“A rare statement from Melania Trump”

Summary

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Podcast Summary: “A Rare Statement from Melania Trump”

Deadline: White House | Host: Nicolle Wallace
Date: April 9, 2026

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Main Theme

This episode centers on a highly unusual and unexpected public statement by First Lady Melania Trump, in which she personally addresses rumors and allegations regarding her connections to Jeffrey Epstein. The episode unpacks the content, timing, and broader political ramifications of her statement—for both the ongoing Epstein investigation and President Trump’s embattled administration, as well as the crumbling state of U.S. alliances and Trump’s controversial domestic and foreign policy moves.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Melania Trump’s “Rare” Public Statement

(01:04 – 05:08, 12:49 – 13:57)

• Melania summoned the White House press pool at 2:30pm to deliver an on-camera statement denying ties to Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
• She called attacks against her “mean spirited attempts to defame my reputation” and asserted she “never had a relationship with Epstein” nor visited his properties or had knowledge of his crimes.
• Melania directly rejected insinuations that she was a victim, witness, or participant in any crimes, and denied any role in the Epstein files currently under congressional scrutiny.
• Notable Quote:
  “The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today… I never been friends with Epstein. Donald and I were invited to the same parties… I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice Maxwell.”
  – Melania Trump, [01:34]
• Notable Quote:
  “My name has never appeared in court documents, depositions, victim statements or FBI in interviews surrounding the Epstein matter. I was not a participant, was never on Epstein's plane and never visited his private island.”
  – Melania Trump, [03:55]

Melania Calls for Congressional Action

• In a move contrasting with the White House’s previous messaging, Melania called for public Congressional hearings for Epstein’s survivors to testify under oath.
• Notable Quote:
  “Now is the time for Congress to act… Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress… Only then we will have the truth.”
  – Melania Trump, [12:49]

2. The Unusual Timing and Internal Fallout

(05:08 – 08:24)

• Nicolle Wallace and Jackie Alemany highlight the bizarre timing, as none of the press had recently been focused on Epstein. The news cycle was instead dominated by the war with Iran.
• President Trump reportedly had no prior knowledge of Melania’s statement, telling Jackie Alemany he was in a “war meeting.”
• White House insiders and Melania’s former press secretary Stephanie Grisham were caught off guard, suggesting Melania’s motivation must be “really serious.”

Lack of Specificity and Source of Accusations

• No recent or credible accusations have been made against Melania Trump related to Epstein. Both journalists and congressional sources confirm there are no new Justice Department documents implicating her.
• The statement’s lack of specificity further confuses its intent and origins.

3. Political Analysis: Motivations and Fallout

Panel: Jackie Alemany, Luke Broadwater, Rep. Robert Garcia
(08:24 – 18:48)

• Luke Broadwater notes that Melania’s press conference undercuts President Trump’s “move on” message and puts her at odds with White House strategy:
  “Politically… it is in some ways undercutting the message that her husband has been putting out there, which is that the country should move on from this matter. And here she is… calling for victims to testify.” [09:41]

• Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) calls Melania’s demand for survivor hearings “pretty stunning,” especially when the White House and DOJ have stonewalled such efforts:
  “This is the same administration that has called this investigation a hoax… For the first lady to… call on this public hearing for survivors… distances herself from the President and his public statements.” [11:13]

• Garcia and Broadwater also speculate about Melania’s approval rating crash as a possible factor (referencing a Daily Beast/CNN story, [16:21]).

Congressional Tension

• Garcia presses House Oversight Chairman James Comer to respond to Melania’s call for hearings, noting the contradiction between the White House position and the First Lady’s public appeal.

4. Broader Political Context: The Iran War, NATO, and Trump’s Shifting Doctrine

(21:30 – 37:09)

Trump, NATO, and the Iran War

• Wallace and guests discuss the “shocking” (Gen. Steve Anderson) developments: the fragile Iran ceasefire, Trump’s desire to punish NATO allies who didn’t back his Iran actions, and the administration’s plan to move U.S. troops away from “unhelpful” alliance members.
• General Anderson calls Trump’s approach “arrogant,” “ignorant,” and degrading to America’s global standing and alliance structure ([24:00]).

Domestic Fallout: Military & Political Fractures

• Rep. Sarah Jacobs (D-CA) voices concerns of military families, calling Trump’s orders “unconscionable” ([25:53]).
• Gen. Anderson says Trump has turned the U.S. military into “Trump’s militia,” conditioning service members to act on his personal orders ([27:11]).
• John Hudson (Washington Post) and Luke Broadwater report deep divides within the Trump coalition, particularly over the Iran conflict. Key MAGA voices (Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens) actively oppose the war ([28:46]).

5. Presidential Corruption: The Ballroom and Foreign Steel Scandal

(38:18 – 44:04)

• The New York Times reports that Luxembourg-based steel giant ArcelorMittal is supplying (and donating) steel for Trump’s new White House ballroom following a Trump proclamation that benefited the company.
• Miles Taylor (fmr. DHS Chief of Staff) points out the hypocrisy and possible corruption. Trump campaigned on “American steel” while taking gifts from foreign firms, alleged quid pro quo for tariff relief. He raises national security concerns about foreign-built facilities ([40:15]).
• Ann Coulter calls this “the most corrupt presidency in U.S. history” ([42:02]). Taylor details the economic pain, wage stagnation, and insider dealing under Trump—directly contradicting his stated agenda for American workers.

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Most Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 01:34 | Melania Trump | “The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today. … I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice Maxwell.” | | 03:55 | Melania Trump | “These images and stories are completely false... I was not a participant, was never on Epstein's plane and never visited his private island.” | | 05:40 | Jackie Alemany | “This was a really remarkable statement… many people in the building were not prepared for this.” | | 09:41 | Luke Broadwater | “Politically, it is in some ways undercutting the message that her husband has been putting out there… she came out on her own and did it without Donald Trump by her side.” | | 11:13 | Rep. Garcia | “For the first lady to… call on this public hearing for survivors and to kind of put herself in the center of the story is something that we certainly were not expecting today. But we certainly welcome and agree with her call.” | | 12:49 | Melania Trump | “Now is the time for Congress to act… give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress… Then and only then, we will have the truth.” | | 24:00 | Gen. Steve Anderson | “It's shocking… that he has the attitude that he has towards NATO. The reason that we're here is because of the incredible ignorance and arrogance in Donald Trump…” | | 27:11 | Gen. Anderson | “He’s converted it from America’s military into Trump’s militia, his own personal militia.” | | 40:15 | Miles Taylor | “It is a layer cake of hypocrisy. …Donald Trump appears to be taking gifts from foreign governments, apparently in exchange for more favorable treatment and the possibility for tariff relief.” | | 42:02 | Taylor quoting Coulter | “Ann Coulter describes Trump this way: ‘I think this is the most corrupt presidency in U.S. history.’” | | 44:04 | Nicolle Wallace | “It's been about two and a half hours and still no explanation for a rather out of the blue… statement made before the press pool… by first lady Melania Trump. It had the effect of bringing Donald Trump's biggest political scandal… right back into the spotlight.” |

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Important Segments and Timestamps

• 01:04 – Nicolle Wallace reports Melania summoned the press and plays her statement
• 03:55 – Additional Melania statement denying involvement, calling for skepticism about rumors
• 05:40 – Jackie Alemany: White House caught off guard, no internal prep for the statement
• 09:28 – Luke Broadwater: Analysis on political ramifications
• 10:47 – Rep. Garcia: Congressional reaction, focus on survivors’ hearings
• 12:49 – Melania calls for Congressional hearings for Epstein’s victims
• 16:21 – Discussion of Melania’s record-low approval ratings
• 21:30 – Shift to Iran War, NATO, and national security topics
• 24:00 – General Anderson: The decline of NATO and historic context
• 27:11 – Military repercussions, Trump’s relationship with the armed services
• 28:46 – MAGA coalition fracture over war policy
• 38:18 – Trump administration’s foreign steel–ballroom scandal (NYT reporting)
• 40:15 – Miles Taylor: Layers of hypocrisy and national security risks

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Overall Flow and Tone

The episode is brisk, sharp, and somewhat incredulous in tone—matching the unprecedented nature of Melania Trump’s sudden press appearance and the ongoing volatility in American politics and foreign policy. Panelists and reporters provide direct, sometimes biting, analysis, while maintaining a focus on the stakes for survivors of Epstein’s crimes and the broader consequences for democracy, governance, and America’s global alliances.

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Conclusion

“Deadline: White House” delivers a real-time, in-depth look at a news cycle upended by Melania Trump’s statement, exploring the cascading effects—on survivors’ advocacy, the Trump administration’s credibility, and Congress’s response. The fallout around the Iran conflict, Trump’s NATO maneuvers, and a fresh corruption scandal around a White House ballroom gives the episode a sense of cascading crisis and palace intrigue, leaving listeners with unresolved questions about motivation, accountability, and what’s next for the White House.

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Transcript

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[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

Hi there everyone. It's four o' clock in New York. It has been more than 40 days since we've led this broadcast with news about Donald Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein, or for that matter, the Trump administration's refusal to release the Epstein files with any alacrity or consideration for the victims of sexual abuse and child sex trafficking. Melania Trump changed that today, seemingly on purpose. She summoned the White House press pool and at 2.30pm today she said this

[Melania Trump (Statement)]

the lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today. The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean spirited attempts to defame my reputation. I never been friends with Epstein. Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach. To be clear, I never had a relationship with Epstein or his accomplice Maxwell. My email reply to Maxwell cannot be categorized as anything more than casual correspondence. My polite reply to her email doesn't amount to anything more than a tribal note. I am not Epstein's victim. Epstein did not introduce me to Donald Trump. I met my husband by chance at the New York city party in 1998.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

To be clear, none of those things. Nothing about Melania Trump was the Epstein headline that was dogging Donald Trump in the days immediately leading up to the start of the war he began with Iran. In those days it was news of a woman who alleged sexual and physical assault by Donald Trump when she was a child. That story was all over the news, including in right wing outlets. Importantly, it's a story that Donald Trump denies. But today, for reasons that aren't completely clear, Melania Trump grabbed the kliegites and thrust them back not just to Donald Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein, but her own.

[Melania Trump (Statement)]

With this be cautious about what you believe. These images and stories are completely false. I am not a witness or a name witness in connection with any of Epstein's crimes. My name has never appeared in court documents, depositions, victim statements or FBI in interviews surrounding the Epstein matter. I have never had any knowledge of Epstein abuse of his victims. I was never involved in any capacity. I was not a participant, was never on Epstein's plane and never visited his private island. I have never been legally accused or convinced of a crime in connection with Epstein sex trafficking, abuse of minors and other repulsive behavior.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

Question we have today is why did she say those things and why today those questions? That breaking news is where we start today. Washington correspondent, host of the Weekend am Jackie Alemani joins us from the north lawn of the White House. Also joining us, New York Times White House correspondent Luke Broadwater is here. We'll be joined in a couple minutes by the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia. Jackie Alemany, I start with you. Why did this happen and why does she say those things?

[Nicole Wallace]

Yeah, Nicole, that is the question that we're all asking today. In fact, I just got off a very quick call before we went to air with President Trump who said he was in the middle of a war meeting and that he couldn't talk for very long and had to go, but that actually he had no prior knowledge to the topic that Melania Trump, his wife, was going to be touching upon today. In his statement, in her statement, he then repeated that he had to go. But before we hung up the phone, he said that she didn't know him, presumably referring to Jeffrey Epstein. This was a really remarkable statement that we heard from the first Lady. It was something that my colleague Jake Traylor, when he pinged some of his, one of his White House sources said that many people in the building were not prepared for this. She also called on a public hearing that centered around Epstein's victims. This is a sea change from the message that we've been hearing from the White House, specifically from President Trump. The last time he was asked about this, he actually scolded a reporter. The reporter at the time was CNN's Kaitlan Collins School deserve for right. Even asking the question and then said it was a time for the country to move on. So, again, lots of questions here about the timing of this. Why this is a president who in the past has preempted negative stories about him. Just a month ago, he posted very negatively about New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman. Recently, actually just two days ago, a very detailed report about occurrences in the Situation Room. Some of the decision making that was going on in the lead up to the US Going to the war with Iran was published. It's unclear if that was a direct preempt of that reporting. But needless to say, this is someone who does not hold back when it comes to attacking and criticizing reporters for coverage that they don't like. But I did get off the phone as well with Stephanie Grisham, who is the former secretary to first lady Melania Trump in the first administration. And she said that whatever was the impetus for the first lady deciding to take to the camera to do this on a day like today when none of us are talking about Epstein, we are all here focused on the war with Iran. That really is the news at hand today, that it must be something really serious that she didn't decide to put out a statement and decided to hold an on camera statement as well where she summoned reporters to witness this statement.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

Jackie? Stephanie Grisham, I know the answer to this and I'm not sure if she shared it, but has she done this before? I mean, who has accused, she said, quote, I've never been accused of a crime. Who's accused Melania Trump of a crime?

[Nicole Wallace]

No one has. And there was a lack of specificity in the statement that the first lady made, which is why there's really so many unanswered questions here. I touched base with a bunch of sources on the House Judiciary and Oversight Committee to see if maybe there were some new documents that the Justice Department had released to Congress with regards to the Epstein files. Because we are still waiting on missing FBI transcripts from some of the victims who had tested, who had told reporters and others that in the past they had provided more details, allegations that were not released by the Justice Department. They said that they haven't heard from them since there was a briefing held with the DOJ some time ago. So it's extremely unclear what she is talking about there. There have been some unsubstantiated reports about the first lady's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. But again, none of those things are really anything that has that are recent or have been substantiated.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

Luke Broadwater, she said. Melania Trump saying, quote, I never had a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. I'm not Epstein's victim. Images and stories are false. Do you know what images and stories she's talking about?

[General Steve Anderson]

I don't.

[Luke Broadwater]

And. And everyone I've talked to today about this doesn't know either. You know, if you go online, you can find any number of false rumors and crazy theories about someone, and there's speculation that she was looking online, saw some things that she didn't like about herself, and decided to call this press conference. But no one really knows what. What prompted this exactly. I will say, politically, it is in some ways undercutting the message that her husband has been putting out there, which is that the country should move on from this matter. There's nothing to see here. Stop looking into it. And here she is coming out, having a major press conference conference which has garnered lots of attention and is calling for. For victims to testify and for there to be. So it's a very, very different message that she's. And she came out on her own and did it without. Without Donald Trump by her side. So, you know, politically, it's very interesting what's happening here between the President and the first lady and their diverging messages.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

Stay with us, both of you. I want to bring in Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia of California. He's a ranking member of the House Oversight Committee. Are you in possession of any materials that haven't been released to the public yet that suggest any of the things Melan today? Denied. Quote, I never had a relationship with Epstein. Quote, I'm not Epstein's victim. Quote, I'm not a witness or a victim to any crimes. Quote, I have never been accused of a crime.

[Congressman Robert Garcia]

We're not. And I'll just start by saying that this kind of press conference that the first lady just had was pretty stunning for a variety of reasons. First is she is publicly calling for a hearing with survivors that we have been asking for for months and have been told every time that it wasn't possible. Chairman Comer has not scheduled it. This is the same administration that has called this investigation a hoax. I mean, just a day ago, the acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche, said that the DOJ was not moving forward on any part of the Epstein investigation. This has been an investigation the White House has pushed aside. There have been efforts by survivors to meet with the White House, to meet with the doj. And so for the first lady to come out and to essentially say that she is calling on this public hearing for survivors and to kind of put herself in the center of the story is something that we certainly were not expecting today. But we certainly welcome and agree with her call to hear directly from the survivors. And this pushes back against all efforts the White House has been making and really distances herself from the President and his public statements in trying to end this investigation and essentially calling it a hoax.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

Congressman, let me play that section of Melania Trump's statement today that you referenced.

[Melania Trump (Statement)]

Now is the time for Congress to act. Epstein was not alone. Several prominent mill executives resigned from their powerful positions after this matter became widely politicized. Of course, this doesn't amount to guilt, but we still must work openly and transparently to uncover the truth. I call on Congress to provide the women who have been victimized by Epstein with a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors. Give these victims their opportunity to testify under oath in front of Congress with the power of sworn testimony. Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes, and then her testimony should be permanently entered into the Congressional record. Then and only then, we will have the truth.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

I mean, I guess Prince Andrew, Kathy Remler lost her job at Goldman Sachs. Brett Karp stepped down from his job at Paul Weiss, but Peter Attia lost his job at a power bar company and then cbs, in that order. But what is, what is your sense of what she's calling on Congress to act on? I mean, Comer, as you said, I think 15 hours ago, disagreed with fellow Republican Nancy Mace about whether the subpoena for Pam Bondi was actually for Pam Bondi and the person, not the person sitting in the office of ag.

[Congressman Robert Garcia]

And just a day ago, Todd Blanche in a public press conference essentially said the DOJ was not moving forward with anything else related to the Epstein files, that the investigation was essentially over. And I think what is important about what the first lady said is that she is being clear that there are still powerful men out there. There are still stories to be told. We have to hear from the survivors. Look what she is talking about. This public hearing for survivors oversight Democrats have been demanding and asking for for months. It has been six months since we've been talking about having these survivors come forward in public testimony under oath. It's something survivors themselves have discussed doing. In fact, we've been planning our own hearing just with survivors directly because the chairman of our committee, Chairman Comer, has refused to hold this hearing. And now what I want to know is I'm calling on Chairman Comer to respond to the first Lady Chairman Comer now has a responsibility to respond to the first Lady. And we want to know is, are we going to get these public hearings with survivors? And why is there now acting Attorney General essentially saying this investigation is over when the first lady of the United States is now saying the we should continue this investigation and hear directly from the survivors? And so this is a look, this is a welcome news for transparency. And we should be very clear that if the first lady has additional information that she wants to share, we would also welcome, of course, that information. But most importantly, we want to center the survivors and have that public hearing.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

I did what Luke Broadwater said Melania might have done. I googled her today and this was the first story that came up. The Daily Beast quote, CNN data guru stunned as Melania Trump smashes record for worst approval rating. The collapse puts Melania Trump well below other modern first ladies at a similar point in their husband's presidencies. Goes on to report Melania Trump's public standing has cratered to a level never before seen for a modern first lady plunging so far underwater that CNN's Harry Entin called the numbers, quote, absolutely awful and historically unprecedented. Unprecedented. And Tim pointed to the dramatic slide in Melania's approval rating over time, noting that she stood at plus 30 in May of 2018, fell to plus 3 in January of 2025, and has now plunged to minus 12 in the latest March 26 to March 30. CNN SSRS survey. He's quoted as saying, so at this point, historic lows for Melania Trump. These numbers are absolutely awful. I guess even if the motive is political, if the survivors have a public hearing, then maybe some good comes of it. Are you aware of anything else out there about Melania Trump?

[Congressman Robert Garcia]

Look, I think there is a lot of, there are a lot of theories and a lot anyone can go online and read about a variety of different, different theories and different thoughts about what may or may have happened with the first lady or her relationship with Epstein. At the end of the day, I think for us, we need to focus on the truth and we've got to focus on getting the truth, getting under oath, public hearings and listening to survivors. And so that's what our focus is going to be on. And we every day talk to survivors, we interview people involved with Epstein, we get information and we're building this investigation and an opportunity for us to have public hearings with survivors that the American people can watch is transparency. That that is the public good. That is a way of getting towards justice. And so Right now, what we want is Chairman Comer to respond to the first lady and to make it clear that we are going to have public hearings at the Capitol with survivors under oath that the American public can hear directly from them. And I think that is something that, if anything that came out of that address is what we're going to focus on at this moment.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

Congressman, I know you became available when this news broke. We're really grateful for that. Thank you for starting us off today. Jackie Alemany, thank you for starting us off today. Luke, thank you for starting us off. We're not done with you yet. We're going to get to all of your reporting later in the hour. On the other side of a break with the cease fire with Iran on shaky ground, Donald Trump sets his sights on attacking NATO, reportedly with plans to punish the countries that did not support Donald Trump's war with Iran. Plus, it turns out that one of Trump's core promises when it comes to the economy, to bring back America's steel, to make it great again, has its limits. There's brand new reporting today on how Donald Trump's lavish ballroom is being built with steel from a company that made a big multimillion dollar donation to him. And later in the broadcast, some of the most ardent Trump supporters, the ones who have signed up for two social accounts, are now expressing anger, disbelief and frustration about Donald Trump's unpopular war in Iran. On true social right now, where Donald Trump can see it. We'll have all that reporting and much more when Devin Whitehouse continues after a quick break. Don't go anywhere.

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[Congressman Robert Garcia]

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[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

It is day two of an increasingly shaky ceasefire with Iran, and the blast radius of Trump's war of choice is becoming clearer by the hour. The political coalition that powered Trump to victory in 2024 is now described as being in, quote, smithereens by one prominent media ally of Trump's. Iran says shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has stopped, meaning the worst oil supply crisis in history is still very much a problem. And NATO, the alliance that has been the linchpin of US national security for decades, appears increasingly hollowed out. Following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Trump doubled down on his attacks on the alliance, which of course came to our defense after we were attacked on September 11th. Trump posted this on social media, quote, NATO wasn't there when we needed them and they won't be there if we need them again. Remember Greenland, that big, poorly run hunk of ice? New reporting today reveals that the Trump administration appears ready with a plan to try to weaken the NATO alliance. Wall Street Journal is reporting this. Quote, the White House is considering a plan to punish some members of the NATO alliance that Trump thinks were unhelpful to the US And Israel during the Iran war. That's according to administration officials. The proposal would involve moving US Troops out of North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries deemed unhelpful to the Iran war effort and stationing them in countries that were more supportive. But it's not clear Donald Trump has even thought that through because there's a possibility that his plan could actually serve to bolster the alliance. More from the Wall Street Journal. Quote, the plan could result in putting more U.S. troops closer to the Russian border, an outcome likely to antagonize Moscow. Joining me now, Washington Post reporter John Hudson. Sierra covers the State Department and national security. Also joining us, retired US Army Brigadier General Steve Anderson's here. Luke Broadwater is still with us. General Anderson, I start with you. Weakening NATO is a long time instinct of Donald Trump's. I remember every time he traveled in the first term. His national security folks, I think HR McMaster was the first one. And Dana Powell, his deputy, would background reporters and reassure everyone that he was about to affirm our Article 5 commitments. He'd do it in the next speech. It just dropped his mind or fell out of the speech. It seems that it may have taken him a while, but he is now on the precipice of doing something he's long wanted to do.

[General Steve Anderson]

Well, it's shocking, Nicole, that he has the attitude that he has towards NATO. The reason that we're here is because of the incredible ignorance and arrogance in Donald Trump and the fealty and cowardice of the Republican. I mean, why they wouldn't stand up on behalf of the NATO alliance, the most successful alliance in the history of humankind. For 80 years, it has prospered, developed economic strength all over the world, made the world safe. Europe has benefited. Americans have greatly benefited. And, you know, to think that we would turn our back on a NATO alliance. You know, the only time that Article 5 was ever invoked was when they came to our aid in Afghanistan and Iraq. And in fact, many countries had a higher per capita loss rate, casualty rate than they did the United States. They have been our loyal partners for 80 years. And for us to turn their back on them, I mean, it just shows how our stature in the world is being degraded every day by Donald Trump. Case in point, this war in Iran. If you were to sit here and think about 40 days ago and make an argument that we're better off now than we were then, I mean, that is absolutely ludicrous. NATO knows this. And it's shocking that our NATO alliance seems to be crumbling before our eyes.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

Let me show you what Representative Sarah Jacobs said. She represents San Diego with either the largest or one of the largest sort of per capita military families in the country. Let me show you what she's saying.

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I represent San Diego, the biggest military community in the country. And the things that our President is asking of our service members are unconscionable. To sacrifice their lives with no strategy, no plan. It is not the President's community that is being asked to go over there

[Nicole Wallace]

and suffer the consequences of his decisions. It's mine. And I can tell you, I've heard

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from so many military families who are so concerned about what their loved ones are potentially being asked to do. Imagine if you're a service member thinking what you might do if you're given the order to destroy a civilization. Okay? This is the position that we are putting our service members in who are required by law, required by law to not follow an unlawful order.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

General Trump is eager to move on and Melania may have. I don't again, to Luke's reporting, Jackie's. We have no idea what was behind that statement, but it was still just this week. It's Thursday. I think it was Tuesday, that his words, and they have made clear since the first term that social media posts are quite, quote, official White House statements, was to destroy a civilization. What is your sense of the lasting repercussions inside the military?

[General Steve Anderson]

Well, the congresswoman was spot on target. And, you know, it's got lasting repercussions, without a doubt throughout the military. I mean, we just spent a couple of days debating war crimes and the legal versus illegal orders and whatnot. And it's shocking that Donald Trump took us to that point and threatened essentially to end the civilization of the Iranian people. But, I mean, this is another step in Donald Trump's efforts to abuse the military. The military is used to civilian leadership, and we're used to saluting smartly when we're asked to do something. And we're used to getting directives and doing what we're being told to do. And using the military, as Donald Trump has done, he's converted it from America's military into Trump's militia, his own personal militia. Case in point, the parade in Washington. Case in point, illegally killing supposed drug runners off the coast of Venezuela and the Caribbean. Case in point, Maduro raid in Venezuela. I mean, all of this is all about Donald Trump feeding his ego and and conditioning the military to do his bidding.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

John Hudson, what is your sense of the fallout from even his most ardent supporters, not just on the right, but inside the MAGA coalition, saying that Iran ended the war with more leverage than it had before the war began?

[John Hudson]

Yeah, I mean, the fallout of this has been pretty stark. Just look at where the administration began this conflict and where it ended. It started by saying that the Iranian people should rise up and start a revolution that hasn't happened. It started by the administration saying they are only going to accept a unconditional surrender of the Iranians. Now what we're seeing is the Iranians are literally setting the conditions of what's going to happen. And that includes charging a toll to go through the Hormuz Strait. And it includes a ceasefire in Lebanon, which is now being heavily contested. And you saw Vice President Vance using very conciliatory language towards the Iranians about a Lebanese ceasefire, saying that that is a reasonable complaint that they have. So within the coalition to your question? There's a lot of doubts. There's a lot of concern. In some ways, this conflict was a huge wedge in the MAGA coalition. It was very unpopular among some of the most vocal elements. When you think about Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, Steve Bannon, so many people who had built an ideology around ending wars in the Middle east that were disconnected to US national interests. So in one way, the ceasefire does help lessen that divide. But as you know, we're nowhere near out of this at this point. The two sides remain, remain very far apart. And Vice President Vance is trying to lead a delegation in Islamabad over the weekend to try to bring the two sides closer. Very unclear if he's going to be able to achieve that.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

The New York Times has reporting that the distance between the two sides demands would take years, not weeks, to bridge. We'll bring Luke in on that. On the other side of a very short break. Don't go anywhere. Well, I'll be right back.

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[Congressman Robert Garcia]

Simone Sanders Townsend and I have known each other for more than a decade, tussling over politics and policy when she worked in the White House and I reported on it.

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[Congressman Robert Garcia]

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[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

We're all back. Luke Trump's public Rhetoric about punishing our NATO allies is all the more shocking, to borrow General Anderson's word, in light of the fact that the Wall street journal reported 10 days ago that Russia was aiding Iran in Iran's efforts against us in the war, and there's been no talk of punishing Russia. What do you hear from your sources at the White House?

[Luke Broadwater]

Yeah, I mean, actually, Donald Trump has defended Putin and said things like, you know, we would do something or we would do something similar if we were in his shoes. You know, he often will take the side of Vladimir Putin when given the choice. For some reason, he's extremely reluctant to criticize Vladimir Putin. But Trump's been quite overt about his reasons for his anger with NATO. Obviously, he's had long standing problems with NATO, but he's repeatedly this week says because they wouldn't give him Greenland, he's, he views himself as now in the age of conquest. He just tweeted about conquest or truth about conquest. Today he said that his, he's really angry about that. You know, Denmark not turning over Greenland to him. And so, you know, this is, look, for the past year, Donald Trump tried to become a great president in history through peace. He tried to negotiate peace deal after peace deal. And then when he didn't win the Nobel Prize, he said in a letter that he would now think less of peace. And this year has been all about, in his view, how.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

Wait, wait, let me stop you. He, what did, just remind me what peace deals he negotiated.

[Luke Broadwater]

Right. Well, so, yeah, peace deals. He claims to have negotiated right. These agreements that he touted. Right. And he tried to become this sort of large figure in history, the peace president. That was the marketing campaign from the White House. Now he has pivoted to the age of conquest in his own words. He's thinks he can take over Greenland, thinks he can take over Venezuela, perhaps take over the Strait of Hormuz, perhaps take over Cuba. I mean, just listen to his public rhetoric. He's talking about expansionism in America and he's, he's longing in his own words for the days of centuries ago where the winner got the spoils of war. He's talking about taking all of Iran's oil charging a toll in the Strait of Hormuz. So, you know, he has done a hard pivot here away from attempting to be this great president through peace, and now he's trying to do it through war.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

John Hudson. It comes with a former close political ally, Marjorie Taylor Greene, calling him, quote, insane and suggesting the 25th Amendment must be invoked it's not, I understand it's reportable, but it's not rational to market yourself as a peacemaker, lobby publicly for the Nobel Prize crap all over the people who actually win it, take someone else's trophy, claim it for your own, and then use that as a rationale for potentially committing war crimes in the Caribbean and the Middle East. What is Marco Rubio's story?

[John Hudson]

Well, he has not been as public in a lot of a lot, made a lot of these remarks. It is true that he, you know, Marco Rubio has long been the most polished of the people serving in the President's cabinet. You have not seen Rubio use the type of language that the president did, particularly, you know, on Easter Sunday when he was dropping F bombs and making genocidal threats about ending a civilization of another country. That's not Rubio's style. But Rubio, as we have seen and we have chronicled on this show for several, several months, Rubio is one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the President. There's been a lot of reporting about where he was on Iran. And it has been clear from my reporting and reporting in the New York Times that Rubio was not enthusiastic about a massive multi week war in Iran. And that has largely been because Rubio saw this as problematic. But Rubio has been opportunistic in this when he's been husbanding his political capital because he does support the regime change efforts in Latin America that have been core to Trump's foreign policy as well.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

John Hudson, Luke Broadwater, two of the best of the best on the beat. General Steve Anderson, thank you so much for your wisdom and for spending time with us today. Coming up for us, how donation to Donald Trump's ballroom led to a financial benefit for European company, potentially at the expense of American workers. We're thinking that reporting next,

[General Steve Anderson]

With the help of patriots like you, we're going

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

to produce our own metal, unleash our

[Congressman Robert Garcia]

own energy, secure our own future, build

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

our country, control our destiny.

[Congressman Robert Garcia]

And we are once again going to

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

put Pennsylvania Steel into the backbone of America like never before.

[General Steve Anderson]

We are going to be imposing a 25% increase. We're going to bring it from 25% to 50% the tariffs on steel into the United States of America, which will

[Congressman Robert Garcia]

even further secure the steel industry in the United States.

[General Steve Anderson]

Nobody's going to get around that.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

Well, somebody could find a way to get around that actually, because it turns out that the way to get around that and paying 25% more or 50% tariff, well, the way you can do that is by giving Donald Trump $37 million to build his big, gaudy ballroom with stairs going nowhere. There's some extraordinary new reporting in the New York Times. Luke Broadwater, who was just with us, bylined on it about a company called Aceller Mittal. It's a Luxembourg based firm. Doesn't sound like it's from Pennsylvania because it isn't. It's the world's second largest steel maker and they're providing steel for the structure of the ballroom project. New York Times reports this about them. Quote, the White House has secured tens of millions of dollars worth of donated foreign steel for Trump's $400 million ballroom project. That's according to two people familiar with the plans who spoke anonymously to discuss sensitive and private conversations. Trump spoke about the donated steel at a White House event last October for wealthy donors to the ballroom, saying, quote, a great steel company had approached him seeking to give him a gift to facilitate the project. Two days after the remarks, the White House issued a lengthy and legalistic proclamation with a provision that would benefit. Wait for it. ArcelorMittal. The document made various adjustments to tariffs on trucks, buses and auto parts. I want to bring in former DHS Chief of Staff during Trump's first term, Miles Taylor. I remember, and it sounds so quaint and so cute. When Donald Trump would scream at the top of his lungs, there was no quid pro quo. Now they put him in writing and release him in White House statements.

[Miles Taylor]

It's amazing, Nicole, it is a layer cake of hypocrisy. I mean, the most immediate one you referenced, which is that Donald Trump has talked again and again about U.S. steel, both the company and just American produce steel, and how his tariffs were gonna be designed to promote US Companies. And then in his own ballroom on White House property, the America Ballroom is going to be built with foreign steel. That's the obvious hypocrisy. But then there's another layer to this, which is that corruption layer that you mentioned, that Donald Trump appears to be taking gifts from foreign governments, apparently in exchange for more favorable treatment and the possibility for tariff relief. This is exactly what you said, the type of qu pro quo that got him impeached the first time. Now it seems like we're seeing these almost every week. And then there's a third layer, Nicole, which is even though this is a European ally, companies in Luxembourg aren't tended to be viewed as hostile. Putting foreign steel in a national security area is something we typically don't do. And Donald Trump has already himself said that Part of the reason for this ballroom is they're building a military facility under it. Well, then why is he doing this? And I'll take you back in time, Nicole, to the 1970s, the last time America outsourced one of its very big buildings to foreign steel and construction. Well, the US Embassy in Moscow turned into one giant transmitter and bug. It had to be torn down a decade later because we didn't know it had been designed to be a giant microphone to collect information. That would be one of the first worries I would have as a national security official and haven't heard anything about the administration worrying about that.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

I'm not sure who would worry about them. They're all busy telling the New York Times that they didn't support the war Trump started. I have another question, though, about sort of the political body of maga, like, how much humiliation they can take. I'll let you think about it because I have to sneak in a quick break first. We'll be right back. Miles. Ann Coulter describes Trump this way. Quote, I think this is the most corrupt presidency in U.S. history. With the money they're raking in. Do you think as with economic pain, as with a really scary moment in national security where a draft hasn't been taken off the table by White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt. Do you think there's a floor in terms of the insider training, the self dealing and the corruption? Politically speaking for Trump supporters,

[Miles Taylor]

I hope there will be. But I mean, it's the one, two punch, Nicole, that we've seen throughout history. The fact that they are getting rich while the people they're supposed to serve are getting poorer tells the whole story. I mean, Donald Trump came into office saying that he was going to make wages go up for American workers. Well, guess what, they've barely gone up 1%. And workers now have the smallest portion of the economic pie since 1947. He said he was also going to bring down prices. Where has he sent all the prices? He sent them skyward. And that money is going overseas, including to countries like Iran and Russia, because the price of oil is going up because of his. And then finally, Nicole, he told those blue collar workers he was gonna bring their jobs back here. And with this story about him grabbing Belgian steel to put in the White House, it's very clear he's not bringing manufacturing jobs into the United States. He's sending those overseas as well. In the meantime, as you know, people are grifting inside the administration and there appears to be even criminal conduct, insider like trading conduct that is insult to grievous injury.

[Nicole Wallace (Host)]

All right, malice sticks around. Coming up next for us, it's been about two and a half hours and still no explanation for a rather out of the blue, out of left field statement made before the press pool. The White House press poll summoned this afternoon by first lady Melania Trump. It had the effect of bringing Donald Trump's biggest political scandal, his career, right back into the spotlight. We'll bring you that story next.

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