Episode Overview

Podcast: The Briefing with Jen Psaki (MSNBC)
Episode: “An absolute gut punch”: Psaki BLASTS Trump on White House demolition as public pushback strengthens
Date: October 23, 2025
Theme:
Jen Psaki covers the week’s most pressing issues, centering the discussion on Donald Trump’s controversial demolition of the White House East Wing and broader patterns of authoritarian overreach within his administration. The episode features analysis, pointed commentary, and interviews with key figures such as Congressman Jamie Raskin and Senator Amy Klobuchar. The show also highlights grassroots and elected resistance to anti-democratic moves at both federal and local levels.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Senator Jeff Merkley’s Senate Protest Against Authoritarianism

[00:15–08:56]

• Jen Psaki spotlights Senator Jeff Merkley’s 22-hour and 37-minute filibuster to draw attention to democratic backsliding:

  “He didn't argue that we were at risk of sliding into authoritarianism… His message was that we are already there. Authoritarianism is here…” (Psaki, 01:37)

• Merkley, quoted by Psaki:

  "We're in the most perilous moment, the biggest threat to our republic since the Civil War. President Trump is shredding our Constitution." (Psaki quoting Merkley, 01:52)

• Psaki contextualizes Merkley's speech within a week marked by:
  • Trump seeking $230 million from the DOJ in taxpayer funds
  • Firing independent oversight figures
  • Further restricting Pentagon-Congress communications
  • An eighth extrajudicial strike at sea without due process
  • The sudden, unreviewed demolition of the White House East Wing:

    “...literally tearing apart the physical foundations of the executive branch, demolishing the historic East Wing of the White House…” (Psaki, 02:59)

• Psaki’s personal reaction to the demolition:

  “To me personally, this is an absolute gut punch, not just because of the history of the building... but because Donald Trump is only doing this because he is an insecure man, baby, who wants to build a gaudy new ballroom…” (Psaki, 03:32)

2. Nationwide & Local Acts of Resistance

[04:00–08:56]

• Pushback is mounting from both officials (like Governor Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Chris Mays) and everyday citizens.
  • Newsom deploys National Guard to food banks amid a federal shutdown.
  • Arizona AG sues Congress over seating of members.
  • Former Jack Smith deputies open a law firm to prosecute public corruption.
• Vivid examples of grassroots creativity:
  • Cyclists in Chicago helping tamale vendors evade ICE ([06:10])
  • Protest weddings outside Portland ICE facilities
  • Redistricting activism in Indiana, Missouri, and North Carolina
  • 7 million turn out for protests nationwide, including in deep-red communities
• Psaki’s message:

  “The only answer is to do something. To try anything, to try everything if you can.” (Psaki, 08:44)

3. Institutional and Legal Pushback—Interview with Rep. Jamie Raskin

[12:04–19:23]

• Jamie Raskin details Trump’s secretive, self-dealing DOJ compensation demand:

  "He files the administrative complaint, gets into office. Now, he appoints to the two Department of Justice positions people who were his own personal lawyers…" (Raskin, 12:21)

  • Suing for $230 million, including $75 million in punitive damages that are not allowed by law
  • Raskin draws a stark historical comparison:

    “What he's doing to the White House this week is what he's doing to the Constitution and the rule of law. It's an absolute bulldozer.” (Raskin, 13:36)

• Trump’s actions violate constitutional clauses—Raskin gives examples of analogous historical restraint (Lincoln returning elephant tusks gifted by foreign leaders).
• Fiscal grift and foreign gifts:

  "It's the authoritarians first for Donald Trump." (Raskin, 19:01)

4. Republican Deflections & Congressional Accountability—Sen. Amy Klobuchar

[20:39–29:51]

• Compilation of Republican evasions on Trump's DOJ compensation demand:
  • Speaker Mike Johnson, Senators dodging or downplaying, with Sen. Thom Tillis calling it “terrible optics.” (22:28–23:34)
• Interview with Senator Amy Klobuchar:

  "[Trump] is literally treating the Justice Department like his own law firm. And guess what? Some of the people there in high positions were his lawyers. It is like that wrecking ball that he took to the East Room. That horrible image of him destroying a historic building today, that's what he's doing to our justice system." (Klobuchar, 24:03)

• Discussion on the impact of Democratic resistance—Merkley’s filibuster, mass protests, and the importance of rural engagement.

  "Sometimes it's speeches on the floor or sometimes it's just going out there to, you know, farmlands, to red counties, to red states." (Klobuchar, 27:44)

5. The Escalating Fight Over Gerrymandering

[29:52–36:13]

• North Carolina Republicans admit outright that new maps are designed to secure GOP seats; similar efforts underway in Texas, Missouri, Indiana.
• Democrats counter with lawsuits, ballot initiatives, and activist campaigns:
  • Barack Obama’s direct intervention in support of Prop 50 in California, aiming to balance gerrymandering gains in Texas.

    "Part of what you're doing right now is not just helping to get Prop 50 passed. You're also helping to embolden and encourage people across the country..." (Obama via Psaki, 32:54)

  • Activism in Missouri to force a public vote on GOP-drawn maps.
  • Key Republican resistance in Indiana to Trump’s gerrymander campaign.
  • Maryland Governor Wes Moore on matching GOP moves with responsive action:

    “If all these states are gonna have conversations about do they have a fair map, so will Maryland.” (Moore via Psaki, 35:55)

6. Attacks on Press Freedom: The Pentagon Press Corps

[36:13–42:54]

• Pentagon reporters resign after being ordered to only report “authorized” details, replaced by pro-Trump outlets (like Lindell TV).
• Interview with Elise Labott (veteran foreign affairs journalist):

  “These are very pro maga, pro Trump friendly... they're introducing this new press corps that's going to have that traditional adversarial relationship with the national security agencies...” (Labott, 39:16)

  • Loss of press independence, accountability, and relationships fundamentally alters the reporting ecosystem.
  • Missteps and important stories may now go unreported.
• Psaki’s warning:

  “Their goal is to model the press corps here after the fawning state run media that follows guys like Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin around. And that should be chilling.” (Psaki, 38:22)

7. Key Quote Compilation & Additional Moments

Notable Quotes:

• Psaki, on the moment:

  “Business as usual is not going to work. Strongly worded letters are not going to work. This moment is going to take new and novel and creative forms of resistance.” (03:57)

• Raskin, on Trump’s DOJ demand:

  “Congress can't reduce his salary. Congress can't increase his salary. He can't take any other money.” (14:13)

• Klobuchar, on public pain:

  “While people's grocery bills are bleeding out, while they've got electricity bills that are way too high, while they can't even afford their health care premiums. And he goes, builds a ballroom, wrecks the East Room, and then distracts everyone.” (25:11)

• Obama (as quoted):

  “You're also helping to embolden and encourage people across the country who maybe have been a little discouraged, but know that Democracy is worth fighting for.” (32:54)

• Labott, on the new Pentagon press corps:

  “What are they going to be covering? They're going to be covering, you know what Pete Hegseth was like, clean shaven and well looked fit. I just don't know that they're introducing this new press corps that's going to have that traditional adversarial relationship with the national security agencies.” (39:23)

• Psaki, on tactics:

  “The only answer is to do something. To try anything, to try everything if you can.” (08:44)

8. Broader Takeaways & Calls to Action

• Trump’s dismantling of institutional norms (from the White House to press freedom) is presented as both symptom and accelerant of entrenched authoritarianism.
• The only successful response is collective, creative, and persistent resistance—at every level, from local activism to Congressional leadership.
• The show champions everyday civic engagement and exposes the dangers of inaction.

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Senator Merkley’s Filibuster & Authoritarianism Now: 00:15–04:00
• Examples of Resistance (Elected & Grassroots): 04:00–08:56
• Interview: Rep. Jamie Raskin—DOJ Shakedown & Constitutional Crisis: 12:04–19:23
• Republican Deflections / Interview: Senator Amy Klobuchar: 20:39–29:51
• Redistricting/Gerrymandering Fights—Obama’s Intervention: 29:52–36:13
• Press Freedom Under Attack—Interview with Elise Labott: 36:13–42:54
• Preview: Blueprint Podcast with Gov. Andy Beshear: 43:29–43:57

Memorable Moments

• Personal and National Grief over the White House demolition
• Comparison to Marie Antoinette and historical analogies (Lincoln's tusks)
• Irony in Republican officials pretending ignorance about major Trump scandals
• Examples of everyday, out-of-the-box resistance (tamale vendor brigade, protest wedding)
• Obama personally intervening in the gerrymander fight, stressing hope
• Chilling preview of a compliant state-run media at the Pentagon

Episode Tone

• Passionate, sarcastic, urgent—Psaki’s style is both pointed and accessible, often using wit to cut through political obfuscation.
• The interviews are substantive, occasionally humorous, and leverage historical context for current events.
• The mood swings between frustration, outrage, and the galvanizing hope of ordinary people making a difference.

For Listeners Who Missed It

This episode provides a sharp, in-depth look at how what once seemed unthinkable—autocratic abuses of power, disregard for constitutional norms, and open press manipulation—is now a present reality, and highlights the ingenuity and resilience of those fighting back. From the Senate floor to neighborhood street corners, the message: Resistance, in all its forms, is both needed and possible.