← Deadline: White House
Deadline: White House
"A Big Ole Mess in Donald Trump’s Washington"
00:43:05
June 24, 2026, 5pm: Nicolle Wallace on Trump torpedoing a chance to show Americans that he doesn’t believe affordability is a hoax, canceling a bill signing meant to champion a landmark, bipartisan piece of affordable housing legislation less than two hours before it was supposed to begin.
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- [00:00]
Jay Uso
Yo, it's Jay USO from wwe and I'm Jimmy uso. Chumba Kasina and WWE are hyped for the biggest event of the summer, SummerSlam. I know I can't wait. There's nothing better to do while we're waiting than playing Chumba Casino. Sign up today and you can win a VIP experience with Chumba Casino and with WWE for SummerSlam. So what are you waiting for? Play Chumba Casino and enter for your chance to win. Let's Shumble Yeezy.
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- [00:31]
Nicole
Ever since I was young, I've watched people working hard, chasing opportunity, making sacrifices, doing everything they can to build a better life. And now we're shining a light on what matters most. Our economy, our national identity, our democracy, our future. The stakes have never been higher. It's all on the line.
- [00:50]
Podcast/Show Announcer
On the line with Alicia menendez Weekdays at 12:00pm Eastern on Ms. Now,
- [01:05]
Field Reporter
Two
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Democratic Commentator
minutes ago, we were all supposed to be down in the rotunda while Donald Trump signed it into law. But Trump has now said, nope, he's not going to do that. You know what that says to me? It says to me that Donald Trump just doesn't care about the cost squeeze on American families. This is the guy who said affordability is a made up word that Democrats came up with with affordability is a hoax, he said about inflation. He loves the inflation. Yeah, he does. He doesn't care about high prices for millions of people across this country.
- [01:48]
Host Nicole
Hi everyone. It's now five o' clock in the east. It is a bigger mess than usual in Donald Trump's Washington, D.C. right now. We're not just talking about the mess he's made of the reflecting pool. Seventeen months into Trump 2.0 and Donald Trump is more detached from reality and out of touch politically than ever before as his priorities veer further and further away from what Americans, including the vast majority of his own voters, say they want by the day. Earlier today, as the senator was alluding to, Donald Trump torpedoed a chance to show Americans that he doesn't actually think affordability is a hoax made up by Democrats. He canceled a bill signing that was meant to champion a landmark bipartisan piece of affordable housing legislation. Legislation. And he did it just two hours before that ceremony was supposed to begin. He did it to demand legislation to make it harder for the American people to vote. Donald Trump posted this on Truth Social, quote today's housing news conference and signing is hereby cancelled until such time as we pass the desperately needed Save America act, which I consider to be a national emergency. It was followed by two pictures of the reflecting pool. It was so weird and last minute that even Republicans were caught flat footed. They were in the middle of a press conference where they were publicly in front of the press championing the bill and applauding Donald Trump for his help in getting it passed. It caused the ever loyal House Speaker Mike Johnson to actually voice some exasperation with his dear leader, Donald Trump. Watch that.
- [03:26]
Political Analyst
I talked to him about it this morning about an hour before he made that announcement.
- [03:30]
Legal/Political Commentator
I convinced him that I thought that
- [03:32]
Political Analyst
housing steps those his priorities and his good policy.
- [03:36]
Host Nicole
He's not making life easier.
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Nicole
You guys are gonna have a big signing.
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Political Analyst
I love it.
- [03:41]
Jay Uso
We're doing our.
- [03:46]
Host Nicole
We're doing our job. Speaker Johnson is just the latest Republican though, to let his exasperation with Donald Trump spill into public view. As Donald Trump delivers today's unforced error before Republicans breaking with their colleagues yesterday and voting on a resolution directing an end to Donald Trump's deeply unpopular war in Iran. A war which is causing some to defect from Donald Trump's political party entirely. Earlier this week, Marjorie Taylor Greene did just that. She announced that she is joining Tucker Carlson in his decision to leave the gop. It is in no small part because of Donald Trump's war with Iran. It's a trend that is likely to continue as new polling shows just how deeply unpopular that war is with the American people. As we reported last hour, less than a quarter of Americans, 24%, believe the war with Iran has been worth the costs. Just 34% of Americans approve of Donald Trump's handling of his presidency. Overall, what would be a five alarm fire for any normal president seems unlikely to break through with Donald Trump, who instead posted this on Truth Social in all caps quote, my real poll numbers are the highest they have ever been. Thank you, President Djd Donald Trump's completely delusional presidency causing even Speaker Mike Johnson to flee is where we begin the hour with some of our favorite reporters and friends. Fuck News Senior political columnist and national affairs analyst Heimlein is back. Also back with us, Media Matters for America President Angelo Carazone and managing editor of the Bulwark. Contributor Sam Stein is here. Sam, first of all, can you add any reporting to our understanding as to how Mike Johnson of all people, who seems to have wired his own little bat phone inside the Oval Office for like a game of Simon says or Mother, may I? How did he end up in cross signals with Donald Trump.
- [05:49]
Political Reporter
Well, from our understanding, this was totally out of the blue. And it wasn't just Mike Johnson who was caught off guard. There were actual members of Donald Trump's staff who, even minutes, hours before the signing ceremony was set to take place, were boasting about the bill's funding and the legislation, the housing legislation that was going to pass, talking about how it's going to bring great financial relief to people who are looking to buy a home. And so this is sort of a classic Trump move where when there was no drama, he demands that it be inserted where the spotlight would have been on a lot of legislators. He demands the spotlight be on himself. And I would just add one element to this, because I think this is really rankling a lot of lawmakers on the Hill and the Republican side of things. It's not just the excessive drama and the just torpedoing of this piece of legislation. It's the monomaniacal insistence on getting the Save America act, the SAVE act, passed into law and using whatever parliamentary means are possible to do so. Now there are no parliamentary means possible to do so. They'd have to blow up the filibuster. And he's insistent on this, and it's causing a lot of consternation and frustration among lawmakers on the Hill. So when Johnson was fleeing there, the questions were about the housing bill, but what they really were about is the SAVE act the House has passed and the Senate cannot do it. And Donald Trump is demanding essentially everything come to a halt in order for that to pass. And I will just say, I think this is in some ways the more important story here, because Donald Trump has basically made IT doctrine for 30% of the country that our elections are fraudulent. It's no longer just him spouting off conspiracies and everyone entertaining them. People now legitimately believe that our elections, which there has been no proof that there is widespread corruption in our elections, 30% of the country at least believe that this is the case. And because of that, they are willing to hold hostage basic legislative processes, including widely bipartisan bills to provide financial relief to American public. And it's causing people like Mike Johnson to basically rip their hair out in the most polite possible way that Mike Johnson can do so without offending Donald Trump.
- [08:02]
Host Nicole
Well, the problem, I guess politically then, is that 30% of the country believing they're delusional lies. First of all, it says something about the lack of intelligence of the 30%, because how does Donald Trump win two of the last three elections since the elections are so corrupt. Right. I mean, the left isn't attempting to
- [08:23]
Political Commentator
rig,
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Host Nicole
corrupting our elections if Trump won too, the last three contests. But 30% of the electorate is not enough to hang on to really many of the seats if the size of the political wave that is heading their way is to be believed from Republicans. I want to read you, Heilman, what Republicans are saying. This is a Republican Senate staffer who says, quote, we saw glimpses of this during Trump's first administration, but never in my lifetime have I seen a president so deliberately attempt to lose majorities for his own party. The Republican Aiden told our Capitol Hill reporter.
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Political Analyst
Yeah, Nicole, I was going to say that 30%, 30% doesn't win you a seat anywhere in the country. You might, I'm not trying to say that, that you can't put together a bunch of, in safe seats, you can't put together, you get, eventually get to 50 plus 1. But I mean, the number of people who believe what Sam correctly cites is, is not, is not enough. And the problem for Donald Trump is that that number has, has stopped moving in any way. To the extent that there was a base underneath Donald Trump, it has been eroding. Maybe not in, it's not crumbling, it's not completely falling apart, but they're, they're. All you need is a little bit of that when you combine it with the absolutely devastating numbers that Republicans are seeing with independent voters. And I'll say I've spoken the last 72 hours to a strategist in Georgia, a strategist in Kansas and a strategist. Where's the third one from? There was a third one that I talked to in a Senate race, all of whom are seeing. Oh, in Texas, all of whom are seeing Republicans in their focus groups open to the idea of voting for the Democratic candidate for Senate in those races. Now, Georgia is a Democratically held seat. John Ossoff is a very strong candidate. Obviously, Texas is going to be an increasingly important race. Kansas is not a race that's currently on anybody's radar. But there are people out there who will tell you that they think it's not impossible in the right year with the candidate Democrats, who's likely to win the primary there? Who's the largest preacher? The largest. Has the largest congregation, a United Methodist preacher out there in the right year with the right candidate. It's not impossible. There is a Democratic governor in Kansas now, so it's not impossible. And you're starting to hear the signs there among Republicans who are getting frustrated not just in the political class, but voters who are, who are fed up with this. And the last thing I'll say, you know, is that there is the most important thing that was that said in this entire exchange is the part of Trump's post where he says the phrase national emergency. And I think that when you start to think about what all of this is about, Sam's correct fixate, correct focus on the save act piece of this is that Donald Trump is starting to broadcast his strategy for interfering with, intervening in and trying to steal the 2026 election. Something that we've talked a lot about on the show over the course of many, many months. But national emergency is a phrase that you should remember, because I think we're going to start to see it more and more in Donald Trump communications, both on social media and in his language when he talks about these things on the stump. That is how you get to a justification for starting to seize control of the election apparatus and mechanisms, mechanisms and means by which we hold elections. National emergency. He said it right there. I think we're going to hear it again.
- [12:08]
Host Nicole
I think we are. I mean, I think it's important. It is meant to shock and terrify people. It is important, Angelo, to point out that he's gone 0 for 9 in these legal efforts to seize control of elections. States have to, to to claim the national emergency. States have to acquiesce. They've gone to court and they haven't lost a single case around his effort to federalize our elections. I also want to go back to his political weakness because to do something extrajudicial, to do something in defiance of the courts, which I think we're talking about Trump, we have to always put that on the table. Also, he now has less than 45% support from his own rural voters. Let me read this from Marquette. Among people who voted For Trump in 2024, approval has fallen from, from 94% in February of 2025 to 80% now in February of 2025, 63% of rural residents approved of Trump. That has fallen to 44%. Now, rural voters are literally in just in every state in the country. And for them, for Trump to be underwater almost 60, 40 with rural voters is historic, not just for Trump, but for any Republican.
- [13:25]
Nicole
It's true.
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Legal/Political Commentator
And I think that there's an important thing, and John sort of referenced it a little bit before when he was talking. Regrets are not necessarily defections. Defections are material. They will affect the outcome of elections. They will not just sort of like you know, affect Trump's poll numbers, but they will actually affect his power in a meaningful and measurable way, because that's what happens at a ballot box, people expressing regret, which is largely what these polls are. They don't necessarily translate into defections. And that's the important thing to think about here. It's not that they don't matter, they really do. But defections become, come at a cumulative effect when these regrets continue to mount up and somebody says, you know what? I'm not just going to, you know, be upset about this. I'm either going to stay home because I can't vote for anybody, or I'm actually going to even go one step further, and I'm going to vote for, I'm going to vote for the opposing party. And Steve Bannon today, when he was talking, and it's worth noting, there's something very significant about this particular exchange because he was upset that Trump didn't go and do the bill signing because he was pointing out how popular the bill was and how it's important that they, that they, that they try to seize this affordability narrative and show that Republicans are working for them, precisely because he is concerned about these regrets becoming defections in a measurable way. And this is the same guy that about a few weeks ago was the one saying that you need to withdraw Bill Pulte's nomination, make him acting and go on strike until Republicans pass the SAVE Act. I mean, he has been the champion for taking this sort of I'm not going to do anything as president actions until Republicans pass the SAVE Act. And even he recognized that today it was important to have the symbol, the narrative, the story that Republicans are dealing with it, because he's seeing the same thing here, which is that these regrets can actually turn into something more. And that, to me, is the part, and that's what scares me as sort of the rapper, is that Trump now has sort of made a decision. So aside from the fact that he signals his strategy and where he's going to go with the SAVE act, he's now on a course, he's on a collision course that he can't adapt from. He's no longer trying to win popular support or get Republicans on board. He's trying to use a game of chicken with his own party to get them to do something extreme that he wants. And he doesn't care how unpopular it gets, because now it's sort of too far. He's already made his decision. Those numbers can continue to dwindle down. And he hopes that Republicans break first and give him what he wants so that some of the pain can be taken away.
- [15:48]
Host Nicole
Sam, I want to come back to the specific grievances filling into public view with Republicans and Donald Trump. And then I want to come back to John on these three races, Kansas, Texas and Georgia. But this is from our correspondent that Trump told John Thune, to Angela's point, that he needs to be a leader and get the votes for the Save America Act. Bill Cassidy confronted Trump over the Iran MoU. Our reporting is that Cassidy was, quote, yelling at Trump. At one point, Trump told Cassidy to sit down, but Cassidy refused to do so and raised his voice. It turned into a war of words. Trump called Cassidy a, quote, lunatic. Cassidy referred to Trump as brother and Trump responded that he wasn't his brother. Trump also went after Dave McCormick from Pennsylvania, the husband of Dina Powell, who was Trump's first term national security advisor, deputy national security Adviser for missing yesterday's war powers vote, which Trump lost. But McCormick was with Trump. The animosity that Trump is showing to the Republicans is not new. It's actually a hallmark. And I just had Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haverman on. What's new is that at least the ones that have paid with their seats, their Senate seats are, I don't know, confronting is too strong of a word, but are starting to contemplate some distance. So I guess my question is, are these things going to miss each other in terms of a head on collision, Is his popularity going to be such that when he goes to carry out a couple, some of these folks have already taken him head on and lived to tell?
- [17:36]
Political Reporter
Well, I don't know if they're going to live to tell. Right. So when you look at Cassidy, for instance, he was humiliated by Trump and he confronted him today, but that's only after he lost his primary. Another thing that happened today was Thom Tillis, another Republican who was basically pushed up by Trump, admitted that he regretted his vote for Pete Hegset for Defense Secretary, which is a remarkable admission to make. McCormick's an interesting one because he, he was with Trump all day, which is why he missed the vote. But Trump got mad at him. You know, I know this is going to sound weird, attacked him, this will sound weird. But in a way, I understand why Trump's frustrated and here's why. For a year and a change, for a year and change, Republicans in the Senate and in Congress gave Trump everything he wanted. They rarely raised objections. They basically rolled over when he told
- [18:30]
Political Commentator
them to do it.
- [18:30]
Political Reporter
And they confirmed some of the More unqualified people you could possibly imagine. For his Cabinet, he got what he wanted whenever he wanted with very slim majorities. He got accustomed to the idea that they would never say no to him. And now we're talking about, what, four people for Republicans who voted to end the war in Iran. A small, small amount, but enough to allow this thing to pass. We're talking about one or two Republicans having a little bit of spine to stand up for him. Again, fairly normal for what we usually witness in politics. But for Trump, this feels very abnormal because for a year, he got his way no matter what. And so he's lashing out in these highly personalized terms, and we're having these confrontations. What does this mean going forward? I don't know. For instance, I think a good example of what it could mean is Bill Pulte. We just talked about him. He put this manifestly unqualified person to be dni. Republicans said, no way. Not gonna happen. We won't reauthorize Section 702, which is a key spying agency tool, in the toolkit, until you put someone serious in there. Trump responds by saying, okay, I'll put Jay Clayton in there, someone who everyone is fine with on the Hill. And then he pulls Clayton's nomination because he doesn't wanna not get his way. And Republicans are left basically with very few tools to stop this from happening. So it strikes me that Trump is just content to basically steamroll as much as he can for as long as he can and throw fits on those rare opportunities when Republicans do stand up and say, no way.
- [20:05]
Host Nicole
Yeah, I mean, I guess I'd point out that Jay Clayton is only good compared to Bill Pulte. He also went on television and carried the water as an election denier in the state of California, repeated the lie that there's fraud, a lie that Bill Barr called bullshit. So, I mean, there is no voter fraud in America. It's something that Donald Trump's second administration has looked at and found that people here illegally do not vote. There isn't fraud. So, I mean, there are these traps of relativity that we all still get caught in. And I know that wasn't your intention, Sam, but the idea that they have no tools, they could cut off the funding immediately. I mean, Republicans have nothing but tools. They literally control one of the three branches of government, and it's the only one that isn't functioning. The executive branch. I hate everything they're doing, but they're functioning. The judiciary is functioning. Congress is the only branch of government currently not functioning. We'll pick this up on the other side. I'll let you respond, but I have to sneak in a break. Also ahead for us, we're learning more about what Donald Trump knew about his massive and ongoing failures at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and when he knew about those failures. There's brand new reporting that puts in doubt, well, pretty much everything Donald Trump has said publicly and everything wants us to believe about what has gone wrong after his expensive renovation job blew up in his own face. Also ahead, one of the Democrats with a very good chance to flip a Republic Republican House seat blue this fall and help lead the Democrats back to power in Congress, will join us. Fresh off her primary victory last night, army veteran Kate Connelly now turns her focus to a vulnerable Republican in a district former Vice President Kamala Harris won. She'll be our guest later in the hour. Deadline White House continues after a quick break. Don't go anywhere.
- [21:57]
Jay Uso
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Legal/Political Commentator
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Political Reporter
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Democratic Commentator
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- [23:29]
Host Nicole
This is your way of celebrating America.
- [23:32]
Political Analyst
The White House did it much differently
- [23:33]
Host Nicole
with the UFC fight.
- [23:34]
Political Analyst
What did you think about that? I know it was a, it was a travesty.
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Legal/Political Commentator
Yeah.
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Political Commentator
What else can you say about was embarrassing? I was embarrassed to be an American.
- [23:49]
Host Nicole
We're back with John Angelo and Sam Helman. I love Larry David and I think you can sort of believe that nothing matters.
- [23:59]
Democratic Commentator
Right.
- [24:00]
Host Nicole
I was so moved by everything that happened in Chicago last week. The speeches given by former President Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama. And someone said, well, it's, you know, it's one great day of feeling great. And then back to the march toward autocracy and a potential national emergency or this great Bruce Springsteen, Tom Morello tour. And then it's back to most people with microphones in their face say nothing. But I actually take the opposite view. I think every little thing makes the next little thing possible. And I think when you, when you look at sort of how autocratic movements crumble, it's not one thing, it's every little thing on top of the other. And I wonder how you see the overreach, the little flecks of resistance. And we won't give Republicans more credit than that. And increasingly big figures in culture and entertainment saying it's all a travesty.
- [24:56]
Political Analyst
Well, I think it's important, Nicole, and I think it's, it's not. So, I mean, I agree with your, I'm obviously I'm on your side here. And I think that we do spend a lot of time focusing on what some small number of Republicans are going to do or not going to do. And they're small, there's slivers of resistance and you know, why are they doing it and what's the consequences going to be, et cetera, et cetera. You know, it's still, it is the case that there is only one way to stop the slide towards authoritarianism and that is at the ballot box. And so the thing that I pay attention to more than anything else is what has been happening, not in some vague way on the ground, but what has happened at elections over the course of the last 17 months. What's happened is the most demonstrable and consistent fact that we found is that Democrats are overwhelmingly enthusiastic about voting for non Republican candidates this November. And we've seen this not once, not twice, not in an outlier way, but in a consistent way when people have to vote. Democrats are showing up and they're showing up in large numbers. They're showing up in large numbers by the standards of off year elections and the standards of special elections. And they're turning these Trump margins from 2024, not just exceeding them, not just turning them back, but blowing them out of the water. And so that's not a poll, that's not a focus group, that's a, that's a, like, that's, those are points on the board, right, where you're saying, here's a team that's winning, a team that's on a roll. And can a team that's winning and on a roll show up in the playoffs and collapse? It can, but it generally doesn't. I mean, what we're seeing here is a deflated Republican electorate that's not inclined, not excited about its options, doesn't believe that Donald Trump has done right by them, doesn't believe that the Republican Party around Donald Trump has done right by them. And a Democratic Party that is, and not just Democratic Party per se, but anyone who has an open mind to not voting for a Republican, they are showing up. And I think that's where the culture stuff matters because it's not so much that it does create a knock on effect where one thing leads to the next thing. But more than that, it just creates a larger sense of momentum and of community that makes people realize that they're not alone and that they're not on the wrong side of history and that they're not on the wrong side of some inexorable movement that's just going to keep rolling over them, that they can, you know, get inspired by the cultural moments and feel freed by those cultural moments. And then when the moment comes, when they have a chance to go and register their disapproval of what's going on at the ballot box, they're good, they can do that. And again, that if that was a hypothetical, theoretical thing I was saying, you might say, well, maybe, But I'm saying look at the last 17 months. It's been an unbroken string of Democratic advances and Republicans in retreat. And this goes back to the first thing we were talking about. Donald Trump is doing nothing to turn that around. He has done nothing, he's done the opposite of nothing to turn that around. He's made it worse systematically. And that is why you're starting to see Republicans not just resist occasionally in public, but privately freak out, which is what they're doing every day. It's mid June, it's almost too late
- [28:24]
Nicole
to turn it around.
- [28:25]
Political Analyst
Even if Trump had it within his, there's capacity, but it's, but he doesn't have any interest. And in fact, he seems to be Racing in the opposite direction. And so every Republican who's in his right mind or her right mind right now is freaking out and does not want to see Donald Trump in their district or state in a million years between now and November. And that is going to be a huge story also going towards November as Republicans going, yeah, thanks, but no thanks, Mr. President. Why don't you just skip my district or my state? Because you're nothing but bad news for me.
- [28:56]
Host Nicole
Yeah, I mean, Angela, this is a thing that will happen. I mean, Trump seems a little tired to travel, but if he wants to. And I say this from some experience, when you're below 30% or around 30%, it's hard to land Air Force One anywhere other than, like, the reddest corner or the reddest district of the reddest state. No one wants just the spectacle of your plane landing or of the traffic jams or of you being on your local news because a visit from the president saturates the local news. One of my indicators is Jessica Tarlov from the Five. And, you know, in the early months of Trump's second term, I mean, she's always exquisitely prepared, but there I almost was nervous for her. Now she, like, runs the table. You could tell. Well, I don't know if they're capable of embarrassment, but the whole power structure of that table. And she's just one person, but I think she called Jesse Waters a guy who, you know, shills for an idiot, and everyone was just stone silent afterward. I mean, it's not just vibes. It is if you trust your eyes, if you trust your ears. Donald Trump is a political loser right now, and that is undeniable.
- [30:06]
Legal/Political Commentator
Yeah, he's got a bad story. And I think your observation about Fox News is really important because we're seeing the edges fray on both ends, Right? You know, Murkowski, Collins, some of these, you know, some of you talk about the Republicans, you know, Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene on the other end. Fox News has been the firmest, and they're trying to carry water for the story that Trump is telling, and they just can't do it anymore. When you, when you start to even expose it a little bit like, like the Tarlov example, it's impossible. And they are his firmest part. That's my point there is they are the strongest part that Trump has Fox and the larger Fox audience. And even they are having a lot of difficulty carrying water for Trump right now, which is reflective of the larger reality that he's operating in
- [30:48]
Host Nicole
Angelo and Sam to be continued. Thank you so much for this conversation today. Halman sticks around. When we come back how the Trump administration is actively searching now for the so called mystery vandals, the ones Donald Trump says without any evidence that anyone has seen are to blame for the botched repair job of the Reflecting Pool. We'll get to that after a short break.
- [31:16]
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Every small D Democratic muscle that we have is flexing.
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- [32:48]
Political Commentator
You're telling me, even if it proves to be true, that damaging a lining in the reflecting pool is something that Piro wants to prosecute to the full extent of the law if it's proven true. And yet they're releasing people who pled guilty to assaulting a police officer? What freaking parallel universe did I just wake up in, man, I'm telling you what I'd like to think. A $15 million membrane could withstand a pocket knife.
- [33:20]
Host Nicole
Where's that Thom Tillis been? Welcome to Earth One. There he was. That was Republican Senator Thom Tillis on the national embarrassment of incompetence, failure, hypocrisy, and deflection that Donald Trump has focused the world's attention on with the debacle, that is his utterances and his handling of the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. His rushed renovation and his $14 million pool liner couldn't last three weeks. As for Trump's lame excuses, so called vandalism without any evidence and the now six arrests, again without any evidence of vandalism. There is brand new reporting that we brought you yesterday from the New York Times that reports that internal government documents show the Trump administration knows and has known that there is zero indication that any of the problems with the reflecting pool have been caused intentionally. But Donald Trump's lies about vandals are still out there because he needs some sort of explanation, even if it's untrue, as to why his liner was seen floating on the surface in chunks mixed in with the algae that returned, which Trump also blamed on algae vandals. I want to bring in our reporter Arielle Hickson, who joins us now from the reflecting pool. John is still with us. Ariel, Something that Amanda Carpenter reported having been down on the mall with out of town visitors is that the security presence was unmistakable. What can you tell us about that?
- [34:51]
Field Reporter
Nicole? I think that is quite accurate. I'm looking around right now and the amount of National Guardsmen that I have seen patrol this pool has been quite striking because they are walking up and down the area. They're kind of making sure that tourists are not getting too close to the water. That's something I have noticed. They appear to be friendly to a certain degree. But if someone gets really close to the water with their phones, they appear to approach them at times and kind of ask them what they're doing. Now, something else that I have noticed is that there have been security cameras installed around the pool. If you want to take a look right over in the corner, there's a bunch of them, I'd say at least six or seven around surrounding the pool to get a better idea of, you know, what's been happening around the area, especially as the president has had those claims regarding quote, unquote, vandals without evidence. So what we can see right now is that the president is quite serious about this. He is threatening to put people who potentially tamper with the pool in jail. But once again, he has no evidence that that is actually happening. And that is very much changing the scope and the feel of the reflecting pool right ahead of America in July 4th.
- [36:16]
Host Nicole
HEILMANN the security cameras are not going to catch any vandalism because we know from the Trump administration that there hasn't been any. Again, this is from the New York Times. Quote, they have no evidence for razor blade claims. While a June 9 report by the U.S. park Police described the cuts as razor blade slashes made along a 20 foot long stretch of the foam, the administration has yet to present evidence supporting that assertion. Neither the Interior Department nor the White House would provide charging documents, citations, or the names of anyone arrested. They did share the Park Police incident report, which said any suspect or suspects were unknown. The report also did not mention any damage to the pool's blue sealant, nor did it describe any vandals dumping fertilizer. So I don't know, maybe the cameras will get Marco Rubio and J.D. vance in wetsuits with paintbrushes painting the bottom of the thing, but they're not going to find any vandals because Trump's own administration doesn't assert that there are any.
- [37:16]
Political Analyst
Nicole, don't, don't underestimate the power of A.I. you know, I mean, you know, the artificial intelligence can generate all kinds of strange images. I, you know, I don't, I say this somewhat mockingly but also in somewhat anticipatory, that we are going to see at some point, you know, images on Donald Trump's true social feed that will show, you know, a gang of marauding antifa terrorists who have jumped into the pool in the dark of night and run their razor blades or their samurai swords or something along the bottom of it. Or, or, or Jim Comey. You know, this could easily be added to the Comey indictment. You know, Jim, you know, Jim Comey is well known to, to do a lot of work in his wetsuit. You know, after he gets all done with the seashells by the seashore, he dives into the reflecting pool with a dagger between his teeth and, and slices open the thing. I mean, it's all so ridiculous.
- [38:14]
Host Nicole
Don't give him any ideas.
- [38:16]
Political Analyst
I know, I know, I know. I don't want to give any ideas. I'm just sort of trying to imagine where this is going. I mean, it's just ludicrous. Yeah, I've been told that, I've been told that there's, that finally, the pool may be getting slightly reflecting pool might be getting slightly blue again. So, you know, Donald Trump may not have made America great again, but it's possible that enough peroxide and chlorine is going to start to mrpba. I guess instead of maga, make the reflecting pool blue again. Maybe that could be something that Republican candidates could run on this fall only
- [38:49]
Host Nicole
if the ducks don't die. I mean, you know, every action has a reaction. We'll stay on top of this story. Arielle Hickson, thank you for joining us. Hellman, thank you for spending the hour with me again today. We are grateful when we come across hope to take back control of Congress in November. They're going to need to defeat Republic that Kamala Harris won. One of those districts is in New York's Hudson Valley, where Army veteran Kate Connelly is looking to knock off a highly vulnerable Republican congressman. We'll talk to her after a short break.
- [39:26]
Legal/Political Commentator
Taxing the rich is not going to
- [39:28]
Political Analyst
close our budget deficit. I hope you realize that.
- [39:32]
BetterHelp Advertiser
My question for you, what is your line? What is the line that you won't cross? What can Trump do that you will say that's wrong?
- [39:45]
Political Analyst
Hey, bro, you can leave now. Goodbye. Goodbye.
- [39:50]
Legal/Political Commentator
We won't proceed until you're gone.
- [39:52]
Jay Uso
Goodbye.
- [39:55]
Legal/Political Commentator
You want to act like that?
- [39:56]
Jay Uso
Goodbye.
- [39:57]
Host Nicole
Let him stay, Clevant. Hey, bro, you can leave now. Words that might just fight him in the. You know what? That's a taste of the political environment that the Trump administration has created for their Republican allies in Congress wanting to be reelected. Those were scenes, some of them we've played on this show before from town halls hosted by Republican Congressman Mike Lawler. Mike Lawlor represents the district that encompasses much of New York's Hudson Valley. Lawler is viewed as one of the most vulnerable Republicans in our country. And last night he learned who he will face in the November election. It's army veteran Kate Connelly. She won a hotly contested Democratic primary in New York's 17th congressional district. Connally served six tours overseas before becoming the National Security Council's director of counterterrorism during the Biden administration. Kate Connelly was first on this show back in March of 2025 when we were talking to her about the reporting that we were learning about about the signal gate debacle. We are very happy to welcome her back today, fresh off last night's win. Congratulations, Nicole.
- [41:12]
Nicole
Thank you so much. It's great to be back, especially like this. And I have to say Mike's own line is what I'd like to say back to him. Hey, bro, you can leave now. That's what we're working hard to do this November.
- [41:24]
Host Nicole
I mean, the audacity of the things they say under some sort of delusion of not being held accountable by voters is extraordinary. Has that been a factor in the primary campaign that you ran,
- [41:41]
Nicole
Nicole? I have to say, after the last 15 months of going to every corner of this district. The consequences of Mike Lawler's leadership are very clear. Since he has been elected, November of 2022, it has only been harder for working families to put food on the table, keep a roof over their heads, or afford health care or keep the lights on. And that record he can't outrun. The accountability is coming because the pain that people here are feeling is real. And while he is a very talented political operative, going back to the difference between me and Mike Lawler, for the last 20 years, Mike Lawler has been a political hack while I've been out there leading America's sons and daughters in defense of this nation after 9 11. He is very good at using his words as a smokescreen to hide for his failures to deliver for his constituents. But that's running out because people are seeing through it and they're feeling the pain and they deserve better.
- [42:41]
Host Nicole
Kate, what is your sense of how damaging it is for Michael Lawler to not have an answer to one of your potential future constituents who says, what is your line? I mean, this seems to be, especially in swing districts, on people's mind that even if they voted for Trump, they don't like being represented in Congress by people who aren't strong.
- [43:04]
Nicole
Nicole, what we see is Mike Lawler votes one way and that is Donald Trump's way. That's why his voting record is 100% aligned with Donald Trump. And so for he can try to pretend like he wasn't the deciding vote in HR1, the one big ugly bill last year, but people know the truth. And the truth is we just saw 37,000 people have their health care in this district put at risk because of those Medicaid cuts and the failure to reinstate the premium tax credits. So going back to you, his lies are not going to get him out of this. People are suffering and it's because of his decisions. And so yes, we do know the answer to that woman's question. There is no line. We've seen it when it comes to the war with Iran where Mike Lawler four times has allowed Donald Trump to have a blank check on a war that this administration is too incompetent to actually execute by leaders like Pete Hegseth who should never have been confirmed and where we have an administration that still cannot articulate a clear exit strategy or objectives. And so this just goes back to we are watching a Republican controlled Congress continue to fail this country. We're watching Mike Lawler be a critical part of that. And so my job is to make the case to the people of this district that they deserve better and to fight for them and fight for this country.
- [44:26]
Host Nicole
You see even for members of his own party voting to rein in his power to wage war with Iran. What do you hear from your potential future constituents about the war with Iran and especially the price of gas? That seems to correlate in all the wrong ways.
- [44:45]
Nicole
Nicole is someone who during 16 years in active duty, after four years at West Point, doing six tours overseas, multiple tours to Iraq, Afghanistan, I've seen what happens when you have a war in the Middle east with an administration that does not have a clear plan, does not realize what it's gotten itself into. And shame on America if we have not learned this lesson already. Our service members deserve better. What I hear every day here in a district that is incredibly patriotic, that is incredibly service oriented, those are the values that were instilled in me growing up here in the Hudson Valley that led me to go to West Point after 9 11. People are frustrated with the incompetence and we are literally paying the price from the gas pump to the loss of service members to the duress that's being put on families who are now having to make trade offs between groceries or gas. They just want it to end. They want government to actually solve real problems that they are facing and this administration refuses to do that.
- [45:46]
Host Nicole
Kate, your race is going to be watched by everyone around the country. We're grateful to have a chance to talk to you today. And again, congratulations on your win last night.
- [45:55]
Nicole
Thank you so much folks. Please check us out. Kateconley.com, this fight will determine who controls the house. So excited to take it on and humbled to be in this position.
- [46:04]
Host Nicole
We'll stay on top of it. Thank you so much. A quick break for us. We'll be right back. In this climate of fear that we covered with Maggie and Jonathan, we tried to lift up and show you the moments where artists or entertainers or athletes like Larry David decide to use their fame and their platforms to call out the Trump administration. And the hallmark of the second Trump term has been mostly conspicuous silence in many of those spaces. My guest on this week's episode of the Best People podcast, Pulitzer Prize winning sports journalist Pablo Torre knows the why and the how of why so many remain silent better than anyone. And you can listen to what he told me by means of explaining it to me right now. You just scan the QR code on your screen or or download the best people. Wherever you get your podcasts, be sure to let me know what you think on Instagram or Blue sky. One more break. We'll be right back. Thank you so much for letting us into your homes tonight. We are grateful.
- [47:06]
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