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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Trump Sends World Leaders Scrambling; A Major Winter Storm Is Brewing; Sources Say, DOJ Subpoenas At Least Five Minnesota Officials; Trump Touts First-Year Achievements In Rambling News Briefing; Students Return To More Fortified Brown University Campus For Spring Classes. Aired 6-7p ET

Aired January 20, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

[18:00:00]

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Welcome to The Lead. I'm Jake Tapper.

This hour, President Trump sends world leaders scrambling as he prepares to board a plane to Davos in just hours from NATO to Greenland, to Venezuela, to Gaza, and so much more. CNN's Kaitlan Collins is here to break it all down before Air Force One takes off.

Plus, a major winter storm brewing, threatening heavy snow and dangerous ICE from Texas all the way to the Carolinas. Millions are also going to be hit by a brutal blast of Arctic air sending temperatures plunging. We're going to head to the CNN Weather Center for the latest forecast.

Also, the U.S. Justice Department has now subpoenaed at least five officials in Minnesota as part of its investigation into whether those leaders obstructed ICE operations in their state, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, one of the five, calling the move an intimidation tactic. I'm going to be joined live by a member of the Minneapolis City Council ahead.

And students are set to return to class tomorrow at Brown University after that horrific, deadly shooting tragically cut their last semester short. CNN went to the campus for a look at some of the new security measures in place.

The Lead tonight, President Trump is cranking up the pressure campaign in his quest to grab Greenland just hours ahead of his departure for the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: How far are you willing to go to acquire Greenland?

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: You'll find out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Trump on the anniversary of the inauguration of his second term, speaking to the White House press this afternoon for nearly two hours about a sweeping list of topics. Some of the behavior exhibited in the press conference alarming even his supporters, Conservative Radio Host Erick Erickson, who has been Deriding Trump's, quote, insane impulse control issues when it comes to the Greenland thing, calling him a, quote, president who has developed some level of insanity over Greenland. And in a pre-buttal to any MAGA critics, Erick Erickson writes, quote, there is no Trump derangement syndrome here, except from his most ardent supporters who feel compelled to justify, explain, and defend every single thing Trump does, no matter how crazy, unquote.

Across the Atlantic, in Davos, Trump's presence is already being felt while world leaders strategize how to diffuse the situation.

Let's bring in CNN's Chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins. Kaitlan?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Jake. I mean, the president has not even arrived in Davos yet, and he is already the center stage of the controversy that is underway there with those European leaders, some of the ones that you just showed there on the screen, who are now dealing with this. This is the foremost conversation that a lot of these world leaders are not only talking about in their speeches, but also being asked about by reporters.

The theme of Davos this year is supposed to be focused on dialogue, Jake, and the spirit of dialogue. And some of the main topics had been expected to be Ukraine, artificial intelligence, climate, geopolitics, and now what the president has been threatening when it comes to Greenland in the last, you know, 48 hours or so, has really taken center stage, including the threats that the president has made against a lot of U.S.'s -- the United States' European allies over tariffs if he does not get Greenland in the way that he wants, in the way that he's been talking about.

And it's caused a lot of tension with these world leaders, many of them scrambling to either try to meet with the president or try to have these conversations with him when it comes to his desire to take over Greenland. But just listen to what he said, Jake, during that lengthy appearance in the briefing room earlier today, not only about why he thinks getting Greenland is important, but also the way he spoke about the French president, for example, after he had invited the president to come to Paris on his way out of Davos and have lunch, an emergency meeting basically with other G7 leaders. This is what the president said today about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think that we will work something out when NATO's going to be very happy and where we're going to be very happy. But we need it for security purposes, we need it for national security, and even world security.

And I like Macron but he's not going to be there very much longer, as you know. And I think, you know, I have meetings with the people that are directly involved, not some of the people you're talking about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Now, we do know, Jake, the other European leaders will be there when the president arrives in Davos after he's leaving tonight. And I'm going with him, Jake, actually. And so one thing I'll be watching for is how these other world leaders respond to this and how they are dealing with it, because California Governor Gavin Newsom is there. He was criticizing other European leaders for how they have been responding to the president, basically saying that they are capitulating to him and being weak in their responses.

We've heard other of these leaders, Canada's prime minister, Ursula von der Leyen, basically saying this is not just about what is happening in this moment with Greenland, that it is fundamentally changing the relationship the United States has with its European allies, with NATO allies, something the president was asked about today, and he said, yes, the United States will live up to Article 5 and defend other countries if they're attacked, but he doesn't think that they'll do the same.

[18:05:07]

And so this is going to be potentially a very tense few days in the Swiss Alps as the president heads there, Jake.

TAPPER: All right. Kaitlan Collins, thanks so much. We're looking forward to your coverage from Davos. And, obviously, tune into Kaitlan's show, The Source with Kaitlan Collins.

With me now here in studio Republican Congressman John Rose from Tennessee, he's also running in this year's Republican primary in the Governor's race in Tennessee. Good to see you, sir. Thanks for being here.

REP. JOHN ROSE (R-TN): Good to be with you tonight.

TAPPER: President Trump, you just heard the clip, he thinks that there's a scenario where NATO will be very happy, but the U.S. will also control Greenland. How do you square that circle? I mean, NATO does not want the United States to take over Greenland and they constantly point out anything the United States wants to do in Greenland, including set up more military bases, we already have a treaty and the U.S. can do it.

ROSE: Sure. Well, I think the president over the last year, and indeed in his first term, has proven that he's a master negotiator, I would dare say the best negotiator we've had as a president in my lifetime. And so I think you have to consider that as you think about what he's saying about Greenland, he obviously raised this issue.

It's not a new issue. And I think anyone who studies history knows that the United States has had, you know, concerns about Greenland going all the way back to the 19th century. And so I think the president has renewed that because I think he is thinking down the line and understands the threat from Russia and China and the strategic importance of Greenland to defending this country. And so I think you have to view all of this through that prism. The president's approach to negotiating these things is, if anything, unconventional and provocative, but so often these things lead to good outcomes.

TAPPER: I mean, it's an 80-20 issue in the sense that 80 percent of the country does not support him on this in 20 percent is with them. The Dow, S&P and Nasdaq, all of them, had their worst days since October. Investors are selling off their stocks and bonds, U.S. stocks and bonds, amid concerns about this clash. The polls, as you know, suggest the American people think the president is not focused on the priorities. They want him to be focused on Greenland being one of the things that they're not into.

Why is he so fixated on this? Again, Greenland has made it very clear, like we have a base there. The U.S. has a base there. In the past 50 years, we've had, I think there was one point we had like 17 different military bases there. They're saying, build whatever you want, but you're not going to take over the country.

ROSE: Well, again, I would -- I am inclined to give the president considerable deference here because I think he raised this issue. He created -- you know, he spawned this issue. What we know is that for more than two decades, you might say, since World War II, the United States has been footing the bill to defend most of the west. They have been -- We have been carrying the water for NATO. The president has moved the ball on that in an appreciable way during his first term, and now during his one year back in office. The president sees the strategic importance for Greenland.

And I think he knows that, you know, when it comes to negotiating, you don't start out asking for less than you want. You start out asking for more, and you work your way toward compromise. The president has done that time and again, and I think we ought to give him some deference here.

The president has proven that he can walk and chew gum at the same time. He has addressed so many of the issues that the country was facing over the last year, bringing the southern border under control, moderating the increase in prices that were coming out of the Bidenflation of the Biden years and solving so many of these international crises around the world, bringing about peace. So, I think he's earned some wide latitude here.

TAPPER: President Trump's expected to speak tomorrow morning Eastern Time in Davos. He says he has other meetings, plans to -- other meetings planned to discuss green and with other leaders. What do you want to see from the president tomorrow in Davos? What kind of tone do you want him to take on?

ROSE: Well, I think it is important to recognize that our NATO allies are our allies. They're our friends, and we want to keep it that way. But I think it's also important for the president to continue to press the issues that he sees important too, providing for the future defense of this country and for the west. And so I think the president's going to strike that balance. He normally does. TAPPER: He said that the U.S. would -- today, he said the U.S. would honor Article 5 of the NATO treaty, an attack on one is an attack on all, but he doesn't think the other countries would do that for us. I'm sure you know the only time Article 5 has ever been invoked was after 9/11 when all those other countries joined us to fight in Afghanistan, and I think Denmark, which owns Greenland had the, or one of the highest death rates per capita. Why say something like that when so many Danes and other Europeans have died in Afghanistan because of that invocation?

ROSE: Well, I think the point is, are they capable of coming to their own defense and assisting the U.S. if we had some sort of all-out conflagration?

[18:10:09]

And I think the president has pushed the NATO allies, including Denmark, to invest more in their own defense and to bolster the NATO alliance, and I think that's what he's driving toward here with Greenland. Greenland is critically important to the defense of the United States, obviously, by virtue of that, important to the defense of NATO.

And so the president, I think, is pushing the envelope in that direction. He's succeeded in getting NATO allies to invest more in their own defense.

TAPPER: That's true.

ROSE: And so I think we ought to give him some latitude here to pursue this negotiation.

TAPPER: Republican Congressman John Rose from Tennessee, thanks so much, sir, I appreciate it.

So, how are leaders in Denmark reacting to President Trump's escalating threats regarding Greenland? I'm going to ask my next guest who just returned to the United States from a bipartisan trip to the Danish capital of Copenhagen.

Plus, one year into his second term, have Democrats settled on a strategy or the best one, or any, for taking on Trump, and how will they use that strategy, if there is one, in this year's crucial midterm elections? The chair of the Democratic National Committee is here. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:15:00]

TAPPER: And we're back with more on our World Lead, President Trump's tariff threats against Europe, part of his crusade to get Greenland as part of the United States. All of it hinges on the U.S. Supreme Court's anticipated ruling on whether his tariffs are legal in the first place. But the president says he's prepared with other options should they rule against him. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I mean, we have other alternatives, but the -- what we're doing now is the best, the strongest, the fastest, the easiest, the least complicated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: -- the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Congressman, good to see you.

So, you and Senator Peter Welch, Democrat from Vermont, both plan to offer resolutions to end the tariffs. You had a bipartisan presence in Denmark last weekend to show American support for the Danish ownership of Greenland. Do you have bipartisan support to end the tariffs?

REP. GREGORY MEEKS (D-NY): I think we have two Republicans now. We need one more. And what I'm looking to do is to work right now with some of our Republican colleagues, and hopefully to get one or two or three more because we believe if we get a vote on the floor, that you will get an overwhelming vote of members of the House to vote to end the tariffs. And that's why Speaker Johnson has prevented us from getting those resolutions on the floor.

TAPPER: Do you have a plan in place for if the U.S Supreme Court rules to uphold President Trump's tariffs and says it's perfectly fine for him to do this?

MEEKS: Yes. I still think that the voices of the American people, which is represented by those of us who are on the House of Representatives. We set and make the laws. And we know that the founding of this country was not to allow one man to be king and to make the determination as to American foreign policy and American issues by himself without Congress. And so, thereby, we would need to talk, and I think that in a bipartisan, bicameral way to make sure that we then create laws that states and makes clear who has this authority. And the courts then would have to abide by that.

But I'm almost sure that the courts should recognize our constitutional authority about tariffs and that the president has made up emergencies that are not emergencies to use it as an excuse, to use his tariff to try to go around Congress, that we cannot stand for. And I hope that my Republican colleagues agree with me on that because it is the institution itself that is at stake for our oversight and other responsibility that we have given to us by the Constitution of the United States of America.

TAPPER: As you know, this idea about the U.S. and Greenland is not entirely new, and as you know, there is a threat of the Russians and the Chinese in that part of the world, and the United States does need to have a presence. I'm sure you agree. I guess the question I have is, is there anything that Greenland will not let the United States do? I mean, we do have this treaty with them. And we've had -- we have one base right now. We've had up to 17 in the past. Is there anything that we would get out of owning Greenland that we can't get just by asking Greenland? MEEKS: Jake, no. Let me just tell you, coming from Denmark, talking to all governments, including ours, there is actually no credible threat by Russia or China at the moment. You know, just going through all of the intelligence, et cetera, that says that region is in danger of being taken over.

TAPPER: Right.

MEEKS: That's number one. Number two when you talk to Greenlanders, as well as the Danes, they say, just talk to us. We can work collectively together. You're right. The one base that we have there now is underfunded now. They would allow us to create additional basis. They're ready to work with us. Then their message is that Greenland is not for sale.

But Greenland, who has been a partner, and the Danes, with the United States for over 75 years, and our NATO allies, we should be all working collectively together and having the plan to make sure that if in the future China or Russia tries to come into those areas of Greenland, that we will be fortified and ready in a collective manner. And that's what NATO's all about. It's about us being together as opposed to what we see the president doing right now, you know, trying to pull out of NATO.

And I think when I say pull out of NATO, you know, troops from Europe and things of that nature. He seems to have weakened and made statements that NATO is not relevant anymore and he's treating NATO as in the -- and our NATO allies with these tariffs in other ways as if they are our enemies, not our allies.

[18:20:11]

And they don't understand that. And that's something that -- so therefore distrust in America, you know, and America's leadership is what's at question.

The largest massive number of individuals demonstrating ever, from what I'm told, in the streets of Denmark when I was there, was them, now going against the United States saying, MAGA means make America go away.

TAPPER: Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks from New York, thank you, sir, always good to have you.

MEEKS: Good to be with you, Jake.

TAPPER: A major winter storm shaping up and taking aim at the eastern half of these United States. We're going to head to the CNN Weather Center for an updated forecast in just moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:25:00]

TAPPER: In our National Lead, a major winter storm brewing is likely to blanket half the country later this week. Chris Warren is in the CNN Weather Center. Chris, who among us should start stocking up on supplies?

CHRIS WARREN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: We are tracking a high impact winter event for the south, but before we get to that, here is this, the lake-effect snow continues to drop several inches of snow over the next few days, looking at the potential for a foot, maybe even a couple of feet of additional snow. And then a little bit of a break from some of the coldest air to the south, but by this weekend, cold air, that cold air coming down from the Arctic, locking in place in some areas down to about or near the Gulf Coast. That sets the stage for what's to come.

Here's the forecast radar. So, what the precipitation could look like and where it could be through time, this is 8:00 on Friday. Green is rain, pink is ice, that's freezing rain, and then purple is snow, these colors up here. So, this is Friday. Now, into Saturday, an ongoing ice event and snow, possibly heavy snow for parts of the Mid- South and eventually even into parts of the Carolinas coastal areas as well for the snow.

But some of the highest impacts, some of the biggest problems will be in the pink. The pink is where from Atlanta to Dallas, and areas in between and even beyond, could have ice, as that rain falls through the freezing air, freezes on contact to roads, to sidewalks, to power lines, to trees, and with a little bit of wind. We're going to see a lot of problems, power outages that could last for days with temperatures staying below freezing for the same period of time. So, we're looking at a big and serious potential for winter impacts and long lasting power outages and difficult, if not impossible, travel.

Details still need to be worked out. The biggest issues, again, are going to be in the pink, if this does end up staying here. So, one thing to watch is going to be where does the snow and where does the ice line set up. So, stay tuned.

TAPPER: All right. Chris Warren, thanks so much.

Tonight, CNN is learning that the U.S. Justice Department has subpoenaed at least five officials in Minnesota, including the governor, Tim Walz, the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, all seem to be Democrats. I'm going to get a reaction from the member of the Minneapolis City Council in just moments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:30:00]

TAPPER: Our National Lead, the Justice Department is ramping up its investigation into state and local leaders in Minnesota. The agency has now subpoenaed multiple Democrats there in the administration's immigration crackdown.

Earlier today, President Trump shuffled through a stack of photographs that he says are of criminals arrested in Minnesota over the last year. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Hey, look at this one after one. Boy, these are rough characters. These are all criminal, illegal aliens that, in many cases, they're murderers, they're drug lords, drug dealers. They're the mentally insane.

In Minnesota, the crime is incredible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Joining us now, Minneapolis Council Member Jamison Whiting. Council Member, what's your response to the president showing these photographs? He's obviously trying to make the argument, we are locking up dangerous people, that's why we're in Minnesota.

JAMISON WHITING, MINNEAPOLIS CITY COUNCIL: Yes, and I think this country has seen it, right? We have our own two eyes. We have seen families ripped apart. We have seen a mom, we have seen families and children get torn apart for standing up for their country. And that's what we're seeing right here in the city of Minneapolis these past two weeks. We've seen kind of democracy shred at the seams. It is what we are doing and seeing live on the ground here in the City of Minneapolis. And all of us are standing up against it.

I think we heard on your show and used the numbers of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem that the large majority, the vast majority of these individuals in ICE custody have zero criminal record.

TAPPER: I think that was actually just to give her credit. I think that was actually Margaret Brennan on CBS. But we have her covered that issue as well.

Sources at the Justice Department -- sources tell us that the Justice Department has subpoenaed at least five Minnesota officials, including your governor, your mayor. Governor Walz just said in a statement, quote, the State of Minnesota will not be drawn into political theater. This Justice Department investigation sparked by calls for accountability in the face of violence, chaos, and the killing of Renee Good does not seek justice. It is a partisan distraction. Minnesotans are more concerned with safety and peace than baseless legal tactics aimed at intimidating public servants.

What is your reaction to these new subpoenas? Do you think these officials should cooperate with any investigations?

WHITING: Yes, Jake. I think what we're seeing is blatant intimidation by the federal government in real time. When you see the federal government in the United States of America politicize and use power against local elected officials in our city, I think every single American across this country should be concerned.

TAPPER: President Trump also said this earlier today about ICE agents. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: And you know, they're going to make mistakes sometimes, ICE is going to be too rough with somebody, or, you know, they're dealing with rough people. They're going to make a mistake. Sometimes it can happen. We feel terribly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What was your response to that?

WHITING: Yes. I think we see a -- we hear an admission of guilt. I think that's exactly what we just heard. I think we hear the president. I think we heard the vice president and others start to understand with what we saw with Renee Good, the murder of Renee Good in our city is not okay. I think what we've seen in every single American has probably seen the videos by now. We saw a soccer mom with stuffed animals in her glove compartment murdered in our streets. And I think what we are seeing for all Americans is there is no part of this that is American and what we were promised.

TAPPER: Also today, a group of Minnesota physicians held the news conference to condemn ICE for using intimidation tactics in healthcare facilities.

[18:35:03]

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No one deserves to die or suffer because of how they look or how they speak, or where they were born.

The cycle of fear is claiming lives. Recently, a patient discharged from the hospital missed their follow-up because they were too afraid to leave the home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a moment of crisis in this state because of ICE and their presence in our healthcare settings.

This is not making our city safer. It is about harming entire communities, making certain that certain communities feel afraid to go out to get groceries, to go to school, to go to work, and now are afraid to get medical care.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: What's your reaction?

WHITING: Yes. I think it's physicians. I think it's lawyers. I think it's teachers. I think it's business owners. I think every single person in the city understands that this is not here for public safety, right? Jake, we've had the first murder in the city of Minneapolis was perpetrated by federal agents. If this was about safety, ICE would be out of our city.

And so I think we are seeing every single individual from every single corner of walk of life in this city start to understand that this is not about safety and that we are trying to do something here in our city because it's not okay.

TAPPER: I've heard officials in Minneapolis and Minnesota talking about how off duty police officers are being asked for their papers to prove their citizenship, and all of them as far as has been shared publicly by these public officials, including Senator Tina Smith. All of them are people of color. Have you heard that too?

WHITING: Yes. I mean, we're hearing it from MPD here in our city. We're hearing it from public works. We've had individuals get stopped that are from people that are plowing our streets to filling potholes. And so we've seen it across the board in our city of people getting harassed, whether you're a law enforcement officer or just somebody walking along the streets. We've had in schools. We've had in hospitals. There is nothing safe from what is happening here in the city of Minneapolis.

TAPPER: Jamison Whiting, Minneapolis City Council member, thank you so much. I appreciate it.

As President Trump marks his first year back in office, how are Democrats planning to try and retake control of Congress this November? I'm going to ask the chair of the Democratic National Committee live in studio, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:40:00]

TAPPER: In our Politics Lead, today marks one year since President Trump's return to the White House. President Trump reflecting on his first year in an occasionally meandering speech to reporters at the White House early today at the briefing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I think we've done a much better job than we're able to promote. We're not promoting. We have taken a mess and made it really good. It's going to get even better.

They created the affordability problem and we are solving it. We have solved a lot of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Joining us now is the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin. Ken, what do you think the next step should for Democrats should be to win the midterms, at least in the House?

KEN MARTIN, CHAIR, DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE: Well, to stay focused on what we did last year, which was we had a relentless focus on economic issues on affordability, right. You know, people talk all the time about how Democrats are poor messengers, right? But what we saw last year across the board, in states like Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, California, every state in between that had elections last year, that our candidates, writ large, without exception, we're focused on affordability and that's the key.

And, you know, look, we are now marking one year since Donald Trump was inaugurated, and he made a big promise to the American people that on day one he was actually going to focus on bringing down the cost and making it easier for people to actually achieve the American dream.

I want you to contrast that with today, this week, where you had two Democratic governors who were actually sworn into office and on their first days, guess what Abigail Spanberger did in Virginia, she signed executive orders to bring down the cost of childcare and to create more housing. What did Mikie Sherrill do on day one? She actually put an executive order into freeze utility costs in those states.

There's two Democrats who are just elected to office who actually are delivering on the promises of affordability. Donald Trump has had a whole year to do that and he hasn't. And guess what? The American people are not going to forget that. In fact, almost 60 percent of Americans, based on your own polling, think his first year in office has been a failure because he hasn't done anything to actually help them.

TAPPER: Okay. But I'm sure you've seen other polling that suggests even with President Trump's weaknesses, Republicans still have an advantage when it comes to many issues, including the economy, and that if you guys have a good November, it's more because of what people don't like about Trump, not necessarily that they trust the Democrats, at least not right now, according to polls I've seen.

MARTIN: Let me just say this. If you look at that poll that you're referencing, the reality is Donald Trump is underwater on every single issue, including the two that he won on, which was on immigration and the economy. People don't trust Donald Trump to lead on that.

And while they may trust Republicans, the reality right now is that the Republicans in Congress and Donald Trump are not delivering in any way, shape or form on the issues that they promised they were going to do. He's focused on crazy things, like invading Greenland. He's focused on everything but helping the American people, all while he and his rich buddies have gotten richer. He has made hundreds of millions of dollars in his first year in office. You know what? The American people deserve to make more money.

TAPPER: That's the second time I've heard a Democrat use the word, crazy, today talking about President Trump. The other one was Senator Chris Coons, I think, talking to NPR. Is this -- are you guys going to be talking about the president's mental fitness?

MARTIN: I'm not talking about his mental fitness. I'm talking about the fact that he made a promise to the Americans and he hasn't delivered at all on what any single promise he made to the American people. And meanwhile, in my hometown in Minneapolis, right, we see where his focus is. It's creating chaos and division, dividing communities, sowing, you know, concern throughout the country. His administration has literally murdered people in the streets and he's done nothing to focus on the issues that Americans are concerned about.

So, look, is that crazy? You're absolutely right, it's crazy. I'm not talking about his mental health, right? That's a whole another question, but American people are frustrated by what they're seeing out of this administration.

[18:45:03]

TAPPER: I do want to get your reaction to -- we've seen some excerpts of Governor Josh Shapiro's book. It's coming out in a -- in a week, I think.

And it talks about his unease with some of the questions he was asked when he was being vetted for vice president by Kamala Harris. Then Vice President Kamala Harris, questions about whether or not he was an Israeli agent. Vice President Harris asking him if he would take back some of his criticism of antisemitism on campuses for those encampments.

I've seen a lot of reaction from House members. Josh Gottheimer, for example, talking about this being antisemitic. What was your reaction?

MARTIN: Well, you know, I wasn't privy to those conversations, right? I don't know how those conversations went down, who they went down with, right? Obviously, there's an exhaustive process of selecting a vice president. All sorts of questions are answered.

And truly, I think most importantly, people are trying to get to know each other. I don't know the context of the conversation. Who was asking which questions. I know that all sorts of questions are asked during these processes, as they should be.

You know, I'll let others comment on, you know, what happened. I think there were only two people in that room when they talked. And ultimately, I don't know again, who on her team was asking those questions. But, you know, look, at the end of the day, that's the past. What I'm focused on, Jake, is the next 11 months and making sure Democrats win up and down the ballot.

TAPPER: All right. DNC Chair Ken Martin, thank you so much, sir. Good to see you. I hope your wife and kids in Minnesota are doing okay. I know it's rough there right now.

MARTIN: Thanks.

TAPPER: My panel is also in studio. They've been listening in.

Jonah Goldberg, how much of the Democrats message in November should be focused on affordability, versus how much should be focused on Trump, do you think?

JONAH GOLDBERG, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, I think the way to do it a little bit, the way like Ken Martin just did, is to make it about in the context of affordability, you can talk about the crazy things that Donald Trump is doing, but in the context of look how distracted he is from the issues that concern you. I mean, I think that's sort of the smart play.

At the end of the day, though, I think most of the strategy for Democrats is to be on defense and just not get in the way of themselves and let the chaos of Donald Trump's presidency drive things and just be the non-crazy alternative. That is the safest place for Democrats to be.

TAPPER: So don't be crazy. So, is that enough?

GOLDBERG: It turns out that's a very high bar going back over the last couple of decades, but --

XOCHITL HINOJOSA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I will say Trump doesn't help himself. His -- Republicans in Congress want him to talk about affordability. He's not talking about affordability. He's talking about everything else but that.

TAPPER: He's talking about how much Greenland's going to cost.

HINOJOSA: And Greenland is going to cost. We -- it was just a week or so ago that we were taking over Venezuela. Like -- and there are all of these problems that the president is focused on, but not here in the United States and not here involving Americans lives.

And I do actually think that it was very -- I mean, it was telling in New Jersey the inauguration speech of Governor-elect Sherrill or Governor Sherrill, was about affordability. One of her first actions was to make sure that she's lowering prices. And so, if, if, if congress and if Democrats can continue to talk about affordability and especially health care, because we know that we can win elections on health care, then I think that allowing Trump to just do his crazy thing while we are focused will be a winning strategy.

TAPPER: Jonah, I assume you watched the president's remarks earlier today, or at least some of them.

GOLDBERG: I got some highlights.

TAPPER: You got some highlights. And one of the things he said you and I are about the same age, so I don't know how many times you've heard this from other presidents was the problem is not the presidency. The problem is PR, the PR is not good enough.

Somebody at the -- at the -- when he finally took questions like an hour and 15 minutes into it a reporter did ask him like, aren't you making the same mistake that Joe Biden made? Here's how Trump responded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's a great question because we inherited a terrible, terrible mess. We brought the prices down from when I came into office and from what Biden had way down. We're going to bring them down further. But the job we did is a miracle.

One of the reasons I'm doing this today is to explain we inherited a mess and we've made it a beautiful, beautiful picture.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: I guess he thinks that if as -- if he just keeps saying it, voters will start believing it. But it doesn't seem to be true. But also, he didn't answer the question.

GOLDBERG: Yeah, and to be fair, he has a lot of experience about saying things and then them turning out to work out well for him. If someone made a wish on a monkey paw a while ago. But the point is, is I look I think if he had more discipline, there's a way he could have sold his first year in office. The shutting down of the border is a popular --

TAPPER: Absolutely.

GOLDBERG: -- very successful thing. He could be talking about that all the time. He could have been talking about the Venezuela stuff all the time. Be focused, have message discipline.

But it's very much like his speeches. He reads the first few paragraphs. He gets bored and he starts to weave. And if you give people, we're going to invade Greenland. They're going to talk about invading Greenland, right? If you start calling the person who just got shot in the face a domestic terrorist, before any of the facts are in, you're going to make the conversation about that.

They have a story to tell. It's just that Trump gets bored with, like doing things with message discipline, and he throws stuff out there.

[18:50:05]

And -- because he wants the attention. And that makes it very difficult to get in a disciplined, serious argument. And it's why House Republicans in particular are cutting themselves.

TAPPER: So you talked about Governor Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey. She was inaugurated. I do want to air some of her speech, a little clip, because it's -- it's instructive. You said she focused on affordability, and she did, but she also did talk about Trump. That was -- that was that was part of that was part of her message in the election. It was also part of her message today.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. MIKIE SHERRILL (D), NEW JERSEY: We see a president illegally usurping power, unconstitutionally enacting a tariff regime to make billions for himself and his family while everyone else sees their costs go higher. Here, we demand people in public service actually serve the public instead of buying themselves planes and cars and extorting money.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: So, it's like an affordability pivot, like you can't afford stuff. And look how rich Trump's getting, et cetera.

HINOJOSA: I think you're going to hear more of that. And I think that in CNN's polling that just came out a few days ago, it talked about how they believe that Trump has gone too far when it comes to his powers and what he believes, this expansive view of the presidency. There is no check on President Trump, and there is something to be said about how he is benefiting himself. It's both him and his family and his friends are getting rich off of the presidency, while Americans are seeing higher costs at the grocery store.

And so, I expect more of this from Democrats. I don't expect them to make every especially a vulnerable Democrat in a purple state to be making it all about Donald Trump. But I do expect some of that contrast about you are worse off now because of Donald Trump. And he is also getting rich off of.

GOLDBERG: That's sort of the tension, right? If Democrats -- Donald Trump brings out the Democratic base, but if they -- if Democratic politicians attack Trump too much, the fear is it could bring out the Republican base.

And so let Trump make Democrats go crazy to get to the polls. But don't get to the point where you're talking about impeachment. Don't get to the point where you're talking about how, you know, he's Hitler and all these kinds of things, because then you activate the other sides base, too.

TAPPER: What about you use the word crazy, but you weren't talking about Trump. But what about the Democrats who are questioning President Trump's mental fitness? Do you think that that's a good approach or no?

GOLDBERG: I think less is more on that. I mean, as a pundit, I am perfectly happy to say that he's cuckoo for cocoa puffs about some of this stuff, but I don't think it's because he's lost cognition. I think it's because he is unfettered. He is unbound. He has surrounded himself with people who say every single thing that comes out of his mouth is brilliant, and so there are no restraints on him.

And so this is more, you know, the unrestrained, unalloyed idiot of the president. And he's the same guy he was in his first term. It's just that he doesn't listen to anybody anymore.

HINOJOSA: Yeah. That's right. And also, he's not running for reelection. So --

TAPPER: Interesting.

Thanks to both of you. Appreciate it.

How are students at Brown University in Rhode Island feeling as they return to campus for the very first time since December's deadly shooting? That story is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:57:16]

TAPPER: In our national lead, it has been just over a month since the deadly school shooting and students at Brown University in Rhode Island are returning to a quiet and more fortified campus.

CNN's Leigh Waldman traveled to Providence, Rhode Island, to find out how students are feeling about being back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEIGH WALDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a mix of rain and snow, students at Brown University are moving in for their spring semester.

EMILY HAMP, PRE-MED STUDENT, BROWN UNIVERSITY: Just being here and like seeing all the Providence loves Brown signs up, I think that that's just been like very emotional.

WALDMAN (voice-over): The memories of last month's shooting still fresh.

LIAM MELVIN, PHYSICS STUDENT, BROWN UNIVERSITY: We were all lucky that that day we left early.

WALDMAN (voice-over): Liam Melvin, a junior physics student, spent most of his time inside of the engineering and physics complex. Now some of those doors will remain locked as the rest of the campus opens to welcome students.

MELVIN: I feel raw, definitely. I'd like to see how Brown handles the situation.

WALDMAN (voice-over): Senior Emily Hamp was locked down in the library for hours following the shooting. Now her family is helping her move back.

MIKE HAMP, FATHER OF BROWN UNIVERSITY STUDENT: I just pray that they can look forward with optimism and happiness. But also reconcile themselves with what they've been through as a -- as a class and as a college community.

WALDMAN (voice-over): In light of the December 13th shooting, Brown University is implementing safety changes, installing blue light phones with cameras to make emergency calls increasing police presence, and requiring card access keys or university ID to get inside of buildings.

WALDMAN: The university came under harsh criticism during the days- long manhunt for the lack of cameras inside of the Barus and Holley Building here, where this shooting happened. The interim vice president of public safety says they're installing cameras and bringing in two outside firms to conduct an after action review and campus safety and security assessment.

WALDMAN (voice-over): In a statement last month, the university said safety is built through preparation, transparency, trust and partnership but would not, however, make anyone in campus leadership available to discuss security, saying they're focused on supporting the campus community and the start of the semester.

MIA TRETTA, INTERNATIONAL AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS STUDENT, BROWN UNIVERSITY: I think people are excited to get together again, but also kind of terrified of what's to come.

WALDMAN (voice-over): Mia Tretta, now a two time school shooting survivor, feels no amount of security will make an impact without laws to prevent gun violence from happening.

TRETTA: At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how safe or secure a building, a classroom, a campus is. If our entire country has this mass access to weapons of war.

WALDMAN (voice-over): Leigh Waldman, CNN, Providence, Rhode Island.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TAPPER: And our thanks to Leigh Waldman for that report.

Just into our sports lead, the Baseball Hall of Fame has added two new members, Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones. Beltran was a power hitting center fielder with three gold glove awards across a 20-year career. Jones debuted with the Atlanta Braves at the age of 19, and his superhuman defense won him 10 gold gloves. He becomes the first Curacao native to enter the hall of fame. Both players will be inducted this summer in Cooperstown.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts right now.