Trump Is "Dissatisfied" With Iran's Proposal To Reopen Strait Amid Apparent Deadlock in Talks

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Morning Meeting

Episode: Trump Is "Dissatisfied" With Iran's Proposal To Reopen Strait Amid Apparent Deadlock in Talks
Host: Mark Halperin (with Jaime Moore & Trisha McLaughlin)
Date: April 28, 2026

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Overview

This episode focuses on unfolding tensions between the U.S. and Iran, especially around the deadlocked negotiations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the broader ramifications for oil markets, global diplomacy, and domestic politics. The panel also examines the fallout from a recent assassination attempt on President Trump, the public debate around inflammatory political rhetoric exemplified by a Jimmy Kimmel joke, and shifting considerations of security at high-profile political events. Finally, there’s discussion about the symbolic and real import of the British royal visit, as well as questions from listeners, notably about party grievance culture and presidential legacy decisions in wartime.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Iran Crisis & Geopolitical Tensions

• Current Situation:
  • Iran’s economy is under severe pressure due to sanctions and oil export restrictions.
  • Proposals to reopen the Strait of Hormuz are being floated amid apparent negotiation deadlock. President Trump is reportedly dissatisfied with Iran’s proposal.
  • Global oil prices continue to climb, with major uncertainty about when Iran will hit its oil storage capacity (“tank top”), forcing painful decisions.
• Expert Disagreement on Timelines:
  • Wide disparity among experts and media outlets about how soon Iranian oil infrastructure will “break” due to storage issues—ranging from days to months ([10:35]–[14:30]).
• China's Stake:
  • China, usually insulated via oil and gas reserves, is now feeling economic strain from the ongoing crisis ([09:04]).
• Potential for Negotiations:
  • Room may exist for talks with Asian countries as their economic pain grows, but the U.S. White House seems unlikely to make major concessions soon ([07:37], [09:04]).

Notable Quote:

• Mark Halperin, quoting a source:

  "They [the Iranians] can hold off forever. They don't give a... Their people can die. They can die. They don't give a fuck. That's the problem. Honest truth." ([14:54])

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2. U.S. Policy Dilemmas

• Military Strikes vs. Economic Pressure:

  • Trisha and Jaime agree that only military action may push Iran, but note the brutal calculus: Iran’s leaders might let their people suffer to avoid capitulation ([16:13]–[17:51]).
  • Jaime highlights the domestic political tradeoff:

    “They're hedging on will the President care more about the American people paying $4.18 for gas, or will their economy and their, their culture and their entire country collapse first?” ([16:48])

• Uncertainties, Motivations & Next Steps:

  • U.S. negotiators are reluctant to ease economic pressure without progress in nuclear talks.
  • Fear that any concession will allow Iran to “string out” nuclear negotiations indefinitely ([14:54]).

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3. Fallout from Hilton Shooting & Political Rhetoric

• Jimmy Kimmel Controversy:
  • Kimmel’s joke about the President dying before his wife drew massive backlash, especially after a recent assassination attempt. The panel clarifies Kimmel did not call for violence ([19:01]).
  • Debate over whether outrage is genuine or a political device; perceived double standards in media response depending on party ([20:58]–[22:03]).

Notable Quote:

• Jimmy Kimmel:

  “It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination. ...[But] I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject.” ([19:01])

• Jaime Moore:

  “This does not mean that Jimmy Kimmel should be fired, does not mean that the White House and the President should get more involved in the way media is run... The First Amendment is still very sacred.” ([22:03])

• General theme: Both sides feel aggrieved by language and violent acts, but trading “our side is worse” arguments is unhelpful ([25:19]).

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4. Security at High-Profile Events

• Correspondents’ Dinner Vulnerabilities:
  • Panelists express shock at security lapses at the Hilton, the site of Reagan’s shooting decades ago.
  • Trisha shares personal anecdotes illustrating lax security procedures ([31:04], [53:12]–[54:30]).
  • Discussion of whether future events should be held there or if new facilities (e.g., the proposed White House ballroom) are warranted.

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5. The Royal Visit & Symbolism

• UK-U.S. Relations:
  • The King of England’s visit is largely viewed as symbolic but significant, especially with democracy under stress worldwide ([34:18]).
  • Jaime:

    “The King wants to sort of help reset that conversation... democracies have to exist to continue this balance of power that we established after World War II.” ([34:18])

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6. White House Ballroom Funding Debate

• Security vs. Expenditure:
  • Discussion on whether a new ballroom (framed as necessary for security) should be taxpayer-funded, as Congress considers a $400 million allocation ([36:56]).
  • Strong opposition from some Democrats, including AOC ([38:43]).

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7. Listener Questions & Broader Themes

• Party Rhetoric as a Shortcut:
  • From Vic (listener): Both parties use reductionist, inflammatory language (“fascist,” “socialist”), which weakens politics ([45:59]).
  • Panel agrees: Outrage culture is amplified by social media and fund-raising needs ([51:09]).
• Presidential Legacy vs. Party Politics:
  • Listeners draw analogies to Obama’s stance on the ACA, suggesting Trump might be accepting political risk for a lasting foreign policy legacy ([46:52]–[47:19]).
  • Panel: the war’s real 2026 midterm impact is likely limited—many trends are “baked in” ([48:41]).

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8. Memorable/Notable Quotes

• Mark Halperin ([14:54]):

  “If the President accepted the [Iranian] deal, the nuclear negotiations would take forever.”

• Trisha McLaughlin ([16:13]):

  “I think this regime does not care about human rights... They have leverage the US simply doesn’t have.”

• Jaime Moore ([25:19]):

  “It’s not just Democrats and Republicans that are fighting... These are individuals who may not even vote. ...I don’t want to just parse it down to people who are party members because I think that furthers the political conversation in a way that’s not helpful.”

• Mark Halperin ([25:19]):

  “Both sides have issues. ...Try to be understanding of the other side’s grievances more than being angry about your own.”

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Timestamps for Key Sections

• Iran Crisis Overview: [07:37]–[14:54]
• Panel on Iranian Response Options: [16:13]–[17:51]
• Kimmel Joke Debate: [19:01]–[23:41]
• Security at the Hilton/Shooting Aftermath: [31:04]–[54:26]
• Royal Visit/UK Relations: [34:18]
• White House Ballroom Discussion: [36:56]–[40:32], [54:30]–[55:16]
• Listener Questions/Party Rhetoric: [45:59]–[49:59]
• Outrage Politics & Media: [51:09]–[52:36]

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Notable Moments

• Wide uncertainty over Iran’s oil break-point is a point of confusion even for experts ([13:45–14:37]).
• Strong consensus that the U.S. and Iran are in a “game of chicken” as economic and human costs rise.
• Panel openly grapples with whether any side genuinely seeks reconciliation, or if outrage is a useful political tool.
• Insider anecdotes about lackluster security and procedural confusion at major Washington events.
• Audience engagement underlines the public’s sense of fatigue with political “aggrievement” and desire for less polarizing, more substantive solutions.

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Conclusion

This episode offers a frank, sometimes raw look at the geopolitical and domestic fallout from U.S.-Iran tensions, the dilemmas facing leaders when the international and economic stakes are so high, and the toxic cycle of grievance in American political debate. The hosts and guests do not shy from the messiness of current events, instead foregrounding the confusion, emotion, and calculation on all sides. The listener Q&A underscores both public frustration and a wish for more hopeful, unifying politics in turbulent times.

Transcript

[Vic]

Foreign.

[Mark Halpern]

So we could spend the entire episode talking about Jimmy Kimmel or about which side of the aisle engages in more inflammatory rhetoric. We could, but we won't because we're going to talk about Iran and, and a bunch of other topics. The royal visit the, the ballroom. But we will talk a lot about Jimmy Kimmel in the aftermath of the shooting at the Hilton. Thank you for being here. This is the morning meeting. I'm Mark Halpern joined today by two great people. Jaime Moore is here. Jaime, welcome. Thank you for coming back.

[Jaime Moore]

Good to see you.

[Mark Halpern]

Trish McLaughlin's here as well. And we, we call these conversations like no other. We're going to really try to contribute to understanding the grievances of both sides. And I know whatever I say, there'll be lots of commentary about how I sided with one side over the other. I'm really not, ladies and gentlemen, I'm just for America. Just for America. But we're going to do our best to, to let we have two just wonderful people. I couldn't, I couldn't ask for any better co hosts today to try to sort through this. But we're not going to spend the show talking about January 6th versus Charlie Kirk or Steve Scalise versus whatever. We're not going to spend the whole show doing that because both sides have issues. How about that? Both sides have issues. And, and I just, I just think the conversation should be about what could bring us together rather than what divides us. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my goal. Anyway, I'll run through the day book in a moment and, and then we'll have our conversation. And we're going to start with the Ron because as important as what's going on here at home is, and as important as Jimmy Kimmel is, I think the potential for World War III is more important. So we'll start there in just a moment. Let me do the daybook. The President is at the White House today. The White House pool. The secondary TV correspondent is Newsmax and then my Megyn Kelly colleague Link Lauren is the new media pooler. I'm hoping he gets a lot of questions in link. Godspeed and God save the Queen. And God save the King. Most of the events the President today revolve around the world visit. Executive time started at 8am The President, the First lady greet the King and her queen. Her Majesty, Queen Camilla 1035, 1110. They participate in the guest book signing and the official guest gift exchange. Receiving line of the official delegation at 11201140 bilateral meetings at the same time the first lady and the Queen Consort are doing something involving innovation at the White House Tennis Pavilion. And then seven o' clock they greet them again at the South Portico, participate in a tour and document viewing. At 7:05, 7:20, there's a receiving line and then the big dinner is at 8:05 covered by the pool. Some of this stuff's open press or pool press and some of it is closed. The first thing that the President does, that's pool is not till tonight. So we may not see the President today or at least not talking. Don't know what the Vice President's doing, but I'm sure he'll be at the dinner. Lots going on on Capitol Hill, including a lot of chaos amongst House Republicans and Senate Republicans about how they're going to deal with all the pending issues before them. And the Speaker Johnson is blessed with a tiny little itty bitty majority and having trouble moving anything at this point. It's Tuesday so the Senators have their separate caucus lunches and then at three the King is on the Hill. An address to Congress. It's supposed to be pretty significant and historic and lengthy compared to the one the Queen gave decades ago, the last time our British monarch spoke to the Congress. So that's at 3 o'. Clock. And expect wire to wire cable coverage and full coverage on two way tonight. The Asian EU ministerial meeting begins in Brunei today. And Prime Minister Starmers and all sorts of a pickle, a jam, a kerfuffle over the Epstein matter and his appointment of Peter Mendelsohn is the U. S Ambassador or the UK Ambassador to the U. S. Morgan McSweeney, the Prime Minister's former chief of staff is testifying amid increased speculation that the Prime Minister will not survive this controversy. And Supreme Court has a case they're hearing at 10 examining whether tech companies can be held liable for providing tools that foreign governments use to commute human rights abuses. All right, let's get a quick word in from a sponsor and then right to our co hosts and our conversation starting with Iran. Cozy Earth, our sponsor today. 20% off everything on the site using the promo code morning if you're still looking for Mother's Day gifts. And Mother's Day is coming fast, hurling at us top speed. Please consider buying your gifts@cozy earth.com and getting 20% off with the promo code morning for the bathrobes that are soft and comfortable and have spacious pockets. You know, every mom I've ever known has wanted nothing more than spacious pockets in the bathrobe maybe she's got the jumbo iPhone that's as big as a shoebox and you want to be able to put that in your bathroom pocket. The. The slippers. Warm slippers. Not that I'm thinking of right now as I'm drenched in perspiration having hurdled through the New York subway. Than putting on some warm slippers. But some of you would like warm slippers and of course, the bubble cuddle blanket. All 20% off. Let mother's Day be a reminder that moms deserve care. All the moms in your life deserve gifts from cozy earth. And if they don't like them, they return them. Full refund. Exclusive. 20% off. Go to cozyearth.com because home starts with mom.

[Matt Ebert]

I started with one shop. No college degree, no big investors. It was just a willingness to work. Over time, that one shop turned into into a multi billion dollar business called Crash Champions. All the lessons I learned along the way came from the grind. And that's what my show Pod Crash is all about. We have real conversations with people who've built things the hard way. We talk to founders, athletes, and blue collar leaders who kept going when things got tough. You'll hear stories of grit, leadership, and growth, plus real world lessons you can take back to your team and your life tomorrow.

[Mark Halpern]

When you get moment momentum, you step on the gas. That's how you get separation from everybody else.

[Unknown Guest (possibly a political figure or commentator)]

I was at Harvard Law School.

[Vic]

I was.

[Unknown Guest (possibly a political figure or commentator)]

Blah, blah, blah. I looked up.

[Mark Halpern]

Let me tell you something. There's kids in my neighborhood putting in sheetrock that is smarter than you.

[Vic]

AI is going to disrupt a lot of stuff. It is never going to disrupt physical

[Mark Halpern]

blue collar trait skill.

[Jaime Moore]

And the guy just looked at me

[Mark Halpern]

and he said, it's bloody impossible. So I asked him this question.

[Jaime Moore]

I said, it's impossible.

[Matt Ebert]

Unless that's Podcrash with me, Matt Ebert. Watch on YouTube and listen wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mark Halpern]

All right, here we go. After all that big buildup, as I tried to figure out how to set my computer the right way, I'm having trouble with this. All right, here's. I'll ask my colleagues. Could you guys put the. The co host in here if they're not already in? Because I'm. I'm just seeing nothing.

[Trisha McLaughlin]

We are in.

[Mark Halpern]

Mark, you're in. All right. I just see myself. I'm not sure what's on going on. All right, I'll do the show in a way that I don't understand. Thank you both for being here. Haima, where are we on Iran. Iran. I'm going to run through some elements in a minute, but just give me your 30,000ft. Are we headed towards some more negotiations? Are we headed towards peace? Are the President going to accept the blockade to being taken off? Where do you think we are? 80,000ft?

[Jaime Moore]

I think we're back to square one in some instances where all of those things you just mentioned could potentially happen over the next couple of days. I'm interested to see how the King and the President, what that conversation's like today. I'm sure the King's going to have some note for the President in their private meeting. But look, the blockade is still in effect. The ceasefire is still in effect. The oil prices are still going up. It seems like Iran is having a hard time managing what they created over there. And so there may be some room for them to go back to the negotiating table as they lose capacity around their oil reserves. And then secondly, it seems like China is being exposed in some ways and is probably being a little bit more hurt by this than they have given credence to over the last 50 days. And so I think the Asian, the Asian countries in China specifically, may come to the table a little bit sooner. And then lastly, you know, I think the President made a good point last last week about putting the vice president and his negotiators back on a plane for 14 hours every week. I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon. I think if anything, the negotiating, the next step of negotiation may happen with the Asian countries, with China, and it may have to bring the President a larger perspective of how to end this thing.

[Trisha McLaughlin]

Yeah.

[Mark Halpern]

Thank you, sir. Well said, Trisha.

[Trisha McLaughlin]

I agree largely with what you're saying. I think the president's point, and he's not going to send Kushner or Wyckoff over on a 14 to 18 hour flight because the Iranians are just trying to buy time here. I think we're in a similar place to where we were last week. It really is a game of chicken, I think. Things to look out at. The Wall Street Journal had a piece out today talking about how the President, President Trump really isn't looking for more strikes to happen, doesn't want more hostilities. But that all being said, I mean, the economy out of Iran, I think chicken is up something like 65%, dairy's up 50%. I mean, the economic sanctions are really having a large impact for these people. So I think that the question is, is the internal turmoil enough that people are going to start taking to the streets again? Are People going to start standing up. So I think that that's part of it. But the other piece is, and there's been a lot of reporting on this is what's going to happen with the oil production. And the president on Sunday said there's probably about three days until they have to stop production. Bloomberg is reporting it's probably more of a matter of weeks. So maybe somewhere in the middle there. But the other piece of this is that there is a long term cost here of oil production at these wells is stopped. That there can be real damage to those wells because of low pressure and about 50% of those oil wells have low pressure. So that could have long term impacts for the Iranians.

[Jaime Moore]

Yeah.

[Mark Halpern]

All right. Both of you framed it very well and you raised a lot of the issues that are currently confusing to me. As Tricia said, a report today that says the president really doesn't want to restart the war. Now the president is mixed feelings about it. So but, but the fact that people are saying that to a major paper is significant. The economy, huge deal. The AP has a story 109 that I think Trish is referring to. If you haven't read it, you should. It's about how battered the Iranian economy is and they have lots of access to. Iran's economy has been battered. Its leaders still think Trump will blink first. Lots of examples in the story about how bad the economy is. The world economy is also hurting. The only country that seems to be spared right now is the United States. Here's line from where is that? Let's see. Yeah, New York Times. The US Started the war. The rest of the world is feeling the effects. In just eight weeks, the global economy has been knocked sideways. America has been spared from the table. Lots of examples in the story of countries including American allies who are really hurting. Another country that's hurting is China. A story also in the New York Times about how China's economy is finally feeling the effects of this. And the Chinese have tried to insulate themselves but they've not been able to. Here's the headline. The Iran war is starting to expose cracks in China's economy. China's strategic reserves of oil and natural gas have insulated somewhat but its manufacturing based economy is beginning to falter. So the world wants the war to end. And then there's this question that Tricia raised which is something we've all been following for a while. We all think we've become experts on this of. Well, the president said over the weekend to Fox 3 days and their problem with oil is twofold, and they're related. One is they're not exporting and selling and they need the money. And the other is they've run out of room. They're looking to place the oil in old tankers and old storage facilities. But eventually when they run out of room and they have to continue to pump the oil to keep their infrastructure being armed, and they'll cry uncle. That's the theory. But. But the, the issue Trisha raised of the number, I've never seen so many experts have so many different opinions about the same topic. Okay, here's just some of these examples. One of 105, please. This is the New York Times. They say this all kicks in in two more months. That's a lot more than three days, ladies and gentlemen. Here's the Bloomberg reporting. 110. Bloomberg says 22 more days when it starts to be a problem, but three to four months before it really hurts their oil revenues. So that's, that's a big range, too, but we're not done. 111. What does the Wall Street Journal say? The Wall Street Journal says less than two weeks. Less than two weeks. That's. That's closer to three days than months. And then what does the New York Post say? 114. The New York Post experts say less than seven weeks. Pretty wide range. Now also, the Journal says, well, maybe they can put it. They can start putting oil on trains, which I had not heard until I read that today. So there's lots of different points of view so confusing that the smartest man in America, Joe Kernan, also confused. Here's Joe talking to Dan on squawk box 103, please.

[Joe Kernan]

And when we pass the point of no return in terms of if they don't continue to pump and have a place to put the oil or storage or whatever, they have to shut it down, and then it can't. I've been reading things. I don't understand it. We were just talking about it. Becky and I were. Geologically, what does shutting it in mean? How long is it? Is it irreversible? Is some of it ruined? Some of those wells done forever or just take years to come back? Do you understand? Do you know how all that works, Dan?

[Mark Halpern]

That it could be days, perhaps weeks before Iran reaches tank top here, which is the maximum amount of storage that it can hold, given production levels, before it has to completely shut in production.

[Joe Kernan]

I don't know what wins out. There's the blockade and the closure. It's like flip side, you know, both sides of the Same coin.

[Mark Halpern]

Yeah. Okay. So, Dan, you want me to thank him? And he doesn't know. Thank you, Dan. Thank you, Dan. Thank you, Joe. They don't know either. Lastly, I'll say it's pretty clear if the President accepted the deal, the Iran, the nuclear negotiations would take forever.

[Vic]

Yeah.

[Mark Halpern]

Now Richard Haas says, well, take the deal, Mr. President, get Commerce moving again, because the nuclear talks will take forever. I think most people, including most people in the administration I've spoken to say, well, well, we can't let them off the hook on the economics because we think we're winning on the economics. And if we do that, they'll string the nuclear negotiations on forever. So lastly, and I think this may be the most important thing, I show you, ladies and gentlemen, a text I got from a very smart friend. I can't reveal who they are, but they're knowledgeable observer of all of this. And here's what they said about the Iranians. They said this. They can hold off forever. They don't give a. Their people can die. They can die. They don't give a fuck. That's the problem. Honest truth. That's the problem, ladies and gentlemen. Whether you're talking about more military pressure, which the President's obviously reluctant to do and maybe some believe has ruled out maybe, or you're talking economic pressure and Scott Besson is talking about putting on more sanctions as they try to start flying flights again. Getting these people to negotiate a detailed nuclear agreement, we know from history ain't easy. Right. So, Tricia, if you think that the Iranians can hold that forever, what do you, what, what are they supposed to do? There's no way to get. There's no way to get them to actually negotiate. Are we back to bombing them to the Stone Age or surrendering? What can the President do now?

[Trisha McLaughlin]

Yeah, I, I said last week that I think that there would be more strikes coming from the U.S. yeah. And I, I think that's the position we're going to be. And whether that happens two weeks from now or two months from now, I think this regime does not care about human rights. They don't care about the lives of their people, the welfare of their people. And so that they have leverage that the US Simply doesn't have is that we're not willing to inflict pain in our people more than we have to. And so, yeah, I think there are strikes coming.

[Mark Halpern]

Well, is that the only alternative? Because they seem inclined to keep doing economic pressure.

[Joe Kernan]

Yeah.

[Jaime Moore]

And Trish and I agreed on this last week, and I have been saying this for the last 50 days. Now, look, I think here's the greater question, and Trisha made a really good point about this. I think they're hedging on will the President care more about the American people paying $4.18 for gas, or will their economy and their, their culture and their entire country collapse first? And so we don't know what's going to happen. I think the President also understands that if he keeps holding out and we get a little bit further down through the summer, they may just not have the capability to keep existing in the way they're existing because they can't afford to. They're not eating, they're starving. It's just becoming a really bad environment there. But as it stands, they have a lot more power, and that's what I've been saying, than we are giving them credit for. And they are willing to take this thing to the brink. And we're. And we're just not willing to do that. And so to Trisha's point, because of that, we may have to go back in, initiate some more strikes, and it's going to have to be more military action, because negotiation is not going to work if the nuclear deal is not on the table initially.

[Mark Halpern]

And the only thing I'd say that you guys haven't said that I know you know, is Iran has threatened all sorts of things if, if the cease fire is over, including destroying undersea communications cables, including destroying desalination plans. So if the President starts it back up, he's going to have to be prepared for World War Three. And we don't really know what the Chinese and the Russians think about that. All right. Raise your hand if you want in on the conversation. I'm sure many of you would like to talk about Iran, and we will, but we're covering a few more topics now. And now I'm going to risk everybody being angry by talking about Jimmy Kimmel. Jimmy Kimmel is a comedian, ladies and gentlemen. And when Jimmy Kimmel made a joke last week before the dinner and before the assassination attempt, he was not joking. He did not say the President being assassinated. He made a joke about the President dying long before his much younger wife. Jimmy Kimmel is not a big fan of gun violence, as you know. On the other hand, Jimmy Kimmel made an offensive joke that really bothered the first lady, particularly after the assassination attempt. But I'll say again, he made the joke not about assassination explicitly, and he made it before the assassination attempt. Nonetheless, both the President, the First lady would like Jimmy Kimmel Fired you've yet to hear, as far as I know from abc, last night, Jimmy Kimmel said this.

[Jimmy Kimmel]

It was not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination. And they know that I've been very vocal for many years speaking out against gun violence in particular. But I understand that the first lady had a stressful experience over the weekend, and probably every weekend is pretty stressful in that house. And also I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject. I do. And I think a great place to start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it because.

[Mark Halpern]

Okay, so. All right, there's some raids going on in Minnesota. We'll find out what that's about. Trisha's old shop. So here's the. The Trump X factory is not letting up on Jimmy Kimmel. Here's. Here's just one of a thousand tweets I could read you from Trump related accounts. This is the Trump war room. Jimmy Kimmel's hill to die on is defending a sick joke about FLOTUS becoming a widow if Donald Trump is assassinated. What a truly disgusting, sick individual. Okay, yes. No answers from both of you. Just to set some baseline, Trisha, did Jimmy Kimmel make a joke about the President being assassinated?

[Trisha McLaughlin]

No.

[Mark Halpern]

Jaima?

[Vic]

No.

[Mark Halpern]

Trish, should ABC fire Jimmy Kimmel not

[Trisha McLaughlin]

just over this, but yes, yes, but

[Mark Halpern]

not just over this. Jaime, should they fire him?

[Jaime Moore]

No.

[Mark Halpern]

Trisha, will they fire Jimmy Kimmel?

[Trisha McLaughlin]

No.

[Mark Halpern]

Jaima, no. Now there's a new head of Disney, of course, and so it's going to be a test for him. Thank you both for your straightforward answers. I appreciate it. Here's my question. Trisha, you first. Is the, is the. Is. And I, and I mean this is a serious question. Is are the President the First lady and the Trump war machine? And you might have different answers depending on for whom. Are these people genuinely outraged or is this all just a device?

[Trisha McLaughlin]

I think this is more about ABC and the media at large than it is about Jimmy Kimmel. Actually, your colleague Megan Kelly made a really great point, which I don't watch the Bachelor or Bachelorette, but the host of the Bachelor, which is hosted by abc, Chris Harrison, he was there for two decades and he basically made a comment about one of the contestants. She had gotten a lot of criticism, I think kicked off the show for wearing a costume tour antebellum party and in college. And he's saying she need to be judged by her time. It's like a pretty neutral comment to say and he was fired over that. So I think that the real issue here is that there is such a double standard at play when it comes to Republicans, when it comes to Democrats. Would Jimmy Kimmel be making this joke about Joe Biden when Joe Biden was clearly very old and ailing? No.

[Mark Halpern]

Well said. And Jaime, before you answer, I'll just say, ladies and gentlemen, part of the challenge of this, of talking about this stuff is the press does side in a biased way against one party. They just do. So that party feels particularly grief because every day they're hit in the face with a two on one.

[Jaime Moore]

Jaime, I'm sure some of those jokes were made by, about Joe Biden's age and all of that for months and months and months. But look, I think two things can be true. The joke was, was a weird and potentially nasty joke, but it was not about him, you know, being shot or assassinated. But the first lady does have the right to be upset about it, and that's okay. And, you know, and her feelings have, feelings are hurt. She was there. This is the third time that her husband has had some assassination attempt. And so feelings are raw. This does not mean that Jimmy Kimmel should be fired, does not mean that the White House and the President should get more involved in the way media is run, particularly on editorial side. And so I'm nervous that this does bring about another round of meddling with news media and production companies. And I just don't want that to happen. The First Amendment is still very sacred and something that we should be very mindful of. And, you know, and I know we're going to have this conversation for weeks and months to come, particularly as we get into the midterms. But I think Jimmy Kimmel also made an interesting point when he said, if we're going to have this conversation about who, who, who's throwing bricks from, from which house, the President's got to take some accountability. He's got to be a leader and step up and say, look, diversity is a strength for us. And while we are different, we can't use those differences to further divide this country. We're celebrating 250 years. We should be stronger today than we were when we first founded this country.

[Trisha McLaughlin]

I have a question. What did you think of the President's remarks on Saturday after the attendant shooting?

[Jaime Moore]

I, I thought that was probably some of the more conciliatory remarks that he's, that he's had in a long time. And I was proud of him for, for taking that, that tact and, and very proud of the press for rushing over there to, to cover this matter. It was, it was, it was the right thing to do.

[Trisha McLaughlin]

Yeah, I thought the President was fantastic on Saturday. I thought it was a very great moment and a moment of very grave stress for him and the administration. I, right, Caroline, I mean, she said from the podium that, you know, the, the president and the team there was taking seriously turning down the temperature on their end.

[Jaime Moore]

Yeah, I, I hope that's true.

[Mark Halpern]

Yeah, it's hard for any, either side to turn down the temperature because they feel aggrieved by the recent past and they feel emotional about it. And, and, and I, I, I, I can't believe how much time some of you spend on X and elsewhere being angry about what you consider false equivalency on the left and the right. Okay. There's no equivalent to three assassination attempts against Donald Trump for recent Democratic presence. There's no equivalent for Charlie Kirk's assassination on the left. There's no equivalent for January 6th or the pardoning of the January six people convicted for actions related to January 6th. There's no equivalent. So I wouldn't spend so much time if you want to be on the national 10th square saying it's not equivalent, the other side's worse. I'd spend more time trying to figure out how to make it better and, and try to understand the grievances felt by the other side. That's what I'd recommend you do because simply saying our side is more grieved won't help anybody. Both sides are grieved. Go ahead.

[Jaime Moore]

You know what, Mark? I, I, I've been thinking and dealing with this a lot over the last couple of days. Obviously being in the, in the building on Saturday and, and one of the things that I am having a hard time with is just both sides. It's not just two sides. I think what we are noticing and experiencing there are people who, who are fringing on all sides. And it's not just Democrats and Republicans that are fighting against each other. These, these are, these are individuals who are not necessarily associated with any particular political party. And so as we're having this conversation, I don't want to just say it's Democrats and Republicans. These are individuals who may not even vote. They may have an ideology, they may be liberal, they may be conservative minded. But I don't want to just parse it down to people who are party members because I think that furthers the political conversation in a way that's not helpful to.

[Mark Halpern]

Totally, totally agree, Trisha.

[Trisha McLaughlin]

I take a little, I definitely have a Different track on that. Yeah, sure. I mean, I think that the, a lot of the people at January six weren't registered to vote. I don't think that you're thinking that they are Joe Biden supporters. I mean, when you have this individual, this attempted assassin on Saturday, he was retweeting, meaning mainstream Democrat accounts, calling the President and the administration fascists and likening them to Nazis. I mean, I was at Homeland Security and we dealt with this ad nauseam. A lot of the senior members of our team had to move on to military bases and had to get detail for security protection. So, yes, I do feel like, you know, this is not a one sided issue. It's just that we have seen a lot of mainstream discourse from the likes of Hakeem Jeffries and people who are leadership in the Democrat Party. If you call someone fascist or you say that this is a threat to democracy, a threat to the end of our country, crazy people are going to do crazy things and feel emboldened to do so.

[Jaime Moore]

I mean, I mean, let's just be honest. Donald Trump has called Kamala Harris and Joe Biden the exact same things. And I understand, Mark, you're saying they haven't been the same level of assassination attempt, but the conversation has been the exact same from President Trump and from Kamala Harris. I don't think are other Democrats. And so these individuals are calling each other fascists. And that's. And I think what we have to do, those of us who are, who are, who are, who are, who are talking heads and who are having this conversation, we have to be authentic about and say is not right for the. Even though his life was, was threatened three times, it does not make his things he said in the past any more. Right. He's called Democrats some of the worst things in the world and he's targeted people in a way that Democrats like this guy who was the shooter, have no platform to, on which to stand on. The President has the biggest platform in the entire world and he chooses, he has chosen in times to, to incite violence and to incite really harsh things about individual people. And so we can't discount that just because he's had three assassination attempts.

[Mark Halpern]

100%. Tricia, you agree the President's used violent language, correct? He's, he's talked about treason committed by the head, the Joint Chiefs. He's talked about Liz Cheney being targeted. He has used violent language, correct?

[Trisha McLaughlin]

Yeah. I don't know if I considered treason to be violent language, but I mean, I'm sure that there are Things that the president said that I would not say. I'm saying it from a. Time and time again, we are seeing the same talking points being used, which is that Republicans are Nazis and fascists and a threat to democracy.

[Mark Halpern]

Correct. And there's plenty of violent language on both sides. And I'm not saying both sides are equal because again, you can't equate certain things.

[Jaime Moore]

He called her Comrade Kamala for Comrade Kamala for a year and a half.

[Mark Halpern]

But, but, but again, this project of saying our side's more aggrieved. And I'll tell you why. Look at all the things that they've done, the other side's done that we've never done. Both sides can do that. And that doesn't mean both sides are equally right because there's no way to actually qualify. Quantify these things. What I'm telling you is try to be understanding of the other side's grievances more than, more than being angry about your own. Try to understand the other side's grievances because both sides have pretty good justification for grievances. Both sides do. Okay, I'll just show you this breaking news story. And Trisha, you might have some insight into this. This is out of Minnesota. This is 122, please. Months after Operation Metro surge, federal agents returned to Minneapolis to target daycares for suspected fraud. Teams of federal agents once again swarmed sections of Minneapolis early Tuesday morning. Multiple officials confirmed to CBS News exercising search warrants at 20 Child Daycare center for suspected fraud. This, of course, is a outgrowth of what the president pledged to do with the vice president and others to see what kind of fraud they can find in these, of all these federal systems. Trisha, thoughts on this?

[Trisha McLaughlin]

Yeah, I'm sure that this is Homeland Security investigators, which is a part of ICE and probably the FBI as well. I mean, this has been months in the making. I remember kind of in the throes of those miniat Minneapolis surges, you saw the first surge being ICE itself and then the second surge being more of those investigators. So, I mean, I think that you'll probably. You're seeing warrants now. We'll see if there's prosecutions coming.

[Mark Halpern]

Okay, let's move on. Talk about the aftermath of the shooting and just a few other, a few other questions I have for you about that. Surprising to me that we haven't seen much more in the last 24 hours about his background. There's been a little bit, but nothing, nothing sort of really super advanced. And there continue to be conversations about the, whether there'll be another dinner and there continue to be conversations about security. Just briefly, Jaime, what's your biggest unanswered question about all this in terms of going forward, not what happened in the past, but in terms of going forward, what's your biggest unanswered question?

[Jaime Moore]

I think, I mean, Simone Sanders and others have said this walking up to the Hilton, it just felt like things were not as safe as they could have been. And Trisha probably has a big opinion on this. Being from dhs, they asked us to just show a little screenshot and invitation you walk in. So I think security, when you have this level of, of, of, of power in one building, you have to be very mindful. And we've all been to this Hilton so many times at different events, and I think this felt largely unsafe, particularly understanding that threat levels are very high right now. Tensions are high. We're getting to election season and there's no way, there's no reason that have exposed the president, the vice president, the cabinet members, the media to that level of bad security.

[Joe Kernan]

Yeah.

[Mark Halpern]

Tricia, whose decision would have been to set the perimeter inside the hotel, right outside the ballroom, as opposed to further out. Is that a decision made by Secret Service, the White House, the organizers? Who decides that?

[Trisha McLaughlin]

It would largely be made by the Secret Service. I mean, they would be the lead agency on that issue. I mean, I think that this meeting with Susie Wiles, Secret Service and these other law enforcement entities are going to be incredibly important. I mean, we've got the World cup coming, of course. America 250, these massive events that are not only going to have serious national security implications for the President and Cabinet themselves, but for Americans as well. So I think something, especially the location where Reagan himself was shot, it's kind of shocking that something like this could, could get so close to happening. But, you know, I'm, I'm hopeful that, that they'll, they'll find a way forward.

[Mark Halpern]

Yeah, here's, here's a post from the President. I think he just posted this. Somebody will tell me if I'm wrong. Iran has just informed us that they're in a state of collapse. They want us to open the Hormuz Strait as soon as possible as they try to figure out their leadership situation, which I believe they will be able to do. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Not really sure what that means, but we'll, we'll see if we can find out more. The king, as I said, speaks today at 3 o' clock on the hills, meeting with The President, big dinner at the White House tonight. A lot of speculation that he's going to try to repair the relationship in some way because of tensions that's existed of late between the President and the Prime Minister. The BBC headline King to Defend Democratic Values as US State Visits begin begins. I can almost write the speech in my head based on what I. What I've read he's trying to do. Tricia, can he really accomplish anything or is this just a day for pomp and circumstance?

[Trisha McLaughlin]

No, I think it's probably purely symbolic and, you know, he can go back to his country and he'll get a round of applause and pats on the back and that's all good and well, I mean, candidly, I think it is a little rich that he is coming to celebrate America250 when, of course, you know, the Americans gain our independence from, from the uk So I don't think that this is going to have any substantive difference and hopefully it does. Warm relations A. I know the President and First lady have a pretty warm relationship with the King and Queen and. Or Camilla, so we'll see.

[Mark Halpern]

Jaime, anything going to come of this or just a bunch of walking around?

[Jaime Moore]

I think a little. All of the above. I mean, look, I have to admit I am a bit of a love of the royals. God bless the Queen. And so look, I think this is Trisha's right, it's going to be symbolic. But I think this symbol is huge. A lot of symbols. One, it does mean a lot for the King and the Queen to travel across the Atlantic to. To be with the President, to be with the First Lady. And you're right, they've had a pretty. I think the President respects the King in a way that he doesn't respect a lot of heads of state. And so I think that's going to mean a lot that the President has received the King for the first time in quite some time. And then secondly, the fact that the King is going to address the Joint House is going to be something of media importance, one, for just the historical aspect of it. But two, I think the conversation around democracy has been lost a little bit with the wars, what's going on all around the country. And I think China and Russia are benefiting from that. And I think the King wants to sort of help reset that conversation. This country, their country, other democracies have to exist to continue this balance of power that we established after World War II. And so I do think there will be some, some, some things that come out of it may not be huge diplomatic changes around the war and other elements. But I think it's going to mean a lot to the President. It's going to mean a lot to the Congress, and history will reflect well that the king came here.

[Mark Halpern]

All right, one more topic to get to and then to your questions. Please raise your hand if you want in on the conversation. Markets are open, DO is up slightly. NASDAQ and S P down slightly. Brent crude is up, gold is down, and gas is today as average as 418. Wall Street Journal has a pretty good story about the President's, I'll say, obsession hobby. Interested in building stuff and how involved he is. Anyone who knows the president is not the least bit surprised that he regularly is looking at plans for the ballroom. He's regularly looking at plans for the architect. Here's the headline from the Journal. 44 powerhouse byline here. Leary, Dawsey, McGraw and Levine all on one piece. That's like overkill. Those are four of the best political reporters in America. Pushing past third assassination attempt, Trump forges ahead with his ballroom. The president argued that Saturday's shooting made the ballroom even more necessary, citing security concerns. Lindsey Graham's all for building the ballroom and building it fast. Here he is making his case for use of taxpayer money, not the private money. The president's promised to build the ballroom. This is 118, please.

[Unknown Guest (possibly a political figure or commentator)]

We're going to introduce legislation that would authorize $400 million to be spent to secure the. To build the presidential ballroom. Underneath, there will be a lot of military stuff. There will be a Secret Service annex, and we've paid for it by offsetting it with custom fees. But the estimate is 332 million. We're going to do 400 million because I think it's probably going to take more. Private donations can be used, but I think they should be used for buying China and stuff like that. Underneath this ballroom will be infrastructure that is national security centric. The ballroom itself will avoid the dilemma of having to leave the White House grounds with future presidents and this president to go downtown in a place that's less secure. President Trump said to me this morning, excuse me, yesterday, we need the ballroom, not just for me, but for future presidents. He literally could have left his bedroom.

[Mark Halpern]

Okay.

[Unknown Guest (possibly a political figure or commentator)]

Out the back of the White House.

[Mark Halpern]

Trisha, how long does it take to drive from the Bronx to Columbia, South Carolina?

[Trisha McLaughlin]

Oh, I couldn't tell you that, but I can tell you that was such a cell phone.

[Mark Halpern]

Such a cell phone.

[Trisha McLaughlin]

Cell phone, yeah. Why, why are we saying now we're gonna Use U. S. Taxpayer dollars.

[Mark Halpern]

Oh, I know. Well, Tricia doesn't like that, but either does the lady from the Bronx. Here's a, here's, here's AOC and her view of using taxpayer dollars, which Trisha calls a cell phone. Been saying for months that the private donors are going to pay for this ballroom. But now your colleagues here in Congress on the Republican side of the aisle are saying that taxpayers are going to be on the hook for this.

[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]

Hell no. I mean, you see, you know, this idea that we're. First of all, they did not ask,

[Trisha McLaughlin]

like

[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]

they demolished the historic east wing of the White House without any sort of process. I mean, it's actually deeply shocking. And the idea that they're going to make this palace on taxpayer dime after they said that, you know, whoever they, whatever billionaire they have a sweetheart deal with was going to put the bill. It's just not acceptable.

[Vic]

So, yeah, got it.

[Mark Halpern]

And you know, when Democrats are in power. Reconciliation. Jaime, are they going to build a ballroom?

[Jaime Moore]

Of course.

[Mark Halpern]

And who's, who's going to pay for it?

[Jaime Moore]

I don't know. I think that's the question we have right now. And I think, look, this thing had largely sort of been baked into the calculus for people's voting in the midterm. And they were satisfied with the fact that the president made the case for it. He was going to pay forward private donations and it wasn't the American people's problem. But he's making the American people's problem right now by asking us to pay for it when we're already paying for a war. And to be quite frank, most American voters who don't live in D.C. or who are not getting invited to the state dinners or who are not hanging out with the president and the, and the uber rich and those who are in power do not care about the ballroom. And furthermore, they're having a hard time paying for the rent of a 500 square foot apartment. You think they care and want to pay for the President's ballroom because of some perceived safety? Furthermore, the idea that we're going to move the White House correspondence dinner to the ballroom is just another thing we could talk about a little bit later when this thing cools off. But, like, that's just a bad idea as well, and I don't support that.

[Mark Halpern]

All right. The vice president tweeted about the Minnesota raids on 20 locations related to daycare. The task force of the DOJ will be relentless in exposing these fraudsters wherever they may be hiding. And there's a lot of speculation on my phone currently about the President's post on Truth Social and whether he receives some message from the Iranians. So we'll continue to track that as well. A word from sponsors and then to your question. So please raise your hand if you want to be in on the conversation. Shopify wants to have you try out what they do. And what they do is extraordinary. They help people promote anything. You got a new podcast, a new business, whatever you've got going on. Shopify helps you monetize and they wanted you to try it so badly they're going to give you a deal of a lifetime. $1 trial for a month Get Shopify for a month for a buck. Start your Shopify account today. It's the world's commerce platform that millions of businesses use.10% of all E commerce in the United States is conducted over Shopify. It's got it all. AI powered tools for inventory, payments, analytics, marketing, 24 hour customer support if it's time to turn your wh ifs into I say if it's time to turn your what ifs into cha ching dollars go to Shopify. Use the promo code mark shopify.com mark to save a lot you get try it out for a dollar a month shopify.com, let's hear the sound effect one more time. 2024 hour customer support is pretty good. All right. Lastly, perfectly snug. If you have trouble sleeping because you're too hot or too cold, hard to adjust that. But here's something that can perfectly snug.com 15off what Oprah called the best of the best mattress topper. You just put it on top of your mattress. I won't say it's voodoo, ladies and gentlemen. I won't say it's magic. But it's like that. It allows you to be cool down when you're too hot. Allows you to warm up when you're too cold. It it deals with the hot cold hot cycle better than anything you could buy. Perfectly snug. It's adjust your body temperature like magic allows you to sleep well. Oprah calls it again. The best. The best sets the bar high. I'm excited to try mine out. It's sitting in the hallway but I will if you want to try it, you can test perfectly. Stuck at home 30 days for risk free. Use the promo code mark. You'll save 15. Go to perfectly snug.com it's the biggest discount available. They say 15 off perfectly snug.com, promo code mark for 15 off if you have trouble sleeping, give it a try. All right, ladies and gentlemen, here we go. Welcome in Vic. Thank you for being part of Two Way. Come on in, Vic. Unmute. Tell folks who don't know where you are and what's on your mind. For Trisha and for Jaime and again, grateful to you for being.

[Vic]

For. Almost forgot to move. I am from Ohio. I actually, if you were to go back about 250 years, I, I'm, I live about where, uh, Filander Chase, uh, the, uh, Secretary of, uh, what was the treasury, uh, during the Lincoln administration, had his, uh, corn fields. Uh, I live in, uh, the, In a, A nice small town in Ohio. And so I am a. I would say that I'm a PJo. Work Republican, but that, you know, means that I kind of don't have, you know, much more independent. And so that's, that's where I am.

[Joe Kernan]

I have.

[Mark Halpern]

Uh, Vic, I. Sorry to interrupt you, but there's a, There's a moose behind you. Do you realize that?

[Vic]

Yes. Yeah, she's, and actually I, that she. I was trying to, uh, Colin last evening and, and she did in my computer just as you were calling on me.

[Mark Halpern]

And so, yeah, we're delighted to have you here. And I want to introduce you to a future governor of Ohio, Trisha McLaughlin.

[Vic]

Yeah, I would support that. I, I, I, I don't. I actually was an early supporter of Vivek Ramaswamy back in the. When he, you know, when he was running for the president. And, you know, and I, I think she worked on that. And then I actually got to meet the J.D. vance at a campaign event when he was running for the Senate primary in Ohio. And so I actually got a chance to talk to him for about, like, 15 minutes, just sort of shooting.

[Trisha McLaughlin]

That's awesome.

[Mark Halpern]

They're the big three of. They're the big three of Ohio politics. Vice President Vivek and Trisha.

[Unknown Guest (possibly a political figure or commentator)]

Yes.

[Mark Halpern]

Vic, we're glad to have you here. And we'd love to know what question you have for, For Jaime and for. And for Tricia.

[Vic]

Well, actually, yeah, I'm thinking that one of the, like, things that we do on the Republican side. I remember Emily Jasinsky was asking Brian Grimm on their show a couple years ago, but, you know, is there any kind of a term like, you know, because we Republicans get called fascist and Nazi and and so forth, and is there a term that Republicans commonly use? And he said, well, yeah, calling us a socialist or a communist. And while a socialist or communist is, like, not nearly as bad as a Nazi, but it is really kind of one of those shortcuts that we use all the time that I think is really, like, not a good. Is. Is. Is weak and.

[Mark Halpern]

Yeah.

[Vic]

So, but, you know, like I said, it's like we, I wish we would not, not use those. Now, the.

[Paul]

For.

[Vic]

I was thinking about President Obama back when he had, you know, kind of forced through the Affordable Care Act. And I don't know if anybody remembers, but when he was, after they lost the Senate and the House, people were really, really furious with him because, you know, he, he was like, you know, they, they lost all these seats and then people were criticizing him. It seemed like, you know, he, he said, well, look there, you know, it was their job to, to, to lose those seats. Whatever. I'm paraphrasing. But essentially his message was, look, that that legislation was so important to me.

[Mark Halpern]

Yeah. Worth losing the seats over.

[Vic]

It's worth losing those seats.

[Mark Halpern]

Yeah.

[Vic]

And, and I, and I'm wondering if we think, I mean, I, President Trump said a few times that, that, you know, this thing with, you know, Iran is a thing that, that even though, you know, Republicans are probably going to get butchered over it in losing seats. So, you know, my, my opinion is, you know, sometimes you have to do that. That's it.

[Mark Halpern]

Yep. Let me, let me get him to respond. Trish, There's a big story in the New York Times that ran a couple hours ago about how the midterms are really looking dicey for your party, that people are really worried. And it doesn't make the point that Vic just did, which is the president seemed obviously he knew this could end up being popular, but that it might not. So how do you think the White House thinks about it? How do Republicans on the ballot think about the prospect of the war hurting their chances?

[Trisha McLaughlin]

Well, I think very differently. I think that the president views this as a legacy play. Right. He's had the Abraham Accords. He's had a lot of great successes overseas and in foreign policy, and that this could be really crystallized his legacy. As far as the House and Senate Republicans, I think certainly they've been less bullish on this war than the President has. Obviously, they didn't actually give congressional approval. And so you've been hearing a lot of criticism to that vein. But, Vic, you brought up health care. I think that one thing I would love to see the Republicans sell a lot more, it's only April, but going into November, I'd love to hear them talk a lot more about these 17 agreements that President Trump has secured. Having the favored nation status and those Trump RX accounts, I mean, that's going to save Americans a ton of money and we should be really spiking the football on that.

[Mark Halpern]

Jaime?

[Jaime Moore]

I agree, too, Patricia, on how Republicans, if Republicans were able to have this conversation on health care a little bit more directly, a little bit more strategically, I think they would do a lot better. But, Vic, I think you, you brought up a bunch of good points. So thank you for coming on. And I also love Ohio, even though I'm not from there. I spent a lot of time there when it was still a battleground state. But one of the things that I think you underscored is the idea that short term pain and long term sort of rewards either politically or geopolitically. I think most presidents have to make that calculus at some point. However, I think the president also understood that the midterms were a little bit baked in. I don't think the Iraq, the Iran war is losing the midterms for, for the Republicans. It was already trending that way for historical reasons. One, but two, also, there was just a lot of conversation on affordability that's been hurting them in some districts. So I think he understood that even if this war were to go well and he were able to, you know, secure a good deal, it would be fantastic. But if it doesn't, I don't think it affects the Republican. It may, you know, lose, you know, three or four more seats, but it's not going to be the thing that is a determining factor. I don't think.

[Mark Halpern]

Vic, very grateful to you. Thank you for being part of two Way. Thank you for raising your hand. It's the, it's the all Ohio State episode. Dean, welcome in. Thank you for being here.

[Dean]

Ohio and Northeast Ohio. Trish, love that you're back. Jaime, you're our adopted son. I'm still trying to figure out why Mark turned this into Foghorn Leghorn when he reads the the Cha Ching ads. I say, I say again, but I do enjoy it. Mark, thank you. Two questions for you.

[Mark Halpern]

Ones that's selling merchandise.

[Dean]

Yeah, yeah. You're doing a great job at it. One I'm trying to figure out was the security perimeter and the security footprint in this year's correspondence dinner. Was this any different than years past? Was it shrunk up? That's the first question. The second one is more on the outrage. I'm so tired of it. I remember my mom saying and channeling my parents. I don't care who started it. Everybody just, you know, put your tools away. When will the, when will outrage politics be less valuable than bringing unity back to the country? I'm trying to figure out that equation.

[Mark Halpern]

Amen. Two great topics. Let's do with the first one first. Jaime, I think Trisha knows the answer, but you want to weigh in on whether the perimeter was different than it's been in the past.

[Jaime Moore]

No, it wasn't. But we have to, but we have to admit, one, this is the first time the president's gone in both presidencies, so that I think the threat level is a little bit higher. And then two, we're in war with Iran right now. And so just knowing all of those things, I would have just made the president and his cabinet just a little bit safer.

[Mark Halpern]

Yeah, Trisha.

[Trisha McLaughlin]

Yeah, But I think to that end, too, Jaime, is that you shouldn't have the same security posture regardless the same year, because you need to have that uncertainty, that ambiguity. Dean, your question on, you know, when will this outrage culture, and I think it's quite frankly, in the age of social media and cable, it's when everything is clippable and people want to get quick fundraising, fundraising clicks. I think it's a hard to escape from this.

[Jaime Moore]

And look, you know, and I tell Mark this all the time. This is why I love Two Way so much. This is why I love what Mark is doing over here. We're having this conversation, but all over the Internet, they're having very base conversations. We're understanding each other, we're going back and forth, we're sharing how we feel and what we think in our perspective. That doesn't happen almost anywhere else except Two Way. And so we have to kind of keep that in mind, too. People are, it behooves some people in on the Internet to keep us separated, to keep their, their sort of their base audience going.

[Mark Halpern]

Yeah. Thank you for that, Dean. My reported monologue on nextup later today, I'm going to show you the floor plans of the hotel. I'm going to walk you through what exactly happened and where that security, I think, fell short. I keep seeing Secret Service, former Secret Service talk about what a great job they did and in the moment of capturing the guy and subduing the guy, they did. But the, the setting of the mags where they were given, the logistics of that hotel is just madness. It's so far short of, as I said, it's worse security than an urban high school, worse security than, than a Penn State game.

[Trisha McLaughlin]

Trisha, Mark, if I may just quickly. I mean, one anecdote though, a couple of years ago when Vivek Ramaswamy, I was staffing him and he was going to, he was going to the White House Correspondence center. This is when the President, President Biden was in office. I needed to give a vague something, I didn't have a ticket, anything. And I was ended up on the floor in the dining hall without an escort. I mean it really did amaze me the lack of security even for President Biden at the time going into that dinner. So Mark and Jaime, do you guys think that they're going to ultimately have that dinner there anymore?

[Jaime Moore]

I don't know, Mark. And look, I think there may be some long term agreement that they're going to have to get out of the. But I think this hotel just proved that it just can't hold this level of, of, of, of security detail anymore. And look into your point, Trisha, about I go, I've gone down to Dallas with President Clinton and Secretary Clinton and when you're in Dallas, the amount of security that you get from the Dallas police, from the state troopers, they understand that. They do. They do not want a Kennedy instance happening in Dallas ever again. And you would think that this hotel, because President Reagan was, was shot there, they would have a little bit more security, a little bit more be more mindful of keeping the President safe.

[Mark Halpern]

Christian, you got, you got into the ballroom without a ticket.

[Trisha McLaughlin]

That's right. When I was staffing Vivek Romos, I remember thinking, wow, I don't even have as far I shouldn't be here.

[Mark Halpern]

Yeah.

[Dean]

Quick follow up if I could, since we got Tricia and she, she mentioned Vivek, the election for John Houston, the, the senator and frankly, Vivek is just a little bit too close. Get back here to Ohio and help us out. Can you give me some comfort?

[Trisha McLaughlin]

I am back there very, very often. I'm going to move back there full time probably in June. So I will, I'll see you there.

[Jaime Moore]

Hot off the press.

[Mark Halpern]

Yes, hot off the press, Dean. Thank you. Hey, let me ask you guys a question about polling. How interested do you find civilians in your life are interested in polling? Trisha?

[Trisha McLaughlin]

I think they point to it. It's just, yeah, I think fairly.

[Mark Halpern]

Yeah.

[Jaime Moore]

More so now than ever before because of the prediction markets. And so I think a lot more lay people are getting involved in understanding the polls. So it's been, it's been fun having this conversation back home, honestly.

[Mark Halpern]

Yeah. So tonight at six o' clock, a new program on two way Capital intel with folks from Harris X Mark Penn, one of the most legendary Pollsters in the history of the, of the, of the practice will join me with a new poll from Harris X, a new national poll. But it's also, you know, when we, when we started two Way, we've thought about all the ways two Way can be used and, and this program's one but to give people access to talk to a pollster to follow along. You'll have access to the poll itself in advance. You'll be able to look at the poll, Mark will present the deck and then you can ask questions about the findings, about the methodology. Really polling's gotten kind of a bad name in some circles. People find it to be confusing or political. But there's a science to it. Even, even now the best people do it well. So this is the first episode. It's going to be a regular part of two Way, this program two Way Tonight and individual programs. So tonight, six o' clock Eastern right after a regular episode of two Way Tonight, first episode of Capital Intel, a polling program like no other where you get to hear the presentation like a professional would hear it and then be able to ask questions. So please join us for that tonight. As I said episode of NextUp. Later today I'm going to talk to Dan senor about Iran and I'm going to walk through the security at the hotel and why it was inexplicable the way it was laid out. Also talk about some of the conspiracy theories that have come out, as always happens now, about whether somehow the White House planned this or let it happen for political purposes. Insane. But I'll walk through that as well. And then two Way tonight, tonight regular episode, then Mark Penn on Capital intel and then tomorrow on this program in, in a few hours, 23 hours to be exact be Larry and Kevin will join me on the program. Have I forgotten anything? I'll ask my colleagues. I don't think I have. So Trisha, what is the connection you have to the royals? What's your closest connection to the royals?

[Trisha McLaughlin]

Oh, I don't know. I will plug link. Lauren. He started out his reporting as a royals reporter so I think he will have a lot of great insight.

[Mark Halpern]

Yeah, he's a good choice. He's a good choice.

[Trisha McLaughlin]

He's a great choice.

[Mark Halpern]

Yeah, yeah. How many your closest connection to the royals?

[Jaime Moore]

The crown obviously. The show. No, I, I, but I've been following the royals for a long time. I, I love the royals. I love going to London. I love the, the palace intrigue. I was a huge, huge fan of Queen Elizabeth and so I, I, when I'm strolling online. I tend to get some royal content in my algorithm.

[Mark Halpern]

Awesome. Paul, welcome. In a quick question, just up against the clock, but quick question, tell us where you are and what's on your mind for Jaime and for Trisha. And thank you for being part of the two way.

[Paul]

My question was about the suki at the hotel in Washington dc.

[Mark Halpern]

Yes, sir.

[Paul]

It seems to me it's similar to what happened in Israel on the attack from Hamas. Israel thought they had everything covered everything. But there's always a way to sneak through a security. There's always a way to defeat some system. And I come from an industry where there's a lot of retail theft and they used to sell a book called Think Like a Thief, the company that monitored our business. And that's what you have to do. You have to look at the situation, say, how can I get into that hotel? And is there anyone in the Secret Service that did that? And it seems like no one. No one did. And the person that was supposed to do it will probably have their promotion delayed by six months because that's how things work in government.

[Mark Halpern]

Yep. Yep. Appreciate it. Thank you, sir. Tricia, will there be. I know Susie Wiles is supposed to have meetings about it, but will there be individual accountability or. Unlikely.

[Trisha McLaughlin]

I think that it's going to be. It's going to be tough. It's going to be tough. I think it's going to have to be more systematic. I don't. I don't think one individual heads will roll for this. No.

[Mark Halpern]

Yeah. All right, I'm going to jump over to Sirius XM. Second hour of the morning meeting goes over to SiriusXM111. I will see you over there. You can call me up, ask questions if you'd like to talk at the end of the show. And grateful to Paul and the others who ask questions, grateful, of course, to Trish and I love having you both on. And I'll see you tonight at five and at six and on. Next up, a lot of shows today. Have a great day, everybody. We'll see.

[Trisha McLaughlin]

Thank you. Have a good day, guys.

[Mark Halpern]

Later.