Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Merz Claims Win for Conservatives in Germany's Snap Election; Trump, Macron Set to Meet in Washington; Vatican: Pope Still Critical, Shows 'Mild' Kidney Failure; Trump's First Month in Office, By the Numbers. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired February 24, 2025 - 00:00   ET

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

BEN HUNTE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello. Wherever you are in the world, you are now in the CNN NEWSROOM with me, Ben Hunte, in Atlanta. And it is so good to have you here.

[00:00:36]

Coming up on the show, the conservative opposition comes out on top in Germany's election. What it means for the future of the transatlantic alliance.

We're monitoring Pope Francis's health. The 88-year-old pontiff, now in hospital for more than a week.

And, from the mass firings to controversial executive orders, President Trump has been busy. But he's also now facing legal pushback that could slow down his agenda.

The head of Germany's opposition conservatives says his absolute priority is to strengthen Europe and achieve independence from the United States.

That pledge from Friedrich Merz comes as preliminary official results show his center-right bloc will win the country's snap election, meaning he's now on track to become Germany's next chancellor.

Sunday's vote also saw a strong showing for the far-right Alternative for Germany Party, followed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats in third.

Merz says he plans to get straight to work on building a coalition government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRIEDRICH MERZ, CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC UNION LEADER (through translator): It's important that we get a government for Germany that is able to act with a good majority in Parliament, because, dear friends, the world outside is not waiting for us, and it's not waiting for long-lasting coalition negotiations.

We need to be able to act very soon, so that we can do the right things domestically, so that we are present in Europe; so that the world takes notice and sees that we have a reliable government in Germany.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: For the far-right Alternative for Germany, the results appear to have turned a party, once on the fringes, into a significant political force, though it will not be part of any coalition negotiations.

CNN's Frederik Pleitgen is following all of the developments from Berlin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The German election has produced a clear-cut winner, but not necessarily a stable government going forward.

The Christian Democratic Union, under Friedrich Merz --

PLEITGEN (voice-over): -- their main candidate, has won the largest share of the vote by far. Friedrich Merz is a conservative who says that he wants to jump-start the economy. He wants to get tougher on migration, as well.

At the same time, this is a devastating defeat --

PLEITGEN: -- for the Social Democrats, which so far --

PLEITGEN (voice-over): -- have had the chancellor, Olaf Scholz. The Social Democrats have acknowledged this defeat, one of the worst in the party's history. And Olaf Scholz has acknowledged it, as well.

PLEITGEN: But that's where the difficulties begin. Now, what has to happen is that a coalition to govern the country needs to be formed.

The Christian Democrats can't do that on their own.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): They need coalition partners. And as things stand right now, Friedrich Merz says he's not going to do that with the far-right AFD. He says --

PLEITGEN: -- that he's putting a firewall around them and will not cooperate with them or form a government with them either.

That leaves the Green Party and the Social Democrats. The big problem is, is that these parties --

PLEITGEN (voice-over): -- all don't really see eye-to-eye on a lot of the main issues. When it comes to migration, when it comes to the environment, in part also when it comes to the economy, as well.

So, forming a government might be possible, but will it be a stable government? That's going to be the big question.

Voters here in this country, though, have spoken very clearly. They understand that this country has a lot of problems, and they want those problems to be solved.

The economy, first and foremost, migration certainly, as well. But the other thing that looms also here in Europe --

PLEITGEN: -- and certainly for one of the largest countries here in Europe, is the war in Ukraine and how that is going to move forward in the future.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTE: Chancellor Scholz called the defeat a bitter result for his Social Democrats. He said he'll never come to terms with the historic second-place showing for the far-right AFD.

Scholz defended his government's track record and said he's led Germany through really dangerous times.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLAF SCHOLZ, GERMANY CHANCELLOR: This legislative period has been marked by enormous challenges. Two flight hours from us, a terrible war is taking place, which Russia continues to wage against Ukraine.

And every day, people die, streets are destroyed, railway lines, villages and towns are destroyed. People die. And there is still no end in sight.

Through this time, we and the government, led by me, have guided Germany safely as a supporter of Ukraine, but also as someone who ensures that the war does not expand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: U.S. President Donald Trump is celebrating the election results in Germany and suggested the opposition win signals a global shift towards conservative movement.

His comments come ahead of a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, scheduled to take place in Washington in the next few hours.

The meeting comes on the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Macron says he'll warn Mr. Trump not to be weak in the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he's ready to step down if it means peace for his country. He even suggested he would resign in exchange for Ukrainian membership in NATO.

Meanwhile, President Trump's envoy predicts Kyiv will agree to a mineral rights deal with the U.S. this week. But Zelenskyy told CNN he hopes the U.S. won't freeze military support in the process.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: As I said, we want a successful agreement. And if we will understand each other with partners, I hope that it will be. We will sign this, the first agreement, or memo -- memo, on which base we will -- I mean, I will prepare other documents.

So, I hope that it will not have influence on other steps of the United States, and they will not cancel or stop or freeze any support, especially military support, to Ukraine. This is crucial for us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your relationship with the president?

ZELENSKYY: My relationship with President Trump, it never was in such -- best way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Let's dig into all of this with CNN European affairs commentator Dominic Thomas.

Thank you so much for being with me, Dominic. How are you doing?

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: No, I'm doing good. Thank you so much and nice to be on your show, Ben.

HUNTE: Oh, you're so welcome. Thanks for being here.

Let's start in Germany. So, I was looking at the polls from a few days ago, and they do seem to reflect what's played out. Have you been surprised by any of the results or projections that we've seen so far?

THOMAS: Not so much with the projections, because I think the polls did a -- did a great job. But what they did is confirm a seismic transformation that's been in the makings, really, since the end and the last years of -- of the Merkel era.

I think one thing that was really interesting is that the turnout, from what I can tell, was certainly the highest in the last 35 years, which shows just the extent to which the German population was galvanized around the stakes of this election.

But I think ultimately, what this confirmed was, for the first time since German unification in 1990, the CDU, SPD did not share pole position, in other words, one and two. And you have here the AFD coming in and imposing itself as the second largest party. A similar trend to things we've seen develop in elections recently in -- in France, as well, for example.

So, we see a sort of erosion of these mainstream parties. And I think the most disconcerting aspect of it moving forward, when it comes to this system and creating a coalition, is that all three coalition partners that went into this early election lost seats.

And in the case of the FDP, it looks like they won't even enter Parliament, whereas all the opposition members gained seats. And in some areas, significant in terms of the left that hadn't done that well in 2021.

So, I think entering into a coalition in this volatile environment, given the stakes and given the state of the -- of the German economy and the position on the international board, it's a high order to try and create a government here moving forward, Ben.

HUNTE: Yes. And Trump is actually meeting with Macron later today. They have a long-standing relationship. What do you think is going to be brought up in that meeting?

THOMAS: Right. Well, of course, there are issues, right? For example, you know, trade agreements, tariffs, the situation in the Middle East.

But the primary focus of this meeting is around the conflict in Ukraine and achieving peace. It's clear that the European Union have been significantly disturbed by the return of Trump to the White House and the -- his particular way in which he has talked about far-right parties, his relationship to Europe, and his reluctance to move into multilateral agreements.

So, we know that Emmanuel Macron historically has a close relationship with him, but it hasn't always translated into convincing President Trump to follow along. We have the Paris climate accord, the Iran nuclear deal, as an example.

In this particular case, I think both the U.K. prime minister and Emmanuel Macron are eager to try to get President Trump to understand the importance of an E.U., NATO and United States solution to this situation.

[00:10:03]

And if that means President Trump takes credit for it, they're happy with that.

My feeling is that President Trump's alignments and alliances in Europe and the world have shifted towards a more sort of monolithic, singular way of dealing things, and he's much closer to some of the detractors in Europe, like Hungary, Slovakia, and so on, and to Russia than his predecessor.

And I'm not sure that Emmanuel Macron is going to be able to convince him of the danger that President Putin continues to represent to Europe and the European Union, Ben.

HUNTE: I wonder if I can get your really quick thoughts on President Trump praising these elections in Germany and actually congratulating himself, too. I just -- I was reading through his post where he said, this is a great day for the United States of America under the leadership of a gentleman named Donald J. Trump. Why do you think this is such a good day for him?

THOMAS: Well, I'm not sure, you know. Of course, he's appropriating the performance here of the AFD.

But the fact is, for the last two years, the AFD have been doing very well in the polls. And I'm not sure that either him or his surrogate, Elon Musk's, interference has translated into really tremendous support for the AFD.

I think, if anything, the German public that voted 80 percent not for the AFD are very concerned about this sort of attempt to bolster the far-right in Europe. They've seen the situation unfold in other areas. They're concerned about the decisions that have been made in the White House thus far.

And I think that ultimately, the disruption to the Atlantic relationship and the relationship with Europe and foreign policy is what concerns them the most.

HUNTE: Yes.

THOMAS: And I don't see the AFD moving forward, you know, maintaining that power structure that it has here, Ben.

HUNTE: Well, thank you for your analysis. I appreciate it. Dominic Thomas, we'll speak soon.

THOMAS: Thank you.

HUNTE: Pope Francis is now experiencing mild kidney failure, according to the Vatican. And while they say it's under control, it's another unwelcome health complication for the 88-year-old.

He's still in critical condition as he fights double pneumonia in hospital. The Vatican says he's still on oxygen but has not suffered another acute respiratory crisis, as he did on Saturday.

Pope Francis took part in Holy Mass inside the medical center on Sunday, joined by those who were caring for him.

Claire Giangrave is a Vatican correspondent for the Religion News Service, which covers religion and spirituality around the world.

Thank you for being with me. How are you doing?

CLAIRE GIANGRAVE, VATICAN CORRESPONDENT, RELIGION NEWS SERVICE: Thank you for having me, Ben.

HUNTE: You're so welcome. We are at a critical stage at this moment. Can you just give me an update? What is the latest on the pope's health?

GIANGRAVE: Well, it's just what you mentioned earlier. We know that his conditions remain critical. The doctors had seemed somewhat hopeful on Friday when they spoke to Vatican reporters, saying that the pope would -- was somewhat stable. He was feeling all right. He was alert.

But on that on Saturday, obviously, he had a crisis, a respiratory crisis that lasted well into the evening. And Vatican reporters watched the window of the hospital for the entire night, worried about what might happen to the pontiff. Fortunately, we've heard since then that his condition is stable, but

it remains critical.

HUNTE: It was unprecedented in modern times for a pope to resign until Benedict. And given the state of his current health, would it be responsible, do you think, for Pope Francis to consider stepping down?

GIANGRAVE: Pope Francis has been very vocal about the possibility of stepping down. And as you said, the door was opened by his predecessor for this possibility.

In several autobiographies that were published not that long ago, the pope said, yes, I would step down if I felt that I could not perform my duties in the best way possible.

Now, what that means is quite difficult. But the people who know him, who are close to him, say that this is a very tough pope who is not very willing to give up.

And so, a lot depends on what happens in the next few days. But so far, we've always thought that the pope, even though he was willing, he wouldn't be ready or immediately intentioned to do that.

HUNTE: So, this is the pope's longest hospital stay in his 12-year papacy. Do we know what events and ceremonies that he's missing because he's in hospital right now?

GIANGRAVE: Well, this year is a very important year in the Catholic Church. Pilgrims from all over the world are coming to Rome for the jubilee year, an anniversary celebration.

And just recently, deacons from all over the world came to Saint Peters to celebrate mass. And they found themselves also praying for -- for the pope and for his health.

This has been right after the Christmas celebrations, a very intense period.

[00:15:03]

And we've seen the pope looking bloated and tired during ceremonies, struggling to speak, holding private audiences with world leaders in his home at Santa Marta in the Vatican, where he lives instead of the apostolic palace. It's been very difficult on the 88-year-old pontiff.

HUNTE: Well, we will see what happens here. Claire Giangrave, thank you so much for joining me for now. I appreciate it.

GIANGRAVE: Thank you.

HUNTE: Israel is putting on a show of force in the occupied West Bank, sending tanks into the Palestinian territory for the first time in two decades. We'll have the latest, next.

Plus, deep spending cuts and mass federal layoffs. We'll look back at what President Donald Trump has done in just over a month in office. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:20:14]

HUNTE: Israel is warning that it could resume intense fighting in Gaza at any moment. As the first phase of the ceasefire deal with Hamas comes to an end, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has military plans ready to go, if needed. The IDF says it's ramping up operational readiness around Gaza after what it described as a situational assessment.

It added that there are currently no changes in guidelines to civilians.

Hamas says any future talks with Israel are contingent on the release of more than 600 Palestinian prisoners. Israel says it won't release them until Hamas guarantees the end of humiliating ceremonies during hostage releases.

Israel is moving tanks into the occupied West Bank for the first time since the end of the second Intifada, more than 20 years ago.

Palestinian authorities are slamming the move as an escalation of aggression. The Israeli defense minister says his country's military is expanding its operation in the Palestinian territory. He's telling troops to remain in some refugee camps for the coming year after about 40,000 people were evacuated.

Several Palestinians told CNN the Israeli military made them leave, and they don't know when they'll be allowed to return.

Mourners came out en masse in Beirut on Sunday. Tens of thousands flooded the streets of Lebanon's capital to take part in the long- delayed funeral of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

A formation of Israeli fighter jets flew just above the event, in what the IDF called, quote, "a clear message to Iranian-backed proxy group."

Nasrallah was killed nearly five months ago in a massive Israeli air strike in the suburbs of Lebanon's capital.

Still to come, a look at how the Trump presidency is doing after a little over a month in office and the mass firings of federal workers that are paralyzing key agencies.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:26:45]

HUNTE: Less than 30 minutes ago, the U.S. Agency for International Development began gutting its ranks. The agency told 2,000 employees by email on Sunday they'd be laid off just before midnight Eastern Time, with most remaining USAID staff being put on administrative leave. A small number of employees will remain in their jobs to keep working

on the few humanitarian projects deemed essential by the Trump administration.

The layoffs are the latest step in Donald Trump's push to dismantle the agency, which provides humanitarian assistance around the world.

We're now over 30 days into President Trump's second term, and he's already managed to reshape the U.S. government and set a tone for a new world order.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For American citizens, January 20, 2025, is liberation day.

The journey to reclaim our republic has not been an easy one. That I can tell you.

My life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to make America great again.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Between the thousands of federal layoffs, spending cuts and inclusion program reversals, the list of what the president has done is pretty long. So, we've got a quick recap of everything that's gone down in America since Mr. Trump took office again.

The president signed 108 executive actions since taking over in January. That's not just orders, but also proclamations and memos.

The day after he was sworn into office, he declared a national emergency at the border, deploying military personnel to carry out his immigration policy, including mass deportations.

There's now a 10 percent cross-border tariff on goods and a 25 percent on all steel and aluminum imports into the U.S. from China, with promised tariffs on North American neighbors Mexico and Canada possibly coming in March.

Oh, and if you're waiting for egg prices to go down, no. Those tariffs won't help. Inflation is now so sticky that America's biggest retailer is warning the worst is yet to come.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's going to take some time to fix what Joe Biden broke over four years, and we know it is -- it is easy, unfortunately, to burn the house down. It takes a little bit of time to build it back up.

We're going to make it affordable to live in this country again. That's our mandate. That's our goal. And you're right: there's a lot more that we can do. But I think we've got a pretty good start after 30 days. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Let's not forget the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which is now established within the government, with Elon Musk leading the way, carrying out Trump's government purging task.

Thousands of federal workers have been fired, including Americans working at the IRS, the CDC, the FAA and even top generals at the Pentagon.

And that same purge has also canceled all diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Federal workers aren't allowed to promote or even use email signatures related to DEI. Yes, pronouns in emails are gone.

And while he banned others from celebrating, the president did it himself, marking Black History Month at the White House last week.

[00:30:02]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: We proudly celebrate Black History Month.

How are you, darling?

Today, we pay tribute to the generations of black legends, champions, warriors and patriots who helped drive our country forward to greatness.

And you really are great, great people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HUNTE: Let's talk about all of this with Areva Martin, civil rights attorney and commentator.

Areva, it's so good to have you with us. How are you doing?

AREVA MARTIN, ATTORNEY AND LEGAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: I'm doing fantastic. Thank you, Ben, so much for having me.

HUNTE: You're so welcome. Let's get into it.

So, President Trump told people they couldn't celebrate Black History Month and then, bam, he's out here celebrating Black History Month himself. I'm confused. What do you think is going on here?

MARTIN: I think it's the hypocrisy that we've seen from this administration from the beginning, Ben. He tells us one thing, but he does something completely different. He's attacking DEI, tearing down all the rights that people of color have enjoyed in this country for decades, while at the same time purporting to have this celebration of Black History Month.

I believe it was one great big distraction, an effort to distract people from the reality of what he's doing in terms of rolling back rights, making it more difficult for people of color, women, LGBTQ people, people who are suffering from or people who have disabilities, from being focused on what this administration is doing and how this administration is making it more difficult for people to enjoy the rights that civil rights icons have fought so hard to secure in this country.

HUNTE: Over the past few weeks, we've seen firings upon firings of government workers. Growing up in the U.K., I was always told that government jobs are the most stable and predictable jobs that you can get.

Do you see any loopholes or legal ways for these U.S. employees to end up keeping those jobs?

MARTIN: Absolutely, Ben. I think the way in which these individuals have been terminated violates so many of the legal protections that they are afforded.

Many of these employees are members of labor unions. There have been labor union contracts negotiated that govern their employment and govern how they can be terminated. Many of these employees are civil service employees, and they are entitled to due process before they can be terminated.

He has created -- the Trump administration, Elon Musk, they've created so much chaos. Some employees getting notification that they're being terminated for performance reasons when they've just gotten a stellar outstanding performance review.

I think labor unions, I think individual employees should continue to stand up. They should file lawsuits challenging these terminations, and they should make their resistance to this author -- authoritarian- type government well known.

HUNTE: Well, speaking of that resistance, we have seen a lot of legal challenges across the U.S. which have stopped. or at least paused for now, some of President Trump's intended progress.

We've covered blocks on his anti-DEI order on his show. We've covered challenges to anti-trans orders.

What are your predictions here? Will Trump actually end up getting his way in the end?

MARTIN: I don't think so. I think what we've seen from this administration is shameful. It is against everything that he promised to do.

He promised, Ben, to come into office -- office and to lower egg prices, to lower grocery prices. And rather than doing it, he's creating high unemployment. He's firing thousands and thousands of government workers, while at the same time, inflation remains high. He's creating stagnation.

And I think he ultimately is going to be unsuccessful. We are seeing attorneys general around the country filing lawsuits. We've seen labor unions. We've seen employees. And I think ultimately, the people, the people of this nation are going to prevail.

HUNTE: Give me just a moment to roll back to when you first heard that Trump had won the election in November, and then skip forward to now. Are you surprised that all of this is happening, or did you expect it?

MARTIN: Ben, he laid it all out in Project 2025. As much as he lied to the American people and tried to distance himself from Project 2025, what we are seeing in the last 30 days is the execution, is the implementation of Project 2025.

So, am I surprised? Absolutely not. He gave us the playbook. He walked us through it. We should have been prepared.

And I think there's so much voter's remorse for individuals that voted for him, that thought he was going to focus on the economy, thought he was going to focus on making their lives better, when all he's done is created chaos and has used the office to exact retribution, which he told us he would do, on those that he deems his enemies.

HUNTE: Well, yes, I mean, we've spoken to people who voted for him and have now been laid off by him. So gosh, it is all going on.

Areva Martin, thank you so much for now. Really, really appreciate it.

MARTIN: Thank you, Ben. Always a pleasure.

HUNTE: Hollywood hosted the acclaimed Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday. Coming up, the winners selected by industry peers for their outstanding performances of the past year.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:39:25]

HUNTE: You are looking at Italian Air Force jets escorting an American Airlines plane to Rome on Sunday because of a potential security concern. It was ultimately deemed non-credible.

The flight was on its way from New York to Delhi, India, when it was diverted.

American Airlines says the flight landed safely and law enforcement inspected the plane for re-departure, which is set for Monday.

Now to the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards in Hollywood, where the stars themselves select the best performances across film and television.

On Saturday, the cast of "Conclave" won for their Outstanding Performance in a Motion Picture, depicting the secretive process of selecting a new pope.

Zoe Saldana continued her award season sweep, landing the Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role Award. This for her part in the Netflix cartel crime film, "Emilia Perez." And Hulu's hit TV series "Shogun" won big for their take on Japan's

warrior past. The ensemble cast took home the award for Outstanding Performance in a Drama Series.

And individually, Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada won for their performances in leading roles.

OK. Well, that's it. That's all I've got for you. Thanks for joining me. I'm Ben Hunte in Atlanta. It's been very real. Let's do it all again in about 15 minutes' time. WORLD SPORT is up next. See you in a bit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:45:34]

(WORLD SPORT)