Return to Transcripts main page

The Situation Room

Interview With Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA); Trump Approval Rating Hits New Low; Gas Prices Top $4 a Gallon; Interview With Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL). Aired 11-11:30a ET

Aired March 31, 2026 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:02]

REP. MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL): And the only thing we ask for ICE are the same reform measures, putting in place the rules of engagement for any police force in the United States.

After we have seen the killings of civilians, we have seen the brutality of ICE, Democrats are going to insist on reforms before ICE is funded again.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: We heard, though, the DHS secretary, the new one, Markwayne Mullin, say that he was against the administrative warrants, that he was for body cameras.

And the White House has also said that ICE agents would do more to identify themselves. Given the fact that ICE already has funding for the next few years, billions of dollars, why not just go ahead and get on board with opening up DHS?

As you know, Americans, they don't care about the politics. They just want to see Congress working. And, right now, Congress is on recess and many members are still receiving paychecks.

QUIGLEY: Look, I would love to see DHS funded in full. I'd also want to make sure that these -- this administration actually does what it says it's going to do.

We have seen twice now where the members of the Senate trusted this administration to do something, only be fooled once again. So, my constituents are telling me the same thing. They want the government to operate, but they also don't want a rogue private police force. That is ICE right now.

So this is simply a way to actually mandate that and put the full order of reforms that we're talking about, including the use of force. Get rid of the -- get rid of the masks, have body cameras, restrictions on use of deadly force and how force is used.

Again, these are all simple reforms that every police force in the country abides by currently.

BROWN: But what message is it sending with Congress out of session and still receiving paychecks? What message does that send to the American public?

QUIGLEY: Well, when we're in the minority, we don't control the schedule. I would love to be back in D.C. voting on funding. I'm an appropriator.

So, if the Republicans want to bring us back and do all these things, we'd be glad to do it, if they're willing to meet in the middle, except for making extreme demands.

BROWN: All right, Congressman Mike Quigley, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it.

And the next hour of THE SITUATION ROOM starts right now.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: And we begin this hour with the war in Iran.

Americans are seeing gas prices push above $4 per gallon for the first time in almost four years. And that's largely because Iran is choking off the essential oil route through the Strait of Hormuz. And there's a new report that President Trump does not see it as an essential element of negotiations.

"The Wall Street Journal" reporting that he's telling aides he's willing to end the war even without reopening the strait. And, this morning, the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said the world needs to help out. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETE HEGSETH, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: It's not just a United States of America problem set. We have been willing to lead. President Trump's led the entire time, but it's not just us.

So, ultimately, I think other countries should pay attention when the president speaks. He's proven that, when he speaks, he means something. And he's pointing out might want to start learning how to fight for yourself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: All this comes amid rising speculation about possible U.S. ground troops in Iran. The amphibious assault ship the USS Tripoli is believed to be carrying around 18,000 Marines and is now in the Indian Ocean.

Hegseth would only say that the U.S. strives to be unpredictable in its war planning.

Let's go live right now to CNN's Jeremy Diamond. He's watching all of this unfold in Tel Aviv.

Jeremy, Israel has clearly ratcheted up attacks in Lebanon. What can you tell us about what's going on?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Wolf.

We have seen continued Israeli airstrikes in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, as well as in Southern Lebanon, which the Israeli military views going after Hezbollah, that militant group in Lebanon, as part and parcel of its campaign against the Iranian regime.

But what we are watching in Lebanon, Wolf, really does increasingly appear to be a slow-rolling invasion of Southern Lebanon by the Israeli military. We are watching as Israeli troops are creeping deeper and deeper into Southern Lebanon.

And certainly the rhetoric from senior Israeli officials is ratcheting up with it, as the Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, today talking clearly about Israel controlling a security zone, as he is calling it, a buffer zone inside Lebanese territory all the way up to the Litani River, as far as 20 miles north of the Israeli border.

And he's also saying that Israel will control that zone and not allow hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians to return to that area even after those ground operations have concluded, basically saying that the Israeli military intends to occupy a part of Southern Lebanon after ground operations against Hezbollah in that area conclude.

[11:05:16]

We don't know for how long that would be. And the indefinite nature of it really does seem to be the focus of the language that we are hearing now from senior Israeli officials. We know that the Israeli rationale for this, Wolf, is to try and distance Israel's northern residents from the threat of anti-tank missiles and rockets that are fired by Hezbollah.

We know that ground troops operating in Lebanon in the last day or so have dismantled dozens of Hezbollah rocket launchers in Southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli military. But all of this is raising enormous concerns about international law as well, particularly as the Israeli defense minister talked about raising border villages inside of Southern Lebanon, civilian areas there, which would be a violation of international law.

He is comparing it to what the Israeli military has already done in Gaza, where Israeli bulldozers have razed entire neighborhoods in parts of the Gaza Strip closest to the Israeli border. And so it appears that the Israeli government is gearing up for a very similar move now in Lebanon -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv for us, thank you very, very much -- Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, let's continue this conversation.

Joining us now is retired Army Major General Mark MacCarley.

Thanks so much for speaking with us.

So, General, I want to play more comments from Defense Secretary Hegseth's briefing earlier this morning. Here's what he said about the time frame of this war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEGSETH: Just one month in, only one month, we set the terms. The upcoming days will be decisive. Iran knows that. And there's almost nothing they can militarily do about it. Yes, they will still shoot some missiles, but we will shoot them down.

Of note, the last 24 hours saw the lowest number of enemy missiles and drones fired by Iran.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So, he says -- quote -- "The upcoming days will be decisive."

General, from a military perspective, what is he likely referencing here?

MAJ. GEN. MARK MACCARLEY (RET.), U.S. ARMY: I think the first part of that statement refers indirectly to the president's threat to obliterate much of the infrastructure within Iran on or after April 6.

Now, whether there's a surprise coming up in the next few days, beginning of April, nobody really knows. We do have information repeated by some of your contributors that the Marines in the USS Tripoli, 1,800 of them, plus support elements, are situated outside the Strait of Hormuz.

Whether that destination of that amphibious force, which will be reinforced by another Marine expeditionary unit coming from San Diego, plus the 82nd Airborne, whether that means the actual discussed attack on Kharg Island, we don't know, but that is a potentiality, that and/or use of special forces and increased bombardment.

BROWN: Well, this morning, President Trump also scolded U.S. allies for not helping to keep the oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Secretary Hegseth was asked if the U.S. is still committed to NATO and its collective defense, and here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEGSETH: As far as NATO is concerned, that's a decision that will be left to the president, but I will just say a lot has been laid bare. A lot has been shown to the world about what our allies would be willing to do for the United States of America when we undertake an effort of this scope on behalf of the free world.

These are missiles that don't even range the United States of America. They range allies and others, and yet, when we ask for additional assistance or simple access basing and overflight, we get questions or roadblocks or hesitations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: And, of course, a backdrop of that is several U.S. allies saying, this is not our war and not letting U.S. military planes land and so forth.

What do you think the administration is signaling overall here?

MACCARLEY: Well, we have our allies, as you suggested, who have complained loudly and vigorously that they were not consulted regarding our commencement of this war, campaign against Iran.

I think within their citadels of power, they are concerned about the consequences of becoming too closely associated with the United States. And then there -- you couple that with a concern, and this concern is based upon statements made by President Trump, that indeed the Straits of Hormuz might not be a critical objective on the part of American forces and that we might, based upon conditions that could be realized in the next couple of days, decide that we have accomplished our objectives, backed off.

[11:10:16]

But then, instantaneously, what that does is, it throws the burden of clearing the Straits of Hormuz onto those who have the greatest need for the resources that are coming through the Persian Gulf. And those countries that have the greatest need, both on the east with Japan and as well in Western Europe, our NATO allies, that is going to be their problem.

So you could argue that it is to our NATO allies' best interest right now to participate with us, because, if we back away, if the United States backs away, then that problem becomes insurmountable. It will either be armed conflict or perhaps more likely the imposition of huge tariffs by Iran on any ships that seek to seek passage through the Straits of Hormuz, many of which are flagged or associated with our Western NATO allies.

BROWN: How much leverage does Iran have right now when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz? And are you surprised at all by how Iran is able to wield that leverage in this war?

MACCARLEY: Yes, you gave me a simple one.

No, partly because this is not the first time that this has occurred. Certainly, if we reach back, gosh, 40 years or so, in the 1980-to-'88 Iran-Iraq War, the exact same thing took place. The Iranians did not have much of a military force at that time against Iraq. At that time, Iraq was an ally of the United States.

And as an asymmetric defense activity, the Iranians then decided to attack cargo, cargo ships, oil ships within the Persian Gulf. That was one powerful strategy. The U.S. joined in to that conflict to provide ship escort.

But that is extremely dangerous, and equally the challenge that might percolate, and that is over on the Red Sea, which is a discussion we could have regarding the Houthis and the Houthis' relationship with the Iranians and whether there's going to be some synergistic effort between the Houthis and the Red Sea and the Iranians on the Persian Gulf to really shut down all petroleum commerce in this area, this part of the world.

BROWN: So it sounds like what you're saying is, they have a lot of leverage right now.

MACCARLEY: You bet.

BROWN: All right, retired Major General Mark MacCarley, thank you so much -- Wolf.

BLITZER: And still ahead: A new poll now shows President Trump's approval rating at a new low. We're going to break down the new numbers.

And, later, a Russian oil tanker has arrived in Cuba to help with the island's energy crisis, which is intense. We're going to take you there live.

Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:17:40]

BROWN: Well, new this morning, a new poll from the University of Massachusetts Amherst finds that President Trump's approval rating has dropped to the lowest level of his second term. Just 33 percent of Americans approve of the job he's doing as president.

CNN chief national affairs correspondent Jeff Zeleny has been looking at the number and the issues that the president faces.

What more does this poll tell you, Jeff?

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pamela, we should point out obviously eight months before the midterm elections are going to determine the rest of the president's trajectory for his term, these numbers are quite alarming and worrying for the White House.

Not surprising, because they, of course, are tracking them as well. When you look at these numbers there in terms of the president's job performance, 62 percent disapprove and only 33 percent approve when you add the 16 and 17 percent there.

But when you look at a broader perspective, the CNN poll of polls, that's an average of all the polls here, it's about in track with that, not quite as negative, but our CNN poll of polls that shows that 37 percent approve of the president's handling of his job performance in office and 61 percent disapprove. That's six in 10 Americans.

And we ask why that is. Look at some of these issues here, some of the top issues that the administration is dealing with on inflation, on jobs, on immigration, essentially down the line. But the inflation number, 24 percent approve, seven in 10 Americans disapprove. And this is something that obviously is worrisome for the White House with the gas prices, with just rising affordability concerns across the board, but also on Iran.

That is something that is clearly hanging over this White House. Look at these numbers here. When asked for the president's approval or disapproval on Iran, only 29 percent approve of military strikes against Iran, 60 -- or 54 percent to disapprove.

And one of the reasons for this, talking to so many people, the president did not build sort of a rationale for why he was striking Iran. And as we enter the second month here with tens of thousands of potential troops in the region, the question, of course, will ground troops be sent in?

And the defense secretary this morning was asked about that. Essentially, is this going to be at odds with the Republican base? He said this. He said: "I don't know why Trump's base wouldn't have faith in this commander in chief and the president."

[11:20:00]

So, certainly, many questions here, but the White House is dealing with low approval ratings because of just the climate of uncertainty here and the economic worries as well.

BROWN: All right, Jeff Zeleny, thank you so much, as always -- Wolf.

ZELENY: Sure.

BLITZER: And there's certainly a lot of news to discuss right now.

I want to discuss that with the independent Congressman Kevin Kiley of California.

Congressman, thanks so much for joining us.

I know you just switched from the Republican Party to become an independent, but you still caucus with the GOP. Do President Trump's poll numbers right now concern you just ahead of the midterm elections in November, especially as the Iran war continues and gas prices now hitting their highest level of his time in the White House?

REP. KEVIN KILEY (I-CA): Yes, I mean, I think it does reflect growing concern when it comes to the cost of living, that people are still really struggling.

I can tell you, in my state, we have the highest cost of living and by far the highest gas prices in the country. And that is the number one issue for people. So it's important to note, though, while that approval rating is certainly not as high as it has been, Congress has a much lower approval rating.

I just saw that Congress has an 11 percent approval rating among the American people, which I think suggests people are incredibly frustrated with the inaction, with the gridlock, with the hyperpartisanship in Congress.

And I think that Congress needs to take a lead on a lot of these issues in terms of lowering the cost of living, health care, energy, and everything else that comes with that.

BLITZER: I want to watch what the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, said this morning about the war with Iran and diplomatic efforts to try to end the conflict. Listen and watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEGSETH: If Iran is wise, they will cut a deal. President Trump doesn't bluff and he does not back down. You can ask Khamenei about that. The new Iranian regime should know that by now.

This new regime, because regime change has occurred, should be wiser than the last.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Do you believe, Congressman, there has in fact been regime change in Iran, as both President Trump and Secretary Hegseth said?

KILEY: Well, I think that term implies something that means sort of a totally different system, which I'm not sure we have. I think there are obviously different people in positions of power.

I think part of the issue right now is, we don't really have clear insight as to who is pulling the different levers of power within that country. But, of course, the hope is that we can find some people who have some level of a rational approach to things, and the U.S. can use whatever leverage it can to try to get a favorable outcome here as quickly as possible.

I should say that, regardless of your opinion on how we got to this point, I think we should all be able to agree that we want to have an expeditious end to this conflict in a way that fulfills the narrowly defined missions that have been there from the outset and minimizes U.S. exposure and certainly prevents us having any sort of protracted involvement.

BLITZER: On the partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, Congressman, I know you're calling for Congress to return from recess to resolve this funding dispute. That's ultimately up to the Republican leadership. The Republicans control the House and the Senate.

So what do you say to Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune?

KILEY: Yes, I have said for both the Senate should be back and the House should be back until we get this resolved.

I think this is why Congress has an 11 percent approval rating, is you have these huge problems that are being caused by this partial government shutdown. We're in a heightened threat environment in the United States and we don't have a fully funded Department of Homeland Security because Congress hasn't been able to get its act together.

Now, the Senate has passed a partial solution. The House has passed a short-term funding solution, and yet there hasn't been a meeting of the minds. You haven't had the two houses pass both bills. So, at this point, we not only have gridlock that is between the parties. It's between the houses as well.

So we should be in Washington, D.C. We should be working this out. We should be able to find some common ground, at least for a little bit of short-term runway. And that will give us some time to come up with a deal to fully fund the department for the full fiscal year.

BLITZER: Yes, important point.

Are you willing to work without pay amid partial or full government shutdowns like these TSA workers did for so long?

KILEY: Yes, I have said that, if elected officials personally feel the consequences of their own failures, then that gives them incentive to actually take some action.

So I think that, absolutely, when you have a government shutdown going on and people are losing their paychecks, members of Congress shouldn't be getting their paychecks. When you have TSA lines that are hours on end because Congress has not funded TSA, you shouldn't have members of Congress getting the perk where they get to skip that line.

So I think that is part of the problem sometimes, is, if elected officials insulate themselves from the problems they're inflicting on everyone else, then they have less of a reason to solve those problems.

BLITZER: Independent Congressman Kevin Kiley of California, thanks so much for joining us.

KILEY: You bet. Thanks for having me.

[11:25:00]

BLITZER: Pamela.

BROWN: All right, Wolf, up next: A Russian oil tanker has docked in Cuba, breaking the fuel blockade.

We are live in Cuba up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BROWN: We have got frightening new video from a Delta Air Lines flight right after it took off from Brazil.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BROWN: So much fear. You can hear those passengers yelling for the plane to turn around after they saw these flames shooting from one of the engines. The plane was on its way to Atlanta from Brazil when the engine had a mechanical issue.

And pilots were able to turn around and fortunately land that plane safely, but how scary. Can you imagine?