as far as I know.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
WHITFIELD: So, Congresswoman, what are you most concerned about? The Signal app that may still be utilized for operations, that Defense Secretary Hegseth has the White House's support, or that a journalist was invited to the messaging by the National Security Adviser Mike Waltz?
DEAN: Well, it strikes me that neither the President nor the Attorney General really understand the commercial platform, the Signal app. And so Signalgate is not going to go away.
[13:10:07]
I'm concerned about the whole mess. But really, it just is revealing of the hallmark of this administration, the gross incompetence and the gross indecency of it. Here's what they do. They're amateurs on a Signal chain.
They're chatting about war plans, the motions of our military, the exact timing. They're chatting between one another. They don't even recognize there's another number on there that is not identified to them, even though he was invited by Mike Waltz.
It's such incompetence. And that was so dangerous to our military, to our intelligence personnel, and, of course, to our relationship with our allies. But even more dangerous, Fredricka, is their reaction to it. When their incompetence is revealed, what do they do?
They lie about it. They say nothing in there was secret or confidential. Insane. Any first grader could read that and understand. And then they just call names -- loser, sucker. The fellow who just did his job, invited into the conversation, and revealed for America the incompetence of this administration.
That's the even more dangerous part. That's what worries me more. I have called for the resignation of both Mr. Hegseth and Mr. Waltz.
WHITFIELD: OK, so now what? You've called for their resignation, but the White House still seems to be standing by them. For how long is this, you know, back-and-forth kind of dialogue going to go on before you believe something will give?
DEAN: Well, I am heartened slightly to hear some Republicans on the Senate side saying that they want to investigate it. Strange that the attorney general would not want to investigate it. But, of course, her independence is completely compromised, and she's been sold over to the White House as Trump's attorney.
I am heartened that some Republicans recognize this for what it is, and I'll give Marco Rubio credit. He called it the gross mistake it was. But we, in the House, I will tell you that, we're going to do hearings, we will do investigations, and, of course, there should be a complete independent investigation.
Because not only is it dangerous to our military, but for the grace of God, no one was injured. And this Signal chain could very well have been intercepted, even though the AG doesn't seem to know it. But our intelligence folks could have been injured.
So, I'll keep calling for us to make sure we do our investigation. People are held to account for the possible crimes they committed as well. But it is so dangerous, and it's just so telling of this administration's incompetence, that whole Greenland visit.
The President comes off with half-baked ideas, and then the events of last week overtook them between Signalgate and a few other things. And then Mr. Vance goes to Greenland into a fenced-in area because they don't want to face the people of Greenland whom they have insulted and belittled.
WHITFIELD: And so more on that Greenland, because, you know, the President is happy with Vance's visit, and the President says, "We need Greenland for international safety and security". And as you underscored, Greenlanders and Danish higher-ups and members of parliament, et cetera, have all said, you know, butt out. We're doing just fine. We don't need you.
Ultimately, what is the signal that the U.S. is sending globally to the rest of the world, especially at a time when universally there is outrage over a Russia imposing itself on Ukraine, yet now you've got the U.S., which is trying to impose itself on Greenland and even the Panama Canal? DEAN: What does it send to our allies? It says to our allies, we're willing to insult and belittle you, suggest punishing tariffs to our closest allies, and then claim it has anything to do with security. So, for example, with Greenland, this is not about security.
What we should be doing is working with Greenland and the Danish government to say, how can we help you make sure that we are as strong as possible in that geopolitically important region of the world, to be sure we're facing our foes, Russia and China, right there.
But to Mr. Trump, it's a real estate deal. He hopes there's minerals there for him to tap into, just as he saw the real estate deal that is Gaza, that is Panama, that is Canada, the 51st state. They are so amateur, so half-baked, and so insulting.
You saw Hillary Clinton, Secretary Clinton's article in the New York Times. She said, it's not enough to be strong, you have to be smart about your political relationships around the globe. This administration is just dumb.
Congresswoman Madeline Dean, thank you so much.
DEAN: Thank you.
[13:15:13]
WHITFIELD: All right, and this breaking news, the desperate search for earthquake survivors in the rubble of a collapsed building.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right, now to the breaking news in Myanmar, where the death toll from a catastrophic earthquake has now risen to more than 1,600, and counting.
[13:20:07]
Rescue teams are in a race against time to save thousands more believed to be trapped under rubble.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking in Foreign Language)
(END VIDEOCLIP)
WHITFIELD: Unbelievable. The devastating 7.7 magnitude quake struck on Friday, the largest to hit Myanmar in over a century. The shock waves felt hundreds of miles away from the epicenter.
Nurses in neighboring China shielding newborns as the earthquake rattled their hospital. And in Thailand, a quake leveled a high rise building as workers ran for coverage, you see right there.
CNN's Will Ripley is live for us near the rescue operations taking place in Bangkok. Will, what more are you learning? WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fred, you can see that work still continues here at this hour, 36 hours after the earthquake that destroyed a building 600 miles from its epicenter. But as we get more information and crucially more video coming in from Myanmar, the extent of the destruction and suffering there is hard to wrap your head around.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
RIPLEY (voice-over): In earthquake ravaged Myanmar, families sift through the rubble searching for signs of life, all too often finding death.
Mother, I'm your son, may you please go to a proper abode, says this man holding his mom's lifeless hand.
One of many devastating scenes across the crippled city of Mandalay. Damage stretches across entire neighborhoods, homes and historic buildings reduced to rubble. Buddhist monasteries, places of peace and reflection now piles of debris.
Geologists say the massive 7.7 earthquake had the energy of hundreds of atomic bombs. Myanmar's worst quake in more than a century, hitting right during Friday prayers. Many mosques collapsed, trapping Muslim worshippers inside.
After several years of brutal civil war and largely self-imposed isolation, the leader of Myanmar's military junta surveyed the devastation, making a rare plea for international aid now slowly beginning to arrive from China, Russia, India. Other countries have also pledged support.
For this impoverished nation, help cannot come quickly enough. The 7.7 magnitude earthquake and its powerful aftershocks, likely leaving parts of the nation uninhabitable.
With severe damage hundreds of miles from the epicenter, including in Thailand's capital city of Bangkok, skyscrapers swaying so violently, rooftop pools briefly became waterfalls.
And this 30-story high rise under construction near a popular weekend market collapsed without warning, likely trapping dozens inside.
RIPLEY: Here in Bangkok, heavy machinery is now sifting through the rubble of that collapsed skyscraper. They do have the resources and the manpower for a massive disaster response. But with each passing hour of not finding anyone alive in all that rubble, hope for the families is fading.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Search and rescue teams are doing everything they can, sniffer dogs picking up possible signs of life, giving hope to this wife and mother of two who was working in the building with her husband of 30 years, but stepped outside for a break just before the quake.
I'm looking for my husband, she says. He's trapped inside. Until I see his body, I still have hope.
Drone footage captures the scale of the collapse, a tangled mass of steel and concrete where rescuers continued searching all day Saturday, and only one dead body recovered.
I'm praying my mom and sister are among the survivors, she says. But I see how fast the building went down. It's hard to hold on.
Hope is still alive here, but barely.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
RIPLEY: And still, family members are out waiting for the unlikely chance, but the chance, they believe, that one of the people they love could be rescued alive from inside that pile there. That's why these crews are out here. They are working very hard, Fred, and it's got to be discouraging that with each hour, they're not finding anybody.
WHITFIELD: Oh, it's all so hard to believe.
All right, Will Ripley, thank you so much.
Still to come, just as the country is dealing with a growing measles outbreak, the FDA's top vaccine official in this country is leaving his job. What role he says Health Secretary RFK Jr. played in his departure?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:29:12]
WHITFIELD: Another major shakeup at a U.S. government health agency. Friday, the top vaccine official at the Food and Drug Administration resigned. Dr. Peter Marks had been instrumental in carrying out Operation Warp Speed during the COVID pandemic.
In his resignation letter, Dr. Marks said, I'm quoting now, "It has become clear that truth and transparency are not desired by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but rather he wishes subservient confirmation of his misinformation and lies", end quote.
Joining us right now, Dr. Rob Davidson. He is an emergency room physician in Michigan and the executive director for the Committee to Protect Health Care. Great to see you, Dr. Davidson.
DR. ROB DAVIDSON, EXEC. DIRECTOR, COMMITTEE TO PROTECT HEALTH CARE: You too. Thanks, Fred.
[13:30:00]
WHITFIELD: So Dr. Marks said in his resignation letter that, "It is with a heavy heart" that he is leaving. He said he's very concerned about the measles outbreak, in particular, in Texas.
He was going to be fired if he didn't resign. So what kind of loss is this in your view? DR. ROB DAVISON, EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE
COMMITTEE TO PROTECT HEALTH CARE: Well, I don't know Dr. Marks personally. I certainly know he was involved in Operation Warp Speed, which Trump should be trumpeting as such a victory.
And now he's -- he's got a guy in HHS who is undermining vaccines. And it's kind of crazy.
But I do know he's part of this infrastructure of public health that we depend on. And that quote you read right at the top about, you know. Robert Kennedy Jr wanting subservience to his misinformation. I mean, that's what we -- we're talking about before the confirmation.
Our organization, the Committee to Protect Health Care, got 22,000 -- over 22,000 doctors around the country signing on to oppose the nomination precisely for this reason, and certainly others and some crazy misinformation that isn't related to vaccines. But this was a huge part.
And the measles outbreak in Texas is emblematic of -- of the concern we have of low vaccine rates resulting in more disease and more death.
WHITFIELD: RFK Jr has long been an anti-vaccine activist. He has criticized and been very critical of measles shots in the past and is now encouraging Vitamin A as a treatment.
So, in your view, what is the road ahead on disease prevention and treatment looking like?
DAVIDSON: I mean, unfortunately, the road ahead is going to rest on so many of us in our communities talking to our patients and combating the misinformation and disinformation.
Fortunately, in some states -- I'm here in Michigan, our -- our Health and Human Services agencies in the states are spreading good information. They're promoting vaccines. Local health departments are still doing that.
Because these people on the ground, they understand. You know, this -- this guy, Kennedy, has made a career of making money off of vaccine disinformation.
And now he's just taking this to the bully pulpit of the federal government. So us, on the ground, you know, it's going to be a lot harder.
My wife's a family doctor. I've talked about this before. She comes home every shift talking about patients and families who are, you know, not just -- not just concerned. That's -- that's normal. Parents should be concerned about anything we're giving their kids.
But just spouting weird theories that they've heard on who knows what channel. And -- and they're coming right from our HHS secretary now.
WHITFIELD: Also, this week, Secretary Kennedy announced a major overhaul, slashing 25 percent of Health and Human Services workforce, 10,000 new job cuts.
That's on top of the 10,000 already laid off earlier in the Trump administration. And Kennedy says this will make HHS more efficient and save money.
But in your view, how is this going to perhaps be more challenging for you in the medical community, aside from HHS or any, you know, government agency as it pertains to health?
How much harder is it going to make for you to convey messaging to your patients to make sure that your patients trust what it is you have to say, what you're prescribing?
DAVIDSON: Right. We depend on research from the NIH to -- to get us you know, vaccines, to get us cancer vaccines. MRNA vaccines have shown promise in pancreatic cancer. And routinely -- you know, a routine death sentence if you're diagnosed with that nowadays, still.
And -- and you know, the other concern as HHS gets cuts is the center for Medicaid and Medicare Services is housed within the Department of Health and Human Services. You know, that's where Medicaid is.
We have Congress talking about a billion dollars in Medicaid cuts. If we -- if we have this double whammy of cuts to Medicaid and then cuts to the entire programs that promote public health, you're going to take already vulnerable populations, make them more vulnerable.
You're going to take rural hospitals, make them more at risk of closure because of lack of funding and just poorer health of the community.
I -- I think, you know, again, as a medical profession and as just people in the community, we have to let folks know that this isn't OK. We value these institutions. We value, you know, the information they bring to doctors in the community to be able to take care of our patients.
WHITFIELD: Dr. Rob Davidson, always appreciate you. Thank you so much.
DAVIDSON: Thanks, Fred. Bye.
[13:34:23]
WHITFIELD: All right. In a moment, there are new questions over the costs of securing the southern border. How does it fit in with Trump's promise to cut government spending?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Happening now, the #TeslaTakedownMovement is sparking global protests targeting the automaker.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(HONKING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- Elon Musk has got to go. Hey, hey, ho, Elon Musk has got to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: This is the scene in Brooklyn where protesters gather to send a strong message to Elon Musk. Chanting, holding signs and even booing as a Cybertruck passed by.
While in Washington, D.C., drivers honked horns of support for the protest against Musk's role in gutting many parts of the government and the mass firings of federal workers.
[13:40:04]
And today, in Germany, protesters held signs and were laying down on the floor of a Tesla showroom in Berlin in opposition to the Trump administration policies.
While the Trump administration promises large government cuts, it has already spent over $300 million in taxpayer money on its southern border military mission.
Here now is CNN's Natasha Bertrand.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've learned from U.S. officials that the Pentagon's mission at the southern border has already cost taxpayers more than $300 million in just six weeks, even as the administration has vowed to slash the size of government and cut 8 percent from the Defense Department's budget.
The DOD's comptroller, we're told, briefed lawmakers on the cost earlier this month and disclosed that in the first month of operations alone, the Pentagon spent $250 million.
And that cost included deportation flights on U.S. military aircraft, the deployment of thousands of additional troops, and the expansion of facilities at Guantanamo Bay.
And these costs could actually continue to rise. The U.S. military just deployed two warships to patrol near the border, which will add significantly to costs.
And last month, it surged surveillance flights on the border and in international airspace around the Baja Peninsula. The military, we're told, could also soon take command of a large swath of territory along the southern border.
Now, the cost of the military operation has not been previously reported, but it really underscores the administration's determination here to move as quickly as possible to shift the enforcement of the U.S. southern border, which has traditionally been a domestic law enforcement function, into a military mission.
Now, for now, this money for this mission has to be moved from other government programs, because Congress has not actually directed new funding to the border.
But the administration sees those costs as necessary to combat what Trump has termed a, quote, "invasion of migrants and fentanyl."
But still, critics have argued that the administration is actually inflating the nature of the threat relative to other priorities, like countering China and Russia or combating terrorism, and that shifting military assets away from those efforts right now risks national security.
And that's especially true, officials tell us, because there are currently actually very few migrant crossings happening at the border. A couple hundred people are crossing daily, according to Homeland Security officials, which is actually a dramatic decline from early last year.
And the thousands of troops that have been surged south have primarily been building barriers and standing around, patrolling a mostly peaceful border.
As one defense official told us this week, the deployments to the border are, quote, "clearly more about optics."
Natasha Bertrand, CNN, in Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right, straight ahead, why international tourists are saying no to spring and summer vacations in the U.S.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:47:40]
WHITFIELD: All right, we're nearing the summer travel season and a growing number of international tourists are reconsidering if they want to spend time and money in the U.S.
Many of the Trump administration's executive orders and policies have put the U.S. at odds with some of its closest allies and trade partners.
Canada's National Statistical Office says air travel into the U.S. has already dropped 13 percent last month. And Canadians made 23 percent fewer trips by car compared to last year.
Recent detentions and reports of visas being revoked have countries like the U.K., Germany and Finland cautioning their citizens about strict enforcement at points of U.S. entry.
For more perspective, I want to bring in Eric Dresin. He is the secretary-general of the European Travel Agents and Tour Operators Association.
Eric, great to see you.
So we're about --
ERIC DRESIN, SECRETARY-GENERAL, THE EUROPEAN TRAVEL AGENTS AND TOUR OPERATORS ASSOCIATION: Nice to meet you.
WHITFIELD: Wonderful. Nice to meet you, too.
We're about two months now into the Trump administration. What are you seeing so far and hearing from your -- from clients, from travelers?
DRESIN: Well, I suppose it won't be a surprise for you that the political climate in the U.S. has been very negative in Europe. We've heard a lot about the decisions taken by the Trump administration, and people are very surprised and very cautious looking at the U.S. as a destination for the moment.
WHITFIELD: And then among the many agents that you interact with, what are their clients saying about why they will not travel to the U.S. or what they're most worried about?
DRESIN: Yes. I think the key element here is to say that people are very, for the moment, are very cautious. So we hear, of course, about a decrease in bookings, not similarly as in Canada, meaning that we hear about 10 to 20 percent. So it has an average since January.
There's, of course -- you know, it's always difficult to -- to look at the trend on the long term. There are many also many different attitudes from the consumers waiting for the summer season to be closed in order to -- to make their choice.
[13:49:59]
But they are very, very surprised by the attitude. And the incidents at the border for some European citizens is a very -- is -- might be a deterrent for families to travel to the U.S.
You go on holiday in a destination to have fun time, enjoyment, and you end up with stress and some -- and uncertainty. It's not good for business.
WHITFIELD: Yes. And so a lot of Europeans who want to be on holiday, they may go to the Florida beaches they want to see -- we just saw a live shot of -- of New York's Lady Liberty. Maybe they want to go to the national parks and see the California coast.
But now they're saying no because of those worries that you just outlined. So then how much money, in your view, does the U.S. stand to lose if tourism drops nationally in a big way?
DRESIN: Well, difficult to give a figure for me in terms of dollar's impact, but it could be very, very important. Europe and U.S., the Transatlantic connection is very important. It's one of the key destinations for Europeans.
Then there are many questions, you know, about the forest fires that were in California, which is one of the most important destinations for Europeans. Decisions also to reduce staff in the parks has been also surprising
for -- less for the citizens, rather for the specialists and travel agents and European tour operators.
So hard to say how much the American economy will be impacted? But there will be an impact definitely. And there is sort of speed up in that lately. So we are very, very cautious.
WHITFIELD: Yes. Well, Eric, our Randi Kaye spoke with some business owners in Maine who ordinarily rely, you know, on Canadian tourism. And this is what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STERLING MORSE, OWNER, POINT OF VIEW INN: This is every registration card from last year. This is the Canadian. That's my American. This just went away.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's all you've got now? That doesn't pay the bills.
MORSE: It does not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: That's a big impact. Restaurants and hoteliers --
DRESIN: Yes.
WHITFIELD: -- are going to feel it, aren't they?
DRESIN: Yes, definitely. I mean, we know that trans -- transcontinental travelers are spending much more when they are going on the destination. So the impact will be very, very important.
And there's no one place that will be more impacted than another one in the U.S. As you say, people want to go, and I would like to go to New York City, but many families are going to California or to the parks and -- during the summer. So I think all parts of U.S. will feel the impact.
WHITFIELD: So now where are a lot of Europeans planning to travel this summer? If they're not coming to the U.S., where do they want to go?
DRESIN: Yes, and maybe we'll go to Canada and Mexico instead. So that could be a surprise for -- for the American administration also. So they will -- people want to travel, they will readjust anyway their destination.
WHITFIELD: All right. Eric Dresin, thank you so much for being with us. Appreciate it.
DRESIN: My pleasure. Thank you very much.
[13:53:17] WHITFIELD: All right. Still to come, President Trump keeps pushing his plan to take over Greenland. But Danish leaders, well, they're pushing back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[13:58:03]
WHITFIELD: All right. This week, on an all new episode of "UNITED STATES OF SCANDAL WITH JAKE TAPPER," Jake focuses on the story that shocked sports fans everywhere.
Lance Armstrong was a role model for many and a symbol of resilience, having survived cancer and then continuing to win multiple professional cycling competitions.
But Armstrongs legacy was threatened when accusations of doping came to light. Jake looks at the rise and eventual fall of Armstrong's public image.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: In a nation divided, it's often hard to find areas where we agree. But one common ground is our appreciation of athletic champions.
Our culture deifies the GOATS, the Greatest of All Time. Jordan, Tiger, Serena, names connoting supremacy and also a stratospheric earning potential.
In the late 1990s, a new name emerged, Lance. And his story had an added dimension, a heartbreaking diagnosis of cancer, which he miraculously beats and goes on to win the Tour de France a record seven times.
The golden boy in the yellow jersey earned himself the sport and his sponsors untold millions.
But after whispers became accusations of doping, Lance found a new way to distinguish himself as the Greatest of All Time, at lying and bullying and destroying the careers of his detractors, leading to tough questions as to why the myth of Lance Armstrong endured for so long.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The new episode of "UNITED STATES OF SCANDAL WITH JAKE TAPPER" airs tomorrow night at 9:00 Eastern and Pacific only on CNN.
All right. Hello again everyone. Thank you so much for joining me this Saturday. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
[13:59:56]
All right. Happening right now, we're seeing what's being called Tesla Takedown demonstrations across the country. This is the scene in Brooklyn, New York, where protesters gathered to send a message to Elon Musk.
