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Inside Politics

Thousands Fired As Trump Administration Orders Widespread Cuts; 3 Percent Inflation Challenges Trump's Promise To Lower Prices; Actor Josh Gad On New Book "In Gad We Trust". Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired February 14, 2025 - 12:30   ET

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

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[12:34:10]

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Thousands of federal employees are now fired. It's part of the Trump administration's latest move to upend the federal workforce. That includes the CDC, which we just learned is losing one-tenth of its staff. It's part of the Trump administration's push to get rid of all probationary employees.

Rene Marsh is tracking this story. Rene?

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Dana, labor unions representing federal employees are still trying to get their hands around the full scope and scale of the Trump administration's government-wide firings. But so far, we know that more than 1,000 were fired from the Veterans Affairs Agency.

We know that Trump's V.A. secretary, Doug Collins, said that it would save the agency some $98 million per year. 2,000 were fired at the Department of Energy, according to The Wall Street Journal, and nearly 1,300 at the CDC and 2,400 at the Forest Service, according to a union source.

[12:35:07]

Now, that is an agency that manages the nation's public forests and grasslands to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. You know that Trump has talked a bit about clearing the forest floors, as he puts it, to combat these wildfires.

While we know that the firefighting unit of the Forest Service was not laid off, employees with desk jobs or employees who clear the trails in some of these areas, they were laid off. And the problem is, at a time where wildfires have become more frequent and intense, those employees serve as reserve that the agency taps into when they need more manpower.

And one Forest Service source is telling me that they will likely now have to rely on backup help from private contractors, which comes at a much higher cost. They are also saying that it's quite possible some campgrounds may need to be closed because they just don't have enough staff in light of these firings. And one note, also at the V.A., one of the employees fired worked at a vet center. That's a community-based clinic that helps vets seeking mental health care. And that employee, I'm told from a union source, had a perfect performance rating before they were fired.

So just a sense of the type of jobs that these individuals held. They are now out of work with the federal government, Dana.

BASH: Yes, it's the people who held the jobs and the people who they were trying to help in their communities.

Thank you so much. Appreciate it, Rene.

Up next, President Trump promised to bring down prices. Has anyone who's tried to buy eggs seen what they are now? It's not happening quite yet. Stay with us.

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[12:41:21]

BASH: President Trump famously promised to bring down prices on day one.

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DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will end inflation and make America affordable again. It's not affordable. Prices will come down. You just watch. They'll come down and they'll come down fast.

Bacon is through the roof. They're all through the roof. The milk, everything is bad. And we're going to straighten it out. We're going to bring prices way down and we're going to get it done fast.

We're going to get the food prices down.

So vote Trump and your incomes will soar. Your net worth will skyrocket. Your energy costs and grocery prices will come tumbling down.

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BASH: It's day 26 of the Trump administration, and I don't even need to tell you this. You are probably well aware prices are not down. Inflation rose more and more than expected last month, up 3 percent. It's not surprising to anyone who has gone shopping for eggs, for example, recently.

A dozen eggs is up 53 percent from this time last year. Now, the bird flu is responsible for a lot of that. But it's not just eggs that have seen the prices go up.

David Chalian is back with me. David, I just think it's important to come back to basics. And for most voters, basics was the crisis of affordability in their lives. DAVID CHALIAN, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Without a doubt, this is issue number one. I mean, I know people may be shocked to find that you campaign in poetry and govern in prose. I mean, a lot of that campaign trail rhetoric was never going to be realized as it got hit with reality.

I think there was a CBS News poll out earlier this week that suggested two-thirds of the American people say that he hasn't done enough yet in terms of lowering prices. Donald Trump's focus on that is not where it should be, according to two-thirds of Americans.

And you know what? Watch Donald Trump's actions. He knows this, too. Has this been every day he goes out to talk about the economy? No, because he understands that people are still struggling with prices. They want to blame this last inflation report solely on the Biden administration.

But this is going to be Donald Trump's problem to solve now. And he knows it. Look how quickly he tried to use the tariffs as a negotiating tool with Mexico and Canada, but not actually implemented because he saw the market reaction.

So he's keenly aware that he will rise or fall on this very issue. It's how he got back to the Oval Office. It's just that the reality on the ground right now is not a fact pattern that helps his cause, so he tries to put it to the side.

BASH: Yes, it's so true. I'm glad that we discussed this. I also want to tell our viewers that you have a new episode of your podcast out. And it's so interesting. You have a really illuminating conversation with Congressman Pat Ryan. Let's listen to that.

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REP. PAT RYAN (D), NEW YORK: We've got to make the case to, you know, in my case, my 800,000 constituents, and to the American people at every level, that we understand what your needs and problems are. We're truly listening to you. And we are working to deliver where we can.

We have to have our tent wide open to build a coalition of not just Democrats, but patriots who want ultimately, you know, like my campaign was about and my mission in Congress is three things, make our community more affordable, more safe, and more free. And anybody who wants to be a part of that, you know, we're going to welcome into our tent.

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CHALIAN: It's just interesting. Pat Ryan is so interesting because he runs in a district that's like a battleground district. He won his contest last year by 15 percentage points. Donald Trump just lost the district by three points to Kamala Harris.

So what I was intrigued to say, what are you doing differently in this kind of district than the Democratic brand is nationally? And he makes the case, you have to meet the American people where they are. It is a populist moment.

He just thinks Democrats have to find a different way to tell the story of the solution to this moment, economic times, a different one than Donald Trump is providing where he says it's about, you know, retribution and vengeance (INAUDIBLE).

BASH: I look very -- really look forward to listening to this.

CHALIAN: Thank you.

[12:45:14]

BASH: And you can listen to more of that interview on David's podcast, CNN Political Briefing, wherever you get your podcasts.

Coming up, we're going to go outside politics with a show-stopping entertainer who loves warm hugs. Stay with us.

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BASH: TGIF. It has been a very long week here in Washington. I don't know about you, but I could use a laugh. So I'd like to share my recent conversation with a Hollywood and Broadway star who's funny, honest and at times pretty raw.

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BASH: Joining me now is actor Josh Gad, the author of a new book, a terrific book, "In Gad We Trust". Thank you so much for being here.

[12:50:00]

I have to tell you that we call this segment on Inside Politics a palette cleanser. And I do think that you, Josh Gad --

JOSH GAD, AMERICAN ACTOR: Oh good.

BASH: -- you give us endless entertainment. You are the perfect palette cleanser for these times. I mean, you've created iconic characters.

GAD: I call myself the mouthwash of current events. So thank you so much for --

BASH: Are you minty?

GAD: -- allowing me to do that. It's very minty.

BASH: OK, so you've created characters, of course, Olaf, Frozen, Elder Cunningham, The Book of Mormon, and it goes on and on and on. My takeaway -- one of my main takeaways from your terrific book beyond your raw talent that you have is that your attitude is always go for it.

GAD: I do go for it sometimes to a fault. I always take risks where something looks obvious. I sort of go the other direction. It's always served me well. You know, sometimes in the case of choosing Book of Mormon, I was offered a TV show at the time called Modern Family, which my wife still hasn't forgiven me for turning down financially.

But I do take risks and I love to take risks. And I talk about that in the book --

BASH: Were you the camp -- were you offered camp (ph)?

GAD: I was. I was offered camp.

BASH: Oh my gosh.

GAD: But Eric Stonestreet was so much better than I ever could have been.

BASH: He was amazing and thank goodness, you were Elder Cunningham because you literally created that and you talk about it. I mean, you started when they were beginning the readings and, you know, what, three years before it even came close to making it on stage.

You're really honest in this book, Josh, about your anxieties and fears, even though you talk about going for it, some of which may be chemical. Some of it clearly comes from trauma from your parents' divorce, your dad not being there much. It's pretty raw. It's funny, but it's also pretty raw.

GAD: Yes, I wanted to be completely honest. I wanted -- if you're going to read my book, I didn't want you to feel like I wasn't telling you as much as you signed on for. Look, my last name, Dana, is Gad. General Anxiety Disorder is my birthright.

So it's something I've had to deal with, and it's something that I wanted to talk about because hopefully it helps others to hear somebody like me having gone through it, going through it. I talk about my struggle with weight. I talk about my struggles with body image.

You know, I really did want this to be something that makes people laugh, something that is escapism, but also something that hopefully isn't just empty calories.

BASH: You are, sadly, to be honest here, one of barely more than a handful of high-profile Jewish entertainers speaking out against the spike in anti-Semitism in America. You talk in your book very openly about your grandparents surviving concentration camps, a death march at the end of World War II, how you grew up hearing never again but never really thinking it would actually apply in your lifetime, which I can relate to.

And I want our viewers to just see part of what you wrote in your book. You wrote, "Think about this. When your history is one of being singled out and blamed for everything from the death of Jesus to the downfall of the German economy, there really isn't much left for my people to achieve, is there? We're only 0.2 percent of the population of the world, which is significantly less than those practicing voodoo, but apparently still powerful enough to run the world. If there is a secret cabal of Jews puppeteering all of humanity, I certainly have not been invited to the party. I would happily welcome the opportunity to drink goat's blood with George Soros and Steven Spielberg as we plot out which world bank to control next. On the flip side, I would equally love to not have to play Whac-A-Mole with antisemites parading as activists and neo-Nazis posing as patriots."

That's just one example of the way that you take such a complex and fraught and emotional issue. You give it a little bit of humor and a little bit of satire, but it is still extremely powerful. Can you just talk about the issue that I just read about anti-Semitism?

GAD: Yes, I appreciate you speaking to that. I -- look, I feel like I have no choice. I don't want to have to speak on this. I am a performer. You know, I know a lot of people would like me to stay in my place and not be as vocal on, you know, geopolitical issues or social issues, but the truth is I don't have that luxury.

My grandparents both suffered unthinkable losses. They had their entire families massacred. They spent the prime of their lives in concentration camps wondering every day if it was going to be their last day simply by virtue of the fact that they were born Jewish.

And the one thing that they made me promise as their grandson is to never forget. And never forget doesn't mean this sort of game where you yourself are walking around thinking about it nonstop and not communicating. It means that you have to actively speak out when you see things that are incredibly problematic.

[12:55:18]

And, you know, society will always look for scapegoats. And unfortunately, Jews have always been an easy scapegoat, continue to be an easy scapegoat. And I feel the need to speak out because it's what my grandparents asked and implored me to do.

BASH: We are going to have to leave it there. Definitely not a light note, but I promise you, if you read this book, you will get so many light notes. It's just -- it's terrific. And I highly recommend everybody. It's a tell some, not a tell all.

Josh, good to see you. Thank you.

GAD: It's awesome. But, yes, there's a lot of some in there.

BASH: A lot of some.

GAD: I love you, Dana.

BASH: Thank you.

GAD: Thank you so much.

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BASH: Thank you for joining Inside Politics today. CNN News Central starts after the break.

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