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March Madness Continues; Trump Tariff Impact on Car Prices?; Hearing For Maryland Man Mistakenly Deported to El Salvador; Trump Pressures Federal Reserve Chair to Cut Interest Rates; Interview With Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL). Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired April 04, 2025 - 11:30   ET

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

[11:30:01]

REP. CARLOS GIMENEZ (R-FL): No, I don't think so.

Look, for years, all these countries have been imposing tariffs on us. And the world didn't end, all right? As a matter of fact, what happened, we lost a bunch of manufacturing jobs and a lot of our industries left because of the tariffs imposed on us.

And so now there's going to be an adjustment. And yes, people -- it's a new world. It's a new way of dealing with the United States of America. We want a level playing field, so that there can be really a global economy once everything is level.

But it wasn't level. It was always tipped against us. And the president, all he's trying to do is level that playing field. Are people going to be upset about it? Sure. Are going to -- are -- is there going to be an adjustment period? Sure.

But I also think he's on the right track. We have seen record investment in the United States. We have seen now a really good job growth number that was, I think, published today, because why? Because companies are coming back to the United States.

And, by the way, it's a national security issue. All these manufacturing jobs that left the United States, we're suffering now on the defense side, because we don't have the capacity to build the arms and the weapons that we need to defend ourselves against what we consider to be our greatest adversary, which is China.

And they're outproducing us. And so, yes, I think this is part of a larger strategy.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Well, one final question, Congressman, before I let you go.

Aren't you concerned that people in your district, Miami, elsewhere in your district, are going to be paying a lot more for all sorts of various products right now because of these tariffs?

GIMENEZ: Well, listen, here's what I have said, and I have said it for years, all right? We need to decouple from China. We need to decouple from China.

We need to do it now, because every single dollar that we send over to China is going to be used against us. So we have to pay a little bit more for American-made products or products made by our allies. And I think that's the price we're going to have to pay, because China is our greatest adversary.

China has claimed that they want to be the world's economic leader by 2049 and the military leader by 2049. I don't want to have my children or grandchildren living in a world dominated by the Communist Chinese Party.

So are we going to have to pay a little bit more for Chinese products? I'm fine with that. But what we need to do is also, hey, now we're going to be buying American products and now we're going to be buying products from our allies. We're not going to be strengthening the hand of our greatest adversary, which is the Communist Chinese Party and the People's Republic of China.

BLITZER: But, as you know, Congressman...

GIMENEZ: So I think it's a good policy, and that's the way it needs to be.

Yes?

BLITZER: But, as you know, Congressman, it's not just a little bit more that Americans are going to be paying. For a lot of these products, like cars, for example, and other products that are imported, it's going to be a whole lot more.

GIMENEZ: Well, that's the whole -- the whole thing is to try to balance things out, so that, instead of buying European and Chinese cars, that you buy American cars, so that we build them here in America.

They don't have any tariffs. They're not going to have any tariffs, make us more competitive. Why do they charge the heck out of an American car over in Europe and everywhere else? They're protecting their industry, but we can't do the same? I don't think that's fair.

And that's, I think, exactly what the president of the United States is trying to do.

BLITZER: But even American cars, a Ford or a Chevy or a Chrysler, they're going to cost a lot more too, because so many of the parts, the auto parts, are imported, and now they're going to cost a lot more money. You agree, I assume?

GIMENEZ: No, I don't, because I think what will happen is, now you're going to have part production here in the United States. It doesn't have to be in Europe. It doesn't have to be in Japan. It doesn't have to be in China.

The parts production should be here in the United States. That's the whole impetus of this entire thing. And, by the way, when it's all leveled out, then our products can compete over in Europe and Asia and their products can compete over here. If they want a trade war, I mean, they declared this war a heck of a long time ago.

I mean, you know, what do we pay, 700 percent tariffs on American rice in Japan? Really? Why? That's not fair. Why are they paying, what, 20, 30 percent tariffs for American cars in Europe, where they can't afford American cars? That's not right.

All he's trying to do is bring it back and have a balance on trade. And that's the way it should be. There shouldn't be high tariffs on American products or other products. But since they charge us tariffs, I think it's right that we should charge them the same amount.

BLITZER: Congressman Carlos Gimenez of Florida, thanks so much for joining us.

GIMENEZ: It's my pleasure.

BLITZER: And just ahead: Car manufacturing is poised to be among the industries hit the hardest by President Trump's new tariffs. And American car companies are already strategizing. I want to ask a key executive over at Ford Motor Company how they can avoid passing the cost onto consumers.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:38:56]

BLITZER: All right, this is just here in THE SITUATION ROOM.

President Trump is now pressuring the chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, to cut interest rates.

Let's go live to our chief national affairs correspondent, Jeff Zeleny. He's joining us in West Palm Beach, Florida. That's where the president is.

Jeff, what is the president saying about this?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, even as the president is at his golf and country club here, he is sending out messages on TRUTH Social, his social media platform, this time doing something most presidents shy away from doing, and that is sending a direct message, applying pressure to the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, who's delivering a speech this hour in Virginia.

The president is urging him to cut interest rates. Let's look at part of this message that Trump sent out.

It says this. It says: "This would be a perfect time for the Fed chairman, Jerome Powell, to cut interest rates. He is always late, but he could now change his image, and quickly." He goes on to say: "Stop playing politics. Cut rates." Wolf, as you well know, this is extraordinary. The Federal Reserve operates independently from the White House, from the president. Yes, they are appointed by presidents, but serve over multiple administrations.

[11:40:09]

And this is something that Jerome Powell effectively has indicated he will not do. But he is also warning in his prepared remarks for that speech to be delivered in Virginia that he does believe inflation will go up because of this tariff policy from the White House.

Again, Jerome Powell has given no indication that the Federal Reserve will be cutting rates, but that's what the president is trying to pressure him to do -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And, Jeff, you're absolutely right. It is pretty extraordinary that a sitting president in the United States is telling the chair of the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. It doesn't happen very often.

I don't remember when the last time it did happen. I don't know if you know. Do we remember the last time a sitting president of the United States told the sitting chair of the Federal Reserve it's time to cut interest rates?

ZELENY: It certainly would have been this president, Wolf. It's the only president that I can recall doing so. I have covered the last five. And this certainly is the only time that I can recall. President Trump has previously done it.

He has sent signals to Jerome Powell to cut interest rates. There are some Trump supporters who believe that there's a game of three- dimensional chess going on here. The president is trying to do this tariff policy, if you will, to lower interest rates.

Economists that I have spoken to and others say that this really is not to be believed. This is not what is going on. But what is going on, the president is pressuring Jerome Powell to cut interest rates. Again, we have no indication that the Federal Reserve will do that -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And at a time when there are so many economic and national security issues going on, how extraordinary is it for a sitting president to be down in Florida playing golf?

ZELENY: Wolf, it certainly optically is not ideal for any president.

The only thing that really comes to mind, as I was thinking this morning is the president was driving to his golf course, was after 9/11, when President Bush was a frequent golf player. He stopped playing golf publicly shortly before the Iraq invasion in August of 2002.

You will probably remember him making a comment about a terrorist. Then he said, "Now watch this drive." And there was that really damaging video of him playing golf as he was talking about such a serious matter. Of course, technology has changed. We don't see the president this morning, but he is sending out these messages on social media.

But as the market is falling, there's no doubt he's in one of the wealthiest places in the country playing golf today, Wolf.

BLITZER: Yes, all right, Jeff Zeleny, who's down in Florida for us, thank you very, very much.

We also have some new developments coming in on a mistakenly deported El Salvadoran national. A hearing is now set for this afternoon in the case of the Maryland father who was apprehended by ICE and deported to a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador.

Let's go live right now to CNN's Priscilla Alvarez, who's joining us from Greenbelt, Maryland. That's just outside of Washington.

What's at stake in this hearing, Priscilla?

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, his lawyers are going to push that he be returned to the United States.

Look, Wolf, simply put, this is a Salvadoran national who's resided in Maryland for many years. His name is Kilmar Abrego Garcia. He was mistakenly deported to El Salvador. But now the administration says that he is in the custody of another country, therefore, they cannot retrieve him.

The Department of Justice has also said in filings that -- quote -- "His public -- the public interest outweighs the individual interest" when it comes to whether or not he can be returned to the United States.

But these are all of the things that are going to be coming up in the court hearing later this afternoon, as his attorneys pushed for the administration to bring him back. Now, the administration has said repeatedly that he is a member of MS-13. Now, his attorneys say that is not the case. His family similarly says that's not the case.

And what we have seen in court filings over the last several years has been that, while there was an allegation of him being part of this gang, there hasn't been any additional evidence to shore that up. And another key part of this case, something that his immigration attorney mentioned during a press conference this morning, is that he was granted by an immigration judge something that's known as withholding of removal.

That means that he cannot be deported to El Salvador, even if he can be removed from the country generally. And he had that protected status when Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested him last month and then a few days later sent him to El Salvador. So that is also something that his attorneys are likely going to be doubling down on.

It's not just that he was mistakenly sent there, but he was supposed to be protected from sending there, according to the United States. Now, we did also hear from his wife this morning, who gave an emotional plea and said that the last several weeks have been a nightmare. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNIFER VASQUEZ, WIFE OF KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA: If I had all the money in the world, I will spend it all just to buy one thing, a phone call to hear Kilmar's voice again and have the opportunity to talk to him and the kids again.

[11:45:11]

Our entire family is broken by what -- and I -- words, an error.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALVAREZ: Now, as you heard there, she has had no contact with her husband since he was sent to El Salvador. We expect her to be in the courtroom, Wolf, as, again, lawyers push the administration to return him from El Salvador.

BLITZER: Yes, we will see what happens.

Priscilla Alvarez reporting for us.

Priscilla, thank you very much.

Right now, I want to get back to our breaking news, markets in turmoil for a second straight day following sweeping new tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. China this morning responding with new tariffs of its own on products it imports from the United States.

Meanwhile, cars coming into the U.S. from abroad are subject to a new 25 percent tariff that went into effect this week as well.

Joining us now to discuss is Andrew Frick, president of Ford Blue.

Andrew, thanks so much for joining us.

How is Ford navigating these new tariffs and the additional tariffs on the table for auto parts set to go into effect next month?

ANDREW FRICK, PRESIDENT, FORD BLUE: Well, thank you very much for having me.

One, we are in a good position, relatively speaking. We're the number one America -- automaker in America. We assemble more vehicles here, and we employ more hourly workers than any other OEM.

And the way we're positioning it right now is really a focus on our customers. For 122 years, Ford has been there for our customers, especially in times of uncertainty. And so, right now, there's a lot going on. And we launched a campaign called From America, For America, which is offering customers employee pricing, which means customers will pay what our employees pay, which we think is really important for the customer landscape right now.

We're excited about it. We have a great selection of stock in our Ford and Lincoln dealerships out there. We're not repricing that inventory. And we just want to make sure our customers know that we're there for them, as we're all learning through the implication of all these tariff announcements.

BLITZER: We did some checking, Andrew, and we have discovered that Ford's overall sales actually rose 10 percent last month as customers flocked to dealerships anticipating tariff price hikes.

Now your company is promising employee pricing for everyone. Does Ford have a long-term plan to keep pricing at this current level?

FRICK: Well, we have always taken the long game in all of our strategies.

So, we have had -- like you said, we had a really good month of March. We had a good first quarter as a whole. And for the next 60 days, we have announced this From America, For America campaign that is offering the employee pricing. We think that's really a important time period because there's a lot that we're going to be learning over the next 60 days.

And the industry as a whole is going to be making adjustments. And we feel we're in a really good position, relatively speaking, right now; 80 percent of what we sell in the U.S. is assembled right here in the United States. So it is very important that we make sure that customers know that and that we're going to be there for them when they need us, which is why we have launched this campaign.

BLITZER: But a lot of the parts for those autos that you assemble in the United States come from abroad, right, Canada and other countries?

FRICK: Yes, and that's exactly right. Some of them do. But, again, we're the most American company out of all of them right now in terms of what we assemble here.

And that includes our supply chain. In fact, this is a complex industry. We rely on a lot of our suppliers. And we need to make sure that the supply chain is set up to really do this. And we're working with the administration to get clarity on parts to grow jobs here in the U.S.

And we're sharing with them the implications on what that has to Ford and other OEMS.

BLITZER: Andrew Frick, thanks so much for joining us. Good luck to you. Good luck to everyone at Ford Motor Company.

FRICK: Thank you very much. Thanks for having me on.

BLITZER: Thank you.

And we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:53:46]

BLITZER: It's March Madness Final Four time. It's going to be a huge battle of the top-ranked teams.

Joining us now, CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan, who's also a sports columnist for "USA Today."

Christine, thanks for joining us. I know you're already in Tampa for the women's tournament. What are you most excited about going into tonight's matchups?

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Wolf, yes, this really is going to be a terrific evening tonight.

And I think UConn, Paige Bueckers, the great Paige Bueckers in her last weekend of playing college ball, can she take UConn to its first title since 2016? UConn used to win them all, four in a row, but then has had now this drought for almost a decade.

And South Carolina has won three times during that time, UCLA women also first time ever in the Final Four. The men, of course, have been many times. So I think, with Texas, we're going to see great games. But the question is, can UConn do it finally in Paige Bueckers' last weekend as a college player?

BLITZER: Well, we will find out fairly soon.

In the men's tournament, Christine, Auburn will take on Florida and Duke will try to edge out Houston. And for just the second time in history, it's all number one seeds who will be playing in these next Final Four games.

[11:55:05]

BRENNAN: Right, which means we're going to see great, great games. These teams are the best.

And the SEC, the Southeastern Conference, had 14 teams that were picked for the men's tournament. Two remain. Obviously, one will make it to the final. And Auburn has really been a great team all year, but Florida has really hit these shots when it mattered in the tournament, Walter Clayton and, of course, Johni Broome for Auburn.

And then the flip side, of course, Duke. Jon Scheyer, the man, of course, who replaced Mike Krzyzewski, the great Coach K, can he bring a title now to Duke? And they're going to go against Houston. The last two years, Connecticut won. Obviously, Connecticut's not going to defend. There will be a new champion. And I do think that Duke will be the one to do it when all is said and done.

BLITZER: I agree. I have Duke winning the whole thing as well.

All right, Christine Brennan, thank you very, very much.

And, to our viewers, thanks for joining us this morning. You can always keep up with us on social media. I'm @WolfBlitzer.

We will see you back here Monday morning, every weekday morning, for our expanded two-hour SITUATION ROOM that starts weekdays 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

"INSIDE POLITICS WITH DANA BASH" is coming up next, right after a short break.