Trump Plows $900M Into White House Construction

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Trump Plows $900M Into White House Construction"

Podcast: The Beat with Ari Melber
Host: Ari Melber (with guest hosting and panelists)
Date: August 12, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Beat dives into three dominant themes shaping American political and economic discourse in 2026:

• The fallout from recent Democratic and Republican primary elections, with a focus on candidate trends and the evolving ideological spectrum within both parties.
• An in-depth look at the ongoing affordability crisis, inflation, and the economic policies of the Trump administration, particularly as they relate to public anger over high prices and lavish federal spending.
• New revelations about President Trump’s secret escape from Turkey amid an assassination threat, raising questions about security protocols, government transparency, and the use of decoys.

Expert panelists and journalists—including Molly Zhang, Sam Seder, Alex Wagner, and Ron Insana—join the discussion, offering sharp analysis, memorable commentary, and notable quotes throughout.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Shifts in Democratic Primary Dynamics

[01:26–16:28]

Democratic Unity & Moderation: Narrative vs. Reality

• Ari Melber opens with coverage of the latest primaries across six states, highlighting Wisconsin's closely watched Democratic governor primary.
• David Crowley, a moderate, secured nomination—interpreted by some in the media as a sign that the "socialist fever is breaking" in favor of centrist Democrats.
  • Axios links Crowley's win to a potential broader trend, but Melber cautions against reading too much into the "narrative-hunting" of media.

Progressive Momentum & Grassroots Organizing

• Molly Zhang underscores that ideological divides aren’t so clear-cut; voters rewarded candidates they believed could win, not purely for ideological reasons.

  "Voters really voted for candidate quality... It wasn't straight down ideological." (07:26 – Molly Zhang)

• Sam Seder adds massive Democratic turnout signals enthusiasm for progressives, especially noting Francesca Hong’s organizing prowess despite little traditional media polish.
• Grassroots organizing and small-dollar fundraising are increasingly key factors for progressive candidates, while moderates often rely on outside funding.

  “…when you get politicians who are more oriented towards economic populism, you see organizing on the ground and that organizing doesn’t go away.” (10:24 – Sam Seder)

Voter Turnout & Strategic Voting

• High voter turnout in contested Democratic primaries (notably outpacing GOP turnout) is interpreted as a sign that competitive races with compelling candidates mobilize the base.
• Voters increasingly act as “pundits,” supporting candidates they think are most electable, even if not perfectly aligned ideologically.

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2. Economic Anxiety, Inflation, and the "Price Election"

[17:57–29:25]

Americans’ Economic Pain & Trump’s Spending

• Widespread frustration over continued high prices (especially gas, food, healthcare, and housing) is explored.
• President Trump faces backlash for lavishing nearly $1 billion on White House construction amidst claims he’d curb costs—deepening perceptions of misaligned priorities.
• Rising credit card debt, job losses, and stagnant wage growth fuel public skepticism.

  “The economy is robbing me blind every step of the way. The cost of living is absolutely insane.” (18:01 – Ali Velshi quoting public sentiment)

The “Two-Tier” (K-Shaped) Economy

• Alex Wagner describes a “two-tier economy... one for the rich and one for low-income service workers,” noting 2M workers have left the labor force.

  "Wage growth is not keeping pace with inflation. There's a housing market crisis, healthcare costs are skyrocketing... and [the] administration ... is doing everything it can to exacerbate an already bleak scenario." (20:49 – Alex Wagner)

• Ron Insana names the mini “stagflation” gripping the country: prices remain high, job losses mount, and economic gains are concentrated at the top.

Political Consequences & Messaging

• The panel agrees: lived experience, not political spin, is driving voter discontent—echoing James Carville’s famous phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid.”
• Trump’s attempts to blame inflation on externalities or distract with divisive culture-war topics haven’t changed the negative impact of high prices or mitigated his low approval ratings.

  “…as much as we talk about corruption and Trump and the White House ballroom costing $900 million… the reason that level of self-serving, malignant narcissism and corruption resonates is precisely because everyday Americans can't afford hamburger meat.” (23:55 – Alex Wagner)

The “K-Shaped” and “E-Shaped” Economies—Explained

• The “K-shaped” economy: top earners thrive while lower-income Americans fall behind.
• Ron Insana suggests an emerging “E-shaped” economy: an aristocracy, an upper-middle stratum, and a growing, permanent underclass.
• Wagner warns this trend signals “late-stage, end of times, empire, economy.”

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3. Trump’s Secret Flight & National Security Concerns

[29:25–34:24]

The Decoy Plane Incident

• Reporting uncovers President Trump’s secret, security-driven escape from Turkey amid an Iranian assassination threat, involving a catering truck and a switch to a decoy plane.
• The operation left behind journalists and even top cabinet members—raising questions about succession, risk, and whether security ruses put others unnecessarily in danger.

  “…the subterfuge that protected the president also may have made targets of dozens of others, having left behind Rubio, who was the first cabinet member in the line of succession…” (~33:00 – Ali Velshi)

Nuclear Threats & National Security

• Trump’s inflammatory remark:

  “I’ve left instructions if anything happens to just literally bomb them. Iran at levels they’ve never seen before.”
  (Summarized, referencing Trump’s quote to the Washington Post in the incident’s aftermath)

• Broader concerns about the President’s decision-making, security protocol, and the impacts of his personalized priorities above governance and institutional norms.
• Analysts highlight both the seriousness and the “baroque absurdity” of these security measures, as echoed by late-night comics.

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4. Pop Culture, Social Commentary & Final Reflections

[34:24–41:22]

The Blurring of Celebrity & Professionalism

• A conversation on reality TV real estate agents—how the lines between salesmanship and self-branding have blurred, reflecting broader social/media dynamics.

  “When did it become the real estate agent was more important than the house that they’re selling… agents have become almost like celebrities in themselves.” (35:25 – Josh)

Mondegreens: QR Codes, Restaurant Fees, and Cultural Shifts

• Panelists express frustration with “QR code menus,” no-show restaurant fees, and the reduction in genuine service—viewed as symbols of technology overreach and declining service standards.

History and Censorship in Public Institutions

• Concerns raised about the politicization and possible censorship of the Smithsonian’s exhibits by the Trump administration, labeled “Orwellian” by Ron Insana.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |---|---|---| | 07:26 | Molly Zhang | “Voters really voted for candidate quality... It wasn't straight down ideological." | | 10:24 | Sam Seder | “…when you get politicians who are more oriented towards economic populism, you see organizing on the ground and that organizing doesn’t go away.” | | 18:01 | Ali Velshi (citing public sentiment) | “The economy is robbing me blind every step of the way. The cost of living is absolutely insane.” | | 20:49 | Alex Wagner | "There's a two-tier economy: one for the rich and one for low-income service workers. Wage growth is not keeping pace with inflation..." | | 23:55 | Alex Wagner | "...the reason that level of self-serving, malignant narcissism and corruption resonates is precisely because everyday Americans can't afford hamburger meat." | | ~33:00 | Ali Velshi | “…the subterfuge that protected the president also may have made targets of dozens of others, having left behind Rubio, who was the first cabinet member in the line of succession…” |

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• [01:26–16:28] — Analysis of 2026 Democratic primaries and “electability” narratives
• [17:57–29:25] — Economic distress, the “price election,” and Trump’s controversial spending
• [29:25–34:24] — Trump’s secret flight, security concerns, and nuclear posturing
• [34:24–41:22] — Pop culture, social commentary, QR codes, and institutional censorship

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Final Takeaways

• Elections are in flux: Voter motivations in Democratic primaries are increasingly based on perceived electability and candidate quality—not simply ideological litmus tests.
• Economic pain trumps spin: The harsh realities of inflation, wages, and cost-of-living are alienating voters across party lines, and attempts at distraction are largely ineffective.
• Presidential conduct under scrutiny: Trump’s personal priorities—in spending and in crisis management—draw fire for both imprudence and insensitivity, raising broader questions about governance and fairness.
• Culture and institutions reflect the times: Frustrations over service, technology, and revisionist history mark public debates far beyond the Beltway.

For those who missed the episode, The Beat with Ari Melber delivers an unvarnished, deeply contextualized look at American democracy under pressure—blending hard news, pointed humor, and cultural reflection in equal measure.

Transcript

[Ali Velshi]

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[Sam Seder]

Too many updates, too many meetings, too many things falling through the cracks.

[Ali Velshi]

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[Ali Velshi]

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[Rachel Maddow]

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[Sam Seder]

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[Rachel Maddow]

hey, everybody, it's Rachel Maddow here. Forgive me popping into your feed like this, but I wanted to tell you that more than a dozen of us from Ms. Now are going to be in Texas on Saturday, September 26th. I'm going to be there. Lawrence O' Donnell will be there. So will Jen Psaki and Stephanie Ruhl and Ali Velshi and Chris Hayes and Jacob Soboroff and Simone Sanders Townsend and.

[Ron Insana]

And.

[Rachel Maddow]

And a whole bunch of us are all going to be there in Texas. Tickets start at just over 30 bucks each. It's in Arlington, just outside Dallas. There's a ton to do there. If you come, you'll get to meet all of us. You'll everybody else there, all these other great people from our great msnow community. We'd love to see you. And if you buy a ticket to the Texas event, you will get access to our new MSNow membership, free for a year. We're really excited about it. It launches later this summer. You'll be able to talk with me, talk with some of the other hosts. But tickets for Texas are on sale now. You can learn more @ms. Now together. Hope to see you in Texas.

[Ali Velshi]

Welcome to the beat, everyone. We're sifting the results on these primary elections across six states. Democrats argue they got momentum and they're unifying around these nominees. Now. Let's take a look at the top of the show at how it unfolded in real time across the primary Election night.

[Ron Insana]

It is election night in America once again. The Associated Press has just projected that

[Ali Velshi]

Amy Klobuchar will be the Democratic candidate for governor. Darling Graham will advance to a runoff.

[Molly Zhang]

This is a very emotional night, Wisconsin.

[Ali Velshi]

We have built something that will change politics forever. I'm not gonna give up this race until the votes are counted. That's nonsense.

[Molly Zhang]

This campaign was about the many versus the money.

[Ali Velshi]

Tom Tiffany stood with those who tried to overturn a free and fair presidential election instead of defending our democracy. Well, guess what.

[Alex Wagner]

The many just won.

[Ali Velshi]

There you go. You kind of get a little excited, feel like people are really voting. Things are happening. I can tell you a lot of Democrats were studying the Wisconsin governor's primary where voters made David Crowley the Democratic nominee. Now he's a 40 year old city official, a member of the ACLU and NAACP, who in most years might seem like a pretty standard Democratic option. But as these year's primaries have featured energized and often victorious Democratic socialists, Crowley's new win after trailing in the polls is being covered by some as a kind of rebuttal to the left. A stunning loss for his more liberal opponent, as the Times put it today. Now that is ideology on electability. Nonpartisan experts view Crowley as the stronger choice for the Democrats to win. One forecaster shifting that race to the Democrats now that Crowley is the nominee. He had trailed by many points in some polls. And some in the political media are rushing to argue this must be a wider trend. Axios interprets the race as a sign that socialist fever is breaking, that the center left wing of the party could make a comeback. Now. Well, many of those reactions are basically narratives hunting for data. You know, I keep it real with you here on the beat, at least I try to. And the fact is we won't know much about what all national voters want in the midterms until the midterms are held this November. What we know about Democratic primaries is there is at least now room and certainly a receptive sort of public mindset within Democratic voters for economic populace and for actual Democratic socialists. Voters just showed that in Michigan, which is not exactly left of Vermont or California generally. And if you just broaden out even beyond our certain kind of Maga infested era, 20 years ago, New York was run by a centrist billionaire known above all else for his business career, today it's run by a Democratic socialist. Just as New York's district crossing the Bronx and Queens, which is kind of a working class Democratic enclave, was then 20 years ago led by the establishment Democrat Joe Crowley, now it's repped by the most prominent Democratic socialist in Congress, aoc. And so positions that were once almost disqualifying among Democrats in most part of the country are certainly now allowed. They're on the table. Sometimes they are rewarded. Now, even as Wisconsin Democrats swung back to this traditional option last night, their nominee will face Tom Till Tiffany, a MAGA Republican who voted in Congress against certifying Joe Biden's win the same day that MAGA fans infamously stormed the Capitol in their crime spree. And I mentioned that because that mainlining of the anti democracy movement from legal steps, in other words, members of Congress can vote to overturn an election and vote not to certify what their own constituents did. That is a legal option, albeit anti Democratic. There are also, of course, the related MAGA criminal plots to pursue that same effort, overthrowing elections by force. Now that was on display last night and today because the fringe Trump ally Mike Lindell, who runs the company MyPillow, lost in Minnesota but won't concede. He's complaining about vague irregularities, but he's stoking division among Republicans because this was his primary loss. And the GOP again is finding that Trump's playbook may begin by targeting certain liberal opponents, but it is soon deployed against fellow Republicans. It is one of the obvious and yet slowly learned lessons of this MAGA era, Justice. Trump's DOJ abuse, which we're documenting here, also includes targeting Republicans on the Fed all the way out to his own former cabinet officials. As for the politics, Lindell's loss is the third for Trump endorsees in just the last two weeks alone. So that's a lot to chew on. But we have some politically hungry guests here at the table. Molly Zhang, Fast, a contributing writer with the New York Times, Ms. Now analyst, host of the Fast Politics podcast, and Sam Seder, political commentator who hosts the very popular majority report on YouTube. It's netted over a billion views and he's interviewed major people like the congresswoman I just mentioned, AOC Senator Bernie Sanders, who he had on within the last day. There you see him right there. Sam is actually interesting as someone that a lot of our viewers know from being around what we might call the liberal media, if you will. But you're also now a digital innovator at a time where some are waking up to the power of that. So I want to get into that with you. But Molly, let's start with what we did learn last night. Maybe not as much as the headlines say, but a time of Democratic unity according to at least their spokespeople.

[Molly Zhang]

I really like that package you played at the beginning because I think that this is a narrative that is looking for facts of framing that doesn't necessarily fit. And if you look at these candidates, what you see is voters really voted for candidate quality. They voted for candidates they thought could win. It wasn't straight down ideological. Certainly they wanted candidates who were offering them something, who came out as fighters, but they weren't. I just think it's too simple. And in fact, the other thing that you know that I think is really important when you look at the top lines of this primary is that in the Wisconsin primary. I happen to have these numbers here very nerdily 491k approximately Democratic voters versus 4,490k Republican voters. So there was a big Democratic way, you know, many more Democratic primary voters in Wisconsin and in the minute in the Minnesota Senate primary, which is another one where you know, you didn't, you had multiple candidates on the ballot, but still Democrats 697 versus GOP 406.

[Ron Insana]

Yeah.

[Ali Velshi]

Sam, I turn to you to transcend the narrative.

[Ron Insana]

Sure.

[Ali Velshi]

Rather than succumb to it.

[Sam Seder]

I actually think this, this narrative is pretty low bar to transcend those numbers. I would add that Francesca Hong got the second largest amount of votes in a Democratic primary in the 20th century, the first of course being Crowley last night. So I mean the turnout was incredible. And I think the idea that this is somehow a resurgence of moderates. Look, this is a very contested state. The past three or four elections short of Obama were decided by 30,000 votes in Biden's favor one time and Trump's a couple of times. And so I think the, the electorate is very sensitive to the idea of who can win. And I think that narrative took hold where voters became more pundits than they did voting for what they necessarily wanted.

[Ali Velshi]

And is it and in agreement or in addition to that, is it also possible that having two strong viewed candidates brought out more people?

[Sam Seder]

Oh, without a doubt. And I mean I think that's what happened. And I think, you know, there could have been some Republican crossover. It's an open primary. But and I don't think, you know, Hong is a necessarily a top tier performer on television, as some of you know, someone like Abdul El Sayed is. But she's an amazing organizer. And what's built in that state now is an incredible infrastructure which she referred

[Ali Velshi]

to last night, which I think say a little more about that because not everyone's in the weeds on Wisconsin.

[Sam Seder]

You know, the difference between when you talk about the so called moderates and folks like DSA or more economic populace, they're winning with less money. I mean, race after race they're winning or coming very, very close with less money. And that's because the nature of their politics is such that organizing and getting people involved is consistent with their ideology in a way that moderate politicians are don't necessarily subscribe to. They get funding from outside sources, they get a lot more PAC money, they'll go up on TV more. But when you get politicians who are more oriented towards an economic populism, you see organizing on the ground and that organizing doesn't go away.

[Molly Zhang]

Right.

[Sam Seder]

That continues. So we're going to see down ballot victories in a state like Wisconsin two years from now, four years from now. We're going to see more and more, I think, whether it's dsa, whether it's progressives, I think we're going to see a lot more of this. These organizations don't go away.

[Ali Velshi]

Well, yeah, and you're making a fair point also. They say, oh, necessity is the mother of invention. Right? Well, being an independent progressive who's critical of capitalism, whether that's DSA or a little less, is the mother of having to build a grassroots organization because there's no out of state banks coming to help you. Right, exactly.

[Sam Seder]

I mean, it's both necessity, but it's also like it is almost essential to the ideology of your politics.

[Ali Velshi]

And so it's not just folly has a butt.

[Molly Zhang]

I would just add that Ben Wickler, like the state chair of Wisconsin was very, very good. So it wasn't like they were starting from nothing. There was some infrastructure there that he had done. I mean, I agree. And what Hong has done is amazing. She did these huge town halls and she had, you know, a huge army of door knockers, which she has said she is now going to bring with her, which is the dre, which is the best any Democratic candidate can do for another. But I just think Ben did have was.

[Ali Velshi]

I wanna jump in and show what Bernie was talking to you about. Cuz you had a newsworthy interview. Okay. And as I mentioned, you got a lot of folks watching you online. You know, Democrats, some are late to this. They're trying to figure this out. You've been doing this. And Bernie was also talking about the anger, which isn't just at Trump, it is also at the whole broken system. Let's take a look at what you guys talked about. My thought, Sam, is that all over this country and we're seeing this in New York City, New Jersey, Arizona, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Montana, et cetera, et cetera. There is profound anger and disgust with

[Sam Seder]

status quo politics and status quo politicians.

[Ali Velshi]

People want change.

[Sam Seder]

Well, first off, I want to say, you see I wore a sport coat for you tonight.

[Josh]

I don't.

[Ali Velshi]

You dressed up. I dressed up for the beat. We love it.

[Sam Seder]

Yeah. No, I think, listen, this has been the case for, I think a long time and the anger I think is bubbling over, particularly in Trump too. And there is a frustration with the Democratic establishment that they're not doing enough. Both, I think both in fighting Trump, but I think more in the sense that you need to do something when you get in office that is going to have a lasting impact and is going to carry through. I mean, one of the things that Bernie and I talked about during that interview was, you know, we cut child poverty in half from the years 21 to 22. We cut it in half 45% because of the child tax credit. And then it just sort of. It melted away. And there was not enough, I think, outrage, both by the Democrats, frankly, by the media. I mean, that's ostensibly what. When you're talking about child poverty, that seems like something that everybody should agree on. And the idea that we were able to have it in just a year is extraordinary. But it was never trumpeted. It was never, you know, the outrage from it reversing was never expressed. And I think the idea is that Democrats, if they get the opportunity to lead again, they need to do lasting material benefits for people going forward. And frankly, that's what these Democratic socialists are proposing. You know, really nothing more radical than we saw from Democrats during the New Deal through the following 30 years when Democrats controlled Congress.

[Ali Velshi]

Well, and isn't it funny, because if you say, I'm an FDR Democrat or a New Deal Democrat. Right. It hits a little different depending on where you are in the country. Some of these terms scare people more or less. But when you talk about, yes, having an FDR posture towards regulating the banks before they invest in an AI boom that bankrupts everybody, or actually fighting corruption or actually getting a square meter and a square deal and, you know, all the rest. I think it's a fair point. We appreciate. By the way that you put on your jacket.

[Josh]

Thank you.

[Ali Velshi]

You are. I know. I've known you.

[Josh]

Have.

[Ali Velshi]

I known you a while?

[Josh]

It's been.

[Ali Velshi]

I know you over 20 years. You are more liberal than you look. Well, you could be a St. Louis accountant, consultant, a dad, soccer coach. You're more liberal than you look. Maybe.

[Sam Seder]

Maybe in a parallel universe, I am.

[Ali Velshi]

Yeah.

[Sam Seder]

Yeah.

[Ali Velshi]

You're a country club Republican in a different timeline.

[Sam Seder]

Yeah, well, I mean, I dress a little bit conservatively growing up, I guess, in Worcester, Mass. But no, I mean, I think, like, I. I would consider myself, you know, of the left and, you know, looking towards policies that are going to have

[Ali Velshi]

meaningful impact and help people's lives. I get it. And you can do that. I'm out of time. But you can do that in a Brooks Brother. Take as much as anyone else. We salute it.

[Ron Insana]

J.

[Josh]

Crew.

[Ali Velshi]

Jake J. Crew.

[Molly Zhang]

There we go.

[Ali Velshi]

I'm out of time. Molly, we're going to continue this colloquy, my thanks to both of our special guests. We have more of the details that are leaking out about the decoy flight. And this. With everything going on in the world, Trump was like, just leave me in here, okay? Just leave me in. Let me know when the war is over. Trump's vanity project building is costing more than he said it would. Surprise. We have a breakdown with an economist and looking at why people are still paying these high prices. Alex Wagner is here as well. We're back in 90 seconds. Of all of Trump's broken promises, one that has angered people the most this summer is the failure to stem high prices. You can see right here how many essentials people are struggling to pay for, even as the rate of inflation is technically slowing. This war has spiked gas prices higher than ever at this point in the year. And another indicator of the pain is the hard data on how people just can't afford things anymore. Literally meaning separate from polling, we see when you measure credit card debt, it's near record highs at over a trillion. And Trump, meanwhile, is spending a billion dollars on his construction projects. Taxpayers covering that despite his prior claims. It's a controversial set of economic priorities that doesn't sit well with the public. The economy is robbing me blind every step of the way. The cost of living is absolutely insane.

[Molly Zhang]

Feeding your kids should not feel this expensive.

[Josh]

Gas went up 1 a whole dollar.

[Ali Velshi]

Gas prices fitting to go up. So y' all need to work on your astral projections. So you could just tell your boss, yo, I'm here at work. But in spirit. America is struggling because of two words, Donald Trump. That's what some people think. If you broaden out beyond what people are posting online, the data shows most disapprove of Trump's job performance. A new jobs report, meanwhile, shows the economy losing over 20,000 jobs. Over half of Americans feel that they're in an economy that is just getting worse. That percentage shows you that would include people who have voted for Trump before. So here we are, back to the fundamentals. It's the economy, stupid. That's the James Carville maxim that politicians forget at their peril. It haunted Biden and Harris in the inflation election of 2024, and it is haunting Republicans now. And if this sounds a little repetitive, well, as the rapper Lecrae put it, the reason why I sound the same is because the truth don't change. We're going to get into important truths with Alex Wagner, who knows all about it. You know that bar, right, Alex?

[Alex Wagner]

Of course.

[Ali Velshi]

Of Course. Next. Hey, before your Q3 call, I've got the campaign brief ready. Built from last quarter's data and the competitive landscape.

[Molly Zhang]

Great.

[Alex Wagner]

Did you include the differentiation angle the CMO asked for?

[Ron Insana]

Already in there.

[Ali Velshi]

Three angles. No competitors using right now. Just need your approval.

[Rachel Maddow]

Approved.

[Alex Wagner]

Thanks. Oh, agents, where would we be without you?

[Molly Zhang]

Hmm?

[Ali Velshi]

Somewhere with a lot more tabs open.

[Alex Wagner]

Create your first Monday agent [e-mail]. ever since I was young, I've watched people working hard, chasing opportunity, making sacrifices, doing everything they can to build a better life. And now we're shining a light on what matters is most. Our economy, our national identity, our democracy, our future. The stakes have never been higher. It's all on the line.

[Ali Velshi]

On the line with Alicia Menendez, weekdays at 12pm Eastern on Ms. Now. We're back with Ms. Now, business analysts Ron Insana, publisher of the Message of the Markets on Substack. And Alex Wagner, of course, political analyst with us, host of Runaway country on Crooked Media. Everybody's been busy, Alex. I said it's the economy, stupid. And the reason why we sound the same is the truth don't change. Because we're back to not only an economy election possibly, but a price election.

[Alex Wagner]

Yeah, specifically we have like a two tier economy, one for the rich and one for low income service workers. Increasingly, there are I think 2 million American workers that have left the labor force since last November because people are essentially giving up on it. Wage growth is not keeping pace with inflation. There's a house housing market crisis, health care costs are skyrocketing upwards. And you have an administration that's not only not, does not have its eyes on the ball, but is doing everything it can to exacerbate an already bleak scenario for the average American voter. I mean, John, Donald Trump is imposing 50% tariffs on Canada that go into effect next week, which is going to disproportionately affect Canada's number one trading partner, the state of Michigan, which as you recall, is a crucial swing state. I mean, you'd think that this administration would at least be on the look for the voters they need to keep on their side of the ledger come November. But no, I mean, Donald Trump was telling the truth when he said he doesn't think about Americans financial situations at all.

[Ali Velshi]

Hmm. Ron?

[Ron Insana]

Yeah, no, listen, exactly what Alex said. And you know, on top of that you have the war in Iran that is keeping oil prices, gasoline prices higher than they would otherwise be, still hovering around $4 a gallon. We're still in the middle of the summer driving season and you have grocery prices that have yet to come down. And so really across the board, and I've been describing it this way for quite some time, we have a mini stagflationary environment. You've inflation, generally speaking, even though today's numbers are relatively benign with respect to the rate of inflation slowing a little bit, prices are still well above where they were a year ago, about three and a half percent on average. And then you've also gotten, as you mentioned earlier, the job market starting to weaken. We saw a negative print last month. It's possible we could see that again and see we could see further downward revisions in prior months.

[Ali Velshi]

Well, you know, and I want to, Alex, Ron says we saw a negative print last month. And I thought, what's that mean?

[Ron Insana]

I'm sorry, we lost jobs in the month of July, 23,000 of them. And so we could see that happen again. And if indeed the labor market deteriorates further while inflation continues to stay above the Fed's 2% target, you've got this kind of stagflationary environment. It's not the 70s where unemployment's 11%, inflation's 13%, rates are 20%, but it's still uncomfortable for everybody, particularly as Alex pointed out, those at the lower end of the income distribution who are struggling to pay their bills and making choices

[Ali Velshi]

and people feel it. And Alex, I only partly joke because Ron is like the Carnacki of the Labor Department statistics. We're happy to have somebody around.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Alex Wagner]

Somebody who knows what they're talking about,

[Ali Velshi]

not just who knows about negative. It was negative print.

[Ron Insana]

That's what I call it.

[Ali Velshi]

Yeah. Knows about negative print. It's like, sure. And yet you don't need to know the terms to be a voter who's facing this. And I'm curious, Alex, as a at student of politics, we all kind of look at some of the same signals about whether this sort of prototypical distraction, promotion and sometimes outright divisive hate playbook of the GOP can really distract people away from what we just saw as happening this, this summer, what they're living through.

[Alex Wagner]

Yeah. There's a very specific reason Republican candidates and Republican electeds don't want to talk about the Trump economy. It's bad. So they've defaulted to race baiting, xenophobia and Islamophobia in some specific cases. But you mean people vote on their lived experience for better or for worse, I would say. I mean, I think it would be good for us as a society if we cared more about people who weren't like us. But nonetheless, the reality of American politics is, as James Carville said, it is the economy, stupid, because that's people's lived experience. And you know, as much as we talk about corruption and Trump and the White house ballroom costing 900 million or 600, $900 million footed by the American taxpayer, the reason that level of self serving, malignant narcissism and corruption resonates is precisely because everyday Americans can't afford hamburger meat. And the mad king in the White House is obsessed with gilding horse statues outside of the Lincoln Memorial in an extra coat of 14 karat gold. I mean, it's just completely detached from reality. And in that is an inherent cruelty that I think the essential question of fairness really resonates emotionally in a way that it hasn't even in previous election cycles.

[Ali Velshi]

And you said we should care about people who are not like us. Were you going for a subtle Kendrick reference there or not? I wasn't sure.

[Alex Wagner]

They are not like us. But I also, you know, I think you, I would argue to you, Ari, that the numbers, I mean, Trump's approval rating, which is in the basement, should be even lower given what he's doing on immigration, which is so appalling and so un American, but really the thing that is sinking him are the economic numbers. Now, that's understandable, but at the same time, all, all of it collectively should be having an even, I think, more dire impact on his approval ratings.

[Ali Velshi]

Well, so let me take that to Ron, because there's places where Trump isn't doing anything. He's not using the power of the presidency to directly go after high prices and inflation or gas prices. That's sort of clear. He is doing a lot on immigration in a way that he promised would have an immediate effect of helping the American labor market. And so even apart from what Alex called the cruelty, what we've seen might be illegal stops. That's not working either the way they said it would.

[Ron Insana]

No, in fact, with his tariffs, he promised the creation of manufacturing jobs. We lost 100,000 manufacturing jobs since Liberation Day last year. With respect to the outflow of immigrants, some 3 million have left the country either involuntarily or voluntarily. So it's the first time since 1935 we've had a net outflow of population in the United States, which is shrinking the size of the labor force, reducing what we call the labor force participation rate, the number of people who are in the workforce and actually working. And so you cannot have economic growth if your labor force is shrinking. It Just doesn't happen that way. There are two big props for the economy right now that are keeping us effectively out of recession. Number one is the enormous amount of spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure. And the other is at the upper end of the income distribution, the upper end of the band. People are spending very freely because the stock market's near all time highs.

[Ali Velshi]

So I want to then give you a challenge and then have Alex respond as the final word in the segment, which is when we hear about the K shaped economy, can you explain it in English and why so many see it as a problem? And then Alex could perhaps give us the politics of that because they don't seem to be good for this Treasury Department.

[Ron Insana]

So the K shaped economy, which Treasury Besant said he was getting sick of hearing about, is one in which where if you're on the upside and you're doing well, upper income or extremely wealthy, you're spending freely. The gains in the economy are accruing to you. Those on the lower end of the income distribution are struggling either to maintain their spending or they're falling behind because wages are not keeping up with inflation. And so and in addition to that, and I would argue, and I haven't determined whether I'm writing a book about this yet, there's an E shaped economy. You have the aristocracy, you have the upper middle or that's the upper income. And then at the very bottom, you have what we're building out right now, which is a permanent.

[Ali Velshi]

So let me bring it to Alex because Ro not only snuck in another letter, but a plug for a book he hasn't written yet. Well, that's true impressive.

[Alex Wagner]

That's why he's Ron and Sana in Seattle.

[Ali Velshi]

We call that chutzpah, okay? But we love it, we welcome it, we honor it. Alex Ek, Letter of the day, Sesame Street Word of the day. What do you think, Alex, about the Treasury Secretary trying to insist? I mean, this is where you see that liberal critiques worked. He's heard about enough that he's trying to rebut it and insist this isn't a K shaped economy just for the people at the very top, Alex, I mean, it's delusional.

[Alex Wagner]

When Diesel is over $5 a gallon up and down the east coast, people know and understand that this is them going to the grocery store. This is them taking their kid to the doctor's office. This is them filling up the gas tank. It doesn't matter what Scott Besson says, doesn't matter what Donald Trump says. I mean, they can try and Paper over this as much as they want, but the reality is the reality, and that's where I think Republicans are running into the cold, hard wall of financial reality, vast majority of this country. The fact that Ron's talking about a permanent aristocracy and a permanent underclass tells you that we are kind of in the late stage, like, end of times, empire, economy, which is not where America wants to be or should be, and the American people know it.

[Ali Velshi]

Yeah, very clearly put, Alex and Ron, thanks to both of you. I'll see you in a moment. When we come back, there's even more details about that decoy plane ride and who was left behind. The intrigue and reporting about that secret plane swap that President Trump executed under the protection of the Secret Service is continuing to stoke all kinds of national conversation. Trump was basically secretly taken off Air Force One to get out of Turkey, transplanted to a different plane in a catering truck. And this was all because of the war with Iran and a credible assassination threat. Now, the press was still reporting that Trump was on Air Force One. The press has since corrected that, given this new reporting and information. Part of this is serious and you want everyone to be safe. Part of it has a kind of baroque absurdity to it. And the late night comics are weighing in. Yeah. He hid in the back of a catering truck.

[Alex Wagner]

Yeah.

[Ali Velshi]

Today everyone was like, well, at least he has one exit plan. Now, I'm no security expert, but if I was trying to find Donald Trump, a catering truck is the first place I'd look. Next time, hide his ass in a bookmobile. The punchlines here are one of those signs that this is a story that's broken through, because you can't laugh at that unless you've heard about it. And even if you're not into politics, everyone's heard about it. It also, to say the obvious, it's only a punchline because thankfully, nothing happened and no one was in danger, let alone her. But the security operations are still under scrutiny because whether it was a decision of the president or his closest aide to the Secret Service, what happened was they left a lot of people as unwitting decoys on the plane. And those journalists are asking for answers. Why was it too dangerous for you

[Molly Zhang]

to fly on Air Force One, but not.

[Ali Velshi]

I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk. I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for. That doesn't make sense. Unless the ruse failed. And you would argue that they're going after the president. It is true for all of us who ever get near these targets, when you're reporting on them or you're near them, you are part of what you might call the danger blast radius. Although you're not the target, they're in more danger. But again, that defense doesn't make a ton of sense unless the ruse didn't work. There are reports that someone in the vicinity of the NATO summit was spotted with a shoulder fired missile. And the Iranians also knew specifically where Trump was staying in Turkey, including the floor of the building. That's according to two U.S. officials that the Times spoke with. Another expert says the president faced intelligence about an assassination attempt serious enough that it led the service to take those security precautions no prior president has ever taken. Going on to write that a decoy plane, a potential target for an Iranian assassination attempt, presumably this missile attack, while the president tried to depart from this territory of a NATO ally. All of this adding context to what Trump later said at the time, because he says a lot of things that people react to. But now that we know about the seriousness of the threat and the precautions taken, consider that, he told the Post that week, I've left instructions if anything happens to just literally bomb them. Iran at levels they've never seen before. Many interpreted that at the time to be even potentially a nuclear threat. And if those orders were left in place, of course that raises a lot of questions. Then there's a line of succession. You had figures in Trump's inner circle who were brought on that other, presumably safer plane, which is why they did it. But he left behind cabinet members, including one who is top in the line of succession. The Times noting the subterfuge that protected the president, also may have made targets of dozens of others, having left behind Rubio, who was the first cabinet member in the line of succession, if, God forbid, something happened to others like the president and vice president, the treasury secretary and some aides. Meanwhile, Trump was able to take Dan Scavino, Natalie Harp and Walt Nada, some of his personal aides, none of them, of course, in the the line of succession. And so that means that even as some joke about this and others kind of just discuss it as a kind of a spy movie plot, there are serious questions about who is calling the shots and whether the security protocols and the line of succession are being taken into account on the very day when there was reportedly a credible risk to the president. We'll be right back.

[Ron Insana]

Host of new injectables that you can use that presumably improve your lifespan or Improve your quality of your life. And it's getting completely out of control. And I think at some point it's got to stop because it's just uninformed and potentially dangerous.

[Ali Velshi]

Yeah. People have to be on guard, especially people who, you know, people busy living their lives. They're not all experts on how to use the Internet and all these platforms. And you got people, sometimes they go on Facebook to look at a photo or recipe, then they think they're talking to a person or getting something, and they're getting tricked. And we're back to where we started, which is Fountain of Youth. It's being sold through tech.

[Ron Insana]

Yeah.

[Ali Velshi]

But everybody wants to be young and beautiful.

[Josh]

Why are you looking at me?

[Ali Velshi]

Look at me.

[Ron Insana]

That's why he's looking at you.

[Josh]

I don't take medication. I probably should, so I would probably, you know.

[Ali Velshi]

Yeah. What would you take it for?

[Josh]

Oh, how much time do you have,

[Ali Velshi]

Josh? We loved looking at a little glimpse of your reality TV life, which overlaps with your real life. Yes. What's on your list here?

[Josh]

Let's start with reality TV agents that think that they're celebrities. When did it become the real estate agent was more important than the house that they're selling or more important than anything else? Now you're probably thinking, well, what am I doing here? I'm here to seek. I'm asking. I'm here for help.

[Ali Velshi]

You want help?

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Ron Insana]

My wife's a real estate agent. If you talk to her. Yeah.

[Josh]

Fantastic. Yeah.

[Ali Velshi]

But this is true in a lot of fields. And you're saying the product, the work still has to lead. Even if you're well known in your field, the work has to lead?

[Josh]

Well, yeah. I mean, it's one thing if, you know, my social media or my, you know, what I do on social media, maybe, you know, sells the properties. That's one thing. That's great. But, you know, the agents that are promoting themselves rather than the properties, that's where it becomes difficult for me to understand. Like, here's an example. Like, I just sold Diane Keaton's house, and there was a article in TM saying there's a picture of this renowned, esteemed actress, you know, next to her property. And then there's a photo of me just as big. And I'm thinking, I was like, why are you putting me on here? Like, as if I'm a part of this. I'm just brokering the deal. But today, the agents have become so. It's become almost like they're celebrities in their. In themselves.

[Ali Velshi]

So the obvious follow up here is, have you and your reality TV genre, though, perhaps fed some of that?

[Josh]

Oh, absolutely. I'm 100% responsible for this.

[Ali Velshi]

But you think it's gotten out of hand.

[Josh]

Yeah, I just think it's gotten out of hand.

[Ron Insana]

We got in an environment now where social media draws drives. I mean, if you're not out there, if you're not known, if you're not branding yourself, aren't you at a competitive disadvantage in your field?

[Josh]

I don't know how many people are looking at my social media and buying a $20 million house off of it, to be quite honest. They're going on Zillow. They're going on things. So, yes, a bit of it is probably self promotion, and the other bit, maybe it translates to sales. I mean, there's no way to actually prove that.

[Ron Insana]

I mean, it's a bus bench, doesn't it?

[Josh]

It just. Yeah. Or the market.

[Ron Insana]

Yeah.

[Ali Velshi]

You know, back in the day of old politics, the New Republic was like this neoliberal magazine, but it would always criticize liberals, and they would say, even the New Republic says, you name it, Democrats have to be hawks, whatever. And here I feel like we're like. Even the reality TV star says, cool it. Like, this has gone too far. Which is interesting coming from you. I want to get. I know you got another fallback on the Smithsonian. Yeah.

[Ron Insana]

I mean, leave it alone. There's nothing wrong with it. You know, it's been a phenomenal institution for so many years, and now it's being dragged by the administration in a variety of different ways for having what's deemed inappropriate in American history, when, in fact, culturally it's been quite accurate, whether you're talking about the Tuskegee Airmen, when you're talking about the contributions of African Americans, Native Americans and others. And all of that is being eliminated from the institution itself and either glossed over or rewritten.

[Ali Velshi]

It's really. It's nutty. And, you know, before this, I did free speech and First Amendment law, and the rule of thumb is you add speech, you don't censor speech. So I could understand a new administration coming in and saying, hey, there's something that happened down here. We want to have another exhibit.

[Ron Insana]

Ah.

[Ali Velshi]

But the idea that they want to censor and control history for what? For today's political agenda.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Ron Insana]

I mean, it's Orwellian in a certain sense. I mean, you know, the stuff's going down the memory hole, and, you know, our children should know the honest and true history of the country in which they Grew up and, you know. And where amends should be made, it should be recognized and not thrown away in such a way that it's hurtful to entire populations of individuals.

[Ali Velshi]

Orwell also interested in reality TV in his own way. But that's a story for another day.

[Ron Insana]

The Big Brother screen.

[Ali Velshi]

Yeah, because. And when are they all throwing at the. Yeah, yeah.

[Ron Insana]

Two minutes, eight.

[Ali Velshi]

Yeah. What else is on your fallback list, Josh?

[Josh]

Restaurants, QR codes and the fees that they charge you ahead of time just in case it's a no show. Right, Right.

[Ali Velshi]

You want that to fall back?

[Josh]

Well, I think so, yes. A. First of all, what if I'm 95 years old and I don't have a telephone? How am I supposed to read the menu?

[Ali Velshi]

Yeah. Or you left your phone at home because an AI wellness doctor told you you needed a screen.

[Josh]

By the way, Covid's been over for a few years. We can.

[Ali Velshi]

I got. I think the QR codes are kind of madness.

[Josh]

I can't stand them.

[Ali Velshi]

And it's like we go out. Restaurants aren't just a food experience, they're a social experience. And they're asking us to get right back on our phones.

[Josh]

By the way, who's taking the time to open up their phone, click a photo? Like, isn't it a lot easier just to open up the menu? Yeah, yeah. What's up with that?

[Ali Velshi]

Yeah.

[Ron Insana]

And also, it's a decrease in service, isn't it, really, at the end of the day?

[Josh]

Well, that's obviously why they're doing it, because they need less. But then even more important is I cannot stand. You know, you call up ahead of time, you give them your credit card. You see four people are coming for dinner, and then they charge your credit card ahead of time so that in case there's a no show. Okay. So I go into a restaurant the other day, right? A reservation for four people. So if someone got sick and there was three of us there, okay, they don't make triangle tables. So you have a square top, four people, four chairs. They charge my card for four people. Only those three people showed up. I said, well, did we cause any losses in revenue tonight? Was there an issue? No. Well, we charge you for four people, so I have an issue with that. I think the point is charge one fee if it's a no show for the party. I get it. You lost revenue, no problem.

[Ali Velshi]

Can I tell you something as we close up here? This is why we have fallback the top of the show. Some bigger things, but these are also things. These are critical things.

[Josh]

These are critical. This is what keeps me up at night.

[Ali Velshi]

They're legitimate gripes, let's put it. But they're part of the social fabric of any community and especially with the runaway stuff. I think you make fair points.

[Josh]

Thank you.

[Ali Velshi]

A reality star who says, first heal thyself.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Ali Velshi]

Thank you for being here, Josh.

[Josh]

Thank you for having me.

[Ali Velshi]

Appreciate it, Ron. In more than one segment. Thank you. We'll be back with one more thing, including how you can come meet Rachel and get a special inside look at what's happening in Texas where Democrats are surprisingly tied. I'll explain next. Hey, I've got the campaign brief ready. Built from last quarter's data and the competitive landscape.

[Molly Zhang]

Approved.

[Alex Wagner]

Oh, agents where you are, would we be without you?

[Ali Velshi]

Somewhere with a lot more tabs open.

[Alex Wagner]

Create your first Monday agent in [e-mail].

[Ali Velshi]

you better eat your Wheaties today because there's a lot of news to cover.

[Alex Wagner]

Money time for the business.

[Ali Velshi]

All eyes on the new Fed chair. The economic fallout from the war is a temporary power.

[Alex Wagner]

The president is now a major crypto industry operator. Is this White House for sale?

[Josh]

Politics.

[Ali Velshi]

Is there an energy to respond to this aggressive gerrymandering? It has never been more important to be informed and engaged.

[Sam Seder]

Engage money power politics with Stephanie rule

[Ali Velshi]

weekdays at 9am Eastern on Ms. Now. In these midterms, Democrats have even pulled even in Texas where James Tallarico is punching above his weight. He just spoke to Lawrence.

[Ron Insana]

Texans are drowning. And it's because for 50 years, puppet politicians like Ken Paxton have been rigging this economy in favor of their billionaire

[Ali Velshi]

mega donors at our expense.

[Ron Insana]

And I think that should end this November as Texans face this very important choice on November 3rd.

[Ali Velshi]

That's a look at Texas, where Lawrence is heading. Lawrence, Rachel and a bunch of us are coming to a big new Ms. Event in Texas. You can learn more by going to Ms. Now together. That's Ms. Now together. It's Saturday, September 26th, and you're looking at footage from one of our other events that's similar to this. You'll see Lawrence and Rachel, me and a bunch of our colleagues with you in person in Texas if you want to join us. Obviously, we'll be talking midterms and a lot more. Go to Ms. NOW Together. You can see everyone on the screen will be there. We will say hi to you. If you want a picture, you want an autograph, you want a midterm prediction, we'll all be there. So I encourage you to go right now to Ms. NOW Together to learn more and more meet up with us in Arlington, Texas. That's it for tonight. Now you can watch Ali five nights a week in prime time on Ms. Now, as he takes command of the 11th hour. The Justice Department is facing its own legal obstacles over this case. Putting today's stories in perspective. This one is perhaps one of the more interesting surprises. And tomorrow's headlines in focus.

[Ron Insana]

Economists are warning that American consumers are

[Ali Velshi]

soon going to feel the hurt. The 11th hour with Ali Velshi, weeknights at 11:00pm Eastern on Ms. Now.