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Zelenskyy Says, Winning War With Russia is a Matter of Nuclear Safety; Today, Harris and Trump to Focus on Economic Messaging; Trump Floats, 100 Percent or 200 Percent Tariffs if Production Leaves U.S. Aired 10-10:30a ET

Aired September 25, 2024 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00]

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: It not only ignores the interests and suffering of Ukrainians who are affected by the war the most. It not only ignores reality but also gives Putin the political space to continue the war and pressure the world to bring more nations under control. Any parallel or alternative attempts to seek peace are in fact efforts to achieve, allow instead of an end to the war as a global initiative. The peace formula has already existed for two years. And maybe somebody wants a Nobel Prize for their political biography for frozen truce instead of real peace. But the only prices Putin will give you in return are more suffering and disasters.

We must restore nuclear safety. Energy must stop being used as a weapon. We must ensure food security. We need to bring home all our captured soldiers and civilians possibly deported to Russia. We must uphold the U.N. Charter and guarantee our right, Ukraine's right to territorial integrity and sovereignty, just as we do for any other nation. We need to withdraw the Russian occupiers, which will bring an end to the hostilities in Ukraine. And we must hold those responsible for war crimes accountable. We need to prevent ecocide and stop the destruction of nature caused by the war. And we must not allow a second or sword face of this Russian invasion, and we need to make it clear the war is over.

This is the peace formula. What part of this could be unacceptable to anyone who upholds the U.N. Charter? If someone in the world seeks alternatives to any of these points or tries to ignore any of them, it likely means they themselves want to do a part of what Putin is doing. The point they ignore reveals the desire they're hiding.

And when the Chinese-Brazilian duo tries to grow into a choir of voices with someone in Europe, with someone in Africa saying something alternative to a full and just peace, the question arises. What is the true interest? Everyone must understand you will not boost your power at Ukraine's expense. And the world has already been through colonial wars and conspiracies of great powers and the expense of those who are smaller, every country, including China, Brazil, European nations, African nations, Middle East, all understand why this must remain in the past.

And Ukrainians will never accept why anyone in the world believes that such a brutal colonial past, which suits no one today can be imposed on Ukraine. Now, instead of a normal, peaceful life, I want this for my people real peace and justice. And I'm asking for your support from all nations of the world. We do not divide the world. I ask the same of you do not divide the world. Be United Nations. And that will bring us peace. Thank you.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Good morning. You were live in the CNN Newsroom. I'm Jim Acosta in Washington. You were just listening to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly.

CNN's Alex Marquardt joins us now. Alex, we just heard President Zelenskyy just a few moments ago appeal to the United Nations to remain united when it comes to the subject of Ukraine, but that's not really the case. Tell us a little bit more about what you thought in terms of what stood out from Zelenskyy's speech and the challenge that he has in the days and months ahead.

ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a forceful speech from President Zelenskyy, Jim, to continue to rally the world to his side, to continue asking for their support in their war against Russia. He is making it clear that he is not asking for anyone else except Ukrainians to fight against Russia, but asking for their continued support.

[10:05:02]

Now, this is a speech to the General Assembly, so we were not expecting too many details, but it was rather light on details, frankly.

He kept coming back to what he called his peace formula. Now, this is a ten-point plan that he actually announced almost two years ago that covers a variety of subjects, but the thrust of which, or at least the bottom line is that territorial integrity of Ukraine must be restored, meaning all Russian occupiers, as he calls them, must leave the country.

So, no room for compromise from what we're hearing from President Zelenskyy just there. He talked about, again, the need for a peace summit. This is something that he mentioned yesterday also at the United Nations that would bring together a number of countries from around the world to work towards peace, again, no guarantee that Russia would come to the table.

So, that is the crux of the issue here. How do you force Russia to the negotiating table? And what Zelenskyy is going to be arguing here in New York, to other countries, and tomorrow to President Biden at the White House, is that the force needs to be ramped up against Russia to get them to a place where they will come to the table and negotiate so they can come to a diplomatic solution.

But, Jim, President Zelenskyy kicking off the speech with some real urgency, talking about the approaching winter in Ukraine. This is going to be the third winter during this 2.5 year war. We've heard them talk before about weaponizing winter and targeting Ukraine's energy sector. He said that 80 percent of Ukrainian energy has been taken offline. And he argued that Russia is now going to be targeting the nuclear sector, nuclear energy, which, of course, not only endangers Ukraine but far beyond Ukrainian borders as well, Jim.

ACOSTA: Yes. And, Alex, President Zelenskyy meets with President Biden tomorrow. There's a big aid package on the line. What can you tell us about that?

MARQUARDT: There are a number of things that President Zelenskyy has to bring up with President Biden. There's an aid package that we expect, at least at first, to be around some $375 billion. But, Jim, there's $6 billion of presidential authority for Ukraine that's going to be expiring in less than a week before the end of the month that the U.S. has every intention, the Pentagon says, of rolling out. So, we could see some massive aid packages in the billions of dollars in the coming days.

President Zelenskyy will certainly be asking yet again for those U.S. weapons, long range missiles called ATACMs to be allowed to be used inside of Russia. But, really, the big focus tomorrow at the White House is going to be this plan for victory that President Zelenskyy is going to present to President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. And I'm told by someone who got a briefing from Zelenskyy, who got the broad strokes of what is intended to be presented, is that it focuses on long-term military and economic support, lifting those restrictions on those weapons that I just mentioned so they can be fired into Russia, and long-term security assurances, so what happens in the future when Ukraine -- if Ukraine were to get attacked again, how would the U.S. respond?

But we don't have too many details, and you can be sure that the president and his top aides are going to be looking for specifics tomorrow at the White House. Jim?

ACOSTA: Absolutely. It's a critical meeting. Alex Marquardt at the United Nations, thank you.

I want to bring in Pennsylvania Democratic Congresswoman Madeleine Dean. She sits on the Congressional Ukraine Caucus. Congresswoman, thanks so much for being with us. Your impression of what President Zelenskyy had to say, and apparently he is going to be presenting this what he's calling a victory plan to the president tomorrow. What do you want to hear from Zelenskyy?

REP. MADELEINE DEAN (D-PA): Well, I'm always impressed when the president speaks, especially on such a large stage, as he did this morning. I had the chance to meet with the president in Ukraine after we passed the supplemental. What an amazing man, a man of courage who just stands and represents everything that we see in patriotism and protecting democracy.

As you know, there's a $5.8 billion drawdown and I know very desperately that they need the weapons and the materiel. What I have said all along is Ukraine, for these past 2.5 years, United States must give Ukraine everything it needs to win. We have to finish that sentence and say to win. And so I'm glad it will be a speech about victory because the United States plays a critical role. We can be part of the peacemaking.

ACOSTA: And a quick follow-up on that. I mean, you've heard in recent days, I mean this is not just in recent days, but Donald Trump has gone after President Zelenskyy time and again. And just the other day, he was saying, every time Zelenskyy comes to the U.S., he walks away with a hundred billion dollars. That is not true, obviously, but he's been slamming him time and again. It does make this complicated, does it not, in this political climate to get Ukraine the aid that it needs?

DEAN: It's complicated and dangerous. It is dangerous for the citizens of Ukraine, the soldiers of Ukraine for Mr. Trump to be talking in that way. And we know that Mr. Trump cozies up and favors Mr. Putin. So, this is a critical, dangerous time. Again, the United States is the most essential nation with all of the U.N. and the NATO nations to make sure that we protect this democracy and help it come to peace and rebuild.

[10:10:06]

ACOSTA: Yes, they've been very courageous during this entire war that's been going on the last couple of years.

Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, stay with us. We've got more to talk about after the break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ACOSTA: Today on the campaign trail, it's all about the economy. Vice President Kamala Harris heads to the all important state of Pennsylvania and former President Donald Trump will be going to the battleground of North Carolina. Polls show the economy is by far the most important issue to voters.

Here's a snapshot of what you're paying these days. Gas prices, we should note, are down more than 60 cents a gallon from a year ago, the cost of bread down by just $0.2.

[10:15:02]

But other everyday items are costing more. Ground beef costs almost $0.40 more than this time last year.

And we should note right now the Dow is sitting at right around its all-time high. It's about 120 points down right now, but very close to its all-time high. Another key component of the economy is manufacturing. Both Harris and Trump are expected to highlight that today.

And back with us to discuss as Democratic Congresswoman Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania. And, Congresswoman, you know, this issue of the economy, you know, it's one where the polls show Donald Trump benefits. What does Kamala Harris need to say to get that message across to voters that she is on the case?

DEAN: Well, and I want to say from my constituents, they care about their cost of living, the cost of goods, some of the things you talked about, the cost of eggs. Average price of eggs is around $3 right now. It was about that four years ago as well, although a little dip in that.

People care about the cost of living, but what we can say is, look what's going on. Manufacturing jobs are up. Jobs are up. Almost 16 million jobs created in this administration, which she has been a key figure in. She's going to Pittsburgh today to talk about manufacturing, and to talk about the jobs surrounding manufacturing.

One of the things she's going to point out is that the contrast is Donald Trump cares about those who own the big skyscrapers. She cares about those who build and clean them. Jobs are important. The economy is improving. You saw the Fed drop the rate half a point. We think they'll go another half point by the end of the year. Expenses are down, cost of borrowing is down, chance to invest in your company is increasing. So, the economy is good. But Kamala Harris has to explain the progress in the economy and where we can do better.

ACOSTA: All right, and we'll be watching for that. And earlier this week former President Trump made his second term pitch to female voters, to women. And let's take a listen to what he had to say and talk about it on the other side, on the issue of abortion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: You will be protected, and I will be your protector.

Women will be happy, healthy, confident, and free.

You will no longer be thinking about abortion.

And it is and will be with powerful exceptions like those that Ronald Reagan insisted on for rape, incest and the life of the mother.

We want beautiful babies in our country. We want you to have your beautiful, beautiful perfect baby. We want those babies and we need them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: All right. A little bit of a fact-check there. When Ronald Reagan was president, Roe versus Wade was the law of the land. But putting that to the side, what do you make of what Trump was just saying there a few moments ago? And do you consider Donald Trump to be your protector, your, quote, protector?

DEAN: Oh dear, Jim, I find that set of statements creepy, literally creepy. I'm a mom. I have three daughters-in-law. We don't want Donald Trump's protection. We want our rights. We want our freedoms. This is coming from the man who was found responsible for sexual assault and requires payment for that, civil damages for that. He's not a protector. We know exactly who he is. More than that, it's creepy.

On the other hand, women are capable of protecting themselves. We want Americans to protect one another, to have one another's back. That is just plain creepy. On the issue of abortion, the nonsensical, illogical things he just said, tell that to the two families that were just revealed, young women who lost their lives because they were denied health care, abortion care. Tell that to the family of the 28- year-old woman who lost her life, the mother of other children who lost her life because she was denied abortion care.

ACOSTA: Yes. And I do want to follow up on that because Vice President Harris has been making some news on this front in recent days. She's calling for the Senate to the end of the Senate filibuster when it comes to Roe versus Wade to reinstate Roe versus Wade. Senator Joe Manchin slammed that yesterday, I believe, and said shame on Kamala Harris for saying that. What's your take on this? Is this something where the filibuster should be put aside so Roe versus Wade can get -- put into law?

DEAN: It's a reminder how important this election cycle is that Democrats get control of the House so that we can pass and codify Roe versus Wade. But, of course, Harris is correct. We should work by majority rule, not a super majority rule, which is actually the minority ruling. So, yes, filibuster should be shed for the purposes of codifying our freedoms.

It is stunning to me, upsetting to me, that my three daughters-in-law and my three granddaughters have fewer rights than I had, that their own healthcare choices are not protected. I'm going to speak today on the floor about IVF.

[10:20:02]

How all of this, fertility abortion care, healthcare for women, has been politicized by somebody like Donald Trump who does not understand any of this, it's absolutely infuriating.

ACOSTA: And what's your response to Senator Manchin?

DEAN: Oh, he's wrong. He's just flat out wrong, and he doesn't get it either.

ACOSTA: I do want to ask you, the Senate has released a report on the first Trump assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, detailing how the Secret Service failed to take charge of decision-making that day. You're on that task force investigating this. Your response to what's being uncovered?

DEAN: I'm eager to read the report, and they did an awful lot of good investigating. As you know, I'm on the task force. It's bipartisan. We went to Butler. What we have identified is numerous failures. Failures of communication, failures of planning, failures of the Secret Service, and they take responsibility. They're ultimately in charge of their protectee. So, we're actually going down to Florida for the second site visit.

So, I look forward to the Senate report. It'll add to the data that we have collected, more than 20,000 pages of documents, lots of transcribed interviews, and more to do. ACOSTA: All right, Congresswoman Dean, thank you so much for your time, we appreciate it.

DEAN: Thank you.

ACOSTA: Thanks for coming by this morning.

Coming up, tariffs have been a campaign trail, talking forward, a point for former President Trump, but are they the answer when it comes to boosting the economy? We're breaking down the numbers next.

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[10:25:00]

ACOSTA: 100 or even 200 percent tariffs, that's how former President Donald Trump says he plans to punish companies that move production outside the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Announced a few days ago that they're going to move a lot of their manufacturing business to Mexico. I'm just notifying John Deere right now. If you do that, we're putting a 200 percent tariff on everything that you want to sell into the United States.

We will put a 100 percent tariff on every single car coming across the Mexican border.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Now, under that plan, a $30,000 car made in Mexico would jump in price to $60,000 or even $90,000.

CNN's Matt Egan joins me now. Matt, how real is this? That's one question that I have. I mean, these big tariff hikes that Trump is talking about, they've been slammed by the Harris campaign is essentially a tax that would affect consumers. Give us the fact check. How would this work?

EGAN: Well, Jim, former President Trump, he's made no secret how much he loves tariffs. Again and again, he holds them up as the solution to just about any problem. And we know that being tough on China and imposing tariffs, those are popular moves when you ask voters.

But I've got to tell you, talking to mainstream economists out of all parts of the Trump agenda, it's his trade agenda that scares them the most. They worry all this is going to backfire on the very people that Trump claims to be trying to help. And he has made a number of misleading or even false claims when it comes to tariffs. First, Trump has repeatedly claimed that it's foreign countries that are paying tariffs, but that's just not how it works, right?

These are taxes paid by American businesses when they buy stuff from overseas. And study after study shows that Americans have borne almost the entire cost of Trump's tariffs on China. And to date, federal data shows that Americans have paid more than $250 billion on Trump's tariffs on solar panels, steel, aluminum and Chinese-made goods.

Trump has also repeatedly claimed that tariffs don't raise prices. Just yesterday in Savannah, he says that tariffs will not cause inflation. But, again, economists, they're saying the exact opposite. They fear that all of this will reignite inflation. The Peterson Institute has found that Trump's trade proposals would cost the typical middle income family $2,600 a year at least, and that doesn't even account for the almost definite retaliation that you would get from other countries who, of course, would not take any of this lying down.

We even heard from some Republicans pushing back on Trump's trade proposals. Mitch McConnell says he's no fan of tariffs because, yes, they will raise prices on consumers. And earlier this week, Trump's own vice president, Mike Pence, he had an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal where he advised Republicans to pledge to deliver better trade deals that increase prosperity, not protectionist tariffs that make products more expensive.

One other point here, Trump has repeatedly argued that his tariffs will make jobs come roaring back. But again, experts, they worry the exact opposite will happen. The right leaning tax foundation has warned that Trump's tariffs and retaliation would wipe out 1.4 million jobs.

Listen, none of this is to say that Trump is not raising some legitimate points on trade, especially when it comes to China. We've heard from Republicans, Democrats, business leaders that China does not play fair on trade. But, Jim, the question is whether or not your proposed solution causes more harm than it does good.

ACOSTA: All right. Matt Egan, thank you very much for that fact- check.

EGAN: Thanks, Jim.

ACOSTA: Very enlightening. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Coming up, Tropical Storm Helene rapidly gaining strength as it plows towards Florida, a heads up on the Gulf Coast, but the storm is already having an impact on Mexico.

[10:30:03]

We're tracking it all next.

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