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Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) is Interviewed about Trump's Tariff Threat; Musk Re-Enters Politics; Hoosiers Win Championship. Aired 9:30-10a ET

Aired January 20, 2026 - 09:30   ET

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

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[09:32:35]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: We are tracking more breaking news. Take a look at this. Markets have just now opened. And as you can see, they are down and heading more south. We've been watching futures all morning and they've looked like this. The markets reacting to President Trump and his now tariff threats over his desire to take Greenland. And he is taking this fight over Greenland to new levels now. And markets are reacting. Doubling down on his takeover threat for one.

And he's also now, as part of his doubling down, overnight released images of what one would assume are private text messages from world leaders, including the French president, Emmanuel Macron.

I can -- we'll show you this. Macron writing at one point in the message that was to Donald Trump, "I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland." And the French president just now, speaking in Davos, criticized Donald Trump's threat of new tariffs against allies who oppose his Greenland move.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON, FRANCE: Without collective governance, cooperation gives way to relentless competition. Competition from the United States of America through trade agreements that undermine our export interests, demand maximum concessions, and openly aim to weaken and subordinate Europe, combined with an endless accumulation of new tariffs that are fundamentally unacceptable. Even more so when they are used as leverage against territorial sovereignty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Fundamentally unacceptable.

Joining me right now is Democratic congressman from Illinois, Raja Krishnamoorthi, who's running for Senate as well.

We're looking at how the markets are reacting to these threats right now, Congressman, threatening eight U.S. allies with extra tariffs for simply just opposing his push to take Greenland. This crisis, described by some as seeming to now, at this moment, be spiraling out of control, or at least Europe seems to feel that way. Do you think it is?

REP. RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI (D-IL): Yes, I think that this is insane. I think what he's doing right now is absolutely the opposite of what the American people want. Basically, what he's saying is, the solution to his desire to acquire Greenland is to basically tax Americans. And that's what tariffs are, they're taxes on working families. They're taxes on businesses.

[09:35:00]

Already in my district, you know, I'm having entrepreneurs who voted for him come to me and say, look, my business is falling by the wayside because of the tariffs that already exist. So additional tariffs are going to hurt them more.

BOLDUAN: I just also had former Republican governor of New Hampshire Chris Sununu on, and we were talking about this exact thing, that Greenland, the tariffs, the threat, the military threat. Chris Sununu is not overly concerned about it. He sees this as Trump being Trump and just negotiating.

Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS SUNUNU, FORMER NEW HAMPSHIRE GOVERNOR: Is Greenland important? Yes. Is it a strategic asset? Yes. Is it at risk with Russia and China? Yes. So, should we do more there to secure that? Absolutely.

But with the president, a lot of us say, well, what are the methods here? Are we going to have military action? No, I don't --

But like everything with the president, we're here. He's going to start negotiating up here. He's going to go to the -- kind of the most extreme, try to find some sort of middle ground.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Could he be right?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: I don't know. I think that this is actually the wrong way to go about diplomacy. I think that what you're doing is you're basically causing our friends, partners and allies to go further away from us and into the arms of our adversaries. I think I just saw over the weekend that the Canadian prime minister met with the Chinese president and basically cut a side trade deal that would probably hurt us in the long run. And that's what this type of rhetoric and actions tend to do.

BOLDUAN: I want to ask you about the continued ICE operations you've seen in the Chicago area, but also we've been tracking in Minneapolis and Minnesota. You are among Democrats who I have seen are refusing to support funding bills coming out of Congress unless DHS and ICE are reined in. The statement I saw coming from you, Congressman, was that we must abolish Trump's ICE. A slogan, a mantra, a refrain that other Democrats do not want to bring back right now.

Ruben Gallego, for one, is a Democrat who's running for Senate, coming out of Arizona, of course. He told "The New York Times" this, "the last thing we need to do again is to make the same mistake when it comes to defund the police rhetoric. That ended up not actually helping communicate what people wanted. People want a slimmed-down ICE that is truly focused on security."

Is this line that you are now supporting and saying, is this going to hurt your cause?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: No, I don't think so. I think what we are saying is, we are not going to send another dollar to Department of Homeland Security and ICE so long as they conduct themselves the way they are right now.

I mean you saw what happened with regard to Renee Good. The shooting of and killing of Renee Good. You see that they're detaining, not the worst of the worst, but they're basically going after families, they're disrupting the economy. They're detaining U.S. citizens, including in my own congressional district. And they're fueling rhetoric that gives license to racism and racial profiling.

A Florida politician called for me to be deported, Kate, and that was based on what the president and others have been saying about immigrants. And so, I think that we are on solid ground saying no to funding current operations as they stand so long as ICE does not abide by rules, regulations, the laws or the Constitution. They can't count on my vote for more funding for them.

BOLDUAN: Do you want to abolish ICE?

KRISHNAMOORTHI: I want to abolish the funding and Trump's ICE. I think that, in theory, there should be Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, but not the way that it's happening now. This is completely unacceptable what's happening right now.

BOLDUAN: Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, thank you for your time.

Sara.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: All right, coming up, from the longest program in sports history, losing the most, to national champions. The Indiana Hoosiers basking in the afterglow of beating Miami on its home turf.

And he's breaking multiple Rubik's cube world records. Can you guess how old this guy is? I'll give you a hint. The most popular toy when he was born cost about $0.10, and it was the yo-yo.

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[09:43:44]

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: New this morning, Elon Musk is spending $10 million in the Kentucky Senate race. That's according to a report from "Axios." He's backing Nate Morris, a Republican businessman trying to succeed retiring Senator Mitch McConnell in a very crowded primary race.

But I'm not really talking about Kentucky here. We're talking about Elon Musk putting his money back in politics once again.

CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten is with us.

Now, when I say back, it's because he sort of had that flame out when, last summer, where he split with Trump, said he was backing out of politics with his money, but now he's apparently back in.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN CHIEF DATA ANALYST: Yes. Yes, apparently he's back in. He and Donald Trump are at least on more amicable terms than they once were back during the summer.

And more than that, Elon Musk, you know, it's not just that Elon Musk is backing, obviously, Nate Morris in the state of -- the Commonwealth of Kentucky, I'm not going to get that wrong, folks -- in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, it is also that Republican voters are welcoming back Elon Musk to the fold.

Because Musk's net favorability rating with the GOP, remember, it fell. It fell considerably when Musk went against Trump. It was at plus 22 points back in July of 2025. Now Elon Musk is back in the good graces of Republicans. It's not just the money. They can't use that money against Elon Musk or against Nate Morris. Look at this, plus 43 points. That's a climb of 21 points in the net favorability rating for Elon Musk among Republicans in just the last six months, basically doubling his net favorability.

[09:45:07]

Elon Musk, welcome back in Republican circles with open arms.

BERMAN: You say it's not just the money, but it's kind of a lot of money, right? At least it was last time.

ENTEN: It was. You know, look at this, this is the big thing, Elon Musk getting back involved in Republican circles. Very, very welcome. Because who are the top political donors in 2024. How much did they give? Elon Musk, look at this, gave $291 million. That shattered, shattered, shattered everyone else's giving. I mean, look, Tim Mellon gave, what was that, $197 million, and was number two.

BERMAN: Cheapskate.

ENTEN: Yes, a relative cheapskate compared to Elon Musk at $291 million. We're talking about nearly $100 million more. Republicans more than welcoming Elon Musk back into the fold because they're going to need that money as they take on Democrats in 2026.

BERMAN: Can he afford it?

ENTEN: Can he afford it? OK, so, we'll look at this. We're talking about $291 million. I think that Elon Musk could give far more than that because, take a look here, Elon Musk's net worth. Hello. In November of 2024 he was worth about $304 billion, according to Forbes. Look at where he stands today $780 billion. Billion with a b. He has more than doubled his net worth over the last year and two months. My goodness gracious. I never thought I would see someone worth two -- $780 billion. But Elon Musk, very much making the dough ray me.

BERMAN: Look, and that's headed north right now.

ENTEN: Yes.

BERMAN: Could it go higher? What are the betting markets saying?

ENTEN: OK. You see this $780 billion with a b and you might be wondering, can I replace that b with a t? Can I make it trillion, trillion. And take a look here. OK, chance Elon Musk is a trillionaire before 2027, a 62 percent chance that we get our first trillionaire, in his name. Elon Musk.

BERMAN: All right, Harry Enten, thank you very much.

ENTEN: If I ever get a trillion, I'll split it with you.

BERMAN: I appreciate that. I would take just a little bit.

ENTEN: A billion.

BERMAN: A lot of news. We'll be right back.

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[09:51:46]

BOLDUAN: In Massachusetts, three dispatchers caught a lucky break, if you will, after an SUV plowed through the local police department in Shrewsbury. Police say the BMW crashed through the front doors, went through the lobby, blew through the lobby, and then through the wall of the dispatch center while they were working inside. They say the crash actually appeared to be intentional. Police arrested the driver and he's set to be arraigned today.

And we're going to call this one retirement goals. Meet 95-year-old -- 95-year-old Frank Zieminski, who broke three world records over the weekend with a Rubik's cube. Turns out Frank has loved cubing, as the kids call it, since the '70s. So, he recently joined a local club in upstate New York with school kids. They encouraged him to enter the contest Sunday, where he set a world record -- World Cube Association Record in the senior category by solving a Rubik's cube in five minutes and 49 seconds. He also set two other records for the two-by- two cube in his age group for the best single time and best average time. His girlfriend was even on hand to cheer him on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REPORTER: What'd you tell him? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I told him, I said, pretend you're at home

watching TV, like you always are. And he does it in three minutes, two and a half. I got tears.

REPORTER: Yes, I know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I know he can do it.

FRANK ZIEMINSKI, 95-YEAR-OLD RUBIK'S CUBE COMPETITOR: It's different doing it by yourself and under pressure like that against the clock, you know? I get a little flustered, you know?

REPORTER: But you did great.

ZIEMINSKI: I was relieved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: I mean, are you in love? Yes, we're all in love. Even with his newfound fame, they say that they still plan to meet every Tuesday night at the library to get their cube on.

Sara.

SIDNER: OK, that was cute. That was so, so darn cute. I love it.

This you will also -- I don't know why I'm doing this story and not you. Like, I don't understand. I mean --

BOLDUAN: I just want to watch. I want to watch someone else talk about how amazing Indiana is. I do it enough. But, please, Sara, tell me more.

SIDNER: Fair enough.

So, for, as you may or may not know, Kate, for the first time in program history, your Indiana Hoosiers are college football national champions. I have no idea why you are not cheering. They had a perfect season, literally. And they beat the Miami Hurricanes on their home turf in Miami. In Bloomington overnight, there was a bonfire in the street and pole climbers in the air as thousands basked in the glory on Kirkwood Avenue.

Coy Wire is in Miami for us.

You got to see this. Wowzer.

COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: It was an incredible scene. There were celebrities on the sideline. We had DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, Mark Cuban, all kinds of dignitaries in the building to capture this moment. And what a moment it was.

This was a championship that nobody saw coming. Two teams overcoming all sorts of odds to make it to this point. Miami playing for their first title in 24 years, on their home field. Indiana and their Heisman-winning quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, seeking their first title.

And Fernando had his moment. On a fourth down, the sheer will and determination in the city where he grew up put his team up ten in the fourth quarter. Mama Mendoza was on cloud nine.

But the Hurricanes weren't going to go down without a fight.

[09:55:02]

Superstar Malachi Toney willing his way into the zone, bringing Miami within three. After an Indiana field goal, Miami had a chance to go for the win, but Jamari Sharpe, interception. The Hoosiers pulling off the unthinkable. The team that had more losses than any team in college football history before Coach Cignetti took over, climbing to the mountaintop. Perfect, undefeated season complete.

I caught up with Coach Cignetti and some of his stars after the win.

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CURT CIGNETTI, INDIANA HOOSIERS HEAD COACH: Champions made when nobody's looking. Our kids have a great work ethic, great leadership. It's commitment to a worthwhile goal. And just try to improve daily. And anything's possible when you prepare the right way and have the right people on your staff and in the locker room.

JAMARI SHARPE, HIS LATE INT SEALED CHAMPIONSHIP FOR INDIANA: Oh, yes, we've been battling, having games like this. This fight we just fought to the end all year.

FERNANDO MENDOZA, INDIANA HOOSIERS QUARTERBACK: I'm stuttering right now because I can't even use words (INAUDIBLE). They're my brothers for life. And it's been the most special brotherhood. It's -- I'm so emotional about it I can't even process it. Usually I burst out into tears, but it's -- I mean, they're my brothers for life, and it's just a special group of guys. No one I'd rather do it with.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: No one takes milk and cookies to war. That's what we like.

Thanks. Thanks so much, Coy.

BERMAN: I got to say, Indiana, the CNN NEWS CENTRAL of college football.

WIRE: You got it.

BOLDUAN: Yes.

BERMAN: Absolutely.

Thank you all for joining us.

BOLDUAN: Wait.

BERMAN: This has been national champion CNN NEWS CENTRAL.

BOLDUAN: I got to think about this.

BERMAN: "THE SITUATION ROOM," up next.

SIDNER: I'm confused.

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