Return to Transcripts main page
The Situation Room
PGA Championship Continues; West Point Scrambles to Deal With Trump Executive Orders; Americans' Opinions of Trump Administration?. Aired 11:30a-12p ET
Aired May 16, 2025 - 11:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:34:35]
PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Well, now to our weekly series "Your Voice." Every Friday, we check in with talk radio and podcast hosts across the country to hear what their listeners are thinking and saying about what's going on here in Washington and beyond.
Well, today, the host of "The Middle With Jeremy Hobson" is with us from Massachusetts, and progressive talk show host Reecie Colbert joins us from right here in D.C.
Great to have you both back on the show. Thanks for being here.
Jeremy, let's kick it off with you.
[11:35:01]
So, there's this new poll out from Reuters/Ipsos, and it shows President Trump's approval rating actually went up this past week among registered voters; 49 percent approve of the way he is handling his job; 50 percent disapprove.
It seems Americans are worrying less about the economy and a potential recession. I'm curious, Jeremy, is that reflective of what you're hearing from your listeners?
JEREMY HOBSON, HOST, "THE MIDDLE WITH JEREMY HOBSON": So, first of all, I would say we live in a divided country. We did yesterday and we will tomorrow. So that doesn't surprise me.
But what I will say is, we did a program last night where we asked people how the tariffs were affecting them. And I thought, oh, well, the stock market has rebounded a lot since liberation day. Maybe people aren't feeling them so much. What we found was not that at all.
We found people across the country, business owners who can't get the products that they need to sell to their customers, a bike shop owner in Chicago who said that her supplier isn't making bikes for small kids anymore because they can't make money on it, or a person at a salon in Dallas who said, look, we're all independent contractors. We can't afford these increases. And just about everything in the salon is coming in from out of the country.
This is a person who said he was living below the poverty line. And this was like a double-punch for him. So I think what we're seeing in the stock market and even in the media and the coverage of the tariffs is not reflective of what's happening across the country right now.
BROWN: So there's clearly a lot of concern.
Just for our viewers' understanding, Jeremy, who are your listeners typically? Do they typically come from a certain political persuasion or is it pretty much across the board? Just help us better understand.
HOBSON: Yes, so our show is about bringing people in the geographic, political and philosophical middle into the national conversation. So we have listeners across party lines and on 435 NPR stations across the country, as well as an iHeart podcast.
BROWN: All right, Reecie, what about your listeners? Tell us a little bit about them. And are they noticing the higher prices?
REECIE COLBERT, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: Well, my listeners -- I'm on SiriusXM Urban View, so it is a diverse audience, mostly black, I will be honest. And I do have some MAGA people that -- who hate-listen to the show religiously.
But, listen, as much as there's talk about this big, beautiful bill, my listeners are talking about their bills, bills, bills. They are not feeling any kind of relief from this administration. They are feeling the pinch, like Jeremy has stated. And there are big concerns with the fact that Donald Trump is rolling around in luxury overseas, while not -- they're not seeing that relief here.
And so I think that the approval rating going up is not resonating at all with my listeners. They are not feeling any better from anything, especially not the tariffs.
BROWN: And you brought up the bill, right?
Jeremy, right now, Republicans are fighting over Trump's big, beautiful bill, and it proposes significant changes to Medicaid that could impact millions with work and eligibility requirements. Democrats and you even had some Republicans like Senator Josh Hawley who say these changes will hurt Americans, while House Republicans are arguing this is about efficiency, clearing out waste and fraud, the most vulnerable won't be impacted.
Are your listeners paying attention to this, Jeremy?
HOBSON: Absolutely. People are paying attention to what is going on in Washington.
But, right now, I think there's so much happening that's impacting their bottom lines at the moment that the idea of cuts that may come if the House acts, if the Senate acts, if they all get their act together, which so far hasn't happened, that may be a little far off for some listeners.
But, certainly, if you're talking about more cuts, because a lot of people are already dealing with cuts if they work in nonprofits that have had their grants removed. If you're talking about more cuts to things like Medicaid, that is definitely going to have an impact on listeners, on our listeners, and all people across this country in ways that I don't think everybody understands at this moment.
BROWN: What is the perception of your listeners on this? I know you were saying that they're feeling the squeeze, but are they paying attention to what's going on here with this bill, Reecie?
COLBERT: Absolutely.
I mean, we have reports showing that black women have been the most impacted detrimentally by many of these cuts in terms of the Trump economy. And so, of course, my listeners are tapped in to what further cuts would do, given that they're disproportionately represented in the government, in education, and other fields that will be impacted by this.
And so any notion that it is that the Medicare and Social Security and SNAP benefits and things like that impact our communities is going to happen to pay for tax cuts for the millionaires, they're not happy about that.
BROWN: Jeremy, let's talk about the plane, right, that controversy over Trump's acceptance of this $400 million luxury jet from Qatar and whether it's legal for the president to even take a gift of this magnitude.
What do your listeners think about that, Jeremy?
[11:40:02]
HOBSON: So, we have put out a poll online asking people about this.
And I will say that it has been a mixed bag. I was sort of surprised. I don't think anybody is really defending the idea of the president accepting a $400 million gift from Qatar that would come to him or his presidential library after he leaves the White House, but there are people saying, good -- go for it, Mr. President. Good for you.
There are also people who say, this is a crime, he should be impeached for this. I think that -- on that, I think it's pretty new and it sort of doesn't feel like it's real yet. But people are definitely upset about it if they didn't like the president in the first place. And there are people who are fine with it.
I will say one thing, Pamela. We had a caller who called in and said they voted for Biden in 2020 and voted for Trump in 2024, and they didn't love everything Trump was doing, but they were happy that he was doing something, because they felt that things were not happening during the Biden administration, which is definitely a view that is out there. At least maybe he's breaking things, but he's changing the system.
There are people who called in and said things like that.
BROWN: Well, we just lost Reecie, so we will just stick it here with you, Jeremy.
You also told us -- and that's a really interesting point that the perception among some are that at least he's doing something. Maybe I don't like everything, but at least he's doing something. You're also hearing concern over just how many billionaires there are in the Trump administration and the amount of power that they have in our government. Jeremy, what are your listeners saying about that?
HOBSON: Yes, so we know about people like Elon Musk and Howard Lutnick.
But, in fact, there are more than a dozen billionaires in the Trump administration in various roles. And one of the things that are -- we did a whole show on this, and one of the things that one of our listeners said was, look, I don't care that they're billionaires if they're competent in what they're doing.
And people called out specifically somebody like Linda McMahon, who is running the Education Department, who is dismantling the Education Department, which has a huge impact on people who are very poor in this country, people who are disabled in this country. And they said, wait a minute, she has a background in wrestling.
If she were somebody who had made all her money on education and she was the most competent person in education, then, OK, I'm fine with that, but not with somebody who is just in there because they're a billionaire, because they're friends with the president.
BROWN: Reecie, welcome back.
COLBERT: Thanks.
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: When you were away that -- for -- shortly, Jeremy was talking about what some of his callers have said, and one of them said, look, I voted for Biden and then Trump, and I kind of like that he's -- I'm seeing action that I felt like I didn't see before, and maybe it's a good thing that he's breaking things.
Have you heard that sentiment at all from your listeners?
COLBERT: Not at all.
Really, what my listeners are saying is that people are getting what they voted for. Donald Trump ran on breaking things. So the fact that he's breaking things isn't surprising to them, and the fact that he's being destructive once again is not something that they think is out of the ordinary.
And so they want to see some sort of action. And then, to Jeremy's point about competence, my listeners have felt under attack by all of these anti-DEI things. And yet we're seeing incompetence from every aspect of the government, including especially what's happening in Newark with the transportation secretary.
And so we're looking at it, my listeners are looking at it as, why are black people held to one standard, but this administration is held to another standard?
BROWN: Just very quickly, Jeremy, do your listeners buy what the transportation secretary said, look, this isn't my fault, this was the past administration's fault, and I'm trying to do something to fix it? Do they buy that, Jeremy?
HOBSON: You know, we haven't asked them that specifically, but I will just say I took a flight the other day, and I was really thrilled when it landed safely.
(LAUGHTER)
BROWN: I think we all feel that way these days.
HOBSON: Yes.
BROWN: All right, Jeremy Hobson, Reecie Colbert, thank you both.
HOBSON: Thank you.
(CROSSTALK)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: And coming up: how West Point is working to prepare future military leaders while scrambling to follow President Trump's push to get diversity out of the U.S. military.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:48:36]
BLITZER: Today, cadets are taking the last of their final exams at the United States military academy at West Point.
And a week from tomorrow, President Trump will give the commencement address to the class of 2025 as they join the storied long gray line of West Point alumni.
BROWN: And, meanwhile, school officials have been met with a challenge, falling in line with Trump's anti-diversity executive actions and the Defense Department's directives for the military.
And we are getting some brand-new reporting from our very own Brianna Keilar, who joins us now.
So, Brianna, you went to West Point to see how they're making these changes. What did you learn?
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yes, we went up for what is called Projects Day at the Research Symposium, one of the big events at West Point, and also the grueling Sandhurst Military Skills Competition, which is another big event they have there.
And you can see some video of that. We do have to note cadets, like members of the military, cannot talk publicly about political issues, but we did talk to cadets about how they're preparing for conflicts of the future. But, right now at West Point, officials are making significant changes, even as they insist they are not having any negative effects on the education and training that cadets are getting, though there are a number of current and former West Point professors who are very concerned.
And much of this stems from President Trump's executive actions. In one, he ordered the defense and homeland security secretaries to review what the service academies are teaching, and he said that they cannot include -- quote -- "un-American, divisive, discriminatory, radical, extremist, and irrational theories," including what he called divisive concepts, race or sex scapegoating that America's founding documents are racist or sexist or gender ideology.
[11:50:17]
West Point officials pulled readings from courses. This included from revered black Americans like Frederick Douglass and Toni Morrison, according to one current West Point professor. They canceled 12 clubs that were tailored to women and cadets of color.
And, perhaps most significantly, race, ethnicity, and gender will no longer be considered for admissions. The service academies had had a carve-out in that SCOTUS decision on affirmative action.
But a hallmark of American democracy is civilian control of military, and school officials say they're appropriately following their chain of command.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG. GEN. SHANE REEVES, DEAN OF THE ACADEMIC BOARD, U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY: Everybody in the profession is completely fine with following the orders that come from duly elected representatives. It's not -- it's part of our ethos, which is that we follow orders, and it's not difficult. It's not difficult for us to do so. And, really, the American people don't want us to do anything different.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: That was the dean, General -- Brigadier General Shane Reeves.
And a few days after our visit and our interview, a civilian philosophy professor at West Point who teaches military ethics announced in a "New York Times" op-ed that he plans to resign.
Graham Parsons said: "I'm ashamed to be associated with the academy in its current form." He said West Point had abandoned its core principles of giving cadets the broad-based, critical-minded, nonpartisan education they need for careers as Army officers.
And former faculty, some of them, like retired Colonel Ike Wilson, are also sounding the alarm.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COL. ISAIAH WILSON (RET.), FORMER WEST POINT ACADEMIC PROGRAM DIRECTOR: Let's talk about the original sin of slavery in America, but in a way that that rubs off some of the sharp edges of real history, right? I mean, dare I call -- dare I call it a whitewashing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: But I spoke to a number of former faculty who, even though they also have some concerns about the orders, do not share that level of alarm.
A West Point spokesperson said of the Parsons op-ed specifically that it's a false dilemma, essentially, that the school can -- quote -- "maintain our commitment to academic integrity and intellectual discourse while remaining fully aligned with national policy and our military responsibilities," Pam and Wolf.
BLITZER: It's interesting that all this is happening just a few days before President Trump will be at West Point to deliver the commencement address.
KEILAR: Yes, that's exactly right. He's going to be there a week from tomorrow, and the class of 2025 is going to see him as their graduation speaker.
And we should note that he actually spoke to the class of 2020 at West Point. So he was there five years ago, and it was a speech that, by Trump standards, was actually quite nonpolitical, well received by cadets. So we will see what he's going to say to them.
But we should keep in mind these service academies, they graduate about 50 percent of the military's flag and general officers, the top leaders in the military. So this is very meaningful. There is a lot at stake as we're talking about what's happening there.
BROWN: Yes, important context.
And for everyone watching this, intrigued, we will be -- you will be able to watch the full story later on CNN at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
Excellent reporting, Brianna.
KEILAR: Thank you.
BROWN: Can't wait to see the whole thing.
BLITZER: We will be watching.
KEILAR: All right.
BLITZER: Good work. Thanks very much, Brianna Keilar, our anchor and reporter. Excellent. Good work. And some of the world's best golfers are struggling in Charlotte right
now, as the PGA Championship enters its second day in Charlotte, and at the top of the leaders -- leaderboard, an unlikely name.
Let's go to now to CNN's sports anchor Patrick Snell. He's live at Quail Hollow Club in North Carolina.
What's going on, Patrick?
PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Wolf.
Yes, welcome to Quail Hollow. Jhonattan Vegas, yes, seeking to become the first Venezuelan golfer ever to win a Major men's golf tournament. And what a story that would be at 40 years of age. He has won four times on the U.S. PGA Tour, so he has got a winning pedigree, but he's never even had a top 20 finish, Wolf, when it comes to Majors. So there's a lot at stake for him.
Of course, Rory McIlroy, such a household name the world over, and recently becoming the sixth man in history to complete the coveted career Grand Slam, finally getting his hands on the coveted Green Jacket recently at Augusta. Hundreds, thousands of people out on the course of cumulatively across this day and earlier in the practice rounds, straining every sinew to catch a glimpse of him in action, part of a star-studded trio for the first two rounds here.
But I will say, by his normally very, very high standards, Wolf, a bit of a disappointment for Rory McIlroy. In the end, he had to settle for a three-over-par 74 on Thursday. But if there's anyone, if there's any player who can turn it around, it is Rory McIlroy. He's won this course, Quail Hollow, four times during his storied career, going back to 2010, when he was a wee youngster of a lad.
[11:55:13]
He's trying to win it for a fifth time. Don't ever discount Rory McIlroy. And what about Justin Thomas? An amazing play from him on the very last hole on Thursday, his ball hitting a rock. It landed on a tiny bit of grass between the rock and a creek on the last hole. Somehow, he gets his chip onto the green, didn't make the particular- saving putt, but it's just a viral moment.
And Justin Thomas, J.T. as he's known, thrill a minute from him -- back to you, Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Patrick Snell reporting for us.
Patrick, thank you very, very much.
BROWN: All right, thanks so much, Patrick.
And thank you so much for joining us this morning. We will see you back here at -- Monday at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.
BLITZER: "INSIDE POLITICS WITH DANA BASH" is coming up next right after a short break. But, before we go, it is our senior writer Jay Rankin's last day here
in THE SITUATION ROOM. He's been on this show for 12 years, and we will miss him big time, indeed. We wish him all the best on his next endeavor.
Good luck, Jay.
BROWN: Good luck, Jay. We will miss you.