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Trump, Trudeau, And Pena Nieto Sign New Trade Deal; Michael Cohen Pleads Guilty To Lying About Trump's Russia Dealings. Aired 7:30-8a ET

Aired November 30, 2018 - 07:30   ET

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


[07:30:00] DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: -- and a little abuse, and we got there. It's great for all of our countries.

Thank you for your close partnership throughout this process. This new agreement will ensure a future of prosperity and innovation for Mexico, Canada, and the United States.

I look forward to working with members of Congress and the USMCA partners. And I have to say it's been so well-reviewed I don't expect to have very much of a problem to ensure the complete implementation of our agreement.

Enrique, I want to thank you on a personal note and I want to wish you the very best. This will be your last day in office so that's a very auspicious day when you can sign something so important, but we really do appreciate it. I think I can speak for Justin when I say that.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: We both -- we both agree he's a special man and he's really done a good job and we appreciate it very much.

ENRIQUE PENA NIETO, PRESIDENT OF MEXICO: Thank you.

TRUMP: Thank you.

So I just want to congratulate you on ending your term in office with this incredible milestone. It is really an incredible way to end a presidency and you don't see that happen very often.

PENA NIETO: Thank you.

TRUMP: I look forward to working with President-elect Lopez Obrador for many years to come and our relationship, I know, will be a very good one. We've had great conversations and I think we're going to have a great, great relationship.

And I would now like to invite the president and the prime minister to say a few words and perhaps we can start with Justin. And we appreciate it very much, thank you. Justin, please.

(APPLAUSE)

JUSTIN TRUDEAU, PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA: Good morning. Thank you all for being here and thank you to Presidents Trump and Pena Nieto.

Donald, thank you for your words this morning. Thank you for pulling this event together.

Enrique, this, as Donald said, on your last day in office. It's a wonderful pleasure to see you and to be here on this historic moment.

(Foreign language spoken)

The new North American Free Trade Agreement maintains stability for Canada's entire economy -- stability that's essential for the millions of jobs and middle-class families across the country that rely on strong, reliable trading relationships with our closest neighbors. That's why I'm here today.

The new agreement lifts the risk of serious economic uncertainty that lingers throughout a trade renegotiation process. Uncertainty that would have only gotten worse and more damaging had we not reached a new NAFTA.

But when faced with this challenge, Canadians came together and rolled up their sleeves. Canadians from every order of government and walks of life put their country's interests first and worked hard to achieve a new, modernized agreement that will protect jobs, strengthen the middle class, and create new opportunities for businesses.

(Foreign language spoken)

There is much more work to do in lowering trade barriers and in fostering growth that benefits everyone, but reaching a new free trade agreement with the United States and Mexico is a major step for our economy.

Canadians got here because team Canada was driven by the interests of the middle-class. Free and fair trade leads to more and better-paying middle-class jobs for more people.

And the benefits of trade must be broadly and fairly shared. That is what modernizing NAFTA achieves and that is why it was always so important to get this new agreement done right.

[07:35:05] As a result, the tariff-free access that NAFTA guaranteed for more than 70 percent of Canada's total exports is secure. Now, that's essential for businesses, families, jobs, entrepreneurs, and hardworking people in every corner of our country.

As I said, the task isn't done. There is more hard work ahead to build resilient, strong economies that support families everywhere in Canada.

As I discussed with President Trump a few days ago, the recent plant closures by General Motors, which affects thousands of Canadian and American workers and their families, are a heavy blow. Make no mistake, we will stand up for our workers and fight for their families and their communities.

And, Donald, it's all the more reason why we need to keep working to remove the tariffs on steel and aluminum between our countries.

(Foreign language spoken)

With hard work, goodwill, and determination I'm confident we will get there. Our shared interests, prosperity, and security demand it.

Before wrapping up, I'd like to personally thank our Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, along with U.S. Trade Representative Bob Lighthizer, and Mexican Secretary of the Economy, Ildefonso Guajardo for all their hard work and dedication since the very beginning of this process.

I'd also like to thank Ambassador David MacNaughton, chief negotiator Steve Verheul, and their talented and extremely hardworking staff.

Once again, thank you all for being here. Merci beaucoup.

(APPLAUSE)

PENA NIETO (through translator): -- and the prime minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, distinguished members of the delegations joining us today. To both, I would like to thank you for your generous remarks.

That is precisely the last day of my administration, ladies and gentlemen, members of the media. During the last day of my administration as president, I am honored to be here standing next to the leaders of two countries who are friends and partners in this signing ceremony of the new trade agreement between Mexico, the U.S., and Canada.

The agreement that we will sign today expresses the shared will by our three nations to work together towards the well-being and prosperity of each one of our societies.

This day is the culmination of a long process based on dialogue and negotiations that allow us to overcome differences and to conciliate our visions. Once signed, the agreement will be sent to our Congresses for its ratification. It will be then when this innovative instrument bears fruit by offering a more inclusive firm and modern foundation for our future exchanges.

The negotiation of USMCA allowed to reaffirm the importance of economic integration in North America. For more than a quarter of a century ago, our three countries have maintained very tight trade relationships. Such trade has transformed Mexico.

Today, our exchanges abroad represent more than 70 percent of our gross domestic product and this has contributed to today's benefits of trade with the world are valued by the Mexican society.

Revamping the new trade agreement was aimed to preserve the view of an integrated North America with a firm belief that together we are stronger and more competitive. In spite of the progress that we have seen in our trade relationship in the last two decades, there was still a long road ahead of us to take advantage of each country's potential. The United States, Mexico, and Canada agreement gives a renewed face to the process of integration -- this process achieved on the first place to modernize our trade framework. Trade agreements shall not be static. Agreements need to move along with the economy and should be according to the needs of our society.

[07:40:15] The inclusion of new provisions on e-commerce, information technologies, and trade-enabling practices are now part of the agreement. In fact, one-third of the agreement includes topics that were not included in the current agreement. The renegotiating process of the agreement allowed our region to move into a more inclusive integration -- a type of integration that listens to the demands of our societies.

Twenty-four years ago, NAFTA set a new benchmark for trade agreements back then. Today, USMCA is the first trade agreement that incorporates elements that address the social impact of international trade.

It enables the participation of more sectors in the economy, including the participation of SMEs and regional trade. It extends the protection of workers' rights, strengthens the protection of the environment, and also includes a review clause that would make easier that the agreement is revamped more constantly. And this is a true sign of the will we have put in this agreement -- the decision to provide more and better opportunities to our peoples.

I would like to acknowledge the work done by the negotiators from the three countries. Each team advocated for each country's interests, and by doing this you reached a very positive result for the sake of all countries.

In the case of Mexico, there's testimony of the work of the business community who were present during the process and specifically, the new administration that will take office tomorrow. Your support and the alignment of visions in the last phase contributed to the success of this renegotiation process.

I would like to say that I sincerely acknowledge President Trump and Prime Minister Trudeau for their vision and the vision that they have put into the process. Thanks to you, President Trump and Prime Minister Trudeau, the agreement that we have signed today will allow each country to gain individually, but also North America will grow stronger and will grow to be more prosperous.

Ladies and gentlemen, currently in the world, each country's future is firmly linked to what happens in other countries. In North America, we understand this very clearly. We understand that each society's prosperity will be greater and will be deeply rooted if it's based in the prosperity of the region as a whole.

This signing ceremony -- it is a sign that Mexico, the United States, and Canada being close, not only due to our geography but on values and our expectations. We are ready -- we are ready to begin a new chapter in our shared history.

Thank you very much.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUDEAU: Let's go.

PENA NIETO: Let's go.

TRUMP: We'll trade. (INAUDIBLE).

[07:45:03] TRUDEAU: Each of us get a copy.

PENA NIETO: (INAUDIBLE).

TRUMP: It sounds very good, yes.

PENA NIETO: Excellent (ph).

TRUMP: OK, thank you very much, everybody. I might as well hold that up.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: Thank you.

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right. We've been watching the signing ceremony there of these three presidents -- Canada, Mexico, and the United States, of course, and their new trade agreement.

There were -- we were wondering if there would be any questions shouted but obviously, the press is respecting this -- the formality of this moment, and there you have it.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: The questions that we expected to be shouted were about the news that took place over the last 24 hours. Michael Cohen pleading guilty to lying to Congress about activities having to do with efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. So those questions were not shouted.

Had that story not broken in the last 24 hours, what you just saw there really would have been a very important story. It still is an important story.

CAMEROTA: Sure.

BERMAN: The Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on his last day, and Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister who has been feuding with the president -- they just signed this new trade deal -- this updated NAFTA deal.

This is a formality because Congress -- the U.S. Congress still has to ratify it, so it doesn't go into effect just yet. But this is a key step that those three men -- these three nations have agreed to this.

CAMEROTA: And a victory for President Trump --

BERMAN: Indeed. CAMEROTA: -- who did not like NAFTA and said he was going to renegotiate it and has done so. And again, as the final act of the Mexican President Pena Nieto, he -- they got it done.

BERMAN: And we do want to also note that while the three men got along on stage that there were moments of tension there.

Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister -- again, who has feuded very publicly with the President of the United States -- made a point of saying in his remarks about the steel tariffs that the United States is imposing on Canada. Basically, he said we've got to find a way to work this out.

Justin Trudeau also lamented GM closing plants, including a very important one in Canada.

Our Jim Acosta was in the room for this. Again, Jim, a significant moment in terms of trade.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

BERMAN: Also significant that the president not taking questions. This entire visit now to Buenos Aires seemingly tailored in a way to avoid maybe speaking more about the scandals at home.

ACOSTA: I think that's right John, and I think you saw all three leaders exit stage left there and ducking out of this room pretty quickly after all of this.

There's the Secretary of State leaving right now, also not taking any questions on all of this.

But, I think you're right, John. There was a pointed remark there from the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau objecting to those steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by the U.S. -- imposed by the Trump administration. That's obviously a source of frustration for the Canadian leader.

And, you know, the other thing we should also point out, and this went unsaid during all of this, is that the president has said in the past that he would somehow find a way to fund a border wall through some sort of renegotiated trade deal with Mexico through business dealings with Mexico, trade dealings with Mexico, and so on.

That appears to not be part of this USMCA trade pact as the president is seeking U.S. taxpayers to foot the bill for the border wall. So that went unsaid, as well.

But yes, throughout the day you're going to see the president in a -- in a number of interactions. Some were disclosed to us, some were not.

There's a chance -- and you always see this on the sidelines of these summits, John and Alisyn, where the president will brush past a world leader. They have not ruled out the possibility that he could brush past the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. That absolutely could happen.

And also, don't forget Russia's President Vladimir Putin. There will be opportunities for those two leaders to brush past one another. And whether or not they have a chance to really get into some of the issues that have been discussed over the last few days about these -- about these tensions between Russia and Ukraine that obviously could also be a cause for conversation here on the sidelines.

And, Ivanka Trump just walking in front of me a few moments ago. She was also in the room for the ceremony.

But make no mistake, John and Alisyn, this was stagecrafted. This was managed in a way so the president did not take any questions. He got out of this room very quickly.

Often, there's a silence at the end of these events where you might have a few moments to shout a question out. There was barely a chance for that as this event wrapped up pretty quickly, guys.

CAMEROTA: Yes, and it will be very interesting to see what Jim is talking about there -- those sidebar conversations if those happen.

BERMAN: Jared Kushner.

CAMEROTA: There goes Jared Kushner, of course, leaving the room now.

And so, that's the next thing that we'll look for, whether or not -- not officially -- not an official meeting with Vladimir Putin or MBS, but if they're in sidebar meetings.

BERMAN: All right, we're covering this. We've got a lot more to discuss, obviously.

The White House and the president facing a new round of questions about the Mueller investigation. He didn't address it there. Will he address it coming up?

[07:50:01] Our special live coverage continues after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAMEROTA: President Trump spoke moments ago at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, but he did not mention any of the revelations in the Mueller investigation. Sources tell CNN the president, though, is quote "spooked and completely distracted" as he has been preparing for the G20 summit.

This all comes as his former longtime attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about President -- well, Donald Trump's role in planning a potential project in Russia.

Joining us now is Michael Isikoff. He is the chief investigative correspondent for "Yahoo! News." Michael, great to have you here.

I know you -- you're also the author, I should say, of "Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump." That's part of why you are steeped in all of this and why it is so good to talk to you today.

So, tell us, if Donald Trump was in some sort of negotiations during the presidential campaign -- at least up to June of 2016 -- about building some sort of Trump Tower in Moscow, why is that so significant today?

[07:55:00] MICHAEL ISIKOFF, CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT, YAHOO! NEWS, AUTHOR, "RUSSIAN ROULETTE: THE INSIDE STORY OF PUTIN'S WAWR ON AMERICA AND THE ELECTION OF DONALD TRUMP": Well, because the president misled the American people about his efforts to do business in Russia. He did that after the campaign when this news of this project first broke last year. So while the campaign was going on, the voters knew nothing about the president's efforts to do this deal, while at the same time that he was saying all these nice flattering things about Vladimir Putin.

And there's one passage in that plea deal that Michael Cohen signed yesterday and agreed to in federal court that really leaps out.

And that is in January 2016 -- six months after Donald Trump has declared his candidacy and the Iowa caucus is about to take place -- Michael Cohen, the president's personal lawyer, e-mails Dmitry Peskov, the press spokesman for Vladimir Putin.

Now, Cohen had told the Senate it ended there. He never heard back, the project went away. We now know that's not true.

And in the plea deal yesterday we learned that Peskov's office calls back Michael Cohen and Cohen requested assistance in moving the project forward, both in securing land to build the proposed tower and financing the construction. Think about that for a moment.

Here is Cohen, on behalf of Donald Trump, seeking the help of Vladimir Putin's office -- Vladimir Putin, himself -- to make this deal happen. That's an entreaty by the presidential candidate to the president of Russia -- hey, I want your help so I can make money to do this deal.

That's kind of stunning in the full context of everything we've learned since about the president's efforts to do business in Russia, the whole questions of what the -- the contacts between his campaign and Russia. It really puts an entirely new cast on everything we've learned up until now about Trump and Russia and the Mueller investigation.

CAMEROTA: All right. Well, here's what President Trump says about this. He sees it, obviously, in a very different light. Here's how he explained this deal that never happened, yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: I was running my business while I was campaigning. There was a good chance that I wouldn't have won, in which case I would have gone back into the business. And why should I lose lots of opportunities?

Even if he was right, that doesn't matter because I was allowed to do whatever I wanted during the campaign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAMEROTA: There you go, Michael. He was allowed to whatever he wanted.

ISIKOFF: Yes, well, OK. You know, one could say that the voters -- the rival candidates to Donald Trump would have had a very different take on Trump's efforts to do this deal, seeking the assistance of Vladimir Putin, somebody whose conduct had led to sanctions against Russia. You know, an adversary to the United States.

There's all sorts of reasons why the president's comments there don't really hold up.

Now, does this lead to criminal charges? You know, there's a lot of questions whether the president can even be criminally charged, but probably not.

But on the core question of whether the president was candid with the American people, told the truth to the American people about his dealings Russia, I think the Cohen plea really puts a big hole in that.

CAMEROTA: We should just remind our viewers that you were the first reporter to sort of spell out the ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, and introduced the world to Carter Page, who was a lynchpin.

There's another character that I want to bring up here -- Felix Sater.

ISIKOFF: Sure.

CAMEROTA: OK, that's not a household name, yet he also was instrumental in the Trump Organization and helping to develop real estate deals for something like 10 years, though President Trump now says he would not recognize him if he saw him in the same room.

Here is another interesting bit. This is an e-mail from Felix Sater about this deal in Moscow.

"Let's make this happen and build a Trump Moscow. And possibly fix relations between the countries by showing everyone that commerce and business are much better and more practical than politics. That should be Putin's message as well, and we will help him agree on that message. Help world peace and make a lot of money."

ISIKOFF: Right.

CAMEROTA: "I would say that's a great lifetime goal for us to go after."

ISIKOFF: Yes.

CAMEROTA: That was in October 13.

Those are basically the talking points that we then heard on the campaign from candidate Donald Trump and now from President Donald Trump.

ISIKOFF: Right. Well, you know, what's interesting is it was Felix Sater who first pitched this idea to Michael Cohen. And then we learned from the plea deal yesterday that Cohen briefed the president, then-candidate Trump, on this multiple times. So, Trump was very much in the loop about these plans that Sater had cooked up to make this deal happen.

And, you know, when the president -- when Trump was asked during the campaign about Felix Sater, that's when he gave that answer -- oh, I wouldn't know him if he walked --