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Meet the Press
Meet the Press NOW — May 13
00:50:25
President Trump touches down in Beijing for the start of his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) explains how she thinks the war with Iran will impact Trump’s negotiations with China. Fmr. Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, who is now running as a Democratic candidate for Georgia governor, discusses how the redistricting battle could impact races across the nation.
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- [00:00]
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- [00:54]
Kristen Welker
Welcome to Meet the Press. Now, I'm Kristen Welker in Washington. We begin with President Trump's high stakes visit to China against the backdrop of the growing economic fallout of the war with Iran. After President Trump's stunning statement yesterday that he's not thinking about Americans finances even a little bit, he said when trying to negotiate an end to the war and ensure Iran can't develop a nuclear weapon. President Trump touching down in Beijing earlier today for the start of his two day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. President Trump was greeted with pomp and pageantry walking down the red carpet as hundreds of children chanted welcome in Chinese waving American and Chinese flags. The President looking to score trade deals on deals on trade, tariffs and artificial intelligence, bringing with him more than a dozen business executives including Apple's Tim Cook and Elon Musk. But looming over that visit is the President's comments yesterday about Americans financial situation amid the war. In case you missed those comments, here's what the President said while departing for China. When you're negotiating with Iran, Mr. President, to what extent are American financial situations motivating you to make a deal?
- [02:12]
Donald Trump
Not even a little bit. The only thing that matters when I'm talking about Iran, they can't have a nuclear weapon. I don't think about American financial situation. I don't think about anybody. I think about one thing, we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That's all.
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Kristen Welker
Today Vice President Vance was pressed by our very own Monica Alba about those comments on the war and Americans finances. Take a look when approaching the war
- [02:39]
Courtney Kuby
with Iran, do you agree with the president's position that Americans financial situations should
- [02:45]
Kristen Welker
not be a consideration in that decision making process?
- [02:48]
Jeff Duncan
Well, I don't think the president said that. I think that's a misrepresentation of what the president said. But look, I agree with the president that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. We're obviously in engaged in a very aggressive and very engaged diplomatic process to try to ensure that that doesn't happen. And the president has a lot of options. As he said repeatedly, there are options diplomatically, there are options on the military side. But the fundamental goal here is the president wants to make the world safe, but particularly the American people safe from Iran having a nuclear weapon.
- [03:17]
Kristen Welker
Remember, for months the White House has been trying to reassure Americans that prices, particularly the cost of gas will come down once the war is over.
- [03:26]
Donald Trump
So if we have a little high oil prices for a little while, but as soon as this ends, those prices are going to drop, I believe lower than even before. As soon as that war is over, which will be soon, your prices are going to drop like a rock. You watch, the price of oil will drop like a rock. As soon as a deal is done, the gas will go down. As soon as the war is over, it'll drop like a rock. As soon as this is over with Iran, as soon as it's over, you're going to see gasoline and oil drop like a rock, going to be dropping down like a rock. As soon as this war is over, which will not be long, you're going to see oil prices drop.
- [04:10]
Kristen Welker
Meanwhile, a new inflation report from the Labor Department shows that wholesale prices were up a whopping 6% in April compared to last year, the fastest rise in more than four years. Joining me now, envy senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez, who is in Beijing traveling with the president, NBC News business and data correspondent Brian Chung. And in just a moment, we'll talk to NBC News senior national security correspondent Courtney Kuby. And also with me is Andy Brown, China columnist at Semaphore. Thanks to all of you for starting us off. Gabe, I do want to start with you in China, of course, these high stakes meetings set to begin in just a few hours. What are the expectations heading into these meetings?
- [04:56]
Gabe Gutierrez
Well, Kristen, today we're expecting a lot of pomp and pageantry here, something that President Trump, of course, relishes during these trips, his first face to face here with President Xi in Beijing since 2017. But you're right, what's looming over this trip is the issue of Iran and whether the president can get any sort of concession from President Xi about what to do in the Strait of Hormuz or in the broader conflict. But on the agenda besides that, there's a lot you ran through some of it, trade tariffs of potentially AI and the thorny issue of Taiwan. Kristen the reason the president is bringing so many of these business executives with him, high powered CEOs. The Trump administration is very eager to announce some sort of business deal here, some sort of investment deal here. And that is what they'd rather be talking about rather than the war with Iran. Kristen.
- [05:47]
Kristen Welker
Well, that takes me to my next question, Gabe. I mean, to what extent could issues like what is happening here at the home front with gas prices, the war with Iran, the comments that President Trump made about not taking Americans financial situations into consideration when he's dealing with the war with Iran, how much might that overshadow this trip?
- [06:13]
Gabe Gutierrez
Well, certainly, you know, Kristen, it's very interesting. You hear from we heard from senior administration officials just a few days ago saying that yes, that President Trump was likely to push President Xi when it came to potential giving weapons to Iran. And yet the president yesterday, or was it two days ago now that here I'm in Beijing, but the president telling reporters that at first that he was gonna have a very long talk with President Xi, but then a few minutes after that saying, oh, that Iran probably wouldn't come up because he wants to focus on the issue of, of the economy and kind of downplaying any relevance that China has with regards to the conflict in Iran. But look, with the president making those comments to reporters about the financial situation, about him not considering Americans financial situation when making this it's something that it's been an interesting evolution over the past day or so from the White House. The White House, the top spokesman doubling down on the president's comments, really trying to hit that point that the president is worried about America's national security, that he wants to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. And then earlier today, just a short time ago in that press conference, Vice President Vance, you played that soundbite in response to a question from our colleague Monica Alba. It was very interesting how he responded, Kristen. At first he took issue with the question. He seemed, he said that that wasn't what the president meant, even though he did say that on tape. But then he went on to pivot and saying again that Iran can't have a nuclear weapon. And at the end of his answer, Kristen, he actually did say that of course the Trump admin cares about Americans financial situation and that's why they passed previous tax cuts. So the White House tried to clean that up a bit, especially as we head into this high stakes midterm election campaign. And that comment the White House realizes could come back, could come back and haunt Republicans over the coming months.
- [08:10]
Kristen Welker
Krista, you're absolutely right. And of course, there are races in six states coming up on Tuesday. Gabe, so the midterms well underway. Really appreciate your reporting from China. Let me turn now to Brian. Brian, take us into this latest inflation report that just came out. What are the implications for the economy?
- [08:29]
Brian Chung
Yeah, well, as affordability remains top of mind for regular Americans and also the White House, we got a troubling report this morning that shows inflationary pressures on wholesalers are increasing 6%. That's how much this report says wholesalers. So that's retailers like Costco and Target. So not necessarily the price tags that we pay, but it's the price tags that they pay to get the merchandise into their store. 6% more expensive now than it was April of last year. Last year. We haven't seen a number that big since 2023. And you can see just how sharp a rise that is in a relatively short period of time. No surprise. This report says that a lot of that inflationary pressure is coming from energy, where gas prices and oil costs are of course, much higher because of the war with Iran. Services also up by 1%. Food prices only beginning to start to see some of that inflation. Only 2/10 of a percent. Not much to be read there. But again, the implication is that if the stores that we buy from have to pay more to get those goods and services to you and me, well, that can mean soon they're going to pass those costs on to consumers as well. This is already happening as the average price for consumers is rising. On gas prices, of course, $4.51. That is the national average, according to AAA. Staggering to think that's up 51% from the start of the war. Remember, average prices were somewhere closer to 298 before the conflict with with Iran began. Diesel crude oil, jet fuel, all seeing those rises as well. And the idea here is the longer this goes on, the more there is that risk of inflation bleeding not just past the gas pump but into everything else that we buy as well.
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Kristen Welker
Chris yeah, those are just staggering figures when you look at them like that. Brian, let me ask you because of course, big news out of the Fed today. The Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh to be the next Fed chair. President Trump has publicly said that he wants to see rates come down some of his allies saying realistically this might not be an environment in which Kevin Warsh can cut rates. Talk about what his priorities will be once he does begin.
- [10:23]
Brian Chung
Yeah, well, as you mentioned, the Senate confirming Kevin Warsh on a relatively narrow basis today. But of course, as you mentioned, he is in this economic environment where he's going to be stuck between the rock of trying to deliver on the president's desire to have lower interest rates, but also in an economy that might not want it. Right now, again, Kevin Moore saying in his testimony that he has not agreed to anything with regards to making some sort of handshake agreement with the president to lower interest rates. And especially when you consider again this potential for inflation to go up, that is not the type of environment you want to cut interest rates into. We'll see. His first policy setting meeting is going to be one month from now.
- [10:59]
Tammy Duckworth
Kristen.
- [11:00]
Kristen Welker
Well, I know you'll be tracking that quite closely. Brian Chung, thank you so much. Really appreciate it. Let me turn now to the desk. Courtney QB here as always, thanks for being here. COURT so Secretary Hegseth traveling with President Trump on this trip. One of the big questions looming over this trip and this moment is might we see President Trump decide to escalate, decide to re engage in military operations with Iran, given that so far they have not been able to reach a ceasefire, broader ceasefire, peace agreement, what are your expectations? Could that happen while the president is in China?
- [11:35]
Courtney Kuby
Anything is possible. But it would be very unusual for the president to do something like restart a major combat operation in any place while he's traveling overseas, especially someplace like China.
- [11:46]
Camilla Bernal
Right.
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Courtney Kuby
So we don't expect that. But I gotta say, Kristen, it is always possible that Donald Trump could do something that is unconventional for the president and especially at a time where look at what he is his rhetoric, where his rhetoric has been in the past several days or even weeks. He now says that the ceasefire is on life support. It has a 1% chance of surviving. He continues to use this very strong rhetoric about how the US Military could go in and finish the job. The military itself is is ready should the president decide that he wants to restart major combat operations or try something more tailored, whatever that may be. But again, it would be very, very uncommon for the president to do something like that while he's overseas.
- [12:24]
Kristen Welker
And Courtney, there's this reporting that Iran, throughout the course of this ceasefire, has used this time to regain access to its missile sites, to reconstitute its military strength. What are you hearing about that?
- [12:36]
Courtney Kuby
Both sides have used this opportunity to sort of Reset, refit, move, certain things. The US now has two carrier strike groups that are in the region. You'll remember at the beginning of the war, there was one that was in the region and there was one that was up in the Med, in the six fleet area. So, I mean, the US has more forward than they did at the beginning of the war. But Iran notably has taken time. They've been able to access what we now know as the ceasefire has gone on. It's been remarkable how it's become clear that not as much of their conventional capabilities were completely destroyed as we thought they were. So we know, we reported that more than half of their air force and their navy actually remained intact. We know that they still had their fast boats, those small fast boats. We know that they still have some mines available to them. So they still have a real capability. And very, very critically, they still have thousands of missiles and drones. That comes directly from the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency. He told the Hill that several weeks ago. So Iran still has a conventional force. Should President Trump decide that he wants to go back in there and restart combat operations?
- [13:39]
Kristen Welker
Well, we'll, I know, be all over what he is thinking about and talking about behind the scenes. Courtney Kuby, thank you so much. Andy, let me turn to you. We saw the images out of China so far. President Trump touching down. He had the red carpet quite literally rolled out for him. What will you be watching for in this high stakes trip?
- [14:00]
Andy Brown
So this is a low expectations summit. Bloomberg described it as a nothing burger, a bit of a yawn maintenance work, keeping the trade truce alive, keeping the relationship on track, making sure that it doesn't get even worse. I'm looking for surprises like you. When Donald Trump is involved, anything can happen. He can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. And in fact, we've already had a surprise, the addition of Jensen Huang to the CEO party.
- [14:32]
Kristen Welker
Well, that's a really good point. And of course, one of the big questions, will there be a new trade agreement? Will there be an ongoing trade truce? What do you think are the chances for that? And how do those CEOs play a role in this trip?
- [14:51]
Andy Brown
So we're going to get a hat full of trade deals. They talk about the three B's, Boeing, beans, beef. So that's baked in, that's in the can. I think it's interesting. The way you can think about this from a commercial perspective is America Inc. Trump surrounded by this phalanx of CEO superstars. Elon Musk, Jensen Huang meeting China Inc. Led by Xi Jinping and both Sides are converging on an economic model which is led by the state or guided by the state. And an expression of that in Beijing is going to be the establishment of what the United states Grand or U.S. trade negotiators Grandly call a board of trade, where literally you have bureaucrats from both countries sitting around the table figuring out trade, who sells what to who, what price, when, under what tariff arrangements, not the market inspired by price signals. And that, I think managed trade is what the US Sees as the centerpiece commercially of this whole summit.
- [16:02]
Kristen Welker
And geopolitically, of course, Iran is front and center. President Trump has said he wants China's help in reopening the strait. Of course, they benefit from oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Do you have any expectation that China would move to help the United States?
- [16:21]
Andy Brown
Well, good luck with that. Look, China never does anything, anything at the behest of the United States. Still less will it be putting pressure on a close partner that the United States and Israel has just attacked. A partner, by the way, that until recently we were all obsessing about as part of this so called new axis of evil or the axis of disruption. Iran, China, North Korea and Russia. I have very low expectations. And if Trump was to give way on that, he would demand a very, very high price.
- [16:55]
Kristen Welker
Well, and the other big issue, of course, is Taiwan. And it's anticipated that President Xi Jinping is going to pressure President Trump on Taiwan to ease up some of the support that the United States has given to Taiwan. President Trump says, oh, we'll discuss that. How significant is that piece of this trip? And what if there were to be any shift in the United States posture toward Taiwan?
- [17:19]
Andy Brown
Well, White House briefers have said that there's going to be no change in Taiwan policy. And I actually believe that. I don't think that Donald Trump wants to go down in history as the US President that abandoned China to authoritarian, abandoned Taiwan democratic Taiwan to authoritarian China. But I don't think that that is what the Chinese want out of it. What they want from him is just a slight adjustment in the wording. We oppose Taiwan independence, We support unification. That, you might say, is a word here, word there, no big deal to Taiwan. That would be a seismic impact, have a seismic impact. Because what it would say is that we're on the table. And that is exact what Xi Jinping wants. He wants to get inside the heads of the Taiwanese to make them despair, to make them lose hope. You don't have a say in your future. It's all going to be decided over your head. It's psychological warfare. So it would have an impact on Taiwan and it would certainly have an impact on Japan and other countries that are looking to US Commitments in the Asia Pacific region.
- [18:18]
Kristen Welker
In diplomacy, small words have a big meaning, as we know. So we'll be listening very closely to see if there's any shift in the language toward Taiwan. Courtney, thank you so much. Thank you so much for being here, Andy. Really appreciate it. Great conversation, great information. And we should note my colleague Tom Yamas is live from Beijing this week with special editions of Nightly News and Top Story right here on NBC News now. And coming up, war and affordability in America. I'll talk to a top Senate Democrat and combat veteran about the future of the war with Iran as both parties confront rising costs from the gas pump to the grocery store. Stay with us. You're watching Meet THE Press.
- [18:58]
Andy Brown
Now.
- [19:03]
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- [20:28]
Kristen Welker
Welcome back. As we mentioned, President Trump is in China to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping as concerns about the war with Iran and the cost of living continue to grow back at Home. Joining me now is Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. She's a member of both the Senate's Foreign Relations and Arm Services Committee. Senator Duckworth, thanks so much for joining me. Really appreciate it.
- [20:52]
Tammy Duckworth
It's good to be on. Thank you.
- [20:54]
Kristen Welker
It's wonderful to have you back. I want to start with the president's trip to China. And I'm going to start, Senator, by playing you a sound bite, something he said about Taiwan in the Oval Office on Monday and the possibility of a Chinese invasion of the island. Take a listen.
- [21:11]
Donald Trump
You have the right president. I don't think it'll happen. I think we'll be fine. I have a very good relationship with President Xi. Knows I don't want that to happen.
- [21:19]
Sahil Kapoor
Do you think we should still be selling them weapons?
- [21:21]
Gabe Gutierrez
The United States should be selling weapons.
- [21:23]
Donald Trump
We've been discussing with President Xi. President Xi would like us not to. And I'll have that discussion. That's one of the many things I'll be talking about.
- [21:33]
Kristen Welker
Now, Senator, you signed on to a bipartisan letter with 11 other senators reaffirming your support for Taiwan's ability to defend itself. Are you concerned the US could weaken its support for Taiwan at this summit?
- [21:48]
Tammy Duckworth
I am deeply concerned that that is exactly what will happen. Because as we've seen before, too often, President Trump has made a habit of cozying up to dictators and basically callously handing over concessions without twice thinking about what it would mean for America's allies and our own nation's best interests when he meets with President Xi. We can't afford Trump to continue this pattern and leaving our friends like Taiwan in the dust. In fact, I wrote the legislation, the law that was passed that actually is helping to train the Taiwan military from an invasion from the prc. Look, I've always believed that if we want to remain a global leader, we must show up and support our friends like Taiwan, who are really facing escalating threats from the PRC as they're working to strengthen their own Taiwanese democracy. And right now, ahead of Trump's meeting with President Xi, I joined my colleagues in calling on Trump to advance the bipartisan $14 billion arms package for Taiwan. And I think that's something that is long overdue. The Taiwans want to defend themselves, but we need to prove the arms sales to them so that they can do that.
- [22:48]
Kristen Welker
Well, let me ask you about the current policy toward Taiwan. It has always been one of strategic ambiguity. Do you think it's time for that to change? Does the United States need to be clearer and tell China point Blank that any action against Taiwan would be a red line.
- [23:06]
Tammy Duckworth
Well, I think that we need to keep the status quo as it is. And President Trump should not be going to the PRC and conceding to presidency, which is what I think he's planning on doing. And that will be very, very worrisome. And if in fact I am co sponsoring the Defense of Taiwan act with Republican colleagues, that would immediately impose sanctions if the PRC were to attack Taiwan on top of other actions. So I think that the status quo as it has remained is good. I think that President Trump should approve the arms sale to Taiwan. And by the way, the arms sale helped in America's industrial base because it's American manufact who will be producing that equipment. And frankly, American support for Taiwan needs to remain ongoing, ironclad and non negotiable. And if Trump is serious about combating the PRC and its aggression, then this should be an easy path forward to him, for him in this next discussion he's about to have.
- [24:04]
Kristen Welker
And Senator, of course, looming over all of this, the backdrop to this is the war with Iran. China gets much of its oil from the Strait of Hormuz. Do you have any expectation that after meeting with President Trump that China may play a role in trying to resolve the conflict to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?
- [24:26]
Tammy Duckworth
You know, I am very, I'm not optimistic that that's what will happen. In fact, I think China is benefiting from Trump's actions against Iran in the Straits of Hormuz. And in fact, Trump's so called ceasefire has gone from fragile to spiraling out of control. And remember that we, you know, first Donald Trump said he wanted to have regime change in Iran, which is why, which is why he launched the attack against Iran. Well, we have regime change, but the Ayatollah that's there now is worse than the one before. He says now he wants to open the Straits of Hormuz. Well, the Strait of Hormuz was open with oil flowing to everyone, not just through the PRC and its allies. And now this rates of Hormuz is mined and we've taught Iran that it can charge ships a million dollars a ship to go through the Strait of Hormuzu. If anything, Trump's war of choice has strengthened the PRC and given Iran a new revenue stream which is not to the benefit of Americans who are by the way paying. You know, in Chicago, I was just home this past weekend, it's over $4 a gallon.
- [25:25]
Kristen Welker
Well, you take me to my next question. The economy, affordability, Democrats have been highly critical of the president's policies, but also comments yesterday that he's more concerned about Iran not getting a bomb than the financial pain that Americans are feeling. What was your reaction to hearing that sound from the president?
- [25:48]
Tammy Duckworth
Well, I'm not surprised that President Trump does not care about the pain that average Americans are feeling. We, after all, have a president who only cares about his grifter of a family where they are enriching themselves. And in fact, they claim that they're going to be the richest family in the world when they're all said and done with his term in the presidency. This is not, frankly, the golden age that Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail. Inflation is outpacing wages for the first time in three years. And instead of working to clean up his mess, he wants to spend a billion dollars of your taxpayer dollars to build his golden Marie Antoinette ballroom. Yeah, he doesn't care about Americans because he only cares about himself and his own family. Except that Americans are suffering, right? Gas prices are through the roof. They've lost their Affordable Care act subsidies. I have a family in southern Illinois who said their premiums went from $3,000 a year to $13,000 a year for their Affordable Care act costs. Americans can't continue to suffer at the hands of Donald Trump and his poor foreign policy decisions. And he need to focus on Americans and stop worrying about China and Iran. And by the way, Iran's uranium stockpile is still buried under thousands of feet of concrete.
- [27:01]
Kristen Welker
Well, and of course, this is a midterm election year. Polls showing that Democrats don't really do much better than the president as it comes to the economy. We're looking at a poll here from CNN which ask who's better on the cost of living? 37% say Dems, 28% say the GOP. The economy. Dems get 35%. The GOP gets 33%. So you see how narrow that is. Senator, what do you think Democrats need to do to turn that around to convince voters that they have a better plan?
- [27:37]
Tammy Duckworth
Well, I think what we all should be doing, those of us who are in office, Democrats or Republicans, is worry about the average American and the pride prices they're paying. You know, Trump's war in Iran caused the cost of diesel fuel to go up by more than double. It's planting season in Illinois. We're a farm state. My farmers are devastated with the high cost of inputs like diesel for their, for their equipment, fertilizer for their crops. And yes, the prices are high for the farmers now in the Spring, but all of America is going to suffer come fall when harvest season comes in and we're going to see higher prices and the grocery store. And frankly, as long as the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and mined, the situation is not going to get any better, which is why we had this resolution again today, and we got three Republicans to vote with us to end this war in Iran. This illegal war has driven up record diesel prices. It is really hurting Americans. And that's what I'm focused on as a representative of the people is how do I make lives better for the average American in Illinois and around the country?
- [28:40]
Kristen Welker
So to that point, very quickly, Senator, President Trump has floated the idea of suspending the federal gas tax. Is that something you would vote for?
- [28:48]
Tammy Duckworth
That's not going to solve the problem, right? As long as the Strait of Hormuz remains mined, as long as we're still spending billions of dollars to attack Iran. And by the way, you know, Donald Trump came to us and says he's going to want 150 to 200 billion additional dollars just to wage this war in Iran. Suspending the gas price isn't going to do anything. It's not even a band aid on the situation, frankly.
- [29:12]
Kristen Welker
This illegal war, it is 18%.
- [29:14]
Tammy Duckworth
It's costing Americans significant money out of their pockets, and it's hurting our nation's military. We've expended, you know, hundreds of thousands of rounds of munitions that we need in order to defend ourselves against our greatest, our greatest adversary, the prc. He's moved assets from the Indo Pacific into the Middle east that should be in the Indo Pacific. And so, you know, we're in a significantly more precarious situation as a nation, both in terms of affordability for the average Americans, but also on national security, all because of Donald Trump's war of choice.
- [29:45]
Kristen Welker
All right, Senator Tammy Duckworth, thank you so much for your time. Really appreciate it.
- [29:51]
Tammy Duckworth
Thank you.
- [29:53]
Kristen Welker
Coming up next, meet the candidate, a former Republican who openly defied President Trump's push to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. Now he's running as a Democrat in next week's crowded primary race to be the next governor of the Peach State. That interview's next. Stay with us.
- [30:16]
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- [31:34]
Jeff Duncan
Start your free trial today@shopify.com win.
- [31:40]
Kristen Welker
Welcome back. If it's Wednesday, someone voted somewhere on Tuesday, which means we have midterm primary results with a winner in last night's Nebraska Senate primary, which could drop out of the race. She just won. Democrat Cindy Burbank won the Democratic nomination yesterday, but she has said she would consider bowing out of the race if she didn't have a path to victory, instead endorsing independent Dan Osborne in an to unseat the Republican. In an effort to unseat the Republican incumbent Senate Senator Pete Ricketts, Osborne lost to Republican Senator Deb Fisher by less than 7 percentage points in 2024. Now we're also counting down to the next week's big primary night less than a week away, which will include a number of key races across several states, including Georgia, with contests for Senate, governor, lieutenant governor, and secretary of state all on the ballot. I'm joined now by Jeff Duncan, former Republican lieutenant governor in Georgia, who is now running for governor as a Democrat. Thank you so much for joining me, Lieutenant Governor Duncan. Really appreciate it.
- [32:48]
Jeff Duncan
Yeah, glad to be here.
- [32:50]
Kristen Welker
I'm going to get to your race in just a second, but I want to start with some news out of your state. The current governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, said this afternoon that he's calling a special session in June to consider redrawing the state's legislative maps in 2028. Of course, there's been a big back and forth over redistricting. What is your reaction to hearing that? Would you support such an effort?
- [33:14]
Jeff Duncan
It's a huge step in the wrong direction for our state and for our country. At the end of the day, all you have to do is listen to these Republicans that are running for office run and grab a microphone and just talk about the immediate desire to racially gerrymander these districts. They couldn't even wait for the ink to dry on the Supreme Court case last week. It's troubling to see, see the home of the civil rights movement kind of take on this mantle of dismantling the, the Voting Rights act in a way that does not represent democracy. I mean, at the end of the day, Republicans are wrong. They continue to try to shrink the size of the voting universe to shape the outcome of an election. And here's a, here's a novel idea. If you want to win an election, just do a better job. Don't support a president that's trying to bankrupt our country and trying to bankrupt our state. Support somebody that really wants to meet people's needs like affordability, health care and the other issues that are on top of mind.
- [34:06]
Kristen Welker
Well, of course, Democrats are trying to counter what is happening in some of these red states by redistricting. In blue states like California, for example, do you support those efforts in blue states to pick up new Democratic seats?
- [34:23]
Jeff Duncan
I mean, Donald Trump knew exactly what he was doing when he picked a fight starting in Texas and just started trying to usurp democracy. And It's a catch 22, right? I'm one of those traditionalists that think the Constitution knew what it was talking about when it wanted to do this. Every 10 years as governor, I want to stand up and pass a constitutional amendment at the state level to make this every 10 year process to not gerrymander districts in between just for shallow political reasons? It's wrong.
- [34:51]
Kristen Welker
Let me ask you about your race. Now. You are running as a Democrat. How do you convince Democrats in your crowded field to vote for you over Keith Keisha, Lance Bottoms, for example, who is the former mayor of Atlanta?
- [35:07]
Jeff Duncan
I've lived pretty out loud for the last six plus years. I not only stood up to Donald Trump when it mattered the most here in Georgia, but I've been, you know, working with, with Democrats for years, Stacey Abrams on rural hospital tax credit legislation, passing hate crimes legislation, standing up to a sitting president that tried to steal an election, civil unrest issues. I've been doing this out loud and also writing a number of opinion columns over the years. So I think Democrats see me as the best possible chance to win this election. I think I am absolutely not only going to show up and win a primary, but win a general election. But then most importantly, Kristen, is we have to govern well I think that's the most important thing for Democrats is once we get this power, we can't just let it go to our heads like Republicans have. We've got to go govern well. We got to go share our ideas with better health care by expanding Medicaid, by passing common sense gun legislation. I haven't lost my mind switching parties. I've actually found my heart.
- [36:01]
Kristen Welker
Well, as you know, polls show that Keisha Lance Bottoms is actually ahead right now. How do you catch up and surpass her by Tuesday? Do you have enough time to win?
- [36:13]
Jeff Duncan
Well, fortunately for, for the, the law in Georgia, we don't have to do it by Tuesday. It's going to go to a runoff. So Keisha Lance Bottoms is probably going to cap out in the high 30s. I see myself coming in in the high teens, low 20s in a solid second place. And then we'll go to a four week spread and just compare resumes. Right? I've got a resume to run on. She's got a resume to run on. I think some Georgians have some serious concerns about her leadership as mayor of the city of Atlanta, just like some folks have some concerns about me being a former Republican. But, you know, folks can find out more@duncanforgeorgia.com if they want to have more information about where I stand on the issues.
- [36:47]
Kristen Welker
You're talking about the issues. Let me ask you about one that has been in the spotlight this week, in particular the gas tax. There's a lot of talk about potentially suspending the federal gas tax. Governor Bryan Kemp suspended Georgia's gas tax almost two months ago, but that's set to expire next Tuesday, actually on primary day. If you were to be elected, would you reinstate a gas tax holiday?
- [37:15]
Jeff Duncan
We would. I would continue to keep the gas tax off, actually, in the state legislature. Years ago when I was a state representative, I voted against the gas tax. But yeah, I mean, look, state of Georgia didn't pick this fight. That's, that's taken our gas prices and our oil prices around the world in skyrocketing places. Donald Trump did. If we want to fix this crisis, then Donald Trump needs to say he made a mistake and he didn't calculate the end game and he needs to start falling on the sword, bring these troops back home or figure out how to open up that straight of Hormuz. But Donald Trump doesn't care about people. It doesn't care about affordability issues. He doesn't care about people not having health insurance. He cares about the person that stares back at him in the mirror in the mornings. You know, Donald Trump is not for America. He's not for Georgia. He's for himself and his family. And that's as obvious as the day is long. And I'm seeing Republicans left and right come our way on this campaign trail because I think they're seeing what I've already seen. That's Donald Trump as a selfless decision maker. And at the end of the day, he's the worst decision this country's ever made.
- [38:12]
Kristen Welker
Let me ask you about the broader political environment right now. Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who resisted pressure from President Trump to overturn the results of the 2020 election and is now running for governor, said yesterday that there was an active threat at a campaign event that he had planned earlier this week. Do you worry about the risk of political violence in Georgia and elsewhere in this heated political environment?
- [38:41]
Jeff Duncan
Unfortunately, I do. I mean, my family has been at the epicenter of it for years. I mean, just because I wasn't willing to lie about an election like Donald Trump wanted to, my family got death threats. We had state troopers outside our house. Our kids couldn't go to school for weeks on end. I mean, like, we've paid the price, too. And it's unfortunate, but when you have a sitting president that's willing to fan the flames of conspiracy theories and to create a mob mentality that essentially, at the end of the day, is just a Ponzi scheme. Donald Trump runs a Ponzi scheme, and it's falling apart by the day.
- [39:11]
Kristen Welker
Final question to you. Do you see any scenario where you could return to the Republican Party at some point?
- [39:21]
Jeff Duncan
I don't. The Republican Party, that ship has sailed. My heart has changed. And look, a number of these issues, I didn't have the political courage like so many folks in office don't. I knew common sense, gun legislation made all the sense in the world. I'm never going to turn around on that. I know expanding Medicaid makes all the sense in the world, and we should never send somebody to the hospital without health insurance. I'm a proud Democrat with a great toolkit to serve the needs of 11 million Georgians. And I can't wait to be their governor.
- [39:45]
Kristen Welker
All right, former Lieutenant Governor Jeff Duncan, thank you so much. Be safe. We will be watching your race closely. Really appreciate your joining us.
- [39:55]
Jeff Duncan
Thank you.
- [39:57]
Kristen Welker
And speaking of Tuesday night, I will be joined by my colleagues, Hallie Jackson, Steve Kornacki, and our team of reporters across the nation for special primary election coverage. It all kicks off at 6:30 Eastern right here on NBC News now. And we'll be right back with more MEET THE PRESS now. Stay with us. Welcome back. Top Democrats on Capitol Hill are already seizing on President Trump's remarks yesterday that he's not weighing the financial impact on Americans finances when it comes to his war objectives in Iran. Can you believe it?
- [40:36]
Gabe Gutierrez
You wouldn't believe it coming from any other president, but sadly from this president,
- [40:41]
Kristen Welker
it smacks of reality.
- [40:44]
Andy Brown
He says almost anything and he doesn't care.
- [40:47]
Jeff Duncan
Donald Trump and Republicans don't give a
- [40:50]
Gabe Gutierrez
damn about the personal finances of the American people.
- [40:56]
Tammy Duckworth
Donald Trump said it and he meant it.
- [41:00]
Kristen Welker
Joining me now is today's panel, NBC News senior national political reporter Sahil Kapoor Joel Payne, Democratic strategist and former senior aide for Hillary for America and Ashley Davis, Republican strategist and White House official during the George W. Bush administration. Thanks to all of you for being here. Sahil, let me start with you. You heard the reaction from Democrats there on Capitol Hill. Talk about the fallout, what you're hearing on the Hill.
- [41:24]
Sahil Kapoor
It's a mess for the gop, Kristen. It's the last thing they need to be hearing from a president who was elected primarily to bring down costs and improve Americans financial situation and to avoid getting into new wars. Just objectively speaking, the opposite has happened so far. So this is a situation where Republicans want results on the economy. They know that voters here care more about that. But the president seems to be, at least in the words of Lindsey Graham, who I talked to a few hours ago, a staunch Trump ally. He said Trump is just trying to show the enemy that he's determined to prevail regardless of the domestic circumstances. That does indicate that he's willing to sacrifice some domestic circumstances for this, which of course is a political problem for Republicans, especially when you look at a recent poll by CNN found that his disapproval, President Trump's disapproval on the economy, economy is up to 70%. It never even reached 50% in the entirety of his first term. This was his ace in the hole, not maga. Culture wars, the economy, Trust in the economy was always President Trump's biggest asset. Now it's gone.
- [42:19]
Kristen Welker
Ashley, he did promise to bring down prices on day one. Gas prices are up. Inflation is up. How big of a political problem do you see these comments?
- [42:30]
Ashley Davis
Well, it's, I mean, obviously the Democrats are doing exactly what they should be doing, which is capitalizing on those comments. I do from my national security hat. I would say that his comments are probably more directed to Iran than they were everybody else, which is not does not help us in the election, by the way. However, I do think I'm a very staunch, I think that we should have taken on Iran. I do think that they're really bad actors. And so I think he's not willing to sacrifice if we lose the midterms because of it. I think he's okay with it. If he thinks the country's going to
- [43:03]
Kristen Welker
be safer, you think he's okay with it?
- [43:05]
Ashley Davis
I don't, I don't think second term, I don't think he's going to negotiate something based on gas prices at home. I really don't. And I think that that's probably what the commander in chief probably should do in regards to safety to the country, in regards to national security, in regards to everyday Americans and their gas prices and their daily living. I think it's a big problem. It's a big problem. If I were, you know, Leader Thune or if I were the speaker right now, I'm sure they're cringing, as you just said on the Hill.
- [43:32]
Kristen Welker
Joel, how do Democrats play this? Because is there a risk in over indexing on some of these measures when President Trump believes once the war ends, gas prices are going to start to come down? Now, of course, economists say it's not going to happen overnight. But how do you think Democrats should be messaging this moment?
- [43:51]
Joel Payne
Yeah, well, Kristen, I think he's down to the studs on his core MAGA base anyway. I mean, when you're at negative, you know, what, 50% or when you're at 70% disapproval on the economy and you're in the 30s, you know, you're in the, the Bush term two zone. You don't actually have the type of coalition that he actually rode to electoral victory. So I don't think Donald Trump's in the, in, in the coalition building business right now. He seems to be in the base maintenance business right now. I think the other observation I have is, and I get a chance to sit next to a lot of, you know, smart Republicans like Ashley and the fact that Xi and that other Republicans, the first thing they have to address, the first thing they have to answer is Donald Trump, his priorities, his hubris, his prioritization of the economy, that itself, that's the whole problem in a nutshell for Republicans there.
- [44:45]
Kristen Welker
Sa what about the fact that he is in China right now? This allows him to pivot to some extent from Iran and lean into this geopolitical diplomacy that he is trying to have with China.
- [44:59]
Sahil Kapoor
I think that largely depends on what, if any, deliverables he brings home from China. If there's a deal cut that can materially improve the lives of Americans, voters are gonna be far more concerned about their own domestic issues than any kind of foreign policy concern, unless they can connect the latter to the former. But look, broadly speaking, there is a political storm of headwinds brewing for, I think, Republicans in the midterms, presidential approval and a state of the economy. Those are not looking good for the party in power. They tend to be the most important. Then there's the structural disadvantage that Republicans have in this new coalition where the MAGA voters don't really turn out when Trump isn't on the ballot. Now, the things counteracting that that are helping Republicans somewhat are the money factor. They're doing better this time than 2018 and redistricting in the House. That fight has broken clearly in favor of Republicans. Will it be enough?
- [45:46]
Kristen Welker
I don't know, Ashley. And what are you watching for this week while the president's in China?
- [45:51]
Ashley Davis
So I think success is two different things. One, I think that he him showing up with all these CEOs, showing that he's trying to make some sort business deal with China. But the two things I'm watching is I think the, our farmers could get some relief, and that's a success. And if China is willing to buy some sort of oil gas from the United States, I think that's the success that defines success for him. Obviously, I don't think we'll know truly what the negotiations are in Iran. Iran, because I think that it will be quietly talked about and maybe there'll be subtle, you know, things that are said to Iran to say, like let's open up the strait. But I think the two, like, economic things are the farmers and definitely them buying oil from us.
- [46:36]
Kristen Welker
Joel, how do you see this week and do you think there could be a pivot to some extent?
- [46:42]
Joel Payne
I think obviously the president's in China and that's going to drive a lot of, you know, interest and whatnot. But I think the story of this week is Republicans escalating this fight over redistricting. And I guess I would just say say this, look, this is personal and this feels provocative to millions of people, millions of people, frankly, who look like me and who come from communities and come from backgrounds like mine, like my namesake, my great grandfather who was a sharecropper in the south who fought and sweat and bled for these rights that Republicans on a Republican Supreme Court, that's jet fueled by maga, and on a Republican Supreme Court that's swayed by a seat that was stolen. They seem to be playing games with precedent. They seem to be playing games with the public faith and public confidence. And I don't think that Republicans actually realize how dangerous the steps they're taking to undermine public confidence in the court, undermine public confidence in democracy are at this moment. This country's a powder keg right now. And where I come from, there's a thing that we say is you don't want to play in people's faces. The Republicans are doing a lot of playing in people's faces right now.
- [47:48]
Kristen Welker
Ashley, how do you respond?
- [47:49]
Ashley Davis
Well, I think first of all, I appreciate 100% what you're saying. And I also think that there is a big question is this, does anyone win out of this? I've been saying from the beginning that I think the whole redistricting issue that started in Texas, but we can even say it started back in 2017 in Illinois. But I think that it's just really bad for the country. I think it's not going to be beneficial to anybody one way or the other at the end of the day because we're isolating a whole population, as you just referenced in some cases. But also, you know, we have the, we have the people in the north too, that we don't have any Republican seats. So there are two sides of the story. But this is more of an issue that that is something that hits home.
- [48:29]
Joel Payne
I appreciate where that comes from. But people in the north there, it's not a history.
- [48:33]
Ashley Davis
No, that's what I'm saying.
- [48:35]
Joel Payne
And a history of organized, you know, obstruction of the vote in the north. Like there is no South.
- [48:41]
Ashley Davis
No, I get it.
- [48:41]
Kristen Welker
So he'll give us the final takeaway here. What's the math look like right now? Because Republicans are fighting, feeling emboldened about their chances to potentially hold onto the House. But Democrats are saying the backdrop still gives them a big opening.
- [48:55]
Sahil Kapoor
Overall, I still think Democrats are favored in the House given how given what the landscape is, given all the structural advantages they have, I think it looks like right now at least my Democratic sources think that somewhere between five and ten seats just in redistricting could flip to the GOP on net. Democrats will gain some in California, but Republicans Texas, Florida, now you have Virginia essentially counteracting. So Republicans will cushion it somewhat. I still think Democrats are pretty clearly favored overall because they only need a net gain of single somewhere in the single digit numbers of seats to win the House. The Senate's obviously a different story. Needle's moving a little bit in the Dems direction. But right now, Democrats still have plenty of reasons, I should say, to be optimistic about winning the House.
- [49:36]
Kristen Welker
Well, there's no doubt that this fight over redistricting has changed the shape of not just the map, but American politics and the debate that's unfolding right now. Thank you so very much. Much. Sahil, Joel and Ashley, great conversation. Still to come, we are on the ground in Omaha where 16Americans are being quarantined, covering new developments related to the ongoing outbreak of the hantavirus. Keep it right here on MEET THE PRESS now. Welcome back. We are tracking the latest developments in the deadly hantavirus outbreak that started on a cruise ship. We are learning a French woman who tested positive for hantavirus after being evacuated from the ship is now critically ill and being treated with an artificial lung. World Health Organization says so far 11 cases of the disease have been reported and that number will likely grow. But maintain the risk to the general public remains low. The outbreak comes at a precarious time for public health in the United States, which is operating without a permanent director at the cdc, without a surgeon general, and now without an FDA commissioner after this Week's ouster of Dr. Marty Makary. There are currently 16 US states monitoring residents who are considered to have been exposed to the Andes strain of the hantavirus that was spread aboard that cruise, people who either left the cruise early or came into close contact with cruise passengers during travel. Joining me now is NBC News correspondent Camilla Bernal, who is outside the National Quarantine Unit in omaha, Nebraska, where 16 of the evacuated cruise passengers are. Camilla, thank you so much, much for being here. You've actually spoken to some of the medical staff at that Nebraska facility where 16 passengers from that cruise are staying. What have you learned? Yeah.
- [51:27]
Camilla Bernal
And important news today from the cdc, Kristin, and that is that they are encouraging every single person here in Nebraska to remain here at this facility for the duration of the monitoring period. That is 42 days. And they say that period started on May 11th 7th when they got off that plane from the cruise ship. And medical professionals here telling me that they're monitoring everyone, doing it case by case, making sure that they essentially have a next step for each person individually. Here's what one of the nurses told me.
- [52:00]
Ashley Davis
I know from the outside looking in, it probably feels like, well, why don't we have any answers? But it really is a conversation with each person in multiple jurisdictions, and we want to make sure that we can answer, answer all of the questions we're getting right? Is it safe for people to leave? Is it safe for people to stay? And so I think right now what we're really encouraging is we have the ability to provide quarantine and monitoring support services for 42 days, and we would be happy to have people stay.
- [52:28]
Camilla Bernal
And the CDC also announced today that they have retested that passenger in the biocontainment unit that tested mildly positive. They're expecting fresh results from that test in the next day or two.
- [52:38]
Kristen Welker
Kristin and Camilla, with the final minute that we have left, more than a dozen states, as we said, say they have residents who are being monitored for exposure to the virus. What do we know about these folks?
- [52:52]
Camilla Bernal
Yeah, so none of the states so far have said that they've asked anyone to quarantine. They're only asking to self monitor. So what that looks like, according to some of the states, is each person at home is taking their temperature, is looking out for symptoms, and then reporting any changes or anything they see back to the state. So all of these states essentially saying that they're keeping track of all of those passengers that got off the boat early and returned to the United States and also the people that were believed to have been exposed at some point, maybe even during air travel. So they are keeping track of them to make sure that if anything changes, this is obviously something that gets reported back to the states and then obviously to the federal government as well.
- [53:32]
Ashley Davis
Guys.
- [53:34]
Kristen Welker
All right. Camila Bernal, you have been all over this story. We really appreciate your great reporting from Omaha, Nebraska. We will continue to track the developments around the hantavirus. Camila, thank you so very much. We are back tomorrow with more MEET the Press now. There's much more ahead on NBC News now. I'm Craig Melvin. Cheers.
- [53:55]
Gabe Gutierrez
Cheers.
- [53:56]
Andy Brown
Cheers.
- [53:57]
Gabe Gutierrez
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 trust, triumphs, 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.
- [54:18]
Empower Advertiser
Search Glass Half Full with Craig Melton From Today on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.