Press Dinner Shooting Sparks Scrutiny of White House Security

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Balance of Power – "Press Dinner Shooting Sparks Scrutiny of White House Security"

Podcast: Balance of Power
Host: Bloomberg (Joe Mathieu & Kailey Leinz)
Episode Date: April 27, 2026
Main Theme:
Analysis and reactions to the attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, its implications for White House security, the U.S.-UK royal visit amid political tension, ongoing U.S.-Iran negotiations, and how these crises feed into the current political and economic landscape.

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1. Episode Overview

This episode grapples with the immediate aftermath of an attempted attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner—a prestigious and symbolic Washington event. Hosts Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz, both eyewitnesses, discuss security lapses and successes, emotional and political fallout, and pickup broader challenges facing the White House: an imminent royal visit, mounting pressure from the Iran conflict, and the increasingly fraught political climate in D.C. The show also brings in notable voices—Washington correspondents, experts, and pollster Frank Luntz—to dissect the events and their deeper national significance.

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2. Key Discussion Points and Insights

A. The White House Correspondents’ Dinner Attack

(00:58–07:21, 30:50–37:19)

• Event Recap: As the dinner unfolded, an attempted shooter was thwarted by Secret Service. Attendees—journalists, politicians, foreign diplomats—were rapidly evacuated amid chaos and confusion.
• Atmospheric Details: Reports of SWAT teams entering, guests sheltering under tables, and a packed ballroom made evacuation difficult.
  • Kailey Leinz (05:31): "It was really uncanny. And that sort of eerie period when we were under the tables...I kind of reflected on America's gun culture...now I’m experiencing it."
• Emotional Impact: Guests describe surreal fear, camaraderie amidst crisis, and gratitude for security forces.
• Security Response: Secret Service protocols—what went wrong, what worked.
  • Frank Luntz (36:05): "The system worked. We saw this guy dart through the mags and they still stopped. He never got in the room...they did so efficiently and effectively."
• Immediate Political Response: President Trump was removed to safety, later briefing the press still in tuxedos.

B. Security, Political Violence, and Polarization

(32:11–39:56)

• Reflection on Political Culture: Frank Luntz laments a culture obsessed with politicizing every tragedy and urges a national lowering of the rhetoric.
  • Frank Luntz (32:45): "Our country is not okay...this was a potential tragedy that was averted. But why do we seek to politicize everything we say and everything we do?...At some point, this democracy, which is broken...will break."
• Blame & Responsibility: Discussion of whether current political language and media climate contribute to violence.
  • Frank Luntz (34:18): "We all have to stop. We have to look inside ourselves...It's so easy to blame the other side. That's not what needs to be done. We have to accept responsibility and accountability."
• Call to Action: Luntz pleads with media to use this as a reflection and pivot point, shifting towards honest truth-telling and reducing divisiveness.

C. The Royal Visit: Diplomacy Amid Chaos

(07:21–14:08, 12:39–14:08)

• Royal Security: King Charles visits Washington as planned despite the incident, with "modest operational adjustments" to his itinerary.
  • Kailey Leinz (07:44): "Security is under constant review for an event of this kind of significance...ample evidence of the inflamed political climate in the United States."
• Significance: Underlying diplomatic tension—strained U.S.-UK relations, ongoing Iran conflict, and fallout from unrelated scandals (e.g. Jeffrey Epstein affair).
  • Kailey Leinz (09:23): "The hope from the British government's point of view is that the King is their trump card...the president is very fond [of the King]."
• Expectations for the Visit: Relations may warm temporarily but are expected to revert to their tense baseline after the visit.

D. Iran, Oil, and Geopolitical Chess

(15:40–29:49)

• Negotiations Stalled: Iran presents the U.S. with a maritime-specific proposal—open the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for setting aside the nuclear question, at least for now.
  • Heather Conley (16:50): "Both sides are stuck...Iran now is basically saying let’s pull that nuclear element off...just now agree, let's talk about control of the strait."
• Economic Pressure: Soaring oil prices, strategic energy chokepoints, and the specter of kinetic military action.
  • Heather Conley (17:53): "The clock is about a two week clock for the President to really make a decision. With the price of delivered crude going up...something has to shift this negotiation."
• Axis of Adversaries: Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea viewed as an increasingly coordinated challenge to U.S. interests.
  • Heather Conley (18:45): "We have not gotten this alignment correct...the Russian Defense Department minister is in Pyongyang celebrating that partnership...this new axis of evil, China, Russia, Iran, North Korea."
• European Frustration: European leaders, especially Germany, feel the economic pain and publicly describe the U.S. situation as one of "humiliation by Iran."
  • Heather Conley (20:28): "Iranians are using their leverage. This doesn’t help stabilizing the transatlantic relationship...The Europeans are really feeling the pain here."
• U.S. Domestic Impact: The 60-day War Powers Act threshold approaches, raising questions about whether Congress will demand more involvement if kinetic actions resume.
• Political Panel: Analysts discuss that negotiation remains the only viable solution, with military action risking escalation and further economic harm.

E. Political and Economic Aftershocks

(39:56–42:47)

• Biden/Trump Political Calculus: Economic issues, especially affordability and security, are central in the 2026 political environment.
  • Frank Luntz (40:28): "He won in 2024 because he was the candidate perceived as being better able to address affordability and security...now it's 2026, and the public gets a chance to say, you've succeeded or you failed."
• Can candidates run for something, rather than against: Luntz doubts most are willing to genuinely shift tone or strategy.
  • Frank Luntz (41:41): "They roll their eyes. Or they respond yes, at that moment, and then they don't deliver."
• Civic Responsibility: Luntz repeatedly stresses the need for trust, mutual respect, and a future-oriented public discourse.

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3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "We're going to come, we're going to do it again, bigger, better, nicer, more expensive."
  — Donald Trump (via Frank Luntz quote), [03:36]
• "It was frightening...But you see the best and the worst of human beings...there’ll always be a sort of a bond and camaraderie amongst people who were together that night and an immense respect for law enforcement."
  — Kailey Leinz, [05:31]
• "Our country is not okay...at some point, this democracy, which is broken...will break. And I think we're coming up to that point right now, and it scares me."
  — Frank Luntz, [32:45]
• "We have to look inside ourselves. It's so easy to blame the other side...We have to accept responsibility and accountability."
  — Frank Luntz, [34:18]
• "The system worked...they got to their people quickly. Nobody got hurt. Almost nobody got hurt. And they did so efficiently and effectively."
  — Frank Luntz, [36:05]
• "Negotiation is the only way to end this conflict. If we go up the escalation ladder as the United States, with or without Israel...we are playing into Iran's hands and that would be devastating."
  — Political panelist, [26:53]
• "He needs to focus on affordability. He has succeeded at the border. He's actually succeeded at security. But drug prices, healthcare prices, gas, food...so many Americans...struggling to get by. Those are the Americans who are going to decide whether President Trump was successful or not."
  — Frank Luntz, [40:28]

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4. Timestamps for Key Segments

• White House Correspondents’ Dinner Attack Recap & Reactions: [00:58–07:21], [30:50–37:19]
• Royal Visit Discussion & Diplomatic Context: [07:21–14:08], [12:39–14:08]
• Analysis of U.S.-Iran Standoff/Oil/Energy: [15:40–29:49]
• Frank Luntz on Political Culture & Violence: [32:11–39:56]
• Political Panel (Domestic Impact, War Powers, Negotiation): [24:37–29:49]
• Civic and Economic Reflections, Campaigning Culture: [39:56–42:47]

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5. Tone and Language

The episode is candid, urgent, and often reflective, especially among those who were present at the dinner. Emotionally-charged recounting of the event is woven together with policy analysis and political commentary. Frank Luntz injects a notably somber perspective on the nation's political polarization and collective responsibility.

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6. Conclusion

A multifaceted and news-packed episode, this Balance of Power shows Washington in crisis: security breaches, international crises, and relentless political and economic turmoil. The attack at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner becomes a prism for examining American political violence, media responsibility, and national unity; the royal visit and the Iran standoff, meanwhile, highlight the global stakes and the administration’s mounting pressures. The episode closes with a call for sobriety, self-reflection, and concrete action—both in governance and national dialogue.

Transcript

[Joe Matthew]

Okay, before we get into it, little side note for the IT leaders listening in, I was reading up on a Microsoft Commission survey the other day and learned that teams using Windows 11 Pro PCs report 62% fewer security incidents compared to Windows 10 PCs, including three times fewer firmware attacks. Pretty significant. With security built in, you'll have AI ready it. That sets you up for operational efficiency as well as long term resilience. Upgrade to Windows 11 Pro at Windows means business.com

[Kailey Leinz]

Bloomberg Audio Studios podcasts radio news. You're listening to the Bloomberg Balance of Power podcast. Catch us live weekdays at noon and 5pm Eastern on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with the Bloomberg Business app. Listen on demand wherever you get your podcasts or watch us live on YouTube.

[Joe Matthew]

Welcome to the Monday edition of Bal of Power. Lots happened since you and I last spoke here on Bloomberg Radio, on satellite radio channel 121 and on YouTube. If you prefer to watch the program, we always invite you. Search Bloomberg Business News Live when you get to YouTube, you can pause it, back it up and see all of our shows from up and down the Amtrak corridor as Washington wakes up feeling a bit rattled today, as you might imagine. So many people who we're actually going to be talking with over the next couple of hours were in the room for this attempt, this attempted attack that was foiled by the Secret Service at the White House Correspondents Dinner. And boy, there's no rest for the weary here. We're slamming right into a very busy week. If you're keeping score on your home game, we've got a Fed meeting, of course, you saw that come in. That starts tomorrow. We'll have an announcement on Wednesday. Five of the Mag 7 report. This week, Washington gets a royal visit. The king is about to land at Andrews and he's going to be at the White House a little bit later on. We're going to talk to Michelle about that in just a moment. Of course. This guy Cole Thomas Allen going to be in court today for the first time, the suspected gunman, as they call him. And Congress is facing three major deadlines. We're going to get to that little bit later this hour with Nathan Dean. I haven't even mentioned Iran. So it gives you a sense of the backdrop that we're walking into this week. We're going to talk about the royal visit. Michelle has one of these coveted invitations to the garden party. There's like may they fit like four people in the in the room for this to actually hang out with the king later. And he's Going to be speaking to Congress tomorrow and meeting with the president behind closed doors. This is a President showed up on 60 Minutes last night really agitated by the questions he got from Norah o', Donnell, having just hours earlier been whisked out of the ballroom at what is known affectionately here in Washington as the Hinkley Hilton. And it takes on new meaning now as we consider a second attempt to injure or kill a president of the United States. It appears based on what we're learning here from the administration and the Department of Justice, the president, instead of coming back out on stage, was whisked back to the White House and he held a news conference in the briefing room with officials all still wearing their tuxes. Here he is.

[Frank Luntz]

Was such a beautiful evening. And again, they're talking about free speech in our Constitution. That's what it's all about. Not just White House correspondence is really, it was really based on free speech in our Constitution. But I said very importantly that we'll do it again within the next 30 days and we'll make it bigger and better and even nicer.

[Joe Matthew]

And that's classic Trump, right? We're going to come, we're going to do it again, bigger, better, nicer, more expensive. But that's a pretty tall order this morning, and it's very unclear that that would be able to happen in that period of time. Susie Wiles is going to be meeting with the Secret Service. We're told as soon as today about protocol call about what may have gone wrong and let's be honest, what went right. And they stopped him. And we can talk about that a lot more with our panel a little bit later on this hour. But I want you to know that, you know, these are, these are tragic experiences anytime something like this takes place. But it was really amazing to watch people come together and deal with this in real time wearing their tuxedos. Some people were underneath tables, others were trying to call loved ones. In the end, it appears no one was actually in great danger, thanks to the work of the Secret Service. If you're with us on YouTube, look at the Mentalist talking to the President. Here he was doing a trick, trying to figure out the name of Caroline Levitt's soon to be born baby. And then out of nowhere, you know, we heard the shots and the authorities came running. For a lot of us, the enduring image will be the SWAT team from behind the dais pointing these massive guns at all of us in the crowd for fear that a shooter was in the room. Michael Hussein had never been to The Correspondent's Dinner before. Based on the conversation that I had with her, I'm really glad to say that she is with us right now. The host of the Michael Hussein show, live in Washington, here in town for two reasons. To go to this dinner and of course, to greet the king, which you'll be doing later on today. One of the great honors for me this weekend was to meet you and get to know you. And we had this remarkable, awful experience together. I'm wondering how you're feeling today.

[Kailey Leinz]

I'm hoping that next time I come to Washington, I can have a more normal weekend. Joe, would that be possible?

[Joe Matthew]

We arranged that, yes.

[Kailey Leinz]

Maybe we can go and have a drink in normal circumstances. It was really uncanny. And that sort of that eerie period when we were under the tables and, you know, all kinds of things go through your head. I mean, I have to think. I have to say, I kind of reflected on America's gun culture in those moments, thinking a lot of people around me have been through this kind of thing or been through drills for this kind of thing, and now I'm experiencing it. So it was frightening. But, you know, you see the best and the worst of human beings, I always think in moments like that, people looking out for each other. You know, we were there as journalists, but we were also there as hosts because we had guests at our table. So there was. I think there'll always be a sort of a bond and a camaraderie amongst people who were together that night and an immense respect for law enforcement and quick, remarkable reactions and reflexes. And the fact that no one died was. Is just an absolute gift.

[Joe Matthew]

Including the assailants, isn't that right? To see them running across tables, throwing tables over. It's so tightly packed in that room. We didn't know if they were trying to find someone, another gunman, or. It turned out they were trying to clear a path for Cabinet officials.

[Kailey Leinz]

Yeah. And. And of course, you know that you look at how tightly packed we were into that room, which meant that there was no easy access, that they were jumping over the empty chairs of people who were under the tables, jumping on and over them in order to get across the room. And. But they did manage to evacuate all those VIPs very, very quickly and right from right across the room. I mean, all the Cabinet members were at those tables towards the front, but that's still a large expanse of the room.

[Joe Matthew]

Sure is.

[Kailey Leinz]

And, yeah, there's a. There's a lot to take in of the events of last night. Hard to imagine being Gathered in that way, in that place. Again, however much the intention is for show to go on another night in

[Joe Matthew]

some way, 30 days is a tall order. As I said, I'm not sure we'll be able to put that together. And there was a question about whether the royal visit would still take place. We didn't know on Saturday night if this might be called into question. Buckingham palace did confirm pretty quickly that the plan would go ahead with what they called modest operational adjustments.

[Kailey Leinz]

Close to where we both were. There were British diplomats.

[Joe Matthew]

That's right.

[Kailey Leinz]

And diplomats from other countries, but certainly British diplomats, including the ambassador and the deputy ambassador. And that will have been one of the foremost things in their minds, no doubt. And I'm sure that even in normal time, security is under constant review for an event of this kind of significance. But I think this ample evidence of the inflamed political climate in the United States. It was then a point of discussion between the two side security teams. And yes, I mean, I imagine that those adjustments are probably further limiting the experience exposure of the King and Queen and the President in their public interactions. But it is in any event going to be a tight four days, a tightly controlled four days and a compressed timetable. And it is taking place in slightly difficult circumstances because of the backdrop of the Iran war and the tensions between the two governments over that and because of the continuing fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein affair, which has had a political fallout in the United Kingdom in including for the King's own brother. And so for different reasons, even before this, this was a tricky, somewhat fraught.

[Joe Matthew]

To what extent will this visit. And he'll be speaking, we understand, for as much as a half hour to a joint session of Congress tomorrow. More of a closed door experience with Donald Trump, who referred to Keir Starmer as a loser, I believe, just as recently as last weekend. To what extent might this visit improve our relationship at the moment with the UK or do we have a bifurcated relationship here where the President loves royalty and he has no time for the Prime Minister?

[Kailey Leinz]

Well, let me talk about the hope and the expectation. The hope from the British government's point of view is that the King is their trump card, the royal family in general and the king in particular. And that Donald Trump is reminded of the special relationship that he personally does have with the United Kingdom because of his special late mother. And that's certainly the hope now that a year ago when Keir Starmer was able to go to the Oval Office and. Yes, right, and brandish the hand invitation from the King to The President, that was for the visit that took place last autumn, last fall, I should now say. And then this is the return leg, if you like, which is ostensibly about America's forthcoming 250th anniversary. And I have no doubt that the king will use humor to reflect on the actions or inactions of his own ancestor, George III in that period. But I think that the reality is that much as I think there will be warm words and, you know, God willing, everything will go smoothly and well in the next four days. At the same time, it is more than likely that the relationship, the political relationship reverts at the end of those four days, possibly as soon as the king leaving the country. But still, it is something the UK compared to other allies does have, something special in, in the fact that it has this royal family of which the king, of which the president is very fond. So that's something. And from the point of view of a government, you've got to use what you've got.

[Joe Matthew]

Well, that's right. What should we expect in this speech, then? Will he mention Ukraine? Will he mention Iran?

[Kailey Leinz]

Well, I suspect that he will mention Ukraine because you Ukraine is such an important ally of the United Kingdom and so important to Europe and which has really been forgotten in this period, not just in this period to do with Iran, but since the beginning of the year between events in Venezuela and also the issues over Greenland. So I suspect he might want to remind the President of that. I think there'll be a lot of, a lot of looking much further back into history and talking about how, you know, despite 1776, the geopolitical transatlantic crisis of its time, a moment where it might have felt like, you know, the United, the new, United newly born United States and the United Kingdom, or very much Great Britain as it was then, would never be able to, you know, be friends again after that kind of break. So I think there'll be a lot of sense of how much has been forged as well as broken in that in that year. And that in many ways is much easier ground, isn't it? To go far back in history is much easier, easier ground. Even though you're talking about a revolution at that time, the present, present times are much more difficult territory. And on Iran, the differences are severe and they are having serious economic implications for the United Kingdom. It is an energy importer. And that means that a lot of the Keir Starmer government's economic calculations for the months ahead are being upended by what Iran is doing to the global economy. And unless this situation is Resolved very soon. Soon that is only going to worsen.

[Joe Matthew]

Boy, there's a lot to consider there. He's going on a. They're doing a beehive tour. Did you see that? They're going to be walking through the White House gardens today. I don't know. Bring the King and Queen to the. To a beehive. But that I understand. How sociable will he be at this party that you're attending? He's. The King will be feted at the. At the embassy in a garden party. Is that just a formality to welcome him here? Is it to actually talk to journalists or more than that?

[Kailey Leinz]

No, I think it'll be an incredibly controlled environment. I have been to a Buckingham palace garden party in my time. That is thousands of people who arrive in one go. And essentially you go into the Buckingham palace gardens and tea is served on the sides and then there's a sort of parting of the ways and the royal party walk down the middle and I suspect there'll be something similar. The embassy has a beautiful garden and. And it is looking at its very best as we've seen in recent days. It is a beautiful day in Washington and so I suspect the same will happen that all of us who are invited will arrive before and then the King and Queen will walk through. I'm sure there will be some remarks made but it's a very nice way to start the visit. It's a beautiful residence designed by the same man who designed New Delhi as the imperial capital of India in the 1930s, Edwin Lutyens. And. And it sets a tone which of course the ambassador and everyone involved in organizing the visit. The palace, the UK government will be really hoping that it sets a tone for the next four days.

[Joe Matthew]

Residence really is very beautiful and I hope that you're in for a wonderful day even if you don't see the beehive and come back to us when we have less madness to talk about. I don't know about the rest of you, but I think you need to clearly subscribe to the Michael Hussein Show. I would just to have a recording of you. You could read the phone book. I would listen to it to go to sleep at night. You're a miracle and we're very lucky to have you and I'm happy to

[Heather Conley]

get to know you this great to

[Kailey Leinz]

be with you and to actually be on set with you.

[Rick Davis]

Well, cheers.

[Joe Matthew]

Thank you.

[Kailey Leinz]

Balance of power of such a great political briefing.

[Joe Matthew]

Thanks for being here for us this weekend. I hope we can do this again. Stay with us on Balance of Power. We'll have much more coming up after this.

[Kailey Leinz]

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[Joe Matthew]

The president in the Situation Room today with top national security advisors, foreign policy team to try out to figure figure out the way forward. And it's a big question right now with the strait still essentially closed, oil prices moving higher again.

[Kailey Leinz]

Yeah.

[Jeannie Shan Zain]

And of course we've seen reporting from Axios in the last day that Iran has presented the US With a proposal, a maritime specific proposal. It seems to see the ending of the US Naval blockade and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, saving addressing the nuclear program of Iran's until later. But we have yet to hear from this president or administration as to whether or not that proposal is likely to go anywhere. If it's simply a non starter, knowing how vocal they have been about the main ambition of this conflict being that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.

[Joe Matthew]

Well, it's still a very important story to us and one that we want to spend time on despite all of the the noise around what took place on Saturday night. Heather Conley is with us and has been patiently waiting for some time here. Non resident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, the Bureau of European and Eurasian affairs in the George W. Bush administration. Heather, welcome back to We've got another offer from Iran that would essentially put us right back to where we were before the strike started. Reopen the Strait and then we'll talk about the nukes. And I'm guessing that's a non starter.

[Heather Conley]

Yeah. Joe, Kelly, great to be with you both. Glad you're both safe. What a weekend you both have have had. Yes. Let's get back to this story. So many things to cover. Basically both sides are stuck. Both sides are pursuing maximus positions and what you saw over the weekend was it was not worth American negotiators going traveling, flying 18 hours. And exactly as you said, Iran now is basically saying let's pull that nuclear element off. Let's just now agree, let's talk about the control of the strait, let's talk about other things. The nuclear issue is the one key thing that President Trump needs to deliver after these 59 days. And with that off the table, it just won't be acceptable to the US Side.

[Jeannie Shan Zain]

Well, so as time goes on, knowing that for now the president has said we will remain in a cease fire, at least on the US Side until these negotiations progress, do you think we could get to a point at which it is likely that the president is either going to receive advice or decide for himself that returning to a military kinetic option is the one that's most viable?

[Heather Conley]

I think, Kayla, this is what we're waiting to see right now. I think the clock is about a two week clock for the President to really make a decision. With the price of delivered crude going up, you're going to start to see some really significant shortages here. Something has to shift this negotiation and I think the president will want to make some strategic strikes, maybe the oil facilities on, on Harg Island. But again, all that's going to do is get us back where the Iranians are going to strike again. So I think we have to anticipate kinetic, but is that I think we're stuck until one side really feels the pain economically to a point where they have to get back to that negotiating.

[Joe Matthew]

Kind of amazing timing for Iran's Foreign Minister Aragchi to show up in Russia to meet with Vladimir Putin. Where's the bad guy music for this scene in the movie. What's going on there and what could this bring?

[Heather Conley]

So this is such an unignored, an ignored story by the White House and I don't understand it. Here we have last year Russia and Iran signed a 20 year strategic partnership with we know they're, you know, the sharing of intelligence, possibly components and parts because the Russians have had made adjustments to the shahed drones that are being used in Ukraine. That we are not addressing the support that Russia is providing to Iran, that we're really not addressing the support that China has been providing to Iran ballistic missile parts and components. We have not gotten this alignment correct. And the Russian Defense Department minister is in Pyongyang today celebrating that partnership. So this, this, this new axis of evil, China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, the United States has not addressed that alignment. We're dealing with them bilaterally, not well and we really got to get a handle on it. And Iran Like Ukraine is showing us this alignment is working.

[Jeannie Shan Zain]

I just want to point out for our audience that the White House press secretary, Caroline Levitt was just questioned in her briefing about the Iranian proposal that had been reported. She said she didn't want to get ahead of the president, but that there was a discussion about it this morning. She said, I wouldn't say they're considering it. She also says she expects that we'll hear from President Trump directly on this topic soon. So we talked about some of the adversaries. I'd also like to talk about, Heather, what we're hearing from allies, including the German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz today, who described what the U.S. is experiencing right now as humiliation on by Iran, who he said not only is skillfully negotiating, but perhaps skillfully not negotiating. Is that how you would characterize this? Is this getting to the point of humiliation?

[Heather Conley]

So I was really surprised by Friedrich Merz's comments today. He was sort of, you know, doing some town halls, I think in North Rhine Westphalia to be that specific about the American humiliation and that, you know, we aren't seeing that exit strategy. While it is true it feels like the Iranians are using, even in their weakness, their leverage, this doesn't help stabilizing the transatlantic relationship. And in part, King Charles mission is that stabilization that look, we understand the difficulties here, but we have to keep our eye on the long term mutual beneficial nature of this relationship. And what Chancellor Mears also said was the Europeans are really feeling the pain here, particularly an energy intensive economy like the German economy there. You know, after the full scale invasion by Russia of Ukraine, what did Europe do? They diversified to, you know, Qatar lng, American lng. Now that is impacted. Again, Europe is feeling the pain point. But explaining this publicly isn't helping. Let's work together. Let's get the strait open. Let's get back to Freedom of Navigation and not the comments I would have said right now at this moment.

[Joe Matthew]

Well, and boy, it's striking to think back to the first week when Pete Hegseth held his first briefing and shamed reporters for even asking if there was a plan to reopen the strait or if they had thought this through before. He said, of course we have a plan. And now we're on day 59 with everything that we've talked about here and in our remaining moment. What are you watching for then in the days ahead? If you think he has two weeks to make make up his mind on this, it's not going to be at the negotiating table.

[Heather Conley]

Yeah, I mean, I think we're really watching again the control of the strait and who gives first. So Secretary Rubio, I believe, said today like it's unacceptable for a toll collection, a toll booth watch Tyrone Tehran's conversations with Oman and how they're managing the strait. But right now, again, it is a race to see who, you know, who buckles first, where's the economic pain point? And both sides think they have time and they have the edge. That's why this thing is just I think it's going to be with us for a while and everyone's going to feel the pain of it.

[Jeannie Shan Zain]

All right, Heather, it's always great to have you and your expertise with us. And here in our Washington, D.C. studio. Heather Conley is non resident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. We appreciate it. Now, we did just hear from President Trump not on the issue of Iran or the proposal as the White House president press secretary suggested we might. But he too, weighing in on what we heard the press secretary talk about Jimmy Kimmel's remarks from days ago, his comment that Melania had a glow like a, quote, expectant widow. The president now taking to true social to say that that statement is shocking and that he should be fired immediately by ABC and Disney. This rings a little.

[Joe Matthew]

We've been familiar, Joe. Yeah. It also starts with the word wow.

[Kailey Leinz]

Yeah.

[Joe Matthew]

So I'm guessing that Donald Trump didn't see this until today. And I didn't know about these remarks until Caroline Levitt mentioned. Had you heard about this?

[Kailey Leinz]

No.

[Joe Matthew]

I'm sure it'll be and of course,

[Jeannie Shan Zain]

it's with the benefit of hindsight now or the fact that these remarks were made. And then just a day later, yes, a shooter tried to storm the White House correspondent's dinner where the president was in attendance.

[Joe Matthew]

We're going to keep quite a secret

[Jeannie Shan Zain]

of events, but again, he's calling for Disney to fire Jimmy Kimmel.

[Joe Matthew]

We'll see how that goes. We went through that once before. There was a brief suspension. We'll see if anything comes of this today. And we want to assemble our political panel, Kaylee, for their take on everything we just discussed with Heather Bloomberg Politics contributors Rick Davis, Jeannie, Shan Zaino are with us as always, partner at Stone Court Capital. Rick Davis is our Republican strategist and Jeannie is our Democratic analyst and democracy visiting fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center. Rick, I don't know your thoughts on the next stage here in Iran, but we're looking at Brent in the $100,809 range. And I'm sure that The President's looking at this too. With WTI also moving higher here in the US how much do you time does he have to play with before he makes a decision on pursuing negotiations further or resuming strikes?

[Rick Davis]

Yeah, or both. You know, this is a President who's used all kinds of tactics to try and solve problems like this around the world. And of course this one, he's, he's done both in excess. Right. There's been lots of negotiating and lots of kinetic activity. So it's well within his purview to do that. And as you point out, pressure is mounting. I mean, not only price of oil, but one issue that the President is hypersensitive about is gas prices and they're still well above $4 a gallon, all on a national average. And so you feel the drumbeat of pressure building up over time. What are we going to do about it? I think Heather's comments about the kind of options the President has about maybe using some stick like attacks on Cargillen or even in other strategic areas of petroleum production that the Iranians have with a renewed effort to try and get something done on the negotiating table is probably somewhere in the trading range here. But I would say that in addition to getting the straight open and trying to relax some of these oil prices, the President is stuck because he has to make progress on the nuclear issue. That is the reason these strikes were begun. It is the hallmark of his attacks on previous administrations and their failure to fix this problem. And he owns this now and he's got to show progress in negotiations otherwise he will look like he has done what other previous administrations have done. And that is cave.

[Jeannie Shan Zain]

Well, and it is the nuclear program that we hear frequently from specifically Republican elected members of Congress on this program whenever Joe and I speak to them. Frankly, Jeannie, it is the notion that you cannot have the world cannot have a nuclear Iran. And they see this effort that the President has undertaken as justified for that reason. But as we and Joe pointed this out earlier, about to cross that 60 day threshold that is often reference from the War Powers act, do you expect that something could change if we were to see a return to more kinetic action like an attack or Carg island, for example, is Congress going to demand that if that continues, the President come to them first?

[Unknown Political Panelist]

Yeah, Kelly, I was really surprised even last night after everything that happened. The President said, you know, I'm working to try to ensure that Iran doesn't have nuclear program. That's something that many people around the world support. But it's not a question of whether we support removing the program. It's how you get there. It's the strategy to get there. And that's where the administration has blundered repeatedly. And so as we sit here today with the strait closed and Iran saying, we're going to set aside the nuclear program issue and we will talk to you about a step by step process to reopen the strait, that is probably the administration and the world's best step now because there is no escalation way to resolve this conflict. This is going to be and only be resolved at the negotiating table. You, if we go up the escalation ladder as the United States, with or without Israel, and I suspect it would be with Israel, we are playing into Iran's hands and that would be devastating. So the answer here is the negotiating table. And now we have Iran and they do have the upper hand right now because they're holding the strait. We have them saying we're taking the nuclear off the table. That puts the president, the US the world in an enormous bind. But they are going to have to deal with Iran as it is coming to the table and try to make a step by step agreement here. Otherwise they have the world economy in a stranglehold and the impact on all of us is going to be devastating.

[Joe Matthew]

What is Vladimir Putin telling Abbas Aragi right now today, Rick, as they meet in Russia? Is this about energy weapons or both?

[Rick Davis]

Well, after they're done all doing high fives at the Kremlin thinking, oh, this is great, the evil Americans are being cowed by, you know, a third rate dictatorial regime in Iran. Then I think they get around to wondering, like what the next steps are. You know, we have to be reminded that Russia has been using their satellite program to target American lives in the region. These are not our friends or allies. These are the partners of Iran. And, and I think that we have to be very diligent of what kind of aid, what kind of help, what kind of material support that comes potentially out of this because you know that the Iranians are there to ask for help. They want to close ranks with Russia against the United States. And it is dumbfounding why this White House has not understood since the day they took office that Russia is not a productive member of the world community and specifically wants to see the United States weaken during the Trump administration. We have to have an answer for that and it's going to have to come soon.

[Jeannie Shan Zain]

All right, Rick Davis and Jeannie Shan Zain of Bloomberg Politics, contributors and our political panel today, thank you Stay with

[Joe Matthew]

us on balance of power. We'll have much more coming up after this.

[Kailey Leinz]

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[Joe Matthew]

A lot of folks are still feeling a bit rattled over what happened on Saturday night at the White House Correspondents Dinner. I was there. Kelly was there, looked lovely in her gown. We were not expecting to have the dinner end early and before they actually start the whole dinner. You know, a lot of times it's not so much about the event itself. It's about the receptions and the parties and the brunches that surround the correspondence dinner. That's become kind of the franchise here. And it allows a lot of people to do networking. Ds and ours to be caught together, journalists talking to sources. And Bloomberg has a little soiree like that in the building right before this starts, right underneath the ballroom, or I guess it's right on the same level or something on the ballroom. Doesn't matter. I walked into the reception this year and saw some of my colleagues. Kelly and I got pictures. We'll put them on social media for you. Tyler was there. And you know who was at the bar? Frank Lutz. Frank. I was so delighted to get a little bit of time in the wild with Frank Luntz. Again, not knowing what this evening would turn into. And so when we came back to air today, we wanted to spend some time with somebody who can speak to a moment like this. A very delicate moment once again. Politically, we frequently turn to Frank at times like these. The CEO of Fil like to call him a celebrity pollster. He's Frank Luntz. You know who I'm talking about. It's great to see you and thank you for coming.

[Frank Luntz]

Your viewers and your listeners are going to think that I'm at the bar.

[Joe Matthew]

No.

[Frank Luntz]

And that's scary because I haven't had a drink in about 30 years.

[Joe Matthew]

That's right. I think you had ice water. And by the way, you0 you were standing. It's not like people were sitting, but there was a little reception area. I was happy to see you there. You had a USA waistcoat on. You looked great in your tuck. And like a lot of folks, I never had a chance to see after because this whole thing got broken up. How did you get out of there? All right, how long did you stay?

[Frank Luntz]

And so many people keep asking me, are you okay?

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah.

[Frank Luntz]

Well, everyone's okay.

[Joe Matthew]

You're right.

[Frank Luntz]

And I appreciate the sentiment, but it's not actually accurate, because the truth is our country is not okay. And I don't like, and I'm coming to even resent that we seek partisan advantage over everything, that this was a potential tragedy that was averted. But why do we seek to politicize everything we say and everything we do? At some point, we have to lower the decibel level. At some point, we have to just say, in a word, enough. And I'm glad to be on this show. I appreciate what you all do in a straightforward, factual way, discuss these issues. But that's not what's happening in America. And we're always seeking political advantage. And we have to stop this because at some point, this democracy, which is broken, as most people would say, it will break. And I think we're coming up to that point right now, and it scares me.

[Jeannie Shan Zain]

Well, we just heard from the White House press secretary, Caroline Levitt, about this. She actually described this as an attempted assassination, which would have been a third against President Trump. But she talked about the rhetoric that is pervasive in American culture right now. She said, look at the language in the manifesto and you can easily find it on social media that others are saying some of this exact same thing. And I wonder if you agree with. With that characterization, that what we saw on Saturday is an extreme example of someone who has taken to heart ideas of the president being a fascist or authoritarian, because those were the examples that she was pointing to.

[Frank Luntz]

We all have to stop. We have to look inside ourselves. And I've been doing this over the last few weeks. I've been exchanging commentary with AI asking AI how responsible I am in the language that I did, how responsible social media is, the websites, the cable news, all the different inputs. And I'm going to get an answer to that. And I'm determined to show America the mirror because we have to look at it. We have to see ourselves. It's so easy to blame the other side. That's not what needs to be done. We have to accept responsibility and accountability. We're coming up to a very important election. I think the Democrats are in very good shape in the House. And I now believe that there's a 50, 50 shot that they take the Senate. So my question to them is, congratulations. We'll see if it happens. How are you going to be different? How are you going to pull in all of America rather than just the people who voted for you? How are you going to work with the president if the American people give you that responsibility? Is it just going to be impeachment? Is it just going to be acrimony? And I'm hoping the answer is no. But I'm thinking that the answer is yes.

[Joe Matthew]

Of course, Donald Trump will still be on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. And if impeachment is, in fact the answer, I think we know how well that is going to go. We also have really short memories, Frank. You know, we've been through Butler, we went through the other one down in Florida. Now, this happened. To your point, nobody got hurt, everyone's fine.

[Frank Luntz]

And by the way.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah.

[Frank Luntz]

The security services. And I know. I don't know which camera's on because I would look at whichever camera to say thank you. Thank you.

[Joe Matthew]

I'm looking for red.

[Frank Luntz]

For a red.

[Joe Matthew]

So you believe the system worked, right?

[Frank Luntz]

The system worked.

[Joe Matthew]

We saw this guy dart through the mags and they still stopped. He never got in the room.

[Frank Luntz]

And they got to their people that they were responsible for keeping them safe so quickly. Nobody got hurt. Almost nobody got hurt. And they did so efficiently and effectively. And I'm thinking this is democracy at its worst, and this is democracy at its best. And I want us to be aspiring to service, to selfless service. You know, I teach at West Point. That's my highest priority. And I don't know if I want to admit this, but a few of my cadets are hopefully going to meet the king of the uk that's great. Momentarily. Fantastic, because the special relationship is special and it does matter. But we should look at this moment that happened on Saturday. I'm begging the media who was there, which is everybody, use this as a reflection moment, as a pivot moment, to do the best job you possibly can, to tell the truth in a way that people will hear it and to help us, to inspire us to do better. And that's what your show does. That's what every interview does. I'm thankful for this. Let's do even more.

[Jeannie Shan Zain]

You're very kind, Frank. As we, as we Consider this notion of political violence, and you mentioned your students, and it has obviously been present in conversation in the last 24 hours to the point you were making about the security forces that were present and did their jobs incredibly well on Saturday night. We were afforded that protection by the United States Secret Service and others. Many others in this country have not been so lucky when they themselves have been in similar situations. And I wonder if it's. Is it a political violence conversation that needs to be had exclusively or a wider conversation that needs to happen about violence and gun violence in this country wider?

[Frank Luntz]

Because it's not just gun violence. It's how we treat each other. It's the verbal violence, it's some cases physical violence, that we need to reestablish a commitment, a genuine commitment to a meaningful, measurable change in this country so that once again, we treat people with. With respect. We treat them with dignity. Republicans, independents, Democrats, Libertarians, Social Democrats, or socialists, we all have to do it. We all have to be involved. And this network is all about the economy. It's all about profitability. But there's something more important than profit, profitability, and that's security. And every American deserves the sense and the reality of being safe and secure in their homes, in their neighborhoods, and in their country.

[Joe Matthew]

So does something come from this moment, or do we pack this up with the rest of the bad memories that I mentioned and move on to whatever. The UFC fight will be on the South Lawn, and a couple will be all be focused on that. How do you keep this front of mind?

[Frank Luntz]

By my taking the time here and diverting, which you wanted to talk about, to being focused on this, and by you all doing the same thing, you don't realize that your voice is replicated. Your voice reverberates across the country and that people look at Bloomberg for the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So use that platform as much as you can. That's why I love teaching at West Point.

[Joe Matthew]

Yeah.

[Frank Luntz]

These people don't understand selfishness. They understand selfless service. They understand leadership with character. Let's commit to doing that.

[Joe Matthew]

Have you talked to the cadets about what happened Saturday night? I know it's been a minute, maybe you haven't been around them, but 31

[Frank Luntz]

different cadets reached out to me that evening. My phone blew up by them saying, are you okay? And my response to everyone was, I'm okay, but the country isn't, so let's focus on that. And that's what I plan to do over the next few days.

[Jeannie Shan Zain]

Well, and as we're considering the various challenges facing this country. Country, clearly we have rhetoric and kind of cultural reckoning that perhaps needs to happen. Frank, what you're suggesting, but we're facing other challenges as well. We're facing economic challenges, a problem with affordability that the President has at times committed himself to addressing, at other times decidedly less so. Higher gasoline prices. And I wonder if you. You see the political pressure on him and his party, especially ahead of November, growing when it comes to some of these economic issues and how the war in Iran may be exacerbating.

[Frank Luntz]

Let's, let's approach this accurately and factually. He won in 2024 because he was the candidate perceived as being better able to address affordability and security than his opponent. Well, now it's 2026, and the public gets a chance to say, you've succeeded or you failed. So he needs to focus on affordability. He has succeeded at the border. He's actually succeeded at security. But drug prices, health care prices, gas, food, just the way that we live has become so difficult right now. And so many Americans, 51%, are living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to get by. Those are the American who are going to decide whether President Trump was successful or not. And he needs to be able to prove that he was.

[Joe Matthew]

When you talk to campaigns, whether it's the candidate or the campaign infrastructure, and you're advising on approach, on messaging, is it possible to teach candidates in this environment how to run for something as opposed to running against something? And when you go there, do they respond, respond accordingly, or do they roll their eyes?

[Frank Luntz]

They roll their eyes.

[Joe Matthew]

Okay.

[Frank Luntz]

Or they respond yes, at that moment, and then they don't deliver in the days and weeks to follow. I don't like talking to campaigns. And when I say every American is there's something more important than your election, there's something more important than who wins and who loses. And that was a beautiful picture on your phone, by the way. I know you don't want to show people, but that's humanize you. If you do. We've lost our minds. And what we lose next is our country and our Constitution. And all of this absolutely matters most. I am so blessed to be an American, and I'm so grateful. But I respect people from other countries. I respect our position in the world, and I want this to continue. I want us to be the best in, informed, the best educated, the best with ingenuity and technology. But it can only happen if we trust each other, if we learn from each other, and most importantly, if we commit to a better future for our children. I know it matters to you because I saw your phone.

[Kailey Leinz]

It does.

[Frank Luntz]

I'm sure it matters to you. Let's do it. Let's try Frank.

[Jeannie Shan Zain]

We'll leave it on that note. It's always good to have you here in studio. Frank Lentz is the CEO of File Inc. We appreciate your kind words. And yes, I do have to say I find my 8 month old son very adorable. That's the photo.

[Joe Matthew]

That Frankest kid in America. We're going to get him an agent as soon as soon as we wrap up with Frank. As only Frank could say, I'm actually really delighted that we had a chance to do that and it's a conversation you can only have on Bloomberg. So thank you for being with us here alongside Kailey Leinz. I'm Joe Matthew. If you want to find find Frank. By the way, Fil Inc. Look for his work and look for all of our interviews with Frank Luntz on the terminal and online. Thanks for listening to the Balance of Power podcast. Make sure to subscribe if you haven't already at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. And you can find us live every weekday from Washington D.C. at Noontime [e-mail]

[Kailey Leinz]

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