Meet the Press NOW — April 2

Summary

Meet the Press NOW – April 2, 2026: Episode Summary

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of "Meet the Press NOW," hosted by Kristen Welker, dives into major breaking political developments in Washington: the abrupt firing of Attorney General Pam Bondi by President Donald Trump, the deepening implications for Trump’s cabinet, and the ongoing war with Iran. Along with congressional gridlock over the DHS shutdown, the show examines shifting White House strategies and their political, legal, and global ramifications—all as Americans grapple with domestic anxieties over fuel prices and government services.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Breaking News: Trump Fires Attorney General Pam Bondi

(Segment: 00:56–07:47; 08:09–12:59)

• Details of the Firing

  • President Trump announced on social media that Attorney General Pam Bondi was fired and would take a job in the private sector, with Deputy AG Todd Blanche stepping in as Acting Attorney General.
  • Bondi had been a close Trump ally, joining him at the Supreme Court the day before for birthright citizenship arguments.

• Reasons Behind the Firing

  • Growing frustrations from President Trump, including Bondi’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and unmet expectations regarding investigations into Trump’s political opponents.
  • "After months of mounting frustration, [Bondi] could not align her vision for the job...with the president’s vision," Monica Alba explains. [03:58]

• Missteps & Controversies

  • Bondi’s public claim to have an Epstein client list, which DOJ later denied existed, sparked backlash and eroded support among the MAGA base.
  • The President publicly pressured Bondi to act against rivals like James Comey and Letitia James, which led to visible friction and unmet expectations.
  • “She actually did initiate those indictments...even if then they had their own legal hurdles to face. But the president was very adamant about how he wanted her to do that.” (Monica Alba, 05:51)

• Transition & Cabinet Turbulence

  • Bondi is the second Trump cabinet member ousted in recent weeks, following Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
  • The firing is notable given the relative stability of Trump’s second-term cabinet compared to his first.

• Reactions & Fallout

  • DOJ staff felt a mix of predictability and surprise; “She could not have been more loyal, more present, more there...In the building today: very quiet, very quiet.” (Kelly O’Donnell, 09:29)
  • House Oversight Committee had subpoenaed Bondi over Epstein files; uncertainty over whether she’ll testify as a private citizen.
  • Emerging speculation that Lee Zeldin, EPA head and already Senate-confirmed, could be nominated as the permanent AG, potentially streamlining confirmation.

• Notable Quote

  • Trump, on Bondi: “She’s going to go down as a great attorney general. I may change my mind about that. I don’t know. Maybe someday I’ll call and say I was only kidding.” [02:41]
  • Kelly O’Donnell: “The president has what may be an insatiable desire to see retribution politically that does not reflect where the law is...” [08:48]

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2. Iran War Address: Unclear Timelines and Rising Stakes

(Segment: 15:50–31:22)

• President Trump’s Address

  • Trump claimed substantial military progress against Iran, promising that, “We are on track to complete all of America’s military objectives shortly. Very shortly. We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks.” [16:21]
  • However, his timelines for ending the war have fluctuated, leading to confusion: “We projected four to five weeks...but we have capability to go far longer than that.” [16:58]
  • Stark threat to Iran’s infrastructure if no deal is reached: “We are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously.” [17:47]

• Mixed Messaging and Concerns

  • Trump wavered on prerequisites for ending the war, especially regarding reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
  • He signaled U.S. disengagement from securing the Strait: “They must grab it and cherish it...We will be helpful. But they should take the lead...” [18:53]
  • “Maybe me, maybe me. Me and the Ayatollah.” – on future control of oil flow through the Strait [20:01]
  • Allies, markets, and analysts are left unsettled by the lack of clear timelines and objectives.

• Analytical Breakdown

  • Garrett Hake: The address aimed to reassure Americans about war progress and market stability, but little substantive impact was seen.
  • Courtney Kuby explains, “There are only so many military targets...there is a point where they will basically exhaust all of their military targets and theoretically that could be in two to three weeks.” [24:40]
  • National security analysis noted that while Iran’s military has been degraded, total victory remains elusive, especially regarding drones, missiles, and nuclear infrastructure.

• Markets and Oil Prices

  • Markets initially reacted negatively to Trump’s mixed war messaging, but recovered slightly amid rumors of diplomatic efforts. Oil prices, however, surged above $111 a barrel, with knock-on effects at the pump. [28:03]
  • Brian Chung: “For every $10 a barrel of oil increases in price, that usually amounts to about 25 cents per gallon at the pump...” [29:19]

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3. Partial DHS Shutdown & Legislative Stalemate

(Segment: 33:23–42:13)

• State of DHS Funding

  • The shutdown is now in its seventh week; House and Senate leaders have agreed on funding most of DHS, except ICE and CBP, to be settled later via reconciliation.
  • Trump to sign an executive order to pay DHS employees, though questions remain about the funding’s legality and sustainability.

• Congressional Dynamics

  • Ryan Nobles: “The House and Senate are on the same page. They probably should have been on Friday of last week...” [34:32]
  • Speaker Johnson faces an internal rebellion from conservative Republicans wary of a bipartisan solution.
  • Democrats, despite losing on some policy points, gained major talking points for the midterms: “More than anything, Democrats got this as a political talking point issue heading into the midterm elections.” (Ryan Nobles, 36:35)

• Sen. Kevin Kramer Reacts

  • Sees the president’s support as pivotal to moving the funding bill in the House: “With the president weighing in like this, does that help? It's everything.” [41:06]
  • Emphasizes the need for legislative “adults” to step up: “Somebody has to step in and be the adult. Maybe that’s the way to put it.” [42:13]

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4. War with Iran: Political and Public Response

(Segment: 42:13–47:49)

• Senator Kevin Kramer Interview

  • Approves of Trump’s approach, given his access to classified briefings.
  • Defends the timing and tone of Trump’s address, highlighting its dual audience—both Americans and global actors.
  • Argues that laying out historical context for action against Iran may not be immediately popular but will matter in the end: “It may not be popular in the day, but it will be popular at the end, in my view...” [44:18]

• Public Opinion

  • Polling reveals the war is deeply unpopular: “Recent Reuters poll 60% disapprove, 35% approve. CBS YouGov 60% again disapprove...” [43:49]

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5. Social Policy Controversy: Trump on Daycare, Medicaid, and Medicare

(Segment: 45:53–47:49; 54:42–55:26)

• Trump’s Comments

  • “We can’t take care of daycare...Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things...They can do it on a state basis. You can’t do it on a federal. We have to take care of one thing: military protection.” [45:53]
  • The White House later clarified that Trump was referring to rooting out fraud in these programs.

• Political Reactions

  • Senator Kramer: Acknowledges constitutional arguments about states’ roles but warns about the need for reform and maintaining commitments like Medicare.
  • Sahil Kapoor (Panel): “Very likely a political gift to Democrats ahead of the midterms...here’s the president saying now on camera, ‘can’t fund daycare because we’re out there fighting wars.’” [54:57]

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6. Roundtable Panel Reactions

(Segment: 47:56–55:45)

• Bondi’s Ouster

  • Panelists describe it as both expected and a mark of ongoing turbulence in Trump’s cabinet.
  • “It is whether or not they can meet the expectations of Donald Trump...” (Malik Abdul, 49:45)
  • Democrats hope for a more independent AG, but are skeptical the new appointment will break with Trump’s style.

• Iran War Messaging

  • The panel sees Trump’s address as failing to deliver desired “clarity” on objectives and timelines.
  • “There was an abundance of clarity from the president about the objectives, the end game and how long this is going to go for.” (Sahil Kapoor, 51:53)
  • The war’s rising costs, especially for consumers, become a centerpiece of Democratic criticism as the midterms approach.

• Domestic Policy Tensions

  • Trump’s comments deprioritizing social programs in favor of defense may hurt him politically—“a wasted opportunity for Donald Trump.” (Malik Abdul, 55:30)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Trump, Playful but Foreboding on Bondi:
  “She’s going to go down as a great attorney general. I may change my mind about that. I don’t know. Maybe someday I’ll call and say I was only kidding.” (02:41)
• On War Objectives:
  “We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong.” (16:21)
• On Who Controls the Strait:
  “Maybe me, maybe me. Me and the Ayatollah.” (20:01)
• Sen. Kramer on Congressional Deadlock:
  “Somebody has to step in and be the adult.” (42:13)
• Trump on Domestic Scope:
  “We can’t take care of daycare... Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things. They can do it on a state basis...” (45:53)
• Sahil Kapoor on Political Impact:
  “Very likely a political gift to Democrats ahead of the midterms.” (54:57)

---

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:56–07:47 | Bondi fired, reasons, and discussion with Monica Alba | | 08:09–12:59 | Panel reaction to Bondi’s departure, DOJ and Oversight implications | | 15:50–31:22 | Iran war address: presidential messaging, market reaction, analysis | | 33:23–42:13 | DHS shutdown: Hill dynamics, Trump’s executive move, Sen. Cramer reacts| | 42:13–47:49 | Sen. Kramer on Iran war, polling, and Trump’s domestic priorities | | 47:56–55:45 | Panel roundtable: Bondi ouster, Iran messaging, affordability politics |

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Recap & Utility

This episode offers an in-depth look at a pivotal, turbulent day in U.S. politics and foreign policy—capturing the high drama of a White House shake-up, ambiguous war strategy, domestic anxieties, and acute legislative paralysis. The reporting, analysis, and panel reflections throughout the episode highlight the challenges ahead for the Trump administration as war and domestic discontent shape the political landscape moving deeper into 2026.

Transcript

[Kristen Welker]

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[Josh Mankiewicz]

He was a young Marine. She didn't care about convention. They made a life together. Then one night the Marine died. And then the death investigation took a wild, unexpected and utterly bizarre turn. Josh I'm Josh Mankiewicz and this is

[Narrator/Announcer]

Trace of Suspicion, an all new podcast from dateline.

[President Donald Trump]

Listen to all episodes of Trace of Suspicion now, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Kristen Welker]

Welcome to MEET the Press now. I'm Kristen Welker in Washington. And we begin with the breaking news of a major shakeup inside the president President's Cabinet. President Trump today firing Attorney General Pam Bondi, posting on social media that Bondi, quote, will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector. And that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch will step in to serve as acting attorney general. Bondi has been a staunch ally of Mr. Trump's, joining him at the Supreme Court just yesterday for arguments on a challenge to his effort to end birthright citizenship. But her firing comes after multiple sources tell NBC News the president had grown more and more frustrated with his attorney general in recent days. Bondi struggled to recover her standing with the president after missteps surrounding her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case and the eventual release of the files, including in a fiery hearing before the House Judiciary Committee.

[Kelly O'Donnell]

The survivors in the room, if you are willing, please stand. And if you are willing, please raise

[Kristen Welker]

your hands if you have still not

[Kelly O'Donnell]

been able to meet with this Department of Justice.

[President Donald Trump]

These co conspirators have you indicted. How many perpetrators are you even investigating?

[Kristen Welker]

First you showed it.

[Monica Alba]

I find.

[President Donald Trump]

How many have you?

[Monica Alba]

Excuse me, I'm going to answer the question.

[President Donald Trump]

Answer my question.

[Monica Alba]

No, I'm going to answer the question.

[Kristen Welker]

President Trump as far back as last June joking about Bondi's legacy.

[President Donald Trump]

But I want to correct. She's going to go down as a great attorney general. I may change my mind about that. I don't know. Maybe someday I'll have call and say I was only getting she's going to go down as a great attorney general.

[Kristen Welker]

And in September, voicing frustration with the Justice Department, stalled investigations into his political opponents, posting on social media what was meant to be a private message to Bondi complaining that nothing is being done to prosecute those rivals. Incoming Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who served as President Trump's personal attorney during his New York hush money trial, praised Bondi on social media posting, quote, we will continue backing the blue, enforcing the law and doing everything in our power to keep America safe. Gandhi is the second Trump cabinet member fired in recent weeks. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was ousted four weeks ago today. And with me now to start us off, NBC News White House correspondent Monica Alba, NBC News Chief justice and national affairs correspondent Kelly o', Donnell, and NBC News Capitol Hill correspondent Melanie Zenona. Thanks to all of you from for being here. Monica, let me start with you at the White House. I know you've been working your sources there. So what are they telling you about the timing of this? Why did President Trump want to fire Attorney General Bondi right now?

[Monica Alba]

Well, Kristen, once the president makes up his mind that he wants to replace somebody in his cabinet or in his inner circle, there is a very little bit of lag time that actually takes place between that decision and the actual announcement of it. Now, sometimes people are able to save themselves, are able to pitch to the president why he shouldn't dismiss them. But in the case of Pam Bondi, even though the president likes her personally, I'm told this was simply someone who, after months of mounting frustration, could not align her vision for the job of attorney general with the president's vision of how he wanted her to do this job. And you can look at a range of different examples, certainly some of those that you mentioned in the introduction coming to how certain cases are handled or certain people that the president wanted to see prosecuted, ranging from that to her handling of the Epstein files. And also just an overall feeling from the president about what he wants to see happen in this critically important role. So this is a moment where the president is deciding to lean into a major shakeup and cabinet turnover that he really hasn't over the last year. We obviously saw the replacement of the DHS secretary of Kristi Noem about a month ago, which was the first cabinet secretary to change over in the president's second term. And that's a real departure from how he conducted himself in the first term. But when it comes specifically to Pam Bondi, we know that there was a heated confrontation at the White House, according to sources familiar with that exchange in recent weeks. And there had just been a series of issues where the president ultimately decided he wanted somebody else in this job. Kristen.

[Kristen Welker]

Extraordinary that there has been so little turnover. If you compare the turnover in his second administration to what we saw during the first administration. Monica, tick through some of the key points of contention with Bondi. We know that the Epstein files was really front and center.

[Monica Alba]

In particular, the fact that you had Pam Bondi standing not too far from where I am here on the North Lawn at one point claiming to have a client list sitting on her desk. That, of course, never materialized, with the Justice Department releasing a memo saying that there was never a client list and that wasn't something that actually existed. That then prompted and unleashed such a backlash from the MAGA base that really just also invited more questions than answers that this White House never really was able to overcome. That's, in the words of one senior administration official, the issue that even if they try to dismiss it and respond to it, continues at times to come back and come back. And we certainly saw that over the course of the last few months. So that was one. But also you have the fact that the president, in seemingly trying to convey a private message, where he wrote Pam Colon, tried to urge her to prosecute, to look into some of his political rivals. When we're talking about people like the former FBI Director, James Comey, when we're talking about Tish James, the New York State Attorney General. And she actually did do those things. She actually did initiate those indictments and try to take cases against them, even if then they had their own legal hurdles to face. But the president was very adamant about how he wanted her to do that. And we're told at times that there were other messages that were conveyed privately of things he wanted her to do that he felt she fell short on.

[Kristen Welker]

And Monica, we know Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch is going to serve as the interim Attorney general. Are you hearing anything about the potential names that may be the permanent replacement for Pam Bondi? Lee Zeldin, one of them. That's coming into focus.

[Monica Alba]

Exactly. It seems like he may be one of the top contenders because he is already in the Cabinet. He is the head of the epa, which means he's already Senate confirmed. So if the president does decide to tap him for this role leading the Justice Department, that would make that process pretty quick and doable, it seems.

[Kristen Welker]

All right, Monica Alba starting us off at the White House. Monica, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Let me turn now to Kelly and Mel here at the desk. So, Kelly, let's talk. Yeah, there you go. Let's talk about what is next for Attorney General Pam Bondi. She said she's going to the private sector. Tell us a little bit about what you anticipate are next steps for her at this point?

[Kelly O'Donnell]

Well, what stands out is that it does appear that the personal relationship between Pam Bondi and the president is, although this is hardly a good day, but you get a sense that there is mutual respect and affection. She is going to something not yet named in the private sector that is in somehow in support of the president based on his public post and what she has also posted and she says she's thrilled about it. Obviously, that could be something related to one of the PACs. It could be his library. It could be a number of things. This relationship is one that she's invested a great deal in. And today is one of those days that if you're in Trump world, this day can come.

[Kristen Welker]

Right?

[Kelly O'Donnell]

It's a tough day. And at the same time, it is very much predictable. The president has what may be an insatiable desire to see retribution politically that does not reflect where the law is or what the power of an attorney general actually is and whomever takes over that position. Lee Zeldin is an attorney, but has never been a prosecutor. Obviously, Todd Blanche, the president knows very well, having sat at the defense table with him, his case in New York and obviously working in the government.

[Kristen Welker]

So, Kelly, take us inside some of your conversations at the Justice Department. What was the reaction? Was it surprise or was this anticipated?

[Kelly O'Donnell]

To some extent, I think it's both. I mean, there is a sense of she could not have been more loyal, more present, more there. She rode in the car with him yesterday to the Supreme Court. She is, I spent a lot of time at the White House because the attorney general's at the White House and so closeness there, I think from in the building today. Very quiet, very quiet. So there is not a hubbub of activity in response to this. Also, you know, with an acting coming in who is already a part of the Department of Justice, the transition is likely to be smooth. She talked today in her post about taking a month of transition, if it will even take that long. They've worked closely together. There have been signs that Todd Blanche was emerging as a public face of the department in some key areas. But this is obviously for those who have supported Pam Bondi, who came in with a very good reputation. This is a day where she has she's been beaten up a bit.

[Kristen Welker]

And Kel, just finally, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who you're referencing, takes over a huge role. What are some of the challenges, the pitfalls? What lies ahead for him?

[Kelly O'Donnell]

Well, there are no good answers for Todd Blanche based on the issues We've discussed here about Pam Bondi. The Epstein files are what they are. The department has not fully released all of them. There's been no action to proc. Prosecute anyone from information that's been derived by the investigations thus far. Going after perceived enemies. Comey, Letitia James of New York, Senator Schiff, any of those things are fraught. There are other inquiries that are going on. Will he have a better chance at trying to bring a prosecution? We shall see. But it was the court system itself, the law itself, that stopped the Comey case and the James case, not Pam Bondi failing to do so.

[Kristen Welker]

It's a really important point. Mel, let me turn to you. The House Oversight Committee has subpoenaed Pam Bondi to talk in part about the Epstein files. Will that move forward? What are you anticipating?

[Melanie Zanona]

Yeah, it's a great question about whether she even will testify now that she will be a private citizen versus the Attorney General. Certainly Democrats say that she still has an obligation to come before the committee, talk about what she knows about the Epstein files. And there is at least one Republican, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, who said the same thing. She wrote on Twitter that Pam Bondi will soon lean for her job as the Attorney General. But my subpoena still stands. When the Oversight Committee moved to subpoena Bondi, I did it by name, not by and not as the sitting Attorney General of the US Released the Epstein files. So we'll see what House Oversight Chairman James Comer decides to do. So far, he's saying he needs to confer with the other Republicans on the committee before they make that decision. But, Kristen, I got to tell you, in talking to my Republican sources behind the scenes, there's a lot of frustration with Pam Bondi, how she handled the Epstein files, just not necessarily Nancy Mace. It goes much broader. A lot of them not willing to say that publicly, but I think there's a lot of Republicans who have questions for.

[Kelly O'Donnell]

And the timing of that hearing may be part of what played out today.

[Melanie Zanona]

I absolutely agree with that because it was supposed to be April 14, so that's in less week and a couple of days.

[Kristen Welker]

Yeah. And part of what you're laying out is that there just may have been a lot of pressure in addition to the President's own frustration coming from Capitol Hill, which is certainly notable, which always plays a role potentially in these decisions. And Mel, if she were to testify, first of all, it would be extraordinary to hear from her after this. But would this effectively allow her to be more candid, given that she would be in the process of leaving her role?

[Melanie Zanona]

Well, not necessarily because past Trump officials or administration officials who have come in to testify before the committee when they are private citizens, usually they have legal counsel from the agency that they represented. So there would still be someone there. That being said, there's still a lot she could and should have to answer for. They want to know about the redactions in the Epstein files. They want to know whether they were in compliance with the law. They want to know why certain files were initially withheld. So she is privy to a lot of that really important information.

[Kristen Welker]

And just turning to the Senate side, I know we don't know who the president's pick will be to replace the attorney general, but how quickly do you anticipate the Senate Judiciary Committee will move to try to confirm whoever the president nominates?

[Melanie Zanona]

Well, the chairman of that committee, Chuck Grassley, said they will move as soon as possible. And we did see with Secretary Mullen they can move pretty quickly to confirm these nominations when they want to after they get the paperwork, after they go through the confirmation hearing. The big caveat, though, is who the nominee is because if it's someone who's relatively non controversial, like Lee Zeldin, he's already been Senate confirmed. I could see someone like him moving relatively fast on Capitol Hill. But if it's someone else who's a little bit more controversial, has some baggage, that could take a little longer.

[Kristen Welker]

All right, Kelly and Mel, thank you for a great conversation and great reporting. Really appreciate it. Coming up, there is new fallout after President Trump's address to the nation on Iran with unanswered questions about the war's timeline and objectives as oil prices surge and U.S. allies respond. Plus, President Trump says he'll sign an executive order aimed at paying all DHS employees as lawmakers remain deadlocked on resolving the longest ever partial government shutdown. Stay with us. You're watching Meet THE Press.

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[Kelly O'Donnell]

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[Kristen Welker]

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[President Donald Trump]

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[Megan Hayes]

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[Kristen Welker]

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[President Donald Trump]

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[Narrator/Announcer]

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[Kristen Welker]

Welcome back. New questions and frustrations today after President Trump gave his first primetime address since the start of the war with Iran, but delivered very few details about how the war could wind down. In a roughly 20 minute long speech, the President praised US military operations, saying Iran has been eviscerated and is essentially no longer a threat. The President went on to say the war, which is now in its fifth week, will end shortly, while also saying the war will continue until the merit military objectives were fully achieved.

[President Donald Trump]

I've made clear from the beginning of Operation Epic Fury that we will continue until our objectives are fully achieved. Thanks to the progress we've made, I can say tonight that we are on track to complete all of America's military objectives shortly. Very shortly. We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We're going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong.

[Kristen Welker]

Now, the president initially said the conflict would last for five weeks altogether. And in the weeks since, he has given several different timelines for when it could end.

[President Donald Trump]

Look, we projected four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that. We'll do it.

[Kristen Welker]

Are you thinking this week it will be over no.

Days?

[President Donald Trump]

I think so.

[Melanie Zanona]

Okay.

[Kristen Welker]

And with respect, very soon.

[President Donald Trump]

But we're not ready to leave yet. But we will be leaving in the near future. We'll be leaving in pretty much the very near future. We estimated it would take approximately four to six weeks to achieve our mission and we're way ahead of schedule. We're finishing the job and I think within maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer to do the job.

[Kristen Welker]

The president last night also renewing his threat that the US Will target Iran's civilian energy infrastructure if Tehran doesn't make a deal to end the war yet.

[President Donald Trump]

If during this period of time no deal is made, we have our eyes on key targets. If there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously.

[Kristen Welker]

But just days ago, President Trump said Iran was begging to make a deal

[President Donald Trump]

they want to negotiate badly, as they should, but I don't think they're ready to do what they have to do. We can have dialogue, but we don't. I don't want to do a ceasefire. I think there's a very good chance we're going to end up in a deal. And so we're giving it five days and then we're good to see where that takes us. They are begging to work out a deal. I don't know if we'll be able to do that. I don't know if we're willing to do that. It's possible that we'll have a deal because they want to make a deal. They want to make a deal more than I want to make a deal.

[Kristen Welker]

President Trump's remarks also doing little to ease the concerns about the future of the Strait of Hormuz, that critical shipping lane for 20% of the world's oil. Instead, the president telling countries that use the Strait of Hormuz that they should be the ones that responsible for securing it.

[President Donald Trump]

The countries of the world that do receive oil through the hormone strait must take care of that passage. They must cherish it. They must grab it and cherish it. They can do it easily. We will be helpful. But they should take the lead in protecting the oil that they so desperately depend on. And in any event, when this conflict is over, the strait will open up naturally. It'll just open up naturally.

[Kristen Welker]

But for several weeks now, the president has been delivering mixed messages on whether the strait needs to be opened before the war can end and whose responsibility it is to secure it.

[Sahil Kapoor]

Mr. President, when will the navy start

[President Donald Trump]

escorting tankers to the straits? It will happen soon. Numerous countries have told me they're on the way. We have some that are really enthusiastic. They're coming already. They've already started. Well, we don't need too much help, and we don't need any help, actually, you know, at a certain point, it'll open itself. At a certain point.

[Kristen Welker]

What about the Strait of Hormuz?

[Kelly O'Donnell]

Who's going to be in control?

[President Donald Trump]

That'll be opened very soon. If this works, how soon and who's

[Kristen Welker]

in control of it?

Will Iran still be able to control

[Josh Mankiewicz]

the flow of oil?

[President Donald Trump]

Be jointly controlled by whom? Maybe me. Maybe me. Me and the Ayatollah. What happens to the strait? We're not going to have anything to do with. Because these countries, China. China will go up and they'll fuel up their beautiful ships and they'll leave and they'll take care of themselves. There's no reason for us to do it.

[Kristen Welker]

Meanwhile, it was a volatile day for the markets today, the Dow ultimately closing relatively flat. Joining me now is NBC News senior White House correspondent Garrett Hake, NBC News business and data correspondent Brian Chung, and NBC News senior national security correspondent Courtney Kuby. Thanks to all of you for being here. So, Garrett, let me start with you. Take us behind the scenes of the strategy of this address. What are administration officials saying about what he hoped to accomplish, and do they feel like he did it?

[Garrett Haake]

Well, White House officials were hoping to reach beyond the people who watch a newscast like this one and follow the war's developments very closely and reach the people who might only be sort of in communication with the war at the gas pump, where they're noticing these prices going up or watching their 401s tick down and to essentially reassure people, in their view, that there is a plan and that that plan involves ending this war sooner rather than later. But if they were effective, it's hard to see where you mentioned the markets being flat today and no major change in gas prices and the strikes on both sides of this conflict continued today. So we're kind of jogging in place, but with the White House doing, I suppose, their level best, pulling out the big rhetorical guns with a primetime address to try to convince people that somebody's in charge here.

[Kristen Welker]

Yeah. And Garrett, it was so interesting because throughout the day he stoked tensions with Naito. He did have some tough words for allies in his address, but he didn't specifically mention Naito, which, by the way, came as a relief to some of his Republican allies. What are you hearing? What are your sources telling you there? Is the president serious about potentially wanting to pull out of NATO?

[Garrett Haake]

If he's serious about wanting to do it, Kristen, that's one thing, but he's not actually able to do it. The idea of pulling out of NATO is something that would probably get, you know, maybe 30 votes in the Senate. I'm not on Capitol Hill much anymore, but this is just a lot popular with members of Congress really, in either party. And the law was changed during the Biden administration to make these musings from the president about leaving NATO, mostly simply musings, unless he wants to go in front of Congress and get them to vote affirmatively to do it. I mean, this feels like kind of one of those things where you lash out most at the people you love. Here you get the president incredibly frustrated that none of the various options he's talked about as relates to the Strait of Hormuz have Worked out in the way that he would like NATO, someone he can beat up on. And now we've got, really, one of his favorite people to talk through any of these issues, Mark Ruta, the NATO Secretary General, coming here next week to likely try to calm things still further.

[Kristen Welker]

Yeah, and Garrett, also, it was notable. I want to ask you about something. The president posted video on his social media site. You see it right here, claiming an attack on a major bridge near Tehran, with the President saying it's the biggest bridge in Iran, comes tumbling down. He also threatened further attacks. How does this fit into his broader strategy in this use of video that we've seen from this president?

[Garrett Haake]

Well, look, it's gunboat diplomacy, right? I mean, this is the President targeting something that is basically civilian infrastructure. This goes beyond the military goals that have been laid out. Disrupting a nuclear program, a missile program, a navy, and an ability to express Iranian power outside of Iran. Which one of those things is best disrupted by blowing up a civilian bridge? That's not a clear answer right now. But if you're the president and you are trying to force negotiations, which the Iranians say don't exist into being something that is actually happening, that's the next logical step. But again, he risks international backlash. He risks inviting Iran to strike critical infrastructure in the region, too. You know, it feels like the kind of thing that gets you further into a war rather than closer to out of one.

[Kristen Welker]

All right, Garrett Hake at the White House for us covering every twist and turn of this war with Iran. Garrett, we really appreciate it. Thank you for that. Courtney, let me turn to you. So when I was talking to the president's allies heading into the speech, they said they wanted clarity, clarity on the strategy to get out of the war and the timeline. Instead, he said, we'll be out soon, and he said, we're going to bomb for the next two to three weeks. What are you hearing about the actual timeline? Is it two to three weeks, or is that just another gambit and the next phase of this war?

No one will deviate from what the president says. In the military, they said, when you ask about a timeline, they say, we're not going to talk about it. Well, the president said two to three weeks. Well, then that must be it. So we have no idea if that's actually legit. One thing that we do know is if you just kind of look at sort of the metrics here, which are relatively vague. The US says hit more than 13,000 targets. The Israelis have hit thousands more. There is only. There are Only so many military targets that they went into this war planning to hit. Now, there are additional things that the president's been threatening that may not have been on the original list. Things like that bridge that you just saw the video of the electrical grid. So that could add to it. But there is a point where they will basically exhaust all of their military targets and theoretically that could be in two to three weeks. The big question is, will there be anything else besides the airstrikes that we have seen now go on for more than a month?

Yeah. And someone saying to me he essentially left the door open for the possibility of putting US Troops into Iran. I want to play you speaking of military capability, a little bit of what President Trump had to say last night about that. Take a listen.

[President Donald Trump]

Their navy is gone, their air force is gone. Their missiles are just about used up or beaten. Taken together, these actions will cripple Iran military, crush their ability to support terrorist proxies and deny them the ability to build a nuclear bomb.

[Kristen Welker]

What do you make of those claims, Court, based on what you're hearing? Are they accurate?

They're pretty close to accurate. I mean, yes, the conventional military in Iran has been really badly damaged here. So they're, they're ballistic missile capabilities. Many of their launchers, not all of them, many of their, their actual missiles, not all of them. So they have taken out quite a bit of their capability, their drones, some of their mines, some of their, their anti ship cruise missiles. But the reality is, Kristen, they've not taken them all out. Find it very difficult to envision a scenario where they can, where they can be sure that they have taken out every possible threat from Iran. You know, what's remarkable to me is we've actually had Secretary of State, National Security Adviser Marco Rubio lay out the objectives here. And I kind of thought we might hear that from President Trump last night when he said not just the objectives of taking out their air force and the navy and the things that they've been repeating, but the idea that they have an objective here to decimate the conventional force enough that Iran can't defend a nuclear program anymore. So the idea is if the US or the international community were to see Iran trying to produce a nuclear weapon, then the US or the Israelis or whomever it is could go in and they could strike that facility again, as we saw last June, if there's no air defenses, if there's no missiles, if there's no drones, or at least that's been decimated to a large extent. And then that really makes it difficult for them to pursue a nuclear weapons program. But they, they aren't explaining that to the American people. And Marco Rubio is the only one who's really made that clear here.

Well, and you just made it very clear. It's fascinating to hear that piece of analysis of what this strategy is. Courtney, thank you so much. Great to see you as always. Brian, let me turn to you. Let's talk about what we saw in the markets a really volatile day after the president spoke. We saw stocks go down, we saw gas prices spike. What do you make of the volatility that we saw? We should note that the Dow did end largely flat.

[Brian Chung]

Yeah, it did. And I think that when you started off at the market open at 9:30, it looked like it was going to be a nasty day on Wall Street. Things seem to reverse around some of the news that Iran might be working with Oman on some sort of opening of the Strait of Hormuz, some protocol by which ships could go through there. Again, not much detail on that, but nonetheless it did help help these markets drift to not only a decent, I would say flat close on the day, but also for the week because I should point out there is no trading tomorrow because of Good Friday. But nonetheless, this snaps essentially the five week losing streak that we had seen on at least some of the other markets like the S&P 500. It had been really bad out there. So you could read that simply as markets feel more optimistic than they did in at least the five weeks prior to that about an end to this war in Iran. But I should point out that oil markets are not reacting the same way. Prices continue to rise today after rising over the course of the 20 minutes that the president spoke last night. WTI crude oil barrels, barrels I saw were around $111. That is up over $11 from where they were at the beginning of this week.

[Kristen Welker]

Kristen, really notable. And let's talk about gas prices. The national average now at 408 a gallon today. How much higher, Brian, should consumers expect gas prices to go?

[Brian Chung]

Yeah, well, look, the quick math here is that for every $10 a barrel of oil increases in price that usually amount about 25 cents per gallon at the, at the price of the pump that we pay. So if you consider that a barrel of oil rose $10 over the course of this week, then you would say, okay, we've already seen the average gas price rise by about 5 to 6 cents. So that could imply another 20 cents from here. So really 425 is where this potentially could go. But again could those headlines reverse in the beginning of next week if it, if that off ramp does appear to be a bit more substantial, we'll have to see.

[Kristen Welker]

Yeah, we will have to see for sure. I do want to play a little bit of what the president said yesterday about the Strait of Hormuz, which is obviously impacting these prices. Let's take a look. I'll get your reaction on the other side.

[President Donald Trump]

The United States imports almost no oil through the Hormuz Strait and won't be taking any in the future. We don't need it. We haven't needed it and we don't need it. When this conflict is over, the strait will open up naturally. It'll just open up naturally. They're going to want to be to able, able to sell oil because that's all they have to try and rebuild. It will resume the flowing and the gas prices will rapidly come back down. Stock prices will rapidly go back up.

[Kristen Welker]

What's your takeaway from that statement by the President?

[Brian Chung]

Yeah, well, the quick takeaway here is that the United States does have the ability to walk away from the Strait of Hormuz because the boats that usually traffic oil through that area don't usually end up at the United States. That is true. But what is going to be a lot more difficult is Iran's position on this. They have said very clearly they intend on keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed and if anything, that they would essentially toll any boats that they would allow to go through there having to pay millions of dollars presumably to the Iranian government. It's going to be hard to see, Kristen, the Strait of Hormuz traffic returning to those pre war levels of about 110 per day. You see that we've rarely ever gotten through more than 10 boats in that area. And as long as that traffic remains substantially lower than it was prior to the war, that means oil prices are likely to remain elevated.

[Kristen Welker]

Well, it's important context. Brian Chung, thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate it on a really important day for the markets. Coming up next, I'll speak to a Republican senator about the war, the shutdown, stalemate and new comments from the president that Medicare and Daycare are too expensive for the federal government to pay for going against one of his key campaign promises. We'll take you inside that conversation. You're watching meet the president us now. LifeLock, how can I help? The IRS said I filed my return, but I haven't.

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[Kristen Welker]

Welcome back. Nearly seven weeks into the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, the president says he will sign an executive order to pay all employees at dhs. Now, it remains unclear what the source of the funding would be. It comes after Republican leadership in the House and Senate announced yesterday that they had come to an agreement on a bill to fund all of DHS except for ICE and cbp and then to plan a separate budget process to fund those agencies later. Here's Leader Thune earlier today. Listen, I think that you know the

[Brian Chung]

budget reconciliation bill that does the funding

[Kristen Welker]

in the out year so we don't have to deal with this crisis again in the future.

[Garrett Haake]

Manufactured, I would add, by the Democrats is a narrow bid with fundeis and

[Kristen Welker]

CBP well into the future.

[Garrett Haake]

So this isn't something that while President Trump is in office, we have to deal with again.

[Kristen Welker]

Joining me now is chief Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles. Ryan, thank you so much for being here. So let's start off with what exactly happened yesterday. Basically, the House and Senate leadership were not on the same page yesterday. So this process of reopening DHS fell apart. Now they're on the same page.

[Ryan Nobles]

Yeah. So they're on the page. They probably should have been on Friday of last week where they've agreed to pass this piece of legislation that essentially pulls Border Patrol and ICE out of the overall DHS spending bill and then pushes that off to a reconciliation package down the road. And this was something that Speaker Johnson basically had an uprising amongst the conservative ranks within his caucus and didn't feel comfortable putting on the floor on Friday. So now the question is, will he have the guts to put it on the floor if and when they come back? Now, Kristen, I believe if you put this bill on the floor in the House, it probably gets 300 votes or even more. But that's not necessarily everything that Mike Johnson needs. He needs a majority of Republicans or his leadership position could be endangered down the road, particularly after the midterms. So there's more to this than just a simple reopening of the Department of Homeland Security.

[Kristen Welker]

The president, though, seems to support this. Ryan, how significant is that? And just to kind of follow up with you on your. What you're saying in terms of the timeline, doesn't seem like the government's going to reopen until they come back, right?

[Ryan Nobles]

Yeah. So let's talk about that first. There's no talk right now of the House coming back to pass this bill. In fact, the, the signals that we're getting. The Republicans had a conference call today that they may not come back earlier than this planned recess anyway. There are many of them are scattered all around the world, as TMZ has pointed out in their covert photos taken of them. So it's just not practical for them to come back immediately to get it done. So it's going to be at least another week before these members are back in and can vote this in. Now, in terms of the president's role on this, it's everything. For some reason, last Friday, even though he had signed off on John Thune's original plan, when Speaker Johnson went to him and said the conservatives were upset, he changed course, then decided it was time to fight. It seems as though the three of them got together and said the only path forward is for us to just to kind of clear the deck of this and then focus on reconciliation. The fact that Trump wants this done is the reason that Johnson's on board.

[Kristen Welker]

And very quickly, what about the Democrats? Because their whole point of shutting down DHS was to fight for changes to ICE policies. What happens to that fight?

[Ryan Nobles]

Well, I would argue that they actually got quite a bit in this process, and there's a lot of people that would argue that they didn't get any of these reforms codified. But take a look at the difference between where we are now and where we were prior to this fight. Kristi Noem is no longer the Secretary of Homeland Security. They ended the roving patrols in Minneapolis. They appear to have ended the roving patrols all across the country. The Department of Homeland Security is moving forward with body cams on all ICE agents. Agents, certainly they did not get mask removal, which was a big thing. Obviously, warrants remains an open conversation. And more than anything, Democrats got this as a political talking point issue heading into the midterm election. So they were never going to get everything they were looking for. But to say they walked away from this with nothing, I think is not completely accurate.

[Kristen Welker]

And there's no doubt the Democratic base wanted to see.

[Ryan Nobles]

They wanted to fight.

[Kristen Welker]

Yes. All right, Brian Nobles, thank you for being here. Great to see you as always. Joining me now is North Dakota Republican Senator Kevin Kramer. Senator Kramer, thank you so much for being here. We really appreciate it.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

My pleasure. Thank you.

[Kristen Welker]

So I do want to get, of course, your reaction to the DHS funding debate, but first I do have to get you to respond to President Trump's decision to fire Attorney General Pam Bondi. What do you make of that decision? Do you support it? Is it the right decision?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Well, I support it because it's his decision to make. And to be honest, I'm not on the Judiciary Committee. I don't follow DOJ Nestle real closely, at least not her part of it. I follow the environmental division much more closely. And, you know, to be honest, this may seem strange. I've never met Pam Bondi, so that. That goes to show how. How little I think about it. However, it's his call to make. It seems to be a pretty friendly, you know, departure on her part. Transition. I think that's all appropriate. Obviously, they like each other. They support one another, but he clearly wanted to go another direction. I think Todd Blanche, by the way, is fantastic. I think he'll be a great interim AG until such time as somebody's named the permanent AG and it may be Todd, I don't know, but the department will be in good hands.

[Kristen Welker]

All right, let me turn to your reaction to the president's post. This DHS funding fight that he will sign in order to pay DHS employees. He says, let me ask you, Senator, from a legal perspective, does he actually have the authority to do that? Where does the money come from?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I think, first of all, he signed off last week on the deal that 100% of the United States Senate voted for that. Speaker Johnson took a lot of heat for and now he's on board with and I think your discussion with Ryan was right on point. Not surprisingly, Ryan knows what's going on in the Capitol. So the good news is that we have at least a short term solution for this fiscal year that I think works. If he had to fund the entire agency by some sort of executive order. There's a lot of money from the reconciliation bill from last year, the working families tax cuts. There is money, of course, for TSA that he's using now through executive order because TSA is actually funded by a tax on airline tickets. So maybe a lot of it could be funded, but certainly not enough. Fema, for example, you never know what's going to come up in terms of some sort of a disaster. The Coast Guard, my goodness, they're very, very important to the security of the country and they need to be paid. So it'd be far better if we get this package done and then Republicans can move forward with the rest of ICE and cbp, which is ludicrous to me that the that Democrats somehow think that we shouldn't have customs and border patrol, but we can do that through reconciliation. And as long as we keep it narrow, Kristen, I mean, that's a big deal because budget reconciliation is a long process. It doesn't happen quickly. You have to reconcile a budget, first of all, and then you have to have, you know, the amendment votes and all of that and exhaust the the United States Senate overnight and get to something, you know, like he says, by June 1st. So it's all doable. I like the plan. I supported it last week. I support it this week. I just hope more of my colleagues from the House will support it next week if that's what it takes.

[Kristen Welker]

Senator, let me follow up with you on that point because as you rightfully point out, this passed in the Senate, got to the House, presumably Speaker Johnson had signed off on it and then he was all of a sudden dealing with this revolt. What is your level of confidence that when Congress is back in session, it will be able to reopen the government within a matter of hours or days?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

I'm pretty confident of it, Kristen, largely because your point to Ryan was right on, you know, with the president weighing in like this, does that help? It's everything as he said. No, with very narrow margins, it's more difficult. But I think you all are right on point when you talk about a lot of Democrats will vote for this in the House. The problem is, as more Democrats vote for it, more Republicans feel the liberty to peel off so they can maintain their talking point, as, you know, as staunch conservatives, and then let the Democrats pass it. I don't like that. I've never been a person that did that in the House or the Senate. That's why I always vote early. I want to be somebody who follows my vote, not the other way around. But having said that, I do think I'm pretty confident that it will pass, because getting part of this, somebody has to step in and be the adult. Maybe that's the way to put it. Somebody has to step in and be the adult. We cannot simply leave the entirety of DHS or the majority of it unfunded. Democrats have chosen to do that, as painful as it might be. We have to do as much as we can with what we have and then work in reconciliation to get the rest.

[Kristen Welker]

Senator Cramer, let me turn now to Iran. The president obviously gave an address to the nation last night. What did you make of his address? Did he provide the clarity that you were looking for on his. His goals and the timeline of this war and his strategy for winding it down?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Well, I was satisfied with it, and I'm on the Armed Services Committee, so I get pretty regular briefings on, on, on all of that, including the tactics. I think one thing I always try to keep in mind and remind my constituents is when the president speaks in a primetime address especially, he's not just talking to Americans, he's talking to Iranians. He's talking to allies and other adversaries. And so I think with that in mind, that he was plenty clear. One thing he's been very consistent about, and that is the timeline in general. Now, he's not going to give the battle plan, nor should he, nor should we expect him to. He's going to. He's going to, on the one hand, use the big stick, and on the other hand, he's going to negotiate while he has the big stick in his hand. So I thought he was fine on the timeline. I do take him at his word when he says two to three weeks, it certainly looks like we're getting to that point. I don't think he's any more eager to keep going than anybody else is. But he's not going to walk away before the job's completely done or before allies come in and help. In the Strait of Hormuz, which we see happening now, Prime Minister Starmer has talked about putting together a coalition of 35 leaders from Europe. There's much more for them in the Strait of Hormuz than there is for us in the United States. So it's nice to see some allies coming along.

[Kristen Welker]

You have seen the recent polling though, Senator. It shows this war is deeply unpopular. Recent Reuters poll 60% disapprove, 35% approve. CBS YouGov 60% again disapprove. Only 40% approve. Do you think the president should have delivered this address sooner to make his case to the American public early on in the war, in the early days of the war?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

You know, you raise an important point, Kristen, because where his speech was best last night was in stating the case, why it's important, why now the history of 47 years of the terror on Americans and the world by Iran and the actual negligence in previous presidents in allowing this to happen. You know, if had Roosevelt known or been a little more proactive in World War II at the urging of Winston Churchill, maybe we wouldn't have had the bombings at Pearl Harbor. Woodrow Wilson In World War I, he been more proactive, maybe American ships wouldn't have been sunk. For that matter, George W. Bush, had he paid closer attention to the Middle east rather than wait for the twin towers to go down to get engaged, maybe we could have prevented those things. That's kind of forward leaning that the president's doing, I think is very important. It may not be popular in the day, but it will be popular at the end in my view especially. I think you're going to see markets come back very robustly. Markets are emotional anyway and but we're not done yet. We have to get there.

[Kristen Welker]

Indeed, I do want to get your reaction on a separate topic to some remarks that President Trump made this week was yesterday. And just for a little bit of context here, the what is referred to as the press pool was not at this event. The event was posted separately and captured by a different set of cameras. But I want to play a little bit of what President Trump said that I think got a lot of attention. Take a look.

[President Donald Trump]

We can't take care of daycare. We're a big country. We have 50 states. We have all these other people. We're fighting wars. We can't take care of daycare. It's not possible for us to take care of daycare. Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things. They can do it on a state basis. You can't do it on a federal. We have to take care of one thing, military protection. We have to guard the country.

[Kristen Welker]

Now we need to note that the White House said in a statement the President was actually talking about rooting out fraud in those programs. But what do you make of those comments, Senator?

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Well, a couple of things. First of all, from a constitutional basis, he's pretty much right. I mean, there's defending the shores of the country in the Constitution and then of course, interstate commerce, all of these other programs that come along, since that's not to say they're unimportant with regard to Medicare, let's face it. I mean, Medicare is going to be insolvent fairly soon. But that's a federal program because it's, it's a tax that's, that funds it. And the tax is paid by everybody that will eventually be on Medicare. But we're going to have to have some reforms for sure to make sure it remains that it remains solvent rather than insolvent. So Medicaid is a state program that's largely funded by the federal government. Health care, we did some pretty good things, I think. I think with health or with health care, with daycare in the last bill, the reconciliation bill, the working families tax cuts. And by the way, on health care, where we provided some more freedom, rooted out some of the fraud. A lot of that should help. But to his point about states, and I think it's a really important one going forward with the kind of debt and deficits we're running at the federal level, I would prefer to see us with these federal programs, provide money to the states and then let the states, the governors, the state legislatures distribute that money in a way that makes the most sense for them. And then they should also buy into it like they do with Medicaid. I think there's a lot more of that that can be done that would be efficient and I think much more productive with taxpayer dollars.

[Kristen Welker]

All right. Senator Kevin Kramer, thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate it.

[Josh Mankiewicz]

Always my pleasure. Thank you, Kristen.

[Kristen Welker]

And we will be right back with more MEET THE press. Now. Stay with us. Welcome back. The panel is here. NBC News senior national political reporter Sahil Kapoor Democratic strategist Megan Hayes, who served as special assistant to President Biden and Republican strategist Malik Abdul. Thanks to all of you for being here. We have to start on the big news of the day. Sahel, President Trump firing his attorney general, Pam Bondi, not totally unexpected, but the timing certainly a little bit, bit of a surprise. What's the reaction been that you're hearing?

[Sahil Kapoor]

Yeah, it feels like a season of change in the Trump administration after the president was so resistant to firing his top officials last year, even when they were under fire even when he had issues with their job performance. This time we have Kristine Oem and Pam Bondi both out within a matter of weeks. There was, there were questions, obviously, concerns by the president about her handling of the Epstein files, which certainly led to. It certainly played a part in Congress voting overwhelmingly for that bill to release them, despite her attempts and the administration attempts to. To conceal them. There was that moment at the House hearing where she said memorably, the dow is over 50,000. Stop complaining. But then there were other things that were outside of her control. For instance, the president's attempts to get the Justice Department to prosecute its political enemies. That was the courts and judges and grand juries who looked at that and said, that's not how we do things around here. Not really clear whether Todd Blanche, her immediate successor or a potential permanent successor, would be able to do anything more on that front.

[Kristen Welker]

Yeah. Malik Sahel raises a really good point, which is that if President Trump has that expectation that an incoming attorney general, whether it's Dep Attorney General Todd Blanche or someone else, is capable of going after the president's political opponents, that person might fall short as well, simply because of the law. Do you think that's going to be the expectation for this new attorney general?

[Malik Abdul]

Yes. And we actually saw that in the first administration, and I've said this, and many people have pushed back on and many Republicans, that there isn't a competence problem when it comes to Donald Trump's picks, particularly in the AG seat, whether that was Pete Sessions, Bill Barr, and even now with Bondi. There isn't a competence issue because many people loved Pam Bondi even coming in. But it is whether or not they can meet the expectations of Donald Trump. And a part of that is what we saw. And you're right. I talked to people at the White House. They talk about a number of the things that they said, but it was also that performance said that some of the things that they thought that were very good for Donald Trump, like her congressional testimony, those things ended up doing very badly for her. And so I think that all factored in.

[Kristen Welker]

But their concern, yeah, there was a lot of scrutiny. Her congressional testimony, Megan. This, of course, comes on the heels of the ouster of Kristi Noem, something that Democrats were pushing for. There was a lot of consternation among Democrats about Pam Bondi's handling of the Epstein files, as there were in Republican circles as well. How do you see this playing out and the reaction playing out on the Democratic side?

[Megan Hayes]

I mean, I think people are glad that she's gone. I think we'd like people who could follow the law and not put Donald Trump above the actual law and the Constitution. I think that's Democrats hope. But I in the camp of the devil, you know, might be better than the devil, you don't in this situation. And I'm not sure that having your personal criminal lawyer being the acting AG will also be any better. I think he's still going to go after his political opponents, which is not what the DOJ is for. So I think it's, you know, like to be seen. But I just, I don't, I think, I don't think Democrats are real hopeful that it's going to be much different than it is now.

[Kristen Welker]

Yeah, we'll have to see who he actually taps to replace Attorney General Pam Bondi. Sahil, let me shift to the other major headline this week, of course, the president's address on the war in Iran. This was basically the president's chance to go out in front of the American people and explain his justification for going for war. And of course, what's notable is it came five weeks into this war, not at the beginning, which is what we saw, for example, with George W. Bush when he took the country to war. What do you make of the timing and do you think, are you hearing reaction that people feel like he met his objectives or fell short?

[Sahil Kapoor]

Well, no, I don't think it moved the needle substantially. I did see, at least in my inbox, far more critical statements from Democrats piling on than I saw supportive statements from Republicans about it, which is generally telling. I don't think there was an abundance of clarity from the president about the objectives, the end game and how long this is going to go for. There were also some confusing statements as he's been putting out there for a while. For instance, core strategic objectives are nearing completion, will be done very shortly. But he also threatened to hit him very hard over the next two to three weeks, bomb them back to the Stone age. The one significant thing that I do think the president said was he didn't put reopening the Strait of Hormuz as a condition for ending the war, which is very important because foreign policy experts who know this region much better than I do have said that this is the price that Iran is going to force to keep that closed, to make US Allies, including in the Gulf and in Europe, pay for the fact that this war started in the first place.

[Kristen Welker]

Malik I think the word that Sahil uses that I have heard over and over again from his Republican allies is that word clarity? In the hours leading up to the speech, I said, what do you want to hear from the president tonight? And they said clarity. We think it's critical that he is clear with the American public about how he sees this, what his objectives are and how long this war is going to last. What are Republicans saying to you about the message that they heard? And is there a disappointment that there wasn't more clarity on some of those critical points, including whether he wants to put U.S. forces on the ground in Iran?

[Malik Abdul]

Well, the U.S. forces on the ground, the possibility of that. You know, you have Republicans across the board, even MAGA Republicans who are saying a hard no to that. But I talked to people on Republicans on Capitol Hill and they are concerned with Donald Trump's messaging. And it's not just with this. This has been one of the things that has been a problem for the administration all along. It is the messaging where it's very difficult to control the principal Donald Trump. But then you have the messengers around him and it becomes muddled. So I think for many people, they're already bought in. People already have their feelings. And it doesn't matter how much Donald Trump explains it at this point, I think they actually missed the ball early on. So I think whatever he says at this point, I don't think that it's really going to move the needle.

[Kristen Welker]

Megan, what's the reaction that you heard amongst Democrats? I mean, Asahel said there was a lot of criticism amongst Democrats, not a whole lot of surprise there. But where did the criticism really center?

[Megan Hayes]

I mean, I think besides the lack of clarity, I think Democrats are, you know, keep pushing it back on the affordability issue. I don't think that the Donald Trump or the Trump administration realize how big of an issue this would become domestically and how this is really going to impact his domestic policy.

[Monica Alba]

Policy.

[Megan Hayes]

This is costing prices to go up across the board. Not just gas, but across the board, it's impacting a lot. Oil is a global market, as we know. And I just, it's, it's really unfortunate that this is going to happen heading into the midterms for him. And because he has no clarity, he cannot define and he has no solutions to how to fix this. So I think for Democrats, this is a another good proof point on affordability. Heading into the midterms.

[Kristen Welker]

I want to get your reaction to the president's comments on something revolving around, around affordability. When he said, and we just played it for Senator Kramer, quote, we can't take care of daycare now the White House is saying he was talking about fraud. But how might this play against the backdrop of the midterms?

[Sahil Kapoor]

Very likely a political gift to Democrats ahead of the midterms. Just thinking about this from the perspective of a voter in Youngstown, Ohio, or rural Michigan who voted for Donald Trump because of America first, no foreign wars, improving the economy and taking care of people back at home. Here's the president saying now on camera. Can't fund daycare because we're out there fighting wars. To be clear, it is somewhat consistent with the Republican view for a long time that you fund the military. National defense is important and states can take care of the rest. But not exactly a great political message right now.

[Kristen Welker]

Malik, final question to you. Is this causing jitters? Yeah.

[Malik Abdul]

Huge problem for Donald Trump on the back of his claims about affordability. Like, you have to be keyed into the concerns of the American people and you kick, not ignore or dismiss what the American people are saying. So this is just another kind of unfortunately a wasted opportunity for Donald Trump.

[Kristen Welker]

All right, very quickly.

[Megan Hayes]

Yeah. I think that Joe Biden tried that and we tried to say, don't believe it. And they, and they, you know, the Democrats lost. So I think that Donald Trump is facing that same fate here.

[Kristen Welker]

Guys, great conversation. We covered a lot of ground. Thank you. Sahil, Meghan and Malik, appreciate it. We are back tomorrow with more Meet the Press now there's more ahead on NBC News. Now, Lifelock, how can I help? The IRS said I filed my return, but I haven't.

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