'This Week' Transcript 3-2-25: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Sen. Amy Klobuchar & British Ambassador to the U.S. Lord Peter Mandelson

A rush transcript of "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" airing on Sunday, March 3, 2025 on ABC News is below. This copy may not be in its final form, may be updated and may contain minor transcription errors. For previous show transcripts, visit the "This Week" transcript archive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: THIS WEEK WITH GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC "THIS WEEK" CO-ANCHOR: Meltdown.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You don't have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: I'm not playing cards.

TRUMP: You're gambling with World War III.

STEPHANOPOULOS: In a stunning Oval Office meeting, President Trump breaks off talks with the Ukrainian president.

ZELENSKYY: It will be difficult without your support.

STEPHANOPOULOS: As Zelenskyy heads to Europe to salvage the alliance.

All the fallout this morning in an exclusive interview with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The influencer.

ELON MUSK, SENIOR ADVISOR TO U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It was a pulse check review. Do you have a pulse?

STEPHANOPOULOS: Elon Musk holds court over Trump's first cabinet meeting as DOGE makes deep cuts felt in the U.S. and around the world.

MUSK: Our goal is not to be capricious or unfair.

STEPHANOPOULOS: How much power does Musk have? Will his conflicts be questioned and his cuts hold? We break it down this morning.

And so Cal strong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This year has tested your resilience.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of our resilience.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Ahead of tonight’s Academy Awards, Chris Conley (ph) on a nominee’s hopes rising from the ashes of the L.A. wildfires and how the Hollywood community is coming together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: From ABC News it’s THIS WEEK. Here now, George Stephanopoulos.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Good morning, and welcome to THIS WEEK.

A week that may have revealed a radical reset of America's place in the world. It began at the United Nations Monday where the U.S. sided with Russia and North Korea against Ukraine and our allies on a resolution marking the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It reached a boiling point in the Oval Office Friday when President Trump berated President Zelenskyy and expressed solidarity with President Putin. The big questions now, can the U.S. and Ukraine find common cause again? What will it mean for the Western alliance? Why is the president siding with Putin?

Secretary of State Rubio will join us for an exclusive interview. Chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce starts us off.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY BRUCE, ABC NEWS CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's the Oval Office meeting that stunned the world. Tensions behind the high-stakes push to end the war boiling over when President Trump was pressed on concerns he's aligning with Vladimir Putin.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, if I didn't align myself with both of them, you'd never have a deal. You want me to say really terrible things about Putin and then say, hi, Vladimir, how we doing on the deal? It doesn't work that way. So, it's not a question of alignment. I have to – I'm aligned with the world.

BRUCE (voice over): The vice president jumping in.

J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The path to peace and the path to prosperity is maybe engaging in diplomacy.

BRUCE (voice over): President Zelenskyy explaining that when they've tried diplomacy in the past, Putin has gone back on his word.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: He broken the ceasefire. He killed our people. And he didn't exchange prisoners. We signed the exchange of prisoners, but he didn't do it. What kind of diplomacy, J.D., you are speaking about? What – what do you – what do you – what do you mean?

VANCE: I'm talking about the kind of diplomacy that's going to end the destruction of your country.

ZELENSKYY: Yes, but if you are not strong (ph) –

VANCE: Mr. President – Mr. President, with respect, I think it's disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media.

BRUCE (voice over): Trump then scolding the wartime leader.

TRUMP: You're not in a good position.

ZELENSKYY: I was – I was –

TRUMP: You don't have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards.

ZELENSKYY: I'm not playing cards.

TRUMP: But right now you don’t – you’re playing cards.

ZELENSKYY: I want to (INAUDIBLE) this, Mr. President. I want to (INAUDIBLE) it.

TRUMP: You’re playing cards. You are gambling with the lives of millions of people.

ZELENSKYY: I am the president in a war. You think that –

TRUMP: You're gambling with World War III.

ZELENSKYY: What do you think about –

TRUMP: You're gambling with World War III.

ZELENSKYY: (INAUDIBLE).

TRUMP: And what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country –

ZELENSKYY: I am – with all respect to your country.

TRUMP: That's backed you, far more than a lot of people said they should have.

ZELENSKYY: I (INAUDIBLE) respect (ph).

VANCE: Have you said thank you once this entire meeting?

ZELENSKYY: A lot of times.

VANCE: No, in this entire meeting, have you said thank you?

ZELENSKYY: (INAUDIBLE).

BRUCE (voice over): The Ukrainian president came to Washington looking for continued U.S. support. Instead, he was berated by President Trump.

ZELENSKYY: Can I answer? Can I answer?

TRUMP: Wait a minute. No, no, you've done a lot of talking.

Your country is in big trouble.

ZELENSKYY: I know. I know.

TRUMP: You're not winning. You’re not winning this.

ZELENSKYY: I –

TRUMP: You have a damn good chance of coming out OK because of us.

ZELENSKYY: We – we are staying (ph) – Mr. President –

BRUCE (voice over): Zelenskyy had hoped to convince Trump to guarantee Ukraine's security if Putin violates a peace deal and tries to invade again, but Trump giving him an ultimatum.

TRUMP: You're either going to make a deal or we're out. And if we're out, you'll fight it out. I don't think it's going to be pretty, but you'll fight it out.

BRUCE (voice over): The president dismissing the press, but not before acknowledging the fiery scene they just witnessed.

TRUMP: This is going to be great television, I will say that.

BRUCE (voice over): Minutes later, Trump kicking Zelenskyy out of the White House, canceling their planned events, saying in a post, “I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for peace if America is involved.” “I want peace. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for peace.”

In the aftermath, top Russian official Dmitry Medvedev applauded what he called Zelenskyy's slap down in the Oval Office, while many European allies expressed unwavering support for Ukraine.

Leaving the White House for the weekend, the president reiterating his message.

TRUMP: He's got the say, I want to make peace. He doesn't have to stand there and say about Putin this, Putin that, all negative things. He's got to say, I want to make peace.

BRUCE (voice over): Later on Fox News, Zelenskyy offering his point of view.

ZELENSKYY: I'm speaking like a president of the people who are in this struggle three years, and they just want to hear that America on our side, and that America will stay with us, not with Russians, with us. That's it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUCE: And today Zelenskyy is looking to shore up support with Europe, meeting with the British prime minister and other allies at a summit in London, as they scramble to contain the fallout of this explosive encounter in the Oval Office, and look to try and come up with a ceasefire plan that they hope President Trump can agree to. But European leaders continue to insist any plan needs a U.S. backstop, that there have to be security guarantees. And so far that is something that President Trump is not willing to commit to, George.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC "THIS WEEK" CO-ANCHOR: Mary Bruce, thanks.

Let's bring in the secretary of state, Marco Rubio.

Mr. Secretary, thank you for joining us this morning.

Has there been any contact with President Zelenskyy since Friday?

MARCO RUBIO, SECRETARY OF STATE: Well, I haven't had any contact with him since Friday. We have plenty of contacts with him, though. Plenty. I mean he met – in the last ten days, he’s met with the secretary of – he spoke to the president on the phone, met with the secretary of commerce, met with me, met with the vice president, met with our special envoy, and then was invited and came over on – well, invited. You know, he wanted to come over on Friday to sign this commercial deal that didn't happen. So, there's been plenty of contact with him. I've talked to the foreign minister several times. Not since then. And we'll see moving forward.

I think the last line in the president's Truth Social post is the one to focus in on, and that is, we'll be ready to re-engage when they're ready to make peace, which is clearly what the president's goal is here. He's trying to get Russia to the table to bring about – to see if there's a way to bring about an end to this conflict. That's his goal. That's his only goal. That’s his – that’s his centralized focus. And, you know, hopefully, we'll get to a point where that's possible.

STEPHANOPOULOS: The British prime minister said this morning that the United Kingdom and France are working on a peace plan with Ukraine to present to the U.S. Do you know where things stand with that plan?

RUBIO: No. I mean I’ve talked to both of the foreign ministers of France and the U.K. yesterday, and I explained to them sort of the events leading up to what you saw on Friday.

Look, I think what's really important here is to understand the dynamic. The president is basically saying, there's this horrible war. It's been going on for three years. It is a bloody stalemate, a meat grinder type war, and he wants it to end.

How does it end? It's very simple. The only way it ends is if Vladimir Putin comes to a negotiating table. And right now President Trump is the only person on earth who has any chance whatsoever of bring him to a table to see what it is he would be willing to end the war on.

Now, maybe their – their – their claims are what they want. Their demands will be unreasonable. We don't know. But we have to bring them to the table.

You’re not going to bring him to the table if you're calling them names, if you’re being antagonistic. That's just the president's instincts from years and years and years of putting together deals of someone who’s in business. And that's the only goal here is to try to bring about an end to a three year world – war with no end in sight.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, let me just stop you there for one second. Why is there –

RUBIO: What? I'm sorry.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Why is it OK to call President Zelenskyy a – why is it OK to call President Zelenskyy a dictator, but not, as you say, call Vladimir Putin names?

RUBIO: Listen, we've spent three years calling Vladimir Putin names. That's not the point. And the point that we're at now is, we're trying to get the man to a table, the Russians. And I’ve said from the very beginning, maybe they don't want a deal either. We don't know. But we haven't talked to them in three years. But maybe they do.

The point is, do we want to make – I would ask everybody this. If there are no negotiations, what is the alternative? Another four years of war? Another three years of war in which the United States and Europe continues to pour billions of dollars into a war in Ukraine? Is that the alternative?

I've asked every foreign minister I meet with, tell me your idea of how this turns out. Most don't have a plan. A few have said, well, let's give them another year of fighting, a year from now, a year later, after another year of death, another year of destruction, then maybe Putin will be ready to negotiate at that point. That doesn't sound like a good plan to me, and it certainly is not a plan the president's on board with.

STEPHANOPOULOS: It's not just about getting people to the table. It's about keeping agreements that are made. And that was one of the points that President Zelenskyy was making in the Oval Office on Friday is that Vladimir Putin has not kept the agreements that were made in the past. Wasn't he right about that?

RUBIO: But what is – moving forward is the question, not the past. No one here is claiming Vladimir Putin is going to bet the Nobel Peace Prize this year or that he should be the man of the year of the Humanitarian Association. What we're arguing here is, he has a very large country. They're in full-war footing. They're – they’re cranking out weapons now at a war- footing pace, and we need to figure out, is there way to get them to stop the war?

And the only way you're going to do that is to get Russians engaged in negotiations, something the Europeans haven't been able to do, the Biden administration wasn't able to do or didn't even try. That's the goal here. It's that simple.

Can we try to sit with them and figure out whether there's anything -- what are the Russians' demands? Under what conditions would the Russians be willing to stop this war?

And as I said, we don't know what those are, because we haven't talked to them in three years. That's singular goal is to try to bring about an end to this conflict and it begins by getting them to the table.

Ultimately, like any truce, like any peace agreement anywhere in the world, those things will have to be enforced, will have to be enduring, there’ll have to be safeguards put in place. Everybody understands that, but it begins with the first step, and that is engaging them to see if it's even possible, because if it's not, then what we’re looking is a protracted stalemate with thousands of people dying, billions of dollars pouring in, and more death and destruction.

And that’s not something --

STEPHANOPOULOS: But isn’t that --

RUBIO: -- the president wants to be part of. He’s made it very clear.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Aren't those talks feasible only if the United States is willing to also provide security guarantees to Ukraine? That was the point President Zelenskyy was also making in the Oval Office.

RUBIO: Well, the security guarantees which I actually like to call deterrents is all contingent upon there being a peace. Everybody is saying security guarantees to secure the peace. You first have to have a peace.

We don't even know if the peace is possible. And that -- this was understood by the Ukrainians. It was explained to them repeatedly, and that is, here’s our strategy. We're trying to get Putin to a negotiating table.

Don’t -- let’s not rehash -- everyone knows the history here, the back and forth. We understand that. We all understand that, but the question now is, can we get them to a table to negotiate? That's our goal.

Don't do anything to disrupt that, and that's what Zelenskyy did unfortunately, is he found every opportunity to try to Ukraine-splain on every issue. Then he confronts the vice president. When the vice president says the goal here is diplomacy, he immediately jumps in and challenges the vice president. Well, what kind of diplomacy?

So, we all understand, okay, that Putin is not going to be an easy negotiator in this regard. We all get that, but we have to -- we have to start the process to see if something is even possible.

And I honestly am puzzled. I just don't understand. The Biden administration berated Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israelis, put all kinds of conditions and pressure on them to try to get a ceasefire. In this particular case, we’ve been nice by comparison, and all we're trying to do here is figure out whether a peace is possible.

The first -- all these other things that people keep bringing up, that will have to be a part of a negotiation. Right now, there is no negotiation. Shouldn't we at least try to see if there is a way to end this war in a way that's acceptable to both sides and is enduring and sustainable? How is that a bad thing?

I really am puzzled why anyone thinks that trying to be a peacemaker is a bad thing. It's only a bad thing when it's Donald Trump trying to do it, when it's President Trump. It's absurd to me.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, even some of your Republican allies are puzzled by the steps President Trump has taken to placate Vladimir Putin. I want to bring up a post that Lisa Murkowski --

(CROSSTALK)

RUBIO: Well, which ones? Which -- what steps has the president taken to placate -- what steps has he taken?

STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, let me show -- let me show you what Lisa Murkowski said and you respond -- and you respond to that.

(CROSSTALK)

RUBIO: Are we arming the Russians? Are we providing economic assistance to the Russians? Are we giving the Russians $180 billion? What are we doing to placate?

(CROSSTALK)

STEPHANOPOULOS: Please let me ask -- please let me ask you the question.

This is Lisa Murkowski, and here's what she says: This week started with administration officials refusing to acknowledge that Russia started the war in Ukraine. It ends with a tense and shocking conversation in the Oval Office and whispers from the White House that they may try to end all U.S. support for Ukraine.

I know foreign policy is not for the faint of heart, but right now, I am sick to my stomach as the administration appears to be walking away from our allies and embracing Putin, a threat to democracy and U.S. values around the world.

Those are not my words. That's Senator Lisa Murkowski.

What's your response?

RUBIO: Well, you know, yeah. We're a free country. People have a right to these opinions.

I would just say to you, what have we done to placate the Russians? The only thing we've done is say, are you guys willing to talk about peace? I say the same point.

We’re not giving -- we haven’t given $180 billion and weapons. We haven’t given them an Oval Office meeting.

(CROSSTALK)

STEPHANOPOULOS: You voted with North Korea and Russia and Be -- you voted with North Korea and Russia and Belarus in the United Nations and against our Western allies.

RUBIO: No, let me tell you. All right. So you know what -- do you know what the United Nations’ resolution was? I’ll tell you if you want to hear what it was.

It basically said, this has been a horrible war. It's time for it to end. The job of the U.N. is to bring about peace in the world.

I thought that's what the U.N. was created to do, to stop wars and to prevent them, and that's what the resolution did.

Was it antagonistic towards the Russians? No. Back to the point, but it all -- it also didn't praise the Russians. All it said is, this is a bad war. It needs to end.

And, by the way, at the Security Council, which has not been widely reported, the first resolution on Ukraine that has passed the Security Council in three years, passed this week because of the leadership of President Trump and it's a resolution that says bad war needs to end, let's bring the two sides together. That's what the resolution is.

Again, what is the United Nations for? Isn't it a forum to promote peace in the world? And shouldn't our president -- shouldn't we all be happy that we have a president who's trying to stop wars and prevent them instead of start them?

And I just don't get it. I really don't, other than the fact that it's Donald J. Trump.

If this was a Democrat that was doing this, everyone would be saying, well, he’s on his way to the Nobel Peace Prize. This is absurd. We are trying to end a war. You cannot end a war unless both sides come to the table, starting with the Russians. And – and that – that is the point the president has made. And we have to do whatever we can to try to bring them to the table to see if it's even possible.

I'm not promising you it's possible. I'm not telling you it's 90 percent likely. I'm saying it's zero percent likely if we don't get them to a negotiating table. And the sooner everybody grows up around here and figures out that this is a bad war that’s heading in a bad direction with death and destruction, and all kinds of danger surrounding it that could spiral into a broader conflict. The sooner people grow up and realize that, I think the more progress we're going to be able to make.

But the president's crystal clear. He campaigned on it. And he's going to govern on it. And that is, he is going to be a president that tries to achieve peace. And he has been very clear, this is a war that would have never happened had Donald Trump been in the White House. And it needs to end. And we're going to do everything we can to end it. And in an enduring and sustainable and fair way.

STEPHANOPOULOS: You said in your confirmation hearings that Russia will have to make concessions to get a peace deal. What concessions do you expect them to make?

RUBIO: Well, why would I say that on a news broadcast? That's what negotiations are about. That's the problem here. Again, everybody’s not – this is not a messaging exercise, OK? This is, can they get to a table? And then there's hard work to be done.

You’re absolutely right, I'm not telling you this is an easy peace deal. The Russians will give you a 30 minute lecture on the history of Ukraine and this, that and the other. The Ukrainians have their own point of view. There's no doubt about it. But what peace deal in the history of the world has ever been easy? That's the hard work of diplomacy. That's exactly what the vice president was alluding to. That's what peace deals involve.

You've covered this. You’ve been around for a long time. These conflicts are not easy to solve. We’re getting – but you can't solve them at all if you don't even have a process to try to solve it, if you don't have the parties at the table. And right now that's been our goal. It's been explained crystal clear to the Ukrainians and the Europeans and everyone else who wants to know for weeks now – for weeks now. And the only thing they were told is, do not do things to derail it.

And, sadly, President Zelenskyy, you know, couldn't contain himself in that regard. I hope this could all be reset. I hope he comes to the realization that we're actually trying to help his country here before it suffers thousands of more casualties, 3 million people have already left Ukraine. Are they ever going to be able to come back? He's got Ukrainians being held prisoner, including children, on the Russian side. All this is – why is any of this good for anybody?

And the argument that we're going to just keep it going forever, that's absurd. So, it's time to bring the Russians to the table if it's even possible and see if there's a way forward that ends this conflict and makes sure it never happens again. That's our goal. That remains our goal. That's the president's goal.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. Secretary, thanks for your time this morning.

RUBIO: Thank you.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Let's bring in the British ambassador to the United States, Lord Peter Mandelson.

Lord Mandelson, thank you for joining us this morning.

You just heard Secretary Rubio there. Your response?

LORD PETER MANDELSON, UNITED KINGDOM AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES: My response is that we need a very radical reset, as you say in the caption behind you. And the reset has to consist of the United States and Ukraine getting back on the same page, and President Zelenskyy giving his unequivocal backing to the initiative that President Trump is taking, to end the war and to bring a just and lasting peace to Ukraine.

And the Europeans, George, too, they need to back the cause for a ceasefire. And by the way, I think that Ukraine should be the first to commit to a ceasefire and defy the Russians to follow. And then as part of the unfolding plan for this negotiation, the Europeans, and perhaps some other countries too, have got to consider how they are going to put forces on the ground to play their part in providing enduring security and deterrence for Ukraine.

Now, that's the reset that we are looking for. That's what the British prime minister is working for in his meeting in London today.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And has there been any progress yet? I know the meetings are going on right now, but you seem to suggest that it’s – it's up to the Ukrainians first to come forward and say, yes?

MANDELSON: Well, look, after what happened on Friday, we – it's clear that we need to bring the United States and Ukraine back together again. And I think the first thing that President Zelenskyy can do is to make clear his commitment to the initiative that President Trump is taking. And, yes, I do think it would be a good idea if he signed the economic and commercial deal put forward by the United States.

And the reason I say that is quite apart from the economic gain that Ukraine will derive from that. It will also give the United States a stake in Ukraine's future. It will mean thatU.S. commercial interest, U.S. individual citizens will be on the ground there and that will be an even greater, added incentive for the U.S. to protect the Ukraine in future, make sure that war does not ensue again. That's what I want to see. That's what we all want to see.

And it takes -- it takes both United States and Ukraine to come together and make sure that this whole initiative is given the best possible likelihood of success because, George, it is the only show in town. It's the only negotiation available and it's got to be made to work. And that's what we in Britain are very committed to help bring about.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, what kind of security guarantees can be put in place in order to get Ukraine to sign that agreement?

MANDELSON: Well, I think it's very important that as the negotiations get underway, the Europeans own part of this overall plan, are developed, are agreed amongst them, and made clear to the Ukrainians. And that does mean European forces, both on land and in air, and at sea, made available to ensure that there is an effective deterrence against any Russian further incursion and -- into an attack on Ukraine.

And yes, we would also like to see a U.S. -- the U.S. giving us a cover for this. We want to know that the U.S. is covering our backs in what we are putting into Ukraine on the ground, and that there is some sort of ultimate backstop where the U.S. is saying, look, you are going first. The primary responsibility is for the Europeans, but we're going to be there if things get really nasty. The Russians need to know that they're going to answer to the United States as well as to the Europeans on the ground. That's what we would like to see.

STEPHANOPOULOS: President Trump has said he trusts Putin to keep a deal. Does the United Kingdom?

MANDELSON: Well, that remains to be seen. But one thing I know of is whatever we might think of President Putin, and we are very, very clear in our commitment to Ukraine and its future in this situation. We have to give peace a chance. We have to give -- to create the circumstances in which enough pressure is brought on Putin, on Russia to bring them, to coax them, to force them to the negotiating table.

And then we will see the true -- the true color of their intentions and what they're prepared to agree and to stand by. But if it goes wrong, we must be there on Ukraine's side, continuing to arm them, to make sure that they have the capacity to withstand any further Russian attack, with ourselves lining up behind them in that eventuality.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Ambassador Mandelson, thanks for your time this morning.

MANDELSON: Thank you.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Coming up, Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar responds, plus analysis with Chris Christie and Donna Brazile. We're back in two minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STEPHANOPOULOS: Welcome back.

I want to bring in Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.

Senator, thank you for joining us this morning.

You've heard Secretary Rubio. You've heard Ambassador Mandelson. Your response?

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN): We stand with our friends, not our enemies. We go into negotiations -- the great country of America goes into negotiations with strength, not surrender.

And I was appalled by what happened in the Oval Office. I was with President Zelenskyy with a number of Republican and Democratic senators before he left for the White House. He was in great spirits. He was excited to go and sign this minerals agreement which is something that was very important to President Trump and I think that's actually what's come out of this is not in President Trump's best interest.

And so, they were -- he went there and I just couldn't believe it. I watched that video like three times, George, and I hope you're -- you played clips.

It was Vice President Vance, particularly, who was on the offense who was berating President Zelenskyy who simply was trying to explain that this was, in fact, we needed a strong security commitment from all of our allies to be able to have a lasting peace, which is something that President Trump says that he wants to see.

STEPHANOPOULOS: As you said, you met with President Zelenskyy before he went down to the White House. He wasn't expecting this to happen.

Do you think it was a setup?

KLOBUCHAR: You know what, either it was an ambush setup, or they just got so hotheaded, the president and the vice president, that what happened, happened.

You know, it's the chaos of this presidency. Its chaos is up. Corruption is up. Costs are up, just ask anyone in the egg aisle.

I don't think the people of America bought into this. Three percent of them side with Russia in this conflict and nearly 60 percent with Ukraine.

So my hope listening to the secretary of state today, the British ambassador, there is still an opening here and that is what I care about. And so many of Americans or the soldiers that I just saw last weekend from Ukraine who were getting medical help with hook arms trying to stand up for the Ukrainian national anthem with one leg -- you know, this is not the time for us to undermine these brave Ukrainians.

I’m sure you've been there. I have seen the mass graves in Bucha, the burnt out apartment buildings in Irpin, all because of a dictator Vladimir Putin.

So when I listen to the secretary of state today, I did note that he said numerous times that they are still interested in a peace agreement.

There's a major meeting going on today in Great Britain with 17 European allies. You've got another meeting going on in Brussels where they want to come together.

You've got France and Great Britain coming to the table saying, we'll put soldiers forth to make sure that there is a security protection with this agreement. That's a big deal.

I just want to remind your viewers here that America and our allies, including Japan and South Korea, that's 50 percent of the economy, world economy. And Russia's like at 2 percent.

So I think we know who our friends are who stood with us after 9/11, our friends are these allies and we need to make this work. So anything we can do to get this back on track, we must do.

STEPHANOPOULOS: What is President Zelenskyy need to know? You heard Secretary Rubio say that he needs to accept the idea that we need a peace agreement. Now, they need to see something from Zelenskyy.

What can he do now? Do you think he made a mistake in the Oval Office?

KLOBUCHAR: I did not, and I’m glad that he went on Fox News and did an interview after.

I think he was just trying to explain his situation and that is that they are grateful to America. He has -- he said that, he said that numerous times in private and public meetings. He said it hundreds of times. He presented a flag to Republicans and Democrats in Congress signed by soldiers on the front line saying thank you.

So that has got to -- that was just an all-out lie that he has never thanked our country.

I think that he needs to go to Europe. I think they need to all come together with an agreement, with the idea for how we can do this. I think they're going to have to come back to America either diplomatically and there -- or in person -- and we're going to have to get this moving again.

And President Trump considers this mineral agreement a positive, and that's going toclearly be part of the lure in getting this done and getting everyone to the table because I just think Americans leadership was so hurt by what happened in the White House, and we need to get that back again.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator Klobuchar, thanks for your time this morning. I want to bring in Chris Christie and Donna Brazile right now. Chris, let me begin with you. I don't think any of us has seen a meeting in the Oval Office like that in our time in Washington, in modern American history. What's your take on what happened?

CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R) FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR & ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, look, I think the important thing, George, is to understand the why of it. You know, people try to put Trump into a -- into a box of either isolationist or interventionist. He's neither, in my view, he's a transactionalist. And what that means is all he cares about is what he perceives to be what's in his best interest for that moment.

And you know, you heard Senator Rubio talk about the deals that he has made. Well, they're all real estate deals, George, right? And you look at what he's done here, Greenland, Panama Canal, you know, Canada as the 51st state. It's about him wanting to acquire something and use whatever tactics he has always used in his life, which is bullying, belittling, suing, pressuring to try to get what he wants to get. And that's what you saw go on in the Oval Office. I don't think it was a setup, George. I think it was J.D. Vance lit the fuse.

(LAUGH)

CHRISTIE: And Trump said, OK, his instincts took back over. And what you saw is nothing unusual for Donald Trump. It's highly unusual, as you mentioned, to happen in that kind of setting, but not for him. The second thing I'd say is this shows, again, kind of a lack of an understanding of history and a lack of empathy, because here's Zelenskyy. I've been to Ukraine. I sat in his office in August of '23, sandbagged, burlap over the -- over the windows. This is a guy under three years of siege in his country. Of course, he's going to react when J.D. Vance asks him essentially to trust Putin. And he did react.

Now, if Zelenskyy was perfect, he wouldn't have reacted.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Right.

CHRISTIE: OK? But he -- he's not perfect and he's under three years of that kind of pressure. I love to see what President Trump would look like if he were three years as a wartime president and how he might react. So that lack of empathy from Trump, which has always been there, is what was on display as well.

STEPHANOPOULOS: I think that --

DONNA BRAZILE FORMER DNC CHAIR & ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: It -- it looked like a setup up, George, in the sense that, you have the vice president -- look, I've worked for vice presidents. You've never seen a vice president participate in that manner in an Oval Office discussion. Look, beyond the setup aspect of it and the fact that the Russian media was there and not the Associated Press, that's another conversation.

But I agree with what the ambassador said. The important thing now is for the Europeans to show initiative to come back to the table. We know the kind of negotiator Donald Trump is. He wants something from the Ukrainians, fine. But we also should demand as Americans that we do not wish, in the middle of the war, to change sides, to side with a dictator, to side with Vladimir Putin who just two years ago was issued an arrest warrant for taking children, for the war crimes.

So, I think it's important that preparation be done because it looked like they were not -- there was no preparation. But more importantly, that the United States come in as an honest broker to bring our ally and our friends together, and to confront the monster that we have been dealing with.

STEPHANOPOULOS: I think one of the strangest things of watching the meeting, Chris, is seeing how personal this was for President Trump. He clearly is upset with President Zelenskyy. It probably goes back to what started his first impeachment. And he clearly believes in his mind, despite what U.S. intelligence officials say, which is that Russia did interfere in our elections, that Vladimir Putin is a victim along with him.

CHRISTIE: Well, he certainly does. Look, and I don't think he even cares whether Putin is a victim or not, George. I think that's just rhetoric. He's the victim in his mind, and that's the most important thing. Again, a transactionalist, what does it mean for me? What is in it for me? And he's still angry about what happened back then. And look, quite frankly, there was a lot about that Russia investigation that, you know, I was with you at the time, that I said at the time that I thought was ridiculous and overblown, that there was some coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russians. But that's old news.

What we need to understand is, and what I think the President should try to do now is to understand -- the part of the problem here is that he looks and sounds like an ally of Putin. And you know, Secretary Rubio was saying, well, we got to get Putin to the table. Well, you know, you can get someone to the table in a number of different ways, and it's not just through honey. Sometimes, it's also through letting them know we're going to continue to stand with our friends and you're not going to have any alternative but continue to have this war as well.

BRAZILE: And let's be clear, as Senator Marco Rubio chaired a committee that investigated the Russian attempt to influence our election, he did it. He signed his name along with Senator Mark Warner of Virginia. I have a lot of back history with this. The important point now and going forward, I agree, we need a ceasefire. I mean, how you going to negotiate when Russia is trying to bomb the hell still out of Ukraine? We need a ceasefire. We needthe Europeans to come back to the table, meet with Trump, flatter him, do whatever you need. But the bottom line is, the American people should demand that the United States stay on the same side with our allies for over 80 years.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Thank you both for your time this morning.

Up next, a look at Elon Musk's unprecedented power as he slashes the federal government.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STEPHANOPOULOS: When we come back, Elon Musk's latest moves and what comes next in Washington.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STEPHANOPOULOS: President Trump and Elon Musk dismissing concerns about conflicts of interest, says the tech billionaire continues his sweeping overhaul with federal government.

But Musk has virtually no oversight, he continues to lead companies that have received billions in federal funds.

Here's senior White House correspondent Selena Wang.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SELENA WANG, ABC NEWS SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He didn't have an official seat at the table but this week, Elon Musk took center stage at President Trump's first cabinet meeting.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So I’m going to ask if it's possible to have Elon get up first and talk about DOGE because it seems to be of great interest to everyone.

WANG: Trump calling on Musk first, a show of unprecedented power in the hands of the richest man in the world.

Musk infiltrating the federal bureaucracy at rapid speed through his newly formed Department of Government Efficiency and its crusade to slash government spending.

ELON MUSK, TECH BILLIONAIRE: The overall goal here with the DOGE team is to help address the enormous deficit. We simply cannot sustain as a country a $2 trillion deficits.

WANG: Musk directing mass firings and calling for the dismantling of entire federal agencies. As the Pentagon braces for thousands of layoffs any day now, this 30-year veteran currently working for the Army Corps of Engineers tells me he started the hunt for a new job.

WILLIAM DIXON, ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS EMPLOYEE: It's almost like a slap in the face like we don't even matter, we don't count.

WANG: This federal worker who says he was recently fired from the General Services Administration rebuking Musk.

DANIEL LECKIE, FORMER GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION EMPLOYEE: Literally in my position, I save more money than I am paid in the salary. That's my job.

WANG: And the State Department eliminating over 90 percent of foreign aid contracts, terminating USAID funding for HIV, malaria and refugee camps around the world. USAID employees given just minutes this week to pack up their desks. The White House ordering all agencies to work with Musk's team to submit plans for large-scale layoffs by March 13th.

Trump making his stance clear.

TRUMP: Anybody unhappy with Elon? If you are, we’ll throw ‘em out of here.

(LAUGHTER)

WANG: Musk is using the same playbook he implemented after taking over Twitter, laying off thousands of employees and firing top executives.

MUSK: We're really just going through -- doing very basic things here. It's -- as bad as Twitter was, the federal government is much worse.

WANG: Department of Government Efficiency originally claimed to have saved $65 billion in government funds but only provided a list of contract cancellations and lease terminations totaling $9.6 billion, a drop in the bucket when it comes to overall U.S. spending of $6.75 trillion in 2024 alone.

Musk claims his work is out in the open.

MUSK: You know what's better than saying trust -- trust me? It's just full transparency.

WANG: But Musk never disclosing who actually works on his team ABC has learned DOGE is staffed by many young engineers from Musk's private companies, many with no experience in government policy.

Sources tell ABC News Musk began formal planning for DOGE a month before election day. His team quickly gaining access to sensitive data from several federal agencies. Musk now overseeing sweeping cuts, even as his companies benefited from some of those very agencies.

SpaceX and Tesla awarded at least $18 billion in federal contracts over the last decade and “The Washington Post” reporting Musk and his businesses have received at least $38 billion in government contracts, loans, subsidies and tax credits.

For “This Week”, Selena Wang, ABC News, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHANOPOULOS: Thanks, Selena, for that.

We're joined now by the “Associated Press” executive editor Julie Pace, our senior political correspondent Rachel Scott.

And, Rachel, your day job is you cover Congress. Elon Musk has got a real head start --

RACHEL SCOTT, ABC NEWS SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah.

STEPHANOPOULOS: -- on congressional oversight here. But they're starting to face a -- to get backlash now in their home districts, members of Congress.

SCOTT: I talked to several Republicans who went back home to their districts, were in these town halls with angry constituents. And, you know, one Republican told me, look, this is not just Democrats that are coming forward, they're hearing from Republicans. I talked to, one Republican in Georgia, and he told me he now is asking the Trump Administration and Elon Musk to have a little bit more compassion with how all of this is happening, because it's happening at such a rapid pace.

It's not only members of Congress that are blindsided, caught off guard by it, it's also a lot of these agencies as well. What was notable about that cabinet meeting and the president saying, well, does anyone, you know, disagree with what Elon Musk is doing? You have several members of the president's cabinet that also pushed back against some of those emails sent to federal workers, telling their employees to hold off on responding.

And so, yes, right now, though some Republicans are not speaking as publicly about it, you do have some that are saying to this administration and to Elon Musk, have a little bit more compassion on how this is rolling out here because it is affecting our constituents, even in red districts.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And Julie, this is going to complicate the efforts to keep the government funded and government funding runs out on March 14th. And now, it's -- now, those negotiations are taking place as Congress is rebelling against some of these cuts.

JULIE PACE, ASSOCIATED PRESS EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Right. You're going to start to see these two different tracks of work start to come together because the question is, how much government funding is actually needed if we're going to see federal agencies that are going to be shrinking here? Are we going to be funding the government at its current level or are we going to be funding it at a level that sees these reductions built in into place? And really, who has that control? You know, ultimately, this funding mechanism has gone through Congress. But now, we're seeing that power really shift to the executive branch, and Elon Musk and DOGE.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And what are we expecting from President Trump when he addresses Congress this week, Tuesday night?

SCOTT: I think it's going to be interesting to see which version of President Trump shows up at this joint address. Obviously, this is coming right after you have Elon Musk, Department of Government Efficiency move so quickly with their efforts to try to cut what they're calling waste and fraud in the American government, and also shrink the size of the federal workforce, also coming off of the heels of this explosive meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.

And so, does the president focus on the message that he campaigned on, right? Cutting costs for Americans, as we were about to go into imports, tariffs -- tariffs were on imports from U.S. Tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada. Does he focus on costs or does he also focus on some of the things that Elon Musk has been doing? Does he praise Elon Musk?

I think this is going to be an interesting and pivotal moment, and then also how Democrats respond. I'm learning that somehow House Democrats may not even show up to this meeting. Do Democrats try and show a show of force for Ukraine here? And it's going to be notable to see how Republicans respond in that room, if there's any mention of Ukraine as well.

PACE: Well, and I think so much of this for President Trump is about that opportunity to be able to say, this is an effort to help you, the American public, because that ultimately is what he will be based -- he will be judged on, is are these actions in Washington, which may be controversial, they may look chaotic, will they ultimately help Americans in terms of their own economic security? And so, you know, that is -- you're right, Rachel. That is the opportunity for him if he wants to take it to make that case.

STEPHANOPOULOS: You know, there's so much going on here, it's hard to keep up with all of it. One of the things I want to ask you about, Julie, the executive order of the Associated Press. The Associated Press has now been blocked from basically from covering the White House because you refuse to call the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of America. Where do things stand right now? How has it affected your coverage?

PACE: Sure. Thank you for asking. So I think, you know, the first thing I would say is the Associated Press is 179 years old. We're a global, independent, non-partisan news organization that's had a commitment to covering the White House since our founding. And you know, really you mentioned this is about Gulf of America, Gulf of Mexico, you know, yes, it's about that, but it's also about something so much bigger. You know, this is about freedom of speech and that is a principle, a right that Americans across the political spectrum believe in deeply.

This is about whether the government can control the language that we use, that ordinary people can use. And it's about whether the government can retaliate against you if you don't use the language that they prefer. So we are standing up for that right, not just for the AP, but for all independent news organizations and for the public because we believe, again, that this is a principle, freedom of speech that all Americans, regardless of their political party, should believe in.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Any sense of how it's going to end?

PACE: We certainly hope that it results in us being allowed back into cover White House events because we're there to be the eyes and ears for Americans and people around the world.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Thank you folks for joining us today. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STEPHANOPOULOS: Ninety-seven Academy Awards will be awarded in Hollywood tonight, nearly two months after wildfires devastated so much of southern California.

Chris Connelly brings us the story of one nominee who was directly impacted and how Hollywood is coming together to help those still in need.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN LEGEND, MUSICIAN: Here are the nominees.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Music and lyrics by Diane Warren.

MADONNA, MUSICIAN: Written by Diane Warren.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Music and lyric by Diane Warren.

CHRIS CONNELLY, ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What in life is truly inevitable? Death and taxes and Diane Warren with an Oscar nomination for best original song.

(MUSIC)

CONNELLY: Appearing in the Tyler Perry-Kerry Washington "The Six Triple Eight" "The Journey" sung by HER marks the 16th nomination of Diane Warren’s songwriting career.

Infamously, she has yet to win an Oscar in 15 previous tries, yet her current streak of eight consecutive best song nominations is the longest in Oscar history.

This nomination for this song is breaking records for you, right?

DIANE WARREN, SONGWRITER: I’m breaking my own record of losing this many times. I say that with -- in humor because I’m honored to be nominated. It's very hard to get nominated for an Academy Award.

(MUSIC)

CONNELLY: 1998's "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" from "Armageddon," Aerosmith’s only number one single, a nominated example of Diane’s songwriting craft.

What sort of feeling do you get that tells you, I am onto something good?

WARREN: I just feel it like I get chills, like it might make me cry, and that happened with "The Journey". The chorus came, I just -- you know, I think I had tears in my eyes with that one.

(MUSIC)

CONNELLY: Then this year, in early January, Diane at her idyllic Malibu beach house --

WARREN: It was a beautiful place. It was the last song I recorded there. It was "The Journey".

CONNELLY: One week later, this would be all that was left of Diane's beach house, like thousands of other homes, destroyed by the L.A. fires.

This year has tested your resilience.

WARREN: All of our resilience.

KELLEY L. CARTER, SENIOR ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER, ANDSCAPE: The song “The Journey”, it really soundtracks what the energy is like in the aftermath of the wildfires here in Los Angeles.

ZACHARY ABBOTT, FIRE VICTIM: We’re shopping for furniture because everything that we had was burned to the ground.

CONNELLY: Zello Support, an industry volunteer group, partnering with studios to supply furniture from movie sets for displaced fire victims free of charge.

LOUIS DARGENZIO, CEO, ZELLO SUPPORT: And we can schedule shopping experiences for families who were impacted by the fires.

CONNELLY: Performers Mark Gabaldon and Abby Anderson lost everything. Now, they’re starting over with showstopping set pieces from “Wicked”.

ABBY ANDERSON, PERFORMER: This would be Glenda’s room divider. It called to me and it said, I’m here for you Abby. It’s very soothing to have beautiful art to refurbish our home. And it’s just so full of like, love.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Here we go.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Dresser.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Yes.

DARGENZIO: This is Hollywood community coming together and helping L.A. rebuild.

WARREN: We’re going to get through it. Go through hell, but still you’re going to make it through. The song really resonates in the moment.

That’s the message I hear from people, that it’s really giving them a lot of strength.

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CONNELLY: Diane Warren was given an honorary Oscar in 2022 for her extraordinary career. But tonight, she’s hoping to complete her journey with her first Oscar win. We’ll all be watching. George.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Good luck to Diane Warren. Thanks to Chris Connelly.

And you can see the full special “Countdown to the Oscars” streaming now on Hulu and Disney+. We’ll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STEPHANOPOULOS: Thanks for sharing part of your Sunday with us. Tune into the Oscars tonight and I'll see you tomorrow on GMA.

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