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Polls on Foreign Policy; Trump Comments on Gaza Crisis; Natalie Andrews is Interviewed about the Education Fight; President Trump Speaks with Keir Starmer. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired July 28, 2025 - 08:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:40]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, the breaking news. Just moments ago, President Trump said he is disappointed with Russian Leader Vladimir Putin, and he issued a new timeline on when the United States might push for secondary sanctions against Russia.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm disappointed in President Putin. Very disappointed in him. So, we're going to have to look -- and I'm going to reduce that 50 days that I gave him to a lesser number, because I think I already know the answer, what's going to happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: Before he has said Vladimir Putin had 50 days to move toward peace, or the president would push for secondary sanctions. That appears now to have changed.

Very shortly, we're going to hear more from the president, we believe, on this shift in policy.

So, where do Americans stand right now on the president and his foreign policy? CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is here.

Good morning, sir.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Good morning, sir.

BERMAN: So, look, the president has shifted on Vladimir Putin. The president has received criticism on foreign policy in general. But what do voters seem to say?

ENTEN: Yes, I -- this one was a surprising one to me, given everything that's going on in Russia, what happened in Iran, what happened in Gaza. But the bottom line is, Democrats, in the American voters' minds, cannot hack it. What are we talking about? Party trusted more on foreign policy? Well,

the GOP holds an average six-point lead in the month of July. Look at this, Fox News came out last week, plus three points for Republicans on foreign policy over the Democrats.

You think that number is -- it's not high enough for you? How about "The Wall Street Journal," GOP plus eight points when they match congressional Democrats up against congressional Republicans.

The bottom line is this, despite everything that's going on in the world right now, Republicans are more trusted on Democrats when it comes to foreign policy and the world at large.

BERMAN: How has this changed or how does this compare to during the campaign?

ENTEN: Yes, again, this to me was a surprising number. Since Donald Trump said he'd come in and broker all these peace deals. And while he's brokered some, he hasn't, obviously, brokered one between Ukraine and Russia and, obviously, the situation in Gaza.

But take a look here. Trust more in foreign policy. You go back to 2024. Trump had a six-point advantage over Kamala Harris. Again, look at the average right now. It hasn't moved despite everything that's going on in the world. You see Republicans plus six points here.

And this goes back to a larger issue that we have discussed over and over again here in the mornings. Despite any misgivings that the American public might have about Donald Trump. When you match up Republicans against Democrats, Donald Trump against Democrats, still, at this particular point, they are doing significantly better than you might expect. And when it comes to the issue of foreign policy, again what you see is, in the American voters' minds, Democrats, simply put, can't hack it. More voters trust Republicans on foreign policy, very much like they did back during the 2024 campaign.

BERMAN: What about the strikes on Iran? Because while they were being contemplated, they were not universally popular.

ENTEN: No, they were not universally popular. And in the immediate aftermath, they were not universally popular. Look at this, net approval rating, U.S. airstrikes on Iran. In late June, the net approval rating, look at that, minus eight points, underwater. But as the American people learned more and more about it, look at this, a ten-point rise. Now it's in the positive. The American people like the move that Donald Trump put on Iran, the U.S. airstrikes in Iran. A plus positive plus two net approval rating.

So, again, the bottom line is this, as the American people learn more about these airstrikes, as the American people compare Donald Trump and the Republicans against the Democrats, they see them far more favorably than you might expect.

BERMAN: Interesting and notable that the president is overseas today. Foreign policy may be an area that is stronger for him.

Harry Enten, thank you very much.

ENTEN: Thank you, my friend.

BERMAN: Erica.

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Well, just moments ago, President Donald Trump telling reporters a humanitarian crisis in Gaza is, quote, one of the main reasons for his meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The two are meeting in this moment.

He also was asked about comments from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The prime minister saying there is no starvation in Gaza.

Here's exactly what he said yesterday. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Israel is presented as though we are applying a campaign of starvation in Gaza. What a bold- face lie. There is no policy of starvation in Gaza, and there is no starvation in Gaza.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: So, the president, moments ago, was asked whether he agreed with those claims from Netanyahu.

[08:35:07]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Based on television, I would say, not particularly, because those children look very hungry. But we're giving a lot of money and a lot of food. And other nations are now stepping up. I know that this nation is right here.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: It's a humanitarian crisis.

TRUMP: Right.

STARMER: It's an absolutely catastrophe. And nobody -- nobody wants to see that. And I think people in Britain are revolted at seeing what they're seeing on their screens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: Joining me now, CNN political and global affairs commentator Sabrina Singh.

Sabrina, good to have you here this morning.

So, CNN is reporting as well, the Trump administration does not, at this time, have a high level official in place who has been appointed to focus on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Given what we're seeing, the growing international outrage, what could having someone in that position actually change? Would it make a difference? SABRINA SINGH, CNN POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Well, I

think it certainly would make a difference in terms of one person's sole responsibility and job being focused on the crisis that continues to develop within Gaza. But at the end of the day, you have a high level senior administration official, like Steve Witkoff, who has engaged both Israel and Hamas when it comes to a ceasefire.

And certainly, you know, during my time during the Biden administration, we had people at different levels of government, not only engaging Israeli officials on what was happening on the ground as they were conducting activities against Hamas, but pushing the conversation on humanitarian aid getting in. And we were able to open some of those land access routes. But that is clearly not happening. And I don't know that humanitarian aid getting into Gaza is a priority of this administration, although you are seeing a bit of -- a rhetoric shift from the president. And I think that is coming as you're seeing this global outcry and some of the images on your screen of children literally starving to death in Gaza.

HILL: And certainly a more forceful answer in that moment that we just played from Keir Starmer when President Trump was asked about this.

There's also, in terms of getting the aid in, the U.N. has outlined the challenges that it has faced, citing, among other issues, that the IDF, according to the U.N., is regularly denying or has delayed coordinated movements.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has said there are safe corridors for aid delivery. Also said that the U.N. should, and I'm quoting him here, "stop finding excuses." The new pauses in fighting, is that enough to allow in the aid that is needed?

SINGH: I mean, I think there's -- it's a good thing that there are some brief pauses in fighting. But we've seen pauses like this happen in the past. And it's never been successful in allowing the amount of aid that needs to get into Gaza successfully reach the people. And, you know, when the Israeli government is talking about some of those aid distribution sites, there's only four open and in the southern part of the country, and they're being overrun within Gaza.

And so, there's just not enough aid sites throughout the Gaza Strip, particularly in the -- the north, to get aid to the people that need it most, which is why you're seeing humanitarian airdrops led by Jordan and even the Israeli government to inject, you know, more emergency aid in. You don't do airdrops like that unless there is a on the ground humanitarian crisis where people can physically not reach aid. And so, they really need to open these land routes. There needs to be pressure from this administration.

But this is, of course, all coming on the heels as France, on Friday, recognized a Palestinian state. The first G-7 country to do that. Which I think is important because that's putting a lot of pressure on the Israeli government to do more in Gaza.

HILL: And as we watch all of this play out, I did also want to ask you about the comments from President Trump just a short time ago talking specifically about Russia and Ukraine, saying he is once again very disappointed in Vladimir Putin and that he said, and I'm quoting him here, I'm going -- "I'm going to reduce the 50 days," talking about that timeline that he had given Vladimir Putin earlier this month, saying, "I think we know the answer, what's going to happen."

What could this potentially change in your view?

SINGH: I mean, I think the president needs to act. He's basically said that there's not going to be a change in action from Vladimir Putin. It was an arbitrary 50 day, you know, pause that he sort of put on to see if Russia would assess its position in Ukraine. And it's clear, Vladimir Putin has no intention of ending the war in Ukraine.

So, there is bipartisan legislation that's ready to be passed that would enact more sanctions on Russia. I think that is a good thing. But the president ultimately can make that choice. And it seems like he's signaling that he's willing to do that sooner rather than later.

HILL: Sabrina, always good to talk to you. Thank you.

Just ahead here, an inmate is on the run at this hour after he was mistakenly released from the same New Orleans jail where those ten inmates escaped earlier this year. We'll tell you about the dangerous mix-up.

Plus, future federal funding now in question for America's top universities after Columbia reached that massive deal with the Trump administration. How the Trump administration may now be seeking similar deals from other schools.

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[08:44:27]

HILL: Last week, Columbia University became the first school to reach a settlement with the Trump administration over claims of anti- Semitism on campus. The university agreeing to pay more than $200 million over three years and, in exchange, the Trump administration will unlock hundreds of millions in unrelated scientific research funding that the administration had frozen to force Columbia to bend to demand.

Well, after that deal was announced, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the White House is still optimistic about the possibility of reaching a deal with Harvard.

Joining us now, Natalie Andrews, White House correspondent for "The Wall Street Journal."

Natalie, good to have you with us.

[08:45:01]

There is so much focus on this Columbia deal and what it could mean for other schools who are, of course, dealing with similar issues from this administration in terms of funding being withheld. What sort of a precedent does this set? Is this the minimum now, some 200 million?

NATALIE ANDREWS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": The 200 million may vary. We've -- our reporting says that the number the administration is seeking from Harvard will make the Columbia number look like peanuts. So, what we were told -- but we were told that this is kind of a blueprint for what the administration is seeking across the different schools they're negotiating with, from Cornell, to Duke, to Harvard. They're really talking to a broad range of schools.

HILL: So, they're talking to a broad range of schools. There's also the question of, in making this deal, is this now a signal? I know there are some provisions, right, in terms of some oversight, for lack of a better term, that will be in place, but does this mean the administration is the sense at Columbia, that this means the administration is going to leave the school alone because it doesn't seem to be the way things typically play out.

ANDREWS: They're wanting to see an agreement from the university. So, if the universities are saying, hey, we're going to do this or we're going to change it this way, then maybe the administration may not require so much oversight going forward. So, there's a little bit of that understanding.

HILL: There is this -- this hope within the administration, as you noted, that there could be a deal with Harvard, although a much larger one. The way that Harvard has chosen, though, to go about this is far different than what we have seen from Columbia, for example. And yet there hasn't been as much public backing. I would say, when it comes to the way Harvard is fighting this. We do hear often from the president of Wesleyan, who's been very outspoken about his concerns. Why hasn't there been, though, in terms of what you're hearing from other schools, why hasn't there been more widespread, a more widespread concerted public effort among these schools to band together?

ANDREWS: This money is really important to schools. They were seeing that -- right, they don't like having the money frozen. And even in Harvard's case, these universities admitted some wrongdoing. They admitted they could have protected Jewish students more who felt unsafe on campus. And so that's opened up an interesting lane because these schools aren't all negotiating together. They're -- they're having their own side talks. Maybe some thought that they could cut a deal earlier. We are seeing that they're really wanting to get this settled before the school year starts. So, it's an artificial deadline, but it is there.

HILL: And in terms of what's also fascinating, too, is that, you know, as we noted, the funding that is being withheld, which most of it is for research funding, is not related to the issues that the Trump administration has in terms of the way anti-Semitism has been addressed on campus. So, ultimately, with a settlement like what we're seeing from Columbia, where does that money go?

ANDREWS: That's probably the number one question I've received from readers as well. It's going to the U.S. Treasury. It's just going back into the government coffers. Now, some of that money eventually goes back to universities. Does it go off to pay the national debt also while it sits there? It is essentially going back to the U.S. government.

HILL: Interesting. Natalie, really appreciate it. Thank you.

ANDREWS: Thank you.

HILL: John.

BERMAN: All right, police searching for the person suspected of killing a couple hiking with their two young daughters. What we know about the attack.

And we're standing by to hear from President Trump. He is meeting at this moment with the British prime minister behind closed doors. A short time ago, he seemed to issue a new ultimatum, a new timeline for Russian Leader Vladimir Putin. So, stand by for more.

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[08:53:02]

BERMAN: This morning, police are searching for a suspect after a couple was attacked and killed while hiking with their two young daughters in Arkansas. Officials say the couple was found dead on a trail in Devil's Den State Park. The daughters, ages seven and nine, were unharmed and now safe with family members. There is audio of police responding to the double homicide.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Washington County received a call from the visitor center. Two children are there. They advised that their parents were assaulted. One was possibly stabbed. The parents are missing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: All right, police described the person they believed to be the suspect as a medium build white male, last seen wearing a dark ball cap and sunglasses.

Let's go back to Scotland now. The president is speaking with the British prime minister.

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: To start talking about some of the issues that are most pressing in your country and my country. And in particular, we've had the opportunity to talk about the situation in Gaza and the intolerable situation, including images of starvation. And I think both of us know that we have to get to that ceasefire, and we have to increase humanitarian aid in. And thank you for what you've already been doing, are doing, and are committed to, because without you, this would not be capable of resolution.

And I think that if we can work, not just on the pressing issues of the ceasefire, but also on this issue of getting humanitarian aid in at volume, at speed, and then we've discussed a plan for what then happens afterwards, I think we can do our very best to alleviate what is an awful situation at the moment.

So, thank you very much for the discussion we've had so far, and the discussion we're about to continue on that really important issue. But it's fantastic to be here. Thank you for your hospitality.

[08:55:04]

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you very much.

STARMER: And to see this amazing golf course.

TRUMP: Yes.

STARMER: I'll invite you to a football ground at some stage and we can exchange sports.

TRUMP: (INAUDIBLE). Good.

It's been great being with you. And thank you very much, Mr. Prime Minister. And you've done a fantastic job with regard to the trade deal. You know, they wanted a trade deal here for years, many years, through many different terms of different people. And you got it done. So, I want to congratulate you on that.

And it's a great -- it's a great deal for both. It brings unity. We didn't need unity. But we -- it -- it brings us even closer together, I think. It's good for both parties.

We also discussed, obviously, Gaza. And I think before we get to phase two, which is, you know, what's going to happen afterwards. We want to get the children fed. We made a contribution a week ago of $60 million, all going into food. We only hope the food goes to the people that need it because so -- so much, as you know, when you do something there, it gets taken by Hamas or somebody, but it gets taken.

But -- and we're prepared to help. You know, we want to help. It's -- it's a terrible situation. The whole thing is terrible. It's been bad for many years. But it's great to hear you feel the same way that I do. We have to help on a humanitarian basis. Before we do anything, we have to get the kids fed. So, we've been sending in a lot of food. A lot of the food that's been going there has been sent by the United States.

I spoke yesterday with the president of the European Union, Ursula, who -- who was terrific also on this subject, and she's going to play a big role also in helping us.

STARMER: Yes.

TRUMP: So, we have a -- a good group of countries that are going to help with the humanitarian needs, which is food, sanitation and some other things. It's very difficult to deal with, Hamas, as I said. You know, we got a tremendous amount of hostages out. But it would take place in drips and drabs. You'd get ten, you'd get five, you'd get two, you'd get ten, 12. We get 12 one time. Many of them would come to the White House and they were so thankful. But I always said, when you come -- when you get down to the final 10 or 20, you're not going to be able to make a deal with these people because they use them as a shield. And when they give them up, they no longer have a shield.

And the people of Israel feel so strongly about the hostages. Some people would take a different view, but they feel so strongly about the hostages. So, that's an ongoing process. Hamas has become very difficult to deal with in the last couple of days because they don't want to give up these last 20 because they think as long as we have them, they have them, they have protection. But I don't think it can work that way. So, I'm speaking to Bibi Netanyahu, and we are coming up with various plans. We're going to see. It's a very difficult situation.

If they didn't have the hostages, things would go very quickly. But they do and we know where they have them in some cases. And you don't want to go riding roughshod over that area because that means those hostages will be killed.

Now, there are some people that would say, well, that's the price you pay. But we don't like to say that. We don't want to say that. And I don't think the people of Israel want to say that either, which is pretty amazing. A lot of people would say, just get it done and whatever it is. You could also say speed might be better for the hostages. You go through, you know, with speed you may have a better chance because they're in deep trouble. They're in deep trouble.

You saw October 7th and you saw what the damage and the -- the horror that they committed. People can't forget that. You know, they tend to forget it, but they can't forget. That was one of the most evil things I've ever seen. And you just cannot forget that.

So, we're very much involved. The prime minister's involved. I'm involved. And I think I can speak. We just signed a very big trade deal. The biggest of them all yesterday, right?

STARMER: Yes.

TRUMP: And the European Union is very much involved in wanting to help with the -- really the Palestinians in terms of getting people fed. But the area of Gaza, another way of defining it is the area of Gaza. It's a -- it's a very troubled place. And it has been for many, many years. It has been for many decades. So, it's not like this just happened. This has been going on for, you know, a long period of time.

STARMER: Yes.

TRUMP: So, it -- that's -- that's it. We -- our hearts are in the right place. We have some good news because the recent war that you just saw, they just announced, I see, the newest of the five, now this would be six that we've stopped. I've six -- stopped six wars in the last -- I'm averaging about a war a month, but the last three were very close together, India and Pakistan, and a lot of them.

[09:00:05]

Congo was just -- and Rwanda was just done.