US Blockade Puts Pressure on Iran as Trump Warns Mullahs To Make a Deal: Will Negotiations Resume?

Summary

The Morning Meeting – April 14, 2026

Episode Overview

On this episode of "The Morning Meeting," host Mark Halperin is joined by political strategists Hogan Gidley and Jaime Moore to dissect the current state of U.S.–Iran relations on the second day of the American-led blockade, President Trump's approach to negotiations, the pressure from international and domestic actors, and broader political implications. The panel also covers major stories on Capitol Hill, fallout from Eric Swalwell’s resignation, and lighter debates about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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Main Theme

The escalating U.S.–Iran standoff: With the Trump administration enacting a naval blockade around Iran, ongoing ceasefire talks, and pressure from allies and adversaries, the episode explores whether negotiations will resume and what levers of power are in play – both at home and abroad.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The State of the U.S.–Iran Blockade

Status Update

• The blockade is described as “working to achieve an outcome” (Hogan Gidley, 11:09), effectively pressuring Iran’s economy and creating leverage for U.S. negotiators.
• Iranian leaders were reportedly “not aware they had no leverage," with their currency in freefall and military capacity crippled (Hogan Gidley, 11:30).
• There’s skepticism about the duration of the blockade; while it appears successful, supply disruptions risk further escalation in the region.

International Reactions

• Reports show a sanctioned Chinese tanker slipped through the blockade, raising questions about its airtightness ([13:16]).
• Saudi Arabia is pressuring the U.S. to end the blockade, fearing wider regional fallout and disruption of oil transit routes ([13:20]).
• China is critical but refraining from direct conflict.

Optimism vs. Skepticism

• Jaime Moore strikes a skeptical note, questioning the U.S. strategy: "If Iran is weaker... why do we continue to operate as if they are a power in the Middle East?" ([14:35]).
• Hogan Gidley counters that Iran’s leadership is out of touch with reality, suggesting denial or propaganda blinds them.

Memorable Moment:

“For this specific goal, it does seem that this was a good idea and it is working right now. However, what I disagree on is this thing's going to end soon.” — Jaime Moore ([13:54])

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2. Nuclear Program Negotiations

Key Developments

• Negotiations hinge on how many years Iran would set aside its nuclear program: the U.S. wants 20, Iran offers five (Mark Halperin, [19:30]).
• Progress is rumored, with both sides publicly claiming movement, but significant gaps remain.

Quote Highlight:

“I'm no negotiating genius, but that seems to have the makings of a 7 years, 14 years, whatever it is.” — Mark Halperin ([19:58])

Public Opinion

• Polling shows broad bipartisan support for four objectives: reopening the Strait, securing Iranian civilian safety, ending Iranian regional threats, and “permanently stop[ping] Iran’s nuclear programs” (Hogan Gidley, [22:36]).

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3. Domestic Political Impact

Capitol Hill Response

• Speaker Thune is urging the Trump administration to clarify its endgame, with midterms looming and war-weariness spreading ([27:04]).
• The War Powers Act's 60-day clock is discussed, but procedural workarounds suggest Trump isn't under imminent legal threat ([28:27]).

Midterms Concerns

• Anxiety among GOP strategists about gas prices, farmer pain, and coalition cohesion. “Everybody wants to know how this is going to end and he just can't keep going on month after month…” (Mark Halperin, [27:57]).
• Jaime Moore credits Thune with pragmatism, preparing for a post-Trump party while still advancing Trump’s agenda ([28:38]).

Quote Highlight:

“John Thune, the leader of the Republican Party in the Senate, understands that he's got to stop... the hemorrhaging of elections across the country.” — Jaime Moore ([28:38])

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4. The Swalwell Scandal & Political Accountability

Key Points

• Ongoing fallout from Rep. Eric Swalwell’s resignation after serious allegations of misconduct. Both guests criticize the hypocrisy and “power protections” within Congress ([32:28]–[35:32]).
• Jaime Moore insists the priority is the victims, adding, “...the fact that he allegedly raped a woman who worked for him is absolutely disgusting...” ([34:16]).
• Broader context: Panelists discuss DC establishment's tendency to cut loose politicians who become liabilities and warn expanding investigations could unravel “a big part of that sweater” in Congress (Hogan Gidley, [35:59]).

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5. Trump’s Religious Imagery Controversy

Incident Recap

• Trump deleted a controversial social media post interpreted by many as equating himself with Jesus ([37:16]–[40:01]).
• Both panelists agree it will have little lasting political effect, but Jaime Moore voices personal offense, calling it “mortifying” to Christians ([38:34]).
• Hogan Gidley contends Trump “genuinely didn't believe he thought he was comparing himself to Christ,” suggesting sensitivity to public reaction ([40:01]).

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6. Party Politics Snapshot

Bernie Sanders as Kingmaker?

• Discussion of Sanders’ continued pull in Democratic politics. Moore downplays his chances of a nomination due to weak Black voter outreach, Gidley thinks he’d have a strong shot ([43:03]).

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

• Lighter moment debating snubs and surprises from this year’s inductees. Notable grievances: exclusion of Mariah Carey and the Black Crows ([44:42]).

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Notable Quotes & Moments

On the Blockade:

“Economically, they're in a lot of pain too. Their currency, the rial, I believe is one to every US$1.5 million. It is just worthless at this point.” — Hogan Gidley ([11:35])

On Negotiations:

“If the president goes back and he accepts five years or seven years and does some sort of similar agreement that Barack Obama did, then what was his war even for?” — Jaime Moore ([20:46])

On Party Pressure:

“If Thune keeps messing around and the Senate doesn't do things the base wants, you might be preparing for a post Thune Senate…” — Hogan Gidley ([30:08])

On Social Media Influencers:

“He has become a front door and a vehicle to getting to a certain wing of the Democratic coalition." — Jaime Moore, on Hasan Piker ([51:01])

On Political Hypocrisy:

“You are gone. See Joe Biden out. And by the way, I'm not gonna do a convention. Just. We're gonna install who we want. Forget it.” — Hogan Gidley ([33:46])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Blockade status & international pressure: [11:00] – [15:29]
• Nuclear negotiation pathways: [17:15] – [22:17]
• Domestic political implications for Trump/GOP: [27:02] – [31:46]
• Swalwell resignation fallout: [32:04] – [37:07]
• Trump’s religious imagery & response: [37:16] – [41:36]
• Bernie Sanders’ potential run: [43:03]
• Rock Hall of Fame discussion: [44:30]
• Hasan Piker and party coalition debate: [49:04] – [55:45]

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Overall Tone & Takeaways

• The conversation is candid, sometimes irreverent, mixing war-room gravitas with newsroom banter and a dash of pop culture.
• The tone swings between urgency (“this is the least confident I’ve been since the war started” — Halperin, [00:00]) and sardonic asides about D.C. politics and media dynamics.
• The hosts and guests frequently cite polling and the political “base” as lodestars in evaluating decisions both at home and abroad.
• There’s clear frustration with ongoing Middle East entanglements, a recurring theme of political self-preservation on Capitol Hill, and recognition that public fatigue could soon force a resolution—one way or another.

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For Listeners:
This episode provides a thorough, forward-looking rundown of the U.S.–Iran crisis, blended with insight into Washington’s political calculations, media framing, and new cultural flashpoints. Whether you’re looking for updates on the blockade or Capitol Hill intrigue, this is an essential snapshot of today’s news cycle.

Transcript

[Mark Halperin]

Foreign. Everybody, welcome to the morning meeting on the second day of the blockade, the first day of the rest of our lives together. And you know, you got the blockade and you got the ceasefire and you got the peace negotiations and you got the Chinese and you got Israel and Saudi. There's a multi ring circus here and, and I gotta tell you, this is the least confident I've been since the war started. Literally about where things are. It just, it all seems very wide open. Lucky for all of us, we're so fortunate to have with us today the two explainers in chief, Hogan Gidley and Hyma Moore are with us. Gentlemen, welcome and thank you for being here.

[Jaime Moore]

Good to see you, Mark.

[Hogan Gidley]

Always great to see.

[Mark Halperin]

I'll run through the day book and then we're going to talk things or talk about things. We're going to talk about the war. But a Ben, some other stuff as well. Lots going on on Capitol Hill and in peacetime. We'd be talking about the exquisite dilemmas faced by Hogan's friend Speaker Johnson, Hima's friend John Th. And we'll talk some about that but and we'll also talk about what's going on in the aftermath of Eric Swalwell's decision not to stay in Congress and, and the Rock and Roll hall of Fame we have to discuss because there's some controversial choices that all of America must note. And then we'd love to talk to you. If you're here in the two way platform, please raise your hand if you want to be part of the conversation. Ain't nothing scary about it. As long as you got a solid Internet connection and vocal cords, you can be part of the program. So please, if you've never raised your hand, make today the day you become part of our conversation. Along with our regulars, we'll be honored to have you participate. If you're watching on x or on YouTube, please no smack in the chat. I say this every so often just so people who are new here know and we have new people every day. We're happy to say this program is based on the Network News Division's morning meetings. If you've never worked at a Network News Division, you've never had the honor, the pleasure, the delight to participate. These are great meetings, usually done out of New York City. Go around and say what's happening that day in the daybook, what's being covered and what might happen next. We're trying to be very forward looking here. We're not here to rehash Monday. We're here to Talk about Tuesday, Wednesday and beyond and. And to share points of view. If you hear something you don't like, do not send me an email that says, mark I, I'll never watch your show again because somebody said something I didn't agree with. That's not what this show is about, ladies and gentlemen. This is an opportunity to learn from very smart people, including members of the two way community. And most things that are said on this show, you'll hear me say that represents the point of view of tens of millions of people. Wouldn't you want to know what tens of millions of other Americans are saying? Even if you disagree? Especially if you disagree, you should. And if you're not interested in that, I can send me an email. I'll recommend shows you can watch. A lot of shows you can watch. You just hear what you already think. But here's an opportunity to hear other stuff and to engage with people with different points of view. So I'll say again, thank you for being here. Part of the two way community conversation like no other because you do have an opportunity to hear thoughtful people expressing points of view that you may disagree with. All right, let's go to the day book. The President today has an interesting schedule. I will say his usual executive time. At 8:00am 1:30 he participates in a meeting with the speaker of the House and the Chairman of the NRCC in the Oval Office. Hogan, who's the chair of the NRCC these days?

[Hogan Gidley]

Who's the chair of the nrcc?

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah. Hope I put you on the spot. I figured you'd know. Anyway, they're going to be talking about the midterms. Somebody will put it in the chat who can just scrib it from there. It used to be. Used to be Tom Emmer, as you know.

[Hogan Gidley]

No, no, Hudson.

[Mark Halperin]

Hudson. Mr. Hudson in North Carolina. Yeah.

[Hogan Gidley]

It's funny, I work with his wife and I've known Richard for a while, so I don't know why I was thinking. Never mind.

[Mark Halperin]

All right. I think he's doing a good job from best I can tell anyway, then he meets with Sean O', Brien, the head of the Teamsters at 3 o'. Clock. Also closed press, although maybe they'll open that up or maybe they'll order doordash as the President did yesterday. Then at 4 o' clock, the President's taping an interview with Maria Bartiromo the not. Not unusual. He does quite a few interviews with Maria, but he interviewed with Maria two days ago. So Maria back again. I don't know how many reporters have gotten interviews within 48 hours, two interviews with the President of the United States. I wonder. Plenty. Okay. Who? Like, give me an. Got an example.

[Hogan Gidley]

A lot of times. A lot of times you'll see a story that's on background. That's him.

[Mark Halperin]

Oh, another one. Oh, sure. The president meets with Maggie Haberman daily. I'm talking about like on video, sit down interview. And then 5:30, the president sits down with the United States ambassador to the People's Republic of China. So who's our ambassador to China these days, Jaime? I'm just quizzing everybody. Any idea?

[Jaime Moore]

I have no clue.

[Mark Halperin]

Any. Hogan, who's our ambassador? I don't know.

[Hogan Gidley]

I don't know.

[Mark Halperin]

All right, somebody put that in the chat. David Perdue, former senator, former senator from Georgia, another friend of Hogan's. Hogan, all I'm doing is asking about your personal friends and you should keep better track of what they do for a living.

[Hogan Gidley]

I spent so much time sharpieing so many of these people through the process to get them where they are. I just. Fine.

[Mark Halperin]

But you didn't. You didn't do. Because it was all me.

[Hogan Gidley]

It was all me.

[Mark Halperin]

I know, I know. You're the, you're the Ron Klain of the Republican Party. The vice president today.

[Hogan Gidley]

Everyone calls me that.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah. The vice president today is going down to Georgia to do a Turning Point USA event at the University of Georgia at 5 Eastern Time. Be interesting to see how that goes. John Thune and Mike Johnson are meeting privately today. Their weekly sit down. And they got a lot of business to sort through, a whole bunch of issues. I couldn't list them all, but they got a bunch of issues related to reconciliation, to Department of Homeland Security in general, housing, whether there'll be a third reconciliation bill, the, the spy bill, whatever that thing's called. They got a lot of business to do and senators have a lot of business to do at their lunches, including Republicans, to figure out whether they'll go with Speaker Thune's desire to make the second reconciliation bill of three. They hope be he calls it anorexic or super, super skinny. Just funding for Homeland Security. Guys, let me ask you a question. For ICE and, and, and border. I thought reconciliation, you had to offset spending. I thought you had to. You had to have offsets in reconciliation. But they're talking about doing this without offsets. What am I missing? What am I, what am I missing?

[Hogan Gidley]

I can't remember the nuance, but is a it. You don't have to have offsets in this instance. I don't Know if it's because of it? I don't know. It's a link.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah.

[Hogan Gidley]

Issue. I can't remember what the thing is, but something makes it as close as possible.

[Matt Ebert]

Yeah, but.

[Mark Halperin]

But I'm right that usually there have to be offsets, right? Yeah. For some reason they say they don't. Today is a national Holocaust Remembrance Day. There's various occasions on the Hill of events on the Hill. Yeah, go ahead.

[Hogan Gidley]

If, if there's one thing D.C. cares about, it's making sure the budget balances.

[Mark Halperin]

Yes. They're vitally concerned about that. You see it every day. There's House Republican Democrats, separate meetings before votes this evening. And the new gentleman from Georgia, Clay Fuller, who's going to represent the district Marjorie Taylor Greene represented, is being sworn in.

[Jaime Moore]

Quick.

[Mark Halperin]

That was quick. When the speaker wants to do it quick. Jaime. Session.

[Hogan Gidley]

They're in session.

[Mark Halperin]

That's the difference. That's the difference. You're right about that. Conveniently I'm looking now in my email or my text rather. Do I have in here the, the latest numbers? I think I do. Don't I have them in here? Yes. Dow futures up 27. Dow is up eight days in a row. These folks in the market, they just move on. They're like that war, it's going to end. They, they don't focus Brent crude back down under a hundred. Gas prices are down a penny to $4.11. The wholesale prices were up, but much less than expected, even though food trade and food and energy were. Were higher. So that's pretty damn good if you're the President that the war did not cause inflation to explode and good for the American people, not just the President. In any event, that's where, that's where all that stands. Gentlemen, quick word from a sponsor and then we're going to talk about. We're going to talk about the blockade sponsor, Cozy Earth. Ladies and gentlemen, you might think I'm going to be talking about the Mother's Day special. Buy one get from free on the sheets and of course I will eventually. But first I have to show you this. More dog photos. More dog photos. Here they go. Look at these two puppies in the bubble cuddle blanket and on the sheets that bedding can be available to you for your mom or mom in your life or. Or for dogs. Go to cozyearth.com use the promo code Morning Bogo. To get the Mother's Day special, two sets of their famous bamboo sheet sets. Here you see the puppy close up. Go to cozyeart.com superstars those puppies. Go to cozyearth.com the bag, the, the, the sheets come in that bag and it's a spectacular bag. I would buy that bag. Just buy the bag. Like it's like one of those bags from, from Trader Joe's. It's a great bag. I have, I have that exact bag. Go to cozy earth.com Morning Bogo Buy two sets of the bamboo sheet sets made from 100% viscous from bamboo. Buttery, soft, breathable, temperature regulating. Get two of them for Mother's Day. Go right now, risk free. Came for 99 nights. Return them on the 100th day. Keep your money back, no questions asked. I bet they will ask you a question, but you don't have to answer to get your money back. 10 year warranty against pilling. Abnormal wear and workmanship defects. You guys know what pilling is on sheets? Any idea what that is? I don't know. You get your money back on it. Somebody put it in the chat. I know pilling is this.

[Jaime Moore]

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[Mark Halperin]

If you buy these sheets and you get little lumps, you get your money back. Go right now. This offer lasts for another four days. Cozy earth.com Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to [e-mail] Switch upfront payment of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month. Required intro rate first 3 months only. Then full price plan taxes and fees, extra fee [e-mail] all right, gentlemen, thank you for listening. Hogan, we don't know. We got, we got the prospects of, of a, of extending the, the ceasefire. We have the prospects according to the New York Times of a nuclear deal that's just a matter of, of compromising on a number of years. But we also have, we also have the, the, the, the thing closed down. The straight blockade. For some reason. I have trouble with the word blockade. Hogan, what's the status of the blockade? Is it working or is it too soon to say? Or is it not working? What do we know?

[Hogan Gidley]

Well, it seems as though it is working to achieve an outcome. A lot of reports coming out of the meeting JD Vance had with Iranian leaders That I find quite interesting as, you know, some of it was the Iranians really weren't aware they had no leverage. They weren't aware of what was occurring. I think they came to the table with a bigger, bolder sense of what they actually had. I don't know if that's because they just refused to acknowledge reality or because their intelligence is so bad or because they believe their own propaganda, I don't know. But either way, obviously the two parties walked away. But then overnight there was a report that said both J.D. vance and the Iranian leaders said there was progress made here. So it seems like things are moving along. The blockade to me is interesting specifically because while we have destroyed them militarily, I think it's going to take them quite some time to recover from that, if at all. Economically, they're in a lot of pain too. Their currency, the rial, I believe is one to every US$1.5 million. It is just worthless at this point. The straight I don't know what it makes up for what, over one, one and a half trillion dollars a month, 430 some odd billion dollars a day. Donald Trump basically looked at it and said, hey, you want to try and block ships from getting through, we can play that game, but we're going to block your ships from getting out and in and we'll see how your economy does by destroying them militarily and economically. I think it really does open a path for a quick resolution to this problem. Quicker than I thought. I really kind of anticipate this dragging on a little bit longer. I think it moves quicker now because of, of where we are.

[Mark Halperin]

I don't read the chat, but I did glance at it. Somebody just said, oh this people on this platform don't realize how brilliant the blockade is. It might be. Here's a couple headlines. 103. Reuters says that a US sanctioned Chinese tanker passed through the Strait of Hormuz despite the blockade. Now maybe that's just an aberration. The Wall Street Journal is reporting, I believe exclusively that the Saudis. 104. The Saudis want the blockade to end because they're worried about what will happen. Saudi Arabia is pressing us to drop its blockade. Gulf energy exporters worry Iran could escalate and close the Bab Al Mandeb, the main exit route through the Gulf. And they're worried about the impacts of that. They're shipping through the pipeline now, but they're worried about the pipeline oil on the other side not being allowed to be delivered. The Chinese have been critical of the blockade, but they're not publicly going to war over it. So Haima, as best you can tell, how's the blockade going two days in?

[Jaime Moore]

Look, if you guys hadn't realized yet, my base disposition is optimism. So I, I, I try to be as optimistic as possible in these instances, but best blockade ever, but I wouldn't go that far. But look, I, I, I do think Hogan made an interesting point. I do think for, for this specific goal. It does seem that this was a good idea and it is working right now. However, what I disagree on is this thing's going to end soon. I wish I, I and other Democrats had just done, had done back then what Hogan just did for JD Vance and offer a preemptive paragraph of support, I think, and what people are saying and other reports are showing that the Vice President was largely unsuccessful in advancing this conversation to a place in getting us any more safer than we've ever been. What I've remained frustrated about and the fact that we are now having this conversation about this war almost two months in when the President just a year ago told us he obliterated most of their capabilities and we're having the same conversation. So if Iran is weaker and they are in a position to not be able to negotiate from a, from a point of strength, why do we continue to operate as if they are a, a power in the Middle East? If the President has eliminated these capabilities and eliminated their strength, what the hell are we doing now? Why they still have control of the strait? Why are they still giving us so much strife? Why are we still spending so much time over there? And why is this, why is this war not coming to an end sooner? And so I continue to be annoyed by that.

[Hogan Gidley]

That's different things. That's different things. Look, I just remember we were on the show previously, last week it was, or maybe two weeks ago. Did no one in the administration think about them taking over the straight, this is crazy. What bad strategy? And then you find out, no, they actually did kind of assume this was going to happen. This is what they gamed out in their war games at the Pentagon in the Situation Room. This was obvious to anyone who knows the region. I think Donald Trump fixing this problem though, is, is interesting. And of course he has destroyed their military capabilities. But attacking their nuclear facilities, making it impossible for that to continue was important, but they also started rebuilding it immediately. And also what's interesting is apparently in that meeting with J.D. vance, who, yeah, the talks fell apart, but that's not JD's fault. I think the Iranians don't know what they've lost here. And like I said, I don't know why again, misinformation or, you know, head in the sand or they're just, you know, fine with committing suicide. As you know, that's kind of their thing. I don't know why they're, they're, they don't recognize the reality here, but they don't. So that's not JD's fault in these negotiations.

[Jaime Moore]

What, what, what, what make, what will make them recognize that they are losing the scene? Because they're still in some ways operating from a, a, and maybe it's delusion, but here they still have an Israel in this conflict hot and heavy and we're talking about this thing every day and we're paying money for it and we're losing lives and so what point will they actually lose?

[Mark Halperin]

Well, when, when they get, when they give in to the demands of the United States.

[Hogan Gidley]

It would stop today, it was yesterday. If they, if they agreed to get rid of their nuclear program, you know, wouldn't spend any money on terrorism. We'd be done with this thing, but we'd be done with it.

[Mark Halperin]

I'll just transition by agreeing with both of you on one thing and disagreeing with both you on one thing. They, they didn't destroy the nuclear program in the sense that Iran has still capabilities and, and the, the dust, as the President likes to call it, is still there. So I don't think there's a conflict, I might say with respect, between they're saying before that they obliterated the program, but it still needs to be dealt with longer term. And Hogan, I'll say again, the proof is in the pudding on the street. Of course the Pentagon's been war gaming the straight forever, but the strait is currently closed. So you can't say that they were fully prepared to keep the strait open because Iran closed it. So anyway, I don't believe either of those points is debatable. I will reputation if you'd like.

[Hogan Gidley]

I will, I will point one thing out, I think in that meeting too that the Iranians were saying, hey, we have enough nuclear material for 11 nuclear bombs. Was the number.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah.

[Hogan Gidley]

Interesting, because I remember recently as this past week, Hillary Clinton and other Democrats saying, I can't believe he walked away from the jcpoa. We had a deal in place, they couldn't produce nuclear weapons. Now they're saying we had 11. That's fascinating.

[Jaime Moore]

Well, as we close to this deadline of a ceasefire, what I can't see a world right now where Iran is going to agree to all the things that are on the table and if they don't and we reach this deadline again, what do we do? Is the President going to go in and then erase civilization?

[Mark Halperin]

What happens? Ceasefire. The Pakistanis already working to extend the ceasefire. I think odds are the ceasefire will be extended. I saw somebody say in the, in the chat that Lloyds of London closed the strait. That's true. I understand that point. But the Iranians precipitated the scaredy catness of Lloyds of London. The talks went better than one might have thought by all accounts. Now it's mislead until, until Barack Ravid and Mark Caputo tell us the talks, second round of talks are scheduled. I won't believe it. But there is talk of talks, there's talk of talks this weekend potentially in maybe back in Pakistan. I doubt the Vice President would go, but I think Witkoff would go and Kushner would go. And the New York Times exclusively, as best I can tell, is reporting that on the central issue of Iran setting aside its nuclear program, there's a, there's a workable possibility here. Just before Vice President Vance left Islamabad Sunday morning, he described Iran and the United States as worlds apart. It turns out the Trump administration's idea of long term is 20 years, meaning the, the US is willing to not is to willing to do a version of what the Obama folks did, which is we're not saying Iran can't be a nuclear power forever in terms of nuclear activity just for 20 years. The Iranians said allegedly, according to the Times, five years. Well, I'm no negotiating genius, but that seems to have the makings of a 7 years, 14 years, whatever it is. Now this doesn't address the other issues that the United States say are non negotiable, but at some point the war will end and at some point the war will end with Iran agreeing to some of the American conditions. I believe that's just true, Jaime, isn't it? Given that, given that the Pakistanis, we have to, we do have to discount a little bit the enthusiasm of the Pakistanis. But if there's another meeting this quickly like this weekend, wouldn't that suggest that, that whoever's negotiating for Iran has the authority to strike a deal and that there could actually be a deal.

[Jaime Moore]

Well, I think you made a good point. Whomever is negotiating, which we still don't seem to have a great answer on that. So I think that's a good point. Look, I, I, most Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Independents would like this War to end. And so, yes, if these conversations happen over the weekend, I think we would all be supportive of them continuing via the Secretary of State, Jared Kushner, wyckoff, or even J.D. vance, if they can advance this to do two things, one in this war, obviously, and then two, you know, 20 years, 50 years, 100 years, never. I think we have to be very, very specific and direct about these capabilities and what they can do. Five years is not enough. I mean, look, we can't keep putting ourselves back in this situation where each American president has to step up and figure out a way to eliminate Iran's capabilities. If we have the potential of a huge world war that will eliminate people because of nuclear capabilities, we've got to make sure that we do as much as we can to eliminate that. And so if the president goes back and he accepts five years or seven years and does some sort of similar agreement that Barack Obama did, then what was his war even for? You know, and so I think those are sort of questions that we had, the Democrats, Independents had prior, prior to. And then those are going to be questions that if that is the deal the President takes, we will continue to have.

[Mark Halperin]

Hogan, hold on one thing. Just put up 106. Go ahead, Hogan, but put up 106.

[Hogan Gidley]

Please.

[Mark Halperin]

Go ahead.

[Hogan Gidley]

I want to go. 106 is before I go. Before I go.

[Mark Halperin]

It's all right. It'll wait for you. Do you ever heard of this guy, Zaheed Gishkori? You ever heard of him? He follows me. He follows me on Twitter. So he's the man of discernment. Do you want to say what you wanted to say, Hogan? And then I'll move to this tweet.

[Hogan Gidley]

I. I just was going to make a point to what Heim was just saying, which is, I believe, correct. I was looking at some polling from CBS this past week, and we talked about before leading up to war, the supporters, the detractors, it matters what happens on the back end. 87% of people polled, Republicans, Democrat, independent, said what's important for the US to do regarding Iran, 87% said, open the Straits of Hormuz, straight of Hormuz oil access. 81% said, make sure Iran's people are safe and free. 76 said, stop Iran from threatening other countries. And 76 also said, permanently stop Iran's nuclear programs. Everyone is on that same page, a vast majority of the people. If those things are accomplished, I think this thing's going to be considered a massive victory for the United States. They'll be detractors but the vast majority of people want those things to happen. If you can check those boxes, I think the what for as Jaime was just asking. Then there's your answer.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah, well said.

[Jaime Moore]

All right.

[Mark Halperin]

This guy on Twitter again, I don't know if this is true, although there are other things seen being reported that have rhyme with this thing. This is in the category of big if true. Here's what Zahid tweets. Big diplomatic move. And again, you got to discount the Pakistanis. The Pakistanis right now just have a lust for summitry. They want to be the ones to solve this. They get extraordinarily effusive praise from the American side and from the Iranian side. And at the same time they're as reliable right now as, as if you ask Charo for advice on how to build a nuclear sub that goes over the head of my young co host.

[Hogan Gidley]

Great point.

[Mark Halperin]

Anyway, yeah. Anyway, here's what the tweet says. A high ranking Pakistani official engaged in Iran U.S. talks since weeks. Engaged in Iran U.S. talks since weeks. I don't know what that means. Anyway, confirmed that Islamabad put its maximum diplomatic efforts to host US Iran US Talks in third week of April. Again, for this, there could be a possibility of a visit of US President Trump, Saudi Crown Prince, MBS Turkish President and Egyptian Prime Minister during these talks. Iranian President will likely visit Pakistan as well. The Prime Minister of Pakistan meanwhile, plans to visit Saudi Arabia tomorrow and a high powered delegation of Pakistan will be visiting China as well. So big breakthroughs expected in U.S. iran talks in coming four days. I, I don't believe that the Vice President will necessarily be involved in the next round of talks as we said. But do either of you think it's plausible that the President could go and, and, and consummate a peace deal in this month? Does either you think that's in the realm of possible?

[Jaime Moore]

We, I, I think it's, I think it's quite possible. Look, I think what we've seen is President Trump has not one been afraid to go over there and, and, and get, and get some things done that he feels like he needs to get done. And I don't think this is any different instance. If, if it, if it gets there, I think he would be okay with going, but I'm not sure he's going to run over there.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah, Hogan.

[Hogan Gidley]

I, I, I mock reporters who call me all the time and say, you know, but I don't understand in a normal White House, I said let me stop you right there. Yeah, it's not a normal White House.

[Mark Halperin]

Right.

[Hogan Gidley]

I will say this. Most presidents would not be involved unless it is to the point to sign a deal and something. Right. Donald Trump is not that kind of president in that he has no problem going over there, feeling the room and then going under the wing of Air Force One and going, what a joke. Those people don't know what, we're going to bomb him into oblivion. Whatever he's going to say or whatever he's going to do, he has no problem going. If failure is still on the table, he has no problem doing that. He wants success. He wants to end wars. That's what he's all about. I mean, he's done eight already. He, he wants more of those wins. But so, so if there's a chance this thing moves in the right direction, I could see him going over there. But it's, it doesn't have to be on the precipice of, of an absolute deal. It has to be getting closer and closer. If it's closer and he feels like he's the one who can solve it at the end, then he'll go over there, too.

[Jaime Moore]

I agree.

[Mark Halperin]

All right, the Washington Post, Politico, a few other places have stories about how Republican strategists and candidates are really worried about the midterms because of gas prices primarily, but also trouble for farmers with fertilizer. Axios has a ridiculous item about how the President's coalition is completely falling apart in part because of the war. I mean, they don't cite a single poll. It's just reporters think the coalition should be falling apart.

[Jaime Moore]

Yeah.

[Mark Halperin]

So they assert that it is my

[Jaime Moore]

best barometer for politics.

[Mark Halperin]

Exactly. But here's the, here's someone who's not a reporter. Ladies and gentlemen, this is John Thune. This is Punchbowl News. They cover Capitol Hill the way Hogan covers David Cassidy's career intensely. This is John Thune. Yesterday comments reported by Punchbowl News about how the war needs to end soon. He says there's, he points to several, quote, inflection points in the coming week that could ramp up pressure on the Trump administration. This includes a potential Pentagon funding vote as well as debate over Democrat forced war powers resolutions and the upcoming 60 day deadline mandated under the War Powers Act. Quote, I think people are going to be looking for signs of progress soon. Told us, adding that the, quote, permanent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz should be the priority. The US Military operations against Iran, quote, have been very effective and successful, but they need a plan for how to wind this down. How to get an outcome. Now Thune is super cautious and these comments to me really are blaring because it suggests that he's hearing from his members. Everybody wants to know how this is going to end and he just can't keep going on month after month regarding the War Powers act and the 60 day deadline. The president can send them a note saying I'm going another 30 days. So people need to get off the notion that the deadline's coming up in a couple of weeks because if the president wants to keep going, he can H what do you think? Am I overreading the significance of th statements?

[Jaime Moore]

Well, I, I don't know. I may be overreading it as well because I if you remember just a couple weeks ago, whenever Hogan and I were on, he referenced this earlier. Yeah, I love being on Hogan.

[Mark Halperin]

Just so you guys know, that's our Emmy episode.

[Jaime Moore]

By the way, you're right. I got broadbeat by Hogan and by others thereafter when I said that Senator John Thune is preparing for a post Trump Senate. I still think that's the case. 1 But to look, I think someone just put this in the chat. In a lot of ways, the House representatives, the idea that Democrats will win some sort of majority, maybe slim, it becomes a little bit more of a reality every day on the Senate side, that's not the case. And I think John Thune, the leader of the Republican Party in the Senate, understands that he's got to start, he's got to stop hemorrhaging, stop the hemorrhaging of elections across the country. The Senate is, you know, his something he just absolutely loves. He's been wanting to be the leader for a long time and he, and he, and I think he feels as if, if he doesn't put these statements out even if he votes with the President 99.9% of the time. And I think Leader Thune has done a great job of pushing the president's agenda through the Senate and you can't say that he has not, but he wants to save his Senate in November. He's going to start doing these sort of little nuance statements here and there to show the voters that he may not always agree or he's putting pressure on the president on behalf of his Senate.

[Mark Halperin]

Hogan, how much pressure is the president under now and will be under in the coming weeks from Republicans who are on the ballot in the fall and worried about the impact of the war?

[Hogan Gidley]

First of all, I like being on with you too, Jaime. Second of all, when you brought this up, those low Those many weeks ago about Thune preparing for a post Trump Republican Party. I responded by saying if Thune keeps messing around and the Senate doesn't do things the base wants, you might be preparing for a post Thune Senate to being taken right out of leadership. I don't think that's going to be the case. But right now what you have, it appears to me as though Thune, I think it's a, it's both an overread and maybe an oversimplified, maybe an oversimplification or over over complication. This is more of a DC Speak quote to me than anything else. It threads the needle. It goes kind of both sides. Trump's done great, but people are going to be looking for some some other answers to some other questions later. Hey, we want to make sure that it's coming up on the War Powers act as saying the obvious. But you know, Trump's done a great job. I think it's more of I'm sure he's hearing from members and I'm sure as the midterms get closer and closer, there will be some more questions. But I don't think we're going to get to that point. I think Trump will have so many significant victories, already has so many significant victories in this. It's going to be up to the Senate to sell those to the American people if they don't believe it. But I think it's going to be so obvious and so glaring, it really won't be a problem. I just think this quote was more of a, this is how D.C. works. We got to cover this side, but also this side I'm hearing from these people. But also maga's grade and all this. I just think it was kind of one of those.

[Jaime Moore]

I do think it indicates that they are having a hard time selling some of these accomplishments of the president. I mean, including the big beautiful bill, which in theory a year later, that should be something that the Senate Republicans and the members of the Senate House members should be running on profusely.

[Mark Halperin]

They will be and they'll be talking about it tomorrow on Tax Day. Senator Thune, I think is, is the finest political pundit ever to come out of South Dakota since Tom Daschle. That's what I would say. Swalwell resign is going to resign. We don't know what the effective date is. There's going to be more folks coming forward with accusations were told maybe today. Hogan, is that story over or are there more beats to it?

[Hogan Gidley]

There'll be a few more beats to It. But. But so many aspects of this. I wish we could spend the whole show talking about this because it is fast. That's not true. I wish we had longer segments. It's fascinating to me because, you know, you're accused of things like this. You're innocent until proven guilty. You have to wait for the evidence to kind of bear itself. But that's not Swalwell's M.O. swalwell's fine saying believe all women. He went after Donald Trump, went after Brett Kavanaugh as being dirtbags. The whole time he's got this going on. So the hypocrisy, of course, knows no bounds. That's not shocking at all. But what is interesting to me is. And Jaime can answer to this more, so it's more of a question, I guess, for Jaime. I am always fascinated that when Washington, D.C. views you as irrelevant or they've used you up and you've got nothing left to give, by their estimation, you are gone. See Joe Biden out. And by the way, I'm not gonna do a convention. Just. We're gonna install who we want. Forget it. The same thing applies here at the Swalwell. It started cascading, and everyone just started piling on, and now he's gone. And. And I think they did this in my cynical heart, just to promote somebody else in California because they saw a real risk of having a Republican win that state, and they were concerned about it.

[Mark Halperin]

I respectfully say that has nothing to do with the reason. But Jaime, I think I predicted yesterday that he would resign. I may be wrong, but I think I did. I assume it was because people like Nancy Pelosi said to him, if you don't resign on your own, we'll call for you to resign. And. And that would have become untenable for him. Ruben Galla was amongst his closest friends. He says he knew nothing about this is the con. Is the. Is the senator who has presidential aspirations. Is he going to have to deal with this more than he already has, do you think?

[Jaime Moore]

Well, look, I. I want to. I. I want to keep focus on. On. On the congressman. And Eric Swell allegedly did some really horrible, heinous things to women who work for him and who. And we don't know whomever else. And so, first and foremost, the fact that he allegedly raped a woman who worked for him is absolutely disgusting. And that is his. That is his cross to bear himself. And he's got to deal with that with. With. With the judicial system and his Lord and Christ. Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. That's that's just a fact now as we look and I think Hogan cynically hit on a point point that I do think it has a thread which we can pull a little bit when we think about what's happened over the last 20 years in particular. And if, if even like I've never supported Eric Swalwell. I've never been behind his pres. His gubernatorial run, you know, et cetera, et cetera. However, if, if we're going to be and have a litmus test in, in the Democratic Party for how people treat women or other people and when our party does the same thing, we've got to make sure that we stand up and stand against it. And so look, I think Ruben Gallego as, as I really, you know, I think Ruben's a great person. He's, he's a friend. He's been a great senator for Arizona. I do think Ruben's going to have to answer these questions if he would like to run for president. That's just kind of par for the. But look, this is a conversation that we've been having for a little bit longer. We had Gonzalez, who had a similar situation, maybe not rape, but a similar situation just a couple weeks ago. This is about power and this is about allowing people on either side to get away with things that are absolutely disgusting and then watching it happen, and no one should be able to watch it happen. If you knew about it, then you should be taking the task.

[Hogan Gidley]

It doesn't, and by the way, it doesn't stop here when you talk about this. A bubble up. I was saying, yes, with swallow, there'll be some more stories. But, you know, reporters on Twitter this past week were openly making calls to people saying, like on Twitter, saying, if you have any information about any congressperson, contact me. I'm discreet. I'll take the information. I'll keep your identity because this is happening everywhere. And I think as I talked to you about before, Mark, that corruption with Medicare, Medicaid, Somali fraud, all these things are part and parcel. In addition to that, these congresspeople are allowed to get away with so much and millions of dollars in a fund that designed to protect them against these types of threats. Again, some of them are bogus. No, no doubt about it. But getting to the bottom of that and rooting out these type of, these types of people from Congress, you, you pull on the thread, to use a phrase that Jaime, you should pull on it. But it's going to unravel a big part of that sweater because there are a lot of folks up there that have a lot of problems and they should be held accountable for them.

[Mark Halperin]

Three more topics. Three more topics. Into your questions, raise your hand. I'll just say the Epstein precedent has some people saying, let's see everything. Let's see every email, let's see every document.

[Hogan Gidley]

Yeah.

[Mark Halperin]

And let's, and let's see if people, if people try to enforce that either through the Ethics Committee or in some other way. All right, again, three more topics. And then to your questions, we'll do these quick. Yesterday, the president deleted his posting of an image that caused a lot of upset in many quarters that appeared to show the president as Jesus. The president said it was as a doctor, mostly I'm doing this topic so we can show this tweet112 for those of you who are listening to the program rather than watching it. Is, is there a doctor on board? And there's a Jesus like figure raising his hand on an airplane, all the people around looking at him beautifically anyway. And the president continues to not back down. On the other hand, why he did delete the post. He's not backing down on his fight with the pope again. The New York Times will say this is the end of Donald Trump. We've watched this for a while. He attacked the Pope, a different pope, in 2016. I tweeted about that sarcastically and I spent the day reading moronic tweets. Twitter is not real life, but it does have some good memes on it that are hilarious. Jaime, what is, what are the enduring implications, if any, of the president's fight with the Pope and tweet that offended so many?

[Jaime Moore]

Well, I mean, look, post, I should say from a political perspective, it will not matter and it does not matter. Donald Trump will not be on the ballot. He's headed to a lame duck status. And you're not going to be able to tie Donald Trump's actions of this, of these sort of actions to what's going to happen in the midterms. Not, not, not directly. And so I don't think anything happens. But look, as a Christian, my mom and you know, who is super religious, she sends me a daily devotion every single morning. She already sent it for this morning. She's mortified by the idea that a president will compare himself to Jesus Christ in that way. We've seen over the last nine days, over the course of Holy Week, President Trump has he bombed on Ramadan. He made horrible, horrible comments about taking out a civilization around Easter and Passover. And then on the back end of this as we exit the Easter season going to Orthodox Easter, he's comparing himself to Jesus Christ. I mean, come on. And I cannot make an excuse for that being a mistake or some sort of, you know, joke or whatever. It just feels ridiculous that he would compare himself to Jesus Christ. I mean, I think all Christians should be mortified by that.

[Mark Halperin]

Hogan, the President rarely deletes anything. Why do you delete this?

[Hogan Gidley]

Yeah, the fact he deleted it shows, quite frankly, he heard the, the, the concerns from so many out there. Because I know him very well. I genuinely don't believe he thought he was comparing himself to Christ in that, in that tweet based on what he said publicly. I've been around him again. I can kind of nuance and tell certain things certain times. I think this is another much ado about nothing. I think people got upset about it and he said, fine, I'll take it down, whatever. But I don't believe that's an issue that's going to continue. This isn't the first time people have accused him of, of trying to pretend as though he's Christ even though he clearly is not. The argument, clearly. I think the Pope situation, I have a little bit of a different take. And much like Jaime, my mother is quite religious and a devout Christian and will call me and be angry about all types of things going on in the world. And this is one too. I believe the Pope, interestingly enough, the last one too, had a crusade for climate change and was always kind of running down the United States. This one is doing it with war. But they never say anything like straight and firm. It's always kind of vague so that people can take from it what they want to take from it. But in addition, the hypocrisy is so stupid, it's close. How dare America close its borders? How dare you build a wall? The Vatican is the most secure place on the planet. How dare you fight wars

[Mark Halperin]

in the

[Jaime Moore]

past, as a good Christian, I think what my another annoyance, this is the fact that President Trump did not realize that this image would be a Jesus like image. I mean, has he ever gone to church and participated in any Sunday school ever in his life? Probably not. I think the fact that he's been able to take the Christian religion and some of the Christian zealots in this country and hijack our religion to make a point about certain things that don't matter. He can't even, he doesn't even have respect enough to understand and know that anybody would know that if, if that picture, if that was Hogan or Mark or Haa. We would know that that was a, a Jesus image. I mean, come on.

[Hogan Gidley]

But he had, he had respect enough to take it down.

[Jaime Moore]

All right. Oh, my God.

[Mark Halperin]

Next time, next time you guys are on. Bring your moms. Let's have your moms on with you. We'll do it. We'll do it at 2. 2 cuts. 4. Cosmic. Quickly put up the Bernie Sanders story. The Wall Street Journal has a piece about how powerful Bernie Sanders is, about how big his crowds are, how much money he can raise, how meaningful his support is. The headline, Bernie Sanders is back as a left wing kingmaker. Here's my one simple question, because we gotta move. If Sanders decided to run for the nomination, what. How would you rate his chances of being the nominee? Knowing that he's old and, and not, you know, not new and fresh and, and that's a handicap. But if he decided to go all in and raise the money and campaign hard in the early states. Jaime, how would you rate his chances?

[Jaime Moore]

I. I think still pretty low.

[Mark Halperin]

Still pretty low. Hogan?

[Hogan Gidley]

I think pretty high, actually.

[Mark Halperin]

I think be the nominee.

[Jaime Moore]

I don't think so. He's still. You guys. He. If, if, if Kamal Harris runs or any other black candidate, he's still gonna have a huge problem. The Democratic nomination is going to run through the, through black people, particularly in Georgia and North Carolina and Philly and Wisconsin. And so he has not corrected that problem yet. And so I do not think he gets share of the vote. And he got the last two times.

[Mark Halperin]

All right, but the last two times he would have been nominee, except they cheated.

[Hogan Gidley]

That's right.

[Mark Halperin]

I'm up. Based on your time at the DNC meeting, what states will vote first? Any sense?

[Jaime Moore]

I think, I think New Hampshire goes first. I think New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina, and I think I will go back into the early state window, if not Super Tuesday.

[Mark Halperin]

That's the lead. Hey, New Hampshire media, meet me at camera two. Jaime just told you the truth. New Hampshire's going to go first, ladies and gentlemen. It's massive. I agree with you. All right, lastly, the Rock and Roll hall of Fame. You guys got to weigh in on this. Here's who is inducted. It's a long list of, of inductees and it includes Phil Collins, who was already is already in as part of Genesis, but still Oasis. Luther Vandross, Queen Latifah. You can read the list there. It's about 16 names. Here's who didn't get in. Ed Sullivan. Excuse me. Getting in. Here's who didn't get in. Black Crows, Jeff Buckley, Mariah Carey, Melissa Etheridge, Lauren Hill in Excess, New Edition Pink and Shikara Jaime, who on that not inducted list is an outrage to you, if anyone.

[Jaime Moore]

I'm actually kind of shocked by the the Black Crows, to be to be quite frank. Yeah, I thought they were going to get in this year. And Melissa Etheridge, who I saw in D.C. a couple years ago, kind of shocked by her as well.

[Hogan Gidley]

Hogan I'm shocked Mariah Carey wasn't inducted, but I'm furious. New Edition wasn't inducted.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah.

[Jaime Moore]

What's your favorite in campaign?

[Mark Halperin]

Well, exactly. What's your new song?

[Hogan Gidley]

Hogan I like Candy Girl a lot.

[Mark Halperin]

You are my world. You're everything. All right.

[Jaime Moore]

I love the Queen Latifah's in I love Queen Latifah.

[Mark Halperin]

I know Her Royal Majesty isn't inducted. All right, quick sponsor words and well, you can just keep showing all these great videos of the inductees. Quick sponsors and then to your questions again. If you're here on the platform, raise your hand if you want to be part of the conversation. True Work makes great stuff for outdoor work. If you've got spring activities, whether for your job or just around your own home or farm, you want to try out this clothes from true work dot com. That's true. W E R K 15% off with the promo code two way these are comfortable clothes that allow you to handle whatever the day brings. They are four way for bending, kneeling and climbing. Water resistant to shed rain. Nine functional pockets placed all over for real functional use. These have been tested and validated by trade professionals for over a decade. I just got a pair and they are fantastic. I recommend you try them if you're going to be working outdoors, gardening, whatever you're doing outdoors, building stuff. You want to try these right now again? Go to truwerk.com T R U E D W R K T R U E w e r k.com use the promo code two way built like it matters because it does four way stretch water resistance Give them a try today.

[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 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 talked 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 Halperin]

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

[Hogan Gidley]

I was at Harvard Law School. I was, blah, blah, blah. I looked up, let me tell you something, there's kids in my neighborhood putting in sheetrock that is smarter than you. AI is going to disrupt a lot of stuff. It is never going to disrupt physical

[Mark Halperin]

blue collar trade skill.

[Jaime Moore]

And the guy just looked at me

[Hogan Gidley]

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

[Jaime Moore]

Unless that's.

[Matt Ebert]

Podcast with me, Matt ebert. Watch on YouTube and listen wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mark Halperin]

And here's another thing for you to try if you're building something new, new podcast, new business, whatever it is. Shopify used by people all over the world to start new businesses. To make sure people know you're out there Right now, members of the community here at 2way can get a $1 per month trial offer. To start your Shopify account, go to shopify.com mark and make sure you're making sure people know what you're doing. Shopify is a commerce platform. They are currently powering millions of businesses around the world. 10% of all E commerce is on Shopify. There's a reason for that. Because if you're an entrepreneur and you're just getting started, you can use their hundreds of ready to use templates, AI, power tools, 24 hour support to always be there. So if it's time to turn those what ifs into I say, I say, I'd say if it's time to turn those what ifs into dollars, try Shopify again. Go to shopify.commark to get your $1 a month. It's pretty good marketing tools for email, social campaigns. It's all in one place. Inventory, payments, analytics, returns. Shopify allows you to do it all. And again they have 24 hour customer support, 24. 7 customer support. So they're there to help you. All right, to your questions. Now here's Deborah Knox, leading member of the community. Sometimes we just call the platform Hard Knocks because Deborah has hard questions. Deborah, thanks for being part of Two Way on mute. Tell folks who don't know inexplicably where you are and what's on your mind. For Jaime Moore and Hogan Gidley, I'm

[Deborah Knox]

in New York City and in honor of the 3h day, since we have Jaime Halperin and Hogan, you have a choice of two H questions. Hungary or Hasan Piker.

[Mark Halperin]

Hasan Piker But I thought you were gonna get us H and H bagels. And I was super excited. I need some carbs. Currently I vote for Hassan Piker.

[Deborah Knox]

I think that's the juicier one, right?

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah.

[Deborah Knox]

Okay, so I'm gonna give a little background for people who haven't been following him. He's a DSA oriented Twitch streamer, has said things like America deserved 911 or Republicans are terrorists. And there was recently a kerfuffle because Abdul Assayed, who's the running for Senate in Michigan, had him at an event. First was entitled Hasan the Enemy, but they changed the headline to this is why there's no Liberal. Joe Rogan. And in the two way spirit, Ezra was saying, you know, we shouldn't really cut off those when we disagree with them. Conversations necessary habit and a democracy. And then this led to Jon Favreau having him on Pod Save America. And one of the questions that's been circulating all around Twitter was John said, well, you don't really mean it when you say that Hamas is a thousand times worse than Israel. Right? Like, is that a rhetorical device, a solidarity signal? And Hassan said, no, I do mean it.

[Mark Halperin]

So my question is, Deborah, you could be the Hasan Piker correspondent. That was comprehensive. Thank you for that.

[Deborah Knox]

So go ahead with the Democrats with Hasan Piker continue. And if so, is this a plus or minus for Democrats?

[Hogan Gidley]

Yeah.

[Mark Halperin]

Jaime, over to you. How do you feel about the Piker matter party?

[Jaime Moore]

I'm so sick of talking about it, honestly. And I'm like, really? I'm, I'm annoyed.

[Deborah Knox]

Sorry.

[Jaime Moore]

No, no, like I, this is just my personal, I get annoyed with things very, very easily when we're, when we're talking about them all the time. Yeah, look, look, I, I, this is someone that, you know, I have a friend who's, who's a, who's, who's a Republican who always tells me goes, he knows the dark web. Look, Hasan Piker is someone I've heard about, you know, a long time. And I think some of my friends who are liberal or who are progressive or who are democratic socialists have been talking about Hassan for quite some time. And he's obviously become very prolific online and social media, you know, et cetera, et cetera. So it happened organically. No one propped him up, no one asked him to have these opinions. No one asked him to become so widely viewed and get so much sort of notoriety. But he has, and I think if you see and talk to some of these Democrats who have gone on with him, a lot disagreed with Things he said. However, he has become a front door and a vehicle to getting to a certain wing of the Democratic coalition. I wouldn't say that everyone's a Democrat. Obviously. A lot of these individuals have a hard time calling themselves Democrat. I think Republicans call them Democrats more than we call them Democrats or call themselves Democrats. And so look, I think he's going to continue to exist. I think the more we talk about him, the more we have this conversation, the more infamous he will get within that base. Which means that he will at times, particularly as we close the midterms and next year, I think Democrats are going to, are going to probably still go on and still have a conversation with him. And I just can't see that changing. I don't know if I'm going to offer like a rebuke on it right now. I think, you know, obviously the things that he said that I completely disagree with, but you can't disagree with the fact that he is someone who the who as Mark likes to say, represents a large swath of people and he has, he's built a platform.

[Deborah Knox]

So do you think it hurts or helps on net? It sounds like you think it helps the coalition getting bigger, pulling in some voters on net.

[Jaime Moore]

I don't know yet. I think what the potential for it hurting is having Democratic politicians having to answer this question every day. I mean, they're going on CNN and going on MSNBC and Fox and everyone's like, what do you think about Hassan? You're like, well, you know, I don't care about Hasan, but what I do care about is healthcare down in Louisiana. What I do care about is connecting technical colleges with, with Meta and Google and OpenAI to make sure that we are preparing for the future. And so it's becoming a litmus test that is, is silly. And it's. And it's, and it's. And it's, you know, I just want it to be over.

[Mark Halperin]

Hogan.

[Hogan Gidley]

Deborah, is he also the one that went to Cuba too?

[Deborah Knox]

Yeah. Flotilla.

[Hogan Gidley]

Yeah.

[Jaime Moore]

Yeah.

[Hogan Gidley]

Okay. And then went there and then had to stay in a five star hotel or something.

[Mark Halperin]

Right. He's no Nick Fuente.

[Deborah Knox]

As a luxury tour of Cuba.

[Hogan Gidley]

Yeah, he did. Look, I think it helps us and Republican side because as you heard Jaime just now, not necessarily disavowing him. I love that this guy's a terrorist sympathizer. He supports Hamas. He calls the GOP the world's largest terrorist organization. I mean, the guy's an absolute psychotic clown. And the more people on the left that embrace him, the Better, I say, for all elections moving forward. But it does show, I think, a strain within the coalition on the Democrat side that is gravitating more and more to that side that I think is a problem for the country, no question about it. And his hypocrisy is well known, it's obvious. But his, his decision to throw himself in with the worst people on the planet is also quite telling.

[Jaime Moore]

I mean, I have to. I have to just make this one point. I disagree with Hogan. Every says this Piker and others represent a small majority. I mean, small piece of the coalition. And I do not think as a Democrat, as someone who votes Democrat, as my parents who vote Democrats, who are. Who are sons, Christians. That is just not the huge basis of the party. And it's not necessarily growing. What's happening is this young man is on social media and he's getting a lot of clicks, and then he's getting a lot of Republicans putting money behind it. And everyone's talking about it all the time. That is the Democratic Party. I was just with Democrats in New Orleans just for three days. We never talked about Hassan Piker ever.

[Hogan Gidley]

Who represent.

[Mark Halperin]

Who represents more of the party they're part of? Hassan Piker or Nick Fuentes? Who represents more.

[Deborah Knox]

I was gonna ask that because Nick is the other.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah, yeah, Hogan. Who represents more of their respective.

[Hogan Gidley]

But Nick's. But Nick's not a conservative. That's the difference.

[Mark Halperin]

But I'm asking the different question.

[Hogan Gidley]

I know that, but hold on, hold on. Yeah, but your frame is wrong.

[Mark Halperin]

Let me ask, Let me. I'll ask everyone who voted for President Trump in the last presidential election and said, here's what Nick Fuentes is all about. Thumb up or thumb down. And you did the same thing with Hassan pike, where people voted for comis who would get more thumbs up. I think you think Nick Fuentes.

[Jaime Moore]

Yeah, I think people who, Who. I think a lot of people. No, no, no, I'm telling you this. I think people who have. Have supported Hassan. If you look at what's happened in Michigan with that ridiculous primary and people who have refused to support Kamala Harris because of. Of what they thought that she supported Joe Biden in. That was the wing of the party that Hassan Piker's part of the. And so, so you can't tell me that everyone who listens to him is going to be like, oh, yeah, I'm pro.

[Mark Halperin]

I. I agree with you.

[Hogan Gidley]

How can you agree from the podcast bros. None. He just went on there and that's supposed to be the middle of the road.

[Mark Halperin]

The president hasn't rebuked Nick Fuentes. I'm sorry, the president hasn't rebuked Nick Fuentes.

[Hogan Gidley]

That's not true. He is. Are you kidding? And also, Nick Fuentes hates Donald Trump. He hates the gop. He hates.

[Jaime Moore]

I mean, he went down to mar a lot.

[Hogan Gidley]

Basically a member of the squad.

[Mark Halperin]

All right, the Dow is up again. NASDAQ is way up. The markets are happy with how today's going. Let's see. I gotta just play you some Mitt Romney at Harvard. Mitt Romney speaking at Harvard is exactly what. What Donald Trump wants to hear. Here's Mitt Romney at Harvard.

[Hogan Gidley]

You don't say.

[Jaime Moore]

President Trump has extraordinary skills in. In connecting team with people and. And energizing a base of a party. Is a remarkably savvy political leader.

[Mark Halperin]

Oh, and I'm a True or not

[Jaime Moore]

saying, hey, let me.

[Mark Halperin]

True or not True, True, True. Okay. Jaime says true, Hogan.

[Hogan Gidley]

It's true. I just don't think Mitt Romney believes it.

[Mark Halperin]

Really? Okay.

[Hogan Gidley]

I'm prone to believe Mitt Romney is not always truthful, but that's me.

[Mark Halperin]

It's good to see Mitt Romney.

[Jaime Moore]

I think Mitt Romney would have been a better president than Donald Trump.

[Mark Halperin]

Oh. Anyway, the topic would have agreed with

[Hogan Gidley]

you guys a whole lot more.

[Mark Halperin]

A big topic. A big topic of. A big topic of his appearance at Harvard was whether Donald Trump could have been stopped in 2016 if the Republican Party had mobilized more or different.

[Hogan Gidley]

And which Mitt Romney didn't do. He came out and gave some. It's. I wrote a column on this for Breitbart. Some speech where he said Hillary Clinton dissembled to the victims of the slain. Like what? Like he has a dancing Olympic dressage horse named Rafalka. He had car elevators and he would.

[Mark Halperin]

Car elevator is a smear.

[Jaime Moore]

Hogan, are you.

[Mark Halperin]

A car elevator is a smear. He wouldn't.

[Hogan Gidley]

He wouldn't even use his massive death star apparatus to rally behind a candidate. He just went out and said, hey, I don't like Donald Trump. Like, if you got so much power, do you like him?

[Mark Halperin]

Do you like. Do you like Ian Romney? Do you like Tag Romney? Do you like any of the Romneys? You know, didn't like mitt Romney in 2012. Your friend Mike Huckabee and my friend Rick Santorum, they were not fans.

[Jaime Moore]

They were not for either one of them either.

[Mark Halperin]

All right. Later today, a new episode of Next up drops. Amongst my guests, Hogan's friend, former Mike Pence. Chief of staff Mark Short. And a person who's now Professor Johns Hopkins and a former State Department official who spent the first 16 years of his life in Tehran or in Iran, I should say. His name is Vali Nasser. And look forward to sharing those two stories with you. And my reported monologue is on the communication wars between Iran and the United States and how Iran's using these videos to sow confusion and discord. Tonight, 5:00pm Eastern Time. Two way tonight is on and we'll have full coverage of all the day's events. This program in 23 hours. Tomorrow we bid farewell to Jaime and Hogan but look forward to having them and their moms back. A guy named Larry o', Connor, a guy named Kevin Walling will join me tomorrow. And Monday through Friday we roll right from the 9am program here on two way right into SiriusXM. So I will be stepping off in a second and headed to Sirius XM channel 111 Megan Kelly channel. Join me for a second hour of this program. Guys, thanks for being here. Grateful to you, of course.

[Jaime Moore]

Good time.

[Mark Halperin]

And lastly, Jaima, have you ever been to the Rock and Roll hall of Fame?

[Jaime Moore]

I have not.

[Mark Halperin]

I recommend, I recommend it. Hogan, you've been there.

[Hogan Gidley]

Been buy it, not in it.

[Mark Halperin]

I've been, I've been in, I've spent like seven hours there once. It's a great place. Anyway, Cleveland rocks. The two way community also rocks. Thank you for watching. We'll see at 5 tonight and on next up.

[Hogan Gidley]

See you guys.

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