Transcript:
The Inside Story: The Trump Transition
Episode 170 – November 14, 2024
Show Open:
Unidentified Narrator:
This week on The Inside Story
A look at what we know about the domestic and foreign policy priorities under the incoming Trump administration
Our correspondents unpack years of coverage and reporting in a special look at the 47th president’s agenda
Now… on The Inside Story The Trump Transition
The Inside Story:
CAROLYN PRESUTTI, VOA Senior Washington Correspondent:
Welcome to the inside story. I’m Carolyn Presutti. It’s still more than two months until Donald Trump becomes the 47th president of the United States. He and his team are wasting no time preparing to take their place in the White House.
President Biden met with the president elect at the White House, and Trump’s team has already named some of the people he wants in his administration.
This week, we take a look at President Elect Trump’s agenda, starting first with his domestic policy. Here’s how fast this has moved since the election last week.
Unidentified:
USA, USA USA.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
Victory speech — election night, 2024.
Donald Trump, US President-Elect:
We’re going to fix everything about our country, and we’ve made history for a reason tonight, and the reason is going to be just that.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
President-elect Donald Trump’s first priority is to “fix” immigration.
Donald Trump, US President-Elect:
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
Trump won over campaign crowds, vowing mass deportations targeting millions of undocumented immigrants each year. Experts say this would cost billions of dollars and require massive organization and delegation, none of which has been detailed yet. But Trump’s border czar pick, Tom Homan, told “60 Minutes” he would focus on workplaces, not neighborhoods.
Unidentified:
JD, JD, JD.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
The second priority is to “fix” inflation.
JD Vance, Vice President-Elect:
And after the greatest political comeback in American history, we’re going to lead the greatest economic comeback in American history under Donald Trump’s leadership.
Donald, congratulations. And looking forward to as we said having a smooth transition. We’ll do everything we can to make sure you have what you need, to get you accommodated. And we’re going to get a chance to talka bout that today, so welcome – welcome back.
Donald Trump, US President-Elect:
Thank you very much. And politics is tough and it’s in many cases not a very nice world. It is a nice world today. I appreciate it very much. A transition that will be as smooth as you can get, and I very much appreciate it.
President Joe Biden:
You’re welcome.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
Trump pledges “America First” policies with tariffs on foreign goods and no tax on Social Security benefits or tips.
The third priority: to “fix” the government.
Donald Trump, US President-Elect:
America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
With that mandate, he appointed Tesla and Space X owner Elon Musk and former presidential rival Vivek Ramaswamy to head up government efficiency and look at bureaucracy and spending.
Having a Republican-controlled Senate and House of Representatives will assure a smooth confirmation for those already tapped for the secretaries of State, Defense and Homeland Security, Environmental Protection Agency head, United Nations and Israel ambassadors and more. Just a few of the 4,000 government positions to be filled by Donald Trump.
In less than 70 days, the president-elect takes over and we will get a better picture of his second administration. But one thing is definite, it will be starkly different from the Biden years.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
So lots of news to unpack this week. So let’s get right to it. I’m joined onset by a VOA panel who’ve been following and reporting on this election for years. VOA Chief National Correspondent Steve Herman is with us. Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gipson is also joining us in the studio. Thank you both for being here. Thanks.
So Steve, Trump’s immediate priority is immigration. How quickly can he get that done? And what type of opposition will he face?
STEVE HERMAN, VOA Chief National Correspondent:
Well, that depends on what sort of executive order he signs, as he said, he’ll do something on day one. Now how quickly the apparatus, the immigration folks, the military, local law enforcement, can react, but what I would expect is to see something pretty early, because he made so much out of this issue on the campaign trail, and he has to prove to the voters that he is going to do something as he promised. I’ve heard people say the second Trump administration is going to move fast and break fast, and that will be at the top.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
So with Tom Homan in charge, as the borders are, he’s already said, we’re going to continue these mass deportations, but they’re going to be in the workplace. He was asked, how can you avoid separating families? And he said, We will deport them together.
STEVE HERMAN:
Yeah. Tom Holman knows what he’s doing. He’s been in this position before. He knows how to put the logistics. Probably what we’ll see is some big symbolic raid with lots of TV cameras there. And whether this continues or sort of fizzles out, because the logistics are overwhelming. You would have to build holding centers. There would be all sorts of legal challenges, and where are they going to send people, and are these countries going to accept them?
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
Interesting, an interesting attempt, that’s for sure. Catherine, you know, in my report, I talk about a voter mandate, and that meaning that now the Republicans have control of the House and the Senate and the executive branch in the White House. So, what does that mean for Capitol Hill? How easy will it be to get these through Capitol Hill?
KATHERINE GYPSON, VOA Congressional Correspondent:
You’re absolutely right. I was just up on Capitol Hill with the first full day back with US lawmakers. They held their party elections. There was a lot of excitement from Republican leadership that they have this unified party control. And of course, they remember that they had that during the first two years of Trump’s first term.
What they were saying this week up on Capitol Hill was that they are going to move so much faster. Like Steve said, there was a lot of reflection on the lessons learned from the first Trump term, and how they’re going to build on that and really just work a lot faster to get things done.
And I think there’s a sense that there’s a mandate from the American people that they need to jump on that, because they were given that message so more or less a consecutive term, instead of four years in between his term, they’ll just pick up where they left off, in a sense,
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
Steve, we’ve got to talk about this. We got to talk about those cabinet positions that the President Elect has announced some surprises, right?
STEVE HERMAN:
There are some real surprises, and it caught even the closest Trump loyalists by surprise, especially the choice for a defense secretary who is somebody from Fox TV news that President Trump has a long relationship with the person that had the national intelligence apparatus, a former fringe Democratic Party congresswoman from Hawaii who then became an independent, and that was sort of a late comer to the Trump camp and became a Republican.
And what about Matt Gaetz, Attorney General, Florida congressman, who has had his own legal issues, and I think up on the hill, there’s still ethics pending against him. So I think we’re going to see a lot of Republicans even even having some hesitation. But are they going to express that in public?
KATHERINE GYPSON:
And I think the only things that have held them back so far is that there’s a very small margin in the US House of Representatives for that Republican majority. And you’ve already seen some Republicans say, you know, hey, Mr. President Elect, remember, we’re not working with big numbers here. Every time he pulls a House Republican out to serve in his administration, that could be an issue.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
Oh, that’s a good point.
STEVE HERMAN:
The intended appointment that seems to be getting bipartisan support, of course, is Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, as Secretary of State. He’s been on the intelligence Foreign Relations Committee, well liked across the aisle, I believe, considered very intelligent yet quite ambitious.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
So most of these will get through, but there will be some a bit of, not spoon sledding, if you will, with some Catherine. Let me ask you this. The President Elect also set up, not quite a new department within the government, but he has appointed two men. You wouldn’t expect Elon Musk, but he is a numbers guy.
You can find government ways. That’s what he’s going to be in charge of. And then also, you know, the former rival of the president elect, Vivek Ramaswamy, they’re going to lead up this, this group that’s going to look at the government, slash agencies, wherever they’ve seen fit. Is this going to make it through Capitol Hill, though? Because normally, when you do this, there’s a lot of money involved. There’s a lot of organization involved, right?
KATHERINE GYPSON:
I mean, Steve and I were discussing this when it was announced. This is something that needs to have congressional approval. You need congressional approval if you are going to create a new department, a real department, right? But they could just call in the department and have it as sort of an outside advisory panel, because for Elon Musk to actually take a government job, the amount of paperwork that he’d have to fill out and reveal his finances, it seems like a long shot.
There are a lot of questions. You know, Elon Musk has said that he would give government employees two years severance. That’s a lot of money all on its own. You’re trying to make those numbers work. There are a lot of questions about how this all will play out.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
That’s fascinating, that they’re in charge, and so any advisory role doesn’t have to go through Capitol Hill, right? Much like the chief of staff doesn’t have to go through Capitol Hill, or anyone who has advisor in their name, rather than cabinet secretary.
So, Steve, we’ve got to go over this. You’ve been in so many, six administrations you’ve covered right? And we saw those numbers and the voters, we’ve already said it a couple times, that the voters gave a mandate. They are seriously changing the look of America, but also the Republican Party. How is that going to look different?
STEVE HERMAN:
Now this is the Trump party, there’s no doubt about it, and we’ll see whether any of the Republican congressional leaders give a bit of resistance to the this. But I expect that Donald Trump is expecting the House and the Senate to be a kind of rubber stamp for what he wants, and he may find that’s not as smooth sailing as he really hopes it would be. But peril to those really who try to stand up to Donald Trump. We’ve seen many of these people. We were talking about Marco Rubio were, you know, in in a real fight with Donald Trump back in 2016 and all of them have come around and gotten into line.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
Well, we’ll also be taking a look at that the next four years, though, because he says that he will take revenge on his enemies, so we’ll see. And he says that he’ll pardon a lot of the January 6 people who are now incarcerated, so we’ll be following that as well.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI
Okay, thank you both very much. I know we’re going to have you on in just a couple minutes, but for now, we’re going to shift to the foreign policy agenda. Trump’s early conversations with world leaders seem to indicate he’s already attempting to make good on one of his campaign promises to end two wars raging overseas. Here’s White House bureau chief, Patsy Widakuswara.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA, VOA White House Bureau Chief:
The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, will be the global backdrop as Donald Trump and his “America First” foreign policy return to the White House.
Donald Trump, US President-Elect:
Nothing will stop me from keeping my word to you, the people. We will make America safe, strong, prosperous, powerful, and free again.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
Trump’s term starts January 20th, but he has already spoken with world leaders, including
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Moscow denies reports that Trump has also spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump campaigned on ending wars quickly. Analysts say he is eager to deliver.
Charles Kupchan, Council on Foreign Relations:
When it comes to the Middle East, I think in some ways, the message will be hurry up and finish this war. For Ukraine, it’s going to be stop.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
Trump has never explained how he will make wars stop but often criticizes the billions of dollars of U.S. aid going to Ukraine. A rapid end to the war could mean major concessions by Kyiv, something Zelenskyy says is not likely to happen.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President:
We want a just end to this war. I am sure that a fast end of war means losses.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
With North Korea sending soldiers to help Moscow, the war in Ukraine could have broader geopolitical implications, at a time of escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Trump must also deal with Israel, which appears focused on maximalist aims rather than a cease-fire, not only with Hamas in Gaza but also with Hezbollah in Lebanon, the war’s second front. Both groups are proxies of Iran.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister:
We see the Iranian threat in all its components and the danger it poses. We also see the great opportunities before Israel in the field of peace and its expansion.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
Trump promised to be tough on trade, especially against China. In his congratulatory message to Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “stable, healthy and sustainable” ties.
Mao Ning, Chinese Foreign Ministry:
Xi Jinping pointed out that history has shown that China and the United States benefit from cooperation and suffer from confrontation.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
And Patsy joins us live in the studio. So in your report, you mentioned that Trump is America first. That’s what he really wants to stress in this, in his next administration, and out of Foreign Wars. So tell us, what is it going to take to get Putin and Zelensky to talk
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
Well, theanswer is, we don’t know. Trump has never explained how he will do that, and certainly in terms of isolationism and taking America out of foreign engagement. I mean, that is something that Trump campaigned on. But now, if we look at the cabinet picks, they’re not isolationist people, right? I mean, in general, the people that Trump picked for his National Security Advisor, his Secretary of State, his UN ambassador, these are people that could broadly be categorized as maybe staunch supporters of Israel and skeptical about Ukraine, but also China Hawks. So in terms of foreign policy, we still don’t know it will still be shaped up, but definitely in terms of trying to get out of Foreign Wars, this is a campaign promise that President elect Trump wanted to do and wants to deliver.
How he will do it, two different things in terms of how he’ll take care of Ukraine and how He will take care of Israel, particularly on Israel, I think there is the narrative that Netanyahu might feel more emboldened to take it as far as he wants as he can, in terms of maximalist aims of the war, or there’s also a potential of, well, you know, President elect Trump did promise his supporters, especially the Muslim and Arab Americans, that he’s not going to send billions of dollars to Israel. So at this point, we just
don’t know.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
And so what about the billions that we’re sending to Ukraine?
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
Well, that’s also another, another question, right? I mean, if we look at the campaign promises versus the personnel, these personnel that are now surrounding President like Trump, they are more like traditionalist Republican hawks, right? And they are also very concerned about stability of Europe. And that’s certainly something that also President Biden is trying to convey to President Trump in his meeting with President Trump, is that the security and stability of Europe is key to the stability and interest of the United States, if we don’t want to get dragged into a war in Europe, and that’s certainly on President Elect Trump’s agenda too. He has said, we don’t want to get involved in various wars,
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
Steve, let’s talk a little bit more about Israel and Gaza. How do you see that playing out under a new Trump administration?
STEVE HERMAN:
Well, there’s really nobody coming into this administration who’s going to argue much for the plight of the Palestinians. Let’s put it that way. You’ve got the evangelical support of Donald Trump, very pro Israel, some of Donald Trump’s biggest backers giving him huge amounts of money because of their pro Israel agenda. Will it be business as usual? As Patsy pointed out, that could all depend on what Netanyahu does. But I think another factor in this is the relationship. And we saw this in the first administration, Trump administration, the Abraham Accords, and that was about bringing Israel and Saudi Arabia together as a bulwark against Iran. My enemy’s enemy in the Middle East is my friend.
And the other thing that we can underscore about all of these foreign policy picks, they’re also very anti Iran. So that’s that’s another, another threat that we will need to keep an eye on, right?
And another idea, China, Catherine. I mean, we’ve got President Elect talking terrorists. He’s been very big on that. He’s going to put up to a 60% tariff on on China.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
What’s Capitol Hill going to say about that? Because a lot of people say that’s going to affect our economy.
KATHERINE GYPSON:
Well, we can talk all we want about unified republican government, and there was a lot of excitement this week about that up on Capitol Hill. But once we get to the issue of tariffs, we may actually see a crack. This may be the one thing where Republicans really diverge from President Trump and push back against this idea. Remember, they all have to go back to their home states, their home constituents, and explain why prices are rising if these tariffs are put into place. They said this week that there was a mandate from the American people to fix the American economy and make sure that the cost of living was taken down. For their voters, they’re going to have a hard time exploiting that if they can keep that under control.
Also, there’s America first, right? We want everything right in America, again, we don’t want to get these imports from from foreign countries. We don’t want to be, you know, in debt to them for anything.
So it is it a balancing act, or maybe, I mean, that’s right, that’s where you’re going to see the really interesting conflict play out between these two ideas, and see which one has greater importance in their minds, knowing how lawmakers work, knowing that they have to go back to their home states, I think I know which one is going to win out, because Donald Trump does not run for re election again. He’s there for four years.
But if you’re in the House of Representatives, you come up for re election again in two years. Usually happens. Party in power loses big, and that’s right, and especially on tariffs. America First is easier said than done. It’s complicated. It will affect a lot of elements in the in trade and also in Yeah, and just in terms of income for each particular state.
Alao, having been on the campaign trail this election season when I asked voters, and particularly supporters of Donald Trump, to explain how tariffs would work and how that would impact their lives, I think there was a disconnect there, and I think they’re about to understand how that really plays out in real life. So Congress will explain that to the American public. I’m sure when it comes before them, we’ll see.
A big Issue is NATO Patsy. You know, Trump has made it very clear he’s pretty much anti NATO, right? What’s going to happen this second, second term?
Well, again, we look at the people around him, right? I mean, there is, there’s this sense that President elect Trump is running an ideology. He’s really not he is a deal maker. He wants to get the best deal out of whatever situation he’s in as possible. And so particularly in NATO, I think you will see a continuation of this push to get European allies to share more of the burden. But you know, this is again, something that President Biden is really stressing to President Trump, is that you need NATO, you need civility in Europe, because otherwise, you know that this kind of aggression from Russia that’s also going to impact the US.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
So do you think his Secretary of State can tell him that too?
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
Well, if Marco Rubio is sitting down and says, hey, look, we need to be in these alliances again. We never know with Donald Trump, right? I mean, there’s this, this, this narrative that he is. He’s a deal maker. He likes mixed deals. Some say he’s transactional, and also some people say that he will listen to whoever just happens to have his attention at that time. So again, he’s not an ideologue. He’s necessary. He doesn’t necessarily have a long term vision other than to make sure that America gets the best deal possible.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
So you are going to be with President Biden in Peru, by the time this airs, and then you’re going on to the g20 How is President Biden going to speak to those world leaders who feel a bit uncomfortable about another term with President.
PATSY WIDAKUSWARA:
Well, I think uncomfortable is putting it mildly. I think the there’s certainly a lot of anxiety, right? I mean, there was anxiety in 2016 when these world leaders, and in fact, it was also APEC in Peru at that time, it was also hosting, there was anxiety about the incoming first Trump administration. Even at that time, people didn’t really know much about whether Trump will actually do the things that he said he will do.
Now, I think there’s a lot more data points from worldly for world leaders to figure out what Trump will do and how they would react to that. So there’s certainly anxiety. But the message that President Biden wants to bring, and this is something that the White House is stressing to us, is that, look, alliances are important.
President Biden has put in a lot of resources and effort into building alliances and US alliance in the Indo Pacific, particularly other than in Europe, with NATO is as strong as it has ever been in terms of Japan, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines.
So President Biden wants to say to President Trump that, look, I am inheriting this for you. Take good care of it. And you know, just make sure that this will benefit the US, because it will also contribute to the common causes that the US wants in various in dealing with various global issues. Well, hopefully they both talked about that when they met at the White House. They did meet at the White House today, and they did talk about that.
CAROLYN PRESUTTI:
Right. Thank you so much. I really want to thank our entire panel for joining us this week. Great insight from our VOA correspondents, Steve Herman, Katherine Gipson, Patsy Widakuswara, I know we’ll continue to watch this transition very closely, and I’m sure you will too.
And thanks to you for watching this episode of the inside story for the latest news, you can log on to VOA news.com follow us on Instagram and Facebook at VOA news for more VOA content, follow me on x at Carolyn VOA, or true social at Carolyn VOA. Catch up on past episodes at our free streaming service, VOA, plus for all those behind the scenes here at VOA, I’m Carolyn Presutti. We’ll see you next week for the inside story.
