Sean Duffy Shuts Down CNN's Trap Question on Trump and DEI [VIDEO]

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[09:00:39]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST (voice-over): Collision in the sky. Investigators come close to finding out what caused that deadly crash over the Potomac River.

TODD INMAN, NTSB BOARD MEMBER: We need to improve safety.

TAPPER: While President Trump vows big changes.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We didn't have our best.

TAPPER: How safe are the skies?

SEAN DUFFY, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: We are going to get to the bottom of this.

TAPPER: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is next.

And trade war. America's neighbors retaliate after Trump imposes steep tariffs on Mexico and Canada. He promised he'd do it. Is America ready for what's next?

TRUMP: There could be some temporary short-term disruption.

TAPPER: Virginia Senator Tim Kaine joins me ahead.

Plus: week two. As Trump and his allies test the limits of executive power, Democrats try to pick their battles and move forward.

KEN MARTIN, CHAIRMAN, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: This is a new Democratic Party. We're taking the gloves off.

TAPPER: But do voters think they're not doing enough? Our panel of experts is here to discuss.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: Hello. Jake Tapper in Washington, D.C., where the state of our union is thinking, you can't say he didn't warn you. Mexico and Canada are responding this weekend after President Trump

carried out one of his key campaign promises, imposing aggressive tariffs on America's closest neighbors, as well as on China. Those will go into effect on Tuesday, and Canada and Mexico have both announced last night they will retaliate with tariffs of their own, escalating the trade war and likely causing some -- quote -- "short- term disruption" here at home, Trump acknowledged.

Now, how much you will have to pay for that disruption out of your own pocket remains to be seen.

But tariffs were just one item on the president's to-do list this week, which included a purge of top FBI officials here in Washington, one that could expand to thousands of agents, the Trump team demanding the names of those who worked on the cases, not only for investigating Donald Trump for his role in January 6, but also those individual law enforcement agents who looked into those who stormed the Capitol on January 6, including those who violently attacked police that day.

Think about that, potentially firing FBI agents for investigating people who beat up cops. Then, of course, there is the Trump administration granting Elon Musk's team unprecedented access to the federal payment system, dispatching his new secretary of state to Panama, whose canal Mr. Trump wants to take over, freezing U.S.-funded foreign aid and development, and much, much more.

Separately from all of that, here in Washington, D.C., Americans are still reeling from the deadliest American plane crash in decades. And we continue to learn the names of victims, including the third Army pilot on the Black Hawk to be identified.

That's Captain Rebecca Lobach. New overnight, we learned that, seconds before the crash at Reagan National Airport, the American Airlines jet's pilots tried to pull up the plane's nose. That suggests that the pilots might have just then seen the Black Hawk helicopter moments before the tragic impact.

Joining me now is somebody who's having an incredibly busy and rough first few days in the job, new Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, a former congressman from Wisconsin.

Secretary Duffy, thanks for joining us.

So let's start with the news today. The FAA warning system that sends alerts to pilots about conditions that could affect the safety of their flights, that system's been down since late last night. You say a backup system is being used. A similar outage two years ago temporarily forced to nationwide ground stop, leading to thousands of canceled and delayed flights.

What is the latest on this specific incident and what impact is it having?

SEAN DUFFY, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: Yes.

So, first, Jake, I want to send my condolences, my deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones during the air disasters this week. I also want to say thanks to the first responders who responded so quickly. They're our patriots. They're our heroes. I want to say thank you to them as well.

But to the NOTAM system, your question, it went down last night. A backup system was activated. As of right now, the lead system is online and working. This is the system where pilots download their information, their flight details before they fly.

So, if the NOTAM system doesn't work, planes don't fly, but there was minimal disruption. But, again, as you mentioned, this has gone down a couple of times over the last two years. There's a process in place right now to get this system fixed. We want to expedite that and get this new system in place.

This is an old system that needs to be upgraded.

TAPPER: Let's turn to the investigation of the crash at Wednesday night at Reagan National. Are you and the investigators any closer today to finding out what caused this disaster?

[09:05:03]

Is it your understanding that the helicopter, the Black Hawk was flying above the 200-foot limit? Was air traffic control not fully staffed? What can you tell us?

DUFFY: So I'm going to leave the investigation and the details to come out through the NTSB.

But I will tell you this. The questions I have is, what was happening inside the tower? Were they understaffed? Was it a right decision to consolidate the positions of the air traffic controllers from two to one? Those are questions that we need answers to, and the position of the Black Hawk, the elevation of the Black Hawk.

Were the pilots of the Black Hawk wearing night-vision goggles? Did it affect their peripheral vision or their perception? Also, if they did have night-vision goggles on, why are they flying at 9:00 at night, when DCA is so busy? They should be flying at 1:00 in the morning.

That's information we don't have yet, but when we get those answers, we can make decisions to make sure fliers are safe in the future. Jake, I don't know if this, but, two days ago, with the FAA, we shut down or limited the airspace around DCA for helicopter pilots to fly through that area until we get information out from the NTSB.

We will take a look and let those flights happen again. But, again, if there's an emergency in the area, you can fly in the space. But we're not going to have those choppers going through DCA in the near future.

TAPPER: Is there any news that you have about the tragic crash on Friday night in Northeast Philadelphia, where a medevac flight crashed and killed all six people on board...

DUFFY: Yes. TAPPER: ... including a pediatric patient, and also one person the ground?

DUFFY: Yes, with air travel, we know that it's you have a risk to the folks in the airplane, but, as we saw in Philadelphia, what happens on the ground can be catastrophic.

And so I don't think we're going to know more information until we get the black box out of Philadelphia. It was a pretty steep nosedive into the ground. It's going to take some time. But NTSB feels pretty good that they're going to be able to recover the black box and should be able to pull data off of it.

So, until that time, we won't know what went wrong on that flight. We know that it was -- it was about three miles out. It was supposed to bank to the right. It then did that, slightly came to the left, and then took a hard left and into the ground.

TAPPER: You alluded to the air traffic control staffing questions from Wednesday night.

DUFFY: Yes.

TAPPER: Staffing shortages for air traffic control have been a major problem for years and years. "The New York Times" reports that more than 90 percent of air traffic control facilities in the U.S. right now are operating below recommended staffing levels.

What are you going to do to fix that? How long will it take? I think it takes about two years for somebody to go through air traffic control training?

DUFFY: Yes, so we are understaffed.

So, if you look back to the Obama years, there were some DEI principles that were brought into air traffic control. They were new. We brought in more -- more people into the academy, but less people passed through the academy and became trained.

COVID was a huge impact, right? So the schools, the academies were shut down for a period of time. But once the schools opened up, they were running at half capacity. And when we had graduates, they couldn't get into the towers to train. And so we're right now working with the FAA. We're going to surge air traffic controllers.

We're going to bring in the best and the brightest. That was the direction from President Trump, get them trained up, get them into towers and get them certified.

To your point, Jake, I can't flip a switch and make that happen overnight. But it's this process and this plan we're developing right now that's going to a year to three years from now show real results of putting certified air traffic controllers, bright, smart, brilliant people in towers, controlling airspace.

But we have another problem, Jake. I think, if you look at a discussion that's happened on the Hill for a long time, our air traffic control system, it's antiquated. A lot of the systems we use date back to World War II. We have to upgrade the system. We have to have the best system in the world.

The technology was developed here, but it's not being used here. So President Trump has said that to me numerous times. He's on board. I have to work with Democrats and Republicans on the Hill. We're going to need their insight, their resources. But we can -- we can truly impact the efficiency and safety of the airspace if we upgrade the system.

TAPPER: So you just alluded to DEI, the diversity, equity, and inclusion processes of trying to expand people in the work force.

DUFFY: Yes.

TAPPER: Is there any specific evidence that backs up Donald Trump's claims, President Trump's claims, that DEI or FAA hiring practices...

DUFFY: Yes.

TAPPER: ... are responsible in any way for this tragedy at Reagan National?

DUFFY: So, Jake, I think the better question is, am I going to guarantee the American people that only the best and the brightest serve in this incredibly important body of the Department of Transportation, that they're driven by safety, and DEI doesn't matter?

[09:10:00]

So I do know that, in the last administration, they were focused on not safety, but they were focused on changing the name from cockpit to flight deck, or notice to airmen, they want to change it to notice to air mission. They focused on E.V.s and sustainability and racist roads, things that don't matter in regard to safety.

Our mission since the start has been safety. And they have lost that mission. And we see, when you don't focus on safety and you focus on social justice or the environment, bad things happen.

And so I have -- listen, it's been busy. We're going to have a fuller assessment of what happens in regard to DEI in FAA and DOT, and we will report that out. But I will tell you this. DOT is a big department.

The only DEI office that exists in the whole department was at the FAA. Now, that existed up to a week ago. That's now gone.

TAPPER: So, again, you alluded to this earlier, that the idea of the DEI expanded the number of people trying to get into the air traffic control training, not necessarily those who graduated.

The head of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association says that all air traffic controllers are subject to rigorous training and that -- quote -- "The standards to achieve certification have nothing to do with race or gender or anything else."

So I -- it sounds like you're saying that there isn't any evidence right now that this affected the accident because it's so early. You will let us know if there is any.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: But I don't -- I just don't know of any evidence -- and if there is some, please tell us -- that DEI had anything to do with the tragedy itself.

DUFFY: What I'm talking about is the mission of safety.

And on your airplanes, Jake, or your air traffic controllers, or anyone that works at CNN or anywhere else, they do want the best and the brightest. They will not sacrifice that. You can have DEI in watercoolers and universities. I disagree with that.

But lives aren't impacted with DEI at universities. It is impacted here. And so my commitment to the American people is, I don't care your race, your religion, your color, your sex, your sexual preference. I don't care about any of that. I just want the best and the brightest keeping Americans safe. And that should be the standard in this department.

And that's coming back. That's what we're bringing. We're going back to our mission of safety. And so back to the -- we're talking about the FAA and the staffing levels. So, under the Obama administration, they did change the recruitment standards and brought more people in, but less people were certified.

That caused a shortage in the system. But, also, they lowered -- this is the Obama administration -- or the Biden administration. They lowered the entrance exam scores to get people into air traffic control. We only have so many slots in the academy. I want to get the best people into the academy that can pass the tests, get into towers, and not wash out, so we have people in towers to keep people and fliers safe.

TAPPER: Yes.

So staffing has been an issue in air traffic control stations since at least 2006...

DUFFY: Yes.

TAPPER: ... because there was a wave of retirements under President Bush.

DUFFY: That's right.

TAPPER: The FAA has said staffing has declined by 10 percent over the last decade, including -- including under the -- in the first Trump administration, and lots of reasons why, the sequestration deal between President Obama and Republicans...

DUFFY: Yes.

TAPPER: ... repeated governments, shutdowns, the pandemic, all of that.

Hiring did increase under President Biden of air traffic controllers. We just put up a chart there. And I guess one of the questions I have is, one of President Trump's first actions in office was to implement a government-wide hiring freeze, offered blanket buyouts to federal employees, which did impact FAA and NTSB.

I'm not saying it had anything to do with this accident.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: But it did impact -- it has impacted those agencies.

DUFFY: No, it didn't, Jake. No.

(CROSSTALK)

TAPPER: It hasn't -- well, I was going to say, there is a report that you lifted the freeze and that you lifted the buyout offers.

DUFFY: No, no.

TAPPER: Tell us more about that.

DUFFY: So, I will.

So, in regard to the employment freeze, we had almost 1,200 positions that were critical safety positions that were exempted. Those included air traffic controllers. Actually, this last week, we had new air traffic controllers that were hired.

We also had postings online to bring in new air traffic controllers. So air traffic controllers were exempted from a hiring freeze, as well as other safety positions like inspectors. In regard to offers for people to take early retirement, for our department, actually, the critical positions in regard to safety are not offered that early retirement.

We're going to keep all our safety positions in place, no early retirement. We're all going to stay and work and make sure our skies are safe.

TAPPER: That's great news.

And just lastly, for the American people out there who are rattled by these two accidents in two days...

DUFFY: Yes.

TAPPER: ... is it safe to fly?

DUFFY: Yes, that's a great question. Of course it's safe to fly. So, if you look at the American airspace,

we have the safest airspace in the world. And air travel is the safest form of travel that you can undertake in the country. Now, we have seen some cracks, and it rattles people when they see these disasters, but air travel is safe.

[09:15:01]

And just a side note, if it wasn't safe, if something happened with air traffic controllers and staffing, the FAA might not tell you this, but they're going to shut down the airspace, instead of letting people fly in an environment that isn't safe.

So, again, that is the mission safety. Making sure people get from point A to point B as intended safely is our mission. And that's going to be ramped up under this administration. And it's mission critical for the American people.

You see, these families today, Jake, they're going to go to Runway 33, and they're going to mourn the loss of their loved ones. It is tragic, and it makes us recommit that this doesn't happen again, that other families don't have to go through what these families are going through because we have air crashes, air disasters, like the one in Philadelphia and the one here in D.C.

TAPPER: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, thank you so much for coming on the show today and answering our questions. We appreciate it.

DUFFY: Thank you, Jake.

TAPPER: And best of luck to you as you get to the bottom of this and try to prevent it from ever happening again. Our thoughts are with you.

DUFFY: Thank you.

TAPPER: Finger-pointing inside the Democratic Party. Now it's the new chairman who says it's time to get aggressive. Are Democrats in Congress falling short? We will ask a top Democratic senator next.

Plus: Filling up your car, buying groceries, you might notice prices tick up this week, perhaps, as the U.S. is kicking off a trade war. Where is this going to lead?

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:20:43]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. TIM KAINE (D-VA): The last thing we want is for there to be something bad happen out at that airport, and people stick a mic in our face and say, hey, you knew all this and you were warned, but you voted for it anyway?

Stop. Stop. For God's sake, stop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: That's Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine making a grim prediction that has now come true, that Reagan Airport's tarmacs were just way too crowded and it was only a matter of time before there would be a deadly collision at the airport that services the nation's capital.

Joining me now, that's senator, Tim Kaine.

Senator, you heard from the transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, just a few minutes ago. Any reaction to anything he said?

KAINE: Well, like Sean, thoughts and just deep sadness for the families. Incredible appreciation for all these first responders, state, local, federal, many agencies working together.

But this incident just raises tons of questions, and we have to get to the bottom of them. It was very apparent to me over the years, but particularly when we debated this bill in Congress last spring, that the last thing we should be doing is forcing more flights into what is the most congested and complicated airspace in the country.

And I urged my colleagues to avoid it. I was not successful in convincing them. But we got to get to the bottom of this crash and then take necessary steps to keep people safe.

TAPPER: On Friday, President Trump talked about the investigation into the crash. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUESTION: Mr. President, on the crash, do you have any concerns that your commentary about things you have described as common sense or your observations could in any way interfere with the thorough investigation of the crash?

TRUMP: No, I think they will do an investigation. It'll probably come out the way I said it. I was right on all of it. But they will still do an investigation just to check it out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Are you confident that the NTSB and the FAA will get to the bottom of what caused this crash free from any political interference?

KAINE: Jake, I am.

But I got to say, the president weighing in while bodies were still being recovered, blaming this on DEI, and, when pressed, he has no evidence to suggest it, was absolutely stomach-turning.

And I will tell you, I had a suspicion about why he did that. Why race-bait at a moment like this? I think the president didn't want to be asked tough questions like, why did you let Elon Musk force the FAA administrator to resign? When this crash happened, there was no FAA administrator because he had clashed with Elon Musk.

Why did you scrap an aviation safety advisory committee within DHS on the second day of your presidency, saying that it wasn't related to national security? Oh, air safety is not related to national security? Why did you issue a buyout offer to include air traffic controllers, when we're already short of air traffic controllers?

I think the president was nervous that he was going to be asked questions about his own administration's policies that were de- emphasizing air safety, and so he decided to have everybody chased down a rabbit hole of his DEI allegations with no evidence.

But I do believe the NTSB will get to the bottom of it. I have a feeling I know some of the things they will find. I'm confident that they will give us answers, and then that Congress and the administration together have to provide solutions following their recommendations.

TAPPER: Let's talk about Trump's new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China. Mr. Trump was very clear during the campaign he was going to do this.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says -- quote -- "Promises made, promises kept" -- unquote.

Isn't she right? Isn't this what the American people voted for, this trade war?

KAINE: Sadly, Jake, I think the American people did. Virginians didn't. Virginians overwhelmingly rejected the Trump candidacy for the third time in a row.

And I think one of the reasons they did is they saw the effect of tariffs during the Trump first term. When President Trump put tariffs on Canada and the E.U. and Mexico, what happened? It was a tax on Virginia consumers. Prices went up. And then, when those nations retaliated, they retaliated against critical Virginia industry sectors, especially agriculture and forestry.

[09:25:02]

I remember going out during the Trump first term to talk to my farmers and foresters, who by and large were Trump supporters, and they were saying, for God's sake, Senator, help us. This is hurting our businesses.

So, look, here's what Americans are going to see, higher prices for energy, higher prices for groceries. That's what they're going to see. Businesses are going to get hurt when the retaliatory tariffs tick in.

And I'm struck by the irony of last week the president signed an emergency order regarding energy. There's an energy emergency. And he just put a 10 percent tariff on energy from Canada? He is increasing prices at the pump, and you will start to see it within the next couple of days. At the same time, he's saying there's an energy emergency.

The emergency is self-created.

TAPPER: You alluded to Elon Musk having a conflict with the former head of the FAA and that former head of the FAA handing in his resignation around the inaugural.

I believe that they're -- clashed not on anything having to do with DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency that Musk's in charge of, but, rather, having to do with SpaceX, his private company, and disagreeing with FAA.

We learned this weekend that Elon Musk's team at DOGE have gained access to the federal payment system at the U.S. Treasury Department, and there are more reports of sweeping powers being taken by that team.

Do you know the full extent of Elon Musk's role in the government? And do you think there should be more transparency as to what exactly they're doing?

KAINE: Jake, there needs to be more transparency.

And, no, I don't know the full extent because the administration isn't telling us virtually anything. So, for example, when they did the pause on grant funding, federal spending earlier in the week, they didn't give Democratic senators a heads-up about it. And I would guess they probably didn't give Republican senators either.

So we learned about it when we started to get calls in our office from veterans who could not access the portal at the VA to set up medical appointments, to Head Start agencies who weren't sure they could pay their teachers come Friday, to universities whose research projects were being threatened, to organizations that were working on refugee resettlement that suddenly couldn't get the phone answered when they called federal agencies.

We have been having to assemble this like a jigsaw puzzle to see the extent of what the Musk activities have been. And we need to push back. And we need to get information. So I'm encouraging any Virginian who's been affected by these things to let us know, because the administration isn't telling us and they're not telling the American public, but we're learning about it from our citizens.

TAPPER: The Democratic National Committee picked a new head over the weekend.

On the matter of the Democratic Party, we saw some stark numbers this week about how the American people view the Democratic Party. You see there this is a Quinnipiac poll; 57 percent of the American people have an unfavorable view of the Democratic Party, only 31 percent favorable.

This is the worst number for the Democratic Party since Quinnipiac University began asking the question. And it's not an outlier. A recent CNN poll found a 33-year low favorable rating with the Democratic Party.

Why is your party so staggeringly unpopular with the public?

KAINE: Jake, you know me. I'm a Virginian. I know one state well and not so well the other 49. In Virginia, we have gone from the one of the most ruby-red states in the country to now having put electoral votes behind Democrats five elections in a row.

I just won my reelection by a sizable margin against Donald Trump's handpicked Republican opponent. And I will tell you how we have done it. We focus on the economy. This is what we do in Virginian. And I think, sometimes, national Democrats don't.

We focus on component government and running the economy in a great way that focuses on innovation and advancing. We call -- we have what we call a Make Build Grow agenda. While the Republicans are talking about cutting taxes and cutting regulation -- and most people understand that tax-cutting is just for the wealthiest -- on the Democratic side in Virginia -- and I think we can do this nationally -- we talk about Make Build Grow.

We want to make it here, we want to build it here, and in ag and forestry, we want to grow it here. And the Dems have the results to back it up. It's just that so often Democratic candidates don't emphasize that.

And so, yes, the American public looks at standard campaigns. They don't see Democrats advertising on the economy, which is their principal concern, and so they have wonders about us. Let's return to the bread-and-butter basics that people want to really focus on. And I think the Democrats can do well, especially when Donald Trump's tariffs are driving up their prices every day.

TAPPER: Well, I don't want to get to in the weeds of Virginia politics, but your governor is a Republican, and he beat handily a former Democratic governor when he ran for that position.

[09:30:08]

KAINE: By 1.8 percent.

The last two Republicans that won the governorship in Virginia won by comfortable double digits. Our governor is a Republican. He ran during a very good year to be a Republican, and he won barely. We have a governor's race this year in Virginia. We feel really, really good about our chances.

We just took both houses of the state legislature. We got a great candidate for governor. I think the governor's race in Virginia in November 2025 will be the first bellwether test of a Democratic comeback. And I'm feeling really, really good about that right now.

TAPPER: All right, Governor Tim Kaine of the great Commonwealth of Virginia, thanks for joining us, sir. Appreciate it. A dizzying second week of Trump 2.0. What you might have missed --

when my panel joins me next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:35:17]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The government is doing very well and we're cutting way back.

DEI is -- would have ruined our country and now it's dead. The helicopter, as you know, was out of its zone. It shouldn't have been out of its zone. Tariffs don't cause inflation. They cause success. And there could be some temporary short-term disruption and people will understand that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So much to cover, so little time.

Let's start with the tariffs. My panel's with me.

Congresswoman, I'm sorry. It looks like the United States is entering a trade war. This is what Donald Trump campaigned on. The American people can't say they didn't know it was coming. How are they affecting you and your constituents?

REP. YASSAMIN ANSARI (D-AZ): The tariffs are outrageous.

I represent Phoenix, Arizona, and we have seen leaders in the state from the governor to conservative heads of chambers in Arizona sound the alarm about how devastating this is going to be. Arizona, in particular, we have a longstanding trade relationship with Mexico, with Canada, with Mexico, in particular, about $20 billion in trade annually that benefits our manufacturing, our agricultural sectors.

So we are very concerned this is not only going to hurt everyday Arizonans at the gas pump, at the grocery store, et cetera, but it's going to hurt our economy that is thriving. And this is just such a misguided and illogical policy that Trump is trying to force down on our throats.

TAPPER: We have another border state congressmember here.

Washington state, obviously, shares a border with Canada. President Trump says the tariffs on Canada are to protest illegal immigration and fentanyl coming across the border. It is true that illegal crossings from Canada made up to only 1.5 percent of all the apprehensions nationwide and it was 43 pounds of fentanyl seized from Canada versus 21,000 from Mexico.

FMR. REP. JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER (R-WA): Yes.

TAPPER: So what's your take on it all?

HERRERA BEUTLER: I think, listen, tariffs can be a great tool but they can also be a blunt instrument.

During the first term, when -- Washington state is one of the most trade-dependent states in the nation, so we're watching this very carefully. When he put tariffs on the first time, again, it was a bit of a blunt instrument. He had to go back and make corrections on steel and such because we needed those products.

In this instance, I actually am looking at the tariff opportunity -- as an opportunity if he moves. So there is federal forestland all over our nation that is in disrepair. It's burning, right? If he puts, for example, on Canada's lumber coming in, we import a lot of our lumber in the United States, not because we need to, but because of the policy around our forests.

If he moves and allows us to harvest selectively and sustainably some of that timber, we won't see a spike in prices for lumber which is going to impact housing and building, right? So it can work, right? We can right-size our economic benefit here.

But if you just -- it's like, if you're going to pick a fight in a bar, maybe you should scope the exits, right? Know what your endgame is. And I -- that is my concern here is, he doesn't know what his endgame is.

BAKARI SELLERS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: First of all, I would feel a lot better if you two were in the Oval Office making these decisions together.

(LAUGHTER)

SELLERS: I think that we would -- our country would be in much more solid footing. But the fact is, that's not who the president of the United States is.

He is a bull in the china shop. He is a blunt-force object. Elections have consequences, and this is what the American people asked for, so this is what we're going to get.

I'm looking at three specific industries. Homebuilding, right? There was a clear contrast in policy between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. We know that the cost of homebuilding is going to go up. That's going to affect realtors, construction workers, et cetera. The second thing is tequila. Why? Because I'm a fan.

But we're also going to see the price of tequila rise. That means it's going to affect small businesses not only in nightclubs, bars, industries, but also those liquor stores, et cetera. And so the last thing -- and this is the most important in a state like Michigan -- is, people don't understand that Mexico, United States and Canada are all in this together when we're talking about American-made cars.

There is no such thing as a wholly American-made vehicle, contrary to what the American public think. Those car prices are going to go up. So the Big Three, they have a lot of trouble on their hands and Donald Trump is sitting at 1600.

But, again, you asked the best question ever. Do the American people realize this? Yes, this is what they voted for.

BRAD TODD, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Donald Trump, there are a lot of things he's changed his mind on over his career. One thing he's never changed his mind over is tariffs. You can go back and look in the CNN Archives from the '90s and Donald Trump's talking about tariffs in the way he talks about them now.

We have had tariffs as long as we have had a country. They have always been a tool to exact foreign policy goals. Right now, to solve our immigration problem, we have to put pressure on Mexico. We have to get Mexico's attention. They have to help us deal with the flood of people coming from Central America. We can't do it without them.

The tariff is a great tool to do that if you implement it carefully. I also think maybe this tariff on Canada is a shiny object. The real object here is the China tariff. You impose a 10 percent tariff on China. That is part of a long-term disentanglement strategy that even some Democrats are for.

[09:40:08]

So I think that maybe we're talking a little bit about the wrong thing, and the China tariffs are what we ought to focus on.

TAPPER: You were shaking your head, Congresswoman.

ANSARI: It's a policy that's going to harm Americans, everyday Americans.

The president promised that he would lower prices for everyday people in this country. If you're going to implement a policy that is effectively a tax on the American people, you have to think about that holistically and what's that going to do.

I'm deeply concerned about my constituents who already cannot afford to live, can't afford housing. I talked to the construction industry in Arizona. We have a huge housing shortage right now, and we cannot afford additional costs to labor and building.

And it's just -- it's a complete disaster.

TODD: But Democrats don't have much credibility on that idea because Democrats -- every Democrat in the House was ready to let taxes go up on every taxpaying American this year through the expiration of the Trump tax cuts.

So, Democrats have it both ways. Tariffs are a tax.

ANSARI: No, we just don't want tax cuts for billionaires in this country and the ultra-wealthy and corporations. We want tax cuts for working people.

TODD: Everybody's taxes were going to go up. Every single person's taxes...

(CROSSTALK) TAPPER: Stick around. We have got a lot more to talk about. The panel continues.

Fighting words from the new leader of the Democratic National Committee. Why he says he's willing to take the low road.

That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:51]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Donald Trump, with his cruel policy, has aroused the American people.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): We are going to fight it legislatively. We are going to fight it in the courts. And we're going to fight it in the streets.

MARTIN: This is a new Democratic Party. We're taking the gloves off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So, that last gentleman standing in front of the "Yes, We Can" signs is the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin, who was elected over the weekend.

My panel is back with me.

You liking what you see from Democratic leaders here in terms of taking the fight to Trump? Schumer says Donald Trump and his cruel policy has aroused the American people, which is an interesting word choice. Jeffries says he's going to fight in the streets. And then you heard the very intimidating statement from Ken Martin there about taking the gloves off.

(LAUGHTER)

ANSARI: Well, I agree. I do think we need to be fighting as hard as possible with every tool that we have.

This last week, when President Trump issued an unconstitutional federal funding freeze, under the leadership of Hakeem Jeffries, Democrats across the country mobilized immediately. Every member in districts went out and met with constituents, highlighted the programs that would be affected.

I got to go see home-delivered meals programs that would be drastically cut without this federal funding, harming vulnerable senior citizens in Arizona. So, we saw that across the country, but I think we do need to do more. I think we need to be fighting and showing the American people that we are there for them and pushing back against an unelected billionaire like Elon Musk, who is taking so much power and just seizing control of the government. TAPPER: Yes.

HERRERA BEUTLER: I got to say, it's like the guy who didn't get it done for the party in November is a 60-year-old white dude from Minnesota. Nothing against Minnesota, but so now we got a 51-year-old white dude from Minnesota?

OK, I think Democrats are going to need to dig a little bit deeper. It's not about fighting Trump anymore. It is about putting aside your activist base and figuring out why in the world the American people elected him. What are they upset about?

We have to find an -- I would argue that the elites in Washington and certainly the Democratic leadership needs to figure out what really matters.

TAPPER: I don't think you disagree.

SELLERS: I don't disagree.

TAPPER: Yes.

SELLERS: And I have been a little disheartened with what's going on with Washington Democrats.

The fact is, respectfully, House Democrats had a meeting, an emergency meeting, called after the freeze got disbanded by the courts. It was like a day late and a dollar short. The messaging you hear is something that doesn't inspire a great deal of confidence. I'm looking towards, for example, Democrats need to focus on things that matter to the American public, and not disregard your activist base.

I actually think they need to listen to the base. The base is angry, but they're also looking for direction. The funding freeze is something that is driving people crazy with uncertainty. But we're not looking to Washington, D.C.

We're looking to Jeff Jackson, who's the attorney general of North Carolina, Aaron Ford, who's the attorney general of the great state of Nevada, I mean, these individuals who can fight back. While we're up here talking about the fact you have Democrats who are talking about, oh, my God, I'm afraid the DOD is taking away King Day, yes, OK, I hear you, right?

That's one thing. That's stupid, Sean Duffy talking about King Day and all this other stuff when we have a crash. But there are really bread- and-butter issues that Democrats have to begin to focus on. And we have to begin -- we have to learn how to articulate those issues to the American public. And, right now, Washington, Democrats...

(CROSSTALK)

TODD: I got to tell you what, Bakari, I hope Democrats start listening to their base more and decide that they did nothing wrong last time, because it's a liberal, progressive base that got Democrats beaten this election. It's real easy to say no after you lose. The Democrats have got to

figure out what to -- how to say yes. They have got to figure out which things Donald Trump's doing that are popular that they can support. That's how you climb back out of the hole of being in the minority in both branches -- both chambers of Congress and the White House.

You have to figure out, where did we go wrong and let's stop doing that? Right now, Democrats have not yet gotten to that phase of this 12-step process.

TAPPER: So, Jaime Harrison, the outgoing Democratic National Committee chair, suggested in an interview with the Associated Press that Democrats should have stuck with Biden.

He said -- quote -- "When he hits a roadblock, when he hits a bump in the road, do we stick with him or do we jettison him? My nature is, I'm on the team with you. You're my quarterback. You got sacked a few times, but you know what? I'm going to block the hell out of the next person that's coming at you."

[09:50:10]

What's your take? Do you think that was the big mistake of 2024, and not sticking with Biden?

ANSARI: No.

With all due respect to President Biden, who I, of course, voted for in 2020 and deeply respect, I think that the right decision would have been for President Biden to step down well over a year ago, had a competitive primary for the presidency.

We are in an era where people do want change. People are struggling. People are not happy with the status quo. We saw that across the world. No incumbent won their reelection. So it would have been the right opportunity to have a competitive primary election to see, who is really the best-placed Democrat to lead us forward? Who is hungry? Who has the vision? Who can really resonate with working people in this country?

And I think that is the vision forward. We have many young, bright, talented people in Congress on the Democratic side now and lots of people who know how to win tough elections as well. We won more House seats this time. We are -- this is the closest slim majority that Republicans have in many, many years. And so I think that we have what it takes to win. We just need to be able to cultivate the right leadership.

TAPPER: All right. Thanks, everybody, for being here.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:56:00] TAPPER: The deadliest American plane crash in 20 years. Anderson Cooper will take a closer look at the safety of our skies tonight at 7:00 p.m. only here on CNN.

Thank you for spending your Sunday morning with us.

"FAREED ZAKARIA GPS" starts next.

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