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The Lead with Jake Tapper

Trump To Deliver State Of The Union Address At 9:00 P.M. ET; CNN Poll Shows Most Americans Say Trump Focused On Wrong Priorities; Guthrie Family Offers $1 Million Reward For Mother's Return; GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales To CNN: "I Am Not Going To Resign". Aired 6-7p ET

Aired February 24, 2026 - 18:00   ET

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

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[18:00:00]

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

This hour, President Trump makes his final preparations for his State of the Union address tonight, what he told news anchors at the White House about his messages on the economy and Iran. I happen to be in the room and I can tell you a little bit.

Plus, a million dollar reward, NBC's Today Show Anchor Savannah Guthrie says her family will pay for information that brings back her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie. CNN is on the scene in Tucson.

Also, there's pressure on one Republican to resign from Congress over disturbing allegations about an affair with a staffer who later committed suicide with Congressman Tony Gonzales is accused of, and who from his own party is calling for him to step down.

Our Lead tonight, President Trump is three hours from delivering his annual update to Congress. As is tradition, several anchors and reporters had the privilege of eating lunch with the president at the White House before the State of the Union so he could share with us off the record his thoughts on where the country's going, what he wants to say. He gave us a little bit on the record about some of what he's going to say tonight, including plans to advocate for a form of tax cuts, corporate and mostly personal, he said, and to announce deals with A.I. and tech firms for data centers that consume so much electricity from local communities.

On the record, he said tonight's pitch would be that the country is about to have the best three years economically in the nation's history, and it's already started, unquote. And amid the massive U.S. military buildup and threat of conflict with Iran, the president said that Tehran wants to make a deal more than he does, but so far, the Iranians have been unwilling to say explicitly the sacred phrase that they will not build nuclear weapons.

It remains to be seen, of course, how much the president is willing to work with the lawmakers who are going to be sitting in front of them. He has said just this week, he doesn't need them, even for things that the U.S. Constitution suggests is their responsibility, such as imposing tariffs or declaring a war. The president will be face-to- face with at least some of the Supreme Court justices who just a few days ago ruled that, yes, he actually does need to work with Congress to impose a sweeping permanent tariffs regime.

CNN Chief White House Correspondent, Anchor of The Source Kaitlan Collins is here. Kaitlan, what is going on inside the White House right now, these final hours before the president's speech?

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the president obviously looks over it. It's a long speech. We know the president --

TAPPER: How long?

COLLINS: -- famously gives a long one. I would take the over, if you're betting on one of the sites over it today. We'll see how long it goes, and also if he goes off script in certain moments. President Biden did that as well when he was facing pushback from Republicans who were in the room when he was delivering his own addresses to Congress.

So, obviously, there's tweaks going on all the time throughout the day. The president was doing some practice with a lectern over the weekend, but this is not an unfamiliar venue for him. He's done this many times obviously in his first term.

I think what to watch tonight, one thing that we're going to be looking for is these speeches are long, they have a lot in them. Sometimes it's things that are key in that moment. Remember the Chinese spy balloon or the president talking about North Korea at one point, he talked about DOGE last year, which obviously is not a thing anymore.

TAPPER: Right.

COLLINS: And so I think one thing though tonight that is a through line that actually will be important and will matter in the months to come is how he tries to take back the narrative ahead of the midterm elections, because that is really what's been looming over the White House and what they have been hyperfocused on, which is the economy, affordability, how voters believe the president is doing with the economy, which typically has been a stronghold of his, and so how he handles that tonight. And does he take the tack that he normally does, or when he is talking about the economy, he's talking about how much they've accomplished, which maybe is not how voters are feeling based on what we've seen in our own polls, how does he break through to them in that way? That is what the White House is going to be trying to do overall when tonight's speech is said and done.

TAPPER: All right. Kaitlan Collins, always great to have you here. Thank you so much.

I spoke with a Republican senator in the last hour. Let's get the perspective of a Democratic senator who will be in the chamber tonight, ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Senator Shaheen, so good to see you. So, Democratic leadership in the House has told members to behave or to skip the speech all together. You guys are a little bit more mature in the Senate. You don't need a similar message, I assume.

SEN. JEANNE SHAHEEN (D-NH): Well, I think people are going to go and listen to what the president has to say. I think it's an important oversight responsibility for us in the Senate. I also have a guest here, the executive director of the New Hampshire Food Bank, because we want to point out that the president hasn't been spending enough attention, paying enough attention to the cost of living that people are experiencing.

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My constituents are concerned about housing costs. They're concerned about the cost of food. They're concerned about the cost of childcare. And they don't see any help in sight.

TAPPER: Tell us about the food bank in New Hampshire. Has there been an increased number of people needing to use a food bank? I know during the government shutdown, there were a lot of government employees in the largest -- longest, rather, shut down in history who felt the need to go to food banks. What's the situation in New Hampshire?

SHAHEEN: Well, unfortunately, we're a small -- even though we're a small state and we have a relatively high average annual income, what the food bank is seeing is more and more people who need help with, food assistance. One in nine people in New Hampshire are food insecure, one in seven children. Last year, they gave out more food than ever in their history, 20 million pounds. They have 400 sites around the state. They do a great job.

But, unfortunately, people are being hit twice. They're being hit with the cuts to food programs that the Trump administration has put in place because of the reconciliation bill passed last year, and people are also experiencing the cost -- high cost of tariffs. The Congressional Budget Office says 95 percent of those tariff costs are being paid by consumers. That's about $1,600 per family. So, people are feeling that and they're struggling.

TAPPER: Earlier today, the president told a bunch of us reporters that he had lunch with on the record that Iran wants a deal more than he does, but they refuse to say the sacred phrase, we will not build a nuclear weapon. What's your response to that?

SHAHEEN: Well, I would hope that the president would continue to negotiate with Iran, that I think diplomacy is a better alternative than bombing or strikes against the country. And so, hopefully, they will stay at the negotiating table. His buildup certainly has signaled to Iran that the Trump administration is serious about trying to get a deal. So, hopefully, they can work it out.

TAPPER: The president said to devote part of the address to foreign policy. Of course, today itself marks four years since Russia had launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine. How much attention do you expect that conflict to get tonight? What would you like to see the president say?

SHAHEEN: Well, I'd like to see the president finally put pressure on Vladimir Putin and Russia, because they're the aggressor in this war, and Putin is not going to be serious about coming to the table. I was just in Munich for the Munich Security Conference. Every leader I talked to said that they don't believe Putin is serious about negotiating. And he's not going to be serious until the president puts pressure on him, until we put sanctions in place. We need to shut down the shadow fleet, the oil that's funding Russia's war.

We need to provide weapons and equipment so the Ukrainians can continue this fight because they're actually -- Russia is not winning this war. They are not going to win this war. And Donald Trump doesn't want to be on the losing side. He wants to have Putin come to the table and negotiate a peace deal, something he promised to do on day one when he was running for reelection.

TAPPER: It's no secret that President Trump is frustrated with the Supreme Court's ruling on tariffs. You are the lead sponsor on a bill mandating refunds for those who paid the tariffs that the court struck down. Have any Republicans joined your bill?

SHAHEEN: Well, not yet, but we're working on it. And the bill would focus on small business because large corporations are going to have the resources to go after the federal government to try and get the reimbursement. Small businesses need help with that.

We put a timeline in place for six months to do the refunds, and hopefully we're going to see the lower courts respond to the Supreme Court decision and say to the Trump administration, you have to pay back those tariffs that have been paid 95 percent by consumers, by businesses in this country,

TAPPER: Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen from the Live Free or Die State of New Hampshire, thanks for joining us, as always.

SHAHEEN: Thank you.

TAPPER: Coming up, I'm going to talk to one of President Trump's biggest allies about his mission tonight. Republican Senator Rick Scott will be here live.

And later, Savannah Guthrie is again pleading for the public's help to find her mother this time with a sizable reward if information leads to her mother's return.

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TAPPER: In our Politics Lead, President Trump, just hours away from what may be his biggest audience in months before the crucial midterm elections later this year. And CNN's State of the Union evening poll, 57 percent of the American people polled say they want President Trump to address a key issue that's become one of his second term's biggest weaknesses. That's the economy and cost of living. At a White House lunch today, the president told the network anchors assembled, quote, the country's about to have the best three years economically in the nation's history, and it's already started, unquote. He's going to try to make that pitch this evening. He may also take the opportunity to defend his controversial tariff policy after the Supreme Court struck it down last week.

Joining us now, Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida and his guest for the speech tonight, the chairman of O'Leary Ventures and Shark Tank judge, Kevin O'Leary. Thanks to both of you for being here.

Senator, I want you to listen to how the president has talked about the current state of the economy in just the last week.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We have a country that's now doing well. We have the greatest economy we've ever had.

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We have the most activity we've ever had. I'm making a speech tomorrow night and you'll be hearing me say that.

You notice? What word have you not heard over the last two weeks? Affordability, because I've won, I've won affordability.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Do you think that that is the right message the president should deliver tonight?

SEN. RICK SCOTT (R-FL): Well, I think what he should talk about is what he's accomplished, but we still have work to do. You know, in their Biden years, we lost full-time jobs every year, he's bringing full-time jobs back. He's helping small businesses. The tax cuts that were passed last year are going to help our small businesses and help people.

Inflation is down. Gas prices are down. But we still have work to do. Housing prices have got to come down. Healthcare costs have got to come down. I know the president's focused on that. I've talked to him about both of them. So, I think what he can say is, we're making progress. The Biden years were terrible for the country, high inflation. We lost full-time jobs. We've had a good success the first year, we have more to do.

TAPPER: You're both very wealthy, comfortable, whatever your word you want to use, individuals, and, Mr. O'Leary, a lot of Democrats are going to say the economy is working for people like you and Senator Scott who are well-off, but the real issue is, can the president convince the middle class Americans that the economy's good for everybody and not just the stock market, the Nasdaq and the S&P? What do you think?

KEVIN O'LEARY, CHAIRMAN, O'LEARY VENTURES: Well, both of us believe in entrepreneurship and we have followed that dream ourselves. I'm honored to be a guest of the senator because he is on a bipartisan basis supporting small business as I do.

We represent the American dream. We're ambassadors to the American dream. What we're trying to do here is show people the path of American dream, because that's what built this economy over the last 200-plus years.

The number one export of America is not energy or technology, and the message will come out tonight, it's about the American dream. That's why we're here. That saves everybody and we never want to change that.

TAPPER: So, you have said that you would try to meet, Kevin, with White House staff at tonight's speech to talk about how your heads are getting squeezed over tariffs. Do you think the -- both this is to Kevin and then to you, Senator Scott, same question. Do you think that these tariffs that the Supreme Court just ruled against but the president is going to try to bring back in various forms are helping the American dream or helping people, small businesses achieve the American dream?

O'LEARY: I have no problem with reciprocal tariffs. If a European country puts a 10 percent VAT tax on, there's no reason we ha shouldn't have a reciprocal 10 percent. This decision by the Supreme Court, the only thing I'm asking staffers is to make sure that we support small business if there's going to be any refunds, whatsoever. It's not fair if a giant S&P company has to sue the American government and a small business that I support can't afford to do that. It's got to be fair, whatever it is. We'll let the lower court decide, but it's got to support small business too.

TAPPER: Senator?

SCOTT: Well, I think, here's the problem we've got. Congress has been inept. They haven't done anything to try to make sure we protect American jobs. The president's using what power he believes he has to try to do that. We'll see what the lower court decides. But I agree with Kevin. We've got to do whatever we can to help our small businesses.

Most all the job creation in this country is small businesses. We need more jobs. We -- I mean, look, we -- Trump walked in with a horrible economy. We have got to figure out how to grow our small businesses and get more jobs.

TAPPER: Senator, our CNN poll found that 61 percent of the American people poll believe that President Trump's policies are leading the U.S. in the wrong direction. You're not up for reelection for quite some time. Are you worried about numbers like that when it comes to your party's hold of the House and Senate?

SCOTT: Well, I think every election you got to tell people what you're going to do for them, tell people what you've done for them. You got to solve the issues that people care about. I think the most important thing we should talk about is we have reduced taxes. We have no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security. We've reduced taxes for our businesses. So, we've got to keep talking about that.

And then what are we going to do on top of that? We have got to get jobs going and we've got to get inflation even lower. We got to reduce the cost of living. So, I think we got our work cut out for us, but I think we're going to win November.

TAPPER: Kevin, what do you think that you want to hear when it comes to the president on the topic of the economy? What policies would you like to hear him talk about?

O'LEARY: You know, I always thought that the State of the Union is the compass of the next 12 months in terms of policy. And what I'm concerned about right now is energy. It is the source of growth of the economy. I want to hear some policy on that. Last year, China developed 511 gigawatts. And here in North America, zero, zero. So, we've got to fix that because that's the baseline upon A.I. compute and everything else, and communities. You got to have power to develop an economy. We're going to be promised that, and I'd love to hear some policy on what's going to happen for small business on these tariff refunds, if there are any.

TAPPER: Senator, the president last month unveiled what he called the Great American Healthcare Plan. There's been no vote on that yet.

[18:20:01]

Should there be a timeline set?

SCOTT: Yes, we've got to get this done this year. We got to do it as quickly as possible. I agree with the president. I've got to build a more affordable care act that says, stop giving the money to insurance companies, stop having government direct everything. Give it to individuals. Let them make their own choices. They'll make better choices. They'll decide what insurance they want. We've got to cover people with preexisting condition. I mean, I grew poor. I remember my mom struggling to get healthcare for my brother. We've got to get people healthcare, but they've got to be able to afford it.

TAPPER: Senator, you sit on the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees. Tonight's address comes as the president ordered this massive military buildup in the Middle East in the midst of these negotiations with Iran for them to end their nuclear weapons program. What would you like to see the president do? He told us at the lunch earlier today, and he said, this part was on the record that Iran wants to make a deal more than he does. I'm paraphrasing, but he said Iran refuses to say the sacred phrase that they will not make nuclear weapons. If they're not going to say that, what do you think the United States should do?

SCOTT: Well, we've got to destroy their ability to make nuclear weapons. I mean, they said if they get nuclear weapons, they're going to destroy America and destroy our ally, Israel. So, we cannot let them do that. So, it's going to -- it's clearly completely up to the ayatollah. If he decides he wants to be, you know, bombed, and then he's making that choice, then it's going to hurt his people, but he's making that choice, not Trump. Trump's saying he's going to protect America, which is exactly what I want our commander-in-chief to do.

TAPPER: Kevin, I assume you have friends who are not only Republicans, but Democrats, independents, your friends that have been, you know, Trump curious, how are they feeling these days with the president under so much fire and his poll number sagging?

O'LEARY: My universe is with small entrepreneurs building businesses. They care about policy more than politics. They're struggling to survive, grow their market share, keep their employees, customers happy, borrow money, raise venture capital. That's an all encompassing mandate for them, but they are the heart of the American economy.

I want to remind everybody, they create over 50 percent of all jobs in America. These are companies 5 to 500 employees. Yes, they focus on day-to-day news issues. But at the end of the day, around the kitchen table, they're working their butts off. That's what they're doing.

TAPPER: All right, Kevin O'Leary, Mr. Wonderful, and Senator Rick Scott, Republican of Florida, thanks to both of you. I appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed the speech tonight.

Another big story we're following tonight, a million dollar plea for help, Savannah Guthrie and her family offering a new reward, up to $1 million for any information that leads to the return of their mother. We're going to live to Arizona with new details in the case, next.

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TAPPER: Back with our National Lead, it's been more than three weeks since Nancy Guthrie vanished from her Tucson home in the middle of the night. Her daughter, NBC Today Show Anchor Savannah Guthrie, has posted a new, heartbreaking video just a few hours ago, Savannah acknowledging that her 84-year-old mother may be gone and that her family is now offering a million dollar reward for her return.

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SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, DAUGHTER OF NANCY GUTHRIE: She may be lost. She may already be gone. She may have already gone home to the Lord that she loves.

We need to know where she is. We need her to come home. For that reason, we are offering a family reward of up to $1 million for any information that leads us to her recovery.

So, please, if you hear this message, if you've been waiting and you haven't been sure, let this be your sign. So, please come forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: CNN's Ed Lavandera joins us now from Tucson, Arizona where the investigation continues. Ed, why make the offer now?

ED LAVANDERA, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think there's a couple of factors at play. We're told by a source close to the family that this was something the Guthrie family wanted to do very early on, in the beginning stage of the investigation, but law enforcement officials cautioned them against it because there was already a flood of phone calls coming in. They didn't want to overwhelm the infrastructure of these call centers that we're already adding staff to handle all the calls.

But we were told in the last few days that the calls have started slowing down as more time has passed. So, that could be something that is propelling them to put this video message out.

And it's really also very striking, Jake, if you listen to the wording there from Savannah Guthrie, is that this is information leading to Nancy Guthrie's recovery. This isn't information leading to the arrest and conviction of somebody as often the rewards are couched in that way. This is simply just a plea to whoever knows where she might be to lead them in that direction so that they can just bring her home no matter how this story ends. They just want this nightmare to end.

TAPPER: Ed Lavandera, keep us updated. Thank you so much.

Joining us now to discuss, CNN Law Enforcement Analyst and former Secret Service Agent Jonathan Wackrow.

Jonathan, could this up to a million dollar reward, bring Nancy Guthrie home one way or the other?

JONATHAN WACKROW, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Well, Jake, it could. You know, this message is really intended to drive actionable information that will lead to her recovery. And from a law enforcement perspective, this is really a classic, you know, pressure plus incentive construct, meaning that the high reward, and this is a significantly high reward now, we're going to be over $1.1 million in total reward money between the family and the FBI, that it means that this reward is designed to prompt somebody within the suspect's orbit.

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So, it's not the suspect themselves that the messaging is focused on. It's this broader orbit of associates, potentially friends, family, co-conspirators, really for them to break their silence.

So, this will definitely drive a new surge of tips. But as we just heard from Ed, you know, we have a problem here potentially with law enforcement lacking the infrastructure to take on this new surge of information.

TAPPER: I want to get your reaction to it. So, the Guthrie family wanted to offer a reward this big early on, and they were cautioned by law enforcement not to do so because they were already getting so much information. Does that make sense to you? And, second of all, in your experience, are there people who have information and they're not willing to come forward for a hundred thousand dollars reward, but they are willing to come forward for a million dollar reward, does it sometimes work like that? WACKROW: Yes. Let me take the second part of your question first. Yes, absolutely, you know, going from a hundred thousand to $1 million is a significant shift. It makes the risk of disclosing potentially somebody that may be very close to you, a family member or a spouse who is involved in this, it makes that easier for them to make that make that disclosure and make the outreach to law enforcement.

The fact that they, you know, have, you know, delayed raising this reward amount, and this is a reward from the family, is a little bit shocking, right? Because in the moments of a disappearance, you want to put every resource available out there to try to get that information, because in those, you know, first few hours, few days, this is, you know, about, you know, getting Nancy Guthrie back alive.

And, you know, tragically, we've, you know, now heard a subtle tone shift from Savannah in her last message is that, you know, this is shifting to the acceptance of a whole variety or a multitude of outcomes, including the fact that she may now be deceased in there looking for closure.

So, again, is a tactic. I would have expected that to be, you know, earlier on in this investigation, not midway through the fourth week, Jake.

TAPPER: All right. Jonathan Wackrow, thank you so much. I appreciate it. And you out there, if you have any information that you think can help find Nancy Guthrie, please call the Pima County Sheriff's Department, 520-351-4900, or the FBI, 1-800-CALL-FBI. You can also reach the Bureau online at tips.fbi.gov.

The stakes are not just high for President Trump tonight whenever he finishes his State of the Union address. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger just elected to that position is going to deliver the Democratic response. I'm going to talk to the DNC chair about what to expect, next.

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TAPPER: In our Politics Lead, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, who was just elected in November, she's going to give the Democratic response to President Trump's speech tonight. Her star has been on the rise, especially since her 15-point landslide victory last year in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Representing the opposing party after a State of the Union address has a reputation as one of the most thankless tasks in American politics. You can ask former Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachman, or former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, how much the gig did for their national profiles.

Tonight, we're going to get a look at the Democrats message as they try to rest back control of Congress from the GOP.

Joining us now is the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, Ken Martin. Ken, in your mind, what does Governor Spanberger have to accomplish tonight? KEN MARTIN, CHAIR, DNC: Well, look, we have a historically unpopular president whose economic policies have just devastated this country, some of the worst economic policies in over a generation, right, with record job loss, of course, increased costs for Americans, $2,100 most American families are paying because of these tariffs.

And so what Governor Spanberger is going to do is present what Democrats have been doing. As Washington is broken right now, it's Democratic governors and local elected officials who are actually delivering on the promises of making communities more safe, and, of course, bringing down the costs and making things more affordable for people.

And that's what you'll see out of Governor Spanberger not only presenting a vision of what this administration has done to wreak havoc throughout the country, but to present a positive vision of what Democrats stand for, what Democrats are fighting for and what we're doing to improve people's lives.

TAPPER: Let's talk about that positive vision. When Newt Gingrich came up with the Republican Revolution in 1994, he came up with the Contract for America. And soon-to-be Speaker Pelosi did similar things in both times. She was ultimately able to recapture the House for Democrats during the Bush years and then I guess during the Trump years, I suppose. What's your pitch? What is the pitch of Democrats? Why should Democrats take back the House and Senate? What are you offering to the American people?

MARTIN: Well, our pitch is very simple. Democrats believe that no matter where you live in this country, no matter where you're from, who you love, or who you are, that you deserve an opportunity to actually get ahead and not just get by. Unfortunately, too many people are getting just getting by in this country. Everyone deserves an opportunity to climb the economic ladder, build a better life for their families.

And what we're focused on is three things. We're focused on affordability, actually bringing down the cost of goods actually increasing wages so people can, you know, actually afford their lives, making sure that they can afford child -- expensive cost of childcare, and, of course, the rising cost of housing right now, which are really pricing people out of buying their first home, making sure that we're focused on healthcare access in this country. After Donald Trump has increased healthcare premiums on millions of Americans, Democrats are focused on making sure that we actually are expanding out healthcare access in this country and not ripping healthcare away.

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And lastly, we're focused on fixing this corrupt and rigged system that only benefits those at the top, the wealthy, the well-connected, and the billionaires at the expense of working people. We need to level the playing field and we need to push policies, and we will push policies that actually give working people a chance to climb the economic ladder and build a life that they want. TAPPER: President Trump had an off the record lunch with some members of the press today. He talked about this part we were allowed to share with the public. He talked about a rate payer protection plan for A.I. data centers. They're driving up electricity costs in the communities where they're built. I think that the tech firms are agreeing to pay for all that electricity they need. How do you think new incentives to lower costs will affect Democratic campaigns centered around affordability? Won't that help take that issue off the table at least for A.I. centers?

MARTIN: Well, look, I mean, I think it's a step in the right direction, but we got a long ways to go as it relates to these data centers, right? We know they're going to be built. I'm glad that the president and tech companies are talking about who actually is paying for these. It shouldn't be the average consumer who's seen over the last year. Their utility rates have just been soaring through the roof. We do need to bring down utility costs in this country. There's great anxiety over this as we've seen utility prices spiking in every part of the country, but we need to do more there.

And we need to acknowledge that it's not just having the tech companies and others pay for these data centers, but that we actually build these in a safe way, that protects the environment, at the same time creates jobs, good paying union jobs for people throughout the country. And I think that, again, it's a step in the right direction, but it's just -- it's not enough.

TAPPER: When it comes to foreign policy, I'm not sure what the Democrat's message is. We have President Trump having led that effort to militarily take out the Iranian nuclear weapons program last June. He also ordered a military operation to take Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela. Does the Democratic Party support or oppose those two military operations?

MARTIN: Well, what I would say in both Iran and in Venezuela, you have brutal regimes that are terrorizing people, of course, killing people indiscriminately. And we should respond. What that response looks like though should not be what we've seen so far through this administration, which is a very sort of callous, unstrategic response, as it relates to Iran, which threatens, you know, certainly our regional stability in the Mideast and certainly peace in the Mideast. We have to figure out a path that's strategic, that's calculated, that considers all the risk here. And I believe the way the president's approaching this without, you know, consulting with Congressional leaders and others is really dangerous. At the same time, we all acknowledge that we need to do something about what's happening in Iran and, of course, what happened in Venezuela.

And so the Democrats will speak very loudly about this, where we agree with the president is we need to do something, but the way he's approaching it is shortsighted, it's not strategic, and at this point it's unclear as to what his strategic objectives really are.

TAPPER: Ken Martin, thanks so much. I appreciate it, sir.

We're just hours away from the president's State of the Union address. The president has a challenge here to persuade Americans that the country is actually on the right track, even though a majority of Americans don't think so. Is the public going to buy it? Are their minds open? My political panel's coming up next.

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TAPPER: We're back in our politics lead.

Embattled Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales says he's not going anywhere, despite many calls from Republican colleagues to resign in the face of allegations that he had an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.

Here is what Congressman Gonzales told CNN's Manu Raju just a few hours ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TONY GONZALES (R-TX): I'm not going to resign. I work every day for the people of Texas.

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Did you carry --

GONZALES : And there will be an opportunity for all the details and facts that come out. What you've seen is not all the facts.

RAJU: Did you -- did you have an extramarital affair with the staff?

GONZALES: What you've seen is not all the facts. And there'll be -- there'll be an ample time for all of that to come out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TAPPER: Kind of a simple yes or no question.

The congressman did not address whether he sent sexually explicit text messages that appeared to show him pressuring the staffer to share images of herself.

Congressman Gonzales is set to meet later today with the House Speaker Mike Johnson who previously conceded that the allegations were, quote, very serious.

Later today, former Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told CBS News that he thought Congressman Gonzales should step down. Speaker McCarthy joins a number of Gonzales Republican colleagues calling for his resignation. Others say he should drop his reelection bid in Texas. Gonzales is a week out from a difficult primary battle on March 3rd.

Perspective now from former DNC communications director, Karen Finney, and former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, Marc Short.

Now, we just -- we should say that he has not been charged with anything. He is not facing any criminal allegations. He is facing allegations that he had an affair, an inappropriate relationship with a staffer. He says there's more to the story than that. And then she tragically took her own life.

And I guess it's -- if the charges are true its gross, and awful, but where do you draw the line if somebody has not been criminally charged with anything?

KAREN FINNEY, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, look because this is happening in the context of an election and a primary, he's going to have to decide what are his voters need to hear in order to have confidence in him and reelect him? I mean, I think that -- it's a political question as much as it's a legal question, frankly, at this point.

And I would think that part of what folks in the Capitol are thinking about is in the era of the Epstein files, where there is this perception that -- and some studies, some reports suggest reality that things are being hidden, right?

[18:50:01]

There's not the transparency we would like to see. You do not want to be on the side of anything other than full transparency and making sure that the record is clear in terms of what did happen. He says there's more to it.

Well, then what's the legal process? What did happen? What's that investigation going to show?

TAPPER: It's kind of interesting that two of the Republicans who represent the same state as him Texas, Brendan Gill and another -- who's the one I'm thinking of?

FINNEY : Chip Roy.

TAPPER: Chip Roy, yes sorry. Brain fog.

FINNEY: All good.

TAPPER: That Chip Roy, Brendan Gill are not calling him to step down, but calling him to jump out of the -- of the reelection race. And there's a strong House Freedom Caucus, more conservative guy there.

You used to work for Mike Pence, so this was never a part of your job. But what do you think?

MARC SHORT, FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE: I don't think it's that complicated. I think he should step down.

TAPPER: Why?

SHORT: Because I think there's a different standard. Our standard shouldn't be a criminal prosecution, Jake. These are members elected to represent us the United States government, in the halls of Congress. There should be a standard here. And there was a time not too long ago that there would have been that

standard enforced regardless of party. I think it's hard to look at us and say that that the dynamics are not influenced by the fact that there's a one seat majority inside the Republican Party.

And, you know, I wouldn't be surprised if you get until mid-March. And Marjorie Taylor Greene seat is filled. Then all of a sudden, the pressure does build because then the margin is two.

But I think that I don't think this needs to be that complicated. I don't think it needs to be whether there's a threshold of criminal prosecution. You're representing American citizens in the halls of Congress. This sort of conduct should not be accepted

TAPPER: Assuming it's true, you say.

SHORT: I think there's enough that's already come out that's true. I don't think he's questioning it. He's saying there's more to the story. But I don't think there's really questioning what has already come out.

TAPPER: Do you think -- just jumping off the point that Marc just made --

FINNEY: Yes.

TAPPER: -- if Republicans had a 40-vote majority, that we would even be having this conversation because the theory being like they can afford to lose a seat, therefore the pressure would just be like, get out of here. Like you're a distraction.

FINNEY: Sure. Because again, yeah, in part because in the era of the Epstein files, where we have no, not enough transparency, it would be an easier political position to take to be on the side of transparency, because, you know, we all like to be on they all like to be on the right side on certain issues.

TAPPER: Now, Speaker Johnson, he didn't call when there was the vote to expel George Santos before he had been convicted of a crime. He didn't -- he didn't support it. And his argument was you have to wait until there is a conviction. You can't just go by indictments there are, you know you can get an indictment against a ham sandwich except for -- perhaps today's DOJ. That's a separate discussion, though.

But what you don't -- you don't buy that as a -- as a standard.

SHORT: I don't -- I think -- I think that's not the right standard. This is not a criminal prosecution.

I don't think this is -- you know, again, I've made the point about it being a one seat majority, but I don't think that's unique to Republicans. I think Democrats have had the same position in the past, and they've defended people who've had incredibly poor choice in this sort of character.

So, it's not a partisan issue. I just think it's a matter of standards. I think for members of elected government, that's not where we should be.

TAPPER: Long before former Congressman Anthony Weiner broke the law --

FINNEY: Yeah.

TAPPER: -- Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats did you know they had a bigger majority, but they did boot him out because of embarrassing messages.

SHORT: I know it's a long time ago, jake, but we had a president of the United States, the Democratic Party, having you know, oral sexual favors from an intern. And all the Democrats in Congress stood beside him. So, this is -- this is not like Republican.

FINNEY: I wouldn't say -- it was mixed.

SHORT: Come on

FINNEY: Okay, so all the Republicans in Congress are standing by the president. And how many laws has he broken?

SHORT: I'm not -- I'm not -- I'm sitting here saying that this guy should be should be forced out.

FINNEY: Yeah.

TAPPER: But --

FINNEY: Okay, fine, you've convinced me. He should be out.

TAPPER: But the same standard for Democrats, though. I mean, like --

FINNEY: Should be the same standard --

TAPPER: Sexual impropriety. You're sleeping with a staffer. Like, what is the line? Is it -- he's having an affair, he's cheating on his wife, or it's -- he's having an affair with somebody he works for, or he's having somebody who works for, and it turned incredibly tragic.

FINNEY: No. Look, I think if you're in a position of power over someone where the power dynamic is not appropriate, you should step down if it is proven. I do think we and I'm not saying I don't know enough to be perfectly honest about this dynamic between these two. I certainly think it's very troubling. If it's true, if it's factual, then absolutely you should step down. I think you should get the chance to prove your case. But if it's true, you're out.

TAPPER: Agreement. All right. Karen Finney, Marc Short, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Coming up next, the president's special guests, the Skutniks at the State of the Union tonight. I'll explain what a Skutnik is, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[18:59:04] TAPPER: Our last lead start with our law and justice lead where today a judge declined to dismiss prosecutors from the case against alleged Charlie Kirk shooter Tyler Robinson. A Utah county prosecutor's office will be allowed to continue building its death penalty case. Robinson's attorney asked for the office to be recused because a prosecutor's child had been at the event where Charlie Kirk was assassinated. The judge ruled the child's attendance did not materially influence prosecutor's actions.

This comes as were learning Kirk's widow, Erica, will attend tonight's State of the Union Address as one of President Trump's special guests, or Skutniks. Named after Lenny Skutnik, who was President Reagan's special guest in 1982.

In our sports lead, a member of the -- members of the U.S. men's Olympic hockey team have arrived in D.C. for the president's State of the Union Address after their historic gold medal win against Canada in overtime, the team traveled to D.C. on a government plane after the president invited them to visit following their victory Sunday.

A short time ago, the players visited the White House and met with the president in the oval office. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, X, and on TikTok @jaketapper. You can follow the show on X and Instagram @TheLeadCNN. If you ever miss an episode of the show, you can watch the show on our CNN app.

I will see you in one hour for our State of the Union Address coverage.

"ERIN BURNETT OUTFRONT" starts now.