New War With Iran Looms as Trump Mulls "Limited Strike" To Spur a Nuclear Deal

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Morning Meeting

Episode: New War With Iran Looms as Trump Mulls "Limited Strike” To Spur a Nuclear Deal
Date: February 23, 2026
Host: Mark Halperin (with panelists Hogan Gidley and Jaime)

Episode Overview

This episode, broadcast on the eve of Donald Trump’s scheduled State of the Union address, revolves around the escalating possibility of U.S. military action against Iran in the context of struggling nuclear negotiations. Alongside this central theme, panelists analyze the White House's political maneuvering, poll numbers, sports diplomacy, breaking stories on Jeffrey Epstein, campaign developments—particularly Democratic strategies—and rising political personalities like Gavin Newsom and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The conversation is lively, analytical, and at times irreverent, offering a newsroom-style rundown of top stories shaping the day’s political agenda.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. DC Weather Woes & Congressional Attendance

• Snow disrupts travel: Major snowstorm in DC imperils congressional attendance at the State of the Union. Hogan Gidley shares personal travel woes; questions arise about how many members will make it ("It is snowing. That's weather. There's not a weather show...I probably won't go outside today." – Mark Halperin, 03:19).
• Political implications: The White House’s ability to pack the gallery with unifying guests, like the U.S. Olympic Hockey teams, may offset a thinned congressional audience.

2. U.S. Olympic Hockey Team Invited to State of the Union

• Trump’s play for unity: President swiftly invites both victorious men’s and women’s hockey teams to the State of the Union. Panelists agree it’s politically smart, forcing even opposition members to recognize unifying moments (“Democrats are not going to be able to not stand for the Gold Star American USA Olympic team.” – Jaime, 10:30).
• Speculation on political theater: Discussions on whether Trump will deploy the athletes as symbolic props to reinforce policy themes or American unity, following traditions begun by Reagan.

3. Trump’s State of the Union: Anticipated Messaging

• Border security and the economy: Panelists project Trump will highlight progress on border security and acknowledge economic difficulties, while urging patience (“If I were the President, I would try to convey two things...give me a couple more months and you'll start to see things change in your states and your cities.” – Jaime, 13:13).
• Congressional charge: Expect Trump to exhort Congress to keep legislative momentum.

4. Presidential Approval Ratings and Midterm Forecasts ([15:00–20:00])

• Consistent low polling: New polls show Trump stagnant at 36–39% approval—particularly bleak among independents, now 26% ("President's approval rating amongst independents...if his approval rating...is 26%, when the midterms approach, it will be a bloodbath." – Mark Halperin, 16:55).
• Divergent interpretations: Jaime downplays the impact of weak poll numbers, saying Trump operates outside traditional approval calculus, but Mark and Hogan emphasize historic ties between low approval and midterm losses.
• Predicted seat changes: Jaime pegs potential Democratic House gains at 25; Mark pushes “correct” answer: 33 in the House, 4 in the Senate (19:59).

5. Cash Patel, U.S. Hockey, and DC Optics ([20:57–23:23])

• Celebration controversy: FBI Director Cash Patel appears in locker room celebrations with Team USA, sparking debates over optics and partisanship. Panelists largely dismiss it as overblown.
• "Stay on message": Both warn Democrats not to waste capital harping on Patel and instead focus on core issues.

6. Iran: Strike Options, Nuclear Talks, and SOTU Ramifications ([23:23–27:00])

• Military action as leverage: With new evidence Iran is stalling, U.S. officials float a “limited strike” before considering larger escalation post-State of the Union.
• SOTU messaging preview: Expect Trump to remind both Americans and the Iranian regime he's “had to do specific things...to make...USA safer,” while warning further "surgical, targeted strike[s]" may follow if Iran doesn't yield (Jaime, 25:59).
• Panelist agreement: Both Hogan and Jaime view Trump’s likely comments as messages of conditional restraint—laying blame for escalation at Iran’s feet while signaling resolve.

7. Epstein Bombshell: Hidden Storage Facilities ([27:00–33:00])

• New revelations: Telegraph story claims Epstein stashed files in secret storage units across the U.S. to avoid investigation; locations reportedly never subpoenaed.
• Panelists skeptical of immediate impact: Both agree new reporting will deepen public distrust and demand for transparency (“If you don't give people information, they're left to speculate...this revelation...is quite interesting. Of course, he had files. When you get them, what's in them...could be of the bombshell variety.” – Hogan, 31:02).
• Will American press pick it up? Split predictions—Jaime: Yes, Hogan: “Ish,” Mark: No (32:50).

8. Other Major Stories: Briefs & Panel Reactions ([33:00–35:25])

• Ukraine: No progress reported; peace talks seem stalled.
• Mexico: Trump administration pressures Mexico, resulting in the dramatic killing of a major cartel boss.
• Tariffs: Uncertainty abounds as business and allies try to decipher evolving U.S. trade policy.

9. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC): Foreign Policy & Instagram Video ([35:25–39:12])

• Social media misstep: AOC posts (possibly inebriated) video explaining foreign policy fumble; both panelists agree she should have refrained. (“If she wants to be president...she's got to make sure...she goes prepared...She didn't perform well there.” – Jaime, 35:25)
• Teachability moment: Hogan reiterates: presidential hopefuls face intense scrutiny, and self-inflicted wounds can end campaigns.

10. Gavin Newsom’s Book Tour & 2028 Presidential Potential ([41:03–43:51])

• Newsom demurs on running: Tells CNN his children are reluctant, but both Hogan and Jaime view this as classic laying of groundwork for future campaign (“He is laying the breadcrumbs that are going to be a perfect, perfect announcement...They're willing to sacrifice...He's got to save the country. He's going to run.” – Jaime, 43:20).
• Personal branding: Panel discusses the political benefit of “family discussion” narratives for reluctant candidates.

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Listener Q&A Segment Highlights

[46:36–53:57]

• Do records or personality matter more?
  • Michael Graham asks whether, in this Trump-Newsom era, policy records matter less than personality.
    • “Can the...message, does a record, do the facts on the ground even matter? Or is it all personality...” – Michael, 47:01
  • Panelists agree “feelings” and “likeability” often trump technocratic records (“I think policies do matter a little bit less, but they still matter.” – Jaime, 50:55).

[54:48–59:27]

• Tucker Carlson/Mike Huckabee Interview:
  • Wayne asks about the influence and tone of Tucker Carlson after watching a controversial interview with Mike Huckabee. Hogan: “Tucker does that...where he builds on a premise and then tries to use that to make the interviewee appear as though they're not consistent...” (56:55).
  • Wayne flags a particularly bizarre moment where Tucker questions Netanyahu’s Jewishness, referencing fringe theories; panel agrees on the oddness.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Polling is under a lot of pressure...But the polling now about the President's Approval rating is remarkably consistent and I would say remarkably accurate.” – Mark Halperin [15:00]
• “If I were the President, I would try to convey two things...I'm working on all the levers that I can...Just give me a couple more months and you'll start to see things change...” – Jaime [13:13]
• “I think Hogan is right, and I've said this before, too. There is no stage bigger and no lights burn hotter than that on a presidential [run]. And you can oops yourself off...in a real hurry.” – Mark Halperin on AOC [38:58]
• “You get to blame the rest of the world for something that you just did not do well. She didn’t perform well there.” – Jaime on AOC [35:25]
• “The correct numbers are 33 and 4. 33 and 4.” – Mark Halperin insisting on his midterm prediction [20:14]
• “He is laying the breadcrumbs that are going to be a perfect, perfect announcement for why...his family...[think] he's got to save the country.” – Jaime on Newsom [43:20]
• “When you're explaining, you're losing.” – Hogan Gidley [53:00]

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Important Timestamps

| Time | Segment | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:19 | DC snowstorm impacts the political day | | 08:15 | Member travel woes; SOTU attendance concerns | | 10:30 | Trump invites U.S. Hockey teams to SOTU; sports politics | | 13:13 | Anticipation of SOTU main messages: border, economy, unity | | 15:00 | Presidential approval and polling: methodology, accuracy, impact | | 19:59 | Midterm seat forecast: Mark's numbers (33 House, 4 Senate), panel debates | | 20:57 | Cash Patel’s hockey celebration controversy | | 23:23 | Iran: nuclear negotiations, possible "limited strike," SOTU preview | | 27:00 | New Epstein bombshell: secret storage units, hidden files | | 35:25 | AOC’s Instagram video and presidential prep | | 41:03 | Gavin Newsom’s “family” excuses and future run groundwork | | 46:36 | Q&A: Record vs personality in candidate success | | 54:48 | Indiana pastor asks about Tucker Carlson interview with Mike Huckabee |

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Summary Assessment

This episode offers a sweeping, up-to-the-minute scan of the day’s most crucial political stories as seen through the eyes of network news producers and political strategists. Key takeaways include the increasing importance of narrative control in the State of the Union and primary campaigns; the challenge legacy media faces in covering evolving bombshells (Epstein, Iran); and the degree to which modern politics privileges performance and likeability over policy minutiae. The tone is brisk, occasionally biting, and seasoned with inside-baseball insight, making it an informative listen for anyone seeking to understand how top newsrooms frame the national conversation.

Transcript

[Mark Halperin]

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[Jaime]

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[Jaime]

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[Mark Halperin]

Visit lifelock.com podcast for the threats you can't control. Terms apply. This is it. The world as you know it is over. Completely done. It's not about to be over. It's over. Some of the scientists who helped build AI are now sounding the alarm. I was selling AI as a great thing for decades and I was wrong. I was wrong.

[Wayne]

There's a longer term existential threat that

[Mark Halperin]

will arise when we create digital beings that are more intelligent than ourselves.

[Wayne]

We have no idea whether we can stay in control.

[Mark Halperin]

While others say that AI will usher in unfathomable abundance, I've always believed that it's going to be the most important

[Hogan Gidley]

invention that humanity will ever make.

[Jaime]

This really will be a world of abundance.

[Mark Halperin]

And among these fears and these fantasies, we seek the story of our future. Listen to the last invention on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. Good morning, everybody. Welcome. It's Monday, February something. Nine o' clock Eastern. Welcome to the morning, Megan. It's the three H's today. Hi, Mahogan and Halpern joining you to run you through the day. It is snowing. That's weather. There's not a weather show. I don't understand all this coverage of weather in the news business. It's.

[Hogan Gidley]

I'll tell you why.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah, it does good numbers. People are interested in it, but it's

[Hogan Gidley]

the only form of news that affects everybody. Mark and I, as a former weatherman.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah, Hogan. It doesn't affect people in San Antonio today. Not snowing.

[Hogan Gidley]

Weather affects everybody. You want to know if it's raining, if it's hot, if it's cold, whatever.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah, whatever. Anyway, it's snowing. If you don't know it's snowing here, I probably won't go outside today. I have a doctor's appointment. It'll probably be canceled. All right.

[Hogan Gidley]

If you're flying in San Antonio now,

[Mark Halperin]

it probably matters now, the snow. The snow matters because I'm wondering whether members of Congress are going to get to the State Union. We'll talk about that. We're going to Talk about Cash Patel's love of hockey. We're going to talk about Iran, Ukraine, Mexico. A new Epstein bombshell which, which if true, is going to change the entire contours of the story. We'll bring you that. Tariffs Hogan's friends, Mike Huckabee is in the news. There's a new Democratic strategy called F. Trump and there's an AOC video that if you haven't seen, will change your perception of whether you think she's going to be elected president in 2028 or I'd say even be the Democratic nominee. It's an incredible video that I haven't seen in the so called legacy media, but it's on social media and it's quite something. All that and more with Jaime and Hogan and you. If you're here on the platform and want to get in on the conversation and if you've never raised your hand today, be a great day. It's a snow day. Snowing, blah blah blah. Raise your hand here in the platform. If you're watching on x or on YouTube. Do not put smack in the chat. Do not say, well, Mark, it's a snow day. So there's a moratorium on a declaration against smack in the chat. I can have peace, love and understanding and put smack in the chat. No, you cannot. Ladies and gentlemen, these are mutually exclusive. Please, please, please don't put smack in the chat. So thank you for your attention to that matter. Word from a sponsor and then to the Daybook and then we'll get underway with our conversation. Right now, if you need a new warm blanket, I recommend the Bubble Cuddle blanket to you. It's the warmest blanket I've ever had. It's the most comfortable blanket I've ever had. Buy one for yourself, buy one for your dog, buy one for somebody as a gift. It's a very heavy gift, but you could still buy it. All that and everything else on the Cozy Earth website is available to you with 20% off using the promo code Morning. Use the promo code morning. Cozyearth.com get the bubble Cuddle blanket. Get the sheets, the towels, the award winning pants. I don't know that they've actually won an award, but if I had an award that I could bestow on pants makers, I would give the Cozy Earth pants such an award. Perhaps I'll use ChatGPT later today to name Halperin's annual award for the best pants. Perhaps. Anyway, right now you can save 20 off everything on the Cozy Earth site using the promo code two way Morning. Morning. Start your new year off right and give your home the luxury it deserves and make home the best part of life. Head to cozyeart.com use the promo code. Morning. There'll be a post purchase survey and you'll say, where did you hear about this? And you'll say, mark Halperin told me to buy the bubble cuddle blanket. That's what you'll do. Refresh your routines with comfort that makes every day feel like a new year. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Now to the daybook. The President. I don't know how much this schedule is going to hold. He's supposed to, at 10 o' clock this morning, be participating with angel families in a remembrance ceremony. 10am this remains since it had since 2015, one of the great divides between red and blue. Red America knows the names of all these family members. They, they know the circumstances under which these Americans were killed by people in the country illegal. And blue America treats it as a political stunt. And there's some truth to both things. But that event, I'm assuming, based on Caroline Levitt tweeting about it this morning, I assume the families came to D.C. before the snow. So they're there. So that'll be a very emotional event. And again, if you want to look at it through a political lens, it's an attempt to talk about immigration in a way that is more favorable to the President's base and to center independent voters. 11 o', clock, close press policy meeting, 1 o' clock executive time. Also closed press. I suspect the vice president, if he's around, might go to the 10 o' clock event. No other public schedule. House and Senate are both dealing with the snow. Nick Reiner is arraigned today in Los Angeles. Tomorrow, state the Union at 9 o' clock Tuesday and Wednesday we get more Supreme Court decisions. We could get the voting rights case, which would be a big deal. The vice president, former Vice President Harris resumes her book tour. Indianapolis Thursday, Detroit City on Friday. Amongst Jimmy Kimmel's guests this week, this is not a typo. Jon Favreau, John Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer, Tommy Vider and Justin Bateman, all on Kimmel and Stephen Colbert. Guests this week include John Dickerson and Kurt Russell. There you have it. All right, gentlemen, thank you for being here. Hogan, is it possible that a lot of members of Congress who want to go this state union will not be able to get to town for it? Is that possible?

[Hogan Gidley]

Absolutely. My flights were canceled yesterday. Coming back to town, I got a car and drove and did not arrive here till 11 o' clock last night. Drove through the snow to get here just to make sure I was in town for it.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah. But do any, either of you have any idea. And again, I know a lot of Democrats don't plan to go, but do you have any idea how many members are currently out of town? And. And I don't know what the DC forecast is.

[Jaime]

No, I haven't been tracking. I did the reverse commute out of D.C. yesterday, so I'm down in Louisiana running away from the snow. But I'd imagine it had to be many individuals. I don't know.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah. So it'll be a weird event if. If they can't get there. Now. One, one group that may go is the US Hockey team. I don't know if the women's team, which also won the gold over Canada over the weekend, are invited, but the men were invited and they seem to accept. Here's the president's offer last night to the team and they seem to say, yeah, they'd love to come. This is. This is number. Just play it. I'm sure you know what number it is.

[Hogan Gidley]

How are you?

[Michael]

Say hi to him.

[Hogan Gidley]

How you doing?

[Michael]

Don't believable.

[Mark Halperin]

And you are all unbelievable.

[Michael]

And, and that team is pretty good.

[Mark Halperin]

You played. I don't know again anytime soon.

[Jaime]

Right.

[Mark Halperin]

You know, I tell you what I

[Michael]

just told my people two minutes ago.

[Mark Halperin]

I didn't know they'd be calling. I said we're giving the State of

[Michael]

the Union speech on Tuesday night.

[Mark Halperin]

I could send a military plane or something. But if you would like to.

[Hogan Gidley]

It's the.

[Michael]

It's the coolest night. It's the biggest.

[Mark Halperin]

We're in.

[Jaime]

Can you pick us up in Miami on Tuesday morning?

[Mark Halperin]

Okay. There you. They flew to Miami. So I think the whole team's still in Miami or at least a lot of them. Jaime. I just. It's obvious invitation and I don't know if they're definitely going to go, but it seems like maybe I'm too close to it because I watch the game and like a lot of people are sort of caught up in it. It seems like if they go, it's really going to be hard for Democrats to be cranky the entire speech at least. Right.

[Jaime]

Well, I mean, look, I think when I'm excited about the teams and so it's so exciting, both the women and the men. I was on a flight when the. When they won yesterday and the whole entire flight erupted, which is really cool. But to Hogan's other point, a little bit I think sports is still a great unifier. And so I think for, for President Trump is very smart to invite the American hockey team teams or its team to come. And you're right, Democrats are not going to be able to not stand for the Gold Star American USA Olympic team. However, Donald Trump, the President, United States of America, will give the Democrats much fodder to, to take out their anger or frustration. So this won't be the moment, but they will have many other moments.

[Mark Halperin]

Hogan, I'm not here to give the White House advice, but instead of having the team stand at once, what if they, what if he recognized them throughout the speech and found one of them, one of them who's, who likes the border being closed and one of them who's getting the Trump to Trump accounts. You know what I mean? Like, he could, he could turn the whole speech into the team and screw the Democrats.

[Hogan Gidley]

He could. I haven't seen his list of guests he's going to have at the State of the Union, but I would imagine it's going to be quite good. And people like Reagan were one of the ones who pioneered using guests to kind of tell the story of your administration, the problems, successes, but also the problems we all face as a nation. And Jaime is right, sports is a unifying thing, unless, of course, you inject politics into it, at which point you have a lot of things that are problematic with sports. But this was a huge moment for this country. And I will take issue with one thing. I'm a, you know, Democrats wouldn't stand last time for a young child who overcame cancer and just wanted to be a police officer, and they gave him a honorary Secret Service designation, too.

[Mark Halperin]

But don't you think, but don't you think they've learned that, don't you think they've learned their lesson? They'll have to stand for the US Team. No, no, Jaime, if you were, if you were, if you were Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, comms director, you'd say everybody stand for the hockey team, right?

[Jaime]

Correct. And I'm sure they're listening right now. And I missed the talkers called last week, so I'm not sure what they're planning. But look, they're not going to not stand for this team. And I honestly, I have to give the president some kudos for inviting the team so quickly. I mean, I think it's a really great thing. And hopefully he uses that as a not a divider, Hogan, and he uses it as a moment to bring the country together as well.

[Mark Halperin]

Well, probably use it to bash Canada too. But that'll confuse the Democrats beating our 51st state. I've been told that the first Lady's box, the so called Lenny Skutniks are going to be quite good and the Trump people are very good at that, as we saw last year. Jaime, what do you think the headline out of State of the Union will be? You have to predict.

[Jaime]

I've been thinking about this a lot over the last 24 hours and I'm just, I'm not sure yet what the President's trying to convey. If, if I were the President, I would try to convey two things. One, look, you sent me here to, to, to make this border more secure. It is less people are coming in it. You, you should feel safer. If you don't, you will.

[Mark Halperin]

One.

[Jaime]

And then two. Look, things are, have not on the economic side, have not happened as quickly as they, as, as, as they could. I'm working on all the levers that I can. I'm working on from tariffs all the way down to local investment. I'm doing it. I'm trying. I'm, I'm bringing housing to you guys. Just give me a couple more months and you'll start to see things change in your states and your cities. I would do that if I were the President.

[Mark Halperin]

Hogan, what thoughts on Jaime's outline?

[Hogan Gidley]

I think Jaime is exactly right. I think he needs to talk about where we were failing, where we are now succeeding, but acknowledge the fact that there's more successes that need to happen for the American people to feel all of the good. I will say I would expect the President also to call out Congress to some degree to say, you've done all these great things. Big, beautiful bill, let's talk about that for a minute. But now you need to do X to keep the ball moving forward. So I would expect some charge from the president too, to have those members of Congress step up and continue the good work they've already done.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah. Let me say this about polling. A lot of you like to follow the President and say fake polls. Whether you're liberal or conservative, you see polls you don't like and you just say, well, they're not true, they're phony, they're biased, they're bad methodology. It's a silly way to behave. Folks, polling is under a lot of pressure and it's got problems that it didn't have 50 years ago. But the polling in the presidential campaign was remarkably consistent, public and private and remarkably accurate. And the polling now about the President's Approval rating is remarkably consistent and I would say remarkably accurate. We'll never know for sure because there's no election to validate it. But I will tell you, ladies and gentlemen, if anything, if anything, and this is to you, MAGA folks, meet me at camera, too. The private Republican polling is actually worse than, in most cases, than the public polling about the President. Three new polls out in the last 24 hours or so about the president's approval rating remarkably consistent. Here's 106B, please. This is the new CNN poll out this morning. It has the president's approval rating. A little hard to read in this graphic, but a president's approval rating now is 36% amongst all adults. Okay, 36%. That's adults. It's not voters. It's not registered voters. But, but 36%. Okay, here is ARG out this morning. 1:26, same thing. 36% of Americans. Again, this is adult Americans say they approve the present 36%. And finally, the Washington Post poll that came out Yesterday, little higher. 107, please. 39%. Okay, 39% approval. As John McCain used to say, the president's pretty much down to close relatives and paid staff who approve the job he's doing. Finally, from the CNN poll, Manu Raju did a smart thing. He pulled out his president's approval rating amongst independents. This is 106A, please. And I'll read it to those of you listening to the podcast or on SiriusXM. The president's approval rating with independence, okay, was 43% a year ago. 43%. It's fallen from 43 down to 35 to 31, toggled up to 32. 28, 29, 26% amongst independents. And again, even the president's most loyal defenders would tell you if his approval rating Amongst independents is 26%, when the midterms approach, it will be a bloodbath. And in fact, just this morning, the DCCC announced that they're going after some incumbent House Republicans in districts that Trump won by double digits. And this is, this is everybody assumed couldn't happen, that they couldn't play in those districts, but they are going to try now. And again, Republicans who are honest, who have polling data will tell you this is not some Democratic fantasy. They, they might mock it publicly, but privately, this is where we are. So, Hogan, my question to you is, what's the president's approval rating gonna be assuming the economy gets better, including a great state of the union? Like, where's the ceiling he's going for now by the time of the midterms.

[Hogan Gidley]

Do you think the ceiling is if

[Mark Halperin]

the President said to you, Hogan, if we do everything right, economy's hitting all cinders. My speech tomorrow is great. The Democrats nominate some idiots, make some mistakes.

[Jaime]

I.

[Mark Halperin]

Where can my approval rating be the absolute highest? Where could it be?

[Hogan Gidley]

What would you tell Amongst adults are voting, though?

[Mark Halperin]

Registered. Registered likely voters. Let's say likely voters.

[Hogan Gidley]

It can go. I think it could go as high as it's been. Close to the 50% range, 53%, depending on the success of the economy.

[Mark Halperin]

Okay. How many you think you can get to 53?

[Jaime]

No, I don't think so. I just don't think so. And I'm actually not sure that it matters in the grand scheme of things. Mark, I know we are predicating a lot of this on what the midterms will then show. I'm not. I think things are just quite different now. And I think Donald Trump has put that into his calculus where it doesn't really matter how low his approval ratings go. He's the President. I mean, what. What's. What's going to. What's. What's going to happen? Maybe he's Congress.

[Mark Halperin]

I'm sorry to interrupt, but historically, the President's approval rating has been a very big indicator of how the President's party does in a midterm.

[Jaime]

No, I agree with you on that. I think what's already trending right now, if things stand, Democrats are going to win more seats in the House than they have right now, and they may take the House. But I think for the President, I don't think he's necessarily thinking about the midterms per se. He's thinking about himself and how much he can get done over the next few months, next few years. And I don't think that he is thinking that his low approval rating is going to diminish his power and his ability to do. Do whatever he wants to do.

[Hogan Gidley]

Oh, I. I think he is very clearly attuned to what the midterms mean, in large part because he's been President before. He's coming to this with the. The experience, the knowledge, the discernment, the wisdom of this town. When you have control of both levers, of. Of Congress versus when you don't. And we know, because Democrats have said openly they will continue or begin to start impeachment, they will start investigations, and that's how it works. Okay, so whatever. Hold on, hold on. He knows that. So he is going to do what he can to travel around this country and sell that case for a lot of these races, I'm.

[Mark Halperin]

His right.

[Hogan Gidley]

It really doesn't matter at the local level.

[Mark Halperin]

Assuming that the voting rights decision does not come down in time to affect the redistricting, how many seats will Democrats net in the midterms in the House? Jaime? Just a number.

[Jaime]

I'm looking at maybe 25.

[Mark Halperin]

25. Hogan, how many will they net?

[Hogan Gidley]

I don't know. I think it's less than that, but I don't know.

[Mark Halperin]

All right, Senate seats, how many will they net? They need to net four to be the majority. Jaime?

[Jaime]

Four. No, I'm. I think realistically, two.

[Mark Halperin]

Two. Hogan? I don't know. Maybe one. Okay. The correct numbers are 33 and 4. 33 and 4. Okay. Cash Patel. If you haven't seen Cash Patel in the locker room with the celebrating with his beloved US Hockey team, you'll need to see it. Here it is. Those of you listening to the podcast. He's got a Team USA jersey on. He's had climbing the floor. He's wearing a gold medal. He's putting his arms aloft.

[Jaime]

He's.

[Mark Halperin]

He's chanting and singing with the team. All right, enough of that. Now, here are the facts. Cash Patel flew to Italy on a long planned trip to deal with some law enforcement issues. Here's a fact. Cash Patel loves the U.S. hockey team. Here's a fact. He went to the locker room and celebrated with the team. Here's a fact illustrated this morning by a tweet from his team. He told report, his spokesman told reporters in advance he was going on person on professional business that if he did anything personal, he would reimburse for it. He didn't deny he was going to go the hockey game, as some people are reporting, and he and his team said in advance he'll reimburse. And I don't know what the formula will be. Hogan, was there anything wrong with Cash Patel doing what he did from your point of view? Either either what you believe the proper role for the head of the FBI is, or in terms of political optics, on either basis, was there anything wrong with what he did?

[Hogan Gidley]

No. 100%. Not going to support the America? No. Absolutely not. If they want to pick Bones on this, go right ahead because it's going to backfire big time. And I will tell you the one word that came to my mind when I saw it. Jealous.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah. Is there anything wrong with what he did?

[Jaime]

I mean, I think it was probably poor optics. I honestly, I just don't care. And I don't think that that Democrats should spend any time really caring about this. Look, I mean, Cash Patel has been an unserious FBI director, and he continues to be. However, I was a little jealous. Hogan. I love the hockey team and I love the Olympics. I would have loved to have been there celebrating with them as well. But I think having, you know, there's so much happening in the world right now. There's so much happening back here in this country. And I think for the FBI director to be so blatantly open about drinking and celebrating with the team, it's probably some bad political optics, but I don't think it was wrong. And if he reimburses, like, who cares, you know?

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah, but you've seen already a lot of Democrats are continuing to talk about it.

[Jaime]

Like, I know, and I. Look, I. I will tell President Trump this. I will tell Democrats this. You got to stay focused. You got to stay on message. This is one of those things that if you talk about Cash Patel too much, you're not going to talk about affordability.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah.

[Hogan Gidley]

If you didn't like him before, you don't like him now. If you did like him before, you like him now. The question is, what do most people think when they see an official from the United States government supporting the hockey team and cheering them on and being in the locker room? I think most people are fine with it.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah, I hear you. All right. Thursday, in theory, there's going to be another US Iran meeting in Geneva. A lot of skepticism amongst American officials that the Iranians are going to come back, despite what there's some reporting that suggests they might, that they're going to come back with an acceptable counteroffer. The. Well, the New York Times has followed reporting here and elsewhere over the weekend, saying maybe the president will have an initial strike that's not, you know, massive, but if it doesn't bring the Iranians to the table, that it'd be a massive strike. Brett Stevens column this morning lays out in much more detail than Marco Rubio or the president, the vice president, have done the reasons why a strike, as risky as it might be, is justified. And it goes beyond just the nuclear program. The president who used to talk about helping the Iranian people, encouraging them, is no longer done that, hasn't done that for days. There's a Wall Street Journal story today. They interviewed four Iranians who fled the country, who were protesters, who talk with their identities obscured about how they were pleading for the United States, dreaming for the United States to support, to follow through on what the president said at the time of the protest. That there would be a signal that the there was support for them. Here's the headline from the Journal. Iranian protesters are the, quote, war zone that left thousands dead. Security forces crushed anti government demonstrators in a deadly crackdown. Four witnesses share what they saw. And again, they say they had expected the United States to be supportive. Iranian Americans over the weekend in various forms, also saying, where's the United States? Where's the strike? To encourage lots of reporting about targeting government officials in Iran to, to foster, if not bring about regime change. So we're going to talk about this all, all week. I don't believe, here's the Economist headline, what are Donald Trump's strike options in Iran? I don't believe, based on both my reporting and Spidey sense, that there'll be a strike before the State of the Union, but I wouldn't rule it out. So here's my question, Hogan not what should but what will the president say about Iran in his State of the Union address? How, how much will he say and what will he say?

[Hogan Gidley]

I think it will be part of the speech. I think it will be couched in terms pointing out the success of the strike on the nuclear facilities. I think he will say he remains hopeful of some type of deal coming down the pike. But I do think he, he will offer some warning in there. A good if, then, if this happens, then this will happen. I think he's going to do one of those, too.

[Jaime]

Jaime yeah, I agree. And I think what he's look, he's going to have two audiences here, the American people and the Iranian regime. And I think what he's going to, what he's going to say, he's going to remind the American people that he doesn't want to go to war, but he's had to do these specific things over the last year to make the world safer and make USA safer. And he's going to reiterate that, I think maybe two or three times. And then to Hogan's point, he's going to turn around and say, but if, you know, Iran continues down this road, we will have to do a surgical targeted strike. And we have to do it to make America stronger and safer. And I think he's going to talk directly to the American people about that. And he's going to turn and just tell the Iranians, look, this is enough is enough. And it seems like he's getting a little bit more perturbed every day about it. And we've seen over the last year when the president gets perturbed, he reacts and he has been, like it or not, he's taking these very specific military actions over the last year. And in some ways they have been successful. And so I do think he has some credence to stand behind.

[Mark Halperin]

Jelaine Maxwell is still in her prison. Reporters continue to find new stories in the Epstein files that have been released. And there are a lot more coming, ladies and gentlemen. There's a lot more dots that haven't been connected, but here's a story from the Telegraph that is, if true, explosive. This is number. Well, you'll put it up 116 exclusive. Epstein hid secret files and storage units across the usa. Pedophile paid private detectives to remove equipment from his home in apparent attempt to thwart investigators. Telegraph can reveal pretty detailed reporting. They know the locations of a lot of these storage facilities, some in Florida, some in New York. And the timing of some of the emails lead you to believe that leads to the impression that Epstein did in fact order things moved to these storage facilities away from the home on the eve of investigators coming to search his properties. And it says the storage facilities have never been investigated or subpoenaed or looked at by investigators by the FBI or state and local officials. I will tell you, it does not take Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys to notice there's very little in the documents that have been released about Epstein's finances. There's very little about the sources of his money, his banking relationships, who he gave money to, who gave money to him. That seems kind of nuts since a lot of possible crimes would be traceable by following the money. And there's suggestions that the materials that have been spirited away allegedly relate to finances. Again, the Clinton's testimony this week will get a lot of attention. But, Jaime, how much does this Telegraph story is it. How much of it it would be? How big a game changer would it be if true? Because again, it would go to the incomplete release, for one thing.

[Jaime]

Yeah, look, I'm not sure how much of a game changer I think this is going to add to the collective outrage and skepticism on what's really going on. But look, Hogan and I have talked about this for the last few weeks. I. This is one of those things that has grown and gotten legs of his own where no one knows really what to believe, no one knows what to really look for. I think what has to happen over the. Over the next few months, few weeks is they've gotta. They've got to have some sort of resolution around bringing justice to the survivors. I'm not sure what that means, I'm not sure if that, you know, it's like, you know, unseating a prince and taking away his royal trappings. But something has to happen. Otherwise people are going to be more speculative than they need to be. And this is one of those things where I think if I were a Republican running for Congress, I just don't. I'm just sick of talking about it. And I want the president, FBI to help us come to some sort of resolution here. And so I don't know if it's going to be. This is going to be the thing that snowballs it to a real crescendo, but I do think you're right if you follow the money. And I think the Clintons are going to talk about this when they, you know, the Clintons are going to say, look, we never went to the island. We never, you know, Bill Clinton never had any sexual relationships with any young girls on this island. But we did use the plane and we did take money from him, and we did use, you know, some of his funding to promote things in the Clint Global Initiative. You know, I think they will say those sort of things, I think, to your point, Mark, then people will start pulling back the layers and saying, well, who else is taking money from him, has taken money from him, who else was on that plane, who else used that plane, why did you use it, you know, etc. Etc. So I do think there are a lot of questions around the money part that people want to know, but more importantly, people want some sort of resolution.

[Mark Halperin]

Hogan, Haraldo and I are going to one of these storage facilities later today. You want to come with us?

[Hogan Gidley]

What a great poll, by the way, Mark. That was nice.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah.

[Hogan Gidley]

That Heraldo thing was epic. Was it H's grave, that what that was?

[Mark Halperin]

I think that's what it was, yeah.

[Hogan Gidley]

Listen, I think Ham is right. So much of this and something I've said on the show before, there's a lot of information we don't know about Jeffrey Epstein, and it centers around how he made his money.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah.

[Hogan Gidley]

Where did that come from? That work, I would imagine, would give us more insight into this. And second thing, I must say, which is always the case when you don't give people information, they're left to speculate. If you're sprinkling things out. We're still having conversations about JFK's assassination and Mulkai's assassination. The problem for me, though, is this. If we build up speculation and everyone believes X and then all of the documentation comes out and it reveals it's not X, it's actually Y. The people who believe X say no, then there's still something wrong. They're still not doctrine it because they want their conclusion to be supported by the facts. As of right now, a lot of people's conclusions aren't supported by the facts. And the Jeffrey Epstein stuff that Republicans have released, that a Republican administration has made sure we now have access to. But there are still questions out there. And I will say the most overused word in the entire Trump administration by the mainstream media was the word bombshell. Every day was a bombshell on Russia every day. This, though, with the revelation there are files hidden across this country in and of itself is quite interesting. I wouldn't say it's a bombshell, but I'd say it's quite interesting. Of course, he had filed. When you get them, what's in them, though, that could be of the bombshell variety.

[Mark Halperin]

All right, exit question on this. Sometimes there's stories. By the way, it's Capone's vault, not Hoffa's grave. Thank you. I don't read the chat, but I glance it. Exit question on this. Sometimes there's stories in the British press that are seemingly bombshells and they disappear. They never hurt. We never hear from again. And sometimes they, they become huge stories that American press covers. Will this be, will this question of his storage facilities be covered by the American press in a meaningful way? Yes or no? Jaime?

[Jaime]

Yes.

[Mark Halperin]

Hogan?

[Hogan Gidley]

Ish.

[Mark Halperin]

I say no, which would be ridiculous. All right, I'm going to, I'm going to quickly summarize four stories. We're going to get to your questions in a minute, but there's two more we got to get also.

[Hogan Gidley]

I did. I just realized you separated covering with covering. Would you say recovering responsibly just meaningfully

[Mark Halperin]

like what we see no coverage like the New York. The New York Times should be going to those storage facilities. All right, Ukraine. Zelensky did an interview with the BBC. No idea where those negotiations stand. The whole thing seems still far fetched because neither party, neither the Russians nor the Ukrainians are prepared to make a deal at this point. The Mexico thing is an incredible story. They killed the biggest drug dealer in the country. And we'll see where this goes. But this is a sign that President Trump was successfully able to pressure the Mexicans to crack down on at least this one cartel boss. Tariffs. Nobody knows what's going on with tariffs. All these business leaders are trying to figure out what's happening. All these European countries and Asian countries are Trying to figure out what happened. We'll talk about that all week. Mike Huckabee. Whatever. Mike Huckabee. Here's what I want to talk about. Aoc, aren't you. Whatever. Mike Huckabee. You know what I mean?

[Hogan Gidley]

That was me on this show.

[Mark Halperin]

A confusing story. The Mike Huckabee story with Tucker. Aoc I have told you guys many times she's not, she's, she's a younger person. She, she, she likes having her own life. Running for president is a big burden. It's a very. Running for president takes a lot of responsibility. Being president takes even more. Here's what you can't do if you're running for president or want to be president. You can't get liquored up on a, on a weekend night and then make Instagram videos. I'm not saying she did that. I'm just showing you from over the weekend on Instagram. Play the. This is. Sorry, there are two of them. Play 121, please. If you think that I don't understand foreign policy because out of hours of discourse about international affairs, I paused to think about one of the most sensitive geopolitical issues that currently exist on Earth. I'm afraid the issue is not my understanding, but rather the problem is perhaps you've gotten adjusted to a president that never thinks before he speaks. Okay, when that was first sent to me, I think yesterday, I thought, well, that's AI. That's not real. But it turns out apparently it is. Jaime, if you were an advisor to the congresswoman and she shot that and sent it to you and said, I'm thinking of posting it, what do you think? What would you have said to her?

[Jaime]

Well, one, that was cringy. Two, anyone who I, who I've ever worked with know that I sometimes can be a little over, overly cautious. So I would have, I would have immediately said no. But look, I, look, we, we've talked about AOC a lot over the last few weeks. And I think I was on with you guys maybe a month or so ago talking about her, her potential for 20, 28. And I did not list her in my, in my, in my top 10 or top 15. And this is one of the reasons, you know, we, we've all worked in this business for a long time and we know you can say what you want to say about Donald Trump being a novice, but Donald Trump came to the table as someone who had been on the national international stage for 50 years. And so that's much different when you're running for president. And you go to. And you go. You take yourself to the Munich Security Conference and you do all of this press and all of this sort of background interviews about what you're going to say and what to expect, and then you go there and you flop, and then you blame everyone else for it. That's just not presidential. And I don't have any problems with aoc. And, you know, I think she has been a really great voice for the liberal wing of my party, but you don't get to blame the rest of the world for something that you just did not do well. She didn't perform well there. And I think she's got to. She's got to learn from that. If she wants to be president or vice president or whatever one day, she's got to learn from that. She's got to make sure that once she goes prepared, you know, that's just the fact. And then two, if things go awry, she's got to be able to say, look, I wasn't my best that day, but I'm learning, I'm listening, and say, look, I'm going to go around the country and hear what people want to talk about. Because maybe it's not international wars, maybe it's housing. Try to pivot a little bit. But she's doubling down on her mistake and she's blaming everybody else for it. And that's just. I think that's silly.

[Mark Halperin]

Couldn't agree more. You said it perfectly, Hogan. Why would a politician make a video like that a week later? Why would they do that?

[Hogan Gidley]

You know. You know who Colin Cowherd is? The sports. His sports. Sports guy been around for a while. He has a rule that I like. He has several that I like. And one of them is you never post on social media if you've had a sip of alcohol or you're in your underwear, period. I like both of those rules. Now, I don't. Am I guilty? Maybe, but I'm not exactly sure, like you said, if she'd been drinking or not. Whatever.

[Mark Halperin]

I didn't say she'd been drinking.

[Hogan Gidley]

I know people.

[Mark Halperin]

Some people post when they drink.

[Hogan Gidley]

You said don't post after you've had drinks. I'm saying I don't know if you've been drinking. You don't either.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah.

[Hogan Gidley]

And I don't know. You're speculating that. I'm just saying it just. It just highlights and accentuates. I think her.

[Mark Halperin]

Her.

[Hogan Gidley]

Her fatal flaw in so many ways. And we talked about. All these candidates have flaws and they Run for office. It just depends on which ones are fatal and which ones aren't. The trappings around running for president, the siren song is very difficult to ignore. If you are being told how great you are all the time and you're all these wonderful things and look at all this money I can raise and all that. I think if the economy doesn't rebound like everyone thinks it will, and it's already rebounded quite a bit, but it doesn't rebound more, there's a chance for someone like an AOC who's carrying that Bernie Sanders mantle to say I'm the one who is the socialist who can make all this happen. And she carves out a niche there where she becomes quite formidable because she can use those platitudes for a while. But I think Haim is right, and I've said this before, too. There is no stage bigger and no lights burn hotter than that on a presidential. And you get scrutinized in a way you have never been scrutinized for. The higher for office you run, the more scrutiny and you can oops yourself off of a presidential stage in a real hurry.

[Mark Halperin]

Yes.

[Hogan Gidley]

Even if you're an accomplished governor.

[Mark Halperin]

Yes, sir.

[Hogan Gidley]

So for someone like a congressman like AOC, who has done nothing way problematic,

[Jaime]

one thing that I guess for her, I would say lucky. Doing it now and then doing it in 2027. So maybe she will learn from it.

[Mark Halperin]

But I think raise your hand if you wanted. We've got one more topic then to your questions. You know how they. All the social media platforms have political operas. They hire to interface with the campaigns and the public offices. Right. They've got these things. Huge key to President Trump's victory in 2015 and 2016 was that his team interacted with those political operatives way more than the Clinton campaign did to learn how to take advantage of the platform. So here's my idea. If you run one of those platforms, you should have for any elected official or politician, a Breathalyzer attached to their phone. So they have to, they have to show that they're. They're not drunk before they can post. Right. So you blow, you blow in the device. It's an attachment to the iPhone, goes right in here. You blow in the device. If you're, if you're below the legal limit, it allows you to post. If you're above the legal limit, it locks you out. Thank you very much. Drop the, drop the mic. Okay. Gavin Newsom, very successful launch to his book tour. I think this is going to be a huge success. Sold out events across the country, red states, cities, blue states, blue cities. It's coming here to New York. I think tomorrow I'll be, maybe I'll actually be here because I can't get to D.C. i got to remember to see if I can still get in if I'm here. Anyway, national on Saturday, sold out. Did a CNN interview, then did another event, I think in Atlanta yesterday. Am I right about that? Anyway, he said a thing about, about his low SAT scores, which his political enemies are trying to cast as a huge gaffe. I it wasn't and I'm not even going to show that one because it's not. But, but my point is the guy's getting a ton of scrutiny. And you'll recall there's one political reporter, one, one analyst in America who says that in the end, Gavin Newsom will not be in on the ballot by the New Hampshire primary. That's me. And it's because he told me seven months ago or something, his kids don't want him to run. Well, he said the same thing again to Dana Bash on CNN this weekend. Here's Gavin Newsom explaining to you folks why he will not be a candidate.

[Hogan Gidley]

122 they want you to run.

[Mark Halperin]

And that's going to be, that's, I don't know. It depends on the day. And my son Romy was very powerful.

[Hogan Gidley]

Texted me a few months ago when there was some headline that suggested that

[Michael]

I made some decision.

[Hogan Gidley]

And he goes, dad, are you running present?

[Mark Halperin]

I said, no, we'll do the decision as a family. He goes, you can't. I said, why? He goes, I'm too young.

[Hogan Gidley]

You need to spend more time with us.

[Mark Halperin]

I mean, how do you deal with that one?

[Hogan Gidley]

But it will be done as a

[Mark Halperin]

family and it'll be done as a

[Michael]

unit and it'll be done in a partnership.

[Mark Halperin]

Now, I'm not saying 100% he won't run, ladies and gentlemen, but he's, he's got four kids. He's a serious dad. People call me naive. They say this is all just a bunch of crap. Of course he's going to run. And of course he is taking a lot of steps that are consistent with running. But Hogan, when you listen to that, do you not say, well, maybe he won't run, maybe his family will be strongly against it and they'll stand down?

[Hogan Gidley]

I think what he is doing is setting the stage for in several months from now, going on camera possibly. But the same reporter, Dana Bash, the same anchor Dana Bash at CNN in and saying, you know, I got that text from my son. We talked about it, we prayed about it as a family. And now they looked at me and they said, dad, this country's so messed up. This nation needs so much help. You are the one to do it, dad. And I'm telling you, they're behind me 100%. That's what he's going to do.

[Mark Halperin]

A cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Hogan, Gidley, Jaime, back me up. He may not run.

[Jaime]

Mark. I have. I am having a bad Monday because I haven't been able to disagree with Hogan that much yet. So.

[Michael]

Yeah.

[Jaime]

And I'm kind of. I'm kind of annoyed by it, but maybe people are going to like that. I. You guys. You guys know I, I have a high regard for Gavin Newsom. I think he is a. One of the best political athletes of this current moment. What Gavin Newsom just did with Dana Bash is what Hogan said. He just set this up for a perfect layup in a couple months. You know, Joe Biden did something similar. You know, he's like, oh, you know, my kids have to. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Look, Gavin Newsom's going to run. He's setting himself up to run. He has. He has now been his kid since he's only been elected, since his kids have been born. He's.

[Hogan Gidley]

That's right.

[Jaime]

Been an elected cycle his entire. His entire kids.

[Mark Halperin]

But they, but they. But it's different if you.

[Jaime]

No, I. No, I know. I know.

[Mark Halperin]

I have normal. They have pretty normal.

[Jaime]

Cynical about it. I think I've been spending too much time in politics. I. I just. I don't give much credence to it. I think he is. He is laying the breadcrumbs that are going to be a perfect, perfect announcement for why while. Why his family, his kids. Hogan's point. Think that he's the only guy for the job. He's got to do it. They're willing to sacrifice themselves and move from lovely California all the way over to cold DC and do it on behalf of the people because he's got to save the country. He's going to run, and I just can't see a reason for him not to run.

[Mark Halperin]

Will be the world's biggest. If he doesn't be the world's biggest. I told you so it would.

[Jaime]

And we'll. We'll all come on and we will bring you flowers.

[Mark Halperin]

And so you were again, I think. I think he might get in and then I think there's going to be the kind of scrutiny he got over the weekend for saying he had low SAT scores and, and being cast as offensive.

[Jaime]

I think that, I think that humanizes him as well. I think another thing he did with this, with this kid thing, it's like, oh, I'm a father. I want to remind you guys, I hear you. Just the anti. Dumb.

[Mark Halperin]

I hear you.

[Jaime]

I'm a dad.

[Mark Halperin]

I mean, I hear you.

[Jaime]

Do you know, you know, that's.

[Mark Halperin]

I, I hear you. You know, it made me waver a little bit was the kids were all excited about posing for what's her name? Who's that photographer? Annie Leibowitz.

[Jaime]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mark Halperin]

They all post for leaves. All right, finally to your questions. Telltale sign that a Pentagon action is coming. There are two. One, they order 250 pizzas at 9 o' clock at night delivered to the Pentagon. I think the Pentagon's figure that out. And maybe they got like an easy bake oven because they make their own now so they don't have to do that. But the other is when they begin to evacuate US Military personnel and, and their families from Middle east outposts. So my friend Jennifer Jacobs at CBS news reports State department has asked some personnel at U. S. Embassy in Lebanon to begin living for security reasons. Believe me, ladies and gentlemen, they're not doing that for fun. So it could happen before State of the union. Stand by. All right, a quick word and then, and then to your question to announce it. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Please raise your hand if you'd like to get in on the conversation. Right now, 20 off everything from our friends at fairway and green. I'm sporting some Fairway and green merch right here. Beautiful stuff. Sweaters, golf shirts. It's the most comfortable golf apparel I've ever worn. If you play golf, great vests and everything else you need for the early spring to stay warm. But even if you don't, and, and the only kind of golf I've ever played, ladies and gentlemen, is miniature golf with a windmill and, and, and a free game. If you get a hole in one, you can go right now and two way TV fairway. Use the promo code there to get 20% off everything on the site. It's beautiful stuff. If you're watching on the, on the video version of this program now, you'll see a guy. It might look to you like it's Hunter Biden. It's not just some model. Anyway, he's sporting a similar quarter zip as I am. Great stuff. Classic style joins bold conversation right here. Our partnership with our friends at Fairway and Green, you can go on two way tv. You'll see the link. Slash fairway. You'll see the link. 20% off everything on the site. I recommend it to you without reservation. It's just the most beautifully made stuff. Every time I take it off my shelf to put it on, I cry. Just a few tears of joy and awe. All right, here we go.

[Hogan Gidley]

Throwing green things.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah, they're beautiful.

[Jaime]

Nice. That guy, really.

[Mark Halperin]

All right, here we go. It does a little bit, right? All right, here we go to your question.

[Hogan Gidley]

Not pictured.

[Mark Halperin]

Raise your hand if you want to get in the conversation. And we start with the first of the nation opportunity to speak to Michael Graham in snow dappled New Hampshire. Michael, welcome in the news of the

[Michael]

Pentagon is they've put out bids for pizza to bring in a house Mark Halperin. They now serve the best $7,000 pizzas in America. Absolutely delicious. Don't want to miss those.

[Mark Halperin]

But that double pepperoni though.

[Michael]

Exactly, exactly. Right, So I have a big picture question for you guys. You're talking about Gavin Newsom. Has there ever been a candidate for president who has as bad a record as a governor as Gavin Newsom? I mean, hey, love him, hate him. He's just, they're ranked like 49th ish and like everything. So that's one side. This glamorous guy.

[Mark Halperin]

Let us answer.

[Michael]

Well, let me, let me go. I want to, I want to tie it to another.

[Mark Halperin]

Okay, over.

[Michael]

So there's the guy, good looking guy, people like him, crappy record. Then flip it over to Trump. We just did a New Hampshire Journal poll about ICE and they're trying to build a facility up here. Two thirds of voters hate the idea of bringing ice. But you ask about immigration. A majority support deporting all illegals. A majority think blue states are doing it wrong. Red suit is doing it right. You look at the issues and they're with Trump, but they hate Trump so much that 600 people packed a room over the weekend to see Pete Buttigieg give a snoozer of a speech. And their message wasn't I like Buddha judge. It was not protest. It was we hate Donald Trump. So the question is in 2026 and then 2028, can the do, does the message, does a record, do the facts on the ground even matter? Or is it all personality driven, Trump driven people, not policies, etc. And if so, I'm really bummed out because I like politics for the stuff you do, not for the people.

[Mark Halperin]

That's my question. Hi, Momore.

[Jaime]

Yeah, look, I I think you're right. Also, I didn't realize that people to judge was in New Hampshire. That's.

[Michael]

Trust me, most new people in New Hampshire did not either.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah, they did.

[Michael]

Absolutely. By the way, back to Gavin. He sold out the Portsmouth Music hall for his upcoming book thing. 48 bucks a pop and he sold it. Sold out, like in. Dude, it's like a Springsteen concert.

[Jaime]

I think Gavin's going to do well in New Hampshire, but I don't live there, so I don't want to. I don't want to divert there. But look, I think. I think you're right. I mean, I think we talked about this. I think most Americans. And Hogan's going to double down on it in just a second. Most Americans do want to see something like the President's done, aside from the ICE killings in Minnesota, aside from the big raids, they want to see something happen on immigration. And I think what Joe Biden could not. And you guys know I love Joe Biden. What he could not articulate was he did not do well on the border. And that's just a fact. And so I think people are having a reaction to that. And I think President Trump and the Republicans ran on that very smartly in 2024. And most American people want to see something happen. I think what's happened over the course of the last couple months is two people dying, three or four people shot. It's just sort of taken out. The President's initial vision for mass deportation has been sullied.

[Michael]

But my question. My question is bigger than that. Will it even matter? I mean, will issues. If Gavin Newsom can run as a leading candidate for president, running the crappiest state in the country, and Trump can have the best policies, and he's at 32% in our latest poll here in New Hampshire, then what difference do policies make? Who does anyone care anymore?

[Jaime]

No, I think people still care. Well, look, one, I don't think California is on. Is 49 on. On every. I'm in my wonderful state of Louisiana, which I love Louisiana, but let's just. I mean, come on. I mean, public education is just not good and they have not invested. And so California has done a lot of good things. I mean, the fifth largest economy in the entire world, let's just be. Let's just be reminded of that. And so there's no other governor in this country that has been able to say, I run the fifth largest economy in the entire world. So I think Gavin Newsom does have some credence. And how he's governed California. So it's not all bad. But to your point, I do think you're right. I don't think. I think it's about feelings. I think people used to really love Donald Trump when he ran in the first time, and they loved him again when he ran again, and that's waning a little bit. And so I think for a Democrat like Gavin Newsom, what he's trying to do is endear people. Aside from his policies, aside from sort of some of these technical things that we look at, he want people to like him and want him to be president. So I think you're right. I think policies do matter a little bit less, but they still matter.

[Mark Halperin]

Hogan?

[Hogan Gidley]

Yeah, great question. But I will say what I tell my mother, Michael, all the time, is that she says he's the worst governor. He's done so many horrible things just because it's the fifth largest economy. He's done so badly with it. What does that matter? But still, people there like it. And there's a large swath of the country who likes Gavin Newsom and the socialist policies. The failures don't matter to them for a whole host of reasons, in large part because, as I've also said on the show before, a lot of this is a reflective reaction of Trump. It's like when you go to the doctor and you get the little hammer on your knee, he goes like this, like, Trump, I hate it. Trump, I hate it. Doesn't matter if Democrats were for it just not too long ago. I love the video surfacing of. Of Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton talking about deportations and Social Security IDs. You have to.

[Michael]

I remember when Democrats loved terrorists. They used to love tariffs.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah.

[Hogan Gidley]

Kamala Harris said these machines can be hacked at every turn. This is ridiculous, all of these things. They don't like it because it's Trump, fine. But if I'm Trump, I'm leaning into that in the midterms to say something similar to what he said the last couple of times he ran, which is, you may not like me, fine. But my policies have made your life better. And here's how, and here's why we're going to continue to make them even better. That to me, don't try like Mitt Romney tried to pretend he wasn't rich. He had a dancing dressage horse named Rafalca car elevators in multiple states. And he tried to pretend like he was just you shooting varmints, like it made no sense. I was like, I'm rich. I want you to be rich.

[Mark Halperin]

I have to correct the record. Mitt Romney had one quote, unquote, car elevator. 1. It was not a car elevator. He was on. He. He needed more parking in his house in Coronado, and it wasn't an elevator. It simply. It was like what you see in a parking lot. It wasn't an elevator. It just elevated the car. So you could park two cars in one garage.

[Michael]

And by the way, the thing on top of the. I was. I was in Mass when he was governor. The thing on top of the car was not a dog holder. It was a throne. The dog was actually thrown on top.

[Mark Halperin]

Michael. All right, ladies and gentlemen, he just

[Hogan Gidley]

showed the best point in politics. When you're explaining, you're losing.

[Mark Halperin]

Well, I know, but you're. You're being unfair. No, Michael.

[Michael]

Yes.

[Mark Halperin]

As you know, one of the goals of two Way is eventually to have every member of our community be able to be. Use. Be. Be given the new media seat at the White House daily briefing to be asked the first question of Caroline Levitt. We. Not every member of the community has done it yet, but two have. I've done it. And now, last week, Michael did it. You can go see it online, but congratulations.

[Michael]

Well, thank you very much. I couldn't have done it without you.

[Mark Halperin]

Right. Thank you, Michael. Thank you. Remind me, where do you live in New Hampshire?

[Michael]

I. I give my street address. No, no, I'm. I'm close enough to get to Boston in 40 minutes, unless the weather's like this. So I'm really, you know, it's all Boston centric. I gave myself a 5% pay raise by leaving Massachusetts.

[Mark Halperin]

It was very good. It's beautiful. It's beautiful. I'm just asking.

[Michael]

Gorgeous. Look out the way.

[Mark Halperin]

Look at this. Absolutely gorgeous back there. Beautiful. Better than what I see out my window. Michael, thank you for being here.

[Michael]

Thank you. I appreciate it.

[Mark Halperin]

Thank you. I will say Governor Newsom's taking a lot of shots on his record lately, not just from the right, but from the left.

[Hogan Gidley]

Yeah, that's what I want to see. The left go after him.

[Jaime]

You got. You guys, look. This. Look, this is going to be a competitive primary. I know you guys are not used to this and not seeing this, and I know we let Donald Trump sort of steamroll his way into the nomination in 2020.

[Hogan Gidley]

You anointed Kamala Harris. What are you talking about?

[Jaime]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Let me tell you what.

[Hogan Gidley]

You shut down everybody but Hillary Clinton.

[Michael]

Jaime.

[Mark Halperin]

What do you mean, open?

[Jaime]

No, Killer. Clinton won that primary. Come on. I was part of that. That was fun. This is going to be a competitive process, and that's okay. And I think Governor Newsom is a big boy. He's going to be able to handle it.

[Hogan Gidley]

Yeah, we have one. They have 17 people in the race when.

[Mark Halperin]

Welcome in. Thank you for being here. I tell folks who don't know where you are what's on your mind for Hima and for Hogan.

[Hogan Gidley]

Yeah.

[Wayne]

I am in Cynthiana, Indiana, a little town north of Evansville. And what I, I wanted to mention, first of all, Hogan, I noticed that you're from El Dorado, Arkansas, or you were born there. And I noticed, and I was a pastor there for a short time back in the 80s, so there was a connection there.

[Mark Halperin]

Wow.

[Hogan Gidley]

I wasn't born there, but I did grow up there.

[Wayne]

Oh, you grew up in. Yeah.

[Jaime]

Okay.

[Mark Halperin]

Hogan was born in Spain, I think.

[Hogan Gidley]

No, I was born in North Carolina.

[Mark Halperin]

Okay.

[Hogan Gidley]

All right, go ahead, Wayne.

[Wayne]

Yeah, it's a good place to be from. So I wanted to mention the interview of Tucker Carlson with Mike Huckabee.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah.

[Wayne]

And I watched the whole thing. It took me a while. It's like two and a half hours.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah.

[Wayne]

And to be honest, I had to keep turning it off because I was kind of sickened by some of the rabbit holes that Tucker Carlson kept on wanting to take him down. But I, I thought that Mike Huckabee was superb in the way he handled it. I mean, he was, as far as I'm concerned, pretty much 100%. But I just wanted to see what your reaction was to that. And, and do you think that Tucker, how, how big of a influence does Tucker Carlson have in this administration when he's constantly. So many times he was criticizing the administration through, through that in one way or another, and really going down to some really bizarre rabbit holes.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah. Wayne, thank you for raising. Again. This is, as you pointed out, it's more than two hours, so we can't do justice to the whole thing by trying to break the whole thing down. But Hogan, I don't know if you listened to the whole thing yet or not, but thoughts on. On Tucker and both. You're very friendly with both men, aren't you?

[Hogan Gidley]

Yeah, I know Tucker, obviously, I work for Huckabee for, like, off and on for 25 years. I've known Sarah since she was 19. So I've got a, a very good relationship with the Huckabee family. And Mike Huckabee, when he was named ambassador, was just, we were texting. It was one of. I was texting him last week about a scripture I was asking him about, and we were talking about the Bible just last week.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah.

[Hogan Gidley]

I think Tucker did what Tucker does in the interview, which he tried to get you to say, if this is true for this thing, it must be true for all the things. Why can't you defend this thing and all the things? And, you know, took him down those little holes. But Huckabee did a good job going. I'm confused. We're not talking about Ireland. You're asking about Israel and their right to exist. But if they have a right to exist, doesn't this have a right to exist? But these are different entities and different things. He tried to, you know, Tucker does that consistently interviews where he builds on a premise and then tries to use that to make the interviewee appear as though they're not consistent, if you will. I think Huckabee did a great job having the conversation. I think he was right to ask Tucker to come by and have the conversation. And so I think if there were more interactions like that amongst the political powers in this country, we'd be a whole lot better off than we are.

[Mark Halperin]

Jaime, I'm predicting you didn't watch all two and a half hours.

[Jaime]

I didn't watch any of it, only the clip that you sent. But. So I don't disagree with Hogan on it, but I don't have much to add on.

[Mark Halperin]

Okay, Wayne, what was the thing Tucker said that most bothered you? Well,

[Wayne]

one of the things is he.

[Mark Halperin]

He.

[Wayne]

I mean, you'd have to know about it to really know where he was coming from. But he kept on trying to say that.

[Mark Halperin]

How.

[Wayne]

How do we even know that Bibi Netanyahu is a Jew?

[Jaime]

Which is.

[Wayne]

Which is coming out of this really bizarre Khazar theory that a few. Some people hold that just basically says that the Ashkenazi Jews out of. Out of Europe were not really Jewish and they converted. There was this whole kingdom of Khazars back in the 9th century or so that. That they all come from. It's just a really bizarre theory. And evidently that's what he's promoting. And it just. That was one of the. One of the crazy things. I will say one other thing that I haven't heard getting much play, but at the very end of it, Mike Huckabee invites him to come back and come worship to him at his church, because he was criticizing and talking about how terrible the Christians are being treated in Israel, which is not true.

[Mark Halperin]

Right.

[Wayne]

He's come up with some things that are just patently not true. And he said, come on, you know, you worship with me at the church I'm at. So that was one.

[Mark Halperin]

Wayne, thank you. Grateful to you for being part of two way. Grateful to you. All right, folks, coming up later today, first of all, 10 o' clock Eastern Time right after this program, I'll be on Sirius XM Channel 111, Megyn Kelly Channel with the second hour of the morning meeting. Join us for that. You can, of course, listen to this show 9:00am right here and then 10:00 clock on Sirius XM, Sirius 1 11, then 11. Professor Kenny will lead the community in the daily session that they do. You can find out about that by looking in the chat here on the platform two way. Tonight, 5:00 Eastern Time this evening. My guests include former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and former North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory. Join us at 5:00 o' Clock tonight lifelong with Eason Supley. 7:00 tonight, his guest, Dr. Joey Munoz to talk about how to live a healthier life. And then tomorrow, 9:00am Eastern Time, the day of the State of the Union. Let's see where in the world Mark Halperin will be at 9am tomorrow, given the weather. But Larry O' Connor and Kevin will be here. Kevin Walling will be here tomorrow, 23 hours. Gentlemen, so grateful to you both for making time. Jaime and Hogan, grateful to you all for being part of the two way community. And I'll see you on SiriusXM, right. Right. In a few moments. And then at five o' clock tonight. Have a great day. Everybody stay, stay warm.