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Trump To Announce Tariffs From Rose Garden Wednesday; Key Races In Wisconsin and Florida to Test Trump Agenda; Defense Slams Decision to Seek Death Penalty for Mangione; Job Cuts Begin At U.S. Government Health Agencies. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired April 01, 2025 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:27]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to all our viewers around the world. I'm Lynda Kinkade, and this is CNN NEWSROOM.
At this hour, a growing uncertainty worldwide on the eve of what President Donald Trump is calling liberation day. The White House says Mr. Trump will unveil his tariff plan, dubbed the "Make America Wealthy Again" event, on Wednesday. And those tariffs will go into effect immediately.
While the president told reporters he'd settled on a plan such as which countries and industries will be targeted, the details are scarce.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think this is going to be an amazing, you know, I call it a lot of different names, but it's really the -- in a sense, it's a rebirth of a country because what how we could have afforded to do what we did. We help everybody and they don't help us. I really -- the term I like best probably is the liberation of America. It's the liberation of this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: The European Union says it has a strong plan to retaliate if necessary, and would approach any negotiations from a position of strength.
Well, markets once again very volatile. You can see they're quite mixed right now.
I want to bring in CNN senior White House reporter Kevin Liptak, as well as our Richard quest, the host of "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS".
Good to have you both with us.
I want to start with you, Kevin.
Around this time tomorrow, we'll be gearing up for this announcement, what Donald Trump is calling liberation day and the rebirth of our country. At this point in time, these tariffs are not strategic. Are they meant to be blanket tariffs? What more can you tell us? What are you learning?
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: I can't tell you much because we don't know much because the president doesn't seem to have actually finalized what he's planning to announce in the Rose Garden tomorrow. We heard from the press secretary about a couple hours ago, who said he was still perfecting this plan with his advisers in the Oval Office.
So, despite the fact that the president says that he's settled on what exactly he plans to do, we don't think that he has actually settled on the precise details of this plan that he will announce in the Rose Garden. And it is true that these advisers that the president is talking to today come at this with very differing points of view. On the one hand, you have some of the hawks, like Peter Navarro, who have been talking about, for instance, a blanket tariff on all imports into the United States, perhaps as high as 20 percent. That would be the most extreme option that the president could potentially select from, as he decides what he's planning to do.
You also hear from advisers on the other end of the spectrum, like the chief economist, Kevin Hassett, who has talked about these tariffs more as a true reciprocal tariff, essentially a dollar-for-dollar tariff on imports into the United States. If a country applies duties on American imports. And so, you have these varying points of view that the president will have to decide between before he steps into the Rose Garden at 4:00 p.m. tomorrow. What is clear is that the president is viewing this as a major moment for his presidency, and as a moment, politically, as he looks to execute on some of what he promised voters on the campaign trail. Listen to more of what he said yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It's going to be something that's going to bring a lot of wealth back to our country, tremendous wealth back to our country, actually, and other countries are understanding it because they've been ripping us for 50 years longer, but they've been ripping us off for years right from the beginning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIPTAK: So, I think the political stakes of this are enormous for the president. And I think one of the downsides for him is that the political pain could be felt immediately if Americans start paying higher prices for their goods. The political benefit, in his view, the realignment of global trade will take much longer to take effect. If that is in fact what happens.
KINKADE: Yeah, if that is the long term plan or whether this is a negotiating tool, that is still a big question.
Richard, I want to ask you about the actual event that Donald Trump is calling make America wealthy again. Who in America will become wealthy as a result of blanket tariffs?
RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Well, the arguably the U.S. treasury will become wealthy because they will be -- you have the inland, the Internal Revenue Service, what he's calling the external revenue service. And the money will start to flow into the U.S. government coffers from these higher tariffs.
[15:05:02]
It is a straightforward line from the importer -- well, the exporter or importer, whoever pays the tariff, they will pay it to Customs and Border Protection and that will go straight into the U.S. Treasury. But look at what we've already got on the table. This is -- we've, you know, on top of this, whatever we've got -- we've already got 20 percent on China. We've already got steel and aluminum. We know that there's going to be 25 percent on autos.
It is the range and depth and scale. But you ask who will be wealthy immediately. The U.S. government will get the money, but it won't get as much as it thinks. And it certainly won't get enough to pay down the deficit or even pay for the tax cuts extension.
KINKADE: And just quickly, who will feel the most pain, Richard.
QUEST: Oh, everyone. Everyone, buy anything. Somebody's got to pay for it. This is what everyone keeps forgetting. Somebody has to pay for it.
Whether it's the importer, the exporter, the warehouse distributor, the ultimate consumer, somebody has to pay for it. And if it's the consumer, it means its money out of their pocket. If it's the exporter or importer, it means lower profits. Somebody has to pay.
KINKADE: Exactly. Richard Quest, good to have you with us. Kevin Liptak, much appreciated. We will talk soon. Thank you.
Well, I want to bring in Jon Lang. He's the practice head of supply chains and tariffs at the Eurasia Group and joins us now live.
Good to have you with us.
JON LANG, PRACTICE HEAD OF SUPPLY CHAINS AND TARIFFS, EURASIA GROUP: Thanks very much.
KINKADE: So Trump is calling this event where he'll announce the tariffs make America wealthy again. He says he wants to level the playing field. He says that other nations are ripping off the United States.
And we've heard that one policy on the table is a blanket 20 percent. What impact would that have?
LANG: Yeah, it would have significant impact. And quite frankly, it would really depend upon how long companies would expect those tariffs to remain in place. So, you know, we've heard just, just in the last few minutes, kind of the range of options that the president still considering everything from kind of we've heard in recent days, a kind of a top 15 countries, which still represent the bulk of U.S. trade all the way to the kind of the most the most forward leaning tariff announcement potentially tomorrow with a global blanket rate tariff.
But still, regardless of where we end up on that spectrum, we're still looking at a very, very considerable impact. And for companies, you know, with the president's intent to try to use this as an incentive to reshore supply chains a lot of companies are going to be looking to whether or not some of these tariffs can be dealt away or how long they may remain in place. Because if they are looking to reshore to the United States, obviously that would be something that they would expect to see those tariffs on for a long time.
KINKADE: John, there's a lot of confusion about what tariffs Trump has already put in place, given this off again/on again zigzagging. What is the risk of using tariffs in that way as a negotiating tool to push for other policies like border security?
LANG: Yeah, I mean, markets are really looking for some type of expectation of what's going to happen. And we saw some of that market volatility a few weeks back with the initial application by executive order of the -- the tariffs on, on Canada and Mexico and then the and then the pullback partially on USMCA compliant goods.
So, in some ways, you know, if you can bake in that market expectation and get rid of some of that volatility, regardless of the way in the type of tariff. And that would be rolled out tomorrow, that could actually be a benefit rather than some of these market gyrations that we've seen.
KINKADE: Donald Trump threatened 200 percent tariff on European wine. It would likely eliminate European wine from the market here in the U.S. that, of course, was in response to Europe threatening a 50 percent tariff on American whiskey, which was meant to go into effect today, which has been delayed. That was in response to Donald Trump's 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum -- aluminum.
But it certainly demonstrates how quickly a trade war can spiral right?
LANG: Yeah, that's very true. You do, you know, you can quickly go down that route of a tit-for-tat tariff response mechanism between the U.S. and its trading partners. I think many trading partners right now are very much walking the line with some type of a planned response. And there are there are traditionally key sectors of the U.S. export market that tend to be targeted.
But there are also, in many cases, trying to preserve a deal space with the understanding that the president may very well be looking for a deal opportunity or some way to leverage the tariffs to extract concessions, whether there be economic or in the foreign policy realm.
[15:10:03]
So, they're very much walking a line between, responding. But at the same time, not over-responding to the point where it would maybe take a deal off the table.
KINKADE: Inflation is already ticking up, and protective tariffs have typically resulted in higher inflation. If that's the case, how will that benefit the American economy?
LANG: Yeah, that's certainly going to be the challenge. And as mentioned before, how much of that cost is actually going to be passed through? So, you know, you could really be kind of address at any point along the supply chain, whether it be you know, the cost is pushed up to -- to sourcing partners, accommodated in margins or pass through. The consumers will have to wait to tell. And some of that will be dependent upon the specific nature of the product.
But certainly, I mean, I think the administration has been increasingly open and accepting the fact that some of that may be passed through to -- to U.S. consumers. And I think that actually is a testament to how strongly they believe in this, this path forward is very much kind of the culmination of what I think the president has really been looking for in a -- in a trade policy, even dating back to the first term.
KINKADE: All right. Jon Lang, good to get your perspective. Thanks so much for joining us.
LANG: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, two U.S. states are holding critical elections and presenting an early test of President Trump's power since taking office. A closely watched state Supreme Court race in Wisconsin has become the most expensive U.S. judicial race ever, and will decide the ideological leaning of the court. And in Florida, we're watching a pair of special elections for two U.S. House seats to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz.
The results in both states could provide Republicans and Democrats with roadmaps for how to navigate the second Trump era.
Well. CNN's Harry Enten is following this and joins us now.
Great to see you, Harry. So just explain for our international audience why this Wisconsin race matters.
HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yeah. Why does this Wisconsin race matters? Why does this Florida race matter? What the heck are we talking about here?
Let's sort of step through it. All right. So why does this Wisconsin race matter? Well, statewide, right, this race, as you mentioned, will determine the essentially who controls the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the liberals or the conservatives.
Liberals right now have a 4-3 advantage. And this is a liberal seat that's up. So, if the conservatives win it, Brad Schimel, the conservative wins it, all of a sudden, the bench leans conservative in the state of Wisconsin.
But we're talking about national implications here. And there are a few national implications.
Number one, as Wisconsin goes, so goes the nation. You look back over the presidential election since 2008, Wisconsin has voted with the winner each and every time. That's five elections going in a row. That is tied for the longest streak in the nation, along with the great states of Michigan and the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, all right?
So, what happens in Wisconsin doesn't necessarily just stay in Wisconsin. There can be broader national implications.
But it's more than that because who's been spending a ton of money in the great state of Wisconsin, Elon Musk has been spending a ton of money in the great state of Wisconsin. Musk and affiliated groups have spent, get this, north of $22 million. Holy cow, that is a ton of money. It is part of, as you mentioned, of course, record spending for a court race, north of $90 million have been spent here.
But here's the thing to keep in mind. Even though Musk has spent a ton, when you tally it all up, between the money that's been spent on behalf of the conservative candidate and the liberal candidate, it's about fairly equal. But I think a lot of people are seeing this race as a potential test of just how popular or unpopular is Elon Musk, and how much can he actually, quote/unquote, by elections, if you buy the liberal spin line?
Of course, we were talking about Wisconsin. There are also races in the great state of Florida. There are two special house races here. And what should you know about that?
Well, you should know that these are two very heavily Republican seats. The first district, Donald Trump, won it by 37 points just a little bit, what is that, 4 or 5 months ago? How about the sixth district? Trump won it by 30 points.
Look, there's probably not that much of a chance that the Democrats can win here. But the question is how close can they get? How much can they potentially cut down on the margins that Trump carried if, let's say they lose by, say, 15 in the sixth district, that'd be 15 points better than, of course, Kamala Harris did 4 or 5 months ago. I think Democrats might take that as a win.
In terms of the immediate implications -- well, simply put, what are we dealing with right now in the U.S. House of Representatives? Of course, the lower body and of course, our legislative branch -- well, we have the smallest Republican majority dating all the way back since 1917. So, you take this 218, that can make it 220, if they win both of those seats and give Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House, a little bit more breathing room.
KINKADE: All right. Thats what they're hoping for.
Harry Enten, good to have you breaking it down for us. Thank you very much.
ENTEN: Thank you.
KINKADE: We are going to stay on this. I want to bring in CNN's Dianne Gallagher, who is standing by for us in Florida.
Dianne, two -- two House seats formerly occupied by Trump allies are on the line.
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What are the expectations there? And what do we know about the turnout?
DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. So, Lynda, we're talking about Florida congressional district one, which was occupied by Matt Gaetz, and where I am right now, Florida congressional district six, which was formerly held by Trump's national security advisor, Mike Waltz. In fact, Trump won this district by more than 30 points.
So why are things seemingly so competitive right now? Well, that's why everyone is paying attention at this point.
Look, we talked to voters, and they aren't necessarily motivated as much right now, it seems, by local issues when we speak with them. Instead, they are either really excited by what's happening in Washington with the Trump administration or really frustrated by it.
And another name we keep hearing is that of Elon Musk.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMANTHA KARABINAS, FLORIDA REPUBLICAN VOTER: I've seen what the last administration has done and it's just been like desecrating our country. And I want to make sure that we keep on pace with the Trump administration. And its first 100 days has been so successful. I just want to keep that momentum going.
PATRICIA DRAGO, FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC VOTER: I have been incensed by what I see happening right now in Washington, D.C., and I'm going to say, even my fellow Americans who voted for Trump, I don't think they thought this was what's going to happen. And I -- and I'm very upset. I believe we are at a really pivotal time. I -- I feel helpless. The only thing I have is my vote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GALLAGHER: Now, look, this race here is the one that everyone is really watching between Republican, former State Senator Randy Fine, and schoolteacher, Democrat Joshua Weil.
Now, Weil has outraised Fine 10 to 1. It caused so much concern. Look, members of the Trump administration, the House GOP fundraising chair and the majority whip all spoke, according to sources telling CNN to Fine, basically saying, you got to get it together. We should not be concerned about this seat.
Both of the candidates themselves also acknowledging that what's happening with the Trump administration right now, they believe is going to be what propels their voters to actually show up here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RANDY FINE, U.S. HOUSE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR FLORIDA: Democrats are angry because every time Donald Trump wins, they lose. They want open borders. They don't want to stop the waste, fraud and abuse.
JOSH WEIL, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR FLORIDA: This is, you know, a district that is more than 25 percent age 65 and above, and essential services they rely on have been put in jeopardy by this administration.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GALLAGHER: So, Lynda, I mentioned that Mike Waltz won this this district that Trump won by more than 30 points. Republicans have pretty much said we don't expect it necessarily to be that type of victory, but they are optimistic that Randy Fine is still going to pull it out.
Even Democrats have privately said they're not really sure if they're going to win, but what they are going to be looking at and really all around the country, especially Democrats, the margin of victory, if Fine does beat Weil because if in a Trump plus-30 district, it is close tonight, that may be an indicator for Democrats around the country when the other elections come up, how they should go ahead and push their campaigns to where they may be able to capitalize on this -- Lynda.
KINKADE: All right. We'll be watching it. Dianne Gallagher for us, good to have you there in Florida. Thanks so much.
Still to come, prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione. This is the man accused of killing the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. We'll have the details when we come back.
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KINKADE: Welcome back.
The U.S. Justice Department says it will seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione over the killing of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Mangione is facing state and federal charges for allegedly shooting Brian Thompson outside a hotel in New York last December.
Now, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi says she will seek the death penalty if Mangione is convicted.
Kara Scannell is following the developments and joins us now.
Kara, good to have you with us.
So Mangione has already pleaded not guilty to those state charges. What can you tell us about both the state and federal charges and this push for the death penalty? KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, this is the Trump
administration reviving the use of the death penalty, which had been a moratorium under the Biden administration. And before Trump's first term hadn't been used really in 20 years. So, a real clear stance that the Trump administration is looking to bring this back.
And in this particular case, the attorney general saying that she's doing so because she says that the shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO was premeditated, cold blooded, and it shocked America.
So, he, as you said, he is facing a multiple state charges as well as four federal charges, including murder through the use of the firearm. Thats the charge that is eligible for the death penalty. And they are now going to seek it.
Mangione's attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, had said at a recent court hearing that she was in talks with the Justice Department to try to mediate this. Clearly, she lost, and in response to this decision today, she issued this statement saying that by seeking to murder Luigi Mangione, the Justice Department has moved from the dysfunctional to the barbaric. She's saying that they're playing with the lives, with his life in their hands.
Now, Mangione has -- has been charged federally through a complaint. He has not yet been indicted, but he could be back in federal court as soon as later this month -- Lynda.
KINKADE: And it's quite unusual in this case that he has quite a fan base, people that have come out in support of him, some who have allegedly sent him some contraband. What more can you tell us?
SCANNELL: So, his fan base is just seemed to be growing. I was at the last court hearing. There were dozens of people standing in the frigid temperatures outside. Some wearing scarves that said "Free Luigi". Other with signs saying that they were wanting -- they were -- they may not have condoned what he did. They were also applauding him for raising the issues of health care in America.
Now these -- these fans or supporters have contributed to a legal defense fund, which is now more than $770,000. And I looked at it just after the attorney general's statement came out and new donations were coming in, some as small as $25. There was a $300 donation that was had some insulting language directed toward the attorney general, but people who are supporting him, reacting immediately to this decision by the Justice Department to seek the death penalty.
KINKADE: Wow. Yeah, there's a great deal of interest in this case.
Kara Scannell, good to have you with us. Thank you.
Well, the scale of the job cuts being made at health agencies in the U.S. is starting to hit home. Take a look at this, the scene in Washington Tuesday morning, long lines of workers outside health department offices where CNN understands that employees have started receiving emails about losing their jobs.
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The department announced 10,000 job cuts last week, on top of those who have already left voluntarily.
Here's our medical correspondent Meg Tirrell, with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've been hearing from federal health employees that these notifications really started rolling out both late Monday night and early Tuesday morning just after 5:00 a.m. People started getting these notifications, and they're describing real chaos. I mean, some people were already in the office, some on their way to the office. Once they got there, they weren't allowed in. Folks are losing their access to buildings being put on immediate administrative leave for the next few months.
This is all part of the cuts that we learned about last week from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 10,000 full-time employees losing their jobs, on top of 10,000 who had already left health agencies. So, a reduction of a quarter of the Department of Health and Human Services and where those cuts are coming from is 3,500 people at the Food and Drug Administration, 2,400 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1,200 at the National Institutes of Health, and 300 at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Last week, though, those were just numbers. We didn't know exactly where these cuts were going to be. What people, what jobs, what functions they performed were going to be affected. And now that's what we're learning.
So, we know that at the CDC, the Office of Smoking and Health was affected quite a lot. The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, that's a center that's focused on preventing things like overdose and suicide. At the FDA, the Office of New Drugs. At CDC again, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, really a key agency or division that helps to protect workers to make sure their personal protective equipment works for them.
In the notification that employees are getting, they're being told, quote, I regret to inform you that you're being affected by a RIF or reduction in force action. This RIF is necessary to reshape the workforce of HHS.
We heard from Secretary Kennedy in the announcement last week. They're trying to not just get rid of what they called bureaucratic sprawl, but also change the mission of the HHS to focus more on their own priorities, aligning with the Make America Wealthy Again or MAHA movement, and really focusing on chronic diseases. At the same time as all of these announcements were still rolling out and people were losing their jobs in the thousands across health agencies, the Department of Health and Human Services posted on X that two new people had joined the agencies.
The new FDA commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary, and the new NIH director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, they write their impeccable credentials and dedication to gold standard science make them uniquely qualified to lead these agencies and ensure its priorities are aligned with this administration's goal to make America healthy again.
But, of course, public health experts point out, when you are gutting entire divisions focused on preventing kids from starting to smoke, that is certainly going to affect chronic diseases. A lot of these things are going to have their effects being felt, and there's still a lot of chaos as people try to even figure out who's been affected. So, we will continue to follow this story.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Our thanks to Meg for that report.
Well, still to come, Mexico's president is preparing for what President Trump's new tariffs will do to her country. We're going to go live to Mexico City for the latest.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:32:02]
KINKADE: We are just a little more than a day away from U.S. President Donald Trump's unveiling of sweeping new tariffs. Some Republicans are concerned that Mr. Trump's tariffs could result in higher inflation and higher prices, while many of his advisers remain in the dark about his actual tariff plans for his so-called liberation day announcement.
Well, when it comes to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Democratic senators are planning to force a vote to block tariffs on Canada. So, will any Republicans join them?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R-AL): I think there's going to be some slow pain, but I think there's going to be a lot of gain from it. What else are we going to do? We got a $37 trillion deficit.
SEN. RON JOHNSON (R-WI): As the president has admitted, tariffs will create pain for some businesses. And I think Wisconsin will be particularly hard hit with all the manufacturing and agricultural interests.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN HOST: Is this going to hurt people in your state, do you think?
SEN. TIM SHEEHY (R-MT): There's absolutely going to be short term pain. The presidents been clear about that. Everyone has. I mean, if you're going to remodel your house to make it better, in the end, it's going to be really annoying in the short term when your house is getting remodeled.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, now to a bit of history in the making. Washington, D.C., that is where Democratic Senator Cory Booker has been giving a marathon speech on the Senate floor. Booker is rallying against the Trump administration, Elon Musk, and their cuts to the federal government. And what he says is their disregard for the rule of law.
Booker has been at it since 7:00 p.m. Eastern on Monday. That's 20 hours so far and counting, making it one of the longest Senate floor speeches ever. Well, Booker's staff says that he is still feeling good. His speech comes as Democrats are under fire in some quarters for not taking a tougher stance against President Trump.
Well, I want to welcome our chief congressional correspondent, Manu Raju, for more on this.
So, the New Jersey senator certainly has stamina. What is his objective, Manu?
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, he really wants to protest the Trump agenda. That's really what this is all about. And this is all part of the Democratic base frustration with Democratic senators for not fighting hard enough. And what Cory Booker is trying to show is a fight on the Democratic side of the aisle.
He's a -- if he goes until 7:19 p.m. Eastern Time tonight, that will be the longest floor speech ever in American history -- in the Senate history, because the longest before -- the record has been held by since 1957. That was the late Senator Strom Thurmond, who delivered a speech for more than 24 hours to try to stop the enactment of the civil rights act at that time.
Will Booker go beyond that? We'll see. He's now past 20 hours in speaking. Now, immediately afterwards, we expect a vote that could happen probably tomorrow at this point, to try to stop Donald Trump from moving ahead on tariffs that he plans to impose on Canada.
We do expect some Republicans to support that. It could potentially have enough votes to pass the United States Senate. We'll see about that.
But I talked to a number of Republican senators about Donald Trump's efforts to move ahead with these tariff plans, and they made clear to me they are uneasy about it, and they hope that Donald Trump plans to move forward with these on a temporary basis.
[15:35:08]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): Anyone who says there may be a little bit of pain before we get things right need to talk to my farmers who are one crop away from bankruptcy. They don't have time. So, we've got to be crisp on this implementation. Otherwise, we could do damage that's irreparable to farmers.
JOHNSON: As the president has admitted, tariffs will create pain for some businesses, and I think Wisconsin will be particularly hard hit with all the manufacturing and agricultural interests. He's used tariffs in the -- in the past effectively to get nations to do what they should have done anyway. Right now, I give him the benefit of the doubt, but I'm concerned.
REP. DON BACON (R-NE): We've already heard from some of our beef processors and popcorn exporters that they're losing some market share in Europe. So, it is concerning. And -- but I'm all for fair trade, reciprocal tariffs. I think in the end, a trade war doesn't help anybody.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RAJU: And those last -- that last comment came from Don Bacon who's a congressman from a district of -- swing district, one that actually Kamala Harris carried herself. And you're hearing really the concerns spanning the gamut.
The first senator you heard there was Senator Thom Tillis. He's a Republican from North Carolina. He's up for reelection next year. That could be a tough race.
The second senator is Senator Ron Johnson, a very conservative senator. So, among the different factions of the GOP, you're hearing unease, but they're willing to give Donald Trump some time to announce his plans tomorrow to see how it is implemented, to see how far he goes. But all of them are reiterating one thing, Linda. They want some certainty in all of this. As Trump continues to pull back from his plans, threaten it, and then decide to not go ahead with some of them.
They say their constituents want certainty. The businesses do. And the concerns are only rising among their voters about the increase in prices, especially that could be hit, could come in the aftermath of this new move by Donald Trump.
KINKADE: Yeah.
RAJU: Lynda?
KINKADE: Certainty is key, Manu. And we'll see if we get that about this time tomorrow.
Manu Raju, good to have you with us. Thank you.
RAJU: Thank you.
KINKADE: President Trump's delayed tariffs on many goods from Canada and Mexico is expected to run out on Wednesday. Well, this week his 25 percent auto tariffs are also supposed to kick in. They'll apply to all cars imported from foreign countries, including Canada and Mexico.
Well, in 2024, Mexico exported more than $182 billion worth of cars and car parts to the U.S.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is expected to lay out her plan to combat the new tariffs, while keeping an open channel of dialogue with the White House. Mexico's economic secretary traveled to Washington to meet with U.S. officials recently.
Well, for more, I want to welcome Valeria Leon from Mexico City.
Good to have you with us.
So, Trump has already imposed a 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada. He said the time for negotiation is over, but I understand some Mexican officials have still been in discussions with U.S. officials. What more can you tell us?
VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, Mexico has adopted a wait and see strategy in response to Trump's tariffs. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has chosen to use pragmatism and also patience over the aggressive imposition of reciprocal tariffs on U.S. products. But Mexican authorities are currently lobbying for special treatment from the U.S. when it comes to tariffs on products made in Mexico.
By making the argument that it exports more than 3 million vehicles annually to the U.S. Also, Mexican authorities have said they have done everything that the Trump administration has asked regarding border security, including, for example, sending 10,000 additional troops to patrol the border and a historic extradition of 29 alleged drug kingpins long wanted in the U.S., for which Mexico expects at least some tariff concessions.
And today, Mexico's president announced there are lists of more alleged drug traffickers who could also be extradited to the U.S., but only under the condition of a mutual benefit for both countries. And actually, if the tariffs are put in place this week, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico has prepared what she called a comprehensive plan that will include a response to all the tariffs from those on metals already in place to those on vehicles coming into effect this week.
And this has spurred a new round of negotiations to try to stem the impact of tariffs. When Mexico's economic secretary, Marcelo Ebrard, having been sent to Washington to prevent massive layoffs in the car industry. And this is because Mexican authorities have warned that if unemployment rises in the country, this might generate more migration to the U.S., something that the Trump administration has been fiercely battling to stop.
So, it will be this same week when Mexico presents the response plan to Trump's tariffs. And what we know at this point is that it might include some reciprocal duties on U.S. imports -- Lynda.
[15:40:08]
KINKADE: Okay. Valeria Leon in Mexico City, thanks very much.
Well, still to come, deported and detained in error. The Trump administration admits deporting at least one man who was living legally in the U.S., who is now in an El Salvador prison.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [15:43:33]
KINKADE: Welcome back.
One major criticism of Donald Trump's mass deportation policy is that due process is being ignored, and that mistakes can happen. Well, now, the Trump administration has admitted that a Salvadoran national living in Maryland was mistakenly deported and sent to a mega prison in El Salvador. The man had been granted protected status in 2019 and was in the U.S. legally. The Trump administration had initially claimed that he was a member of an MS-13 gang, something the man's attorney denies.
Well, officials now say the deportation happened due to an administrative error, adding that they have no power to bring the man back because he is in Salvadoran custody.
Popular podcaster and Trump supporter Joe Rogan weighed in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE ROGAN, PODCASTER: You got to get scared that people who are not criminals are getting, like, lassoed up and deported and sent to, like, El Salvador prisons. This is kind of crazy that that could be possible. Thats horrific.
And that's again, that's bad for the cause. Like the cause is let's get the gang members out. Everybody agrees.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, CNN's Priscilla Alvarez is covering the story and has the latest from Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Trump administration officials have expressed confidence in the way in which they identified and sent migrants to El Salvador and more specifically, to the notorious mega prison in El Salvador.
[15:45:03]
But in one case, a senior ICE official saying in a court declaration on Monday evening that a man, a Salvadorian man, was sent there because of, quote, an administrative error. Now his name is Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia. He's a Salvadoran national who crossed into the U.S. around 2011. It appears that his first brush with law enforcement was in 2019 at a Maryland Home Depot, when police detained him and a group of other men.
Now, the local police say that he was tied to the gang, MS-13, and they used, for example, or they based it on his attire and a confidential informant. This, according to court documents. Now, his attorney says that efforts to get more information from the police during his immigration proceedings about those alleged ties were not fruitful and has said that he has no ties to MS-13.
Now an immigration judge in 2019 ultimately said that he would be granted withholding from removal. That means that he can't be sent back to El Salvador for fear of persecution, though he is still deemed removable, just not to that country.
Now, this court declaration provides a bit of a glimpse as to what exactly unfolded here. In his case. For example, there had been a list, a manifest of who was supposed to be on these flights. Some people were removed, according to the document, because of various reasons, but his name moved up on the list, making him eligible to be on this flight.
Now in the declaration, the senior ICE official says, quote, through administrative error, Abrego Garcia was removed from the United States to El Salvador. This was an oversight, and the removal was carried out in good faith based on the existence of a final order of removal and Abrego Garcia purported membership in MS-13.
Now, the administration also says that because he is in El Salvador, therefore in Salvadoran custody, they cannot retrieve him. So, while they have admitted an administrative error here, they say that they cannot bring him back to the United States. Of course, this is an ongoing legal proceeding, so we'll see what the judge says in this case.
Back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Our thanks to Priscilla Alvarez there.
Well, a student who was twice suspended by Cornell University for being involved in protests says he's choosing to leave the U.S. rather than face deportation. U.S. officials say Momodou Taal had his student visa revoked over his participation in pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations. He had also tweeted: "Glory to the resistance", following the October 7th attacks. Officials say he created a hostile environment for Jewish students and ignored university protocol. Taal, who is a dual British Gambian citizen, says he will leave the U.S. voluntarily after a judge decided not to immediately block the government from taking steps to deport him.
Taal has previously told CNN that he believes he's the victim of racism and islamophobia.
Well, still to come, the clock is ticking. TikTok could be days away from another ban in the U.S. So, who's going to step up and buy it?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
[15:51:00]
KINKADE: Who doesn't love that? "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles. Well, this iconic sound is coming to the big screen. Sony announced at
CinemaCon in Las Vegas that not one, but four movies based on the historic British band will be happening soon. Each film will tell the story of the group from the perspective of one of the Fab Four. British director Sam Mendes confirmed the cast for the highly anticipated films, and there are some very familiar faces. Paul Mescal will play Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson will play John Lennon, Barry Keoghan will play Ringo Starr, and Joseph Quinn will play George Harrison.
The films "The Beatles", a four-film cinematic event, is set to be released in April of 2028.
While markets are on tenterhooks for Wednesday's tariffs announcement, there's another big deadline this week from the Trump administration. TikTok has until Saturday to sell its U.S. operations, or face a possible ban in the U.S. It's all to do with concerns that the app could be a security risk, because its parent company is Chinese.
Well, President Trump said he wants to see the app stay alive.
Clare Duffy from CNN Business joins me now.
Good to see you, Clare.
So, five days, less than five days until this deadline. Its owner, ByteDance, has to sell it. It has to divest. Are there any interested buyers?
CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yeah, Lynda, there are a number of interested buyers here, willing parties who say they would love to buy this very popular short form video app. A number of big players in the tech industry, you have one group that is led by billionaire Frank McCourt and "Shark Tank" famous investor Kevin O'Leary. Another group that is led by tech investor and founder Jesse Tinsley and social media star, Mr. Beast. A.I. firm Perplexity has expressed interest in the platform.
And then you have Oracle, which is TikTok's existing tech partner in the United States. The reports are also saying that that could be a top contender to acquire the U.S. operations of TikTok.
And both President Trump and Vice President Vance say there will almost certainly be a deal by this Saturday deadline. However, the Chinese government and ByteDance still have given little public indication that they are willing to play ball with a deal here. And Trump in recent days has sought to potentially sweeten the deal by saying that he could lower tariffs on Chinese imports if there is a TikTok sale.
Here's what he said about that yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THEU NITED STATES: At one point in tariffs with China, big country would be probably worth more than all of TikTok is valuable, as TikTok is. It's big stuff. So, there's a great example. Thats a great question, actually.
I'm a very flexible person. I could use that for that. Like maybe I'll take a couple of points off if I get approvals for something. I haven't done it. Maybe I'll do it, maybe I won't. But it's a very good question.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DUFFY: And look, I think there is a question about whether, if Trump is so late in the game, just days away from this deadline, still looking for leverage, potentially considering adding some leverage with a tariff deal. How close are they really to completing a deal by this Saturday deadline? I think that is an open question. And if there is no deal reached by Saturday, TikTok could again go dark. Although Trump has also said that he would probably extend the deadline again if needed to make a deal.
KINKADE: Yeah, and this deadline has already been extended, right? It was -- it was meant to happen back in January, I think January 19th. It was extended to what, this Saturday? So what happens, do you think, if it doesn't sell, which is looking highly unlikely this close to Saturday?
DUFFY: Yeah. I think what I expect that we might see on Saturday is Trump and Vance, given the reassurances they've made about the likelihood of a deal outlining -- outlining a potential deal that they're working on, sort of completing all of the paperwork for. So, we may get more information about who the most likely buyer is going to be and what this process could look like.
But I imagine in that case, Trump would have to again extend this deadline and make it so that those technology partners of TikTok aren't held accountable for continuing to work with the platform, which could put them at risk of fines under this law.
[15:55:04]
So, lots of open questions still, but I think TikTok users can feel pretty secure in the fact that Trump has made it very clear that he wants to preserve access to the platform.
KINKADE: Yeah, he certainly was sounding very positive speaking about it yesterday. We will wait and see what happens with that.
Clare Duffy, good to have you with us. Thanks so much.
And thanks, everyone for joining us for this edition of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Great to have your company.
Stay with CNN. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" with Richard Quest is up next.
