← The Beat with Ari Melber
The Beat with Ari Melber
Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani on NY mayor’s race
00:40:52
New York City's Democratic nominee for mayor joins The Beat ahead of November 4th's election. Donald Trump held a "Great Gatsby" themed Halloween party, drawing backlash amid government shutdown. Barack Obama campaigns for Democratic candidates in New Jersey, Virginia. MSNBC’s Ari Melber reports and is joined by Zoran Mamdani and Eugene Robinson.
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A
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C
To get into this toilet revolution.
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A
Clorox Clean feels good. Use as directed.
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B
Welcome to the Beat. Tonight is election eve in America. You know the sound. Obama campaigning in Virginia over the weekend. They have the governor's race along with New Jersey. There's a special election in Texas. You probably heard there's California holding a vote on changing rules to fight back against MAGA redistricting in other states. So we're following a lot. The newest big name on the ballot, really for either party tomorrow is Zoran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist who beat Andrew Cuomo for the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City. Cuomo still running. Mondame is favored in this rematch. Cuomo is running along with the Republican Curtis Silva. And Mamdani really shocked the establishment with his fast rise. He lapped those better known names I mentioned, plus the retiring Mayor Eric Adams. He is our guest moments away on this election eve. The 34 year old was just 25 years old when Trump was first elected and now this weekend, President Trump attacking him in a new interview. He's making waves with a populist message that is really both exciting and alarming. People across the political spectrum tax the.
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A
Top 1% of New Yorkers. These are New Yorkers who make a million dollars a year or more.
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B
Freezing your rep as the next mayor.
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A
Of New York City.
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B
Let's plunge into the detail.
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A
I will be your Democratic nominee for the mayor of New York City. Entered the race as a relatively unknown candidate, polling at about 1%, but climbed his way up with a savvy strategy and progressive platform what if Mandami becomes mayor? It's going to be hard for me as the president, to give a lot of money to New York. Hey, guys, it's Tuesday. Please sign up to canvas. Allow me to put you at ease by smiling after every answer in a way that physically hurts my face. Dr. King, decades ago, he said, call it democracy or call it democratic socialism. There must be a better distribution of wealth for all of God's children in this country.
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B
Joining me now is Zoran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee running for mayor of New York City. Thanks for being here.
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A
It's a pleasure to be on.
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B
It's great to have you. You've campaigned on affordability for a long time. Let's take a look.
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A
When we all fight together on this issue of housing. We are in a fight for housing justice for every single New Yorker. From 2021 to 2022, the rents went up 34%. We're committed to freezing the rent for the more than 2 million rent stabilized tenants. It's the weight that costing so many, so much to actually build the housing we need in this city.
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B
Why has this always been a priority for you and is it connecting?
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A
You know, I think first I want to just apologize for the mustache that you showed in that hypercut. It's just a horrific decision that I made and one that I am not looking to repeat. Housing continues to be the number one cost that's pushing New Yorkers out of this city. You know, I used to be a foreclosure prevention housing counselor. I'd work with homeowners struggling to stay in their homes. And I found that this wasn't just an issue for tenants. It was also for homeowners who were facing the possibility of delinquency on their mortgage because they were on the precipice of not being able to make ends meet. And that was the case when I was a counselor. It was the case when I was an assembly member. It continues to be the case now that I'm running to be the mayor. And it's the number one way that we can actually keep New Yorkers here is by ensuring that we bring down the cost of living specific to housing costs.
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B
You talk about freezing rent. Is that something that you view as a bold new thing or as you've also mentioned, something that the mayor has the power to do? The past administrations have done.
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A
I think it's a mixture in that this clearly has precedent. We saw the previous administration did this three times. And we are living in a time of politics where politicians try to convince the public that there's nothing they can do. And so to even have the idea that we could actually help people. It's seen as a departure from what so many are being told in this moment. And freezing the rent. Right. This is about two and a half million New Yorkers in a city of eight and a half million. The mayor has the power to freeze their rent. I am saying I'm going to do that for four years. And that's in stark contrast to the current mayor, Eric Adams, who's raised the rent by more than 12% and who decided that the person he saw his record most in anyone running for mayor was Andrew Cuomo.
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B
Your campaign's making news with President Obama calling you. He says you're impressive to watch. Can you tell us what you talked about? And do you want his endorsement?
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A
You know, I appreciated that conversation with the President. I appreciated his thoughts that he shared about our campaign. And I also shared with him that when I was facing the bigoted and racist attacks, especially that have amplified over the last few weeks, that I looked to his State of the Union, State of a More Perfect Union address as an inspiration for how to rise above the 24 hour news cycle of an electoral campaign and speak to the soul of the politics in our city and in our country. And I really appreciated the model that he presented.
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B
Did you tell him as a nominee you would like his endorsement?
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A
I didn't bring up endorsements because frankly, in these final days, the only endorsement I'm looking for is from that of the people who call the city home.
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B
Let's talk a little more policy because budget's a big deal. Your platform says you'll raise the corporate tax rate to 11 and a half percent. And you point out, just like neighboring New Jersey, that's 5B. And then tax the wealthiest 1% above, basically people over millionaires. The flat 2% tax.
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A
4B.
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B
Go ahead, 4B. Okay. And, and so what does that get you? And what do you say to people who are concerned that New Yorkers are.
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A
Already taxed enough so that would get you $9 billion? And then we also said that we would save an additional $1 billion through procurement reform, through the following of the Independent Budget Office's analysis of hiring more fiscal auditors, and also by finally starting to collect on the fines and fees from landlords that owe the city currently about $800 million over a period of overall fines and fees of about two and a half billion dollars. So this is our revenue plan. This would more than pay for our economic agenda. It would actually allow us to start Trump proofing our city. And what I mean by that is we're seeing right now what the Trump agenda portends for New Yorkers. This is a man who ran a presidential campaign on the premise of cheaper groceries that is now trying to cut SNAP benefits to make it even harder to afford those same groceries. And we have to protect the New Yorkers with the least from the attacks, from the man with the most power in this country. And that's also what I see as a responsibility to be the next mayor of the city.
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B
So let's get into this, please. Some people say, oh, that's a bad idea. They don't want the government that involved. Okay, but then they're probably not New York Democrats, to be honest. Other people say, sounds like a good idea, but you can't afford it. And so I'm going to read in detail from Free Market Manhattan Institute. You're familiar with these critiques. They say, mom, Donnie believes tax hikes will make him able to fund new initiatives. But the current City Council budget actually gives you a choice, quote, budget cuts with tax increases or greater cuts without them. The new $116 billion budget projects large gaps for 5 to 6 billion, 2027 to 2029. So translation, they're saying, oh, you want to get new money, but that money's already spoken for because you're going to be in the red. Your response?
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A
Well, they're talking about $5 to $6 billion. The proposal I've put forward is about $10 billion. And I think that there's an amount of that money that's needed to fight back against these kinds of cuts. And then there's an amount of it that needs to actually fund an affirmative economic agenda. And what I mean by that is, for too long as Democrats, we've thought that simply fighting back against Donald Trump is a sufficient political message. We also have to fight for something. And so at the heart of my campaign is a commitment to make buses fast and free. That would cost around $700 million. That's something that fits the question of political reality. It's just, do we have the political will to deliver it? The other commitment is about universal childcare. This is something that would cost around $6 billion, something the governor is very much interested in, has been fighting for for quite some time. And I appreciate not only her endorsement, but also the shared commitment on this question of affordability.
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B
She hasn't endorsed all your funding plans yet.
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A
No, but she has said that this is of immense importance to her. And what I've said time and again is the funding plans I've put forward are the ones I think are most straightforward and direct. And also, if there's another means by which to raise the funding, the most important thing is that actually fund this thing. The last thing I'll say is oftentimes we talk about these initiatives only through the frame of cost as opposed to what they generate. These initiatives will also generate significant economic benefit. 700 million is the cost of free buses. The assessment from experts is that it would generate 1.5 billion in economic benefit. 5, $6 billion is the cost of universal childcare. When they implemented it in Quebec, it had a 10 to 1 return because there were so many more single mothers and mothers of young children who were now entering into the workforce. My point is that we have to also understand that we can only benefit in this city when we are willing to invest in this city. These are some forms of investment.
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B
Let's talk about Andrew Cuomo. One of the reasons you became something of an overnight political star is not just that you won a primary, but you beat Andrew Cuomo, who, frankly, a lot of Democrats around the country know more than you. And I think a year ago that was true in New York. Yes, definitely. Right. You beat him once. We'll see what happens Tuesday. He was just doing a new interview this weekend and he made some remarks about diversity. I wanted to give you a chance to respond. I'll just play them in full. This was on MSNBC's weekend.
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A
Diversity can be a weakness.
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If you have antipathy among groups.
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Jonathan, if you have racism or anti.
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Semitism, et cetera, so then you'd have friction. And so you have to work very.
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B
Hard to keep it as a positive and to make sure that it's not a negative.
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C
And you have zero tolerance for any.
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Racism, any anti Semitism, etc.
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B
Your response?
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A
This is the former governor, a Democrat, ostensibly of this state, who is saying that diversity can be a weakness, and then proceeded to confuse the two black hosts with each other more and more. What we're seeing is that Andrew Cuomo, who ran an entire primary campaign on the premise that he was best suited to beat Donald Trump. As soon as we defeated him by 13 points, he proceeded almost immediately to get on his hands and knees to beg that same president for his help and the donors of that same president for their help. And now his closing message is to sound even more like the president than anyone else.
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B
Are you saying a vote for Cuomo is like a vote for Trump at this point?
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A
Yes, I am saying that. And I'm saying that because Donald Trump has handpicked his candidate. That candidate's name is Andrew Cuomo. And New Yorkers had the chance to handpick their fighter. And I believe that candidate should be me.
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B
I want to cover a bunch of ground with you. This is diving into New York ballot measures might be a little wheezy, but then I heard you like that kind of stuff. Proposition 2 says basically, fast track affordable housing. You've said you're the affordable housing guy. You probably know where this is going, right?
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A
Yeah, I can see where this is going.
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B
And your.
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A
But I'm enjoying the ride.
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B
Okay, good. Your progressive teammate, if you will. Lander backs this. Cuomo happens to back it. Take that for what you will. And the New York Times reports their words, quote, mom, Dhommi is conspicuously not not taking a position on the measure. We're getting close to Tuesday. Why not tell the voters where you stand?
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A
So I take this decision very seriously. It's one that I haven't yet made on where I stand on these ballot measures. It's one that I'm going to share when I go out and vote on election Day. And it's because I am both incredibly excited at the prospect of building more affordable housing across the city, and I also take very seriously the concerns that have been raised, especially by labor unions, on the question of generating good jobs over the course of the same process.
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B
So let me jump in. So it's sounds like a mixed bag thing, and you're the anti politician and you've done pretty well on that. Why is it now, as you're on the precipice, that you wouldn't want to lead your coalition with a solution, with a plan. I mean, it almost sounds like for whatever reason, on this housing issue, you're now sounding like some of those older politicians. How could you?
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A
How could you?
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B
Well, look, it's Tuesday. You probably know where you stand.
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A
It is. It is Tuesday. And the thing that I think is most important is to be honest with New Yorkers and to make promises that I can keep. And I want to, but be very, very intentional about what I share with New Yorkers and where I stand. That's why I'm taking the time that I am as soon as I get to the decision. I've now promised probably four reporters, but now I'll stay to the fifth.
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B
Okay.
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A
I'll also be sharing with you, my friend.
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B
All right, great. An issue that's not necessarily the most important for New York City politics. But that's come up a bunch is sort of where you stand on some of these issues that relate to the Jewish community and Israel. What do you say to Jewish New Yorkers, and it's the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, as you know, who are concerned that maybe there's a double standard here, criticizing governments is legit, but is there a double standard or an extra attention on that country, which is the only Jewish state? What do you say to that?
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A
What I say is that my politics are universal. And just today I was asked, you know, you refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, that you only recognize its right to exist. Would you apply that elsewhere? Would you apply that to Saudi Arabia, to Pakistan? And I say absolutely, because the worth of any position is that you universally apply it across the world.
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B
Well, that's specifically. You're saying you're against sort of theocratic or religious states.
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A
Yes. And my point here is that I've heard from Jewish New Yorkers that. That I disagree with you, but I'd be more comfortable if I knew that you held the standard for everyone. And my point is that, yes, it has to be a standard you hold for all the other week, I was on the M57, which is, by the way, the slowest bus in New York City, 4.9 miles an hour. And I was sitting there, and a woman to my right introduced herself. She was a speech therapist, and she told me that she was Jewish. She said that her daughter is a huge fan of the campaign phone banks. And she said, I'm not so sure. She was like, I just don't know where I stand on some of the questions about you and how you feel about the city. And I made very clear to her in the conversation that we had that I am looking to lead this city, and I'm looking to every single person that calls this city home, not just those that agree with me or vote for me. And I know that there are many New Yorkers who have a wide variety of views on Israel and Palestine. I'm one of them, and my job will be to lead all of them.
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B
And let me just ask it this way very directly, and we've spoken before, but not on air. For a Jewish New Yorker who thinks, well, wait a minute. And I'm asking this without a premise about the answer. Does he have a double standard about this country versus what's going on in China or Russia or Syria? Does that relate to Judaism in some way? What do you say to that person?
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A
I think that if you can point me to a human rights violation or a war crime, I will condemn it no matter who it is that has done it. The concern that I have so often is also driven by a question of the unique complicity we have as Americans in what we are funding, what we are actually complicit in by virtue of our tax dollars being spent on it. And that's something that I think motivates many to ensure that those tax dollars are a reflection of our morals.
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B
All right, you have spoken about these financial plans you have, and you made a point on New York radio, which a lot of people listen to, to, to address 50 Cent. And you know, he's a, you know, he's a critic. He's a critic of high tax. Let me, let me just go ahead and then we'll play it. Go ahead.
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I didn't even know what my salary would be until I opened up Instagram and I saw this thing which was like, 50 Cent offers Momdani X amount of money.
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B
Yeah.
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A
I was like, that's a very specific amount of money. And I was like, oh, my God, that's.
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B
Yeah. Well, he. So now we'll go, we'll do this in reverse order.
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A
Sorry.
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B
He said, I'll give you $258,000 and a first class one way ticket out of New York. That's what you're referencing. So you know that. Here's what you did say, though, in a serious kind of policy radio interview. Let's take a look.
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A
And I know if 50 Cent is listening, he's not going to be happy about this. Tends to not like this tax policy. But I want to be very clear. This is about $20,000 a year. It's a rounding error. And all of these things together, they make every New Yorker's life better, including those who are actually getting taxes.
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B
What do you say to him now? Where, by the way, he has moved out of the city, but he's a classic New Yorker. I'm sure you like some of his songs.
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A
Oh, man, it's actually tough for me in that way.
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B
Yeah. So where does this debate go?
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A
Incredible songs.
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B
Because his argument, and it's fun, but it's also what we hear from certain people. His argument is there are a lot of people in New York who make a lot of money because they contribute a lot and you're going after them. What do you say to him tonight?
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A
You know what I would say to you, 50, if you are indeed watching or anyone else who's watching this show, is I continue to think that having the top 1% of New York City who are making more than a million dollars a year, having them pay 2% more for an economic agenda that would transform every New Yorker's life, including their own, is something that is worthwhile. And the reason I say including their own is when you see a city like ours that is underfunding its city agencies, that is pulling back on the most basic things like library services and trash cans, everybody feels the knock on effects of that. And my job as someone who believes deeply in the public sector is to ensure that we're delivering public excellence. And that means every dollar that we raise, I want to be able to prove to you that it's every dollar that's being well spent. That's the relationship there. And I do have to say, even though we have a disagreement on tax policy, every time I get a death threat, I still listen to many men.
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B
It's true.
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C
Well, you.
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B
You take many men for motivation. I was going to say your answer sounds a little bit like clickety clank. Clickety clank. The money goes into my piggy bank.
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A
Wow.
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B
And if. And if we had more time, we'd do more 50. Can we do some fun stuff before I let you get back on the campaign show? I've never asked any candidate this, but James Carville was here.
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A
Okay.
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B
And he's been a little bit more of. I think he would call himself a centrist.
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A
Okay.
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B
He said Zormandami is more on message than any candidate he's ever worked with. And he said hands. You know, hands down. That's a positive.
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A
Very kind of him.
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B
So here's the test.
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A
Oh, God.
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B
How quickly can you go from this topic back to affordability? Okay, Halloween, here's the thing.
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A
You're seeing candy prices shoot up across New York City. And it's part of the fact that we're the most expensive city in the United States of America. We got to take a look at that.
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B
The movie Godfather.
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A
You know, there are too many people who think that the only way they could afford to live in New York City is if their father already lived here. And the fact of the matter is, you should be able to afford your own apartment and not just have to pray to God to get there.
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B
Incredible. Right? You got there.
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A
Nice work.
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B
Lightning round is in a word or a sentence, but it's your mic. If you go longer, you go longer, you're in a word or a sentence. I am a Democratic socialist because I.
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A
Believe in the dignity of all people.
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B
I am the Democratic nominee for New.
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A
York because I beat Andrew Cuomo by 13 points.
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B
A reason conservatives are welcome in your Democratic Party is they also have to pay rent. Hmm. Something Democrats are right about.
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A
That. We have to take on authoritarian administration.
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B
In Washington, D.C. something Democrats have gotten wrong.
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A
We need to bring back working people as the focus of our party.
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B
All right. New York shouldn't be hard for you. My bodega order is egg and cheese.
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A
On a roll with jalapenos.
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B
Bagels or bialis bagels? Sure.
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A
Come on. My favorite subway line is for nostalgia, the 9 train.
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B
Okay.
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A
And right now, the N train.
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B
Okay.
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A
Hashtag never. Our train, hashtag rarely.
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B
You can, you can call yourself a real New Yorker when.
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A
You know what a bodega is.
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B
Your favorite cannabis shop.
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A
I would have to frequent them more often to have a favorite.
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B
Okay, there we go. And a couple big picture ones.
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A
Okay.
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B
The biggest challenge facing America is a.
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A
Belief that politics could be more than.
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B
This and facing New York.
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A
That we could actually have a city that New Yorkers could afford.
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B
The biggest challenge facing the Republican Party.
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A
That their agenda is one that is deeply unpopular with Americans and the Democratic Party, that we are missing an affirmative message in a moment when New Yorkers are crying out for it.
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B
Final two. If I lose, it's because I didn't.
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A
Come on the show earlier.
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B
If I win, it's because I came.
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A
Here with a few days left before election day.
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B
Zoram Hamdani, you are very busy right now. Thank you for coming through.
- [20:54]
A
Thank you, brother. Appreciate it.
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B
That's the top Democrat in New York. Next we have the top Democrat in the country, Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries on Trump. And millions of Americans worried now about whether they'll have enough to eat going into the holidays. That's the newsworthy interview coming up. Up, another twist in crypto corruption allegations as Donald Trump bobs weaves and gets the edit treatment over at the newly refined 60 Minutes. That's been a hot story going into the Newsweek and Obama back on the campaign trail. We'll show you what he said with Gene Robinson. We're back together in 90 seconds.
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A
Hi there, it's Andy Richter, and I'm here to tell you about my podcast, the three Questions with Andy Richter. Each week, I invite you to friends, comedians, actors and musicians to discuss these three where do you come from, where are you going, and what have you learned?
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C
New episodes are out every Tuesday with.
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Guests like Julie Bowe and Ted Danson, Tig Notaro, Will Arnett, Phoebe Bridgers, and more. You can also tune in for my weekly Andy Richter Call in show episodes where me and a special guest invite.
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- [23:28]
B
Mayoral candidate Zorn Momdani there speaking out on election eve. We just heard from him. And now we turn to Gene Robinson, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist, MSNBC analyst. I'm curious what you think of that new face in the party.
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D
Well, that's quite a new phase. Zaran Mamdani is clearly a really talented politician. He's a very lucky politician because he is running against two opponents who are not popular, who New York clearly don't want to vote for. They don't want to vote for Cuomo or Flywha. And so and also, he clearly represents a sort of generational changing of the guard that a lot of Democratic voters have been waiting for and I think a lot of younger Democratic voters are really excited about.
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B
Yeah, as you mentioned, we go from a Democratic president who famously left the stage early after being accused of being on stage for too long. And here you have someone who, as I mentioned, he was 25 when Donald Trump was first Elected. Here is the president over the weekend going after Mom Domini, which again speaks to what appears to be his rising relevance in both parties for different reasons. Take a look.
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C
Look.
- [24:49]
A
But what if Mondami becomes mayor? It's going to be hard for me as the president to give a lot.
- [24:54]
B
Of money to New York because if.
- [24:58]
A
You have a communist running New York, all you're doing is wasting the money you're sending there. So I don't know that he's won. And I'm not a fan of Cuomo one way or the other. But if it's going to be between a bad Democrat and a Communist, I'm going to pick the bad Democrat all.
- [25:14]
B
The time, to be honest with you, Gene.
- [25:18]
D
Well, first of all, I noticed that detail. He was 25 when Trump was elected. That is a huge data point because he really has become a political figure in the age of Trump, having absorbed some lessons that I think we learned about campaigning in these times from Donald Trump and from his dominance of American politics for the last 10 years. And the other thing that strikes me is that I said earlier that Mamdani is lucky. I think it was another stroke of luck for him today that Donald Trump actually endorsed Andrew Cuomo because of what New York City in general thinks about Donald Trump. I don't think that helps Cuomo. I think quite the opposite. It probably helps Mamdani. And look, we're talking on election eve. We've all been surprised by election results. And so let's posit that we certainly could be surprised by the outcome tomorrow. But we will see. I think a lot of voters, even many voters who end up voting for Mamdani will have some trepidation about his lack of experience. And it'll be interesting to see how that factor weighs tomorrow, indeed, if it really plays a big role or much of a discernible role at all. But he doesn't have explanation.
- [27:05]
B
And you mentioned him coming of age in the Trump era, when a lot of traditional Democrats have always said they're anti Trump and leaned into that. He did initially get traction on this populist message, and we spoke about that. Take a listen to him on Dem's Fighting Back.
- [27:20]
A
For too long as Democrats, we've thought that simply fighting back against Donald Trump is a sufficient political message. We also have to fight for something. And so at the heart of my campaign is a commitment to make buses fast and free. That would cost around 700 million, doll. That's something that fits firmly within the question of political reality. It's just do we have the political will to deliver it.
- [27:42]
B
So, on the one hand, as a Democratic socialist, he's got more liberal plans than mainstream Democrats. I think that's fair to observe. On the other hand, what he just said there was as much about political strategy as anything else, that they got to have something other than reminding everyone Democrats don't like Trump, which is well known.
- [28:01]
D
Yeah, that's certainly well known. But I think many Democrats across the country, and certainly in New York, have been frustrated at what they see, whether it is or not, as insufficient fighting spirit among Democrats. And I think that's why you've seen so many Democrats cheering the stance of Democratic senators in the government shutdown, saying, no, we have to talk about health care before we're going to vote to continue funding the government on this basis, knowing that those costs are going to go up for so many people. And I think that has really raised the status of the party of its politicians among many Democrats. So that's kind of step one. I do think Mamdani is right that there has to be a step two. You have to give people something to vote for. And you also have to try to find issues that speak not just to Democratic voters, because after all, there weren't enough of them in 2024 to keep either the White House or either House of Congress. So you have to appeal to independents and you have to appeal to populist Republicans or some kind of Republicans in order to, to win elections. And I think he, he believes he has found this issue in affordability.
- [29:35]
B
Yeah, and affordability in cities means one thing. Lower grocery prices meant something all over the country last year. We just heard Mamdani argue that Trump's not delivering on that while he throws himself. These lavish theme parties and snap benefits are cut. So that's sort of hanging all of over all of this at election eve. Jean, you are a big hitter. You've been through a couple of these. We'll be checking in with you again soon. Thank you.
- [30:00]
D
Thanks, Ari.
- [30:01]
B
Absolutely appreciate it. What is Obama saying out there on the campaign trail? We're going to show you that. You're going to hear directly from former President Obama coming up. And a Gatsby themed party, quite literally. It's the kind of thing you'd think would be a criticism of maga. But the double standard, the contrast, is actually their choice and they're running into real headwinds. I'm going to show you that. Plus, the most powerful Democrat in the country, Akeem Jeffries, is here next. Pandora makes it easy for you to find your favorite music. Discover new artists and genres by selecting any song or album, and we'll make you a personalized station for free download on the Apple App Store or Google Play and enjoy the soundtrack to your life. Mint is still $15 a month for premium wireless. And if you haven't made the switch yet, here are 15 reasons to why you should 1. It's $15 a month.
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That's what's happening, right?
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Okay, give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch upfront.
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None of which are connected, and each one more expensive and more complicated. It can be pretty stressful. Now imagine Odoo. Odoo has all the programs you'll ever.
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Sign up today@odoo.com that's O-O-O.com the government shutdown has passed one month. The Trump administration is getting setbacks in court, judges ordering funding for food benefits, and so payments will be going forward, but only at a reduced rate. This is just one of many setbacks for the American people who are bearing the brunt of the impact of this shutdown. We are joined now by someone in a position to work with the Republicans and reopen the government sooner or later. The top House Democrat, Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, on election eve. Well, welcome.
- [32:20]
C
Good evening. Great to be with you.
- [32:22]
B
Great to have you. What is important for people to understand about the shutdown going forward as we pass a month? And do you think it's an issue for voters who are turning out tomorrow?
- [32:32]
C
Well, this is day 34 of the Trump Republican shutdown and our position as Democrats remains very clear. We want to reopen the government. We want to find a bipartisan path toward enacting a spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people, including by lowering the high cost of living, which of course has gone up under Donald Trump and Republican policies throughout this year. But any agreement that we reach, of course, has to also decisively address the Republican healthcare crisis, particularly at this Moment as it relates to extending the Affordable Care act tax credits so that tens of millions of Americans don't experience dramatically increased premiums, co pays and deductibles.
- [33:18]
B
We've seen a lot of backlash to what seemed like a very tone deaf set of parties by Donald Trump, use of jets and other government benefits by his aides. It sort of collected into breaking through. And I want to show a TikTok because this isn't just political people talking about it. Regular folks and people around the country noticed that that clear sort of Great Gatsby contrast. Take a look. Another let them eat cake moment as.
- [33:47]
A
He'S sitting there eating his overdone steak in his gilded ballroom. They were careless people.
- [33:51]
B
You know the man doesn't read. It's a book about greed and ego.
- [33:55]
A
And how wealth equals worth.
- [33:57]
B
And here we are living it in 4K.
- [33:59]
A
They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money. This man is cosplaying as a depression era millionaire overseeing a modern day breadline crisis that he created and let other people clean up the mess they had made.
- [34:17]
B
People have had it. Your views on whether that matters and is breaking through. Trump throwing these lavish parties, doing the ballroom, taking private money, taking crypto money while he leaves the government shut and the benefits running out.
- [34:31]
C
It's definitively breaking through. And what we've seen from the very beginning of this administration, of course, and this was the focus of the Republican one big ugly bill where they enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. They cut nutritional assistance snap by $186 billion. Literally. They ripped food out of the mouths of hungry children, seniors and veterans. They did this in July and all of this was done of course, so that they could reward their billionaire donors with massive tax breaks. So at the center of Donald Trump's administration and Republican policy in the House and the Senate is to benefit the wealthy, the well off and the well connected. All part of their scheme to subsidize the lifestyles of the rich and shameless while everyday Americans, working class Americans and middle class Americans get hurt. And that's what we've seen during the duration of this Trump Republican shutdown. They somehow found $40 billion already $40 billion to bail out their right wing wannabe dictator leader of Argentina in a way that was also gonna benefit some of their financier buddies in New York, but can't find a dime to make sure that 42 million Americans don't go hungry as a result of the Republican decision to unlawfully withhold SNAP Benefits. And of course, during the same period of time, we see these lavish parties being thrown. We see the east Wing of the White House being destroyed so that Donald Trump can construct some gaudy ballroom to celebrate him as if he was a king. And during this period of time, we've also seen Donald Trump try to extort, hijack, steal $230 million from the department of justice so he could line his pockets. The whole thing is out of control, and the American people see it. And it's going to have real consequences tomorrow in New Jersey, in Pennsylvania, in California, in Virginia, and in New York City. And it will have consequences next year when we take back control of the House of Representatives.
- [36:46]
B
Yeah. Look, Congressman, Leader Jeffries, you sound pumped, you sound optimistic about tomorrow. You mentioned all the places, including New York, when we spoke a while back, you had yet to endorse the Democratic nominee in New York than you did your counterpart, Chuck Schumer has not. Not unlike some of the debates people remember over AOC. There's been a question here about the big 10 of the Democratic Party. But also the questions facing this candidate, I just put some of them to him. Zoran Mandani. We just heard from him, and you're busy, so I don't think you probably caught the whole interview, but I'll play you a part where he talked about pros and cons for this Democratic Party. We'll see how he does tomorrow. Take a look.
- [37:23]
A
Look.
- [37:25]
B
Something Democrats are right about.
- [37:29]
A
That we have to take on authoritarian administration.
- [37:31]
B
In Washington, D.C. something Democrats have gotten wrong.
- [37:35]
A
We need to bring back working people as the focus of our party.
- [37:40]
B
Very direct, saying that the party which you lead hasn't always done that. Is that a place of overlap between you two? Are you excited for him to win tomorrow? Or did you delay your support partly to send a message that he's not your perfect avatar of a national Democrat?
- [37:59]
C
No. Zoran has run a campaign that is relentlessly focused on the affordability crisis in New York City. And that, in fact, is a crisis that people all across the country are confronting. He's gonna win tomorrow, and then it'll be all of our responsibility collectively in New York City, the city that we love, to ensure that he has the greatest degree of success possible. Now, what's interesting, I was in New Jersey yesterday campaigning with and for Mikey Sherrill. At the core of her campaign is affordability and driving down costs for working class people, middle class people in New Jersey. We know that Abigail Spamberger in Virginia, who's on her way to A decisive victory has put lowering costs at the center of what she's talked about. And House Democrats have repeatedly from the very beginning of this year made clear the cost of living is too high. Donald Trump promised to lower costs on day one. Costs aren't going down, they're going up. Grocery prices through the roof. Electricity prices through the roof. Housing costs too high. Childcare costs too high. And now because of the Republican refusal to extend the Affordable Care act tax credit, we know tens of millions of working class Americans and middle class Americans are about to experience premiums that are going to increase by a thousand or two thousand dollars per year. In many cases. This is unacceptable in the wealthiest country in the history of the world. And so our perspective is that we have to decisively address the high cost of living. We have to fix our broken health care system. And by the way, we have to clean up corruption in Washington, D.C. that's the Congress. That, of course, is the Supreme Court. And it also is the Trump administration which is running the largest pay to play scheme in the history of the world.
- [39:51]
B
Yeah. And you mentioned a couple specific facts, doj, the president trying to take money out of taxpayers and put it in his own pocket in the foreign aid. And so it really adds up to that contrast. We're gonna see what voters have to say about it tomorrow. We'll be listening and we'll see whether your optimism is, is well founded or not. But it's a busy night for you, Leader Jeffries. I appreciate you coming on the beat, sir.
- [40:14]
C
Thank you, Ari.
- [40:15]
B
Thank you. Coming up, we will hear from Barack Obama himself what he was telling voters this weekend. And Donald Trump under fire for another issue that relates to alleged corruption, pardoning this crypto billionaire who has ties to his own family making money off crypto. So we got a lot coming up. Donald Trump did a big 60 Minutes interview, controversial for many reasons. And he says he didn't know a crypto billionaire who he personally pardoned.
- [40:49]
A
Why did you pardon him? Okay, are you ready? I don't know who he is.
- [40:53]
B
I know he got a four month.
- [40:54]
A
Sentence or something like that.
- [40:56]
B
And I heard it was a Biden witch Hunt.
- [40:58]
A
In 2025, his crypto exchange, Binance, helped facilitate a $2 billion purchase of World Liberty Financial's stablecoin. And then you pardoned CZ. How do you address the appearance of pay for play? Well, here's the thing. I know nothing about it.
- [41:18]
B
He knows nothing. Almost sounds like he was very clear that that was going to be the defense. Like maybe he knows something. The Question here is whether there was a crime, an illegal bribe, a quid pro quo, an impeachable offense, not only by potentially who has a lot of legal protection, you may recall, but potentially involving others. Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal reported that there was the appearance of a backroom deal between Trump's family and the recipient of the pardon who founded this big crypto conglomerate. Remember, other people involved in potentially exchanging a government benefit for their own enrichment are liable for that could be prosecuted. You'd have to have more evidence, but it's a big deal. The Journal reports around the time of the election, the Binance CEO's associates who were convicted of money laundering discussed with allies of Trump about how they wanted to find a solution to the legal troubles in the US Then it is alleged and reported they offered a deal with the Trump family business. Trump, of course, won. And Binance engineers were involved in the family's cryptocurrency. And then you have the pardon. It already looks bad. Suspicious conflict of interest. Whether anyone in or outside a government conditioned that pardon in exchange for crypto money and help for the Trump family is the question that any special counsel or independent prosecutor would want to get the evidence on. That is an update on an important story. We're going to fit in a break and when we come back, you will hear Obama's campaign closing message next.
- [42:54]
C
And as for the president, he has been focused on critical issues like paving over the Rose Garden so folks don't get mud on their shoes and gold plating the Oval Office and building a $300 million ballroom. So Virginia, here's the good news.
- [43:15]
A
If you can't visit a doctor, don't.
- [43:17]
C
Worry, he will save you a dance.
- [43:20]
B
Obama hammering Trump for being out of touch while he shuts down food aid. Former president stomping for Democrats in Virginia and Jersey and hitting the MAGA agenda.
- [43:31]
C
I am worried about how quickly basic Democratic rules and norms have been weakened. I'm worried about how willing Republicans in Congress have been to surrender their role as members of a co equal branch of government, refusing to buck the president even when they know he's out of line time. Even when a lot of them will.
- [43:53]
A
Privately admit that power is being abused.
- [43:56]
C
In ways that will hurt their constituents and hurt the country. Elections do matter and they matter for you.
- [44:07]
B
The Democrats most popular messenger, often its most effective messenger reminding them how it's done on election eve. We'll be right back. Tomorrow's election night. I'll join you right here at 6pm Eastern where Jen Psaki and I will kick off the decision 2025 special coverage. Join us then and keep it locked because at 7, Rachel leads the whole team. Special coverage will be with you for the whole night, making sense of these election results in many different places. We can't wait to see you then. Mark your calendar. First election in a minute. And that does it for us tonight. The weeknight starts now. Hi, I'm Jenny Slate, and believe it or not, someone is allowing us to have a podcast. I'm Gabe Wiedman.
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A
I'm Max Silvestri. And we've been friends for 20 years. And we like to reach out to kind of get advice on how to live our lives.
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B
It's called I need you guys.
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Should I give my baby fresh vegetables?
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Can I drink the water at the hospital? My landlord, Lord plays the trombone and I can't ask him to stop. You should make sure that you subscribe.
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So that you never miss an episode.
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I need you.