Trump pressed on sweeping tariffs, Hegseth in ABC News exclusive interv...

Tonight, we start with the ABC News exclusive. Today is the 100th day that President Trump has been in office. And correspondent Terry Moran is in the Oval Office tonight, sitting down with the president. Terry asked the president about his tariffs, the economy, immigration, and the war in Ukraine. He also asked if the president still trusted his defense secretary, Pete Hegath, following those two group chats on the Signal app about US military jets, Yemen, and their timing. Among those conversations was one with his wife. At the 100-day mark, the president's approval rating is at an all-time low due to national fear of inflation and the president's tariffs and price increases.Tonight, we are getting our first glimpse of the prime time interview that takes place this evening. Terry is questioning the president about his message to Americans to remain resilient and what that signifies regarding the economy.

You mentioned something a few weeks ago that really caught my attention. You spoke about the tariffs, which economists predict will increase prices. You stated, quote, "Hang tough. It won’t be easy. " You conveyed that to the American people. Should Americans anticipate some difficult times ahead? I’ve conveyed during my campaign. Look, we achieved a significant victory in the campaign. We won all seven battleground states. We secured the popular vote by a substantial margin. You know, our campaign was truly remarkable.I mentioned all these points during my campaign. Uh I stated, "You're going to experience a transition period. We've been taken advantage of by every nation across the globe. They're mocking us. They assumed we were foolish people and we were. And I said, "That's not going to occur. We're not facing hard times ahead. ' I don't believe so.

I believe great times are coming. Look, since I assumed office, gasoline prices have decreased, grocery costs have declined, egg prices have fallen, uh, many items are down, just about everything. You know, you don't see the falls in fuel and energy and oil like we once did. I reduced it from maybe $3. 20, 20 cents, maybe even more than that, down to a significantly lower figure. When you experience that level of decrease, you're not going to face inflation. Not at this time. But it's the tariffs, right? We still maintain a 145% tariff on China. Your Treasury Secretary stated we essentially have an embargo against China. Look, you're attempting to indicate something is about to happen. No.Okay. You understand business. I would like to ask you. I would like to inquire. I am familiar with business.

And so 145% tariffs on China. Uh and and this is effectively an embargo. They merit it. It will increase costs on everything from electronics to clothing to constructing homes. You’re not aware of that.

You’re uncertain whether or not China will absorb the mathematics. China likely will absorb those tariffs. But at 145, they essentially cannot engage in much trade with the United States. And they were earning a trillion dollars annually from us. They were taking advantage of us like no one has ever taken advantage of us. And furthermore, we have other nations that were equally as bad.

Uh if you examine the European Union, it was appalling what they have done to us.

Each nation, nearly every nation globally was taking advantage of us. They aren’t doing that any longer. The president there about his tariffs during this extensive prime time interview tonight. Terry also inquiring of the president about his defense secretary Pete Hegath and if he still trusts him. Here’s what the president remarked. I want to pose one question regarding Defense Secretary Pete Hegsth. There’s a lot of chaos at the Pentagon at this moment.There’s the signal chat with his wife on it where he’s discussing that attack in Yemen. There’s another signal chat discussing the attack on Yemen. There’s a reporter inadvertently involved. You mentioned the other day that you had a conversation with the secretary. Did you take him to task? I had a discussion with him and whatever I said I probably wouldn’t feel inclined to share, but we had a productive conversation. He’s a skilled individual. He’s youthful, intelligent, and well-educated. I believe he’s going to be an excellent defense, hopefully a remarkable defense secretary, but he’ll certainly be a very good defense secretary. You have complete confidence in him. I do not have complete confidence in anything. Alright. Anything. Do I have complete confidence? That’s a foolish question. Look, it’s a quite significant position. I have No, no, no. You don’t have complete confidence. Only a deceitful person would claim they have complete confidence. I don’t have complete confidence that we’re going to finish this interview. We will. Of course, the interview did proceed. You did complete it. The president was, and we should emphasize this, willing to address a wide array of questions here. Let’s bring in Terry Moranny live at the White House tonight. Terry, indeed, I reviewed the entire transcript. You inquired about the economy, immigration, the conflict in Ukraine. You asked about Elon Musk and Doge, the federal cuts. This was a broad-ranging discussion tonight. It certainly was, David. We covered extensive topics. As you mentioned, the president was very enthusiastic about discussing immigration, his initiatives on the border. That’s something he views as a significant achievement. We also discussed Vladimir Putin and whether President Trump still has trust in him. And we received a glimpse, a rare glimpse inside the Oval Office that he has really transformed. It was intriguing. We anticipate it. Terry Moran live at the White House. Terry, thank you. This evening, the complete ABC News exclusive interview, a prime-time special, President Trump, the first 100 days, the interview in the Oval Office tonight at 8:00 p. m. Eastern, right here, 7:00 p. m. Central, right here on ABC. Our gratitude to the president and to Terry Moram.