Trump Hails "Truly Great" Meeting With Chinese President; Does Cuomo Have a Chance for an Upset Win?

Summary

2WAY Morning Meeting

Episode Title: Trump Hails "Truly Great" Meeting With Chinese President; Does Cuomo Have a Chance for an Upset Win?
Date: October 30, 2025
Hosts: Mark Halperin (B), Sean Spicer (C), Dan Turrentine (D)
Summary by: Podcast Summarizer AI

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Overview

This episode of the 2WAY Morning Meeting offers a behind-the-scenes conversation about the day’s top political news, focusing on two main fronts:

1. U.S.-China Relations: President Trump’s glowing review of his summit with the Chinese President, the details and implications of recent agreements, and the skepticism surrounding progress on core issues such as Ukraine.

2. Upcoming Political Races: Analysis of the New York City mayoral battle between Mandami and Cuomo, city dynamics, endorsements, and the role of turnout, as well as a look at party conventions and broader election trends.

Along the way, the hosts discuss the ongoing government shutdown, the politics of SNAP (food stamp) benefits, the announcement of resumed U.S. nuclear testing, and listener questions on current events.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Civility in Political Discourse and Community Response to SNAP Benefits (02:49–05:37)

• SNAP Benefits and Politics: The hosts recount a story about a community wrestling with whether to fund a food bank during the shutdown, fearing it could reduce pressure on Trump to reopen government.

  • Sean Spicer: Outraged by the notion, stating, "The idea that somebody would want someone to suffer, not eat... is disgusting... Logically and morally ridiculous." (03:47)
  • Dan Turrentine: Adds that this approach misreads the political dynamics, as it might pressure Democrats more than Republicans.

• Call to Action: The crew, inspired by previous guest Nicole, urges listeners to contribute to food banks, emphasizing collective responsibility over political gamesmanship.

2. Setting the Day’s Agenda – White House and Congress Update (08:34–13:15)

• President’s Return & Halloween: POTUS returns to the White House for a Halloween party, sparking anecdotes about Spicer’s past as the Easter Bunny (09:02–09:33).

• Congressional Strategy & Government Shutdown:

  • Flight Delays: The shutdown’s impact on airports and the likelihood that congressional travel snafus may prod action.
  • Senate Strategy: Spicer expresses shock that the Senate is adjourning amidst a shutdown, calling it "tactically just stupid" (12:10–12:53). Mark observes that neither party wants to blink, and polling shows both think they’re winning.

3. Major Segment: Trump’s “Truly Great” China Summit Recap (14:22–24:12)

• President Trump’s Statements: Audio clips from Air Force One detail Trump’s view:

  • On China Meeting: "I thought it was an amazing meeting. He's a great leader... I would say the meeting was a 12." (Trump, 14:22–16:13)
  • On Ukraine: "We... discussed working together to see if we could get that war finished.... I don’t like to see 6, 7, 8,000 young people... be killed. It’s not costing us anything. Fact, we make money." (Trump, 16:49–18:01)

• Hosts’ Analysis:

  • Sean Spicer: Praises the sophisticated White House communications, highlights progress on rare earths, soybeans, and visibility on semiconductor exports. He also notes the increased strategic push to decouple from China on rare earths (18:34–21:03).
  • Dan Turrentine: More skeptical, emphasizing the temporary and easily reversible nature of the agreements, especially the one-year rare earths suspension and historical unreliability from China on trade pledges. "To me, it's the status quo. Right... all of this chaos, all of this uncertainty, for what?" (22:23–22:46)
  • The hosts agree the big win may be in the performative trust-building and laying groundwork for future meetings, rather than substantive new victories.

• Notable Moment: Pairing Trump’s effusiveness ("I would say the meeting was a 12") with Jinping’s visible stoicism (23:33–23:47):

  • Sean Spicer: "Trump was like, we're good friends, patting him. And Xi was stoic.... It didn't look as friendly as I had kind of hoped."

4. Government Shutdown and Political Messaging (24:40–28:58)

• Gridlock as Theater: Heated exchanges in Congress over the shutdown, with no imminent progress as both sides believe the political pain will fall on the other.

• Impending Pain Points: SNAP benefits and flight delays. Spicer and Turrentine predict the pain will become "less about finger-pointing and just pox on both your houses" (24:58–26:10).

• Political Risks: If SNAP runs out, the sentiment could quickly shift from partisan finger-pointing to a generalized demand for Congress to resolve the crisis.

5. Trump Announces Return of U.S. Nuclear Testing (29:37–30:41)

• Trump’s Comments: "With others doing testing, I think it's appropriate that we do." (29:41–29:56)

  • Hopes for eventual denuclearization, but positions U.S. nuclear muscle as a deterrent ahead of talks with Russia and China.

• Analysis: Turrentine sees this as a show of strength, partly aimed at Russia and a reminder for China before their summit (30:51–31:11).

6. New York City Mayoral Race: Cuomo’s Odds and Bloomberg’s Role (31:40–36:06)

• Cuomo vs. Mandami: Polls show Mandami leading, but Bloomberg’s $1.5 million PAC contribution signals insider belief that an upset is possible (31:40–32:28).

  • Dan Turrentine: "If Mandami loses, what will be the civil war in the party? ...The base is going to say the middle and the right flank went to war against one of our own." (32:28–33:12)
  • Sean Spicer: "If Cuomo wins, does he realize he didn't win, Mandami lost?" Warns of record-breaking turnout possibly favoring Cuomo if newcomers are motivated (33:32–34:41).

• Turnout Speculation: Listeners are cautioned not to overinterpret anecdotal signs—long lines, yard signs, and “tea leaves”—as indicative of outcomes.

7. Party Conventions: Las Vegas for the GOP? (36:08–41:41)

• Rumors of a “midterm convention” in Las Vegas for Republicans—Trump’s influence on conventions, possible formats discussed.
  • Sean: "Everyone always worries about where they go... The number one issue is money, money, money."
  • Dan: Argues that for Democrats, conventions are about messaging: "What are you trying to emphasize? Who do you think best represents those themes?" (38:14–39:06)
  • Speaker Preferences: Dan would have AOC speak for base energy, but not Biden/Harris; no Schumer in primetime.

8. Listener Q&A: SNAP Messaging, Bloomberg’s Legacy, Redistricting & More (43:27–59:45)

• SNAP Political Messaging: Listeners suggest Republicans should blame Democrats for ending SNAP. Sean gives Senate Republicans a “D” on messaging: "They're not making a compelling case and putting their foot on the gas." (45:23)

• GOP Factions: Question about Trump possibly primarying Marjorie Taylor Greene—Sean doubts it, stating she’s secure in her district and remains a Trump loyalist.

• California Politics & Newsom: Caller Christy warns about Prop 50 and “shape-shifting” Gavin Newsom, expresses worries about conservative representation and Newsom’s intentions.

• Trump’s Ballroom Legacy: Is Trump’s White House ballroom project about “outbuilding” Obama? Both Spicer and Turrentine see a builder’s legacy as key, but downplay any personal obsession with Obama (51:35–52:45).

• Bloomberg’s Silence on de Blasio: Caller Darrell blames Bloomberg for not criticizing de Blasio; Dan responds, “If Bloomberg had come out against de Blasio, it would have strengthened de Blasio,” due to anti-Manhattan sentiment in NYC politics (55:56–57:15).

  • On Bloomberg as a presidential candidate: "I think Bloomberg was an amazing mayor. I think he would have been a great president."

• SNAP, Social Unrest, and TikTok “Purge” Threats: Caller notes disturbing viral threats in response to SNAP benefit cuts; Sean says, "If that manifests... this could change the entire debate real quick. It becomes like a BLM thing... could tear at the fabric of the country real quick." (58:29–59:45)

9. Closing and Upcoming Programming (59:57–End)

• Hosts preview their TV and podcast appearances, with light banter about Halloween costumes and the upcoming “winners and losers” segment.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Trump on summit:
  “Overall, I guess on the scale of from 0 to 10, with 10 being the best, I would say the meeting was a 12.” — President Trump (16:13)
• Spicer on Senate’s shutdown tactics:
  “I am blown away politically that the Senate has been able to just walk away... I just, I’ve never seen anything politically like this.” — Sean Spicer (11:47–12:10)
• Turrentine on China deal:
  “To me, it's the status quo. We've gone right back to where we were at the start of this. All of this chaos... for what?” — Dan Turrentine (22:46)
• On messaging:
  “The Senate conference gets a D. They're not making a compelling case and putting their foot on the gas.” — Sean Spicer (45:23)
• Turrentine on conventions:
  “If I were the Democrats... I would build something around the D. Obviously, the Dems do this much better with ActBlue... it would be like a telethon: give us money, give us money.” (41:10)
• Listener Christy on Newsom:
  “[Gavin] Newsom is a shape-shifting snake in the grass. I am not a fan of him.” (47:54)
• On Trump’s motivations:
  “When you build something significant like a ballroom, it’s not just changing the basketball court... there is something to be said for a legacy of building.” — Sean Spicer (51:35–52:45)
• On possible social impacts of SNAP stoppage:
  “If that [looting] manifests... it could tear at the fabric of the country real quick.” — Sean Spicer (59:29–59:45)

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Key Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------------|------------| | Civility & SNAP Benefits Discussion | 02:49–05:37| | Congress & Shutdown Politics | 08:34–13:15| | Trump’s Reflections on China Summit | 14:22–18:01| | Analysis of China Deal | 18:34–24:12| | Shutdown Messaging and Impact | 24:40–28:58| | U.S. Nuclear Testing Announcement | 29:37–30:41| | NYC Mayor’s Race Analysis | 31:40–36:06| | Party Convention Speculation | 36:08–41:41| | Listener Q&A – SNAP, GOP, Redistricting, CA | 43:27–59:45| | Closing Banter | 59:57–End |

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Tone and Language

Throughout, the hosts balance insider newsroom banter with sharp, sometimes cynical analysis. They maintain an energetic, fast-paced conversation, switching rapidly between topics but circling back for deeper dives when appropriate. The tone is accessible but pointed, often peppered with political war stories, direct listener engagement, and the kind of snarky asides typical among political strategists and veteran journalists.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode is essential listening for anyone wanting an authentic, inside-baseball take on today's top political stories—without spin but with plenty of grist and good humor. It features both high-level strategic debate (China, NYC politics, party conventions) and granular, real-time observations about political behavior and its consequences, as well as sharp listener engagement on hot-button issues like SNAP benefits and redistricting.

Whether you're a campaign junkie, Hill staffer, or just a politics-curious citizen, this is a pulse-taking snapshot of October’s news cycle, packed with perspective you won’t get on the cable news ticker.

Transcript

[A]

I'm James Patterson. I write way too many books. Welcome to Hungry Dogs. The title comes from my maternal grandmother, Isabel Zelvis Morris. Nan used to always say, hungry dogs run faster, James. And I've been running fast ever since. Here's what will be coming your way soon. And this is a really terrific list. I think you'll hear from some incredible people like Stacey Abrams. Yay. BJ Novak.

[B]

Yay.

[A]

Kathy Bates. Dolly Parton, Josh Gad. And Pope Leo. Okay, maybe not Pope Leo, but who knows? Maybe he'll show up. Hungry dogs run faster. Thank you, Grandma, for turning me into a hopeless, obsessive, compulsive. Listen to Hungry Dogs with James Patterson. That'd be me on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[C]

This is it.

[D]

The world as you know it is over. Completely done.

[C]

It's not about to be over.

[D]

It's over.

[C]

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. There is a longer term existential threat.

[D]

That will arise when we create digital beings that are more intelligent than ourselves. We have no idea whether we can stay in control.

[C]

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

[D]

Invention that humanity will ever make.

[B]

This really will be a world of abundance.

[C]

And among these fears and these fantasies, we seek the story of our future. Listen to the last invention on Apple.

[B]

Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. Greeting, everyone. Welcome. This is the morning meeting. Thank you for being part of it. Sean, Dan and I are here to take you through the day. Just like they do at the big boy networks and big girl networks where they go through the day and then talk about what's happening. And here we take your question too. If you want to be in on the conversation, please raise your hand. If you're not watching live on two way, but on X or YouTube, don't put smack in the chat. Dan, why? Why do we not like smack in the chat here? Why do we.

[D]

It's a little unbecoming. It's not necessary. Yeah, your point. Without being harsh or mean.

[C]

Wouldn't happen on a normal call.

[B]

Well said. Exit, there'd be no smack. Or there'd be lots of smack.

[D]

There'd be.

[C]

Well, not to everyone. Not that everyone could read. You wouldn't see it. Yeah, behind the good point, normal office gossip is completely different than smack in a Chat.

[B]

I want to. I want to. Before we get to everything, I want to tell you guys about something and get your reaction. Nicole, of course, was here two days ago, talked about the SNAP benefits and how upsetting it was to so many. And we had a great conversation, and we had lots of community members say they were going to give to the food bank, do what they could to help. I want to tell you guys about a story. I got an email from one of our community members. He said he went to his congregation and said he's more moderate conservative. The congregation's more liberal. Went to the congregation and said, we should do this. Let's all organize together to raise money. And the congregation came back and said, if we do this now, it could get Trump off the hook because it would relieve the pressure on Trump to open up the government. So let's not do this until after the first or after the shutdown is over, maybe. Sean, you first. Just. How do you. How do you. How do you feel about that?

[C]

I'm actually blown away that somebody would want somebody to suffer, not eat, because they think that somehow Trump would find out about that. I mean, first of all, on a. Just on a human level, that's disgusting. But the idea that somehow it would reverberate, I mean, just on a logical standpoint, it doesn't make sense either. Like, somehow you're going to deny somebody food in, you know, Massachusetts, and it won't get. It'll somehow get back to Trump that, you know, hey, in Springfield, there was a bunch of people that got hungry because we denied them food at a shelter. I mean, that's logically and morally ridiculous.

[B]

Dan.

[D]

I second, Sean. And just add that as a political matter, I don't think they also have the right read of this. I think it would pressure Democrats to buckle. So.

[E]

Yeah, but.

[D]

But totally. I mean, joking aside, I concur with everything Sean said.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

So, again, but actually, Mark, if I can, on a broader. I just. The idea that that's where people's head is, like, I honestly, in my worst political cynical day, wouldn't think like that. And the idea that they. That's where some people are resorting to, which is how do we inflict pain? Like, I want to beat people at the ballot box. The idea of saying, like, let me figure out how I can make you hurt to win is just so unfathomable.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

I'd say in 2024, there were some moments when the challenge, when the man out of office made some comments that essentially was, don't help Joe Biden or Kamala Harris. Yeah.

[C]

Wait, wait, that's. No, no, there's. I guess my point is, politically that's fine, but I'm saying, like, I wouldn't say, hey, make sure that. And I don't even know what the equivalency would be, but like, let's make sure that another human being suffers because we think somehow that's going to have a political consequence.

[E]

Yeah.

[B]

Dovetailing with this. Somebody told me a story last night about losing a friend, a long time friend, friend, a couple who was friends with this person and this person's spouse because they didn't think they were sufficiently negative about the destruction of the East Ring, the East Wing, rather. So stuff continues. But let's use this as an opportunity again in the spirit of Nicole's great leadership. If you haven't already, you remember the community haven't already made some sort of contribution in kind or, or cash to a food bank in your community, please do. Let's, let's be part of the solution and if perhaps somehow your, your gift, your contribution, your generosity reverberates all the way to Washington. Well, that would be like some hummingbird wings. Chances are it won't happen. All right, quick word from a sponsor here and then we're going to get into the daybook and then our conversation. And then bless you. And then, and then, of course, your questions first. Sponsor today is the folks at lean. Take lean.com right now, 20% off the entire site. Promo code. Mark, don't do fad diets. Juice cleanses, cabbage soup. Cabbage soup, raw food. Don't do that. Weight cycling. Gain weight, lose weight. It's a very unhealthy way to do it. Leads to all sorts of problems. The folks at Lean have an oral supplement created by doctors that is backed by science and will help you maintain healthy blood sugar, control appetite and cravings, and of course, burn fat by converting it to energy. All these things done in a healthy and natural way. Not an injectable, one of those GLP1 injectables. So right now, again, go to takelean.com use the promo code mark20 off your entire order and you'll be losing weight a healthy way. Again, takelean.com promo code mark20 off your entire order. Thank you for your attention. This matter. And. And I had white rice for dinner last night, so you know where my head is at.

[D]

Same here. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

White rice. It's like poison. Daniel. All right.

[D]

A little chicken. It's great.

[A]

I'm James Patterson. I write way too Many books. Welcome to Hungry Dogs. The title comes from my maternal grandmother, Isabel Zelvis Morris. Nan used to always say, hungry dogs run faster, James. And I've been running fast ever since. Here's what will be coming your way soon. And this is a really terrific list. I think you'll hear from some incredible people like Stacey Abrams. Yay. BJ Novak.

[B]

Yay.

[A]

Kathy Bates, Dolly Parton, Josh Gad. And Pope Leo. Okay, maybe not Pope Leo, but who knows? Maybe he'll show up. Hungry dogs run faster. Thank you, Grandma, for turning me into a hopeless obsessive compulsive. Listen to Hungry Dogs with James Patterson. That'd be me on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[B]

Yeah. All right, all right, let's get to. Let's get to the day book. The President is in the air, coming back from his trip and he lands at the White House at 305. Back to the White House and then right to a Halloween party. Pre credentialed media can cover Halloween. Spooky. Sean, were you the Easter Bunny one year?

[C]

Two years.

[B]

Two years. How was that? Well, I know that wasn't for Halloween, but.

[C]

No, no but. So I did it under the Bush administration. Under the Bush president. When I worked for President Bush. Pro tip. If you want to. I would say any furry like or big mascot, go early. First year I learned my lesson when I was the Eastermin. I think it was like 10:30 or 11. It gets hot. Let's just that that's your hint. So the next year I was number one.

[B]

So you're saying there's shifts for the Easter Bunny?

[C]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

It's early.

[C]

Yeah. You do an hour at a time?

[B]

Yeah. Dan, what's the best costume you've ever had for Halloween?

[D]

My mom made me. I was an Ewok from Return of the Jedi when I was like 8 or 9.

[B]

Homemade or store bought?

[D]

No, homemade.

[E]

She.

[D]

She. She made it and she stitched my mom like to sew and.

[B]

Amazing. I think we've got. I think we've got some pictures of that. No, just. There are.

[D]

That. That is true somewhere.

[C]

What was your favorite? What was your.

[D]

Not sure.

[E]

I don't know.

[C]

Are you a dress up guy?

[D]

Oh, yeah. When, when, When Davis was younger, I got as excited as he did. We used to decorate the house when we were.

[B]

It's a. It's.

[E]

It's a big.

[B]

It's a big holiday in my household. So very big. J.D. vance, if you didn't watch his event last night with Erica Kirk, the Turning Point event in Mississippi. Go watch it. Incredible event. And even if you don't like J.D. vance, even if you don't like Turning Point, if you're interested in J.D. vance political skills, I recommend you watch it. Quite a performance. And this is why I say he's underrated as a political athlete. He may not be Trump or Clinton or Obama, but he was damn good last night. And today in the afternoon, he leads a roundtable at the White House focused on how the shutdown is impacting aviation. I got a flight coming up, so let's, let's.

[C]

Can I tell you this? As you can tell, I'm back in the Commonwealth of Virginia ahead of our election. And when I landed, you know, they got the board right down there, baggage claim, and I took a picture of it. I would say 85, if not 90 was yellow, which meant delayed flights. And right after I landed, apparently there's a ground stop at dca. I mean, this is getting really, I think, you know, for people who are traveling, it's precarious.

[B]

Yeah. And of course, America, America runs on two things. We run on Duncan and we run on airplane flight. So.

[D]

Well, maybe when the Senate goes to leave town today, people will get upset and want to do.

[B]

Senate does leave town today after they have a confirmation hearing before health, education, labor and pension for Casey. Casey means to be surgeon general. They're voting on more votes on tariffs than on Alaska Petroleum Reserve. And Speaker Johnson, if it's, if it's the day that ends in why 10am press conference on shutdown.

[C]

Real quick, can I just ask you guys, are you surprised? I am blown away politically that the Senate has been able to just walk away. It's like the Thursday. They're like, hey, we're done. We'll see you guys late Monday or Tuesday. I actually can't believe I asked Ron Johnson the other day. Do you strategically think this is stupid? He goes, well, we've already voted 13 times. I mean, I just, I've never seen anything politically like this.

[B]

Yeah, well, I think in my experience, they want to go home because they want to go home and the leadership makes up this excuse. Let them blow off some steam. We're not making any progress with them here. They'll go home, they'll blow off some steam, they'll come back, they'll settle it.

[D]

That's the whole thing, though, that the House hasn't been in town for a month, the Senate keeps adjourning, and Donald Trump's just going all over the world. And you Know has one. I bet she has more press conferences today. Barely talks about it but I just.

[C]

I, I can't go on. If I was the, if I was a rank and file Republican senator, I'd say vote twice a day, keep these guys here late at night. Make them stay up past 4:30 after their nap. Like I, I don't get to me this is tactically just stupid.

[E]

Yeah.

[B]

I hear.

[C]

And I've never seen anything like it. I can't believe.

[D]

Unless you think you're winning and it benefits you. Which they both do.

[B]

Yeah, that's, that's the problem. We've never had a shutdown in my memory where the polling and the posture of both parties suggest keep going. Anything that bad that happens, the other side's going to be blamed if we just spin hard enough.

[C]

Yeah, that's crazy.

[B]

Never seen it. Ohio Redistricting Commission meets at 4:00 today. All right. The president. Talk about.

[C]

By the way, that's a punt if I've never seen one. The Democrats just got an early Christmas gift in Ohio.

[B]

Yeah. I'm not sure. Why did the Ohio Republicans do that? They had.

[D]

Well, it's a. If they hadn't gotten the buy in, they risked having to have a ballot initiative that might not have got. That would have been on the ballot in 26. Meaning it would not have. I mean there's, I was reading about this.

[C]

It was bird in hand.

[D]

Yeah, exactly.

[B]

All right. So the president every, I think every leg of every flight on the, on the trip talked up a storm to the pool and because whenever the president talks on Air Force One, for whatever reason, the audio and video don't always get cut. And when it happens at night, it really often doesn't get cut. You'll get little quotes. Video, you know, audio and video cut. And what happens at night in Asia, forget about it. But, but thanks to our colleague Paul Wilkie, here is. You won't see anything as good anywhere else. Here's the President on Air Force One explaining his perception of the China deal. 104 please.

[F]

Hello everybody. I thought it was an amazing meeting. He's a great leader. Leader of a very powerful, very strong country, China. And we, what can I say we have. It was an outstanding group of decisions. I think that was made. A lot of decisions were made too. There wasn't too much left out there. We're in agreement on so many elements. Large amounts, tremendous amounts of the soybeans and other farm products are going to be purchased immediately. Starting immediately. We have a deal now every year we'll renegotiate the deal, but I think the deal will go on for a long time, long beyond the year. We'll negotiate at the end of the year, but all of the rare earth has been settled, and that's for the world, you know, worldwide. On fentanyl, we agreed that he was going to work very hard to stop the flow. You know, it's a very complex subject because it's used for lots of different reasons, including, including anesthetics and things. But he's going to work very hard on it precursors, and I think you're going to see some real action taken. I think we agreed I'll be going to China in April and he'll be coming here sometimes after that, whether it's in Florida, Palm beach or Washington, D.C. but overall, I guess on the scale of from 0 to 10, with 10 being the best, I would say the meeting was a 12.

[B]

Okay. And so we know, we know. And the Chinese haven't disputed this. Fentanyl progress, Chips progress, although China hawks aren't crazy about what they've agreed to there. Soybean progress, rare earth progress. They talked a lot, you'll see in a second. They talked a lot about Ukraine, but no apparent progress. The President basically said nothing the Chinese can do because they're addicted to Russian oil. And then, although, although some thought they would be talking about Taiwan, the President said no. Here's the President summarizing his view of the Ukraine conversations.

[F]

Ukraine came up very strongly. We talked about it for a long time, and we're both going to work together to see if we can get something done. We agree the sides are, you know, locked in fighting, and sometimes you have to let them fight. I guess crazy, but he's going to help us and we're going to work together on Ukraine. He's got a lot more we can do. You know, he's been buying oil from Russia for a long time and takes care of a big part of China. And, you know, I can say India's been very good on that front, but we, we didn't really discuss the oil. We discussed working together to see if we could get that war finished. You know, it doesn't affect China, it doesn't affect us. And I'd like to see it done on the basis. I don't like to see 6, 7, 8,000 young people, mostly young people, for the most part, soldiers be killed. It's not costing us anything. Fact, we make money. And I don't even want to talk about making money. I don't care about making money. In that case, we're going to work together to try and get the war with Russia and Ukraine solved.

[B]

So, Sean, it seems like what the President says happened is what Scott Bess had previewed. Precisely. And. And they didn't. At least based on what occurred in a meeting that was shorter than some thought, they didn't really come out with anything new beyond what was already previewed, which is counter to the normal, you know, conventional wisdom of how you do these preview over, over promise, under promise, over deliver. So there's some, I think, some feeling out in the ether that this was disappointing and particularly with no progress on Ukraine. So leaving aside the spin of it just on the substance, is this a good deal for the United States?

[C]

Yeah, it's a really good deal. And I'll tell you what, one of the things that's, I mean, two things. One, on the AI thing, I've talked to some pretty heavy hitters over the last few months about the chips, and there is definitely a split, but there's a very compelling case for a lot of that, I've sort of come to realize, which is having them buy the chips that we sort of give them is better than them going and doing it their own and us not knowing what they're getting. Right. So us having visibility on what they're getting, how much they're getting, what they're doing with them is a lot better than them us shutting them out and not knowing what they're doing. So that's, you know, anyway, I think that's important to one of the byproducts of this rare earth thing and is the need to decouple from China. And so one of the things that has happened over the last couple of months in particular is that we've started to go to Canada, to Australia, to Southeast Asia, and to say, where can we work with you guys on rare earth minerals? Instead of just trying to figure out what's the. How to keep punting with China and hoping that Daddy gives us something more this week for our allowance. What it's done is shined a bright light on how dependent we are on critical things and that we do need to decouple. So I actually think there's a byproduct of this meeting that's not being discussed. It's huge. Net. Net. I still think it's a great thing. Two logistical things. One, I did think it was funny to watch, if you're watching the video that Paul put out together for us, watch where Jameson Greer, the US Trade rep Just, it's almost like he keeps going back and forth around the President and I don't know if that was directed by the President himself or if Jameson wanted to get a better thing. But two to your point, Mark. And this is again one of those subtleties that doesn't get discussed. The reason that that video came out in my understanding, is because the White House streamed some stuff on YouTube real quick and made that video which normally would not have been made available because the media couldn't have gotten it out the White House communications. So I think why I'm bringing this up is that the sophistication in the second term in terms of how to deliver a message has really taken a step up. The team is more experienced, understands what tools are at their disposal and the importance of getting a message back to us so that we're playing it now and not waiting until later today. And there's a logistics piece to this trip that I think shows a degree of sophistication that wasn't there in our first term.

[B]

Totally agree. And just to clarify, ridiculously for a country with modern communication, typically those gaggles are not streamed live by either the press or the government. In this case, the government streamed the audio live. So the President got to shape the perceptions of the deals as soon as possible. Dan, what do you like about this deal as we know it? Even though there's unknowns, what don't you like about it?

[D]

It's so to be determined. I mean, it's a one year suspension of rare earth. So at any moment they could yank this back. And also we're going to be right back in this in the same spot. We'll see if they're going to buy the soybeans. I mean, they say they are, but they said in the first term they do this and we've seen they will, if, if we get, you know, start saying or doing anything, they'll dial it back. It's another point of leverage. The oil and gas sounds like it's 80% there, but there is some stuff to be worked out, so we'll see. Look, they get reduction in tariffs, they get a suspension of port fees for their ships going into our port. And I think the AI chip thing is huge. And to Sean's point, the national security apparatus, both in MAGA and what we'll call the traditional Foggy Bottom is totally split on this because while we then know what they're getting, once they get those chips, Sean, they go to a military installation, we have no idea what they're doing. With them and how they're going to advance it.

[B]

And they can, even if they take ours, they can still develop their own.

[D]

Yeah. So, I mean, to me, it's the status quo. Right. And I've said this all week. We've gone right back to where we were at the start of this. So what you, what I would ask myself as an American is all of this chaos, all of this uncertainty, for what? What is the net gain since January?

[C]

Well, we weren't getting soybeans. We didn't have a deal.

[D]

No, they had pledged in the first term.

[C]

It's first term, and that was eight years ago.

[D]

So they pledged again, but there's no guarantee. There's no check out the door. We don't know what have we gotten. And I think that's the thing. Look, in Trump's defense, they got a lot of leverage, and this proved China has a ton of leverage on us. We're trying to get it on them, and I applaud Trump for that, but we don't have it yet. To get the upper hand. Stalemate.

[B]

Yeah. And then laser groundwork for additional meetings. And to the extent trust matters, you know, you know, perhaps they build trust between the leaders, but also Besset and his counterpart.

[D]

So I don't think she trusts Trump one iota.

[C]

Well, I thought the beginning, that first greeting was telling Trump was like, we're good friends in patting. And she was stoic. And it was, to me, it was like, I get that that's more of a Chinese thing, but at the end of the day, it didn't look as friendly as I had kind of hoped there might be.

[D]

I think she feels like he stood eyeball to eyeball and, and, and he did not, like in the first term. I think, remember the first meeting we're at Mar a Lago, where Trump.

[B]

Here's, here's, here's the greeting.

[D]

Yeah. Trump bombed Syria and Xi was stunned, and the Chinese were kind of put on a back foot and Trump was laughing at him. I, I, I, I feel like the Chinese view is we're eyeball to eyeball right now.

[B]

Yeah. All right, we'll talk more about this again. If you want to talk about China with us, please raise your hand. The, we talked about the shutdown a little bit already. Obviously, if you didn't see it yesterday, extremely heated. Schumer was heated, even Thune and Johnson were pretty heated. Name calling, attack, you know, really lashing back at reporters. And I don't know if that's theatrics or, or heartfelt it seemed, it seemed pretty heartfelt and intense.

[E]

Sean.

[B]

Or obviously nothing's going to happen this week because the Senate's leaving. Where are we now? People are now speculating. Air, same list. Air traffic control, snap, health, health, health premiums. Where, where's the most likely area for movement?

[C]

I think on both, I mean, to Dan's point, I know it sounds like kind of a very selfish thing, but when these guys go to the airport today and, and it's like, and remember, for a lot of folks it's a skip and a jump. So you gotta go to somewhere to Chicago and then to Bismarck or whatever. And once they start getting delayed in their lives, getting affected, it's amazing how quick they act. So I think there's a little bit of that. They're gonna hear a lot of problems from SNAP recipients over the next couple days. The local stories are gonna heat up. And again, what's happening is at least what I've seen now in two different media markets. It's less about finger pointing and just pox on both of your houses. You know, benefits are expiring. Congress hasn't done anything. And so therefore they're not getting the delineation that like one side to blame. And so if you're the local member of Congress or senator, you're hearing fix it, fix it, fix it, I think that that's going to resonate a lot more. Again, as I've said before, I just don't know what it's easy to say. Here's the solution. Open government back up, make it two weeks. Democrats keep using the word leverage like that, they're going to give up leverage if they agree to open up the government. I don't see any other solution, though.

[B]

So, you know, let me ask you one question about the president and then Dan Macro view, he's going to hear stories when he comes home about people losing their SNAP benefits. Is it possible, do you think, or how likely do you think it is that he gets more involved and backs off the posture of we're just not going to negotiate?

[C]

Well, there's a difference between negotiating and I could see them, like I said, you know, they use tariff revenue to cover the first 30 days of snap. Last time I can see them trying to find a valve to say, hey, get some money for a week to these states. And maybe it's 10 days and maybe it's, you know, so I, I could see that happening more, less as a negotiating tactic and just as a human thing.

[B]

Yeah, Dan.

[D]

Yeah. I think both sides are beginning to Get a little uncomfortable for Sean. To Sean's point, so far, you don't see one side tipping over in the polls, meaning it's 50, 30 to blame one side or the other. It's about 50, 50 now. The trend line, it was a pretty big Democratic advantage. Now it's kind of solid. I think both leaders feel frustration. I think both sides thought the other would have blinked by now. I think Democrats thought Trump would get involved and cut a deal. Republicans think Schumer would be just kind of broken apart. It hasn't happened. And I think there is movement now to try to figure out how, how to end this. Like everyone starting to think about how do we get out. But to your point, Sean, what it is, what's the deal and the trust factor being what it is, I can't see Trump being like, I'm going to get involved and I'm going to undercut Johnson and Thune. This is a who's what's biggest on the table right now. But in previous down in those situations.

[C]

In previous shutdowns, you know, having been here in part of them, like as a staffer and as an observer, like, you felt it more when Obama did it. There was tape around the World War II memorial. They were, it was, it was, it was blatantly obvious. We wanted people to know we're in shutdown. The president announced that he's paying military service members, active duty military. And so like a lot fewer people are feeling that impact. And so I think SNAP is going to be your first real concrete thing where there's a massive millions of Americans that feel the pain of this in a way that hasn't happened in the last 30 days.

[D]

Like, I mean, look, if you're the J.D. vance event today, back in the day would have happened every single day. Part of the problem for the, for everybody is Trump generates content every hour. That dominates cable, that dominates stuff. And it's not about this. So if he returns and starts every single day, the White House is holding events and he's on X about the pain of Americans, I think that changes the temperature right now. We started the show talking about China.

[B]

Yeah. The President talked about a bunch of foreign policy stuff on Air Force One. And he's been on Truth Social a lot too, talked about potential future meeting with Kim Jong Un. He talked about talking to Canada. He's talked about Israel and Gaza, whether he's gotten heads up over some of these US Military, Israeli military actions. And then out of the blue, the president announced on Truth Social and then talked about it on Air Force One that he's directed the Pentagon to resume nuclear testing. Here's the President, this 1 12th ball on air Force One, talking about his theory about why there needs to be renewed US nuclear tests that haven't occurred in many, many years. 112, please.

[G]

About presuming nuclear testing, what prompted you.

[B]

To do that right before the meeting?

[F]

Had to do with others. They seem to all be nuclear testing. We have more nuclear weapons than anybody. We don't do testing. We've halted it years, many years ago. But with others doing testing, I think it's appropriate that we do.

[B]

Also, just one more on the nuclear announcement. Do you worry that we're entering a more risky environment when it comes to nuclear issues?

[F]

I don't think so. I think, I think we have it pretty well locked up. But we, you know, we have more than anybody. But I see them testing, I say, well, they're going to test. I guess we have to test. I'd like to see a denuclearization because we have so many. And Russia has suffered. Russia's second and China's third. And China will catch up within four or five years. I think de. Escalation would be. They would call it. Denuclearization would be a tremendous thing. And it's something we are actually talking to Russia about that and China would be added to that if we do something.

[B]

So Russia and North Korea are testing nuclear capabilities, although not full fledged tests, as far as we know. I believe nuclear weapons. Dan, any sense of why the President thought this was the right thing to say?

[D]

I think it's a machismo, you know, sign of strength and just, hey, Vladimir, you want to think about, you know, potentially if, if, if a Ukrainian missile hits your territory using nuclear weapons like ours are bigger than yours.

[C]

Also, right before the XI meeting too, there's a little bit of. Just as a reminder, folks.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. Okay. Again, we'll get to you all in just a moment. So please raise your hand if you want in the conversation. If you've never raised your hand before, today could be the day to do it. If you've never raised your hand, think about it. New York City mayoral race. Michael Bloomberg put a million and a half into a super PAC supporting Cuomo attacking Mondami. Here's Spectrum News New York 1. Bloomberg endorses Cuomo. He'd endorsed him weeks ago. He sort of re endorsed him. But, but, but the bigger, but the.

[C]

Bigger thing, double endorse.

[B]

He put money in. So I said this last night on two Way tonight, I Worked for Mike Bloomberg, a data guy, and he's not going to put money in if it's a lost cause. So clearly. And, and, and, and he polls everything. He's got a big political operation. So presumably they saw something that made them think this was not maybe, maybe higher than Jim Carrey. So you're saying there's a chance level public opinion polls all over the map, but the latest ones show Mandami with an insurmountable lead. EMERSON Mandami at 50, quo 25, mandami 48. CUOMO 32. Maris, Quinnipiac closer 10 points, but still 10 points. And there's, there's, you know, we're at the end here. So there, there's no, there's some endorsements, there's some new ads, whatever. But Dan, where do you see the race right now?

[D]

I still think it's Mandani's is likely to win. I, you know, again, I think it really is just what is the electorate turnout? Is there some sort of quiet surge of, of voters who either traditionally don't vote in the mayoral or whatever? And the one thing we haven't talked a lot about, but is worth pondering, is if Mandani loses, what will be the civil war in the party? Because if it turns out he loses, the base is going to say the middle and the right flank went to war against one of our own and took him down. Think about 2028. Think about the primaries in 2026. We haven't given a lot of thought. Everyone's about, what if Madani wins and he's the poster child for, you know, the rnc.

[B]

But, and Cuomo yesterday on, on two appearances, Stephen A. Smith and on Fox Business sounded like, you know, a Fox News pundit talking about how Mondami is in league with AOC and is ruining the party. And it was quite something. So I agree with the point you just made. Sean going to Ladbrokes. What are you doing?

[C]

So I'll flip this, though. I keep thinking, if Cuomo wins, does he have the recognition to know that he didn't win? Mondami lost. Right. I mean, this is, sometimes I, people have to remember that, you know, we had this issue in Virginia four years ago where it was Terry McAuliffe to lose and he lost it. And you have to sometimes get the right message out of an election. And so to me, I think Mondame can't have election day come soon enough. He's, I think people are waking up and realizing the choice. What worries me most about this is I believe the number was 775,000 ish voted in last New York City mayoral race four years ago. My understanding is that number is going to get swamped. And that's, that's a, not a great, I mean that, that's a very concerning number. If you're Mondami, like, why are all these other people coming out? What's the demographic again? As I said, the problem is, is that our dynamic, a race like this is not pollable, like in a meaningful way because you don't know if a Democrat votes, are they voting traditional Democrat or are they voting for Cuomo? So I just, I think that we're going into a little bit of a black box here.

[B]

I agree. And the vacuum of that black box for many of you. Thank you for your help. For me is filled by doing what my, one of my executive producers when I worked at ABC News used to do at election day which he, he, he call early in the morning. He call into the morning meeting and he'd say my dentist waited 90 minutes to vote today and he normally waits 45. So turnout will be very big in this presidential race. This would be, this would be one polling place in Jersey.

[C]

How many yard signs did he see on the way?

[B]

Exactly. So it's a harmony. So those of you who are texting me photos of long lines in Hasidic neighborhoods and say Cuomo got it in the bag, or those of you sending me video of 25 Mondami volunteers all excited like thank you for your tea leaves. But no, we don't know, but thank you for your tea leaves. I got, I got five more days of tea leaves. I also have this today announcing Now Tuesday night Two Way will have live coverage starting at 8pm Eastern Time with our colleagues and partners at the New York Post of all the races. Focus of course on New York City mayors, New Jersey and Virginia. We'll have more details for you about how you can watch all the usual places here on the two way platform on the Washington New York Post website, two Instagram YouTube channel as well as two way. So more deals to come but we'll be able to spend election together. We say conversations like no other. We will be doing what we always do. We'll aggregate all the coverage, everything on social media, on cable news, etc, so if you want to become one place and be able to participate in the conversation and find out what's being reported everywhere, please plan on joining us Tuesday night.

[C]

Lastly, attention to that matter.

[B]

Exactly. Lastly, the Wall Street Journal are reporting that one possible location for this thing that's been reported before, a brilliant idea. As far as I'm concerned. Both parties are considering it, which is to have kind of a midterm convention. And the Journal says that Vegas, baby, may be the location. Here's the Wall Street Journal headline. For those of you listening on the podcast, I shall read it for you. Trump advisors consider Las Vegas for rare midterm political convention. The president's team says event will be a forum to tap Republican candidates and highlight Trump's agenda. Democrats again talking about doing this too. Sean, if you were the executive producer of this event, what would it look like? How many days? What kind of speakers would you have? What role would you give the president? Like, lay it out for us. Vegas, the Vegas.

[C]

A couple of things. First of all, one of the dirty little secrets about conventions is everyone always worries about where they go, oh, was it Vegas, New York, D.C. the number one issue on any convention is money, money, and money, how is the host committee, can they pay for it? And they do security. That's it. They could be in a ranch in New Mexico if they could put up the money. That's all that you care about. The fun. The other funny thing is, is that having been part of the process a few times, Vegas was always something that everybody wanted to do. And then the party faithful said, I don't know that it'll look good to have it in Vegas with all of that. And so just it shows you. Donald Trump was like, screw that, we're going to Vegas. Vegas, D.C. and two other cities are in play. I think I would do a two and a half, a three day thing, two nights, with the third night being, you know, obviously Trump and MAGA stars. You lead into it with the Senate. You have the House guys on the first night and the night, and then maybe some, you know, youth groups. And I mean, it just, it would be a jam of videos. It would look like the COVID Convention, though, a lot of like, yeah, where they did that thing at the building Museum.

[B]

Dan, if, if Price were fundraising were no object and hotel rooms were no object.

[C]

Brought to you by crypto.com would you.

[B]

Where would you put, where would you put the Democratic one? And what would that look like for you? Who would your speakers be?

[D]

Yeah, well, first of all, I do want to say, because we give them a lot of crap. Hats up to Ken Martin, who was the first person, the DNC chairman who had this idea and floated it, you know, back in the spring. So, you know, we, a little bit of credit to him for This, I think it depends. So conventions. Sean talked about the money and everything. It's also, you have themes. What are you trying to emphasize each night? And who do you think best represents those themes? So presumably the point of this is to win, you know, for Democrats, the House, which as of today, you're thinking those New York suburban districts and a couple of suburban districts also in places like Pennsylvania, et cetera. So what is it that we're running on? Because again, this is going to go to. Where do you want to put it? It's going to be a mini convention. You're not going to get all the hotels and lock everything. It's too late to do that. Well, but it's more going to be.

[B]

Like you don't, you don't. I'm sorry, but you don't have delegates, so you don't need all the hotel rooms.

[D]

It's just a, a TV show that you're going to try to get from, let's say, 6:00pm to 11:00pm Right.

[B]

So. So if it's three nights, night one would be about the destruction of the East Wing. Right.

[D]

I mean, I think it would be like the House. I mean, I think Sean's right. You probably would try to feature some House candidates one night, some Senate candidates and some luminaries.

[B]

Okay. Would you let the font. Would you want the following people to speak if you were executive producer? The Obamas, Yes. The Clintons.

[D]

Yes. Period.

[B]

Biden, Harris.

[D]

No. And that's how she about to bring up. No.

[C]

It would be at night, so you couldn't.

[D]

Yeah. I mean, this is going to be the challenge because who controls the dnc? What about Bernie? What about Bernie Sanders? What about aoc? Who do you want to do about Josh Shapiro?

[B]

Stop rhetorical. I've made you executive producer. Do you want, do you want AOC to speak?

[D]

Yes, I do. Because I, I want, I want her energy and I want the base fired up.

[B]

Yeah. Would you let Schumer have a big speaking part?

[D]

No.

[B]

Okay. Just. That was a gimmick.

[D]

He'd be at 5 o' clock with Chris Hayes.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. For all, for all the reporters watching. If you want to do smart thing, check the cancellation policy. But I would book the Trump Hotel in Vegas for the entire month because that's where you want to stay if.

[D]

You'Re, you know, one of the reasons, by the way, to Sean's point, having been involved in the dnc, that, that Vegas was always axed, was the worry about what videos may be captured of party officials doing certain activities late at Night. You did not want stories of people at strip clubs, gambling halls, whatever.

[B]

Oh, I thought you meant late. I thought you meant late night. Thai food.

[D]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's the least of the worries.

[C]

Ice cream.

[B]

Yeah. All right. I'm super excited about these off year conventions. I hope it happens every year for the rest.

[C]

Are you kidding? I don't need that. No.

[D]

If I were the Democrats and I think I could keep a lid on this, and it's not like a Palestinian flag waving, you know, shit show. Detroit just about to say Michigan.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[D]

That's not Detroit. I didn't go in the suburbs.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Go to Grand Rapids.

[C]

I just need the one thing I'll say that's I talked about how much they cost. If I were them, I would build something around the D. Obviously, the Dems do this much better with ActBlue, but I would figure out a way to basically say it would be like a telethon. Give us money. Give us money.

[B]

100%. Now, the question, of course, is size of venue. Right? Vegas. There's a football stadium, there's a basketball arena. I wonder. It is just a TV show, but part of what you may want, like at a convention is 10,000, 20,000, 50,000. I think. I think Trump could fill the football stadium.

[C]

Oh, easy.

[B]

Yeah. So the question is the Democrats feel like they've got to try to match that and not easy to fill it, even if you give the seats away. Not necessarily easy. All right, here we go. One word from one quick sponsor and then your questions again. If you're here on the two way platform, want to get in the conversation, please raise your hand. We'd love for some new people today. I'm not going to say we have to get three new people or the show's canceled, but I might. So please raise your hand. If you've never raised before, you identify.

[C]

As a new person.

[B]

Exactly. There you go. Brought to you today by the morning meeting by the folks at poncho.ponchooutdoors.com, get $10 off your first order and free shipping. Poncho has you covered with a range of clothes, denims, flannels that are comfortable and soft and feel like broken in right from the start. They're comfortable. I've been wearing them all week. And I could not be enjoying the more western styling that pairs with anything, even here in Gotham City. And I've got my cowboy boots to go with them. The flannels, again, right out of the package. They don't feel stiff at all. They feel nice light and but still warm. They layer well. And the versatile Polos premium Pima cotton. Soft, strong and breathable. Same thing. Gave it to my son and said feel this is this soft. And he said yes. And he's got the softest clothes in the world. Free shipping, free returns, free exchanges to make sure you get what you want again. Gear up for the fall with Poncho. Every piece built for comfort, performance and lasting style. Go to poncho outdoors.com, enter your email. You get $10 off your first order and free shipping. And if they ask a little pop up comes up where'd you hear about it? Said shondan and Mark sent you Sundan Shondana Mark. Anyway, thank you for your attention that matter as well. And here we go. Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis is in the building. Elvis, welcome in. Thank you for being parted two way on mute. Tell folks.

[E]

Hello Sean.

[B]

Elvis, you've never been on before, have you?

[E]

Elvis I never have been on but I watch your show daily.

[B]

Welcome in. We're glad. Where do you live? Elvis?

[E]

I live in New York.

[B]

New York City?

[E]

Yeah.

[B]

Where do you live in New York City, if you don't mind saying.

[E]

I had to like. Yeah.

[B]

That the fancy odds. You ever been to Staten Island, Elvis?

[E]

Yeah. Okay.

[B]

Elvis, what do they call the Staten island ferry in Staten Island?

[E]

I don't know.

[B]

The Manhattan Ferry. The floor is yours. Elvis, welcome and thank you for being.

[E]

I got question, two questions for Sean.

[B]

Yes, sir.

[E]

Using the fact that SNAP is ending soon, right. Against Democrat. Right. Saying every time you vote against the pink cross, you voted against starving 4 or 42 million Americans, they should be putting pressure on the Democrats saying, oh, every time you vote against this, you voting for families to go hungry.

[C]

I don't know if you saw the clip, it got C Span viral yesterday. But John Thune, who I've known since literally I think the day he came to Washington in the House, I never, I've never seen him so animated. He made that point. I as I said to Mark Dan earlier, I sort of, I think the Senate Republicans get a D for tactics and strategy. I agree with you. I think the idea that they're leaving town, the idea that they're not on the steps every day with military members and sheriffs and you know, border patrol or law enforcement, blah blah, blah. I mean just, you know, to your point, snap, whatever, like their messaging has been horrible. They're not amping up the volume. They cast a vote and then they go off to the spa. I think it's been horrible and it's an example of how not to handle a messaging. So the Senate conference gets a D. And I agree with you, Elvis, it's just not, they're not making a compelling case and putting their foot on the gas.

[D]

Well, it's an old school approach which is speak from the Senate floor and speak from the press gallery as opposed to, as you say, get real people involved, get out of the Capitol and put pressure. And you see in the era of Trump, the tree falls and nobody hears it. Yeah, nobody pays attention, but they're not even trying to.

[C]

I agree with you, but I also feel like at some effort, I remember back when we had spending issues, I mean, not when we had them, but when I was. And I'd say, you know, why? Well, it'll never pass. Like they didn't even try. My point is at least show us that you're trying. I just, it's so disappointing to see this.

[E]

Next question. Do you think Trump will primary Mary.

[D]

Marjorie Taylor Greene.

[E]

Yeah. Next year. Because she's like speaking out against him and now she's like pro illegal immigrants now that she has a contrasted company and now she wants. So you think he will primary her or not?

[C]

I, I didn't under, I didn't, I'm not aware of the latter, of what you just spoke about, the, the immigration piece.

[E]

I'm not, she was speaking on cdn, on CNN and other mainstream saying that she's okay with illegal immigrants. Now, as you say, she should find a way to stay here.

[C]

Okay, I, I, I would, I look into that. I, maybe Marjorie's been hacked, but I, I think she has been a very strong supporter of president and the MAGA movement. She would, Marjorie would have to do a primary from anybody and even if they did, I think she's pretty secure in that, that area of Georgia. So I, I don't think he will. I think she's been very clear that while she sometimes disagrees with the President, it's not personal. So very different relationship there.

[E]

If you ever ran for Senate, I will vote for you.

[D]

Oh, thank you. Thank you very much, Elvis.

[B]

Elvis, thank you.

[C]

Is it just Senate or could Dan run for like mayor now President.

[B]

We got, we're skipping.

[C]

Yeah, I know.

[D]

I feel like he, the commute downtown is better than D.C. yeah.

[B]

Christy, welcome in. Thank you for being part of two way unmute. Tell folks where you are, what's on your mind for Dan and for Sean and thank you for being here.

[G]

I guess be careful what you wish for. I'm so nervous, you know, you know.

[B]

What the worst thing can happen is that Dan could smile.

[A]

Don't worry.

[B]

Don't be nervous. I have a friendly place. Everybody's happy to see you here. So relax, take a deep yoga breath and say what you wish. Yeah.

[D]

Where are you from?

[G]

I am, I am actually originally from Louisiana, but I live in California. I've lived here for about 30 years and I don't have a voice in my state. I'm an independent and I am very nervous about Proposition 50. You all think it's in the bag. And I also want to send red flags to everyone about Gavin Newsom. He is a shape shifting snake in the grass. I am not a fan of him.

[B]

And is there, is there somebody, is there somebody you'd love to be governor of California who lives in your state?

[G]

Do you think Caruso just came out in favor of yes on 50? So he's not a Mike.

[B]

Like, he's, why are you so, why do you feel so strongly about 50?

[G]

Because. Well, first of all, I am registered as an independent simply because I'm probably more of a closeted conservative because it's just not something that you could say broadly. I am actually, I'm kind of outing myself, I guess, right now by even saying this, but I, there, there are.

[B]

Millions of conservatives in California. Don't worry, you're not like, alone behind enemy lines.

[G]

I, I'm coastal too, so it's a really hard place to be. I'm in kind of a flyover county. I'm in Ventura county. So it's, you know, between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.

[C]

So my good friend Jeff Corel, he's your supervisor, right?

[G]

Yes, yes, yes, he is. Now, all that said, I, my understanding is in 50, we will lose our. And I say that hour. I, I, I'm not registered as any party. I have cats running around. They're not registered to vote, though, I promise. I know that's not unheard of. The, on 50, I understand that conservatives will lose their voice, like at a rate of 8 to 1.

[B]

Yeah.

[G]

And, and, and it's very concerning because the unit party, I mean, I know Schwarzenegger has come out recently on Mar. To say, you know, you know, talking about the commission, I just see the mass exodus of people out of the state. I see the mass exodus of business out of the state. And I actually wasn't even, I didn't even want to talk about Prop 50 initially. I just wanted to put a plug.

[B]

In for Prop 50. All good. Tell us what you want to ask about.

[D]

I'm sorry.

[G]

I want to give a great quote from Larry Elder, who I voted for to replace Newsom a couple years ago. He said, and I thought this was really great because I think this is really. It's actually about the ballroom. And he said that, you know how a camel looks like a horse built by a committee? He said that the Obama Presidential library looks like a building built by a committee of camels. And I thought that was a hilarious quote. But I thought, is the motivation for the ballroom an opportunity? If you look at Trump's presidency as like, whether it's a hero or a villain's arc, that origin story in that, I think it was 2011 or sometime well before he ran that White House, the correspondence dinner where Obama just razzed Trump to the point of running. And I think, you know, is this Trump's opportunity? I think he has ODs in the same way that so many have TDS. And I think that he is obsessed to some extent with Obama, but I think that this is his opportunity to beat Obama at a very comfortable place for Trump, which is building, you know, building something and outbuilding.

[B]

Okay, let's let the guys comment. Thank you for that, Christy. Sean, thoughts?

[C]

So it's interesting. The latter part of what you said, I totally agree with, and I appreciate you bringing it up. First of all, thank you for coming on, Christy. But because you're the first person that's really, I mean, he, as a builder, this is when you build something significant like a ballroom, it's not just like, you know, changing the basketball court or something that a lot of folks do, you know, sort of some external, minimal thing. I think there is something to be said for a legacy of building, like he wants something that he is known for to do. I've never been a big believer, though, in the Obama thing. I think a lot of the folks in the media obsess about that White House Correspondent's Dinner. I spent a decent amount of time around the guy. He's actually said some pretty positive things about Obama in my just, I mean, he was very impressed with the letter that Obama left him, and he thought that the Obamas treated him well when he was transitioning. I mean, privately he makes fun of the policies and stuff, but I'm not one of those people that subscribes to this notion of him obsessing over Obama. And again, maybe you never know with Donald Trump. Maybe it's true, but I've just never heard him in my presence do that.

[D]

Dan, I think that he's talked about the ballroom for over 10 years. I actually happen to think there could. There needs to be some sort of physical structure to host large numbers of people, whether for state dinners or large events. I do think he loves the idea that for the rest of time, he will be known for the one who built that. The way people talk about the Truman Balcony, and, you know, I think it was in Eisenhower they started doing a massive gut renovation, like people always say, that is the Trump Ballroom. So I think he does love the idea of leaving a lasting legacy. I think on. On redistricting. Look, I could go all over the map. The number of states where the. The allocation of representatives is not matched to the public, meaning, you know, Texas, where you may have 80 to 20, even though it's like a 55, 45 state. Florida, Ohio, like, now California, Illinois, Maryland. You know, they're trying to get to be 8, 0. Everybody is trying to squeeze because of analytics and because they can pinpoint voters so much better. The ability to draw maps where you go into blocks and cut out, you know, individual houses to shore up is. It's remarkable, and it's sad.

[E]

Yeah.

[B]

Christy, thank you. No reason to have been nervous, as you see. So thank you for being part of Two Way. Grateful to you. Darrell, welcome in. Thanks for being part of Two Way. Tell folks where you are, what's on your mind.

[H]

Yeah, thank you so much. I really admire the show. I live in Easton, Connecticut, so. Yeah. And I'm actually funny enough head of the Easton Republican Town Council. And we have a municipal election going on, which is actually pretty exciting. It's the first big election we've had in a few years on our side. Anyway, I guess there are two. I guess I wanted to have two statements and a quick question. So I guess regarding Mike Bloomberg. I lived in New York City for years, worked on Wall Street. I think it's basically a real shame that Mike Bloomberg hasn't gotten enough blame for the situation that New York is in right now. And I say that because he ran the city as a technocrat after Giuliani. I think by all accounts, he was a very good mayor. You know, nominal Republican. We all knew that he was a Democrat, but that was fine. And then when de Blasio comes in, he says nothing for two terms, Nothing, not a word of criticism of him trashing the city and really kind of ruining his legacy. You know, he spent more time trashing Trump than he did defending the city that he lives in. And if he had said one word of maybe de Blasio's not such a great idea for New York City right now, just one word. The New York media would have picked it up and it would have stopped him in his tracks. But I think Mamdani is just a natural result of decline that kind of started with de Blasio, continued with Adams, and is now happening right now. And I think a lot of that needs to be placed right on the feet of Michael Bloomberg because, you know.

[B]

Yep. Okay, Darrell.

[D]

It's a great question, Darrell, because both my wife and a lot of friends, we talked a lot about the de Blasio era. I think if Bloomberg had come out against de Blasio, it would have strengthened de Blasio. Because you have to remember, when Bloomberg left de Blasio's, I'll be the mayor for all of New York City was code for outside of Manhattan. Right. Things don't feel as great. And so I am going to represent people outside of it. That feeling still persists today. The kind of two New York cities, the Manhattan side, it's great. Property values, safety in the West Village, in the Upper east sides, better than other parts of this city. I don't know if Bloomberg going to war against him would have really helped. I do think you make a lot of great points, but there is a lot of change afoot in this city. And I think bringing the outer boroughs and the Manhattanites together for a common shared set of goals is a challenge. I mean, Bloomberg greenlit all the development. Right. And a lot of it was built the Hudson Yards and 57th street and not as much in the outer boroughs. Right. And that's the criticism. But I'm with you. I think Bloomberg was an amazing mayor. I think he would have been a great president.

[H]

Well, that's the other thing. I mean, as a data guy. Yeah, as a data guy, you know, Bloomberg spent $100 million on his last run. And, you know, Elizabeth Warren destroyed him with that horse face lesbian comment on the debate. Just. It was. It was unbelievable.

[D]

But he tried to change his stripes and she. She wasn't going to let him apologize and move on for. I mean, the irony is, if Bloomberg hadn't run in 20, he probably would have been the perfect candidate 24. If he had stayed consistent.

[H]

Absolutely. And again, so the question I had was basically regarding snap. I heard the lady, the military lady down in Louisiana, she gave a just impassioned plea for fixing SNAP benefits. But I think there is a really disturbing TikTok trend where people are threatening a purge if SNAP benefits are cut off. And, you know, if that actually gets legs, that is going to make a Real big case for wholesale eval re evaluation of snap, because on the one hand, you've got positive military families. This affects lots of people. But on a huge negative part, these people are unapologetic on TikTok talking about robbing Walmarts and supermarkets of this nature. I don't know how it's going to go. And I wanted to know what you guys thought about that.

[C]

Okay, Sean, real quick on Bloomberg, because I'll sit this one out since I don't live there. But I will say two things to remember about Bloomberg post mayoral. One, he's still a businessman in New York, right? And so you gotta be careful what you do or say. And two, there is a degree of tradition about criticizing your predecessor. So I will give him. Again, I'm probably not the best person to weigh in on that, but I would say that those two things are probably relevant to the discussion on the SNAP thing. I've been watching these videos pop up more and more, Darrell, and I'm glad you brought it up because they're very troubling to say, you know, this gives us a reason to do stuff now that we didn't have and da, da, da, da. I think to your point, we keep talking about who, you know, and again, taking the human side out and making it just purely political for a second, if that manifests itself truly over the first four or five days, I think that this could change the entire debate real quick. It becomes like a BLM thing where suddenly you're seeing destruction, you're saying, hey, maybe agree with you on the cause, like Nicole, you know, very impassioned, people want to care about her, go to a food bank. Suddenly it becomes, are you kidding me? This is what's happening. I mean, I think this could tear at the fabric of the country real quick. If that, if that does happen.

[B]

Darrell, thank you. Grateful to you for the two questions. Appreciate it. I agree with Sean about Mayor Bloomberg not wanting to criticize his successors. That's a, that's a thing for May. New York mayor is very similar to presidents. Sean, what do you have tonight?

[C]

Well, it's Thursday, so we got to do a panel discussion and break it all down. Emily Sturge from Campus Reform, Reagan, Reese. The Daily Caller traveled with Vice President Vance last night, excuse me, on Air Force Two. So she'll tell us exactly what happened at that, how that rally went down, how what was on the inside. And then Chris Salcedo, former colleague and host of the Chris Salcedo radio show, will join us as well.

[B]

Awesome. Love, Chris. Salcedo. Dan.

[D]

I just enjoying the day. Oh, sorry, sorry. And we have the group chats talking about.

[C]

By the way, did you just put that that you look very snappy today, did you not? I figured you must have some kind of important meeting.

[D]

Well, no, actually I didn't want to do more laundry. I have the group chat this afternoon and so I'll be back with my colleagues. Sorry, Nina Turner and Robbie Suave. So please join us at four o'. Clock. Sorry about that, Mark.

[B]

Don't, don't. That's okay. All good. I'll tell you about my day. 12:30 I'll be on the Charlie Kirch show with with his crew and talking about the New York City mayor's race and some other stuff. Next episode of Next up drops later today, my reported monologue on the recurring history for Democrats the media about Joe Biden's cognitive decline. It's a story I don't wish to cover, but they're forcing my hand. So I'll be talking about what's going on there then. My guests include Rokana and three great reporters. Alex Seitzwald, who left national media to move to Maine and started a newspaper up in Maine. He's been covering the Platner story more than anybody else. And then my colleagues from the New York Post who will be doing election night with me, Ricky Schlatt and Lydia Moynihan will be on that'll drop later today on YouTube and on. On on podcast and then two way tonight. Six o' clock tonight. Opportunity to enjoy my guests and I'm.

[D]

Currently blanking on who's on with Melmendorf and.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, and who else? Somebody else.

[C]

It's a woman.

[B]

I can't remember. Anyway, we'll talk about all the day's news. So join us at 6:00 clock tonight and. And then. Am I missing a show? I apologize. I got a lot going on here. Moynihan report, not on tonight. So. Oh, Matt Whitlock, Matt Whitlock and Steve Almondorf will join me at six. So Dan at four, Sean and myself at six. And then next up and then Charlie Kirk show. So plenty of content for you to enjoy. Grateful to everybody. We had some new folks on today, which is lovely and we look forward to seeing everybody back here in 23 hours. It's Friday.

[C]

Are we dressing up? We got to make that call.

[B]

Halloween. I'm going as a, as an endorser of fairway and green products.

[C]

That's what I was going to do.

[B]

Yeah. Anyway, we'll see y' all in 23 hours since Friday. So besides a incredible Halloween spectacle where I'll be snorting candy corn, or as they call it in some parts of the country, chicken corn right through my nostrils, we'll be having our winners and losers the week and what to look for in the weekend. So it's an episode you won't want to miss. Have a great day, everybody. We'll see you later.