Trump Approval Crashes Amid Mistakes

Summary

The Beat with Ari Melber – June 23, 2026

Episode: Trump Approval Crashes Amid Mistakes

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Ari Melber delivers a fast-paced, in-depth analysis of the day's pivotal political news, focusing heavily on Donald Trump’s plummeting approval ratings, Republican Party divisions, the president’s recent missteps (both policy and personal), and the growing backlash against his administration’s attempts to intimidate journalists and control media. The episode features expert commentary from Washington Post’s Marty Barron, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Molly Jong-Fast; wraps with a cultural detour featuring comedic actor Danny McBride discussing masculinity, satire, and his new book.

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Key Segments and Discussion Points

1. Political Context: Trump Approval and GOP Turmoil

Timestamp: 01:00 – 06:47

• Midterm Election Night: Melber opens by tracking competitive races in New York, South Carolina, Maryland, and Utah, noting increased Democratic voter enthusiasm and turnout—even in Republican-leaning districts.
• Senate Rebuke: The Senate, with four Republican defections, rejects Trump’s Iran war policy, cornering him and signaling an extraordinary break within a GOP-led Congress.
• Polling Slide: Trump’s approval rating crashes to a new low of 30%, fueling speculation about his viability and the GOP’s future.
• GOP Defections: Prominent figures like Tucker Carlson, once Trump loyalists, publicly abandon the Republican Party amid moral qualms and concerns over party direction.

Ari Melber (04:37): “[Carlson] is spinning this like he did the Trump defection as about his morals, whatever they may be … is he just … his own kind of polymarket poll for Republican’s declining favor, which you can see in the polling as Trump crashes to a new low of 30%.”

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2. Tucker Carlson’s Break with the GOP

Timestamp: 04:18 – 09:41

• Carlson’s Statement: Airs a direct quote from Tucker Carlson explaining his break from the GOP citing “immorality”.

Tucker Carlson (04:18): “I've been a consistent defender for 35 years of the Republican Party … but there's no defending this because it's immoral. So no, I'm out.”

• Panel Analysis:
  • Sharpton: Suggests Carlson sees the GOP “going over the cliff” and is making his exit before the fall.
  • Jong-Fast: Compares Carlson’s motives to other right-wing influencers, suggesting these defectors mirror and amplify their audiences’ growing disillusionment.

Molly Jong-Fast (09:07): “He is reflecting this poor polling. These people are as much thought leaders as their thought followers … seeing the posts on social media. They're getting the vibes.”

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3. Trump’s Vanity Failures & Mockery

Timestamp: 06:08 – 12:37

• Symbolic Blunders: Melber and guests poke fun at Trump’s failed projects:
  • The removal of his name from the Kennedy Center (after a court order)
  • The algae-choked Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a $14M project gone awry.
• Cultural Cues:
  • Melber references parents not naming babies “Donald” anymore, citing Social Security stats—an indicator of Trump’s lost appeal in the wider culture.

Ari Melber (11:04): “Babies are cute and people look at their babies and they don't name them Donald anymore. … The lowest point in history according to Social Security data.”

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4. Panel Discussion: Media, Optics, and Political Shifts

Timestamp: 07:24 – 14:31

• Media’s Role:
  • Sharpton and Jong-Fast discuss the White House's mishandling of optics amidst foreign policy and cultural failures, suggesting the administration is oblivious to public sentiment.
• Changing Norms:
  • Obama’s public snubbing of Trump at a major event cited as evidence of shifting elite norms and a refusal to normalize Trump’s behavior.

Rev. Sharpton (13:20): “You can't pretend these things are normal if they're not … They all came but him, which makes him even more abnormal.”

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5. Midterm Primaries Analysis

Timestamp: 16:37 – 19:29

• Turnout Trends:
  • Sharpton: Lower turnout in New York primaries may help incumbents; Maryland and South Carolina appear competitive.
  • Jong-Fast: Discusses power of incumbency and key policy divides, especially over Israel/Mideast issues within Democratic races.
• Looking to November:
  • Both agree the energy is shifting nationwide, with Democrats aiming for House control and party unity under Hakeem Jeffries spotlighted.

Rev. Sharpton (19:13): “All of the energy now is going to be toward November nationwide for the Democrats to take the House.”

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6. Trump DOJ & Media Suppression

Timestamp: 19:29 – 29:41

• Aggressive Tactics:
  • DOJ subpoenas targeting Washington Post and Wall Street Journal reporters for grand jury testimony—interpreted as intimidation and harassment, leading to a rare DOJ retreat.
• First Amendment Fights:
  • Melber frames this as part of a wider pattern: threats against journalists and networks, attempts to censor through the FCC, and lawsuits against outlets like ABC.
• ABC Fights Back:
  • ABC launches a public campaign encouraging viewers to oppose FCC efforts to restrict appearances on "The View."

Marty Barron Interview

Timestamp: 24:59 – 29:41

• On ABC’s Shift:
  • Barron notes ABC’s move from capitulation (settling with Trump for $16M) to resistance as a positive change:

Marty Barron (25:07): “There's no reason to yield to Donald Trump on things like this … any concessions made to him are viewed by him as weakness.”

• On Media Courage:
  • Praises Washington Post reporters and leadership for resisting grand jury subpoenas and continued investigative journalism despite DOJ pressure.
• On Journalism’s Relevance:
  • Maintains that “groundbreaking reporting is being done by the traditional media outlets … its day has not passed.”

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7. Culture Shift: Danny McBride on Masculinity, Satire and Modern Men

Timestamp: 30:03 – 42:52

• Masculinity Debate:
  • Melber uses recent White House “cage match” as a springboard to explore America’s fixation on masculinity, pop culture's role, and political implications.
• McBride on Comedy & Masculinity:
  • Describes basing his humor on antiheroes (like Kenny Powers): “I love to take an untraditional protagonist … sometimes they're selfish, they're arrogant … it makes the story more unexpected.”

Danny McBride (34:18): “People's expectations being shattered is very funny to me.”

• Satirizing Hypocrisy:
  • On "The Righteous Gemstones," McBride discusses capturing the paradox of mega-church culture without mocking faith: “I wanted to ride that line of never making the joke about somebody's belief, but ultimately making it about people who are hypocrites.”

Danny McBride (36:23): “Making it about people who are hypocrites.”

• Reflection on Male Ego:
  • Discusses how characters like Kenny Powers represent men who “can’t get out of their own way” because of ego, and the deeper cultural meanings behind these archetypes.
• Notable Moment:
  • McBride recounts Kanye West wanting him to play West in a biopic, sharing a surreal afternoon discussing the concept together (41:09).

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8. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tucker Carlson on Leaving the GOP (04:18):
  “But there's no defending this because it's immoral. So no, I'm out.”
• Ari Melber on Baby Names (11:04):
  “Babies are cute and people look at their babies and they don't name them Donald anymore.”
• Marty Barron on Yielding to Trump (25:07):
  “Any concessions made to him are viewed by him as weakness. He will just be acting sort of like a predator. He’ll go in for the kill.”
• Danny McBride on Comedy (34:18):
  “I think people's expectations being shattered is very funny to me.”
• McBride on Hypocrisy (36:23):
  “I wanted to ride that line of never making the joke about somebody's belief, but ultimately making it about people who are hypocrites.”

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• 01:00 – Trump’s approval, GOP turmoil, and primary preview
• 04:18 – Tucker Carlson’s GOP break and panel reaction
• 06:08 – Vanity project failures and cultural ridicule
• 07:24 – Sharpton/Jong-Fast/Barron on Republican decline and Trumpism optics
• 10:53 – Panel on “Donald” baby naming falloff
• 16:37 – New York, Maryland, South Carolina, Utah primary analysis
• 19:29 – Trump DOJ’s media intimidation, grand jury subpoenas
• 24:47 – Marty Barron interview on DOJ and ABC’s resistance
• 30:03 – Danny McBride: masculinity, satire, candid reflections
• 36:23 – McBride on faith, hypocrisy, and satire in Gemstones
• 41:09 – Kanye West biopic anecdote

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Tone and Style

Ari Melber balances serious news analysis with cultural references and wit (“Sometimes, Rev says, what are we talking about?”), while guests provide a mix of street-level insight (Sharpton), pundit analysis (Jong-Fast), and insider media reflections (Barron). Danny McBride brings a self-deprecating, wry humor, tying together pop culture and deeper questions about authenticity, masculinity and satire.

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Summary

This episode underscores the Trump administration’s mounting isolation—with cratering public approval, desertion by key allies, failed policy gambits, and intensifying efforts to muzzle the press—while highlighting vibrant Democratic engagement. Through Barron’s and McBride’s interviews, it also draws broader connections between political turbulence, the persistence and power of journalism, and the role of satire and self-reflection in American culture.

Transcript

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[Ari Melber]

Welcome to the Beat. I'm Ari Melber and we are tracking a lot. We have Marty Barrett, the Washington Post executive editor with so much experience, discussing these failed attempts to put reporters in the grand jury by the Trump doj. It's an important story. We're staying on these type of stories. We have that coming up. And by the end of the hour, the funniest man in Hollywood, comedic actor Danny McBride, makes his beat debut. I am so psyched to welcome him. So as we try to do around here when we can, we will get you up to speed on culture soon enough. We begin you hear the music with another primary election night in America. And this, this has got some big ones. You got New York, of course, with some really big races including in the House, South Carolina, Maryland, Utah. We are getting more and more data points tonight about what Republicans see as a problem. So great they have some top longtime Republicans jumping ship before the midterms. I'll tell you about that tonight. Trump still facing the blowback from Epstein to the war to the rising prices. Late this afternoon, we can report something that you might not have heard about yet because this is really a late developing story. The Senate rejecting Trump's war powers. I repeat, the United States Senate doing that which it had not done in several prior votes. And this is an effort to tell Donald Trump, you need to get your act together. You're failing in Iran and you need to either get congressional approval or get out of there for good. For Republicans joining Democrats, it is a striking break. As the time puts it for the GOP led Congress. Remember, this is basically something that can't happen without Republicans rejecting Trump. The resolution technically is non binding, but it is building support to basically corner the president as he already retreats on what has been by many accounts a failed war policy. New signs also show that voters are excited for the Democratic party in the 2026 primaries. Turnout is way up and that includes in Republican districts, which is exactly the kind of blinking red light that has Republicans and their allies nervous. Washington Post crunched those numbers. Democrats have cast 12.6 million ballots in all the primaries so far. And to be clear, we're talking about everything up until today, not including the numbers we'll get later tonight. As you can see, it's not even close where Republicans are lagging at 8.6 million. And then there are the defections. Whatever you think of Tucker Carlson, do you find him consistent? Do you find him honest? Do you find him ethical? With the way that he has been attacking black and brown people and Jewish Americans repeatedly and quite directly, you might find him to be, for all those reasons, not someone you look to as a North Star on ethics. He certainly has been quite the bigot online. Having said all that, he is a very prominent Republican Trump supporter. Until recently he broke with Trump, citing a range of issues. Well, tonight we have more news. This man who makes his living nowadays not on Fox News or selling books, but primarily online talking to people that he thinks are right leaning, has decided those right leaning people don't want to hear any advertisements for the Republican Party. And going into a midterms where some people think the Republicans are going to lose. Tucker, who is selling content to these people online, has decided now is the time to tell them he's not backing Republicans in the midterms anymore.

[Tucker Carlson (quoted)]

I would not support the Republican Party. There's no chance I would support the Republican Party. I've been a consistent defender for 35 years of the Republican Party. I mean, very consistent defender. But there's no defending this because it's immoral. So no, I'm out. And if I'm out, then I think a lot of other people are out.

[Ari Melber]

You could hear the beginning of a tell at the end of that little clip because he says he's out, but then a lot of other people are out, which he must know because maybe he thinks his audience is out. He is spinning this like he did the Trump defection as about his morals, whatever they may be. I'm going to ask my panelists tonight, including Reverend Sharpton and Molly John Fast about whether there's more to this, whether he's just kind of his own kind of polymarket poll for the Republicans declining favor, which you can see in the polling as Trump crashes to a new low of 30%. Meanwhile, Trump is showing what his priorities are. The vanity projects that have stumbled and drawn all kinds of ridicule continue to have problems. And then he has the losses in court. Donald Trump was powerless to keep his name up on the Kennedy center, which on the one hand is a smaller issue compared to everything we're dealing with. But on the other, he has gone to great lengths to deny the public a chance to see what you have here, a photo obtained by the Post that shows that the administration did what you have to do, which is follow judicial orders in this case removing a kind of petty hackish effort to put his name on the affirmation. Kennedy center, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting pool continues to be a kind of green algae mess, the blue lining floating in chunks, $14 million spent or depending on who you ask, wasted on that little project. Trump has floated all kinds of conspiracy theories for why this happened. He also boasted at one point that the lining couldn't be cut anyway.

[Unidentified Commentator]

This will last for at least 50 years and you'll never have a leak. It's very strong. You couldn't if you had a knife. I don't want to give anybody ideas. If you had a knife, you can't even cut it so strong. We have a, I think 290, 300 foot slit right through it. Probably a box cutter or a knife of some kind of

[Ari Melber]

as the saying goes, what are we doing here? Late night having fun with it. Some people like to spend the summer hanging out the pool. Some prefer relaxing in the lush green countryside while President Trump is like, why not both?

[Marty Barron]

Did they replace the water with Mountain Dew?

[Ari Melber]

What is too bad he didn't hire

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the blue man group.

[Ari Melber]

Then he would have shout out to an old blue man group. Reverend, if you are a New York Hollywood fan, you might get that one. New York Broadway fan, I should say. Reverend Al Sharpton, as promised, is here, the host of Politics Nation on msn, president of the National Action Network. He's been busy today as well, keeping his eye on these New York primaries. Molly Jong Fast, New York Times contributing writer, political analyst for us. Welcome to both of you. We'll get to the primaries. But Rev, I'm curious what you think of Tucker Carlson after all this time now saying he's done with Republicans.

[Reverend Al Sharpton]

I really, as I took note, Tucker Carlson's very influential in Far right circles. There are even those that have suggested that he may be thinking of running for president himself. And if he does, that would, in my opinion, be very beneficial to the Democrat, whoever that may be, to have a Republican nominee. And Tucker, who you could not underestimate, we get a lot of the far right guys and ladies that agree with that. You know, I know Tucker, he's a very strange guy. Twenty years ago, I went and had led a delegation in Africa and he covered it for Esquire. So I spent some time with him and time after. And he really believes a lot of what he's saying. I think a lot of what he's saying is bizarre, but I do not think he's a hypocrite or a liar. He believes that stuff, which means he can sell it because. But do you think, do you think

[Ari Melber]

he'd be saying this if he thought the Republicans were going to remain popular?

[Reverend Al Sharpton]

No, I do not think he would say it. If he felt they would remain popular, if he felt that they were in a position to do some of the things he believed, he wouldn't be saying it. Or if he had faith that this president and his successor was going to do things and win, I think he would save his bet. I think that he sees them going over the cliff and he's not going over with them.

[Ari Melber]

That's what I was observing. And Molly, I'm curious. We've all heard of polymarket. They run the future bets. This looks to me like Tucker Market. We didn't hear about this. You know, his crisis of conscience about any particular issue or even the Iran war as a reason. And now as we get really close to midterms, Tucker suddenly says, hey, I'm not with those guys.

[Molly Jong-Fast]

Well, I think Tucker has. He's watching Ben Shapiro. And Ben Shapiro's numbers have been cratering as he's gone further and for further pro war. So I do think he sees that this war really did split maga. And remember, he's saying similar stuff that Marjorie Taylor Greene, that Megyn Kelly is saying. You know, these people are as much thought leaders as their thought followers. So they are hearing from their people. They're seeing the posts on social media. They're getting the vibes. And so you can see that he is reflecting this poor polling.

[Ari Melber]

Thought follower.

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Yeah, go ahead.

[Reverend Al Sharpton]

I think that he is absolutely reflecting it. And I think that the other advantage he has is the White House has had the head in the sand, ignoring it because rather than regroup and try to retool their message, they're going ahead. I mean, Kennedy center one day, reflective pool another. I mean, they just keep going, going, going while Iran is blowing up in their face. And for Tucker and anyone that deals with optics for a living, they're saying this is not going to get better.

[Ari Melber]

Yeah. Molly, I'm curious about the wider Trump crash. You know, they have the old cliche, oh, you're fighting the last battle. And so many people seemed affected, even politically traumatized by Trump's comeback that they don't seem to realize we're not in a 50, 50 nation.

[Molly Jong-Fast]

Right.

[Ari Melber]

We're in a 60, 30 nation when it comes to Trump. Doesn't mean people love Democrats or they automatically get a win. But on the question of this, Trump's second term, it is a very clear verdict. We have another indicator and it's a cuter one. Why can't we talk about cute things? What's the cutest thing in the world, Molly? I know that's an unfair question.

[Molly Jong-Fast]

My new rescue dog. My little puppy. Cuter, Inky.

[Ari Melber]

Think about a little animal, but a little human animal. Babies.

[Molly Jong-Fast]

Babies.

[Ari Melber]

Yes, babies. It wasn't supposed to be a hard one. Babies are cute and people look at their babies and they don't name them Donald anymore. Okay, Naming your kid Donald has never been as unpopular as it is now. The lowest point in history according to Social Security data. On the one hand, Molly, what are we talking about? Rev says that sometimes when things go off, he'll.

[Marty Barron]

Right.

[Ari Melber]

Is that fair?

[Reverend Al Sharpton]

Absolutely.

[Tucker Carlson (quoted)]

Yeah.

[Ari Melber]

Sometimes. Rev, what do we.

[Reverend Al Sharpton]

And I must mention outdog Milo, otherwise

[Ari Melber]

I would get it. So sometimes Rev says what are we talking about? But what we're talking about is a different type of indicator, not for the political junkies and the news junkies, but just regular people, which includes conservatives and Republicans who are part of the data set that go that cute little baby, don't name it Donald.

[Molly Jong-Fast]

Right. It's vibes based but it's still relevant. And remember this is a point where sometimes the polls are inaccurate. Trump was able to get these ones and twos, these low frequency voters out to vote for him and he did it by getting into the culture. So this stuff is actually really relevant in a weird way. And I do think it is an indicator.

[Reverend Al Sharpton]

I think that is absolutely right. And you have to couple that on top of the fact you have all the optics of their failing with their negotiations in Iran. And at the same time, President Obama opens this center. Republicans and Democrats, they're Bush, Clinton and Biden. So when you have the contrast of what we had in The White House for four presidents and him, it doesn't help them with messaging at all.

[Ari Melber]

And the Obama gathering was also one of these times where you see how norms have shifted in first term year one people said, well, it's the president we have to include. Include the president in this or that. The tradition has been to include the president. The Obamas did not invite him because they made a judgment that he's not up to behaving like a respectful fellow president in that scenario, that he would either make it about himself or he would sabotage it, or he might be late night tweeting. And I wonder what you think about that, Rev, that we've sort of seen a shift even among the traditional elites. You know, same with attending the thing. I mean, Obama did make a point and Bush, they attended President Trump's inaugural.

[Kenny Powers (character played by Danny McBride)]

But.

[Ari Melber]

But there is a kind of a growing awareness that you can't pretend these things are normal if they're not.

[Reverend Al Sharpton]

No, that I think, is the key point, to not normalize this. You know, I was there, I was seated up front so I could watch everybody. And you must have the clear sight. Sight on this. George Bush and the rest decided to come despite the fact they knew Trump was not being invited. So it wasn't even like, if we don't invite Trump, do we offend other presidents? Do we put them in an awkward position? They all came but him, which makes him even more abnormal.

[Ari Melber]

I heard you had better seats than Molly.

[Molly Jong-Fast]

I had no seats.

[Ari Melber]

You know, Rev is powerful. You know that.

[Molly Jong-Fast]

I. He's.

[Ari Melber]

He's not going to say it. He gets very good seats at this.

[Molly Jong-Fast]

No, he does. And he. And honestly, he deserves that.

[Ari Melber]

And you know what? You deserve good seats, too. I don't want people to mishear me.

[Molly Jong-Fast]

No, I. We all love each other here, but I think the important part is that the Iranians actually made a. One of these propaganda videos laughing at Trump. And the, the idea, again, is this idea that the world is laughing at him. And we see this. I mean, we even saw the negotiation stuff with JD Vance overseas where he wasn't being taken seriously. The optics were bad. I mean, this is not a great moment for.

[Ari Melber]

I think you both make the point well, and that's the paradox. It's really about our system of government. Right. England is ousting their current leader because they have a system that can do that. Because if somebody is failing enough, they don't use a system that says, well, you gotta finish all four years. In this case, eight across with a break. But this is our system. It's very clear if there were a parliamentary system with a no confidence vote, 60% Trump wouldn't have it. But here we are with over two years left on that clock. I wanted to, as promised, get into the midterms. You were out there today. Rev and Molly are back with us in just 90 seconds.

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[Ari Melber]

we're back with Reverend Al Molly Zhang, fast. The primaries today include New York, where you have been very active. You met, of course, many of the candidates. Tell us what you're seeing tonight.

[Reverend Al Sharpton]

Well, New York so far has been a lower turnout than the last year's primary, which means that probably the incumbents running in at least three of the congressional races is to their advantage. Unless there's a surge tonight, polls don't close until 9. Maryland and the South Carolina, I think. I'm getting reports that theirs is pretty even. So I think that it's going to be not a night that we're going to get a lot of shockers.

[Molly Jong-Fast]

Yeah, I mean, I think New York will tell us a lot of stuff, right? It will tell us the power of incumbency it will tell us what the dsa, you know, there are a couple races where, I mean, there's. Okay, so there's a, there are, there's new. There's a race that is, that is sort of the lower part of Manhattan where the incumbent, Dan Goldman, is probably

[Reverend Al Sharpton]

going to lose his seat and spills over to Brooklyn.

[Molly Jong-Fast]

Right. And so that will show. I mean, that's a very interesting race. I think the district is more liberal than the congressman who represents it at this moment. And so that will be meaningful.

[Ari Melber]

And then, and this goes to Democrats intramural primary issues, which include Israel and Mideast policy.

[Molly Jong-Fast]

Yes. And then there's this very expensive New York 12 district, which is a sort of four way, five way race. And the really, it's gonna, I think, ultimately come down to this guy called Michael Lasher, who is this sort of heir apparent of Jerry Nadler.

[Reverend Al Sharpton]

Matt Lasher has everybody supporting him. He's the, quote, establishment candidate. But I think that in the Brooklyn, Queens race, let's not forget, not only is Brad Lander more to the left, he was the city controller. So the voters are used to his name. It's not like he's a guy out of nowhere taking on an incumbent.

[Molly Jong-Fast]

And he also did partner with the mayor.

[Reverend Al Sharpton]

He did.

[Molly Jong-Fast]

And he sort of endors him as before.

[Ari Melber]

It was cool.

[Molly Jong-Fast]

Right before. He was an early, early endorser.

[Marty Barron]

He was.

[Reverend Al Sharpton]

And I think that what we will see, though, is that if it lands this way, all of the energy now is going to be toward November nationwide for the Democrats to take the House. And a lot of what people are going to decide on is how they take the House and how Hakeem Jeffries can balance his party and become the

[Ari Melber]

speaker and whether he has the unity that the Republicans have struggled with. Because when, especially if it's tight in era, we've seen how much that matters across two blocks. Reverend Sharpton. Molly, John Fast babies are cute. They're not named Donald. And we'll be watching the primaries tonight. Good to have you both.

[Reverend Al Sharpton]

Thank you.

[Ari Melber]

By the end of the hour, Danny McBride, the very funny comedic actor is here with his new book and lessons on masculinity. First, the Trump DOJ trying to harass reporters with some serious pushback from outlets that's working. I have that story and involves the Washington Post, current reporters, and the longtime Washington Post executive editor, Marty Barron, one of the champions of the First Amendment, is our special guest on this newsworthy topic. Next, The Trump administration is testing all sorts of ways to use or abuse government power. For censorship and harassment. That brings us to a concerning story where Trump's DOJ took the very rare step, step of issuing subpoenas to four different journalists from the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, which is a generally more conservative market paper that has been in lawsuits with Trump and trying to force them to give basically secret testimony before a grand jury. Now, that is something that is generally hard to do unless there were really good reasons to simplify. And the DOJ apparently didn't have them because it retreated, withdrawing the subpoenas because both outlets fought Post reporting on this. This kind of rare subpoena could be used to try to get a reporter to reveal sources or, and this is not out of bounds to question, could be a kind of harassment tactic because the administration has already indicted a reporter and Don Lemon and tried to sort of issue these threats and warnings or just make it harder for people to do their reporting jobs. Now, when this has happened, it's rare. Over 20 years ago, the Post reported there was an instance of this. Journalists and lawyers often talk about the so called chilling effect here where if you can get away with this up to a point, other people and reporters, including at outlets that might not have the lawyers and backing of the two that I mentioned, will kind of pull back a little bit. Over the past half year, the administration has also, we should note, searched one reporter's home, threatened news broadcasters over their war coverage, barred reporters from the Pentagon press office, and more widely threatened comedians and other artists and dissidents simply for expressing their views. And that's not all. Although Trump says many things that he doesn't always do, we should note that abc, which has already settled a prior Trump lawsuit for millions of dollars, is now facing more threats from Trump to sue them because caving rarely works with this kind of thing. Trump says he is concerned about their coverage of the reflecting Pool, as if that is a matter worth making a federal case. And then in a very kind of Trumpian troll, he says, I like their money, a reference to the fact that he knows they were quick to cave last time. Organizations that have also been targeted by Trump's FCC include basically going after, as mentioned, not only Jimmy Kimmel, but the View. They ordered a review of ABC's local stations using a pretext to basically try to punish them or censor them for what everyone knows are First Amendment protected programs that may criticize or make fun of Donald Trump. Now, there's a twist tonight. Abc, having settled in the past, says they're fighting back, even tapping their big audience. They Have a campaign that encourages viewers to weigh in. Running this public service announcement on the Trump targeted show, the View.

[The View Announcer]

I had this idea for a show, different women, different points of View. The View has welcomed your favorite guests and covered the issues you care about for nearly 30 years. Now the FCC wants to control who is allowed to appear on the show. Viewers, use your voice scan this QR code. You have until July, July 6th.

[Ari Melber]

What you are hearing is the sound of some corporate executives waking up from their political slumber or their very sad fetal positions of the many, many years we've been living through this. And if you as a citizen or a viewer are watching going, wait, now they figured out they could tap their millions and millions of viewers to actually show in a democracy that they have support. Well, yes, you might have figured it out before then, but the President, who did not take their settlement as a chance to enjoy a compromise or regroup, but took it as bullies, take these type of things as weakness that he would exploit. Again, while that president is now finding that even abc, apparently no shade, has found its breaking point with that and the Washington Post issues on the front burner. Right now we have a perfect guest to get into this with. The executive editor of the Washington Post, Marty Barron joins me next.

[The View Announcer]

I had this idea for a show, different women, different points of View. The View has welcomed your favorite guests and covered the issues you care about for nearly 30 years. Now the FCC wants to control who is allowed to appear on the show. Viewers, use your voice scan this QR code. You have until July 6th.

[Ari Melber]

ABC pushing back on Trump censorship efforts. We're joined by the esteemed veteran journalist Marty Barron, who served as executive editor for the Washington Post. Also in the news over subpoenas there. Welcome back.

[Marty Barron]

Thank you. Good to be with you.

[Ari Melber]

Do you see any shift in ABC's posture here?

[Marty Barron]

I do. I mean, they agreed to settle with Donald Trump even before he took office, giving him $15 million and a million dollars in legal fees to a case that they probably could have won in court. Now it appears that they are pushing back, as they should. I think that there's no reason to yield to Donald Trump on things like this. And any concessions made to him are viewed by him as weakness. And he will just be acting sort of like a predator. He'll go in for the kill and he'll try to wound you even further.

[Ari Melber]

You know, I mentioned, not in jest, that many viewers and politicos would look at this as a fairly obvious point, not one that needed to be learned. The hard way or in 2026, given that you've been in a leadership position where you're kind of in the mix between your journalists, the sources you cover, and to some degree, whoever owns the paper, what can you tell us about your view of that or why there's been such slow learning among at least some business leaders?

[Marty Barron]

I'm not sure I understand, really. I mean, it was evident, I think, to certainly to me and to many others, that if you yielded to Donald Trump, he would just go ask for more. I think people felt that they feared fear, I think, was at play. Fear that he would use the regulatory agencies against the networks, fear of further lawsuits, fear of not being able to complete business transactions that they wanted to engage in. And they thought maybe they could put that to rest. But I think that was a mistaken view. It was clear that they would never put anything to rest because Donald Trump would never be satisfied.

[Ari Melber]

Yeah. On the Washington Post front, you've got a lot of solid journalists there. They've been under a tough situation. There's been layoffs and cutbacks. They've been attacked, of course, by this president the whole time. And I'm curious what you think of the journalists and the leadership that has seemed to decided to really fight this effort to put journalists in the secret grand jury proceedings and other places for reasons that we can't even really untangle fully.

[Marty Barron]

Well, they would have done this when I was the executive editor, and they would have done it since. And they have done it since. They support their journalists. Look, they have been supporting Hannah Natenson, whose home was raided by the FBI. They took all of her electronic devices. And of course, they're supporting their journalists now who had been subpoenaed to testify both before a grand jury, although that has now, of course, been withdrawn, they stand behind the First Amendment. And I think that one thing this case demonstrates quite well, actually, is that the news department of the Washington Post continues to do a really extraordinary job of journalism. They are working really hard in a very dedicated way, in a very determined way, to tell the public what is happening inside their government. And clearly they're paying a price for that. The Justice Department is coming after them in the most aggressive possible way. So I think they're doing good journalism, and that deserves recognition and support.

[Ari Melber]

What does it tell you that this type of print journalism still matters? You're familiar, and everybody's heard about the decline of various legacy media and yet. But in contrast to what might be an interesting set of discourse and punditry on the podcast and other stuff this is where the real shoe leather reporting happens. This is where the government apparently feels threatened by the fact that these reporters are talking to sources, are running down leads, are publishing facts and evidence day after day that the government, no matter which party it is, may not like.

[Marty Barron]

Well, look, for the most part, the groundbreaking reporting is being done by the traditional media outlets. The administration and others like to say that traditional media is irrelevant, that its day has passed. But obviously its day has not passed. They continue to do groundbreaking work. And so much of the original work, the vast majority of the original work, reporting work, is being done by these traditional news organizations as opposed to sort of commentary and things like that analysis being done elsewhere. But original, groundbreaking work, work that takes a lot of resources, that takes a lot of courage, that runs the risk of prosecution, and that is being done by traditional media.

[Ari Melber]

All fair points and you've obviously walked the walk. There were enough of these stories combining tonight that we wanted to hear from you. And Marty, appreciate you making it.

[Marty Barron]

Thank you.

[Ari Melber]

Absolutely. I want to tell folks by the end of the hour around here, we do like to lighten it up a little bit. And this is a basically world famous beloved comic, you know, Danny McBride joins us this next.

[Kenny Powers (character played by Danny McBride)]

I'm Kenny Powers and I'm very upset with how I'm acting right now, but I'm not gonna stop yelling because then that'll mean I lost the fight. So please leave a key under the mat. I love y' all very much.

[Ari Melber]

So there's a lot of talk about masculinity these days. One of the nation's top podcasters is a UFC commentary vet who touts male strength. The White House just erected a literal cage match for men to fight each other. Think about that. And then we have that hangover from the last election which has led some liberal groups to kind of do soul searching about how do they better appeal to the so called manosphere. How do you run candidates who may have like an open liberal mind but can still walk the walk on being a regular guy? Now, some of those efforts may just depend more on candidate quality or authenticity. Are you who you say you are? But the larger trend may be that politics is also downstream from our culture. And remember, male energy thrives regardless of public policy or your budget plans. We live in a country, whether you like it or not, with a passion for sports and fighting and hunting. And a new book out today dips into the humorous side of some of this thrilling tales of modern men from a very funny writer, actor and beloved, iconoclastic star from hit Shows to movies. We're talking about Danny McBride, who is embodied and kind of mocked all kinds of male traditions in his signature role, for sure, as baseball player Kenny Powers, a lovable yet kind of frustrating antihero who certainly skyrocketed McBride's considerable fame, along with several other memorable characters.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

Hello, I'm Rico and I like to party.

[Ari Melber]

Ted Jones messed with the wrong melon farmers.

[Tucker Carlson (quoted)]

Cycling, swimming. Well, you know all about that.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

No, actually, I don't. I play real sports. Not trying to be the best at exercising.

[Marty Barron]

I wouldn't touch that.

[Tucker Carlson (quoted)]

All right.

[Molly Jong-Fast]

Do you believe

[Ari Melber]

some really messed up

[Marty Barron]

stuff happened and there were a lot of fatalities?

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

Oh, really? You're putting your serious voice on, Jonah. Okay, tell me about these fatalities.

[Kenny Powers (character played by Danny McBride)]

No, break it. I've been drinking green tea all goddamn day.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

I ain't got no time for this. Bye, Felicia.

[Ari Melber]

Okay, what did he just say?

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

Bye, Felicia.

[Ari Melber]

Well, we're into real sports around here and real books. And we are thrilled to welcome actor, writer and producer Danny McBride, star of HBO's Eastbound and Down, the Righteous Gemstones, the comedy's Pineapple Express. And this is the end. Welcome.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

Thank you very much for having me on here. I was getting lost in my greatest hits there. I could sit there and just watch myself act a fool all day long.

[Ari Melber]

Act a fool. Did you enjoy. You enjoy looking back?

[Kenny Powers (character played by Danny McBride)]

You know what?

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

I don't look back often, but now as I'm looking at it, I think my kids haven't seen any of this, and I'm trying to figure out where I should begin.

[Ari Melber]

How old are your kids now?

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

My son is. He's 14 years old. My daughter's 11.

[Ari Melber]

I heard they like YouTube.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

They love YouTube.

[Marty Barron]

Yeah.

[Ari Melber]

Yeah, I read that.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

They don't watch movies. They don't watch anything I do. But they do watch people open toys.

[Ari Melber]

Well, right, those unboxings. Well, there's a through line here from your funny projects to the book, because there is something about what it means to be a man. And Kenny Powers speaks to so many of us.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

Yes, Yes.

[Ari Melber]

I love the show, and I love what you do with it. And you dance. Maybe people in politics that I mentioned could learn from you, but you kind of dance around, hey, it's okay to have fun with this. But also, if you can't kind of step back from your masculinity sometimes, you might be missing the point.

[Tucker Carlson (quoted)]

Point.

[Unidentified Commentator]

Yeah.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

You know, I think that this book is in. In turns. It's an extension of. Yes, exactly. Like what I've explored with the different shows, which is I love to take an untraditional protagonist and put that at the center of a story. You know, they don't usually have the qualities, the traits that a normal hero would have. Sometimes they're selfish, they're arrogant, they have an inflated sense of self. And I think when you start with a main character that way, it makes the story more unexpected. It makes the story funnier, I think.

[Ari Melber]

Thing, do you like the comedy of people deflating?

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

I do. I think that. I think people's expectations being shattered is very funny to me. I feel like that's something that anyone can relate to, man or woman. And, yeah, I think it's relatable. I think it's a good way to hinge a satire.

[Ari Melber]

Yeah. And Kenny Powers is something. You were like, this is going to get made or this will never get made.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

I.

[Ari Melber]

You know what?

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

We sold Eastbound and down with Adam McKay and Will Ferrell. We went in, pitched it and sold it the week, the day after Talladega Nights came out in the theaters. And, yeah, I think we felt like we were just lucky to be there. We had no idea if they would make anything past the pilot. And, yeah, the fact that we got four seasons out of it still blows my mind.

[Ari Melber]

Yeah. Righteous. Gemstones is also striking because this whole mega church environment is a huge part of America. And again, it's like. Like not unlike masculinity. It's like, oh, we talking about this thing? Are we talking about the perversion of this thing? Right. Let's take a quick look at that gemstones.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

And it is time to finally stop the constant flood of filth and propaganda coming out of Hollywood.

[Chumba Casino Announcer]

Amen.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

And they're gonna fill the airwaves 247 with that garbage. We gonna do the same thing that call for celebration.

[Ari Melber]

This drew on your youth. What? On your. On your. Your mom's experience.

[Kenny Powers (character played by Danny McBride)]

Yeah.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

You know, growing up with the South Church is obviously a big. That culture. And, you know, I have a lot of people in my family who are very religious and involved with the church, and I don't know, I felt like I hadn't seen Hollywood do a. A take on it that felt that authentic. It seemed to be that A lot of times, I think when Hollywood takes on some of these topics, it's with such disdain that I think it isolates people that it could actually reach. And so for me, I'm familiar with that world. I even respect that world to some extent. And so I wanted to tell a story that wouldn't just appeal to people that, you know, already think that going to Church is sill. I want it to appeal to people who went to church. And I wanted to ride that line of never making the joke about somebody's belief, but ultimately making it about people who are hypocrites.

[Ari Melber]

Right. And that's why it doesn't ever feel like it's punching down, so to speak. But it does feel like, wait a minute, is this really. Is this even about God?

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

Yeah. Well, and that's kind of what the. I think by making it a family story and ultimately make, you know, the. The first idea from it came that I wanted to do, like a. Like a Dixie Mafia story. I wanted to do a story about a family of gangsters, the South. And then I put that with the idea of a mega church, because I was seeing how some of them ran it. Said, this is. This is kind of funny to, like, approach this like it's a criminal enterprise, but at the same time, they're. They're selling, you know, morals and values.

[Ari Melber]

We have more Kenny Powers.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

Great.

[Ari Melber]

And it's this thing where I get to play the clips that I want. It's something I like about your show. So let's go, because I am going to set this up. As we say in the bin, I'm going to set up this clip. It's like sometimes, you know, you're effing up, which is a step towards fixing it.

[Tucker Carlson (quoted)]

Yeah.

[Ari Melber]

But you can't quite. I think people find that very relatable.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

Yeah, I think so, too.

[Ari Melber]

Go ahead. You know what you're gonna say.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

Nope. You go. You go.

[Ari Melber]

All right, let's roll. We'll roll it.

[Kenny Powers (character played by Danny McBride)]

I'm Kenny Powers, and I'm very upset with how I'm acting right now, but I'm not gonna stop yelling because then that'll mean I lost the fight, so. So please leave a key under the mat. I love y' all very much.

[Molly Jong-Fast]

You're late, Janelle.

[Ari Melber]

Just had a really good run.

[Molly Jong-Fast]

You missed it, actually.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

I saw it when I was walking up. Worried about yourself?

[Ari Melber]

Hey, Janelle. Good job, baby.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

Woo. Good job.

[Ari Melber]

Keep your heels down, babes. Keep your heels however you want, Janelle.

[Kenny Powers (character played by Danny McBride)]

Focus on yourself, not on negative people

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

trying to get in your life, tell you how to do things.

[Ari Melber]

You were saying class acts.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

No, that just, you know. Yep. Those are model citizens right there. Both of those men. They are. You know, I think that Kenny especially, he has. He has it all right there. He could figure it, but he can't get out of his own way, and

[Ari Melber]

he can't get out of his own way because of his ego, his inability to really apply and learn.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

Yeah, I think so. I think there's a lot of things with Kenny, maybe substance abuse, but I think he definitely. I think his ego will not let him admit some pretty obvious thing. I think he thinks he's the greatest thing to ever grace the earth. And anything less than that is very hard to accept.

[Ari Melber]

And is that. I mean, this goes to your book. Is that more common with the at least current version of the modern male?

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

You know, I don't know if it's something that's more. I mean, I think there's probably always been egomaniacs all through history, and I don't think that it's something that's unique to this period in time with men. I think that people being jerks is universal. Yeah. I think they could be men or women can be jerks equally. You don't think so? You don't think women could be jerks?

[Ari Melber]

Sure I do. First of all, I ask the questions right here. Second of all, just take the lighter.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

Come on.

[Ari Melber]

But no, I'll engage with you. It's certainly the case that if you look at world history, which has been run by men, can call it a patriarchy, you can call whatever, then you have certain things that the people in charge tend to do the. The oppressor. And so you see that sometimes in at least men in charge, differently than just saying, well, everybody can make mistakes, I guess.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

Yeah. I mean, I think with these stories, these are stories based not on men who are in charge. They're based on, like, a guy who wants to be an amateur magician. So I think that that's sort of the irony of some of these characters I'm focusing on is that they've seen examples of men that they would deem to be great, and the place where they find themselves in their life, anything but that. And it's sort of trying to resolve the idea of where you think you should be with what the reality is of where you are.

[Ari Melber]

I think that's deep.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

Do you?

[Kenny Powers (character played by Danny McBride)]

I do.

[Ari Melber]

And I think that's the difference between art and politics. Because you're talking about the limits of reduction, of profiling, of identity politics. Right. Where they go and they say, well, if you're in this group, then that means you benefit from xyz because you're in this. And most people are just living their lives going, I don't even know what you're talking about, but I'm not making rent. That's the group I'm in.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

You know? You know, everybody is up against different things. But, yeah, I think some of these characters I focus on are definitely self absorbed and they're worried about what they're struggling with and not really thinking about how they fit into the world around them.

[Ari Melber]

Yeah. Yeah. And that. And that's sort of what you mine for. For humor and comedy. Yay. Kanye West. Controversial artists, et cetera, etc. When he thought about doing a movie where someone would play him, he thought of you.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

He wanted to come for the best. So he showed up at my house in Charleston, South Carolina.

[Ari Melber]

Can you tell me about that? And what does it tell us that artist to artist, he thought you would best portray his life story.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

You know, it's something I still think about. I remember when I got the phone call, I really didn't think it was him. I thought it was somebody messing around, you know, and he was like, no, this is Kanye. And it's like, sure it is, but it was him. And you know what? I've always been a fan of his work. I think he's such an interesting artist. So the idea that he wanted to come and meet and then talk about me playing him in a movie was obviously something that I would never turn down. I would definitely be interested here what that concept would be. And, you know, we went out in Charleston on a boat and just cruised around all afternoon and just talked about life. It was honestly an incredible afternoon.

[Reverend Al Sharpton]

Afternoon.

[Ari Melber]

Will we ever see this movie?

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

I really would love to, but who knows if it'll ever become a reality.

[Ari Melber]

Did you time the book for Father's Day?

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

The day after Father's Day. I really wanted to make it so that if you forgot to get your dad something, you know, this is what you could pick up quickly.

[Ari Melber]

Thrilling Tales of Modern Men. I'm gonna tell you something you may or may not know.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

Give it to me.

[Ari Melber]

A lot of Beat viewers still buy books.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

Good.

[Ari Melber]

We need that for real. Not everyone buys books anymore these days.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

Well, trust me, I'm figuring that out as we.

[Ari Melber]

In conclusion, why would you tell them straight up to buy this book or give it as a gift?

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

You know what? I think this book is very funny. It's so well written. But ultimately, I think if you like what I do, this is really me trying to inject what I do into a completely different format. And I think it's exciting to try something new. And I'm curious to see if it works for people.

[Ari Melber]

I love it. What's the most common phrase people yell at you on the street? That's the last question.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

I probably can't say it. This is on tv. But it's what Kenny Powers catchphrase is. They say it to me all the time. I can be walking with my kids, they scream it. And my kids are like, are they mad at you? And I'm like, they're not. They're fans.

[Ari Melber]

I'm Kenny effing Power. This is dad.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

You're effing out. Yeah. Yeah. Yep, that's it. Nice to meet you.

[Ari Melber]

Great to meet you. Thanks for coming by the show.

[Rico (Chumba Casino Announcer)]

Thank you.

[Ari Melber]

The book again is Thrilling Tales of Modern Men, a collection of hilarious short stories that deal with a lot of what we just discussed out today. We'll be right back.

[BetterHelp Announcer]

Back.

[Ari Melber]

That does it for us.

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