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Trump's Handpicked Board Votes to Rename Venue "Trump Kennedy Center"; Trump Addresses Nation as Polls Show Low Economic Marks; Trump Signs Executive Order Easing Restrictions on Marijuana. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired December 18, 2025 - 13:30   ET

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

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[13:31:45]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": Just into CNN, President Trump's handpicked board of trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has voted to rename the facility, the Trump Kennedy Center. In a statement, a spokesperson for the center said the unanimous vote recognizes that the current chairman saved the institution from financial ruin and physical destruction. The new Trump Kennedy Center reflects the unequivocal bipartisan support for America's cultural center for generations to come. The vote took place during a board meeting according to a source familiar with the matter, during which Trump called in. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.

President Trump made a rare primetime pitch to the American people last night, trying to sell what he calls the historic success of his second term so far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I am bringing those high prices down and bringing them down very fast. Much of this success has been accomplished by tariffs, my favorite word. Tonight, after 11 months, our border is secure, Inflation is stopped, wages are up, prices are down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now here are the facts. New data released today show prices are up, especially the cost of electricity. Overall, consumer costs rose 2.7 percent in November year-over yea-. As for tariffs, last week, Fed Chair, Jerome Powell squarely blamed them for "most of the inflation overshoot." President Trump called out former President Biden at least six times in the 20-minute address saying that he "inherited a mess." But a new Quinnipiac Poll taken this past week finds the majority of voters blame Trump for the current economy and not Biden, 57 percent to 34.

Republican Congressman Warren Davidson of Ohio is with us now. What was your biggest takeaway from the president's address? Did he achieve what he needed to? REP. WARREN DAVIDSON, (R-OH) FINANCE & FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE: Yeah, I thought it was great. The president came out and talked about affordability and ran off a list of successes and just a reminder, and I think it -- he set the right tone. He is like talked about things we've done and you can clearly see a distinction. You talk about inflation, it was well over 3 percent when Joe Biden was president. It's trending the right way, not yet as affordable as we want. And he talked about that.

He's like, we got tax reform done. We got our border secure. You can see that may be the most clear difference. And when you look at what drives it, you put 20 million extra people in the country. Obviously, housing has to go somewhere, extra demand for all kinds of things. So he talked about the wins, but he also talked about looking forward to the future. So it wasn't like mission accomplished. We got it all done. He had a long list of promises made and promises kept, but he also talked about the plan to do more in the future.

KEILAR: So, he trumpeted real wage increases in his speech last night, but we know that not all Americans are seeing them, lower and middle income wages. So, most of America, they're not outpacing the increase in what people are paying for things. So if their bank accounts say one thing and the president is saying another, who are they going to believe?

DAVIDSON: Well, look, people know what their own experience is and I thought, Vice President Vance did a great job talking about that this week as well and just saying, look, the top 10 percent are driving a lot of the economy. And so, what they're experiencing in the stock market isn't the same thing that every household is experiencing.

[13:35:00]

And this is coming. So when you look at your tax reform package, we of course locked in rates that are beneficial to everyone. But you had targeted things that were good for the service economy, like no tax on tips, hourly wage workers like no tax on overtime, and then senior citizens like no tax on Social Security. So these -- those things are starting to show up and they're going to show up in a bigger way in the year ahead. And that's kind of what the president was pointing towards. You're going to see it. It's already been done, but you're going to see it in the year ahead.

KEILAR: But he promised things, prices would decrease quickly. That was a promise he made over and over on the campaign trail. Heating your home that's something that is costing more this season for electric and natural gas, a lot in some states compared to others. Buying your groceries, that is up. And then when you look at these increases in wages, if you have a 3 percent annual gain in consumer prices, middle-income workers, their wage gain was just 2.3 percent. Low-income workers just 1.4 percent. It's just not keeping pace.

DAVIDSON: Yeah. That's why the tax cuts are big because you get more take home pay for it. But on the other side, the things that he could control, look, by design under the Green New Deal, or as Biden tried to brand it, the Inflation Reduction Act, energy got more expensive. They made it more demand and less production. We've kept more production online, and that reform has done everything from interior to EPA to the Department of Energy. President Trump's energy policies are big. We need to get those across the finish line in the Senate.

We've passed really big reforms in the House that we need to get into law, so that these are locked in, not just for President Trump's term, but well into the future. So what's driving it is, really still bad decisions made in the previous administration on energy policy, but you're seeing that momentum change. So if you want your electricity prices to go down in your household, well, you got to generate more electricity and we're doing those things. So you're starting to see that hit the market and you're starting to see approvals clear through. I talked with Lee Zeldin, he's like, we turned around a power plant review in two weeks. It wasn't like they skipped the review, they just crammed. They provided the extra resources to focus on, getting the work done. And that's the kind of commitment you're seeing from this administration.

KEILAR: So I do want to ask you on Venezuela, you voted no on a resolution that would direct President Trump to remove armed forces from hostilities with presidentially-designated terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere, absent a declaration of war or congressional authorization. You said the resolution is about a hypothetical future. Two days before Russia invaded Ukraine, you joined a bipartisan letter that stressed the War Powers Act of President Biden, even when Biden had said U.S. troops would not be involved. Why sign on to a hypothetical reassertion of war powers under Biden but not Trump?

DAVIDSON: Well, I think when you look at the distinctions, the big thing is imminence, right? So there is a language in the war powers resolution that talks about imminent action. And President Trump had provided a clear direction for what he wants to do. In the last month, they released a national security strategy that shows why they want to focus on the Western Hemisphere. And essentially, from the Arctic Circle to the -- from Greenland down to Tierra del Fuego, we're focusing on the Western Hemisphere more intentionally than before. When you look at why the president --

(CROSSTALK)

KEILAR: He has said no less than 17 times in recent months that land strikes could be coming soon.

DAVIDSON: Yeah, well, I'm just telling you the briefings we've got, we aren't currently engaged in hostilities directly against Venezuela. The boats are not flagged Venezuelan boats. And what people are calling a blockade is really more of -- is targeting sanctioned oil ships. It's not like we're blocking all shipments going in and out of Venezuela. It is targeted oil --

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KEILAR: What you mean by people, do you mean Trump because he called it a blockade? DAVIDSON: The language is blockade, but the reality is what's going on isn't closure of everything going in and out of the country. It's a targeted enforcement action of our sanctions.

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KEILAR: The language of the president is blockade, so he's wrong?

DAVIDSON: It's not a blockade. A blockade would be that there's no flow of goods in and out of Venezuela, so those are distinctions. And what we're doing is enforcing current law. The administration is clearly not in violation of the war powers resolution currently. And it's also clear though, as I said in my statement, that if we did engage directly, let's say we deploy Marines on the ground in Venezuela, that does cross the war powers and the United States would -- Congress, the constitution is clear, Congress declares our wars.

So talking with Secretary Rubio, he's provided assurance as a former legislator, we will comply with the war powers resolution in all other laws. So I have high confidence that that is in fact the case. But I also -- look, this is the national security posture that the United States really should have had for decades at this point. So it's a much more focused posture.

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[13:40:00]

KEILAR: OK. But you said you -- and I want to focus on war powers because I know it's something that you're so concerned about. You said you have high confidence they will seek congressional authority on this. Do you have total confidence? Because the Trump administration is actually seeking a separate legal opinion to DOJ to provide a justification for launching strikes against land targets in Venezuela. This is what we reported last month, according to a U.S. official, without getting congressional authorization. Though no decisions have been made yet to move forward with an attack, they were looking for how to do this legally without Congress OKing it.

DAVIDSON: Yeah, look, I think they're artfully skirting some of these things today with the actions they're taking. So, one of the differences in my case, and maybe the Biden administration provided information to certain Democrats, I had no information about it. And many Democrats joined the same resolution that you're referring to --

KEILAR: They did.

DAVIDSON: -- about Ukraine. So I don't think -- I don't think the Biden administration was being transparent at all. The reality is the Trump administration has provided the briefings, it has communicated, and that's why I have the confidence that I have. Is it certainty? No. And the reality is that President Trump would like to do far more in Venezuela. And I think, look, every president gets frustrated dealing with a legislature. But that's the constitution if you want to change constitution, amend it. But the reality is, presidents, since we've had presidents going back to Jefferson attacking the Barbary pirates, have taken certain actions outside of a declaration of war or a congressional authorization. So the real question is, where is the line? And in this case, I'm saying, while some of my colleagues, overwhelmingly Democrats, said we think the line's already been crossed. And that was the point of the resolution. I asked on the floor, Congressman McGovern, who was the sponsor of one of the resolutions, is this about a hypothetical future? Is it your contention that this is the present condition? He said that it is the present condition. I said, then I'll be voting no. It is not the present condition.

KEILAR: Yeah, it does seem to be a concern that you do not have right now, that you have had in the past. I do want to note there's not bipartisan satisfaction with those briefings. And there were past briefings when it came to Ukraine. But Congressman Warren Davidson, we really appreciate you being with us. Thank you so much.

DAVIDSON: Thank you.

KEILAR: Any minute now, President Trump is expected to sign an executive order easing federal restrictions on marijuana. We will discuss it with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, next.

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KEILAR: All right, happening right now actually, at the White House, President Trump is going to be signing an executive order and it would reschedule marijuana to a lower drug classification. It would ease federal restrictions. Wouldn't make it legal, but it would ease those restrictions. Let's listen.

[13:45:00]

TRUMP: -- legitimate medical uses. We have people begging for me to do this, people that are in great pain. For decades, this action has been requested by American patients suffering from extreme pain, incurable diseases, aggressive cancers, seizure disorders, neurological problems and more, including numerous veterans with service-related injuries and older Americans who live with chronic medical problems that severely degrade their quality of life.

And it's, so really, I mean, just -- I can't tell you, I think I probably have received more phone calls on this, on doing what we are doing. I don't think I received any calls on the other side of it. But hopefully, this reclassification, which by the way polls at 82 percent, will help many of those patients live a far better life.

We're joined today by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He is doing a fantastic job. Administrator of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. Mehmet Oz; the FDA Commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary; Director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya; and the Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Dr. Nora Volkow; as well as Dr. Ilana Braun from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Duke University's Dr. David Casarett; the National Commander of the American Legion, Dan Wiley; and my friend, Howard Kessler. Howard, how you feeling?

HOWARD KESSLER, BILLIONAIRE FINANCIER: I'm doing great.

TRUMP: You look -- I'm telling you, he looks better than he did 20 years ago, but I don't want to go through what you went through to get there. Right? But it looks like you're doing great. I'm proud of you.

I want to emphasize that the order I am about to sign is not the legalization, or it doesn't legalize marijuana in any way, shape or form. It in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug, it has nothing to do with it. Just as the prescription painkillers may have legitimate uses, but can also do irreversible damage and never -- if you look at some of the damage that can be caused, wreck lives if it's abused. It's never safe to use powerful control substances and recreational matters. And especially in this case, if you take a look, illegal and unregulated drugs, very, very bad thing.

So I've always told my children, don't take drugs, no drinking, no smoking, and just stay away from drugs. I have been -- they would look at me, and they said, dad, would just stop saying that. I would say every time I looked at it practically. Young Americans are especially at risk. So unless a drug is recommended by a doctor for medical reasons, just don't do it. At the same time, the facts compel the federal government to recognize that marijuana can be legitimate in terms of medical applications when carefully administered. In some cases, this may include the use as a substitute for addictive and potentially lethal opioid painkillers. And they cause tremendous problems. And this can do it in a much lesser way, can make people feel much better that are living through tremendous pain and problems.

40 states and multiple U.S. territories have already recognized the use of medical marijuana. This reclassification order will make it far easier to conduct marijuana-related medical research, allowing us to study benefits, potential dangers, and future treatments. It's going to have a tremendously positive impact, I believe. We're also asking Congress to reconsider its classification of hemp-derived CBD to ensure seniors can access CBD products. They are found beneficial for pain and other reasons. Some people are literally dying, and they are dying with tremendous pain. And this can, in many cases, literally stop it. And they have their senses about them as opposed to painkillers, which don't allow that, don't allow them to die with dignity frankly.

I promised to be the president of common sense and that is exactly what we're doing. This is really something having to do with common sense. And it's something having to do with the fact that so many people that I respect asked me to do. People that are having problems, big problems, they're having big problems with illness, with cancer in particular. I now want to ask Dr. Oz to say a few words, followed by Dr. Braun, Dr. Casarett, Dan Wiley, and Dr. Volkow.

[13:50:00]

And we will sign the order soon as they're complete. And we'll take some questions. Please go ahead. DR. MEHMET OZ, ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES: Mr. President, thank you for always bravely pushing for common sense change, as you call it. So President Trump, Secretary Kennedy have been pushing for change. Their passionate and desire to help the American people and they have relentlessly pursued this agenda throughout this administration. This also includes a deep passion for research, gold standard research as Secretary Kennedy also says, but there's another side to the president that often isn't reflected in media reports. And that's the deep passion he has for the people in his life.

And he has called me frequently about the people who are calling him, as he alluded to, who are saying that they have got problems and they got relief from some of the solutions we're talking about today. Howard Kessler, who's standing behind me here, who's a mutual friend of ours, was an early caller of the president. Many others have however reached out as well. And Howard's been a passionate advocate for avoiding narcotics, especially in seniors, and particularly seniors suffering from cancer.

And that's a population that is a very important one and it's a sympathetic population that's like -- that's desirous of trying new ways besides some of the conventional approaches that have been tested by pharmaceutical companies, but have untoward side effects. At the beginning of the year, one of the first things the president told me, he doesn't actually tell you, he demanded from me, that my agency, CMS --

TRUMP: Nobody demands from him. Nobody. You have to know him.

(LAUGH)

OZ: That's right. Used all tools at his wherewithal to find a better way to help seniors, a passion for a population that has gotten left behind with these discussions. I promised that we would find an answer even though it had not been done before. And today, we are delivering on that promise. Today, our Innovation Center at CMS is announcing a new model and additional actions to give seniors access to cannabinoids. These are CBDs, they're non-addictive, which many are already using to manage pain.

There's some clinical evidence that's showing that CBDs provide relief from common conditions that affect Americans, including cancer symptoms and chronic pain and a slew of other problems that affect disproportionately, seniors and our veterans. And six in 10 people who used the CBDs report that they improved their pain. I think all of those people are calling the president. Judged on the number of calls in the support of what we're doing today.

And sometimes these decisions are difficult and there's a reason this hasn't happened before. And there's a reason, Mr. President, that every president before you has whiffed on this issue. It's tough and I know there's going to be a lot of discussion about it. That's why we're so passionate about making it clear that this patchwork that we're working within now, the laws and regulations, they're leaving patients and doctors without adequate guidance on the safeguards of how to use these products even though they're still being used.

At Medicare, we cover 68 million Americans, including people under the age of 65. And they did not have a way of providing these treatments until today. With the president's insistence, that all changes. The Innovation Center models are going to allow millions of Americans on Medicare to become eligible to receive CBD as early as April of next year and at no charge, if their doctors recommend them. Thanks to the hard work of the entire CMS team, especially Abe Sutton and Gita Deo at the Innovation Center. The Accountable Care Organizations in this country working in Medicare will be able to provide these products, again, at no cost to patients.

Medicare Advantage insurers, and we've been calling them, are also agreeing to consider CBD to be used for the 34 million Americans that they cover. If you can hear my voice and you're over 65, you should pay attention to this executive order because it's going to touch your life. Again, this all becomes active after the first quarter of next year. These CBD products must first meet local and state quality and safety standards. They must come from legitimate sources. They must abide by other regulations of those states. With these boxes checked, patients can be eligible for up to $500 of hemp-derived products each year.

This is the first government-led testing of quality and outcomes for patients across different conditions. And it delivers on the need for more data collection and research into hemp usage. CMS is going to collect data, that's our job, on the patients that are being given these products by their physicians in accordance with all the privacy and security regulations. We're going to analyze that data. We're going to make it publicly available to everybody to be able to analyze with us. If it shows promise, we will expand access to these products to even more conditions amongst Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

I want to thank not just the secretary, but Marty Makary. We want a lot of companies who are doing this research, that approached the FDA for formal approval, that is the right way to move forward. And Jay Bhattacharya, who's hiding in the back, he rarely hides, but Jay runs NIH and he's agreed to support initiatives to study the data that we're collecting. Howard Kessler, God bless you for being a pain on our sides.

(LAUGH)

[13:55:00]

Mr. President, he's promised to stop calling you on this issue, he'll call you on other issues. And I thank you again from the bottom of my heart for taking the difficult stance.

TRUMP: Thank you, Oz, very much. OK.

DR. ILANA BRAUN, CANCER PSYCHIATRIST AND MEDICAL CANNABIS RESEARCHER, DANA-FARBER CANCER INSTITUTE: Mr. President, members of the cabinet, thank you so much for the opportunity to be here and for your leadership in rescheduling cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III. This decision will accelerate scientific research and expand what can responsibly be studied. I'm a cancer psychiatrist and medical cannabis researcher at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Over the past decade, federal investment in research has helped transform cancer care.

People are living longer than ever before, but cancer care is not only about treating the tumor, it's also about addressing the anxiety, the fear, the stress that can come with the diagnosis, symptoms that can interfere with treatment and make recovery much more difficult. Many medications we use for acute anxiety carry significant risks, particularly in the older adults. That's why we're studying specific natural compounds found in cannabis, including the non-addictive cannabidiol, to understand whether they can safely and effectively help manage anxiety during cancer treatment.

Rescheduling allows us to ask these questions rigorously about dosing, about safety and who may benefit most. This research reflects the best of federal investment, helping people not only live longer, but live better. Thank you, Mr. President, for supporting careful science-based research that puts patients first.

TRUMP: Thank you. Thank you, doctor. That was beautiful. Thank you.

DR. DAVID CASARETT, PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE, DUKE UNIVERSITY: I'll add my vote of thanks, Mr. President. I never really thought this day would come. I met a patient about 20 years ago, retired professor named Elizabeth, who came to my clinic.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CO-ANCHOR OF "CNN NEWS CENTRAL": We've been watching an announcement from the Oval Office. President Trump signing an executive order reclassifying marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III substance, easing restrictions on research and access to marijuana. We're going to take a quick break. On the other side, we'll discuss this with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Don't go anywhere, we'll be right back.

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