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“A deeply disturbing new report about Graham Platner”
00:41:17
July 6, 2026; 4pm: Antonia Hylton is in for Nicolle Wallace. Antonia and guests cover a deeply disturbing new report from Politico about Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner.
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- [00:01]
Chris Hayes
Hey everyone, it's Chris Hayes. This week on my podcast, why Is this Happening? How Andrew Tate Turned Misogyny into a Business Empire.
- [00:08]
Unidentified Political Commentator
So we know that, you know, in the weeks and months leading up to the election, you know, number of prominent Trump supporters and figures within MAGA, Donald Trump Jr. Elon Musk, Tyler Carlson and others had kind of publicly defended Andrew Tate, described the case against him as a conspiracy, as a kind of hit job and just generally supported him. So I think it was pretty clear to the Romanians that if Trump got in, they were not going to get a favorable reception from U.S. officials. On the subject of this case against the Tate brothers.
- [00:34]
Chris Hayes
That's this week on why Is this Happening? Search for why Is this Happening? Wherever you're listening right now and follow.
- [00:44]
Antonia Hylton
Hi everyone, it is 4 o' clock here in New York. I'm Antonia Hilton in today for my friend Nicole Wallace. A deeply disturbing new report published in the last hour about Graham Platner is shaking up the crucial US Senate race in Maine. Politico has new bombshell reporting from a woman who dated Graham Plattner who says Platner forced her to have sex with him nearly five years ago despite her repeated objections from that reporting. The woman, a 41 year old Maine resident named Jenny Racico, detailed the alleged incident to Politico in three interviews over the course of the past two weeks. Politico also spoke with a man Rasico dated and confided in the years after the alleged incident and reviewed documents including emails between her and her therapist and messages between Rasico and an acquaintance of whom she warned against getting involved with Platner years before he ran for office. Rascoe said she had an on and off again relationship with Platner, who is now the Democratic Senate nominee in Maine for more than two years before he entered her rural Maine home uninvited one night in late 2021, deeply intoxicated, and he forced himself on her while she repeatedly told him to stop. She said she cut off contact with him after telling him the encounter was not consensual. I remember him grabbing my pelvis and being really forceful of me, she said. I remember the specific moment where I thought to myself like, this is no longer my choice. Platner has denied the allegations, telling Politico, quote, these allegations are troubling, serious and false. Any accusation of non consensual behavior is categorically untrue. Graham Platner released a video just moments ago in which he says he's taking time to reflect on a path forward Take a listen.
- [02:32]
Graham Platner
I wanted to directly address the troubling, serious and false allegations against me. Any accusation of non consensual behavior is categorically false. Over the last 10 months, I have been deeply humbled by the faith Mainers have put in me. You have welcomed me into your homes, into your places of work, into your restaurants, into your houses of worship. You have shown that a different kind of politics, one that puts the interests of people over corporations, is not just possible, but is inevitable. This movement, we have built the largest volunteer base in the history of Maine politics. The hundreds of thousands of grassroots donors and the supporters across the ideological spectrum. We were united in a love of Maine, a belief that our politics must change, and a focus on defeating Susan Collins. So regardless of the inaccuracy of the reporting, but mindful of the political reality it will inflict, we are taking the time to reflect on the best path forward for the state that I love, the people that I love, the movement I belong to, and the goal of defeating Susan Collins. Those were the goals when we launched this campaign and they remain my goals. Today on June 9, 154,058 Mainers, the most in primary history, voted to reject the a broken politics beholden to Washington and the donor class. They voted for hope, for change, to take back our economy, to take back our power, and to take back our Senate seat. Throughout it all, you never turned your back on me and I will not turn my back on you now. Every one of you deserves to see that vision come to fruition and see Susan Collins defeated. And we will use every tool at our disposal to do so. As Maine goes, so goes the nation. As always, thank you.
- [04:34]
Antonia Hylton
I want to bring into this conversation Ms. Now congressional reporter Michael Schnell and host of the Fast Politics podcast, contributing writer for the New York Times, Molly Zhang, Fast. Also with us, my friend and colleague, Ms. Now anchor and correspondent Aman Mohadeen. It is great to have all of you guys here with me. I wanna start with you, Michael, to break down know at this point about this reporting and I know that you're out to your sources on the Hill. Tell me what you expect to hear or what you might already be hearing from them as they process this. These allegations from Politico.
- [05:07]
Michael Schnell
Yeah, serious allegations from Politico. The late issue to drop when we talk about the controversies that have been dogging Graham Platner's candidacy and campaign. As you laid out, this is an allegation involving a woman who said that she met Graham platner back in 2019 when they met on a dating app. The alleged assault happened in 2021. Graham Platner had said he wanted to come over and see her. They were in a cons relationship. At that point. She said she was not in the mood. But Graham Platner then let himself into her home, walked up her stairs, found her laying on a couch. He then got on top of this woman and she had said, you know, please get off me. She didn't, she was, she was not interested in engaging at that moment. She also says that she he smelled of alcohol. She then removed herself from the room and went towards her bedroom with the Grand Platner following her. And then this woman tells Politico that he at that point forced her to have sex. Afterwards, he had fallen asleep and in the next morning he had left her home. Again, these allegations happening in 2019. We are still waiting for reaction from some of Graham Platner's top supporters up on Capitol Hill, of which he has many. Graham Platner, as you just played, denying these allegations, but notably saying that he's going to figure out how to move forward. The big date that we should all be paying attention to right now is July 13th. According to Maine law, candidates have until the second, second Monday in July, which is again a week from today, July 13, where they can still remove themselves from the ballot when they can drop out, but the party can then nominate a replacement to be the standard bearer for that party. Notably, Janet Mills has still been on the ballot throughout this entire time. She got 20%, nearly 20% of the vote during that Democratic primary. Still a substantial amount of percent for somebody who wasn't even running but was still on the ballot. So certainly with Graham Platner saying we're going to assess how to, to move forward, drawing a lot of eyeballs in terms of that July 13th date. But again, right now, no indication of how he plans to handle this. And we are still waiting to hear from some of his top supporters up on Capitol Hill.
- [07:04]
Antonia Hylton
Eamonn, what did you make of that video from Graham Platner? Because while he's denying these allegations, he's also, interestingly, at one point in the video, he starts to speak in past tense as though he's about to or may potentially in the next, in the minutes, hours, days, suspend this campaign.
- [07:19]
Eamonn
Yeah, I mean, there's a lot to unpack there. And I think that grant planner right now certainly has a credibility problem and a lot of that has to do with what he says in previous statements. When allegations come forward, he'll come forward and say there's nothing else to come out, only for something else to come out. And that makes it harder and harder for his allies to politically defend him. And you're talking about the video that he just made. There's a few elements there that I thought were important. One, the part that he says, I'm going to reflect on the way forward and to Michael's point, about what that might mean politically for him. But towards the end of that statement, he also adds the part about how many voters voted for him, the most in Maine's history, and the fact that he does not want to betray the people of Maine who voted for him. And he says they've stood by him and he's not going to betray them. So again, it's a bit of an open ended statement. What does that mean? Is he going to do potentially, in the eyes of many, the right thing of stepping aside and keeping the door open for somebody else? Does that mean he's going to stay in this race and fight these allegations? But to Michael's point and to the point that Politico makes, these are different allegations and for a few reasons. One, the way Politico described it, saying he has not previously been accused of sexual assault, I think is a different type of threshold in terms of allegations. Although he has been dogged by other allegations of conduct and misconduct with women, the way it is characterized by Politico is that this is the first time he is being accused of sexual assault. But also the other important part in this is the receipts that this woman has. The fact that she had told other people about an interaction with Graham Plattner that made her extremely uncomfortable and according to Politico, crosses that threshold. That is something that I think we're seeing for the first time that gives so much more credibility to her story and to her allegations, even if Grant Planner is denying them. If it's one thing that we have talked about through the MeToo era is believe women, and certainly women who have told other people about their experiences, I think crosses a threshold that I think is gonna put a lot of intense pressure on Graham Platner's campaign, but also on his allies who have stood by him throughout previous allegations.
- [09:18]
Antonia Hylton
To that comment about the sort of post MeToo era and the debate that sort of happened in the Democratic Party after this series of allegations around Graham Platner. Part of, I think what made it complicated for some Democrats to fully believe the woman who was at the center of the last round was that she was associated with right wing politics. But this woman, she I wanna read part of what's out here. One of the reasons she says to Politico I didn't come forward sooner was the huge moral conflict that I had between supporting his politics. So she is saying, I actually agree with Graham Platner, his positions, his politics. She's clearly more on the left, but not supporting him as a person. I just want the truth out there. I just want people to have a whole scope of who he is as a person. Molly, I want your take on what we're hearing in these, in this new report from Politico, but also the fallout that you're expecting now as Democrats try to sort through what they need to do on behalf of the voters, the American people, because of this.
- [10:17]
Molly Jong-Fast
Yeah, look, I mean, it's one thing to have one to have this first tranche. Remember, there was an earlier group of women, and now this is yet another tranche of allegations. And I think that when you look at the polling on this, I just was looking at a poll that said 75% of people said that if there were more allegations, he should drop out. And I think this constant stream, and even you see the polling for him since the last batch of allegations, his numbers have gone down. I do think, like, look, I'm baffled that the vetting on the vetting process for this candidate, number one, I mean, this is just the fact that there are just constant allegations, I think really is a sign that there just was not proper vetting here. And you may again align with him politically. But the truth is this is not a candidate who was ready for primetime on any stretch of the imagination. And Democrats have, you know, there's a feeling in the party that candidates like this are not for the party. And, you know, there has been a backlash to me, too, but it has not been like this. The other thing I would say is, is that clearly this is a person who has, who you know, at least from these allegations, that when drinking, does not remember their behavior. That's what all these allegations say. So another reason why, how I don't know how we got here, but
- [11:54]
Unidentified Political Commentator
this
- [11:54]
Molly Jong-Fast
17th, July, 13th deadline seems to be key. And I think you see a person who is really coming forward when there's still time for him to drop out, which I think is also shows that there's some feeling of like, this was just what she had to do. And the fact that there's so much on the whim women here, when clearly this is multiple women, multiple allegations is just very upsetting.
- [12:24]
Antonia Hylton
Yeah. Molly, you can tell from her conversation with Politico that she's clearly wrestling with the consequences of her coming forward, of her putting her reputation, her own personal story out there. She's had that conversation with her therapist that Politico reports on, and you can tell this is something that she's dealing with in real time and that she cares, it seems, about our democracy. And it makes you wonder about the timing here as well. What do you think the path looks forward like, at this point?
- [12:55]
Molly Jong-Fast
The other thing I would say is in the text messages, she's so protective of him. She says, well, he's clearly got this ptsd, which reminds me so much of how women just the way the culture protects men, right? I mean, she's saying, well, he's got this ptsd and it's not exactly, you know, consensual. I mean, my God, this should not be how it is. Like, this is so upsetting. You know, as woman, as a feminist, as a mother of a daughter, like, this is not how it should be that women are, you know, trying to defend, trying to make excuses for someone. You know, she is saying in these allegations. And so I do. I think it's really upsetting. I think that he, at least you see in this video, clearly a sense that he kind of has, you know, he knows what's happening, and again, who knows what's gonna happen? But in my mind, it would be very hard for me as a Democrat to vote for someone like this.
- [13:59]
Antonia Hylton
You know, Eamon, when Graham Platner was on with our colleague Chris Hayes, he told him that nothing else was coming. Chris asked him directly, is there something else out there? Will there be more allegations? And he said no, he brushed it off.
- [14:13]
Eamonn
This is the crisis that Graham Plattner has created by his own doing. Because throughout the allegations that have come forward over the course of his campaign, and there have been a few different buckets of allegations, whether it was the Nazi tattoo and whether he knew what it was. The previous allegations of misconduct with women and now these sexual assault allegations. Per Politico, every time there is an allegation or a question about his conduct, he either says it was because of. As in the case of the tattoos, he was drunk, he didn't know what he was doing. It's attributable to mental challenges that he had or mental health challenges that he had. But then he would try to close the chapter by saying there shouldn't be anything else to come out. As you said when he had that interview, he said there were no more allegations. And for somebody who's had a troubled past and has acknowledged that he's had a troubled past and is a flawed candidate. There have been more than, you know, ample moments for him to come forward in full disclosure and say, there have been a lot of mistakes that I have made with as many specifics as you can so that the people who are voting for him, the citizens and the residents of Maine are aware of what those allegations are. Now, does that mean he has to come forward and name every single person? No, that's not the case. But there's always this sense when Graham Platner came forward to defend himself, that his apologies, while he tried to project them as being sincere to always kept the door open, that there still may be more allegations. And at some point you have to wonder, when is it up? You know, enough is enough in terms of all of these problems that are keep that are being, you know, coming forward as a, as a result of the reporting. And I think that is the challenge that Democrats have. People have staked their reputation by standing alongside Graham Platner, people who have endorsed him and have stood by him when these allegations were coming forward in multiple different venues. And now I think it's. It's gonna be a very challenging 24 hours for him to see how he goes forward from here.
- [16:12]
Antonia Hylton
Yeah, I mean, there's the people who put their reputations on the line and they endorsed him and traveled with him and backed him up after the last round of allegations. But there's really two groups of people who I feel most heartbroken for, which is the woman at the center of the story, and then the voters of Maine, who so many of them have been crying out wanting change, desperate for a younger person to represent them in the Senate, someone with new ideas to bring to the table. Democrats have been trying in that state to strategize about how to get rid of Susan Collins for a long, long time and finally believe that they had a glimmer of hope here. And I imagine they're feeling crushed right now. Michael, I know that you are still waiting to hear back from sources on the Hill, but give me your best understanding of what happens now. There's this July 13th deadline. What do they do?
- [17:03]
Michael Schnell
So Graham Platner would have to withdraw from this race by July 13th, one week from today, according to Maine law. I have it pulled up right here. You would have withdraw by the second Monday in July again, that's next week, in order to allow the state party to then appoint someone else to take the place. Because if you think about it, if he were to withdraw after July 13, then there's no confirmation that Democrats would actually have a nominee on the ballot. So if Graham Platner were to withdraw within a week, by July 13, then the state party would have another two weeks by July 27 to appoint another individual to take the torch for the party and be on the ballot as their nominee. Now, of course, Janet Mills comes into a lot of folks minds. The former governor of the state, somebody who has in the past won statewide for the governorship, someone who was on the ballot during the primary, brought in nearly 20% of the vote, and she has very slyly made it clear that she was still on the ballot and she still pulled in a fifth of the vote. So it's a big question. The two things we'll be watching now is does Graham Platner actually withdraw by July 13, in a week from now? He opened the door to it in that video. And then who does the state party choose to take his spot by July 25?
- [18:11]
Antonia Hylton
So in theory, they could choose someone other than Janet Mills.
- [18:13]
Michael Schnell
Sure. Yeah. The state party can choose whoever, whomever they want in that position as long as. And this is, of course, the key part, that Graham Platner withdraws himself by 5pm on July 13.
- [18:23]
Eamonn
I was going to add to that really quickly, and I think this is the dilemma potentially for the Democratic Party in Maine. Do you potentially replace Graham Platner with somebody whose policies Graham Platner espoused, which is what the majority of people who voted for Graham Platner in the primary wanted, or do they go with somebody who. Who got the second most number of votes? And those are two very important talking points, because when you think about what the voters of Maine wanted in Graham Platner, knowing how flawed of a candidate he was, knowing about these allegations, and still not the recent ones from today, but all of the previous ones, and still showing up in record numbers to vote for his policies, knowing that he's a flawed candidate? You can make a compelling argument that you have to try to find somebody within the Democratic establishment in Maine that represents closest to Graham Platner's viewpoints. And there were stark differences between him and Janet Mills. And Janet Mills, although being, you know, receiving the second most number of votes, has the standing to be able to say, I got the second most number of votes, I got a fifth of the overall number of votes from the primaries, I've been elected to state office. And that may also then have a backlash because it's not the policies that people wanted when they went to the polls. In elected.
- [19:28]
Antonia Hylton
Yeah. And Janet Mills does have these serious vulnerabilities, both because voters were concerned about her age. She would be the oldest senator if she came into office.
- [19:38]
Rick Stengel
They had.
- [19:39]
Antonia Hylton
She has different conflicts with Native American communities in the state. I mean, there were just a number of challenges. She really didn't travel the state to the extent that Graham Platner did. So in addition to the sort of ideological battle, there was also sort of like a structural battle going on between the two of them. And I think that's going to leave the party with a lot of questions. Molly Jong Fast, thank you so much for starting this hour. Off with us, Michael Schnell, please stay close by because if you get more reporting, we're going to want you to come back over these next two hours. And Eamonn is going to stick with me. When we come back, Donald Trump putting his thumb on the scale of the World cup, calling in a favor to get a suspension of an American star lifted. How the biggest sporting event on the globe has become a giant political spectacle, all thanks to the American president creating huge backlash just about everywhere. Plus, if the World cup wasn't enough to strain Trump's relationship with Europe, he heads to the NATO summit in just a few hours. New reporting on an emergency, emergency meeting between the leaders there likened to a therapy session where they vented all their anxieties over Donald Trump. And later in the show, we know that Trump and his family have made billions on crypto investments while in office. But the same can't be said about the everyday Americans who also invested. The very latest on that and more when DEADLINE White HOUSE continues after this break.
- [20:56]
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- [21:53]
Chris Hayes
part of this place has always been about the people not about the politics
- [21:58]
Jacob Soboroff
from the field to welcome to the studio. Jacob is finding the heart of the story. Connect with Jacob soboroff weekends at 10am Eastern on Ms. Now
- [22:09]
Antonia Hylton
the world's biggest sporting event has suddenly become a political story, all thanks to Donald Trump. Trump confirmed today that he asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to review the suspension of American star forward Folerine Balogon, who received a red card last week for tonight's World cup knockout match against Belgium. And in an extraordinary move, fif did lift that suspension. Trump basically put it all out in the open this morning, admitting he involved himself in the decision. Watch.
- [22:39]
Donald Trump
I spoke to Johnny, who's highly respected, who's produced the most successful World cup in history by, they say, four times. This isn't just a success. I actually said, Johnny, we've got all these games. Each one is turning out to be a Super Bowl. I saw the play and I'm a person that loves sports and was a good athlete and I understand sports really well, really well. And that wasn't a foul, that wasn't even an infraction. So yes, I asked for a review by FIFA. I spoke to a man who's highly respected. If they wouldn't allow, you know, a top player, maybe the best, maybe among the best players on the team to play, I think it would have had a big stain. And I related just that feel I didn't tell him what to do. I can't tell him what to do. But, and I don't believe he made the decision. I think it was a committee that made the decision and they made the right decision.
- [23:43]
Antonia Hylton
The close relationship between Gianni Infantino and Trump has increasingly drawn scrutiny over the last year, with Infantino personally inventing a FIFA peace prize to bestow upon Trump at the same time that Trump was ordering lethal strikes in the Caribbean. And with FIFA opening an office inside Trump Tower in New York. This latest show, though of preferential treatment is leaving many US Fans feeling conflicted about cheering on the return of their star player. And the rest of the soccer world left outraged. Belgium appealed the decision to allow Balogun to play this morning, hours before the high stakes match is going to take place. That appeal was denied this afternoon by FIFA. I want to bring in national sports columnist and professor of journalism at the University of Maryland, Kevin Blackistone. Also joining us, former under Secretary of State for Public diplomacy and Public affairs during the Obama administration. Political analyst Rick Stengel is here and Eamonn is still here at the table with me. Kevin, I'M going to start with you questions over this red card. Put aside for a second. Just how much has the political influence seen throughout this entire tournament been a stain on the World Cup?
- [24:52]
Kevin Blackistone
Well, it's been a stain that's not going to go away. And if the US Is fortunate to beat Belgium this evening, it's going to be with an asterisk on that win, because that's what Donald Trump has done. He has stained this entire. This entire event. Look, I said before the World cup came here, after it was certain to be here, after it started, I wrote it. This country, with the Trump administration, is unfit to host any global sporting event, given its unethical and immoral treatment of our foreign neighbors and citizens. And we've seen it play out throughout this entire World cup, from a referee who was not allowed to do his job here because of his nationality, to the way the Iranian team has been treated as if there's some sort of terrorist cell. And now you have. And now you have this. You know, I, I said that, you know, we, we often say that game respects game. Well, corruption respects corruption, too. And that's exactly what we've had here. And maybe the worst part of it is that this isn't a FIFA event that has been corrupted in the bidding process, which we hear so much about and have read so much about, but now the actual game itself, that is going to be played before tens of millions of people has been corrupted. And maybe the outcome of that has been changed because of Donald Trump's desire to put his thumb on the outcome. That really hasn't happened before, but that has happened this time.
- [26:35]
Antonia Hylton
Eamonn, I want to read for you. The FIFA president put out a statement today that some people thought was a little bit too little too late. FIFA's judicial bodies are independent, he said. They operate autonomously, apply the FIFA disciplinary code, and decide cases based on the applicable regulations and the specific facts before them. Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football. Your reaction here, I mean, look, I know that you're basically like Ms. NOW's resident soccer expert for anyone, any of our viewers who didn't already know that Eamon is the person who explains everything that's going on in soccer to me. So, I mean, do you buy any of this?
- [27:13]
Eamonn
It's nonsense. And the reason why it's nonsense, to Kevin's point, which I think is very important, is about how FIFA has conducted itself throughout this tournament. And the reason why that's important is because if FIFA was able to stand up and protect its own referee that was denied entry into the United States. If FIFA was able to stand up to Donald Trump and say, look, you're hosting this tournament, we would like for you to treat the Iranian team with the respect and dignity that athletes from around the world deserve. We would like for you to allow them to stay in this country able to at least express that you would believe the statement from FIFA today that, hey, our bodies are independent and we don't cave to political pressure. But what we have seen from FIFA throughout this tournament and what we've seen from Infantino particularly, is that he caves to Donald Trump's pressure. And because he has allowed Donald Trump and the United States in this current climate to do what it has been doing, he lacks the credibility to be able to stand up there and say that this was an independent decision. It's not just the lack of credibility that he brings to the table. It's the timing of how all of this played out. Referees make decisions all of the time. They get wrong decisions all of the time. That's not new to the sport of soccer. They've been trying to improve that. They've been trying to involve a review process with a virtual assistance referee. But this is not what that case is. What happened in that particular red card opened the door for Donald Trump to intervene and intervene in such a vulgar way that he has now taken ownership of that intervention.
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Antonia Hylton
He really has.
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Eamonn
He has taken ownership.
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Antonia Hylton
Posting on True social.
- [28:46]
Rick Stengel
Correct.
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Antonia Hylton
Yeah.
- [28:47]
Eamonn
And so. And so the fact is that even if FIFA wanted to pretend that it is independent and did not succumb to that pressure, Donald Trump has come out and told us, no, he did intervene in that process. And I think even this statement that was put up by FIFA, in which the president of FIFA came out and said, I get called by world leaders all the time. I get calls from the head of corporations, I get called from the head of FAs. That, again, is part of the problem that a lot of people who have been raising questions about FIFA's conduct are worried about is that FIFA is openly telling us that they are subject to this type of treatment and these types of interactions that people are starting to lose confidence in the way they make decisions, whether it's about hydration, breaks in the middle of the game, which never happened before the World cup was brought to the United States, or whether for only the second time in the history of FIFA reversing a red card decision.
- [29:35]
Antonia Hylton
Yeah, the last one was, like, in 1962.
- [29:37]
Eamonn
Correct.
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Antonia Hylton
I think. Okay, Rick. I mean, has this whole World Cup Given everything that Kevin, that Eamonn just spelled out there, has it basically become a metaphor for what's going on not just here domestically, but across the world for the way that Trump is operating and others around him respond to the pressure that he keeps applying?
- [29:59]
Rick Stengel
Yes, Antonio, more than a metaphor, I guess the expression I've been thinking about is there's no honor among thieves, as both our guests suggest. I mean, FIFA is not a holier than thou organization. The former head of FIFA had to resign for corruption. It's a byword among organizations that is able to influence people. What Trump did is absolutely in character for him. But I would say Mr. Infantino is the real culprit in the sense that I can try to bribe somebody around the corner, and if the person says, I don't accept bribes, get out of here, then that person is honorable. Trump tried to bribe him. He accepted the bribe. And it also does something terrible to what something that we've talked to about on the show many times before. American soft power. The US as the host of FIFA was meant to be like a great kind of milestone for American soft power around the world. And because of Trump's behavior, because of all the things that Eamonn had said as well, it's become instead a byword for American corruption, for lack of American equality. And that's just a sad thing.
- [31:11]
Antonia Hylton
All right, whole panel is sticking with me because there's so much more to talk about with this story and how Trump went out of his way to get this suspension lifted for someone he otherwise would have easily deported from this country if he had had things his way. More on that after a break.
- [31:29]
Chris Hayes
Can I just quickly say hello to you? For me, being a part of this place has always been about the people, not about the politics. Why are you holding this sign? You ever been to a protest before? Be safe. People that we cover who allow us to enter their lives. How's everybody doing? Everybody doing okay? How long has it been in life? I love human beings. To spend time connecting with them is the biggest blessing that I could ask for.
- [31:50]
Jacob Soboroff
From the field to the studio, Jacob is finding the heart of the story. Connect with Jacob soboroff weekends at 10:00am Eastern on Ms. Now,
- [32:04]
Antonia Hylton
My panel, Kevin, Rick, and Eamon are still here with me, and we are talking about what pretty much everyone has been talking about all day, which is this FIFA controversy with Trump putting his thumb on the scale to reverse this suspension. Eamon, you know, one of the things that I have found most ironic about this whole thing is that Balogun is actually a birthright citizen. His parents are Nigerians. They were actually living in London. He happened to be born in the United States and has chosen to represent the United States in the World Cup. But this whole thing comes just days after Trump was outraged that the Supreme Court did not work with him to overturn birthright citizenship.
- [32:47]
Eamonn
I mean, it's so ironic, and also it's so ironic that the President acknowledged that he is one of the best players in the world, and he has certainly been the best American player at this tournament. He's scored three goals in the American run so far. No doubt one of the best forwards playing in American soccer right now. And what does the President come out and do? He honors him and says he is one of the best in the world. And the only reason why he is able to wear an American soccer soccer jersey is because he was born on American soil. When he, when his mother was visiting the United States, she was supposed to board a flight back to London, where she was living, and somebody at the airport was like, I think you're too close to your pregnancy. You're not allowed to.
- [33:26]
Antonia Hylton
Which is like the exact nightmare scenario, by the way, that Stephen Miller keeps complaining about.
- [33:31]
Eamonn
And the only reason why he's able to wear that US Jersey is because he was born on American soil. But I want to, I want to juxtapose that with the fact that he is a birthright citizen and allowed to represent the United States, with the fact that the United States right now is also in the process of arresting and trying to deport 10,000 people over the course of the last two weeks. And so you have this, like, split screen reality of what America is, the beauty of immigration, representing and making America succeed on the world stage in a tournament, while at the same time, the people who don't have that privilege and aren't in the spotlight being rounded up and being deported by this administration. And so I think it speaks volumes to where the United States is and specifically with this administration, that it is working to undermine the things that make America successful on the world stage.
- [34:16]
Antonia Hylton
Yeah, Kevin, I want your take on this split screen. This administration trying to undermine leave immigrant communities across the country living in fear. And not just their attempts to overturn birthright citizenship, but also to denaturalize people who have earned their citizenship here in the country, juxtaposed with the fact that you have immigrants constantly in sports and every other field succeeding in spite of that sort of rhetorical and cultural onslaught. And then there's just sort of what soccer represents to the world, which. It's the beautiful game. It is the most egalitarian sport in many ways. You know, you can be born into poverty and violence and rise up in that sport and completely change your life, your entire family, circumstances. That is the story of so many people who are on the field playing in this tournament right now. What do you make of it?
- [35:09]
Kevin Blackistone
Yeah, I mean, I. I think, you know, the World cup, when you look at it, after a few days, you realize that it's really a representation of so many things that go on in this world and in this country. Issues of immigration and issues of nationality and issues of race and. And. And culture. That's what we see before us right now on. On the Pitch. But to see the way that it has been handled by this country is just disgusting, and there's no other way to put it. And the fact that you have a birthright citizen of this country who is performing brilliantly for this country, despite what this president may have said about his homeland, his motherland, Africa, also reminds that, you know, black athletes, athletes of color, for a long time in this country have been used as a model of what is not necessarily true. Right. They are embraced for their athleticism and for all the things that they can bring to this country to make people stand up and cheer. But yet the reality behind it is not at all that. And I think about Damian Thomas Book, the curator of the sports wing over at the African American Museum here in Washington, D.C. about how black athletes were used during the Cold War to present a face of black America that was actually not true. And so that's what you see happening here with Baligan. He is being presented, he is being embraced, he is being protected, he is being celebrated by those who would not do the same for his entire lot, but they will do so for him.
- [37:04]
Antonia Hylton
Rick, before we go, do you think that this administration sees any irony, will feel just any sense of regret given the fact that this is who this player, this striker is, and they're trying to take. Take his story and somehow turn it into a MAGA avatar now?
- [37:25]
Rick Stengel
Sadly, no, I don't think they see the irony, Antonia. And of course, to add to the irony, it's the fact that we have such a large percentage of the population who are immigrants that our economy is thriving compared to all of the countries of Europe and other places around the world that don't have that. So it does bring a vibrancy. And as Kevin said actually so eloquently, the fact that Trump is making a special exception for this extraordinary young man who has chosen to be an American and at the same time is trying to deport thousands of other people who in effect are in similar positions is, again, something that's a tragedy and against what America stands for, I would say.
- [38:05]
Antonia Hylton
Kevin Blackistone, thank you so much for joining the conversation today. Rick and Eamon, you're sticking around. After a break, Trump returns to the world stage, more isolated than ever before. We're getting into that next. On the eve of the annual NATO summit, there is alarming new reporting about how US Allies are reacting privately to Donald Trump's threats against them and the alliance. The Wall Street Journal reports this about a meeting that took place back in January. Quote, it was almost midnight in Brussels and the leaders of Europe were locked in their fifth hour of an emergency meeting with a single theme for discussion, how to manage a breakup with America. And heads of government were venting so emotionally about Trump that some of the nearly 30 leaders present would later call the session therapy night. Quote, we are drawing a line here, began Emmanuel Macron, president of France, according to several leaders present and their most senior aides, and repeated an argument he'd been pressing for years with mounting urgency that Europe's over reliance on America was a security risk. There is no going back, he said. And we're back with Rick and Eamon. So, Rick, our NATO allies are making preparations because Trump has basically spent the last year or so harassing them with tariffs, threatening to seize Greenland from Denmark, cozying up to Putin and disrespecting Zelensky. So what are you going to be watching for as Trump heads off to Turkey?
- [39:35]
Rick Stengel
Well, Antonio, he's not threatening to withdraw from NATO like, like he used to. I mean, NATO has made a lot of headway. I mean, that Wall Street Journal story was excellent. But it points out that President Macron and previous French leaders have talked for years about how NATO has to be more independent of the United States. Britain has felt that as well. That story also notes Mark Carney's speech at Davos where he said, look, look, this isn't working for us anymore. The US Is not a reliable ally. We have to get used to that. And we have to plan without American support. So I think that's altogether a good thing. And what this summit is we're looking for is, is that really what's going to happen with Ukraine? I mean, the fact that it's taking place in Turkey, the most eastern country in NATO that has a closer relationship with Russia than almost everybody else in NATO, is there going to be some kind of New dispensation about Ukraine. That would be great if that would happen.
- [40:33]
Antonia Hylton
Eamon when you hear these statements from world leaders, do you start to get the impression that it's sort of inevitable here, that they're preparing for some kind of breakup with the United States at some point, a need to rethink the entire international order?
- [40:45]
Eamonn
So when you speak to European diplomats, and I've spent quite a lot of time talking to many over the course of the last several years of Donald Trump's time in office, they try to emphasize institutions, they try to emphasize bilateral relationships that are actually above the level of a president, meaning more that it's built from Ministry of Defense to our Defense Department or intelligence community or things like that. And the reason why they try to emphasize that is because Donald Trump has become so erratic and in many cases has actually thrown European leaders under the bus. He just did that with the British Prime Minister, Georgia Maloney. Georgia Maloney. He's done it with the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, who, who's leaving office. And as a result of that, they no longer look at Donald Trump as an individual, as somebody that they can deal with on a personal level, and are trying to make the relationship more institution based. Now, the problem with that is also you have a president, United States, who I don't think understands how an alliance particularly works. What is Donald Trump, one of his biggest grievances with NATO right now is what is that they didn't come to open the Strait of Hormuz with a war that America started. Well, you know what? You didn't tell our allies that we were going to go to war with Iran. And if you would have listened to our allies, our allies probably would have told you not a good idea to go to a war with Iran when none of us wanted to go to war with Iran. So the situation now is Donald Trump expects NATO, which is a defense alliance, not a military alliance, that is meant to just kind of do whatever America wants it to do. He wants them to be involved in America's reckless military operations around the world, certainly in Iran. And when they say, no, we don't want to be a part of that, he's upset with them. And so the fracture in that relationship also stems from a lot of Donald Trump's own doing.
- [42:20]
Antonia Hylton
Amen Mohuddin, Rick Stengel, it's always good to see you guys. Thank you so much for joining me today. And after a break, yet another judge is telling Donald Trump enough is enough when it comes to Eg and Carroll. That's after this, The clock is ticking for Donald Trump to finally pay the $5.8 million that he owes E. Jean Carroll. It's been more than three years since a jury found him liable for sexually abusing her and then for defaming her by calling her assault allegations a con job. Last week, after the Supreme Court refused to take up the case, Carroll requested that the court order him to pay. Trump's attorneys argued that there was a new lead counsel who needed more time to become completely familiar with the facts and procedural circumstances. Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, called that little more than yet another play for time, and in a one sentence order handed down on July 4, a federal judge rejected that attempt, meaning the president has until tomorrow to release the money to Carroll or file additional arguments. We're going to be keeping a very close eye on that. After a break, all the ways Trump and his family are getting richer and richer at the expense of everyone else. The next hour of Deadline White House starts after after this quick break,
- [43:41]
Jacob Soboroff
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