Meet the Press NOW — May 15

Summary

Meet the Press NOW — May 15, 2026

Host: Kristen Welker (NBC News)
Date: May 15, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode aired amidst breaking national security news and ongoing political realignments. It tackled three major developing stories:

• The arrest and indictment of a suspected terrorist commander with ties to Hezbollah.
• President Trump’s high-profile state visit to China, with discussions on trade, Iran, and Taiwan.
• Intensifying scrutiny over President Trump’s financial disclosures and the ethical debates arising from them.

The episode also covered U.S. pressure campaigns against Cuba, pivotal GOP primaries as Trump seeks to shape the party, and expert insights on economic and international policy.

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Breaking News: Arrest of Mohammed Al Saadi, Alleged Terrorist Commander

[01:02 - 05:38]

Key Points & Insights

• Arrest and Indictment: Mohammed Al Saadi, suspected commander tied to Iranian-backed Hezbollah, appeared in federal court on terrorism charges for planning attacks in NYC, LA, and Scottsdale, AZ.
• Law Enforcement Sting: Al Saadi attempted to commission attacks via an individual who turned out to be an undercover law enforcement officer.
• International Scope: Al Saadi’s group is linked to at least 18 attacks in Europe and additional incidents in Canada.
• Operational Method: The group has been operating as a “wrapper” for Hezbollah, using gangs and criminal syndicates to execute attacks for payment.
• Security Implication: The apprehension is deemed “quite significant” for both its scope and ongoing threat to U.S. events, especially major upcoming gatherings like America 250 and FIFA World Cup.

Notable Quotes

• “It’s just a front, if you will, for Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terror organization.”
  — Tom Winter [02:24]
• “It’s quite significant because there’s been 18 events... including some dual U.S. citizens. So this has definitely been a focus of authorities.”
  — Tom Winter [02:58]

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President Trump’s State Visit to China: Trade, Iran, and Taiwan

[05:38 - 15:32]

Key Points & Insights

• Trade Announcements: Trump claims verbal agreements with China to buy over 200 Boeing planes (potentially up to 750) and “billions of dollars” in soybeans, but no official deals have been confirmed.
• Lack of Specifics: No official announcements on tariffs, chip exports, or concrete trade wins; skepticism remains among observers and markets.
• Iran & Strait of Hormuz: The White House failed to secure a firm Chinese commitment to pressure Iran, though Trump claims President Xi agreed not to sell weapons to Tehran.
• Foreign Policy Nuance: Trump’s approach with Xi is described as less adversarial than prior stances, moving towards seeming “personal rapport” over policy substance.
• Security Concerns: Discussion turned to Taiwan, with Xi warning of potential “conflicts and clashes” over mishandling Taiwan. Trump avoided clear statements on defending Taiwan or approving Congressional arms packages.
• White House Messaging: Administration emphasizes positive tone in U.S.–China relations but experts highlight lack of tangible breakthroughs or clarity, especially on high-stakes issues.

Notable Quotes

• “There was no grand bargain. But if you take a step back, there was a pretty significant shift in how the US deals with China...”
  — Gabe Gutierrez [09:58]
• “He does not want to see a fight for independence because that would be a very strong confrontation... I heard him out. I have a lot of respect for him.”
  — Donald Trump, on Xi’s stance on Taiwan [11:54]
• “It’s concerning that the president didn’t have a more declarative statement here... these systems, if in fact they are approved, aren’t going to arrive in Taiwan for a matter of years.”
  — Courtney Kuby [13:04]

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Pressure Campaign Against Cuba and Potential Indictment of Raul Castro

[15:32 - 22:24]

Key Points & Insights

• New DOJ Indictment: The Justice Department seeks to indict Cuba’s former president Raul Castro for his alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of humanitarian planes.
• Geopolitical Context: Move comes as the Trump administration increases pressure on Cuba amidst energy shortages and major civil unrest (partly due to loss of Venezuelan oil).
• CIA Engagement: CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Havana, delivering a message urging Cuba to sever intelligence ties with adversaries like China and Russia—a rare publicized diplomatic move.
• Internal Dynamics: U.S. experts believe Cuba’s regime is under severe strain and may be near collapse, though direct military intervention isn’t currently a focus.
• Aid Offerings: U.S. offers $100 million in humanitarian aid, insisting distribution must be handled outside the Cuban government (e.g., by the Catholic Church).

Notable Quotes

• “It's significant that DOJ is pushing for this indictment... The US really has been ramping up pressure on Cuba.”
  — Gabe Gutierrez [17:05]
• “Cuba is likely to fall by the end of this year, even without military intervention... There’s enormous problems with energy.”
  — Courtney Kuby [19:14]
• “The most important thing about that meeting is the pictures the CIA released. The CIA wanted everyone to know that the director was down there.”
  — Gabe Gutierrez [21:00]

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Presidential Financial Disclosures: Ethics, Conflicts, and Political Fallout

[24:31 - 34:46]

Key Points & Insights

• Massive Stock Trades: Trump disclosed hundreds of millions in stock trades, including companies (Boeing, Oracle, DoorDash, Nvidia, Palantir, Coinbase) he publicly endorsed or promoted via policy.
• Potential Conflicts: Trades coincided with major government actions and photo ops, raising ethical concerns despite official denials of direct involvement.
• Ethics Expert Analysis: The sheer volume and timing are “completely unprecedented”; prior presidents historically divested or avoided such investments regardless of legal exemption.
• Legal/Governance Gaps: Presidents and vice presidents are technically exempt from conflict of interest laws; moves to ban Congressional trading may now broaden to the presidency.
• Public Trust Issues: Ethics experts describe using a trust with a financial manager as “a fig leaf” that doesn’t adequately reassure the public.

Notable Quotes

• “The confluence of him promoting businesses that are being invested in on his behalf is an unusual thing at the very least and something I haven’t seen before.”
  — Jonathan Allen [27:43]
• “The magnitude of these trades is completely unprecedented... presidents, even though by law they are exempt, have behaved and managed their finances as though they were subject to conflicts of interest.”
  — Don Fox [30:54, 32:09]
• “It's a kind of a fig leaf to say that the trust has a financial manager... that’s no excuse.”
  — Don Fox [31:28]

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GOP Primary Races: Trump’s Influence & Party Realignment

[37:23 - 47:41]

Key Points & Insights

• GOP Incumbency Challenges: Louisiana’s Bill Cassidy and Kentucky’s Thomas Massie face Trump-backed primary opponents, demonstrating Trump's dominance and punishment of dissenters.
• Party Dynamics: Both races are shaped by intra-party divisions and “purity tests” of loyalty to Trump.
• Historical Spending: Massie’s primary is the most expensive in Kentucky’s history.
• Panel Analysis: Democratic strategists view Republican infighting as strengthening the Democratic position for the general election.
• Electoral System Effects: Louisiana’s top-two system could see the incumbent (Cassidy) miss the runoff due to divided opposition.

Notable Quotes

• “If they let one guy come up here and vote his conscience... then there might be others who are encouraged to do that. That’s why I’m fighting so hard.”
  — Thomas Massie [39:01]
• “There’s nothing like the smell of Republicans fighting each other in the afternoon here in Washington.”
  — Chuck Rocha [42:15]
• “This Massey thing has become the most expensive primary in the history of Kentucky.”
  — Chuck Rocha [42:15]

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Georgia Senate Race Preview

[43:50 - 47:41]

Key Points & Insights

• Key Candidates: Governor Brian Kemp backing Derek Dooley to challenge Democrat Jon Ossoff.
• Race Dynamics: Several strong candidates, including Collins, are vying for the nomination; a runoff is likely.
• Democratic Strength: Jon Ossoff positioned as a strong incumbent, enjoying substantial grassroots fundraising.
• Electoral Geography: Atlanta suburbs are becoming increasingly blue, vital for Democratic prospects.

Notable Quotes

• “The number one grassroots fundraiser in the Democratic Party for the last 18 months has been Jon Ossoff.”
  — Chuck Rocha [46:24]
• “Those suburbs used to be ruby red... now leaning very much blue. That’s where this election's won and lost in November.”
  — Chuck Rocha [47:28]

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Interview: Rep. Zach Nunn on Trump’s China Visit, Trade, Taiwan, and Iran

[48:49 - 57:01]

Key Points & Insights

• Skeptical of Trade ‘Wins’: Nunn asks for signed trade deals with China, especially for Iowa’s soybean farmers; remains cautious about verbal promises and tariffs.
• Taiwan Commitment: Nunn advocates for prompt arms transfer to Taiwan and highlights its strategic importance (semiconductors).
• China Policy: Emphasizes need for enforceable commitments, vigilance against CCP subversion, and concerns over economic coercion.
• Iran Policy: Nunn supports Trump’s focus on preventing a nuclear-armed Iran but stresses the economic impact of gas prices and pushes for U.S. energy independence.
• Gas Tax & Energy: Favors broader energy policies (incl. biofuels) for price relief rather than a simple gas tax holiday.

Notable Quotes

• “I want this signed and put into place so we really know these trade agreements are worth what they're written on.”
  — Zach Nunn [49:19]
• “Taiwan is now our fourth largest trading partner... an invasion would be catastrophic, not just for life, but for Americans here at home.”
  — Zach Nunn [51:21, 53:10]
• “I agree with him on the fact we cannot have a run with a nuclear weapon. But when I'm back in my districts in Iowa, the thing I hear about most is the cost of fuel...”
  — Zach Nunn [55:31]

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Episode Takeaways

• National Security Front: U.S. authorities score a major arrest in the shadow war with Iranian proxies.
• U.S.–China Relations: Despite high-wattage photo ops and Trump’s rhetoric, substance on trade, Iran, and Taiwan remains fuzzy and fraught with long-term risks.
• Ethics in High Office: Trump’s financial disclosures ignite renewed debate on presidential conflicts of interest—sparking calls for reform.
• Internal GOP Conflict: Trump’s grip on GOP primaries intensifies party discipline but creates openings for opposition and spending concerns.
• Foreign Policy at the Crossroads: U.S. faces complex, interlinked challenges—with Cuba, Iran, and China all in the geopolitical spotlight.

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Timestamps of Major Segments

• [01:02] Breaking news – Arrest of Al Saadi
• [05:38] President Trump’s visit to China (trade, Iran, Taiwan)
• [15:32] U.S. pressure on Cuba and DOJ seeking Castro indictment
• [24:31] Trump’s financial disclosures and ethics debate
• [37:23] Trump’s influence in GOP primaries (Cassidy, Massie)
• [43:50] Georgia Senate race and primary maneuvering
• [48:49] Rep. Zach Nunn on China, Taiwan, trade, and Iran

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For those who missed the episode, this summary provides a comprehensive, quote-laden overview of the key policy, political, and ethical stories shaping U.S. leadership and global security entering the heat of the 2026 election cycle.

Transcript

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[Kristen Welker]

Welcome to MEET THE press. Now I'm Kristen Welker in Washington. We are following breaking news. A man authorities say is a terrorist commander appearing in federal court this afternoon, indicted on terrorism charges and accused of planning three attacks across the United States. Take a look. These are photos exclusive to NBC News of that suspect, Mohamed Al Saadi. Authorities say he tried to hire someone to carry out the attacks while which were planned for New York City, Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Arizona. That person turned out to be an undercover member of law enforcement. Authorities say Al Saudi was part of a group that has ties to the Iranian backed terror organization Hezbollah. According to the criminal complaint unsealed today, Al Saadi and his associates have planned, coordinated and claimed responsibility for at least 18 terrorist attacks in Europe as well as two additional attacks in Canada. NBC News national law enforcement and intelligence correspondent Tom Winter joins. Tom, thank you so much for starting us off on this breaking news. So let's talk about who is Mohammed Al Saadi and how significant is this apprehension?

[Tom Winter]

Well, Kristen, for the last couple of months we've been trying to figure out and apparently so is law enforcement who is behind this mysterious group that's been posting taking credit for a number of attacks, firebombings, a stabbing, an incident involving drones at the Israeli embassy in London, Ha Yi and this man that you're now looking at there, Mohammed Al Saadi, they say is one of the leaders of that group. And that really it's just a front, if you will, for Hezbollah, the Iranian backed terror organization. And so the focus here has been on who's been doing this and how are they doing it? And one of the things that a number of terror experts have pointed out is that this really speaks to Iran's MO Basically going out and hiring a number of criminal groups. These are criminal organizations, gangs that are active in various parts of Europe to go out and conduct these attacks for. For money, and then they take the credit for it. And obviously, this has been going on since the start of the Iran war, since the US Began their bombing campaign. How significant is it to your question? I think quite significant because there's been 18 events, a number of people have been hurt, including some dual U.S. citizens. And so this has been something that's definitely been a focus of authorities, including that attack and that incident on the U.S. embassy in Toronto, Canada. So this is serious. They've been focused on it. And today, at least one of the people they believe is responsible, or at least they allege is responsible, is now behind bars.

[Kristen Welker]

It's just extraordinary. The allegations against him go back several years, Tom. How long has he been on the radar of authorities and just what was behind his apprehension? How did they do it?

[Tom Winter]

Yeah, so that's a big question that we have is how long he's popped up. You know, this group has been putting itself out there, really only since March. But his social media post, by the way, his ex account is still live right now online. He's been talking about and a number of photos of him with the former head of the irgc. Kassim Soleimani was obviously killed in a drone strike during President Trump's first term. He was putting information out about how he wanted to kill President Trump. Here you're looking at those photos that I reference of him and Soleimani. This is included in a criminal complaint. And more recently, they introduced, or they at least there was a discussion with an undercover member of law enforcement. And that person was posing as a member of the Mexican cartel who was apparently going to get tens of thousands of dollars, some of it in cryptocurrency, to carry out attacks in New and Scottsdale, Arizona, against prominent Jewish locations there. So this was quite serious, taken into custody by Turkish authorities. I think some of those details have yet to come out and be made public. I expect we'll hear potentially more about that operation flown to New York last night.

[Kristen Welker]

So, Tom, what are you going to be watching for next in this case?

[Tom Winter]

So I think this case, if you talk to terrorism experts, all the reporting we've been doing on this group, we're the first U.S. news organization to report about Hayi it's something that the British authorities have been concerned about is are we going to see more of this? Basically, what is used is a wrapper. They're a wrapper around Hezbollah. It's a propaganda wrapper. Will they try to reconstitute themselves? Will they continue? And oh, by the way, Kristen, as you well know, we've got America 250, a number of celebrations coming up all across the country. And in less than a month, FIFA World cup starts. And so really, it's just a gamut of threats that are focused at those events as we still continue our conflict with Iran.

[Kristen Welker]

All right, Tom Winter, thank you as always on the breaking news. We know you'll continue to track it. Please bring us any developments as they happen throughout the course of the hour. We really appreciate it. We want to turn now to another major story that we are following, President Trump's state visit to China. President Trump set to return to the White House in just a few hours with very few clear wins from this high stakes summit with President Xi Jinping. Before leaving China, the president hailed the trip as a success, saying he had made some fantastic trade deals. The president telling reporters aboard Air Force One that he got verbal commitments from the Chinese president to buy American jets and more soybeans, saying he expects deals down the line. Take a listen.

[Donald Trump]

President Xi is an incredible guy, got along, made a lot of great trade deals, including over 200 planes for Boeing with a promise of 750 planes, which will be by far the largest order ever if they do a good job with the 200, which I'm sure they will.

[DSW Advertiser (Male)]

Did you get a deal on soybeans?

[Donald Trump]

I did. The farmers are going to be very happy. They're going to be buying billions of dollars of soybeans.

[Kristen Welker]

But so far there have been no official announcements of any new trade deals or purchases of American products. President Trump, who had more than a dozen American CEOs with him on the trip, also told reporters he did not discuss tariffs or computer chips with Chinese President Xi. The president also has very little to show on the issue of Iran. The White House had hoped to encourage China to use its economic influence to help pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But President Trump, by his own account, not getting any firm commitment from China on that front, despite saying President Xi offered to help.

[Donald Trump]

Listen, we did discuss Iran. We feel very similar to Iran. We want that to end. And we don't want them to have a nuclear weapon. We want the straits open. Did President Xi make any firm commitment

[Kristen Welker]

to put Pressure on the Iranians to

[Donald Trump]

reopen the Strait of Hormuz. I'm not asking for any favors because when you ask for favors, you have to do favors in return. We don't need favors.

[Kristen Welker]

President Trump did say he secured a commitment from President Xi not to sell weapons to Tehran after two sources told NBC News Chinese state controlled companies have discussed plans to secretly sell arms to Iran. The question now is the president returns home. What happens next in the war with Iran? With gas prices showing no signs of dropping today, holding steady at $4.53 a gallon, which is up 52% since the war started. The president offering no clear outlook on the next steps in the war after rejecting Tehran's latest proposal.

[Donald Trump]

We may have to do a little cleanup work because we had a little month long ceasefire, I guess you'd call it. But we have a blockade that's so effective. That's why we did the ceasefire.

[Kristen Welker]

Just to be clear, what's next?

[Donald Trump]

Is the threat of the bombing starting again?

[Kristen Welker]

How realistic?

[Donald Trump]

Well, I don't want to say that. I mean, I'd like to tell you, I'd like to say on a certain hour, on a certain day, the bombing is going to start. I don't want to say that. I can only say that Iran, I can say this with very, very strong conviction. Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. Not going to happen.

[Kristen Welker]

And joining me now from Beijing is NBC News senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez and NBC News senior national security correspondent Courtney Kuby. Thanks to both of you for being here. Gabe, you've been talking to your sources there who've been on the trip. How does the administration feel about this summit with President Xi Jinping? Do they think it's been a success?

[Gabe Gutierrez]

Well, Kristen, the president and White House officials are trying to highlight what you just did. This claim by the president that there were investment deals signed, although we don't have specifics of them, that the President got Xi Jinping to purchase some 200 Boeing jets, although we do not have any official confirmation of that from, from the Chinese side. But here, Kristen, there was no grand bargain. But if you take a step back, there was a pretty significant shift in just how the US Deals with China. Just think about just the last year with the tariff of up to 145%. President Trump deciding to take a much less adversarial approach here on the ground in Beijing, apparently making the calculation. The best way to deal with China and President Xi is to highlight what he calls a very good relationship. But as you just laid out, a lot of things are up in the air. We are very light on specifics when it comes to any investment deals that were signed. The president and the White House officials say that they did talk about AI guardrails, that they did talk about China potentially buying billions of dollars in soybeans, that that could be great for American farmers. But we have no specifics on any of it. Now as the president is heading back to Washington.

[Kristen Welker]

Kristen, Gabe, let's talk about what may be one of the biggest headlines coming out of this trip. What was discussed regarding Taiwan? The Chinese Foreign Ministry issuing that sharp statement yesterday in which it said that President Xi warned of conflicts and clashes if the question of Taiwan were to be, quote, mishandled. How is the the president responding to that?

[Gabe Gutierrez]

Well, Kristen, the biggest news out of this trip on Taiwan is the fact that it was even discussed at all. Yes, the Chinese have repeatedly brought it up before, but not only did they bring it up this time, they brought it up front and center before the bilateral talks. That meeting yesterday or two days ago at this point was even wrapped up. And President Trump acknowledged that he did discuss that issue of arms sales to Taiwan with President Xi, which would violate the assurances given to Taiwan back in 1982. Listen to more of what the president had to say earlier today, returning to Washington aboard Air Force One on Taiwan.

[Donald Trump]

He does not want to see a fight for independence because that would be a very strong confrontation. And I, I heard him out. No, I didn't make, I didn't make a comment on it. I heard him out. I have a lot of respect for him.

[Kristen Welker]

What about the arms things?

[Donald Trump]

I'll make a determination over the next fairly short period.

[Kristen Welker]

Would the US Defend Taiwan if it came to.

[Donald Trump]

I don't want to say. I'm not going to say that. There's only one person that knows that you know who it is.

[Gabe Gutierrez]

So, Kristen, the president there saying he'd make a determination on arms sales towards Taiwan, even though Secretary of State Marco Rubio told our Tom Yamas that US Policy towards Taiwan is unchanged. But just the fact it came up at all and so soon, pretty significant, Chris.

[Kristen Welker]

And so forcefully. Gabe, stand by. Let me turn to Courtney. Kubi, get you to weigh in on this. So Court, what do you make of what was discussed regarding Taiwan, particularly against the backdrop of the question looming, Will President Trump in fact, approve the arms sale that Congress just signed off on to Taiwan?

[Courtney Kuby]

Yeah. So it's concerning that the president didn't have a more declarative statement here. And this is a package that's Been waiting for a while too. This isn't new. Remember the US passed this huge package back in December, about $11 billion and that included a lot of defensive things that could have specifically been used if in fact Taiwan were invaded by China. Among them, long range attack of missiles. Hundreds of been this other one, it's somewhere in the neighborhood of $15 billion, maybe more than that. Why this one's important is because it includes some of the more advanced and long range air defense systems and systems that could even more specifically defend the island against China. Now one thing to keep in mind, the President still has not notified Congress about that. So it hasn't even begun that process before then it becomes a years long generally effort to actually get these systems to Taiwan. So at this point these systems, if in fact they are approved, aren't going, they're not going to arrive in Taiwan for a matter of years.

[Kristen Welker]

Well, it's always about the timeline that makes it so complicated. Corda, I do want to talk to you about Iran. Speaking of the timeline, I think one of the big questions looming over the President's return is what happens now? Negotiations were stalled when the President departed for China. He did leave the possibility of military operations resuming them on on the table. What are your sources telling you about his mindset as he returns?

[Courtney Kuby]

Well, I mean even just listening to that gaggle on the plane that you just played some of the sound at some points he was saying we've done everything, we've destroyed their conventional military, we've completely taken them out. And then only moments later he said, well, we still have some things that we could hit and if we wanted to take out their infrastructure, we could do so in a matter of a day or two. So it's really unclear. He is sending so many mixed messages right now. The one thing that is certain at this point, according to his own words, is that the US And Iran are nowhere close to a deal. And especially if in fact this really is about what he says the priority and that is the nuclear program and the highly enriched uranium. There is no talk about how at this point of how the US could actually ensure that in fact Iran never has nuclear weapon if we're talking about the negotiations between the two sides. So it leaves open the possibility. Trump really only has a couple of options here and that is resuming combat operations. Operations in some form, whether it's large scale or more tailored, a protracted stalemate here with Iran are turning and walking away and basically giving up on some of these goals that he's laid Out.

[Kristen Welker]

All right, Courtney. Really extraordinary. We'll see what happens when he touches down. I want you both to stick with me. We want to have a little reset. I want to turn to another developing story while the President was overseas. NBC News learning his Justice Department is seeking to indict the former President of Cuba, 94 year old Raul Castro. According to your official familiar with the matter, the indictment is related to the 1996 incident where Cuba shot down two humanitarian planes from an organization known as Brothers to the Rescue. The Trump administration's effort to possibly charge Raul Castro, the brother of Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, comes as the Trump administration has been ramping up pressure against Cuba's communist regime. On Thursday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Havana to meet with a number of officials, including Raul Castia's grandson, as part of this pressure campaign. Now, in a statement, the CIA said that Director Radcliffe traveled to, quote, personally deliver President Trump's message that the United States is prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes, including stopping adversaries like China and Russia from operating intelligence post coasts on the island. Gabe, let me turn back to you on this. What exactly do we know about this indictment and how does it factor into this larger pressure campaign against Cuba which we've of course been talking about for quite some time now?

[Gabe Gutierrez]

Well, Kristen, the first thing we should understand is that Raul Castro, even though he did step down as president of Cuba back in 2018 and then as secretary of the Communist Party on the island back in 2020, 21, I believe he still wields immense political power on the island. And it is significant that the DOJ is pushing for this indictment, which by the way, a grand jury would need to sign off on before these charges went through. But we have Learned from those two U.S. officials familiar with the matter that the DOJ is looking at this. And one of those officials says that it is related to that 1996 incident that you mentioned. That is incident rocked US and Cuba relations. It was huge news in Miami back in the 1990s. And the founder of that group, Brothers to the Rescue, praised a potential indictment just today. But this all comes to that bigger backdrop, Kristen. As you mentioned, the US really has been ramping up pressure on Cuba. And in fact, right now there are huge blackouts across much of Cuba and, and protests had erupted in Havana as the country deals with this fuel shortage, not just because of the Iran war, but also following the US Capture of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro. That country, of course, that provided oil to Cuba. But remember, Kristen, and this will be my last point here, it was Maduro who was indicted in the US Regarding drug trafficking. So raises a lot of questions. Could the US Be looking to do the same to Raul Castro if this indictment does happen? NBC had reported several months ago that the DOJ was looking at criminal charges for several top Cuban officials out of the Southern District of Florida.

[Don Fox]

Kristen.

[Kristen Welker]

And it's so fascinating, Gabe, as we're having this conversation, Court, President Trump has been saying for quite some time, cuba's next. Cuba's in his crosshairs. He thinks Cuba is going to fall on its own. Big picture, what's the thinking inside the Pentagon about the readiness if there were to be a military action in Cuba, given that there has already been resources used in Venezuela and now obviously Iran?

[Courtney Kuby]

So there is this US Assessment that exists that Cuba is likely to fall by the end of this year, if even without some sort of a military invention intervention. Of course, the US has been of a part applying this pressure sort of behind the scenes and under with what we call sort of rather than boots on the ground, but sneakers on the ground. Right. So potentially intelligence professionals and civilians who try to push a regime in one way or another, but it hasn't worked at this point. Right now, the Cuban regime is under huge pressure right now. They just had these enormous protests this week. They're having enormous problems with energy. But there were two things out of that CIA Director Ratcliffe visit that really stood out to me. One was this claim by the US or this argument by the US That Cuba has to stop working with adversaries in the region. I don't know how they would do that and especially sort of decouple themselves with a country like China, where we believe that there is still this spy base that exists on Cuba that's Chinese. Russia is actually allegedly trying to help Cuba with some of their energy issues. So how do they decouple and what does that look like? The second thing was this, in this readout where they allegedly talked about intelligence sharing between Cuba and the United States. That's astonishing. Astonishing to me that that went into a readout. So it's not really clear. I mean, you, I remember you spoke with the deputy foreign minister only several weeks ago on Meet the Press. It's still no clear right now what the US Is doing and whether that's actually having an impact on the ground in Cuba.

[Kristen Welker]

Absolutely. And Gabe, it does come, of course, against the backdrop of the CIA director visiting Cuba. What do we know about what actually came out of that visit. We see him there meeting with officials. We know he issued a stern message to Cuba. What was the big takeaway?

[Gabe Gutierrez]

Well, you laid some of it out with Courtney there, Kristen. But look, the most important thing about that meeting, at least it stuck out to me, is the pictures that the CIA released. The CIA wanted everyone to know that the CIA director was down there. They made no secret of it. They went down in a US Diplomatic plane that was parked in Havana for all to see. And the CIA Director Ratcliffe was meeting with top Cuban officials. Yes, including the intelligence minister, as Courtney just laid out. So it's our understanding that U.S. and Cuban officials have been talking for some time. It's unclear exactly which intermediaries they've been using, but this is very significant. As you just heard just yesterday, Secretary of State, State Rubio was asked about the Cuba issue by Tom Yamas, our colleague, and he is pushing the Cuban government to take this hundred million dollars in humanitarian aid that the US has been offering. Cuba says it's skeptical of it, that there might be strings attached, which the US Denies at this point. Except the only string Rubio says that it requires is for the humanitarian aid to be distributed not by the Cuban government, but by the Catholic Church. Perhaps. But this all comes as you laid out, Kristen, the increasing pressure campaign on multiple fronts by the US Government on Cuba.

[Kristen Welker]

All right, Gabe and Courtney, thank you so very much. Coming up, stock and trade. We're taking a deep dive into newly released financial disclosures from President Trump revealing purchases of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of stocks this year as he was making market moving announcements from the White House. Plus, next stops on President Trump's retribution campaign. Louisiana. We've got a preview of the high stakes race as Republican Senator Bill Cassidy fights for his political life. Stay with us. You're watching with the press now.

[Don Fox]

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[Don Fox]

Just share your size, style, and budget. And your stylist sends personalized looks right to your door. Stitch Fix, get started today@stitch fix.com. i want to hug you. I'm gonna hug you. I'm coming in for a hug.

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Breaking news just coming in moments ago.

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[Kristen Welker]

Let's just take a step back.

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[Kristen Welker]

Welcome back. Turning now to new scrutiny facing the White House after President Trump revealed in financial disclosure forms hundreds of millions of dollars in stock purchases and financial transactions in the first part of this year involving a range of private companies. Some he personally hyped as president or helped them broker potentially lucrative deals. Now, we should note that in a statement, the Trump Organization says neither the president nor his family plays any role in selecting, directing or approving specific investments. And a White House spokesperson says his assets are in a trust and managed by his children and insisting there are no conflicts of interest. Still, the volume of the stock purchases and his stake in some of these companies are unprecedented for a sitting president. For example, according to the disclosures, millions of dollars of stock in Boeing were purchased across several transactions in February and March. It comes as yesterday the President announced he had secured a deal for Boeing during his China trip. Listen.

[Donald Trump]

Made a lot of great trade deals, including over 200 planes for Boeing with a promise of 750 planes. This will be by far the largest order ever if they do a good job with the 200, which I'm sure they will.

[Kristen Welker]

In another trade, hundreds of thousands of dollars of stock in Oracle were purchased on January 12th. Just a few days later, the company finalized a deal brokered by the U.S. for partial ownership of TikTok. The disclosures also show purchases of DoorDash stock roughly a dozen times from January through March. In early April came this doordash photo op at the White House with a delivery made directly to the Oval Office.

[Tom Winter]

Nice to meet you.

[Don Fox]

I have your doordash order for you, Mr. Cutscene.

[Kristen Welker]

That's very nice. Look at this.

[Donald Trump]

This doesn't look staged. It does.

[Kristen Welker]

They're all your favorites.

[Donald Trump]

That's right. These are good Doordash is doing a good job.

[Kristen Welker]

Now, we mentioned Boeing, Oracle, and DoorDash. Some other notable transactions include up to a million dollars of Nvidia stock purchased on January 6, which came just days before the president backed a deal for the company to sell chips to China. There were also more than a dozen purchases of Palantir stock. And when the stock slumped in April, the president took to social media to praise the company, specifically noting its its stock ticker. And numerous purchases of Coinbase stock were made from January through March, when the president sent the company's stock soaring by publicly urging big banks to further embrace crypto. Now, there are thousands of financial transactions in these disclosures, and we should note they also show the president bought stock in NBC News parent company Comcast. NBC News senior national political reporter Jonathan Allen joins me now. Also with me now is Don Fox. He served as acting director and general counsel for the United States Office of Government Ethics during the George W. Bush and Obama administrations. Thanks so much to both of you. Really appreciate it. John, let me start with you here on set. Just how unprecedented are these types of financial exchanges in the midst of a presidency?

[Jonathan Allen]

Yeah, it's hard to know exactly what Franklin Roosevelt did, you know, another very wealthy American president. I think one of the things that's unique about Donald Trump is that he is a president who has all of this money and lives in the era of disclosures. Still, it's not something we've seen before in terms of all these stock purchases with the timing, you know, very close to the president himself being out there promoting these companies. Of course, American presidents promote American businesses. But the confluence of him promoting businesses that are being invested in on his behalf is an unusual thing at the very least and something I haven't seen before.

[Kristen Welker]

Well, we are getting this reaction from the Trump Organization. Let's dig a little bit deeper into that. Specifically, is the Trump Organization saying when pressed about all of this, well, what

[Jonathan Allen]

they're saying is that the president has a trust that is managed by his children and that nobody in the family is picking stocks. What they didn't say, but is fairly common, is that you would have a trust where there is an investment manager that's hired by the trust to make the investments. If he was doing this in a, in a pure and clean way, that's what would happen. That basically they're saying they're delegating that power from the trust in order to make investments to avoid conflicts of interest. It is unlikely that the president or his children would be unable to see what the Investments are. But we should also keep in mind that we're talking about an extraordinarily wealthy president with an extraordinarily wealthy family. When you look at these purchases, they're not outsized, given how much money he has. I mean, these are relatively small for his portfolio. Big for you or me, and probably for most of the viewers, but not so big for him. The other thing we haven't seen is any indication that they have been sold, which is where you would actually turn a profit off of something.

[Kristen Welker]

I do want to read the Trump Organization statement before we go to the next question. It says President Trump's investment holdings are maintained exclusively through fully discretionary accounts, independently managed by third party financial institutions with sole and exclusive authority over all investment decisions. Neither President Trump, his family, nor the Trump Organization plays any role in selecting, directing or approving specific investments, which is what you laid out. So let me ask you, has there been reaction from Capitol Hill? What are lawmakers saying about this, John?

[Jonathan Allen]

Yeah, I mean, we're hearing a lot from Democrats right now, particularly, yeah. Elizabeth Warren pointed out Nvidia investments the president made in the chipmaker Nvidia and the promotion of Nvidia in China this week with the CEO of Nvidia joining that White House trip. And she basically said that the president is corrupt. J.B. pritzker, the governor, governor of Illinois, made a similar comment. I mean, that's the drumbeat you're hearing from the Democrats right now is that the president is corrupt and they are making, they are using this as a data point and a larger argument they're making against him, which is that he has done a lot of things that they believe are benefiting him using his office and certainly believe that members of his administration are doing the same thing.

[Kristen Welker]

All right, John, thanks for being here to help us understand all of that. Really appreciate it. Don, let me turn to you. What stood out to you from the financial disclosure forms that were released yesterday?

[Don Fox]

Well, there are a couple of things, Kristen. First of all, just the magnitude of these trades is completely unprecedented. We may not know what FDR did in terms of his investments, but in the modern era of government ethics, which really begins post Watergate with the Jimmy Carter administration, presidents, even though by law they are exempt from conflicts of interest, have behaved and managed their finances, in fact, as though they were subject to conflicts of interest. Secondly, I think. I'm sorry.

[Kristen Welker]

Oh, I'm sorry. No, no, please continue.

[Don Fox]

I was going to say that secondly, it's a kind of a fig leaf to say that the trust has A financial manager. There are a lot of people with retirement accounts who have financial managers and aren't making individual decisions. That's no excuse. And it doesn't help shore up public trust that the President is in fact, acting in our interest as Americans, rather than his own financial interests and those of his family.

[Kristen Welker]

Well, you heard John Allen make the point. It's certainly something that we haven't seen typically for a commander in chief. How unusual do you think the sheer volume of these transactions are for a sitting president?

[Don Fox]

Oh, it's unprecedented. It really is. Again, from Jimmy Carter forward, presidents have by and large gotten themselves out of common stocks and invested in things that would not cause conflicts of interest for anyone. That's the same with also other very wealthy executive branch employees. If we go back to the Bush administration and Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson, who was incredibly wealthy, he divested everything and put all his assets, as it turned out, into US Treasuries. He invested in the United States of America, non for profit companies.

[Kristen Welker]

Are there actual ethical or legal guidelines that say what a president can and cannot trade while in office?

[Don Fox]

Well, there are not. When Congress passed the Conflicts of Interest statutes and the Ethics and Government act, there was a conscious decision to exempt certain officials in both the legislative, judicial and the executive branches from conflicts of interest in the executive branch. Those officials are the president and the vice president. The policy reasons for that I think are sound. And that is those officials should be able to act on anything that crosses their desk and not have to be concerned about conflicts because of that. And really, the trust that the Congress and the American people through the Congress placed in those office holders. Again, presidents up until President Trump have acted as though and managed finance their finances as though they were subject to conflicts.

[Kristen Welker]

There's obviously, speaking of Congress, a push right now to ban members of Congress from trading stock because of this very issue, because of concerns about potential insider trading. Do you anticipate there would be a similar effort to ban trades by the president or vice president? Why do you think we haven't seen that yet?

[Don Fox]

I think that we will. I think certainly this latest financial disclosure report will give impetus to that movement and I think make us realize that while Donald Trump may be an anomaly in many respects, that we can no longer just rely upon the norms of presidential behavior to ensure that future presidents conduct themselves like every other member of the executive branch. So I would hope that, that. That Congress does take up legislation that, while not making the president subject to conflicts of interest, would in fact limit the type of investments that they can hold while they bother in the office of the presidency.

[Kristen Welker]

All right. Well, such an important conversation. Don Fox, thank you for your expertise on it. We really appreciate it.

[Don Fox]

You're welcome.

[Kristen Welker]

Coming up next, the COUNTDOWN is on to some of the most consequential primary elections yet. NBC News speaks to all three Republican candidates vying to take on Georgia's Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in November. Plus, Kentucky's Republican Congressman Thomas Massie speaks out as he fights against a Trump backed primary challenger. Don't go anywhere. This is unique. The press now.

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[Laura Jarrett]

Who gets to be a citizen of the United States at birth when it comes to sports in school? Who gets to compete with the girls? And how much power does the president actually have to hire and fire at independent agencies? These are some of the key questions before the U.S. supreme Court this term. And as any good lawyer knows, whether you win or lose in the highest court depends on the fact that the evidence and how you frame your arguments. But that's not the only thing that matters. I'm Laura Jarrett, senior legal correspondent at NBC News. And this month in a new series for our here's the Scoop podcast, I'm talking to legal experts and lawyers whose past legal victories are now the building blocks for the biggest cases still left to be decided. I want to know how they convinced the court they were right when the stakes were high, what special sauce lost locked it in. And what could be different this time around? Join us for here's the Scoop, Supreme Court Edition new episodes every Saturday. You can find here's the Scoop from NBC News on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts.

[Commercial Narrator]

Hey, guys, Willie Geist here reminding you to check out the Sunday Sit down podcast. On this week's episode, I get together with two time Oscar winner Sally Field to talk about a career that has spanned Norma Rae Lincoln and now her latest movie based on on a big best selling book. You can get our conversation now for free wherever you download your podcasts.

[Kristen Welker]

Welcome back. President Trump's influence over the Republican Party is about to face another set of key tests Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy and Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie both face Trump backed primary challengers in the coming days. They're the latest targets in the president's effort this cycle to oust incumbent members of his own party that he's deemed insufficiently supportive of his agenda. Most recently in Indiana, five out of seven Republicans who had opposed the president's redistricting push were defeated in their primaries. Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy originally drew President Trump's ire as one of the few Republican senators who voted to convict him during his impeachment trial after the January 6 riot. Cassidy faces two challengers in tomorrow's primary race, State Treasurer John Fleming and Congresswoman Julia Letlow, who has Donald Trump's endorsement, a fact she's touted heavily in campaign ads.

[Donald Trump]

Cassidy and Fleming never Trumpers we'll never, ever vote for. I'm thrilled to give my complete and total endorsement to your next United States Senate senator from Louisiana, Julia Letlow.

[Kristen Welker]

While President Trump is backing Letlow, a Trump political adviser recently told NBC News the president and his advisers are more focused on defeating Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie. That primary is coming up on Tuesday, with Massie facing a challenge from his Trump backed opponent, Ed Gallerin. Massie spoke to my colleague Julie Serkin about why he thinks his race is a referendum for his party.

[Thomas Massie]

I vote with the party 90% of the time, but there's 10% of the time where I think my constituents are better served by a different vote. If more people would speak up, and I think that is you're getting to the the nub of why they're attacking me and why this is the most expensive race in the history of Congress congressional primaries, it's because they want everybody else to go along, to get along. And if they let one guy come up here and vote his conscience and vote the way he campaigned and vote for his constituents instead of rubber stamping the party menu that day, then there might be others who are encouraged to do that. And so that's why I'm fighting so hard. This is a fight worth winning. It's a national referendum. There'll be international cameras at my Election Day victory party because it has ramifications.

[Kristen Welker]

Congressman Massie's race is just one of several key primary races we will be watching on Tuesday. Joining me now is the panel Khadija Goba, politics reporter for note Chuck Rocha, Democratic strategist and president of Solidarity Strategies, and Republican strategist Matt Gorman. He is also an NBC News contributor. Thanks to all of you for being here. As we are about to head into an exciting series of primary races starting with Saturday night. Kadia, let me start with you on this Cassidy race. How much jeopardy is he in? Could Julia Letlow pull off a win or is this gonna go to a runoff? How do you see it?

[DSW Advertiser (Male)]

Yeah, you know, polling a month ago suggested that he wasn't doing well. Cassidy was about a few points under Ludlow as well as Fleming. He's polling under them, so it'll be interesting. But at the same time, there's about 22% of voters who are undecided. So it'll be interesting to see where that 22% falls. Right. Like, has the President's decision around gas prices impacted some of their decision? Are they going. This is obviously going to be a vote for the President or against the President, I think, and it'll be between his endorsed candidate and whether or not Cassidy has a chance.

[Kristen Welker]

Yeah. We're seeing a similar dynamic play out with the race for Thomas Massie's seat. He says he's voted with Republicans 90% of the time, but, boy, it's hard to think of a Republican congressman who's been more outspoken and broken with President Trump on more issues publicly. The Epstein files voting against the big, beautiful, beautiful Bill. Matt, how do you see that race playing out with Ed Gowing?

[Matt Gorman]

Yeah, I mean, I think. I think Massie's in a lot of trouble. You can't at one minute, say, accuse the Trump administration of being, quote, the Epstein administration, as Thomas Massie has done, and then the next, breath, brag how much you vote with. With Donald Trump. I think it's a little disingenuous. But look, I think, you know, Massie had an advantage to start Gallerin's. Come on. I think, you know, especially this will be the only big primary in Kentucky because you don't really have as much of a competitive Senate race driving a ton of turnout, especially in Mass Massey's district. So I think, you know, Massie is going to be in a lot of trouble. Now, what I'm curious about is if he goes down, what does he do for the next, you know, five months or so? They still essentially need his presence in Congress.

[Kristen Welker]

Yeah, it's a great question. What are you going to be watching for, Chuck?

[Chuck Rocha]

Well, first of all, there's nothing like the smell of Republicans fighting each other in the afternoon here in Washington, D.C. u.S. Democrats love that. Let me explain. What I mean by that is that every dollar that's spent in this primary in Kentucky or in a primary in Louisiana where, where these folks don't have to be spending money against each other. They could be spending on beating Democrats. So it's a good thing for the Democrats. The next point is this Massey thing has become the most expensive primary in the history of Kentucky. And the last thing in Louisiana, we should remind everybody is that it's a top two system. There's a chance that the incumbent does not even make the runoff. But there's a lot of craziness going on right now.

[Kristen Welker]

What about that point about the dollars and cents of this, Matt, and the concern? I've spoken to some Republicans who say we are having to put money into races that we don't know.

[Chuck Rocha]

35 million in Indiana.

[Matt Gorman]

Well, Massey already votes like a Democrat. So we're essentially putting money to the Democrat. That's pretty big. 10%. You just mentioned it there. I mean procedural votes. Congratulations. So again, we can defeat Thomas Massie there. I think the other part is, you know, Chuck does make a point on this. You know, there is a very good chance that Cassidy does not make the runoff. I mean, Fleming has come on strong, let low struggled to start her campaign, but has escalated. And again, Fleming's a former congressman in itself he's not a nobody.

[Donald Trump]

He's.

[Matt Gorman]

He actually served in the seat Mike Johnson took over for. So that is something, something to watch very closely. A Letlow vs Fleming runoff is certainly not out of the question. Where Cassidy again, nowhere to be found.

[Chuck Rocha]

Look, this is really, really important to know that this is a Saturday election. It's a Republican primary. There's one place Donald Trump is still a superstar and that's in a Republican low turn turnout primary. That means these folks love Donald Trump. That's why it's not do good for Cassidy.

[Kristen Welker]

Kadia, let's talk about Georgia. A lot to talk about there. We've got the Senate race there. Brian Kemp, the governor supporting Derek Dooley, he's the former football coach who's facing off against two members of Congress. The race to try to unseat Jon Ossoff, the Democrat there. What are you going to be watching for?

[DSW Advertiser (Male)]

Obviously, who is the next candidate to run against Ossoff? Like, you know, many people have kind of positioned themselves as, you know, sorry, Dooley, backed by the governor.

[Zach Nunn]

Right.

[DSW Advertiser (Male)]

Is a lot of people are favoring Dooley. You know, it'll be interesting to see where Collins pulls off and obviously, you know, a lot of people I talk to want to see a Collins run against Ossoff clearly, but it doesn't seem like it might. It'll be interesting to see if it goes that way. It's not clear that it will, but I'm hearing a lot of people are starting to look at how this general election might face off. And I think more resources are going to Dooley at this point.

[Kristen Welker]

Well, and we actually have some sound. Let's listen to Brian Kemp and Dooley talking about this race.

[Gabe Gutierrez]

It's time we got send people up to D.C. with some common sense that represent our values. But most importantly, what I'm telling voters is going up there for the right reasons and that's to work with others to deliver results. That's what has been failing up in Washington, D.C. and that's why we need a political outsider.

[Don Fox]

I have a very strong belief it's going to take a political outsider to beat Jon Ossoff in this race, just like Dave McCormick did in Pennsylvania, Bernie Marino did in Ohio, Tim Sheehy did in Montana. That's why we're working so hard for Derek.

[Kristen Welker]

Matt, what do you make of this? I mean, Cadilla has laid out the stakes. I mean, how do you see this playing out? Is this going to go to a runoff?

[Matt Gorman]

I think it's very likely to go to a runoff. Fight is between I think Bud Carter or Derek Dooley. Derek Dooley struggled for a time. He had the Kemp machine behind him. There is a thought that if he can get to a runoff, that's where it actually can mobilize and overtake Collins a little bit. But I think the question is can he get to that second position?

[Kristen Welker]

Democrats are pretty confident in Jon Ossoff right now, Chuck. And yet the governor clearly putting all of his political capital behind his candidate. And once this goes to a general election, you anticipate we'll see the same.

[Chuck Rocha]

The number one grassroots fundraiser in the Democratic Party for the last 18 months have been Jon Ossoff. That means folks have been giving him money, $5, $10, $20 at a time. He's raised an incredible amount of money. And as an incumbent, that's what you should do. Going back to this Republican runoff, I'll go back to my previous statement of Donald Trump is still very popular in this and in a Republican primary, you're only going to have these right of the right voters. And in a runoff, if it goes that far, it's just like Texas. It's even more of the right of the right regular folks don't vote an attorney turnout.

[Kristen Welker]

What's so fascinating about Georgia, Matt, are the dynamics between President Trump and some of these Georgia Republicans and the fact that that is adding this extra layer to so many of these races, including the gubernatorial.

[Matt Gorman]

Yeah. I mean, look, I think Kemp and Trump have buried a lot of the hack shit over the last six years, especially in the last two years. Raffensperger Ravensburger is a different case, I think. And again, again, we'll see. I believe he's running as well, not for, not for Senate, obviously, from other positions. So we'll see how that goes. You know, again, I think this is a race that Republicans recognize they're the underdog going to the general election but are hopeful maybe they can make it a race and see what happens.

[Chuck Rocha]

Watch the suburbs around Atlanta. Watch the Democrat and Republican turnout. See what the turnout looks like compared to each other. Those suburbs used to be ruby red. They've turned purple and now leaning very much blue. That's where this election's won and lost in November.

[Kristen Welker]

All right. We're going to watch it all closely. Thank you all for a great Friday conversation. Kadia, Chuck and Mat, tune in tomorrow for special coverage of the Louisiana midterm primaries with the great Steve Kornacki at the Big board starting at 9pm Eastern on NBC news.com and then you don't want to miss this on Tuesday. I'll be joined by my colleagues Hallie Jackson, Steve Kornacki and our team of reporters for special primary coverage as the results come in. Matt Gorman's going to be there with me. It all kicks off at 6:30 Eastern right here on NBC News. Now. Stay with us. We'll be right back. Welcome back. As we mentioned, President Trump is touting his trip to China as a success, hailing, quote, fantastic trade deals from his meeting with President Xi Jinping, including what he says is a promise from China to buy, quote, billions of dollars of US Soybeans, Although we should note, the exact details of many of these deals remain unclear. Joining me now is Iowa Republican Congressman Congressman Zach Nunn. Congressman Nunn, thank you so much for joining me. Really appreciate it.

[Zach Nunn]

Kristen, hey, great to be with you. And like you, I'm heartened to hear the president talk about what we can do for trade with China. I'm a counterintelligence officer. I've served in China. I serve on the China Select Committee now. I also serve on ag and financial services. These conversations are important. And, you know, this isn't the first time we've heard, though, from China. Buying 25 million metric tons of soybeans savings is something they put on the table before as a negotiating tactic. I want this signed and put into place so we really know these trade agreements are worth what they're written on.

[Kristen Welker]

Well, you bring me to my question, Congressman, and so glad you could join us on this Friday. The president saying soy farmers are going to be very happy with the deal he got on soybeans. At the same time he said he didn't discuss tariffs with President X. Iowa, of course, the second largest producer of soybeans in the U.S. china currently levies a 13% tariff on U.S. soybeans. Do you think any deal needs to include a reduction of that tariff in addition to being signed, sealed and delivered, as you're saying?

[Zach Nunn]

Well, here's the reality. Yes, we have asked China to do this multiple times. I just led a trade delegation to the nearest country there, Taiwan. They took their trade tariff down from 94% to zero. They made an agreement to buy soy, corn as well as beef and dairy products here. I think that we've seen others in the region do this. We should certainly hold the Chinese to the same standard here for a true free trade agreement to be successful here. I want to really emphasize here I'm heartened by the fact that the president was able to get a US China a board of trade put together. I think that does a lot to provide oversight so that when China makes these commitments, we can ensure that they actually follow through on them and don't use them as one time leverage to try and, you know, buy a commodities market and then never execute on it.

[Kristen Welker]

Congressman, let me ask you about another big issue that was discussed between President Trump and President Xi Jinping, Taiwan. President Xi apparently warned President Trump of clashes and even conflicts over the island today. President Trump saying he did hear the Chinese leader out, did not comment on it. You, of course, just visited Taiwan last month. Does she's warning concern you? How do you hear that?

[Zach Nunn]

I hear it as a threat to the United States if we take it literally. Which is why I'm proud that Secretary Rubio says our commitment to Taiwan remains unchanged.

[DSW Advertiser (Male)]

Reach.

[Zach Nunn]

It's very important to note Taiwan is now our fourth largest trading partner. We've just signed an agreement for $40 billion in defense mutual spending, including spending that allows them to defend themselves through drone technology and missile defense systems. But the reality is this. If China is going to continue to be belligerent towards our strongest democratic ally in the region, whether that be through diplomatic pressure, economic embargo, or as President Xi seem to let loose a potential conflict with the West, China needs to know that the United States is going to stand firm on this issue. And I think this tells us more about China's state of affairs than anything else. They just had the Iranian foreign minister in Beijing. They've got Putin coming directly after President Trump is there. They've killed two of their top generals out of fear within the regime of the ccp. And we've seen them actively not only have intellectual property theft, agroterrorism here in the United States, particularly in the Midwest, as well as trying to recruit elected members in California to work for the Chinese government, these are partners that need to be held accountable when they act outside of international dorms and try to subvert US national security interests.

[Kristen Welker]

Well, let me ask you to that point, do you think President Trump should move forward with sending the arms package to Taiwan that has been signed off on by Congress?

[Zach Nunn]

I do. And that was the will of Congress. It was bipartisan. And when I was there and met with Taiwan's president, President Lai, they have made that commitment as well. And I think this is one of the best ways to keep peace in the area by standing firm and making any type of an invasion plan by China, which they said they want to have by 2027 too costly for either side. Look, the reality is on both sides here, we also have a relationship with Taiwan where nearly 90% of our advanced semiconductors come from.

[DSW Advertiser (Male)]

From.

[Zach Nunn]

And while we're attempting to onshore that here in the United States, an invasion of Taiwan would be catastrophic, not only in the massive amount of loss of life, but for Americans here at home. That's everything from fighter planes to our iPhone that go offline if we don't have access to these important semiconductors coming straight from Taipei.

[Kristen Welker]

I do want to ask you about Iran because President Trump said that he did discuss Iran with President Xi Jinping and said that China had agreed, agreed not to give military equipment to Iran. Do you trust China's word on that, Congressman?

[Zach Nunn]

Well, I think we should look at the facts on the ground and that'll tell us where China's head. First of all, almost 90% of China's oil comes from Iran. We've got to be able to hold them accountable to make sure that they stick by their commitment. One, it was very rare for both the United States and Beijing to come together and say that they do not want a nuclear armed Iran. Iran. That is something the US Military has provided for us. It's something that both the US And China need to make sure does not move forward. The second here is we do not want the number one sponsor of terrorism using the Strait of Hormuz as a choke point to harm anywhere in the world. And so as we look at energy prices here in the United States, I fully expect that China keep its word. They're far more dependent on Iranian oil than we are. I don't want the US Taxpayer or the US Military subsidizing China's energy if the United States doesn't feel like they're a trusted partner in making sure that Iran doesn't abuse the Strait of Hormuz.

[Kristen Welker]

Congressman, before President Trump departed for China, he was pressed on the extent to which he takes Americans financial situation right now into account when he's negotiating the war with Iran and trying to bring that war to an end. I want to play a clip for you and get your reaction action on the other side. Take a look when you're negotiating with Iran, Mr. President, to what extent are American financial situation motivating you to make a deal?

[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 nuclear weapon. That's all.

[Kristen Welker]

Congressman, what was your reaction to hearing those words? I don't think about American's financial situation?

[Zach Nunn]

Well, look, I don't speak for the President, but I agree with him on the fact we cannot have a run with a nuclear weapon. But when I'm back in my districts in Iowa, the thing I hear about most is the cost of fuel and the everyday cost and expense that families are impacted by. It's one of the reasons I'm proud we led passage of this year's year round nationwide E15 bill on the floor to bring gas prices down 50% cent. That or 50 cents. That certainly helps my home state of Iowa, $20 billion in economic growth. But I'm fully committed to making sure we are passing a domestic focused agenda. Everything from affordable housing to what we're doing to make sure that those big beautiful tax cuts actually show up in folks pockets and they can invest in their family. I'll be very clear on this point. I know this much is true for every blend of fuel that we do with ethanol. Based on what we produce in Iowa, that's one less gallon that we have to import from places like Iran. And for every dollar back to Americans in the pump, that's money they can invest in their families. That's what I'm focused on. I hope the White House can be too.

[Kristen Welker]

Congressman, we have about 20 seconds left. Do you support the holiday on a federal gas tax

[Zach Nunn]

well, like I've highlighted, that's about 16 cents. That's a start. But what I really think is we need true American energy independence. That concludes our traditional fuels, but also includes our biofuels right here, here. That's a 50 cents per gallon reduction. If we can get that we passed in the House over to the Senate, the president said he'd sign that into law. That's real relief for Americans. Minivans as well as our truck and tractor trailers hauling supplies.

[Kristen Welker]

All right, Congressman, thank you so much. Congressman Zach Nunn, appreciate it. We will be back Monday with more MEET THE PRESS now. And if it's Sunday, it's MEET THE press. On your local NBC News stations, I have exclusive interviews with Senators Lindsey Graham. Graham, Chris Van Hollen, plus former FBI Director James Comey. There's more ahead on NBC News now. I really love the Start Today app.

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