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Meet the Press
Meet the Press NOW — April 23
00:58:01
President Trump speaks about his affordability agenda at the White House as new polls show some Americans disapprove of his handling of the economy. As part of the NBC News’ Common Ground series, Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker sits down with Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.).
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President Donald Trump
Craig.
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Craig Melvin
I'm Craig Melvin. Cheers.
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President Donald Trump
Cheers.
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Courtney Kuby
Cheers.
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Craig Melvin
I've always been a glass half full kind of guy, and now I'm talking to some people who look at the world that way, too. Some really fascinating folks who share their defining moments, their triumphs, their challenges. Their stories are funny and quite candid. So I hope you'll join me each week. And who knows, you might just come away with your own glass half Full. Search Glass Half Full with Craig Melvin From Today on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. 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. I'm Josh Mankiewicz and this is Trace of Suspicion, an all new podcast from dateline.
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President Donald Trump
Listen to all episodes of Trace of Suspicion now, wherever you get your podcasts.
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Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
Welcome to MEET THE press now. I'm Melanie Zenona in Washington. And right now, President Trump is holding an event to highlight his affordability agenda amid dismal new polling on his handling of the economy and as the war with Iran drags on, threatening to drive prices even higher. These are some live pictures from the Oval Office of President Trump, who has repeatedly denied in recent days that he's under pressure to make a deal with Iran, holding a health care affordability event. He could take questions for the first time on camera since he extended the US Cease fire against Iran earlier this week. It comes after President Trump posted on social media this morning that he is ordering the U.S. navy to, quote, shoot and kill any boat putting mines in the Strait of Hormuz. He also said the strait is, quote, sealed up tight by the US until Iran makes a deal. It's a remarkable 180 from his prior demands that Iran must open the strait. The Pentagon releasing this video of its third maritime interdiction of what it says was a sanctioned stateless vessel transporting oil from Iran. Iran state media meanwhile, releasing its own video of what appears to be two ships being seized in the strait by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps earlier this week. You can see men in masks climbing up the ladder to board that tanker. Amid the tensions, oil prices have ticked up and are now higher than before the cease fire was extended indefinitely. The head of the International Energy Agency warning today we are facing the biggest energy security threat in history. Meanwhile, public support for the president continues to erode. According to the latest CNBC survey, President Trump's net approval has fallen to a new low for him in either term, minus 18 points. The president's net approval on his handling of the economy is even lower, minus 21 points. That's also a new low. And in the latest FOX News poll, for the first time since 2010, more voters say they think Democrats would do a better job on the economy than Republicans. Joining me now to break this all down are NBC News White House correspondent Monica Alba. NBC News national correspondent Yasmin Vasugian is in Beirut, NBC News senior national security correspondent Courtney Kuby and NBC News business and data correspondent Brian Chung. Monica, let me start over at the White House with you. What do you make of what President Trump might be saying today on the affordability push, especially as we saw these new poll numbers showing just some really dismal numbers for the president.
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Monica Alba
Yeah, Mel. And I think this all has to be taken against the backdrop of what you just laid out, which is all the headwinds that the president, the administration are facing when it comes to the war against Iran. And the fact is that is still the main topic here each and every day, even with the president trying to change the conversation and bring it back to affordability. We certainly saw him traveling last week and trying to do that. And today he did just announce this deal with Regeneron to try to make it more affordable as he is trying to push these pharmaceutical deals with drug makers through his Trump Our X project. So the White House is trying to bring the conversation back to these things, trying to pitch to Americans that they are trying to lower some of their costs while also acknowledging that other costs continue to rise. And what we're seeing with those gas prices, with oil, with all of that, that is stemming from the continued conflict against Iran. So it's really sort of a two pronged strategy that the White House knows they need to do. But this is a president who, even when he's talking about affordability, tends to then talk about a ton of other topics. And it seems like right now he is trying to project that he doesn't want to be rushed on the war with Iran, saying that he doesn't at all feel the pressure to make a deal. Though we know behind the scenes from our own reporting that he is feeling frustrated that he hasn't been able to walk away with a deal yet and turn to some of these other priorities for the administration.
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Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
Well, and Monica, speaking about the war in Iran, he did order the navy to shoot any boats lying on mines in the strait. Is it clear whether that would be a violation of the cease fire?
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Monica Alba
We have asked because that is a very good question. And remember that this is a cease Fire that we don't even know how long it's been extended for. He had pushed it back five times. Then yesterday when we asked the press secretary whether there's sort of a window in which he's hoping Iran responds with their unified proposal. And she said that only the President can set firm deadlines. But I can tell you from sources that I've been talking to that there is an internal debate within the White House right now about whether even to put forward another firm timeline, whether it's three to five days or beyond that, because there's a concern that they could continue to blow right past it if there isn't enough diplomatic progress made.
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Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
Mel, Yasmin, I want to go over to you. You're in Beirut right now. Lebanese and Israeli envoys are actually meeting here in Washington as we speak. This comes as talks between Iran and the US have stalled. So is there any hope that these talks could produce any results? It's.
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Yasmin Vasugian
It's a difficult question and a good one.
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Courtney Kuby
This.
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Yasmin Vasugian
These are countries that have been at war for decades. And you think, though, about this moment and the historic nature of this moment, both ambassadors meeting in Washington, D.C. and what they have ahead of them, it feels as if, and seems as if with the people I've been speaking to, that this may very well be the closest they have ever been to potentially getting to a place in which they can live side by side peacefully. The only issue is, the biggest issue, I should say, is the land. It is the buffer zone in which the IDF actually occupies.
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Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Occupies.
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Yasmin Vasugian
When they agreed on the 10 day cease fire between Israel and Lebanon, part of that cease fire was for Israel to retreat from that 10 kilometer buffer zone. This is a zone in which the IDF is now in control of. That is essentially 10 to 12 kilometers into Lebanon. Many people have had to leave that area and head north because their houses are in that area. And there's still ongoing fighting within the buffer zone. After the cease fire began, Israel did not retreat. That is one of, if not the most important demand that the Lebanese people will be making today and the Lebanese government will be making today that Israel retreats from that buffer zone and stops the fighting. The only issue is there is that Israel says that the only way they will retreat the buffer zone is.
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Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
Yasmin, I'm going to have to cut
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Yasmin Vasugian
you off, Disarm Hezbollah. Yeah, yeah.
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Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
We're going to take a listen in to the President who's currently speaking at the White House on his affordability event. Let's listen.
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President Donald Trump
And if they don't Want to make a deal? Then I'll finish it up militarily with the other 25% of the targets we've hit 78% of the targets that we've wanted to hit. We've knocked out their manufacturing, we've knocked out their missile production, we've knocked out their drone production. We've knocked out everything. In some cases, when I say knocked it out, 70, 80, 90%, it's amazing what we've done. So I've done that within that period of time that I mentioned. But I don't want to rush myself, you know, because every source. Oh, Trump. Is under time pressure. I'm not. No, no. You know who's under time pressure? They are. Because if they don't get their oil moving, their whole oil infrastructure is going to explode. You know what that means? Because they have no place to store it. And because they have no place to store it, if they have to stop it, something happens that only Lyn can explain. Something happens underground that essentially renders it in very poor shape. And you never recover fully. You can recover 50, 60%, but you can never have it like it is right now. And they have a matter of days before that event takes place. So I'm not under any pressure whatsoever. We've never had so much ammunition. Our ships are loaded. I call them locked and loaded. They're locked and loaded. They're ready to go. We have much higher quality equipment than we did when we first started the war and. Or the military operation, whatever you want to call it, and they're coming to us. The problem they have is they are very disorganized right now. Well, now, yesterday, and I was very pleased with this. Eight young women were going to be executed yesterday afternoon at 6 o'. Clock. And I asked them, call it a favor. I call it just a moral request that they not be executed. And they came back with an answer that they won't be executed. They're going to release. It was protesting eight beautiful young women, very young women, and they were the pictures in the paper. And it's been a story for a little while. And I saw that and I said, let's see if we can save them. And they were. It was very nice what happened. So they're not going to be. What they're doing is, as you know, they're releasing four of them very shortly, and they're going to keep four of them in jail for a period of one month and release them. So they won't be executed yet. But if you're asking for more Time to sort out negotiations. I'm not asking you for more time. I'm not asking for them. No, it's not more time. I'm not asking anybody for more time. If you need more time, does that mean Americans should anticipate spending more on gasoline for the foreseeable future for a little while? And you know what they get for that? You know what they get for that? Iran without a nuclear weapon that's going to try and blow up one of our cities or blow up the entire Middle East. You want to see what shock would be? And I have to be honest, the stock market is at an all time high right now. I thought it would have been down 20, 25% when we hit a minute. Can I finish my question, wise guy? Stock market's at an all time high right now. I projected, and I'm pretty good at this, that the stock market, Howard, would drop maybe 20%, 25%. And I understood that and I said, hey, it's a bad thing, but I have to do what's right for the country, even the world, because you can't have them. You cannot let them have a nuclear weapon. So the stock market, unlike what a lot of people were predicting, I thought they weren't necessarily wrong. The stock market today at an all time high, hit an all time high yesterday, the day before, and it's staying there. I thought oil would go up to maybe $200 a barrel. And oil is a very different number than anyone thought. In fact, this country is much lower because we have all the oil we can use with where actually ships are coming from all over the world to Texas, Louisiana and Alaska. They're coming from all over the world to get oil from the United States, you know, while this is closed, the hormone strain. So if you look at what I said, I guess it was right because I said I'd have it four to six weeks. And in four weeks, we have totally defeated that military. So right now I don't want to rush it because you guys are, you know, trying to make us look as bad as possible. I don't want to rush it. I want to take my time. We have plenty of time. And I want to get a great deal. I want to get a deal where our nation and the world is safe from lunatics with nuclear weapons if it
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Unidentified Reporter/Interviewer
does go to 200. Are you okay with that, sir?
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President Donald Trump
I think that there's nothing worse than a nuclear weapon that takes out one of your cities or two of your cities or three. I think there's nothing worse than a Nuclear weapon that's going to destroy the Middle east, including Israel. I think there's nothing worse than Europe being under attack by people that have missiles now that reach Europe. As you know, they don't reach us, but they reach Europe. But they will reach us at some time, probably the not too distant future, unless we stop them now. I think there would be nothing worse than having nuclear holocaust in Europe. London, Paris, various places in Germany, all targeted. Now what I, what I say is, you can't let them have. I don't think it will happen, by the way. I really think we, we actually, it turns out that we are drill, baby, drill. And it turns out we're producing a lot of oil and they're buying the oil. They're going to Alaska, they're going to Texas, Louisiana. And our guys have done a fantastic job. We're putting out right now more oil and gas than we ever have in the history of our country. And one other thing, there are more people employed today in the United States than ever in the history of our country. Okay.
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Senator Katie Britt
I have a question, sir.
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Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Is it true that your administration is
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Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
considering sending 1100 Afghans to the Democratic Republic of Congo?
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Senator Katie Britt
And if so, do you have response?
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President Donald Trump
I don't know. I'd have to check that. Please. Thank you, Mr. President. Breitbart News's Matt Boyle just published an
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Craig Melvin
interview with Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis in
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President Donald Trump
which the Prime Minister said that he's
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Brian Chung
rooting for you to succeed in getting
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Craig Melvin
a deal with Iran.
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President Donald Trump
And he also said he looks forward
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Craig Melvin
to hosting you in Greece later this year.
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President Donald Trump
Do you have any response? No, it's really nice. I mean, Greece has been very supportive, actually. Greece has been terrific. He's a terrific guy because he understands the importance of, you know, oil goes up a little bit. I hate it. You know, I was the one that had it. I had it down to $60 a barrel. And I looked at guys like Howard Lutnick. Howard, you remember it? Well, I said, well, we just hit an all time high in the history of the market.
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Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
That was President Trump speaking at an affordability event at the White House. He took questions from reporters on the war in Iran. He talked about gas prices, the timeline for this war, the state of the negotiations. We're going to keep an ear on that. But I want to turn to Courtney Kuby, who's here with me on set to just get your reaction to some of what was said and also get a quick real time fact check on some of those things that he was saying.
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Monica Alba
Yes.
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Courtney Kuby
So there were three things that really stood out to me when it comes to Iran that the President just said. First off, he said that the US has destroyed 78% of the targets that they went into the war with. That's a new number. We have not heard that.
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Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
But.
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Courtney Kuby
But notably, he said that among the things that still needed to be destroyed if in fact the US were to restart offensive combat operations against Iran were Iranian production facilities, including their drone facilities. And that's an astonishing statement given the fact that we have been reporting since the cease fire and even since the sort of the waning couple of last days of the offensive operations that in fact much of the production capability and facilities were badly damaged if not destroyed by the US it's really the stockpiles that were, that they were not able to completely take out. So that's interesting if in fact that's true, that Iran still has the. Maintains the ability to produce new drones and potentially missiles. Next thing he said was the US has more munitions than ever. Just factually inaccurate, frankly. Now keep in mind, the US Burned through a ton of munitions throughout the course of this 40 day or so war. They still have enough if they restart operations that they can continue for weeks and probably even months at the pace that they were going throughout that war. The real issue with the munitions is the stockpile that exists. So if there's another conflict. Exactly. Or something, if something were to come up quickly, the US would be in a real problem place with their munitions. And then finally the President repeated again that the US Totally defeated the Iranian military. It's just factually inaccurate. Just a couple of things that we've been told and we've reported is about half of their missile launchers remain intact, about half of their ballistic missile stockpile underground but intact. About half of their drones and more than half of their navy in the Air Force remain intact even after the punishing 40 days or so of US and Israeli military strikes.
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Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
Yeah, just such important fact checking right there. Monica, I do want to turn to you over at the White House. I want to get your reaction to some of what the President said, particularly when he was talking about the Strait of Hormuz.
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Monica Alba
Yeah, that stood out to me as well. I agree with Courtney's really important fact checks. And then this kind of a reveal from the President arguing, arguing that he was the one who says he wanted to keep the strait closed. In the most recent days, even up to three days ago, he said, they came to us and they said, we'll agree to open the strait. And all my People were happy, he said, except me. Because he says, wait a minute, if we open the strait. And he has been talking about this part on social media. He says Iran could make $500 million a day. And he wants to prevent that because he wants to continue to apply this economic pressure. That's why they have started to call this Operation Economic Fury, not just Operation Epic Fury on particular point. And so he said, I'm the one that kept it closed. We have total control of it and it'll open when they make a deal. So remember that the president has really gone from saying and really asking with an expletive, Iran to open the strait, calling them crazy. And now then he called for the strait to be closed again. And now he is saying that he's the one who wants it to stay closed, which we know then contributes to this overall issue, Mel, of the economic challenge on the United States front. In terms, in terms of what we're seeing with those vessels, those numbers that you see on your screen there, there are so few getting through, certainly before this war started, when you look at that, just a fraction of that, but also when you see this cascading effect of what this means for the price of oil and ultimately for gas prices in the United States as well. And it was interesting, Mel, stood out to me that the President did acknowledge people are going to see those prices go up, he said, for a little bit unclear for how long, but acknowledging this is not something that's really going to go down in the near term.
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Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
Yeah, Monica, that stood out to me as well. And speaking of that economic challenge, I want to bring Brian into this conversation. In addition to what he said about gas prices, he also seemed to downplay what the markets are doing, said he thought it would be even worse than what it is now. What did you make of the President's comments there?
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Brian Chung
Yeah, well, I mean, certainly it's easy for the President to kind of do a little bit of a semi victory lap around the markets because we have bounced back from what was a really, really nasty stock market in the throes of this war PR prior to the agreement to, to at least extend the ceasefire. You can see that the markets did end the day marginally down about 4. 10 of a percent on the Dow. Of course, those numbers are preceding the remarks that we just heard from the President because markets close at 4pm eastern time. But I didn't think what caught my attention, in addition to the same talking points that he said before, which is that higher gas prices are simply the cost of making sure that Iran doesn't have a nuke. He did seem to suggest that there is a chance that prices could stay elevated for a little. And as the president does continue to step down on the Strait of Hormuz in the form of this blockade, it is acknowledging that the flow of oil is simply not going to be going back to the Strait of Hormuz to the degree at least, that a lot of markets were hoping they would be when the cease fire was first announced. And so for that reason, we have seen oil prices marginally higher. We were showing the numbers at the beginning of this segment around $95 per barrel in terms of crude oil. That would suggest that gas prices for everyday Americans at the pump will remain elevated, as they do still remain above $4 a gallon at $4.03, again up over a dollar compared to where all of this began pre war.
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Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
And Yasmin, I want to turn back to you because you're actually on the ground right now in Beirut. I know you've been visiting a shelter. You've been talking to people on the ground there. You visit tire earlier this week. What are the Lebanese people telling you about the prospects for peace? And also, was there anything that stood out to you in what the president said in that White House event today?
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Yasmin Vasugian
Yeah, so a few things. Let me first touch on what the president was talking about, and then we can pivot more to what's happening behind me in Beirut and in south Lebanon as well. So the president mentioned kind of a fracture in the power structure of Iran. He's accurate in saying that it's less disarray and it's more literally a fracture. Reporting suggests and evidence suggests there's really becoming more and more of a military control of Iran. The commander of the Irish, you see the Revolutionary Guard having a direct line to the Ayatollah, Ayatollah Mojtab Al Khamenei, the supreme leader of of Iran. The other side of the coin is, of course, Kalibov, the House, the speaker of the parliament inside of Iran, who has been part of the diplomatic envoy that has been going to Islamabad and decided not to go this last time, along with the president of Iran, President Bazish Gyan. They have they don't see necessarily eye to eye on negotiations and whether or not they should even be in negotiations with the United States. They are, though, unified on the of the Strait of Hormuz and not negotiating under duress. So there certainly is a fracture that is ongoing in the leadership ranks of Iran, not only felt by the global community, but also within Iran, within the Iranian people as well. When we talk about what's happening behind me in Beirut, in south Lebanon, as you mentioned, I went to a facility today that is housing refugees from the southern part of Lebanon. There's about a million or so refugees that have been displaced throughout this entire war. This is a historic day. As out was talking earlier, this meeting between Israel and Lebanon to negotiate a potential end or extension of a ceasefire, potential end to the war. The place that they are not seeing eye to eye, as I said, is the dispute over the land in the buffer zone. The person that I spoke to, one of the women I spoke to at the refugee center, she was 21 years old. She is a student. She is studying medicine. She has been there since the beginning of the war with her entire family living in a very small area. And for her, home is everything. The land, Lebanon is everything. Let's take a listen to what she had to say, Mel, and we'll talk on the other side. If Lebanon gave up that land to achieve peace.
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Senator Katie Britt
No, of course, no.
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Monica Alba
Lebanon is for us, for the Lebanese people. Some people say that, but we aren't. But we are Lebanese people, that we want Lebanon to feel in peace, but with, not with Israel.
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Yasmin Vasugian
And that is true for literally every person I've spoken to while I've been on the ground here in Lebanon that no matter what, this government should not compromise and give that land over to Israel. That, in fact belongs, as they tell me, to the Lebanese people now.
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Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
Yasmin, thank you so much for that incredibly important reporting and that important perspective. Courtney, I want to turn to you. I do want to get to this other news today. The Navy secretary was fired. The president posted on social media a while ago, making it seem like he left on his own terms. But you have reporting to the contrary, right?
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Monica Alba
Yeah.
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Courtney Kuby
So the Navy Secretary, John Phelan, has clashed with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and the deputy Secretary, Steve Feinberg, pretty much since day one on the job just over a year ago. And the biggest thing that they have argued over is shipbuilding and the pace and the scope and the scale of the shipbuilding. And a senior administration official said that was one of the things that led to Secretary Phelan being removed from his job. But three officials who we spoke with said that in fact, Phelan found out that he was being removed from the job via social media posts from the Pentagon late yesterday afternoon. So it's very clear that this was an abrupt, definitely an abrupt move. Members of Congress we spoke with were very Surprised by this. They were not aware in advance that this was going to happen. Yesterday he was just on the Hill yesterday he's due to testify for the budget hearings as well. So it surprised a lot of them. And I think that the one thing that we heard the most was just the surprise about doing this during exactly what we are talking about right here, and that is the U.S. navy engaged in this very aggressive and active blockade of Iranian ports. The US Navy just today brought the third carrier strike group into the region. The Navy is very engaged right now to get rid of the Navy Secretary in the midst of it. It's not like he's running the war. That's not the but he's basically the CEO of the Department of the Navy. To remove him at this time without some very obvious cause is raising a lot of eyebrows.
- [24:50]
Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
And what do we know about who's going to replace him, at least on a temporary basis?
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Courtney Kuby
So it'll be Hung Cao. He's now the deputy Secretary. He's now officially, I guess, the acting Secretary of the Navy. He's run for office unsuccessfully in the past. He has a history in the United States Navy, but it's not really clear if he's actually going to be the person who gets the nod for the job ultimately. Some people are saying that, you know, a couple of weeks they'll see how he does and see if he ends up officially getting the nomination to be to replace Phelan.
- [25:19]
Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
Monica, I wanted to get back to you on some of these polls that we were talking about earlier that shows voters are actually souring on the president and his party's handling of the economy. How worried is the White House right now about those numbers?
- [25:31]
Monica Alba
Well, publicly, Mel, they would tell you that they're not worried at all, that they expected this, that they factored this in, that this is something that they considered even in the lead up to the war against against Iran. But privately, certainly there is a level of concern, awareness and acknowledgement that there is very little time actually between now and November. There are a lot of different news cycles between now and then. But really people are starting to see these effects and they are very, very difficult to change minds of what you're experiencing. Right. This is something that we saw time and time again in the Biden administration. And they very similarly would have a response where they would tell people to kind of hang in there. The benefits are coming of the policies. The Trump administration is actually repeating some of the things and again, they're trying to change the conversation a little bit. They're trying to pivot back to it, but they do acknowledge that people are going to have to sort of buckle in for higher prices in the short term. And the president is sort of saying that that's a cost they should be willing to pay for this, which I think will be in plenty of midterm ads from Democrats and from critics in
- [26:33]
Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
the coming weeks and months, no doubt. Courtney and Monica, thank you both. Coming up next, next, a live NBC News Common Ground special. We'll hear from a pair of bipartisan senators next.
- [26:46]
Senator Katie Britt
Stay informed with the NBC News app
- [26:49]
Brian Chung
Breaking news just coming in moments ago.
- [26:51]
Senator Katie Britt
Watch, read and listen throughout your day and now unlock even more with a subscription. It's the best of NBC News with
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Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
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Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Let's just take a step back.
- [27:08]
Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
It's more context and clarity from the reporters you trust.
- [27:12]
Senator Katie Britt
Download the NBC News app now and subscribe for more.
- [27:17]
Craig Melvin
Hey, guys, Willie Geist here reminding you to check out the Sunday Sit down podcast. On this week's episode, I sit down with one of the biggest bands in the world, Mumford and Sons, as we get the boys together to talk about their new number one album, Prize Fighter and the evolution of that irresistible foot stomping sound. You can get our conversation for free wherever you download your podcasts.
- [27:42]
President Donald Trump
Let's kickstart your wellness journey with the dark TODAY app.
- [27:46]
Craig Melvin
Workouts, meal plans. It's your fast track to a healthier you. And now during the Xfinity Member celebration, members can get an exclusive 50% off an annual subscription. Head to Xfinity.com membership to learn more. Xfinity Imagine that subscription automatically renews each year at 65, plus taxes and fees until canceled offer ends May 20, 2026. Prices subject to change. Visit today.comxfinity for full offer terms and details.
- [28:17]
Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
Welcome back to MEET THE press. Now we want to take you now to a live special NBC News event happening right now at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg center here in Washington, D.C. our Kristen Welker, Lester Holt, Steve Kornacki, Mike Tirico and Ryan Noble, someone I know very well, are sitting down this afternoon with leaders in government, sports and even space exploration to talk about what unites us all. It's all part of the NBC News Common Ground series. In just a moment, we'll take you to Kristen on stage where she is sitting down right now with Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman and Alabama Republican Senator Katie Britt. Let's watch.
- [29:02]
Craig Melvin
All right,
- [29:06]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
what an incredible conversation. That was four former presidents. We want to keep the conversation going. Joining me now on stage are Republican Senator Katie Britt of Alabama and Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. Please give them a warm welcome. Thank you both so much.
- [29:26]
Monica Alba
We appreciate it.
- [29:28]
President Donald Trump
Thank you so much.
- [29:29]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Please have a seat, both of you. We are thrilled that you could both be here for this Common Ground event. Is that good? Yeah, we really appreciate it.
- [29:41]
Craig Melvin
Oh, it's great to be here.
- [29:42]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
And we're going to get to some policy and politics in a second, but I want to start off by talking about something personal, which is the relationship between the two of you, which is genuine. The two of you met Senator Fetterman during freshman orientation. Tell me about that and why the two of you formed a fast friendship.
- [30:04]
Craig Melvin
I mean, I was struck first that her husband is actually bigger than I am. And I'm like, is that her bodyguard or. What's the story behind this, Wes? And it turned out that he lived the dream, my dream. I mean, he played for Alabama, which would have been the equivalent of Penn State for. And then played in the pros. You know, so I played football, too, but not very well. And. But no. So that's how that conversation started. And then it really kind of picked up right there and never slowed down, really.
- [30:38]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Senator Britt, how has the relationship evolved? Why is it still going strong? Again, it's a personal relationship, but it's a professional one as well. You're trying to get things done on Capitol.
- [30:48]
Senator Katie Britt
Absolutely. So. And I think that we use the trust and the respect that we have for each other in our friendship to be able to talk. Talk about hard things and talk about pathways forward. But our friendship both anchored there at freshman orientation and with both of our spouses getting to know each other as well, we've taken the time to not just understand our politics or position on something, but to really get to know each other as people. And I think that that's missing so much right now. And I think when you do do that, when you ask about each other's kids and you, you know what's going on. And we've also commiserated over some of our votes and having to miss our children's activities. And, like, how do we. How do we do this whole thing? And also our frustration with some of the gridlock and the lack of communication and conversation. And so our conversations we have utilized to kind of try to spur something different in the Senate.
- [31:40]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
One of the things that struck me when I was researching your relationship and your shared policy proposals Senator Britt, is that you actually visited Senator Fetterman when he was in the hospital. He was struggling with mental health issues, which you've been quite vocal about. Why was that important to you to take that extra step to actually visit Senator Fetterman?
- [32:01]
Senator Katie Britt
Well, look, let me tell you something. John has more courage. And the strength that he showed in that moment is something that I hope everyone in America looks to and learns from. And for him to trust me enough to be in that space with him, I will always want to be working worthy of that trust. And I know that when we look at what's happening across our country, that there are so many people that are reticent to say, hey, I need some help. And John showed that that is the pathway forward and that treatment works. And I'm just grateful for his example and for his friendship.
- [32:36]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Senator Fetterman, what did it mean to you that Senator Britt came to visit you?
- [32:42]
Craig Melvin
Oh, I mean, of course it made. It made the world and, and it
- [32:45]
President Donald Trump
just
- [32:48]
Craig Melvin
for a mind. I mean, I would just remind anybody for my advice is it's like it makes it virtually impossible to be cruel or unkind to someone if you at least have a relationship or at least know that person. You know, I think it's a good rule that, you know, don't say anything on social media about someone that you wouldn't say to someone in person. And social media especially has made that kinds of cruelty or those kinds of comments just a throwaway and easy because it's not really connected. It's almost like a video game. And that's part of the coarsening. And now having relationships now it's often punished where it's like, well, that's the enemy because we're on different parties. And that's absurd because that's the way no matter who's in the majority or in the minority working together, it's the only way it actually works. And we have to. We can't forget that because it gets more and more difficult and things become more polarized.
- [33:48]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Well, speaking of working together, I do want to. And you raise the issue of social media. So you take me to my next topic perfectly, which is an area where you have joined forces youth, mental health and social media. You co authored bipartisan bills, the Stop the Scroll act and the Kids Off Social Media Act. Senator Britt, tell me about these bills. Why are they important? Why are you teaming up on them?
- [34:13]
Senator Katie Britt
Yeah, I think if you look at these, John and I approach this along with a number of our colleagues, not as Democrats or Republicans. But as concerned parents, I mean, we see what's happening across our country when it comes to mental health and we know the impact it's having on our youth. And the more that we learn, the more more we feel obligated to make sure that we're protecting the next generation. If you look at the stats themselves, one in three high school young women last year said she actually considered death by suicide. And then 25% of high school young women in 2023 said they made a plan to take their own life. And then 12% actually attempted death by suicide. When you add in young men, that number is 9%. We know know that the rate of depression amongst young people more than doubled during 2011 and 2019, where there was also a coinciding of a rise in social media and using among young people. So John and I thought what are some simple things that we can do to help warn people, warn parents about those negative effects? And so the Stop the Scroll act, which John got marked up in the Commerce Committee, I think just last. So we were really excited about that. That's a big step and pathway forward. We'll do a pop up screen on anyone young people's phones just to say that there are challenging mental health effects. And Kristen, one thing that we did is we know that the Surgeon General and others will actually figure out what that says. But we wanted to make sure that there was a link to help so that if someone found themselves in an unthinkable situation that they would be able to click there and hopefully receive the kind of help that would prevent them from doing damage or harm to themselves. And then the Kids Off Social Media act that we have together, along with Ted Cruz and you've got Chris Murphy and myself and others, so a very wide spectrum of individuals and John as well, it says you can't be on social media before 13. And then, and then it says that we won't be able to use algorithms against our children. Brian Schatz is a member of this coalition as well. And then it says, you know, eyes on the board, which is one of John and Ted Cruz's pieces of legislation that just says if you're at school, you should be at school and those apps should be disabled. So those along with a number of others, we have CASA that's been led by Senator Blackburn and Senator Blumenthal that we hope will gain support and COPPA 2.0. So there's a lot of good things out there. But the point is it's time to do something. Kristen, doing nothing to me is feckless and the next generation is paying the price.
- [36:48]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Well, Senator Fetterman, pick up on that point. Do you think you have the votes to get this legislation passed? And how much did your own personal experience with social media apps, what you're referencing, impact your desire to see change in this space?
- [37:03]
Craig Melvin
I'm 56, and when I was a kid, the only to see really bad or mean things, you had to see that in a bathroom wall. So social media is the most efficient device ever developed that can deliver it right to your screen. And then there's another one and then another one, and then if you see one and then the algorithm will tell you there's 10 more coming. And then if you look at one or two of them, then there's 20, 20 coming in there and it creates that. And you can quickly get overwhelmed and that's become like a friend or at least a companion for your child. And if you had a friend or a companion showing up in your child's life and spending three or four hours a day with them, you really want to know and understand who that is, spending that time with your child. And it needs to be maybe safer and just realize what it really is. And I would encourage everybody put the phone down or spend less time. You know, I ask, and I'll ask your audience after you spend an hour on social media, raise your hand if you feel better about your life and the world and everything. Anyone?
- [38:16]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
No hand.
- [38:17]
Craig Melvin
Yeah. I mean, yeah. I mean, I've never encountered one. And that's the point. And it's a choice. Don't forget it's a choice to do that. And one of the best things I've done is I've completely unplugged by that. I produce my messaging, but I don't sit around. And when I've made the mistake to do that after I won my election, that's when things really got bad and the depression set in. And protecting that, we did this together, not just as senators, but also as parents because we have young children too. And if we want it for us, we probably probably it's the appropriate thing for tools for America's parents.
- [38:57]
Senator Katie Britt
Yeah. And John and I say we don't have to ask people what it's like to raise kids right now with these devices. And we're living it challenges. Absolutely. And you think about when America. We want America to lead and this is one area where we're not other countries have stepped up and stepped up to the plate and we continue to kind of walk past it and the time to do something is not now.
- [39:19]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Well, it's something that we're going to continue to track really closely because it is so critical. And I think it's one of the biggest issues that parents, that families in general are focused on right now. I do want to turn to another big issue, the war in Iran. Senator Fetterman, you have voted against several Democratic efforts to limit President Trump's war powers in Iran. You've said you don't want to put limits, tie his hands when he's in the middle of waging this conflict. Conflict. As you both know, a key deadline is coming up. We're bumping up against 60 days, May 1, since the start of the war. Will you vote to keep US forces engaged in this conflict once it hits that 60 day mark whereby Congress by law does need to weigh in?
- [40:01]
Craig Melvin
I will, I will vote. I will continue to vote my vote. My vote's not going to change. I know it's, it's perhaps the most toxic thing a Democrat can, can embrace. I've seen, you know, where's Kornaki? I mean, I poll the numbers on the screen. The APA, the AP poll this week said that 4% of Democrats support that and the error is about 3%. So I'm the one, you know, the one that's in the air. And because for me, it's not controversial as a Democrat, every single member of Congress and when you have someone out here, ask them too, should we allow Iran to acquire a nuclear bomb? Not every single Democrat in Congress says yes. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. So here we are. You don't have to agree in every element of epic fury, but if we all agree that we could never allow them to acquire a nuclear bomb, I don't know why we wouldn't want to empower the President to say no, make sure that Iran can't become a nuclear power. Because if they do become a nuclear power, the prices about gas and the instability and the kinds of attack on Israel can only accelerate because once they become nuclear, Iran effectively comes untouchable. And here we are at the cusp. I wouldn't want to work all this work got in and just back away because politically, yes, entirely. It's absolute toxic for a Democrat to have that view.
- [41:33]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Senator Britt, let me ask you, because I've heard from Democrats and some Republicans too, who say they want the President to deliver a more fulsome justification of not just the war, but his strategy moving forward. Will you vote to greenlight this war after 60 days?
- [41:49]
Senator Katie Britt
Yeah, I think what we will see is the administration talk to us about exactly what's going on and what's going to be done. I do. And I also anticipate, Kate, look, we've made significant progress. I mean, you've heard that from the president and from the White House. This should have been done 47 years ago.
- [42:07]
Craig Melvin
I mean, President Obama with Libya. I mean, that carried on for a while. For a while. And the dynamic and the conversation was much different back then. And I think at the time, I think that was entirely appropriate. But this is not brand new in the American experience. And a Democratic, Democratic president done the same thing. And Kamala Harris, when she was running for president as a Democrat, I campaigned for her in late 2024. She said, that's my top danger internationally. We can't ever allow Iran to acquire nuclear bomb. And I refuse to take the military option off the table. This is not like an extreme view for a Democrat, but it's become an extreme view for Democrats. And I believe a lot of that's driven by. It happens to be coming by deeply, deeply polarizing. And our president for Dems.
- [43:00]
Senator Katie Britt
And I do, I believe we've got to finish the job. I know people are ready for us to conclude that and I do believe that the White House is focused on making that happen. But look, this is the largest state sponsor of terrorism across the globe. We look at what they've done, we look at who they embolden, whether it's Hamas or Hezbollah or the Houthis and beyond. We know that puts our troops at risk. It puts our people at risk and our allies at risk. So I do think we will hear in the next week from the administration.
- [43:33]
Craig Melvin
I think, you know, we all remember President Reagan, you know, tear this wall down and you know, the world should effectively turn and say, Iran, you know, tear this war down. You know, relinquish your nuclear ambitions and hold all of us should hold them accountable in the world. And when these county or these countries say that's not our war, it's like, well, do your. Does that country. Do you consume oil? Yeah. Well, then that's making your war too. If a nation you consume oil, then it's your war too. We all have a stake in that
- [44:07]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
very, very quickly and we're almost out of time. But in typical meet the press fashion, I have a million more questions, but do you think a deal is possible? Do you both think it's possible?
- [44:16]
Senator Katie Britt
I do. I hope so. I don't think you can trust Iran by any stretch, but I think that we can certainly Find a pathway forward. And I hope that they conclude it soon.
- [44:28]
Craig Melvin
Iran just massacred 30,000 of its young people. Just killed them. They just are hanging teenagers, literally.
- [44:35]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
So is it possible to make a deal with them?
- [44:37]
Craig Melvin
Of course you can't. You can't trust them. Absolutely not. That's my point. And now the way we continue to vote against epic fury, Iran understands we just have to last 60 days, you know, so that's, you know, if we could just, we don't. We can be. You talk about common ground. Common ground. You know, it's our military. We have a goal, disagree on parts, but that should be what I think we should all be unified on.
- [45:08]
Senator Katie Britt
And Kristen, you can't, you can't embolden this enemy. And he brings up a great point. I mean, there were people before that were talking about what was actually happening to Iranian citizens, and now those people have gone quiet. I think we have to realize what is happening there in their country and what they're capable of. So I think there can be absolutely no enrichment, zero and zero pathway for that. I mean, we have to be very strong. But I think this, at least administration can and will be. I mean, look, when Donald, when Donald Trump speaks, people listen because they know he's going to follow through. And I think that's what we'll see on this.
- [45:44]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
All right, a little bit of a rapid fire round if we can. I want to talk about both of your political futures, Senator Fetterman. As you know, there's a lot of
- [45:52]
Craig Melvin
speculation I have a future.
- [45:56]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Does that mean you're definitely running for office again?
- [45:58]
Craig Melvin
Because you haven't said I have a future.
- [45:59]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Okay, well, I want to ask you
- [46:01]
Senator Katie Britt
because the America needs him. I mean, you think about like his willingness to speak truth in every single situation. Look, he votes with Democrats 90 something percent of the time, but I appreciate his willingness to call balls and strikes.
- [46:17]
Unidentified Reporter/Interviewer
Oh, yeah.
- [46:18]
Craig Melvin
Last night we were to what, four in the morning?
- [46:19]
Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
Yes.
- [46:20]
Craig Melvin
How many votes was that?
- [46:21]
Senator Katie Britt
Too many.
- [46:22]
Craig Melvin
I mean, 35. 35 votes. We kept every single Democrat vote last night.
- [46:28]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
There was a Votorama for those of you who don't know. And so they were up all night and still made it here. So kudos to both of us.
- [46:34]
Senator Katie Britt
And I also think you think about this all nighters. Like if you pulled one of those, it was likely like to study for a test in college or maybe doing something you don't want to talk about. But when we are doing that, I often think like, I mean, it's hard all night. I'm like, oh, My gosh. And then I think we have colleagues that have more like, experience than us. And I wonder how in the world they make it through, but they do. They push through.
- [46:57]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Well, we appreciate you guys pushing through to be here after an all nighter. As you know, Senator Fetterman, the Pennsylvania Republican Party chairman, actually said last week he'd consider supporting your reelection in 2028 if you became a Republican, if you switched parties. You haven't said definitively that you're running for reelection, unless you'd like to announce it here. But would you ever consider running for office as a Republican senator?
- [47:25]
Craig Melvin
As much as I'm friends with a lot of Republicans, including my parents, I'm not a Republican. And so that's what it's really, that's the truth. People always say we have to be a big tent party, so. So it's really strange. I'm mystified by it. If I'm more popular, I've had Republican friends in my state say, you're actually more popular than I am with our people. And how a guy that votes a 93 second percent Dem line has that happen. I'm mystified by it. I can't explain it, but I think that demonstrates. I don't know. But that's. Here we are. But I absolutely do know, as a Democrat how to pay the bills and you can win. And actually, people have won elections by having campaigns saying F. Trump repeatedly again and again and again and again. You know, and that's become common. That's commonplace. So, you know, I know that, but that means that I refuse to engage in that because I think it's more important to engage everybody. And things we can agree, things that we can disagree on, but we'll do it in a respectful way. And we've all forgot that we're all Americans.
- [48:47]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
And are you running for re election, Senator? Are you running for reelection?
- [48:52]
Craig Melvin
You before backstate, you're just like, it's going to be really easy.
- [48:57]
Senator Katie Britt
That's easy.
- [48:57]
Craig Melvin
Trust the media, right?
- [48:58]
Senator Katie Britt
That's easy. That's so.
- [49:00]
Craig Melvin
Yes.
- [49:00]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Let me ask him this. Oh, that's good. Talked about running for president, but would you support Senator Fetterman if he were to say, I'm going to run for president?
- [49:08]
Craig Melvin
Look, I, I'll vote for whatever she does, although I'm not in Alabama or whatever.
- [49:13]
Monica Alba
There you go.
- [49:14]
Senator Katie Britt
Look, I just said it. I mean, he's a breath of fresh air for, for everybody. And I hope that people take a step back. He just said you said you vote with Democrats 93% of the time. And. But yet you.
- [49:25]
Yasmin Vasugian
You.
- [49:26]
Senator Katie Britt
The few things where he is voting with Republicans are things like Israel that used to be mainstream in the Democratic Party or even keeping the government open. Thank you for continuing to vote to keep the government open.
- [49:42]
Craig Melvin
Yeah. I mean, if anyone here's married, and we are, if you agree with your partner, 93% of the time, that's a home run. Yeah, that'd be an amazing thing. I'm not getting anything close to that in mind.
- [49:54]
Senator Katie Britt
That's right.
- [49:56]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
That's right. So, Senator Fetterman, would you support Senator Britt if she were to announce she's running for president one day?
- [50:02]
Craig Melvin
Yeah. Well, I mean, for. For me, you know, I've described this in interviews that they are. They're America's family there. We're going to the big unit. That's the big unit.
- [50:12]
Senator Katie Britt
The big. So he calls my husband the big unit. So you know how large John is. I mean, John takes up a door frame.
- [50:18]
Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
Right.
- [50:19]
Senator Katie Britt
And Wesley is a large man. And so they look basically eye to eye, and John calls him the big unit. And when we text together, John trademarks the big unit. And there's rarely a conversation, even if it's a very serious one, that we have to have about policy or where, you know, I'm like, hey, explain this to me. Or he said, well, what about this? And what he usually always starts it with, how's the big unit?
- [50:45]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Well, we are out of time. But before I let you go, my colleague Leslie is about to interview NASA administrator Jared Isaacsman and former astronaut Suni Williams. So I have to ask both of you, Senator Britt, would you ever go to space if you had the opportunity?
- [51:01]
Craig Melvin
Oh, wow.
- [51:02]
Senator Katie Britt
I wasn't ready for that. Yeah, if somebody gave me the chance, I mean, that was the most incredible.
- [51:09]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Yes, it was.
- [51:10]
Senator Katie Britt
And I loved watching America be unified around Artemis, around this mission. And we were proud in Alabama. So much of that work is done at Marshall Space Flight center in Huntsville, Alabama. And so as we were cheering them on, we were also cheering on the men and women that made that possible, knowing how they worked. Countless and, you know, many people. I appreciate Administrator Isaacman for rolling in the time and saying, no, we're going to do this now, and we're going to do it more often because there's a lot of work to be done and we're going to continue to lead when to. Comes it. It comes to space, and Alabama is proud to be a part of it. So, yeah, we should go together. What do you think?
- [51:44]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
You guys should go together. Senator Fetterman, would you be on board?
- [51:47]
Craig Melvin
Well, I saw. I saw the numbers on NASA. That should be 100% who supports NASA. I mean, it's a remarkable thing. But now remind people, too, I saw that 10% of Americans believe we never were to the moon. I mean, that's part of misinformation, and that's a serious, serious problem in our society right now. Misinformation, that used to become propaganda from, like, you know, countries like in Russia, but now we have that. And that's another reason why social media is dangerous.
- [52:22]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
And would you go to the moon? And what do you think was so unified?
- [52:28]
Craig Melvin
I don't think they have four xl, you know, in a suit.
- [52:31]
Senator Katie Britt
Yeah, they send us size of that thing. John was like the size of a minivan. So that may be a little. Maybe a little cramped.
- [52:38]
Craig Melvin
All right, guys. I don't think I have to worry about it, honestly.
- [52:41]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Well, this was an extraordinary conversation. We can't thank you enough. It's so important to hear your bipartisan message, and we really appreciate it and
- [52:49]
Senator Katie Britt
thank you for letting us do this, because I think America needs to see more of this. While we disagree on a number of issues, I think being able to respect someone who you don't agree with is something we need to bring back. And I think it gives people both hope and permission to do it in their own life.
- [53:03]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Senator Fetterman, any last thoughts?
- [53:06]
Craig Melvin
Oh, just. We have to find a way to get together. Honestly, I wish I had. You know, I tell people I constantly where I go, and I do most of the shopping for my family. I tell people it's like, hey, you know, like it's okay. You should relax, you know. You know, it's much worse than you think, you know, in Washington, D.C. you know, and that's. I'm concerned. I'm concerned about that. And so all I can be is an example and to remind people that I think is a better way forward. And that's why it's. I'm excited to have a conversation like this.
- [53:49]
Host/Interviewer (Meet the Press Now)
Senator Fetterman and Britt, thank you both so much.
- [53:58]
Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
You've been watching our special NBC News Live Common Ground event. Joining me now to break it all down is the panel, Julia Manchester, White House correspondent for the Hill, Democratic strategist Joel Payne, and Republican strategist and partner at Ascent Media, Zach Rode. Thank you all so much for joining us. I want to start with that fascinating conversation between Senator Britt and Senator Fetterman. And kudos to our Kristen Welkerman for really trying to pin Fetterman down and whether he's going to run again. He clearly did not want to answer that question, but he did say that he would not run as a Republican. So, Julie, I want to start with you. What stood out to you about their conversation?
- [54:34]
Julia Manchester
Well, look, obviously as someone who's covered politics and is watching Fetterman closely in that Democratic primary coming up a few years in Pennsylvania, that's something that we're certainly keeping our eye on. But look, I think it's obviously rare when you see a Republican and a Democrat on stage together having a very amenable conversation in public. I do think Senator Fetterman is a bit of a unique case because he is willing to cross party lines and he has been embraced more so by Republicans. But still, as Katie Britt said, I think it's important that Americans see that because oftentimes I think when Americans are watching lawmakers interact on television or on the Hill, they don't see the behind the scenes working together. So it's good to see that come.
- [55:19]
Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
Yeah, it was absolutely refreshing about that Republican embrace of Fetterman. Zach, I want to get your opinion on this. Do you think Republicans would actually accept him in the Republican Party? And do you think there's still any hope that he might change his mind?
- [55:32]
Zach Rode
Question for probably the president, you know, the majority leader, I mean, if he were to do that right now, probably, I think that will feel a good candidate in the future. I agree with Julia, though. I mean, it's awesome to see that on two people that disagree on way more than they agree on, be able to work together on something like social media, four kids. You love to see that there's a lot to be able to work together on. And I'd add, if there were more Democrats like John Fetterman, the government wouldn't have been shut down for 43 days last year, the longest in history. Those are the type of deals that need to be made from leaders. And so it's good to see someone like John Fetterman that's willing to just take the flak from his party party to do the right thing.
- [56:13]
Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
Yeah, he was an outlier on funding. He's also been an outlier on Israel. That's something that he acknowledged in that interview with Kristen. This is something that has been really roiling the Democratic Party. We're seeing it play out in primaries. Do you think if Fetterman were to run again, he would face a potential primary challenge over this issue?
- [56:29]
Unidentified Reporter/Interviewer
I think there's zero chance that John Fetterman does not get a strong primary challenge, not just from the left, from the middle, from any part of the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania. He has not been the type of elected representative for the people of Pennsylvania that he campaigned to be. And I think that's the beef that a lot of Pennsylvania Democrats and national Democrats have with him. I think what's fascinating about what we watched and look, that was an insightful conversation. Katie Britt is very similar to the rest of that Republican caucus in the Senate. I used to work in the Senate. I know the body very well. John Fetterman is not at all like the Democrats who he caucuses with in the Senate. And I think there is a difference in the standing of where those two lawmakers sit within their party. That also should be introduced in the conversation as well.
- [57:15]
Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
I do want to turn to the
- [57:16]
Yasmin Vasugian
other news of the day.
- [57:17]
Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
We saw the president taking questions from reporters today at the White House event, supposed to be out about affordability, of course, dominated by questions about Iran. One of the things he said, Julia, was that gas prices might be higher for a little while, but Iran on the flip side, won't have a nuclear weapon. So. So is that kind of the messaging you think we're going to hear from the White House as they try to really sell this war to the public?
- [57:37]
Julia Manchester
I think so. But I think that's the message you're going to hear from Republicans maybe going into the midterms who are grappling with how to message on rising gas prices. I mean, you'll see the message on the one big beautiful bill and the tax cut scene on that. They're really trying to dive in on that. But the, but they're going to get asked about this issue of rising gas prices and why, you know, was it worth it, essentially? And that's the administration's line. You've seen just mixed messaging from the administration on this, though. Last week you had Scott Bessant, the Treasury secretary, saying we're going to get back to $3 a gallon between June and September. Chris Wright then pushing, then essentially saying, look, I don't think it will happen until next year. President Trump told me earlier this week that Chris Wright was totally wrong. So it's back and forth on it. And I think it's just, it's confusing for voters as they try to make sense of it.
- [58:30]
Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
Yeah, confusing for reporters to try to figure it out. Right. Zach, I want to put up this other poll. This one is from Fox News. It says 52% of voters think Democrats would do a better job on the economy than Republicans, first time since 2010, the Democrats actually top Republicans in this poll. You and I go way back. Did you ever expect that we would be in this position where now Democrats are getting, getting better marks than Republicans for the economy? And how much is that going to matter in the midterms?
- [58:54]
Zach Rode
Well, I don't like that poll. I haven't seen any others like that. But it doesn't mean you don't take it seriously. I think three factors, you know, one year. I mean, you're running that poll.
- [59:03]
Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
Yeah.
- [59:04]
Zach Rode
You're running against someone in these battleground races. And so that's a national poll. You know, the party in power is going to get a little bit of a push when folks aren't happy with what's going on with cost of living. But I'd say the money, the mass map and then Democrats, right, We have the money, 800 million on hand versus 250 million on hand. We have, it's very small map. Only 32 races are really in play in the House. And so the money goes further. And then the Democrats, the alternative is the Democrat policies are not popular. And so when you're running it with the candidate and you know, suburban Phoenix, you have something to sell. One big beautiful bill, the working family tax credit against the alternative of what Democrats want to do is raise your taxes, jack up your energy prices, open the border.
- [59:47]
Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
Well, Joel, really quickly, what's interesting in some of these polls is that independents still view Democrats pretty negatively, even as overall they still would rather vote for a Democrat. What does that say about the party?
- [59:57]
Unidentified Reporter/Interviewer
Two parts of the Democratic project. You have to show that Donald Trump's policy ideas are failed. That's easy. And then you have to show that you have ideas that are going to make people's lives better. Democrats are going to be able to do part one to get through 2026, to get to 2028, they'll do part two. Biggest number I saw in the AP poll, Donald Trump is under 70% with Republicans. That's what I would be concerned about.
- [60:20]
Host/Moderator (Meet the Press Now)
Guys, thank you so much. We're back tomorrow with more Meet the PRESS now. And there's more ahead on NBC News now.
- [60:28]
Craig Melvin
I'm Craig Melvin. Cheers.
- [60:29]
President Donald Trump
Cheers.
- [60:30]
Zach Rode
Cheers.
- [60:31]
Craig Melvin
I've always been a glass half full kind of guy. And now I'm talking to some people, people who look at the world that way, too. Some really fascinating folks who shared their defining moments, their triumphs, their challenges. Their stories are funny and quite candid. So I hope you'll join me each week. And who knows, you might just come away with your own Glass Half Full. Search Glass Half Full with Craig Melton From Today on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.