← Deadline: White House
Deadline: White House
“No new wars”
00:42:53
June 8, 2026; 5pm: Alicia Menendez is in for Nicolle Wallace. Alicia and guests discuss the one promise Donald Trump repeated on the campaign trail: “no new wars.” However, the war in Iran that Trump started but now has no clue how to stop is over 100 days long.
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- [00:01]
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Alicia Menendez (Host)
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Pablo Torre (Pulitzer Prize Winning Host)
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- [01:04]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
You insisted no new wars.
- [01:08]
Donald Trump (Former President, quoted)
First of all, I didn't guarantee no war. Why would I have built the strongest military in the world? I built our military. I inherited a terrible military. We had no equipment. We had nothing. I built a tremendous military. Biden gave a lot of it away, but it's still a relatively small portion compared to what I built.
- [01:24]
Lieutenant Colonel Rachel Van Landingham (Military Analyst / Professor)
But you said it over and over
- [01:25]
Donald Trump (Former President, quoted)
again, Mr. Why would I build a military? When you say I promised, I didn't promise anything. I don't like these endless wars. This is not an endless war.
- [01:35]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
Hi again, everyone. It is five o' clock here in Washington D.C. i'm Alicia Menendez in for Nicole Wallace. Except he did promise no new wars. And he said it not just once, but many times on the campaign trail and even on election night. Let's just roll the tape.
- [01:52]
Donald Trump (Former President, quoted)
Under Trump, we will have no more wars, no more disruptions, and we will have prosperity and peace for all. No more wars, no more disruptions. We will have prosperity and we will have peace. With our victory in November, the years of war, weakness and chaos will be over. I don't have wars. If properly stated, it would never start. They said he will start a war. I'm not going to start a war. I'm going to stop wars.
- [02:22]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
If Donald Trump is consistent about one thing, it is saying one thing and doing another. But this time it is a massive campaign promise that he did not keep. The war in Iran is now over 100 days long. Its impact is being felt Significantly, here at home, Americans are seeing the prices at the pump continue to soar. Politico survey last month found that over a half, 53% of Americans say the cost of living is the worst they can remember. Trump's niece, Mary Trump weighed in on how this is all a disaster of his own making and he has no way out. It's absolutely stunning what a debacle this is. And it is entirely his responsibility. He can't, I mean, he will blame
- [03:06]
Mary McCord (Former Acting Assistant Attorney General)
other people, but nobody is going to
- [03:10]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
fall for that because he didn't ask for the permission of Congress. He didn't ask for the permission of our allies. He didn't actually sell it to the American people. Iran is holding all of the cards right now. So one of Donald's favorite myths about himself is being exposed for the nonsense it is. He is not a great deal maker. In fact, he doesn't know what he's doing at all. That his broken promises and a mess of his own making is where we begin this hour with Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton of Massachusetts. He is a Marine Corps combat veteran and now serves on the House Armed Services Committee. Also joining us, military analyst Lieutenant General Mark Hertling. He served as the commanding General of the U.S. army in Europe. Also joining us, Lieutenant Colonel Rachel Van Landingham. She served in the Air Force and as a JAG officer. She is now a professor at Southwestern Law School. Congressman, before we talk about the politics of this, because there are lots of promises made, promises broken. In this case, this seems like the promise where the stakes are the highest for the military men and women who have already lost their lives, for those whose parents feel that they are living on a knife's edge, waiting for this administration to decide whether or not they're going to put boots on the ground. When you talk to your own constituents, how do you shape, how do you articulate the stakes of this war?
- [04:33]
Congressman Seth Moulton
Well, they're extraordinarily high if you're a parent or a family member of one of the soldiers, sailors, airmen or Marines over there in the Middle east right now. And I've talked to parents of Marines sitting on ships off the coast of Iran just wondering if their son will go into combat in a war that not only is going poorly, that clearly has had no plan from the very beginning, but a war that, frankly, we're losing. I mean, Trump said he wouldn't start wars. He also didn't say he would lose them. Well, he's doing both. He started wars and right now he's losing a war, giving Iran more leverage I mean, they're holding the global economy hostage. And Trump doesn't have a way out.
- [05:18]
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General?
- [05:18]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
Hardly. I want to pick up on what the congressman said there, which is picking up on what Mary Trump had said earlier, which is that the president doesn't have a way out. The problem with that is that it's not just the president who doesn't have the way out. If he cannot find an off ramp here, if he is not willing to take the loss, then it means that we all do not have a way out of this quagmire. Your sense what an off ramp would look like, who it is he should be listening to, and why he is not.
- [05:46]
Lieutenant General Mark Hertling
Yeah, Alicia, that's the toughest question I get is what's the off ramp? It's too late to consider that. You have to consider what the off ramp is before you start a war. And again, I'd like to go back a little bit if I could, and even talk about the premise of any presidential candidate saying, you know, I'm not going to have any wars. You can't predict that. I mean, the world is so complex right now, and the very fact that he even predicted that was a wrong approach to take. But then to get into a war of his own making, I think without a very good plan, without an objective or an end state, is where we are right now, the end state. Now, the off ramp, if you will, is not dependent on his actions alone. He has to do some coordination with the one ally he has, Israel. We've seen that being faulty. And he also has to understand that the enemy always gets a vote, and in this case, the enemy being Iran, and has already cast their vote in terms of what they want from a peace negotiation or a cease fire. And the president is not willing to give up money, not willing to give up sanctions that are already in place against Iran. He only wants one thing, and it's the one thing that Iran probably is not going to give him unless they get something of this, too. So, again, going back to talking about the great dealmaker that Mary Trump was talking about, he's not very good at making deals. And, and he also sets himself up for failure by making bad promises during the campaign, which no president can keep when it comes to the complexity of the global environment.
- [07:26]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
Professor Vinland, I just, I constantly remain struck by the fact that he claims it's not a war, but then he calls it a war. And like, either he and his administration can't get their talking points together. So if we take the President's word and this is in fact a war. Then under what authority has he taken the nation to the brink?
- [07:44]
Lieutenant Colonel Rachel Van Landingham (Military Analyst / Professor)
Well, we have to be at war, otherwise the United States would not be allowed to be engaged in a blockade of the entire Iranian coast. A blockade is a tool of war. So of course we're at war. And I don't think the American people nor anyone around the globe is fooled by his rhetoric that we're not at war. The American public sees it at the gas pumps. It sees it at the high cost of living. The Iranian civilians that remember that we're three months past a terrible strike that killed over 170 Iranian little girls and their teachers. And the Iranian civilians are still caught in the crosshairs, as are the Israeli civilians that were running to bomb shelters over the weekend, as are Lebanese civilians. And so the idea that we're not at war is ludicrous. Iran fired over 30 ballistic missiles at Israel over the weekend and Israel retaliated and Israel is engaged in armed conflict and in Lebanon. So to say that we're not at war is just, is, is really offensive to the rest of the world and to the American people. We know what's going on and they're absolutely, of course there's an off ramp and, but it's going to, it's going to be one that does not achieve the US Objectives here.
- [08:55]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
Right. And I think Congress and part of what you see is that Republicans in your chamber are beginning to catch on to that. So we're in this war without congressional approval. Last week the House passed with bipartisan support a War Powers resolution. Help us what that does and what then happens next?
- [09:14]
Congressman Seth Moulton
Well, it just finally shows what Congress is saying privately behind the scenes, including many Republicans, which is that we're losing this war and it's a really bad idea because gas prices are up, food prices are going up. You know, the economy is getting strangled by Iran. We've got hundreds of civilians dead, including, as we just heard, I mean, little girls and their teachers. We've got 14 of America's finest who have died. And what's Iran got? Well, they still got their nuclear weapons program. They now have the Strait of Hormuz. So when you look at what's going on here, it's not only that we're stuck in this war, it's that an enemy of the United States is actually winning this war. But I do think there is one thing that Trump has achieved and this is an objective that we don't talk about enough, cuz it sounds political. But I think the one objective that really matters to Donald Trump is something he has achieved, which is, guess what? We're not talking about Jeffrey Epstein. You know, we'll talk about Todd Blanche, we'll talk about Iran today. We're not talking about the one thing that has hurt Trump with his base. So why would he break this promise that he has made for years, that he will start no wars? That, to me is the obvious answer. And Trump actually is getting that.
- [10:32]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
I do wanna say that here on Deadline on the weeknight, which I am on most nights, we have continued to follow that story because I agree with you, we need to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. And the problem is, as you know, if one thing becomes a distraction, everything's a distraction. He is actually able to pull off multiple things at the same time. But I think it also gets to this point, General Hertling, about the necessity for clarity and how in the past when presidents have taken us into war, they have at a minimum communicated they have sold that war to the American people. That is not what this president is doing and that is particularly harmful. As you write this week in the Bulwark to America's Soldiers, this is what you write. Soldiers can absorb difficult news. They can endure hardship, separation and danger far longer than most people imagine as long as the mission is clear and they know all the sacrifice is worth it. That's why comments from senior leaders matter. The President spoke vaguely about a completion, but failed to answer the questions every soldier eventually asked. What are we trying to achieve? How will we know when we have achieved it and when are we done? Without answers to those questions, deployments begin to feel indefinite. If you are a service member right now, day 100 of this war, what are you thinking? How was morale?
- [11:47]
Lieutenant General Mark Hertling
Well, the one piece you didn't read in that article I wrote, Alicia, is the fact that when he was asked by Kristen Welker about if he would bring troops home from the Middle east, his answer was pretty striking to me. It says it cost us very little to keep them there. But I think then he said, I think we'll keep them there until such time as we have a completion. Okay, that's great. From a soldier's perspective, that is cringe worthy. I've experienced this in Iraq when we were extended for a three month tour beyond our 12 months in 2004. And it was very difficult to tell not only our soldiers who were expecting to go home, and in fact a third of our soldiers were already home and we had to bring them back. When we were extended But I had to go back to Germany and talk to family members and explain to them why they were being sent back and why the soldiers that were still there had to stay a little bit longer. This is very difficult for a commander in chief just to kind of wave this off as no big deal. I'm going to keep 50,000 forces in the Middle east, and we're not sure what we're going to do next. Again, you know, I'll comment on what you said earlier about the campaign plan. We are losing this war, as Congressman Knowlton just said, we are best going to get a draw out of it. It could have been so much different if the President had listened to his advisers, understood the application of kinetic activity, as well as diplomatic and economic sources. But that didn't happen. He believes that the military can solve all problems, and unfortunately, if that's all you're using, it becomes a hammer. But every problem isn't a nail.
- [13:29]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
Professor Evan Landingen. Part of the reason I wanted to make sure that you were involved in this conversation is because, thinking about the piece that General Hertling wrote about what the lack of clarity means to members of the armed service, I also started thinking about all of the JAG officers, all of the people who are responsible for signing off on the action that we are seeing. I mean, how. How are the people whose names and faces we may never know, but who were instrumental to making sure that there are internal institutional checks on a president's power? What does this lack of clarity mean for them? How are they even able to do their jobs?
- [14:07]
Lieutenant Colonel Rachel Van Landingham (Military Analyst / Professor)
Thank you for that. I do think that most service members have a laser focus and they can put away cognitive dissonance when their own commander in Chief is saying, this isn't a war. And yet they have to sign off on targeting, on blockade action that is premised on the authority that comes from a state of armed conflict. So they have to put that aside and say, ignore what your president just said. This is a war. You do have a legal authority, Commander, you know, Ma'.
- [14:33]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
Am. Sir.
- [14:34]
Lieutenant Colonel Rachel Van Landingham (Military Analyst / Professor)
To engage in this kinetic strike, to engage in this blockade that is premised on. On war. But it does make it difficult when you have. When service members know that Congress just voted, as Congressman Moulton reminded us, and you did, that Congress does not want us to be in this war. Congress was never asked that they should have. Should have been, whether or not they were going to authorize this war. And so service members understand that they don't have the support of the American people here. We saw those. Those poll numbers up there, they have the support, but the war doesn't have the support. So that does make it harder. I do think there's some level of moral injury every time that the president gets up and says, oh, we're not at war, but we still have service members there. And he doesn't even thank them for being there.
- [15:18]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
In the same breath, I always appreciate that return to the consequence of moral injury. Congressman, let's talk about some of the poll numbers and the politics of this that Professor Van Landingham just evoked. Because as we talk about off ramps, that pressure to get to an off ramp is going to be one of the greatest forces that we have here. This is what former Trump ally Chris Christie said just yesterday. Take a listen.
- [15:41]
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That's what midterm elections are about. They are a report card on the president and if he controls Congress, his party, on what they've done based upon what they promised in 2024, and let's remember the core promises. He was going to make the economy bigger and better. He was going to lower prices immediately. He was going to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours, and he was going to stop endless, useless wars. He's 0 for 4.
- [16:07]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
Do you get the sense, Congressman, that the Republicans in your chamber are now aware that that's a report card they're going to want to hide from their parents?
- [16:16]
Congressman Seth Moulton
Yes, absolutely. That's right. I mean, Republicans are very nervous. You see a historic number of Republicans simply retiring before these midterms. So things are not looking good for them. And they recognize that. And that's why you start seeing more political courage to go up against the president, like taking this vote. And again, let's keep this in perspective. Congress voted for the War Powers act to stop this war, but only four Republicans voted for it. That means that 98 of the Republican Party in the House of Representatives still rubber stamped this war that the American people disagree with. But I'm telling you privately, a lot more of those Republicans disagree with the war, think it's a bad idea, recognize that we're at a dead end, recognize that Iran now has more leverage over us than we have over them, and yet they don't have the courage to go up against Donald Trump. So going into these midterms, the secret to success for these Republicans will be whether they're actually willing to go against the president. Going to take some political courage on their part that I'm not sure they have.
- [17:24]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
General Hartling, if you are our allies, if you are the rest of the world, and you are watching a president who claims deals are made, deals fall apart, who even claims that these are deals in the first place, as though this is some type of real estate transaction and not actually peace agreements that we are looking for. What are you thinking about the once great United States?
- [17:45]
Lieutenant General Mark Hertling
Well, I don't want to talk to all of our allies and what they're thinking, Alicia, but I have talked to some of my former colleagues in military forces in Europe, and they are asking a very simple question. What is going on? Why is this so dysfunctional? Why do we have an administration that doesn't understand the importance of alliances, the importance of allies, the criticality of planning, the desire to coordinate and cooperate with those who might help and who understands the world as most people know it here on Earth? One, the pragmatic approach to conflict and what we want to do from the standpoint of sending forces to war. Again, I don't want to talk to everyone, but the ones I have talked to in many European countries that I used to serve alongside are confused because this is not the United States that they're used to. And they don't understand how these kind of actions can be supported by the majority of American people. And what I try and tell them is the majority, as Congressman Moulton just said, the majority are not supporting them. And the congressional representatives of those people who are not supporting them also are supporting. So it's really a dysfunction on the part of the way our American government was established and what we attempt to do in terms of checks and balances, the rule of law, the ability of the president to sell the American people and the Congress of the United States when he wants to take an action of international significance like the one he has taken. So that would be my answer to it. They are confused about who we are and what we've become.
- [19:33]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
Congressman Seth Moulton, thank you so much for your time today. Professor Rachel Van Landingham, thank you so much for joining us. General Hertling, you are sticking with me. When we return, Defense Secretary Pete Haig says thank you. Incredibly inappropriate and distasteful comments marking the anniversary of D Day. Hexas went to France and compared arriving migrants to another invasion. The outrage those comments caused next. Also ahead, a lawsuit trying to put a stop to Donald Trump's cage fighting match this weekend at, you know, the White House, the one he's not only staging but stands to benefit from financially. And Donald Trump is attending tonight's NBA Finals game between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. And Knicks fans, they say his presence at the game Tonight is both a major inconvenience and a total vibe killer. How Trump is ruining one of the few things bringing New Yorkers together later in the hour. Deadline White House continues after a quick break. Stay with us.
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Alicia Menendez (Host)
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Alicia Menendez (Host)
today, every June 6th, leaders from around the world gather in Normandy to commemorate D Day, the largest seaborne invasion in history that led to the liberation of Europe from Nazi occupation. The memorial services are filled with speeches honoring the unity and sacrifice showed on that day. But here is the message Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth decided to send in his remarks.
- [22:08]
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
In the years since these beaches, much of the west, in some places, in some quarters and in some capitals, grew comfortable. We forgot that freedom is not free. We forgot that peace is not wished into being. It is bought with purpose, with honor, and with strength. The men who landed on these beaches knew this. The question we ask ourselves is, do we? It's past time we remember what they knew. Their legacy demands far more than quiet reflection. It requires our active vigilance. Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies. In Spain, in Italy, in Greece and Bulgaria, boats and men arrive. When will European capitals do something about that invasion? Or is it too late?
- [23:19]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
Hickseth's comments went too far, even for members of the GOP. Here's what Republican Congressman Michael McCaul had to say about them.
- [23:28]
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Look, there's a time and a place
- [23:29]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
for these issues of immigration. That was not the day, not, not the anniversary D Day. I think out of respect to the
- [23:38]
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veterans, myself being the son of a D Day veteran, those remarks were out of place.
- [23:44]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
I think it should have been about
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their sacrifice, their service to their country,
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Alicia Menendez (Host)
and what they did to protect the
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free world at a time of great
- [23:52]
Lieutenant General Mark Hertling
peril against Nazi Germany.
- [23:55]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
We are back with General Hartling. These weren't just out of place, General Hartling. I mean, they were antithetical to what it is D Day is meant to remember, to celebrate, to commend. I want your reaction to what we heard there from Pete Higseth, but also what you think the 29 World War II veterans who were in the audience for that speech were thinking, yeah, Alicia, I'm going to.
- [24:19]
Lieutenant General Mark Hertling
I was talking to your producer during the break, and I asked her if she had ever been to Normandy. I've been to Normandy multiple times. And in fact, in 1968, I gave one of the speeches at the D Day commemorations, which was one of the greatest honors of my life. One of the things I will tell you is I could pick apart Secretary Hexa's speech, the opening that you just showed. He was dead wrong. The European capitals understand democracy and understand what is at stake. But I'm just going to go in the context of the speech itself. There are 94, about 9,400 soldiers buried, buried at Normandy. This celebration is held every year. And each year, those who storm the beaches keep getting older. So as you just said, there were 27 this year. They were all over 100 years old, but they still keep coming back because they want to honor their brothers and sisters who fell there. This is hallowed ground. It's one of 26 cemeteries around the world that the American Battle Monuments Commission overseeing. So when you start talking politics and political influence and implying that there are some allies and all four countries that Secretary Hegseth named Spain, Greece, Bulgaria and Italy are NATO allies. To insult them by saying they don't know what they're doing in terms of immigration. You can have discussions and debate about immigration policy, but this ain't the right time to do it, and it certainly ain't the right place. Those veterans are there to honor their fellow soldiers who are buried there. The people that come from all the countries of Europe to Normandy once a year on the 6th of June are there to remember how they pulled together, and they're still pulling together. And I'm sorry, but, you know, to give this long speech, but that place means a lot to me, and it is not someplace where you should suggest that there's no difference between Allied troops that landed at Normandy to defeat Nazi Germany, those who depended on an Aryan nation, and insult those who are taking care of migrants crossing the Mediterranean, as Secretary Hegseth did.
- [26:34]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
I will take your long speech. It is exactly the Palic cleanse we need to. Whatever gibberish it was, we heard from Hegseth. But there was more. And you invoked NATO. He took a swipe at NATO during that speech. I want to play quickly so you and I can talk about it.
- [26:49]
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
The men buried here fought in a war fighting alliance where every partner brought its full measure of industry, courage and sacrifice. Not empty slogans, not lavish summits, not communiques. Real allies doing real things, taking real losses for a shared cause worth fighting and dying for. Each nation pulled its weight. Each nation bled. America will lead, and we must. But capable allies must be right there with us, shoulder to shoulder, in the breach when it matters.
- [27:38]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
Do you think that compelled anyone to want to be America's ally?
- [27:43]
Donald Trump (Former President, quoted)
No.
- [27:43]
Lieutenant General Mark Hertling
It's unfortunate to me that the Secretary of Defense has such a poor understanding of what NATO is and what they have done over the last 20 years. We had a force in Afghanistan called ISAF. Two thirds of that force was US. One third of it were volunteers from various NATO countries that all came together. And some non NATO countries like Ukraine, you know, they were there as well. In fact, they were paired up with the Polish division in part of Afghanistan as part of the ISAF force. I have been to memorial services for NATO allied forces who have been killed in action in both Iraq and Afghanistan because they volunteered to be there. The Secretary of Defense has little understanding and very little knowledge of what NATO is all about. And some of the people on his staff are the same way. It is a strong alliance. It has some challenges. And whenever you get 32 nations together debating things, there are always going to be differences of opinion. But it's the strongest security alliance, I believe, in the history of the world. And it has been incredibly strong over the last 80 years of existence.
- [28:57]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
Thank you so much as always, Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, for reorienting us toward reality. I appreciate your time. When we return, I'm going to tell you about a lawsuit that aims to knock out Donald Trump's 80th birthday cage fighting match on the grounds of the White House, the one he is poised to benefit from financially. Stay with us. A text says you're on my mind. A bouquet from 1-800-Flowers says you're my everything. Heartfelt moments belong in the real world, not just your phone. For 50 years, 1-800-Flowers has helped millions of people make memories that'll last a lifetime with gifts they'll cherish forever. Their expertly curated arrangements and gift baskets shipped nationwide with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Don't wait for the next big moment. Make it when you visit 1-800-flowers.com sxm today, that's 1-800-flowers. Com sxm.
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Alicia Menendez (Host)
A new lawsuit is trying to put a stop to Donald Trump's UFC Freedom250 event scheduled for this weekend at the White House. The complaint calls the event on Trump's birthday, quote, deeply corrupt, says that it runs afoul of federal regulations that prohibit sporting events on federal parklands. The plaintiffs, two Virginia residents, say they brought the case to, quote, uphold the rule of law and protect our nation's most cherished monuments from corrupt exploitation. That corruption, they argue, is the fact that the head of UFC and close Trump ally Dana White, along with Donald Trump himself, stand to benefit from this event. Recent reporting revealed that Trump actually owns stock in UFC's parent company. The White House argues that the legal challenge is a baseless attempt to prevent Trump from hosting the fight. I want to bring in the Pulitzer Prize winning host of the podcast, Pablo Torre finds out contributor Pablo Torre. And joining me at the table, former acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security at the Justice Department, Mary McCourt. I just want to say, Mary, I can't talk about this without feeling like it's an SNL script that has somehow been loaded in my prompter because the whole thing is so absurd. Talk to me, though, about this Lawsuit on the merits. Yeah.
- [31:59]
Mary McCord (Former Acting Assistant Attorney General)
So you know, suits like these are, this are tough to bring in one way because of standing.
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M
Right.
- [32:05]
Mary McCord (Former Acting Assistant Attorney General)
To be a plaintiff, to challenge any kind of executive action or bring any lawsuit in federal court, you have to show that you have actual injury that could be, that is traceable to the conduct of the defendant and that would be redressed by your lawsuit. Now the injuries here are injuries, some of the which have been recognized by courts before, including the aesthetic injury. Right. There are cases where parkland, for example, has been, you know, destroyed or demolished or harmed in some way where somebody saying, well, I can no longer enjoy this parkland. They've been held deaf standing. And that's part of the injury that's asserted here, that these are people who regularly are on these grounds or outside these grounds. And one is an activist, both are activists, protesters. But they also appreciate the, the beauty of the area and that that's being desecrated. And there are other injuries. One who's a veteran that says, you know, the real mistreatment of memorial places like the Lincoln Memorial, because it's not only this fight at the White House, there's going to be the weigh in at the Lincoln Memorial.
- [33:08]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
I have details on that. Let me read you some of that. This is from the lawsuit. The plan is for fighters to conduct the ceremonial weigh ins and face offs at the Lincoln Memorial, make pre fight walkouts from the Oval Office and do combat in a massive structure now under construction just steps from the executive residence. The President is giving White and his company what none have enjoyed before. Unfettered access to the White House and Lincoln Memorial to stage a private for profit sports event with all the promotional and branding opportunities that accompany such access. Pablo Torre what could go wrong?
- [33:44]
Pablo Torre (Pulitzer Prize Winning Host)
Yeah, just the American experiment, I guess. Not to be so grandiose about it. One of the funny things about the lawsuit and I will leave the legal standing question, of course, to our esteemed legal expert. But one of the things that's so funny that they point out is just the basic logic of you say this thing is for the 250th birthday of America, but it's being held three weeks before Independence Day on the president's 80th birthday. And so the quote that I love is the event is neither for the celebration of the 250th anniversary of American independence nor crucially being planned, organized and executed by the federal government. And so that's what the lawsuit is claiming. And I don't know if that results in a legal victory. I just know that that is resonant with anybody who's thinking to themselves, what is this about? Is this about crony capitalism in which the President owns stock in the company that he is partnering with to build this organism on the lawn of the White House? Is he profiting from this in the way that Dana White, the head of the ufc, is profiting from this? And are we being sold the idea that this is for some greater good? And I think that is a bit of a smell test as opposed to a legal test. And they fail the first one and the second one, I guess we'll see.
- [34:53]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
Well, and I will defer, as Pablo said to you on that. This is the corruption they argue that Donald Trump is a part of. Quote, Trump, too, has plans to benefit financially. Reporting published in late May revealed that earlier this spring, he purchased up to $50,000 worth of stock in TKO, UFC's owner. So I think Pablo is getting it right, which is. It's the question that you and I constantly come back to vis a vis a lot of the Trump suits that Donald Trump and his administration bring, which is they're not actually necessarily intended to win in a court of law. They are intended to move in a court of public opinion. The fact that this is narratively laying out for the public what is at stake here, both in terms of our national identity, but also in terms of what the President may have to gain from his economic investment in this is all incredibly relevant and powerful. But talk to me about this specific piece, the fact that the President has money invested.
- [35:47]
Mary McCord (Former Acting Assistant Attorney General)
So that's why I think, what I really think is the importance of this lawsuit ultimately, whether they win or lose on standing and on their merits of their claims, it is pointing a spotlight at the corruption here. And, you know, Mr. White has gone on record saying this is like the biggest earned media event we could possibly have. Our exposure this, this day to, you know, people around the world is going to give us more and probably generate more revenue than we could get in a year just from the attention, the eyes that are going to be on this. Right. So he's clearly seeing this as a commercial endeavor. And we now know he also, by the way, you know, he's very close to Donald Trump. He introduced him at the 2024 convention. Right. There's all kinds of connections there. And now we learn that Donald Trump has an investment, by Donald Trump's terms, not a huge investment, I think it's between 15 and $50,000, but nevertheless an investment that apparently, according to the allegations in the complaint, was made after the planning of this event. And there are others who stand to benefit, too. There's advertisers, because the way this octagon thing works, this cage fight, is there's advertisements all over it. So it really does look like the corruption of the White House for both political and financial benefits to private companies and entities that Trump has a relationship with.
- [37:13]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
So why do this, Pablo, what's the point? Who is this supposed to reach?
- [37:17]
Pablo Torre (Pulitzer Prize Winning Host)
The power of sports are well documented. This administration, for all of its corruption, knows that power. And one of the great cons that people in charge of this government have sold to us is the idea that sports are this wonderful public good. And of course, they can be right. I am a sports fan. I come from that world. I believe in their redemptive power, in the civic nature of them. But in this case, it is the public good for private gain. And so the notion of why. Well, it's because you can construct this ridiculous piece of architecture in a way that seems like it is something that the DNC would create with AI if it didn't exist already. Right. It's just like a campaign ad that writes itself. But because it. There are sports happening in there, because that is a sporting event, it feels like this is for all of you. You're welcome. And that is the con. It's the power of sports being used to line someone's pockets. And that needs to be called out. Because the one thing I'll be very. I will be maudlin about this a bit is that sports are one of the few places where you walk into something and you're not voting the same way, you're not worshiping the same way, you're not listening to music or watching television the same way. But you get to occupy a space because you have common interest. And what this White House has done repeatedly is pervert that they are wearing it like a skin suit. And the cost of it, we are still doing the accounting on in the way that we're doing it with every bit Alicia, of. Of. Of crypto earnings and secret Middle Eastern stock transfers. It's all in the same bucket. It's reducing this special thing to the most base of things.
- [39:02]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
That, my friends, is why the man has a Pulitzer. You are staying with me. Pablo Ture, Mary McCord, as always, thank you so much for being with us. When we return, why fans of the New York Knicks are up in arms about Donald Trump tonight. Tonight is game three of the NBA Finals with Madison Square Garden set to host its first NBA finals game since 1999. The New York Knicks are just just two wins away from their first NBA championship in over 50 years. So New Yorkers are rightfully excited, except perhaps for this. Donald Trump will attend the game, which is set to create a massive security and traffic log jam outside of Madison Square Garden in midtown Manhattan. Because of Trump's presence, attendees of the game have been strongly encouraged to arrive at the Garden two hours before tip off and to be prepared for airport style security. Trump's attendance has also forced the cancellation of popular watch parties which have taken place on the surrounding streets of Madison Square Garden, further angering fans. We are back with Pablo Torrea. I'm thinking about that poetry you wove for me in the last block about how sports are fundamentally about the experience of community that is so hard to find these days and so hard to find in this moment. How does Donald Trump's presence at this game change not just the vibes, but the essence of why people are gathering?
- [40:30]
Pablo Torre (Pulitzer Prize Winning Host)
So the New York Knicks are a team that has been longing for the very thing that's happening right now. They've been longing for it since the 70s, haven't won a title since the 70s. And so to give you a sense of how much this means, I'm born and raised in New York City, blocks away from Madison Square Garden. One of the great things that have organically been happening during this whole run has been the outdoor celebrations. It is recalled. And this is not, this is not hyperbole. It has recalled a level of unification in the streets of the city that I have not seen since 9, 11. Like that is the power of sports that I was trying to express earlier. And so what is happening now, what you're getting is instead of that one wonderful, long awaited snow globe experience in which sports gets to exist on its own terms and unify a city on its own terms, you have this thing becoming instead, in a nutshell, the sports affordability crisis that has affected the industry for decades as well. Because, Alicia, what's happening is that the owner of the Knicks is James Dolan and he has a malignant presence for lots of reasons that are far too detailed and lengthy for me to go into with you on this program. But he invited his good friend, the president, Donald Trump, and as a result, the fans who cannot afford to be inside can no longer legally be outside. And it's this insult, it's an insult to injury in which this is for the people. Taxpayer money funds Madison Square Gardens largesse. And yet here we have a billionaire favoring another billionaire at the expense of the People who want this like it's a fairly, like it's a family heirloom, fairly, fairly demanded, and yet they get nothing.
- [42:22]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
So what type of reaction, what type of response you think he gets tonight?
- [42:25]
Pablo Torre (Pulitzer Prize Winning Host)
One big difference between the UFC and MMA cage fights and the NBA is that Donald Trump sees the former as his own safe space. He can be a snowflake protected in that little snow globe. In this one, he will feel the power of the, admittedly a higher tax bracket of New York City, but one that will boo him in my prediction to an extent that will force him to regret this entire experiment. It's a bit of a heat check for him. It's a bit of a desperate move for him to think, this is my friend's team. I used to go to these games. I, too, can be a part of the coolest, most fun, most popular thing that's happening. He recognizes star power. The New York Knicks are the biggest stars in sports right now. And what he's gonna get instead is a populist response that really sports can claim uniquely at this point in Western civilization, which is the boo. The boo as a mechanism of accountability, of revolution. He will feel it, and I predict it is gonna be the loudest noise you hear this evening.
- [43:32]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
I am so taken by what you have said, especially in light of the president's response when he was asked about those who could not afford tickets. Can we just play it real fast or do you even think that the
- [43:44]
Lieutenant Colonel Rachel Van Landingham (Military Analyst / Professor)
game you're going to, the cheapest price
- [43:47]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
for the game three you're going to is $8,000 everyday. Americans can't afford these sports.
- [43:53]
Donald Trump (Former President, quoted)
Well, I know, but they can watch it on television. It's sort of semi free to watch it on television, but that's the way life goes.
- [44:05]
Pablo Torre (Pulitzer Prize Winning Host)
The thing that strikes me, I'm so glad you played that, Is that sports are meant to be communal. This is about sharing spaces with your fellow human beings. And the pandemic taught us that. They took fans out of the building. They said, you could watch this on television, there won't be fans there. And even through the screen, it was terrible. It was not the same. And so Donald Trump not getting that humanity is actually the upside of a sporting event is a metaphor on a level that, again, you can't write if you really tried. And it's just remarkable.
- [44:38]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
Pablo Ture, my brilliant Pulitzer Prize winning friend, thank you so much for joining us on Today of all days. We're going to sneak in a quick break and I'll be right back. Nicole's guest on this week's episode of the Best People podcast is a familiar face to viewers of this program. Former DOJ pardon attorney Liz Oyer. She talks with Nicole about her experience leaving the department and what happened next. Take a listen.
- [45:05]
M
Most people who were fired from the Justice Department in the early days were fired quietly, and they walked away from their jobs without speaking out. That was not my impulse. My impulse was, this was an injustice and I need to speak about it publicly. So I did. I did a couple of interviews, including one with you, and that resulted in Todd Blanche issuing a statement saying I was lying. I then agreed to testify in Congress. And the Friday before I was scheduled to testify on a Monday, I got a call from a person who was still in the Justice Department on my cell phone telling me that the Deputy Attorney General had sent armed U.S. marshals to my home to deliver me a warning letter about my testimony. And he told me that he was calling because he knew it was gonna be really upsetting to my family if these men, these armed men showed up at my door at 10 o' clock on a Friday night. And this person was absolutely right. My son was home alone at. And I was probably not gonna be back at my house before these people arrived, which would have been terrifying for him. I mean, they were calling not because they were supposed to, but because they knew that it was the right thing to do to give me a heads up, and they were able to help me get that called off. But it didn't end there.
- [46:20]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
To listen to the rest of Liz's story and what's happened to the department since she left, scan the QR code on your screen or you can download the Best people wherever you get your podcast and take another break.
- [46:31]
BetterHelp Advertiser
We'll be right back.
- [46:35]
Alicia Menendez (Host)
Thank you for spending this Monday with us. We are so grateful. Nicole's going to be back tomorrow.
- [46:39]
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