Frost: Republicans short on votes for Trump budget bill as Democrats raise public alarm

Summary

Episode Summary: "Frost: Republicans Short on Votes for Trump Budget Bill as Democrats Raise Public Alarm"

Release Date: July 2, 2025
Podcast: The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Host: Jen Psaki, MSNBC

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1. Passage of the Trump Budget Bill: Context and Reactions

The episode opens with an in-depth analysis of the recent Senate vote on President Donald Trump's highly contentious budget bill. The host draws parallels to the passage of the Affordable Care Act, highlighting the dramatic differences in the administration's approach to celebrating legislative victories.

Narrator [00:45]: "In a normal administration... you kind of have to wonder if and when Donald Trump's big ugly bill passes the House and reaches his desk, will there be hugs and high fives?"

2. Trump's Response: Lack of Celebration and Focus on Immigration

Contrary to traditional reactions, President Trump did not celebrate the bill's passage. Instead, he diverted attention to his immigration policies, specifically his controversial "Alligator Alcatraz" detention centers.

Narrator [03:22]: "When Trump finally got to Florida, he took several questions, lots of questions from right-wing reporters, not about his signature legislation, but about which Democratic officials he'd like to throw in jail."

Donald Trump [03:46]: "Look, we don't need a communist in this country."

3. Republican Legislation and Internal Divisions

The bill's passage revealed fractures within the Republican Party. Notably, Senators J.D. Vance and Lisa Murkowski cast opposing votes, signaling dissent among Republicans regarding the bill's provisions.

Senator J.D. Vance [06:40]: "We can't be cutting health care for working people and for poor people in order to constantly give special tax treatment to corporations and other entities."

Senator Lisa Murkowski [07:11]: "Do I like this bill? No."

4. Democratic Opposition: Strategies and Public Mobilization

Democrats are actively strategizing to oppose the bill, emphasizing its detrimental impact on millions of Americans. Congressman Maxwell Frost outlines the Democratic approach, which includes delaying tactics and public awareness campaigns.

Maxwell Frost [14:40]: "There's about 20 Republicans that as of now, making only those three. They can only lose three, four. And it's done."

Maxwell Frost [16:24]: "We have to kill the bill, start from scratch again, and work on a bipartisan solution."

5. Impact on Health Care and Vulnerable Populations

The bill poses significant threats to the American healthcare system, with millions potentially losing their health insurance and rural hospitals facing closures. The discussion underscores the human cost of the legislation.

Narrator [18:24]: "Vice President Vance posted this today. The minutiae of the Medicaid policy is immaterial compared to the ICE money and immigration enforcement provisions."

Maxwell Frost [19:08]: "This is kidnapping. And then they traffic people to other countries..."

6. Election Implications: Potential Fallout for Republicans

The episode highlights the precarious position of Republicans supporting the bill, anticipating backlash in upcoming midterm elections. The unpopularity of the bill among constituents may lead to electoral losses for endorsing Republicans.

Maxwell Frost [27:26]: "We have to inform people because the polling shows that the people who know about the bill hate it. But in one recent poll... only 8% can name Medicaid cuts."

7. Interviews with Key Figures

a. Congressman Maxwell Frost

Maxwell Frost provides firsthand insights into the Democratic strategy to combat the bill, emphasizing constituent outreach and legislative amendments.

Maxwell Frost [16:47]: "We have work to do to inform people before the vote and after the vote."

b. Activists Ezra Levin and Dan Pfeiffer

Ezra Levin and Dan Pfeiffer discuss grassroots activism and political strategies to challenge vulnerable Republicans.

Ezra Levin [25:02]: "If you're doom scrolling, stop doom scrolling... call your member of Congress and let them know that you're watching..."

8. Secondary Discussions: Trump vs. Elon Musk and Data Security Concerns

The episode shifts focus to the ongoing feud between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, highlighting concerns over government data access and potential misuse.

Donald Trump [33:04]: "We might have to put Doge on Elon... Doge is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon."

The narrative delves into how Musk’s company Doge and Palantir are intertwined with government data and the implications for privacy and political maneuvering.

Narrator [34:15]: "Palantir has received $113 million in government spending since Trump took office... The fate of your personal data... could depend on how things shake out between three billionaires..."

9. Special Guest: Colin Allred's Senate Campaign Announcement

Former Congressman Colin Allred announces his Senate campaign amidst the turmoil caused by the passage of the Trump budget bill, positioning himself as a defender of Texans against harmful legislation.

Colin Allred [36:44]: "This bill is a disaster... We need somebody who's going to stand up for us."

Colin Allred [37:25]: "It's going to make life more expensive for Texans... I know what this is going to mean for average families."

10. Conclusion

The episode wraps up by reiterating the high stakes of the budget bill's passage, emphasizing the potential political repercussions for the Republican Party and the urgent need for Democratic mobilization to protect vulnerable populations.

Narrator [29:55]: "There are Senate seats, particularly rural states like Nebraska and Iowa... that could be in play if we can win the messaging argument on this."

Jen Psaki: "Thank you so much for joining me the day you announced. We appreciate it."

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Key Takeaways

• Legislative Fallout: The passage of Trump's budget bill without bipartisan support signifies deep divisions within the Republican Party.

• Democratic Response: Democrats are employing strategic delays and public awareness campaigns to prevent the bill's passage in the House and mitigate its impacts.

• Voter Impact: The bill threatens to strip healthcare and food assistance from millions, potentially catalyzing voter dissatisfaction against supporting Republicans.

• Election Dynamics: Vulnerable Republicans may face significant challenges in upcoming elections due to the bill's unpopularity.

• Data Security Concerns: The Trump-Musk feud underscores the broader implications of government access to private sector data and its potential misuse.

Notable Quotes with Attribution

• Glennon Doyle [07:23]: "I know that in many parts of the country, there are Americans that are not going to be advantaged by this bill."

• Senator Joni Ernst [08:48]: "People are not dying."

• Maxwell Frost [19:08]: "Mass agents literally pull people off the streets... and just snatching people up and they forever disappear."

• Colin Allred [38:52]: "This is something that's going to raise our energy costs at a time when everybody's talking about affordability and the cost of living."

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This episode of "The Briefing with Jen Psaki" offers a comprehensive examination of the political and human ramifications of the Trump administration's budget bill, highlighting the contentious nature of its passage and the subsequent strategies employed by both parties. Through expert interviews and incisive commentary, listeners gain a nuanced understanding of the current political landscape and its potential trajectory leading into the midterm elections.

Transcript

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[Unknown Speaker]

You what it is supposed to look like on the day a president of the United States sees their signature legislation pass through one House of Congress. So that was the scene in the Roosevelt Room in the White House the day that the Affordable Care act finally passed the House. It's probably very familiar to everybody watching everyone in that room nervously watching the screen, really quiet, waiting for that final vote to come in. Then everyone erupts and cheers, the president hugs the vice president, high fives all around. And all of that is what passing major legislation you're really proud of looks like. In a normal administration, you kind of have to wonder if and when Donald Trump's big ugly bill passes the House and reaches his desk, will there be hugs and high fives? Will they celebrate like the Obama team did on that day in 2010? Will they put out a video of it? I raised that question because if what Donald Trump did today is any sort of a guide, it seems like he'd rather be talking about pretty much anything else. I mean, today, after the Senate voted to rip healthcare away from millions of Americans, Trump departed D.C. for a different kind of swamp of sorts of his new Florida tent prison for immigrants, the one he calls Alligator Alcatraz and is literally selling merchandise around as well, which is gross. He spent the day touring cages in a makeshift tent instead of focusing on the only major legislation he has put forward in his second term, the signature legislation that his biggest supporters in Congress claim is basically his legacy. And it wasn't like he didn't have any opportunities to talk about the big ugly bill along the way. I mean, every chance he got, every chance he stopped to talk to reporters, but he was always focused on something else. Like when he departed from Florida and casually mused, just casually, to a tabloid journalist about deporting and bankrupting his biggest campaign donor. Are you gonna deport going on?

[Donald Trump]

I don't know, I mean, we'll have to take a look. We might have to put Doge on Elon, you know. You know, Doge is. Doge is the mind that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn't that be terrible?

[Unknown Speaker]

Wouldn't that be terrible? It's quite a visual. I mean, I guess at least Trump's admitting that Doge is a monster. That's one takeaway from that. But didn't stop there. When Trump finally got to Florida, he took several questions, lots of questions from right wing reporters, not about his signature legislation, but about which Democratic officials he'd like to throw in jail.

[J.D. Vance]

Your message to Communist Zorhan Mandami.

[Donald Trump]

Well, then we'll have to arrest him. Look, we don't need a communist in this country.

[Maxwell Frost]

Former DHS Secretary Mayorkas. Why hasn't he been arrested yet?

[Donald Trump]

Well, I take a look at that one because what he did is. It's beyond incompetence. So take a look at it. It's a very good question, actually. Thank you.

[Unknown Speaker]

What overwhelmingly unbiased questions from that press corps, I just have to note. But it was like that all day. Now, Trump did actually address the big ugly bill when he was asked directly about it, but it's very clear he wanted to talk about pretty much anything else when given the chance. I mean, he talked about how alligators make good cops because you don't have to pay them, obviously. He talked about deporting U.S. citizens. He complained about the chairman of the Federal Reserve. Again, he rambled on about basically everything but his big ugly bill. Even the proverbial kitchen sink.

[Donald Trump]

The other night. You buy a house, they have a faucet in the house, Joe. And the faucet. The water doesn't come out. You have a shower head. The shower doesn't. The shower doesn't. You think it's not working. It is working. You have to stand in the shower for 20 minutes before you get the soap out of your hair. When you wash your hands, you turn on the faucet. No water comes out. Your washing water barely comes out. And washing machines, washing machine. They give you like a quarter of this bottle to do your clothing. The dishwashers, that was the other one. They give you like this much water right up to there. It sounds crazy. It's little things. The straw. I was tired of having straws melt in my mouth. You know.

[Unknown Speaker]

The old water pressure and straw obsessions. Age old ones. He likes to go back to them. I mean. But there's a reason Trump spent the day complaining about Water pressure and straws and whatever else he was talking about not having to pay alligators, it's because he didn't want to talk about celebrating the passage of his big, ugly bill in the Senate. When the Obama administration passed the Affordable Care act, we were celebrating the fact that tens of millions of people would have access to health care after a very long, hard fought fight to get that done. We were giving people something they needed. That was the reason. That's why Barack Obama wanted to be president. In part, that's why a lot of people wanted to work there. We were giving people something that they didn't have before. But Trump and his allies in Congress aren't giving people something they need. They're taking it away. I mean, they're taking away health care from 11 million people. They're taking away food assistance from millions of needy Americans. They're taking away clean energy subsidies that support real jobs and lower people's energy bills. Obviously, that isn't something to celebrate. Does nothing good. Nothing at all. And on some level, I guess some Republicans seem to realize that, even if it's just the politics of it, I mean, Republican Senator Josh Hawley voted for this bill today, even after he described it like this just three days ago.

[J.D. Vance]

We can't be cutting health care for working people and for poor people in order to constantly give special tax treatment to corporations and other entities.

[Unknown Speaker]

I mean, that guy voted for the bill. Again, that requires more time to even discuss. But he's not only the only one. I mean, Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski also voted for the bill today, as you all know. Turns out she's not John McCain. And here's what she had to say about it.

[Lisa Murkowski]

Do I like this bill?

[Glennon Doyle]

No.

[Lisa Murkowski]

I know that in many parts of the country, there are Americans that are not going to be advantaged by this bill.

[Unknown Speaker]

Can you talk about your thought process.

[Glennon Doyle]

In deciding to vote for this bill?

[Lisa Murkowski]

Agonizing. My hope is that the House is going to look at this and recognize that we're not there yet. And I would hope that we would be able to actually do what we used to do around here, which is work back and forth between the two bodies to get a measure that's going to be better.

[Unknown Speaker]

I mean, what. It's maddening. You are not powerless, Senator. You are the deciding vote in the Senate. And your answer is that you are counting on the House to make it better. I mean, the House that is either run by Trump's little buddy Mike Johnson or Marjorie Taylor Greene, or someone else like that, depending on the day. Good luck with that. That's not happening. And then there are those who have just decided, what the hell, I'm going to just publicly embrace the cruelty. Mitch McConnell reportedly told his colleagues that people who lose their health care will get over it. And just as a note, that guy. And we spoke to the governor of that state last night. Mitch McConnell represents a state where 200,000 people will have to get over it, I guess, when they lose their health care. And, of course, who could forget Republican Senator Joni Ernst, who responded to constituents who were concerned about losing health care with this.

[Maxwell Frost]

People are not dying.

[Unknown Speaker]

Well, we all are going to die. For heaven sakes, folks, that doesn't get weirder the more you watch it. But that statement she just made was, until today, probably the most callous thing any Republican has said in defense of this bill. But Today, Vice President J.D. vance managed to outdo her somehow. And what I think might be the most telling defense of this bill yet in a tweet, which I just have to note means this wasn't a verbal slip. After not getting enough sleep, he wasn't caught by a reporter in the hallway. He actively wrote this out and then posted the CBO score. The proper baseline. The minutiae of the Medicaid policy is immaterial compared to the ICE money and immigration enforcement provisions. Immaterial. That's what he's talking about, Medicaid cuts. In other words, what he's saying there is that the 11 million people who will be kicked off their insurance and the hundreds of rural hospitals that could close, that's trivial to J.D. vance, it's minutia, and we'll all be worth it when this bill pours hundreds of billions of dollars into pulling people off the streets, putting them in overcrowded facilities, and disappearing them out of the country, all in the name of Trump's cruel immigration policy. That's basically what the vice President of the United States tweeted. And I think that is telling for a lot of reasons. I mean, consider this moment from the presidential campaign when a voter in Wisconsin asked J.D. vance about his plans to increase access to health care in rural areas.

[J.D. Vance]

What concrete plans would your administration have to protect rural health care access?

[Josh Hawley]

So there are a couple things here. So, first of all, this goes back to the immigration issue. Now, you might not think that rural health care access is an immigration issue. I guarantee it is an immigration issue because we're bankrupting, bankrupting a lot of hospitals by forcing these hospitals to provide care for people who don't have the legal right to be in our country. We've got to stop that, kick these illegal aliens out, focus on American citizens, and we will do a lot to make the business of rural healthcare much more affordable.

[Unknown Speaker]

First of all, what JD Vance just said there about immigrants burdening rural hospitals and forcing them to close is flat out wrong. And many fact checkers pointed that out at the time. But let's just pretend for a second that it was true, because I have a point here, I promise. J.D. vance's argument is that Trump's cruel mass deportation agenda would be carried out in service of keeping rural hospitals open. That's his argument of making sure Americans had access to health care. But today he basically says the opposite. He says that actually rural hospitals have to close and people have to go without health care in service of carrying out Trump's cruel mass deportations. That's his point. See, the cruelty isn't just the point, it's the priority. It doesn't matter how many American citizens and Trump voters wind up as collateral damage, and millions will. And that is why Trump spent the day at a swamp prison for immigrants instead of celebrating the Senate's passage of this bill. The senators who voted this bill know it's just another part of Trump's cruel and callous disregard for people living in this country. And they've voted for it anyway, too. But tomorrow, this bill heads back to the House, where every single person who votes for it will have to face voters in next year's midterms. And Democrats are doing everything in their power to keep the public safe. Tension on this bill, who it will hurt and how it will hurt them. One of those Democrats, Congressman Maxwell Frost, joins me here at the table in just 90 seconds.

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[Unknown Speaker]

As promised. Joining me now is Democratic Congressman Maxwell Frost of Florida. Okay, Congressman, you always give it to me straight. So this bill passed the Senate. I woke up this morning, like many people, and I looked at my phone to just see if it had passed or not. Lisa Murkowski. I've already said this is not John McCain. We learned that goes through the House. What is happening behind the scenes? I'm sure there are efforts to have conversations with Republicans who are on the line for a range of reasons. Why? What do those look like? What should people know about what's going on?

[Maxwell Frost]

Okay, so what's happening right now is, number one, there are members in planes, in cars, figuring out ways to get over here. The weather's not cooperating. And so a lot of people, they're doing anything they can. I've heard about members are renting cars, they're gonna be driving throughout the night. Make sure they're here by 9am when this vote could potentially come up. The other thing is, we're hearing that there's about 20 Republicans. Could be a little bit more. 20 Republicans that as of now, making only those three. They can only they can lose three, four. And it's done.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Maxwell Frost]

And Massey's already one of them.

[Unknown Speaker]

Yeah.

[Maxwell Frost]

So there's three more to go. We hear just about roughly, give or take, 20 Republicans who, as of this moment, are a. No. Now, we gotta be honest, all the time, the moderates on the Republican side always fold. They put up a little fight, so that way they have some footage that they can put behind their ads during election time, and then they fold right away. The far right kind of Freedom Caucus folks, most of the time they fold. Sometimes they stick to it. So we'll see. Right now, we're having conversations with a lot of them behind the scenes. But one of the most important conversations, the most impactful ones, are actually constituents and the people reaching out. And that's why the big strategy right now is delay, delay, delay. Every minute we keep this bill from passing, it becomes even more unpopular. And every minute we keep it from passing, that means there's more people going to the district offices, calling the office in D.C. sending letters, protesting, reaching on social media. More times that their own family members, maybe their uncle or their cousin or their friend that they knew before, sends them a text and said, you're not gonna vote on this, are you? And when that compiles, we get to the point where hopefully many of these members will stick to it and vote no and that's our goal. There's no making the bill better. It's a horrible bill. We have to kill the bill, start from scratch again, and work on a bipartisan solution. And so part of what Democrats are doing is we've introduced almost 500amendments. People might be asking, what's an amendment do if it doesn't get in at the end? Each one gives us five minutes to debate. And so what you'll see is probably a delay tactic. It's a delay tactic. Actually, right after this, I'm gonna go right back to the Hill and get my butt in line to go debate for five minutes so that way we can delay it, delay it, delay it again so people can continuously, in the public, know what's going on here.

[Unknown Speaker]

And part of what's important now, and you touched on this, is people understanding what's in the bill and what the driving force is behind the bill I just mentioned. And I just can't get over this, so I'm just gonna read it again. Vice President Vance posted this today. The minutiae of the Medicaid policy is immaterial compared to the ICE money and immigration enforcement provisions. I have so many thoughts about this, but I've already shared them.

[Maxwell Frost]

Yeah.

[Unknown Speaker]

What are your thoughts about that?

[Maxwell Frost]

Yeah. This isn't a slip of a tongue, right? No, he posted it. He posted it and hasn't been deleted. Like, he believes that. He's talking about the minutia of Medicaid. 17 million people losing their health insurance, rural hospitals closing down. That clip you posted earlier, when he was asked about the healthcare system, even the way he answered the question, what's the first thing he said? He brought up the business of rural health care. He didn't bring up making sure humans in rural America are healthy. The business, and that's the thing, is it's all a business. It's all making money to these guys. And it's not a new thing. The report, the Republican Party has been about this for generations. They have someone in Donald Trump now who's a billionaire himself, who wants to do it to such a degree that where people will die. Hakeem Jeffries just said this on a call I got off. He said, if this passes, the floor of the House will become a crime scene. And I fully agree with that characterization. It's murder. It's killing people. We're gonna see people with disabilities. I mean, there's someone named J.J. holmes, who's a young guy with a disability in Orlando, Florida. He lives with his mom. He's an Advoc. He's an organizer. Medicaid is the reason he's able to stay home. And he wrote a really touching letter to members of Congress saying if I lose my benefits, I will be institutionalized. I literally won't be able to be with my mother, with my family like I deserve to be. We know that the health care system in this country is not great. As of right now, we have a lot to do. I believe in universal healthcare, single payer system, but they want to make it even worse by ripping away health care from 17 million of our people. And to J.D. vance, that's just minutia.

[Unknown Speaker]

It's really. I can hear and see and people can probably see it watching the emotion in your voice. And every person I've talked to who's opposed to this bill is projecting that same thing right now. The horror of it. I wanted to talk about a piece of this that there's a lot that hasn't gotten enough attention. And part to me is this $170 billion in immigration enforcement. It includes $45 billion for building new detention centers. Nearly $30 billion goes to ICE. This is at a time where we are watching and some of the most horrible stories are in Florida. Mass agents literally pull people off the streets, separate them from their families. I just want to put into perspective for people because I know you've thought of this, how large that amount of money is and what kind of damage that could do as well.

[Maxwell Frost]

Yeah, I mean, the chaos people are seeing online when they see these masked agents pull up in an unmarked vehicle in broad daylight or in the middle of the night, going to elementary schools, to churches, to work sites, to Home Depot, wherever, and just snatching people up and they forever disappear. They want the resources to take that and export it to every community in the country and take that chaos and put it everywhere. And I don't like to mince my words about it because it's not even mass deportation. Deportation, it's a legal process. Could take a few months, it could take a year. This is kidnapping. And then they traffic people to other countries, countries they might not have even come from in the first place. The majority of folks who have been here over 10 years, taxpayers, Americans, our neighbors, our friends, our family. And we see what's going on. Even the state of Florida, many people have died already in the custody of ice. And so. And then we have this whole alligator Alcatraz situation where they're putting up what's essentially an internment camp in the middle of the Everglades in the Hot Florida sun as we're going into hurricane season. And they're using the Florida Office of Emergency Management to run the whole thing. The people who are supposed to help keep us safe when a hurricane comes, I mean, it's all for politics. There's human rights abuses, and then it's horrible for the environment as well. And so people should, no matter what your opinion is on immigration. Look, I think we all know we have laws. We want our laws enforced. Of course we want to make sure we have an orderly process at the border. I mean, I feel like everyone wants that, but nobody wants this mass human trafficking, chaotic campaign in our communities where we literally have immigrants and people who have been Here again over 10 years of their life. Our neighbors fearing for their lives, not even sending their kids to school. You know, I went to El Salvador for the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case. The reason I went there is because I had people in my community coming up to me and saying, he represents me. He represents my family. I'm proud. I'm the son of an immigrant. My mom came here from Cuba in the late 1960s as a refugee. If Donald Trump had been president when she came here with literally nothing and she just retired as a public school educator of 37 years, she wouldn't. Maxwell Frost wouldn't be here. Maxwell Frost wouldn't be here. And it's not about a model immigrant thing where maybe your son will become a congressman. These are humans. And people are waking up across the country. I'm going to super red districts where people might assume people agree with this. People don't agree with this. They don't want this chaotic, horrible, inhumane campaign in their community.

[Unknown Speaker]

Congressman Maxwell Frost, you have so much passion. I'm so grateful you could be here. And also it tells everybody something that you are going back to the Hill now. That's what's happening. People should know about people like you are delaying the vote. And that is an important part of this process as well. Thank you again for being here.

[Maxwell Frost]

Thank you. Appreciate it.

[Unknown Speaker]

Coming up right now, activists are trying to apply pressure on House members to stop this bill. We've just been talking about this. It's such an important part of this. And Democratic strategists are plotting about how to make sure every Republican who votes for it loses in November of next year. Ezra Levin is the co founder of Indivisible and he's focused on the activism. Dan Pfeiffer is the former communications director for Barack Obama. He's focused on the politics. They are two of My favorite people to talk to at a time like this and most times too. And they join me next.

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[Unknown Speaker]

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[Unknown Speaker]

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[Unknown Speaker]

Congressman Maxwell Frost just told us he's hearing up to 20 Republicans. Maybe it's more could vote against Donald Trump. In terms of the targets, could, could vote against Trump's big ugly bill. The question is, will they cave? Even though it's the most unpopular bill in decades, will House Republicans proudly vote yes for a bill that would cause nearly 12 million Americans to lose their health insurance and food assistance? At this point, it seems possible, but who knows? And a lot can happen between now and the final vote, which is so important to remember. And right now, Democrats are doing everything they can to make sure Americans know how bad this bill actually is. I just spoke with Congressman Frost about how he's going back to the Hill to also propose amendments. So that's happening on the floor, too. Over the weekend, Senate Democrats forced a reading of the entire bill on the Senate floor. And today House Democrats are continuing that effort, reading the whole bill, nearly 1,000 pages of it, which you might remember some House Republicans admitted they did not do before voting yes the first time around. There you are, Marjorie Taylor Greene, looking at you, you're one of them. So Republicans can't hide behind that excuse anymore. And frankly, they won't be able to hide from the American people next year when the midterms will roll around and vulnerable Republicans like say the ones you see here on your screen, face reelection in hotly contested districts that will likely feel the impact of Trump's big ugly bill should it pass. Joining me now, the co founder and co executive director of Indivisible, Ezra Levin and former senior adviser to President Obama and co host of Pod Save America, Dan Fer. Okay, Ezra, first of all, there is time before the House votes. I mentioned Congressman Frost said there's about 20. You may have more than 20. I mean, the point is different groups are targeting different people. What for people who are sitting at home right now, they're hearing that there are votes that could start tomorrow. It's 9, 29. What should they be doing?

[Ezra Levin]

They should get in touch with Their member of Congress, Jen, they need to get in touch with their member of Congress. I think for a lot of folks, they might think, oh, I've never. I'm not a policy expert. I'm not a Medicaid expert. I'm not a tax expert. They don't want to hear from me. No, this is the time. If you've got a Democratic member of the House, give them a call. Thank them for fighting back. Ask them to fight back as hard as they can. If you've got a Republican, lucky you. In this moment, your Republican representative could be the deciding vote. As we heard from Maxwell Frost, he's got 20. We've got about 26 Republican targets. We need four of them. We just need four. And this is not a done deal. So I would highly, highly encourage folks, if you're doom scrolling, stop doom scrolling. Don't sign an online petition. Don't sign up for a newsletter spin tomorrow to call a member of Congress and let them know that you're watching and you would like them to vote in their interests.

[Unknown Speaker]

I love the specificity of that direction. Like don't sign up for text messages. We'll tell you what's happening. Okay, Dan, let me ask you. I mean, there's time before this bill. There's time, as Ezra just made the point of people should note that they can right now while they're watching us, call their member, of course, Congress, write to them whatever they want to do. But you've made a career before pod Save America, even now, of advising people and challengers specifically who may want to take on these vulnerable Republicans. You can't just make the plan when the bill passes. So if this bill passes in the coming days, what should these challengers who want to take these Republicans on, what should they be doing and saying, Well.

[J.D. Vance]

I think before we get to what happens afterwards, Ezra's 100% right. There is time to kill this bill. This bill started out unpopular. It's aging like milk on a hot summer day. It is 10 points less popular Republicans in polling than it was. I know, it's a very evocative metaphor. I apologize. But it's 10 points less popular Republicans than it was six days ago. And this is all about telling people the specific whether it's between now and the vote or God forbid, this monstrosity passes after the vote. It's about informing people about what's in the bill. And the very simple proposition, the Republicans want to take health care and food away from poor and working class people, to give more tax cuts to Billionaires. It's that simple. That is a non starter in American politics. It infuriates everyone. It's an unpopular proposition with everyone. We have to inform people because the polling shows that the people who know about the bill hate it. But in one recent poll done by Priorities USA Democratic Super PAC, 50% of people had heard very little about it and only 8% can name Medicaid cuts as well in the provision. So we have work to do to inform people before the vote and after the vote.

[Unknown Speaker]

No question about it. And that's a very simple message. One I hope people wrote that down out there. We will repeat it out there. Let me ask you, I mean some of this is also it's planning ahead too. There's two stages, right? There's stage one which is killing the bill and then there's like planning for even with the Senate how to approach this moving forward. I mean Thom Tillis just announced he's not going to run for reelection because of this bill. That really puts that in place especially for a Cooper to decides to jump in the race. Do you think it's a tough map for the Senate but for Democrats, do you think this bill could change that those dynamics?

[Ezra Levin]

Jen, there's not a state in this country where a majority of the population supports this bill or even just about any provision of this bill. You look at congressional district level cutting. Medicaid has at most a 15% approval. 15% approval. We're talking Marjorie Taylor Greene's district, we're talking Lauren Boebert's district. Forget about North Carolina or Georgia or Maine or Alaska, Alaska or Iowa. It's deeply, deeply unpopular. I don't know if Republicans have really thought through the tsunami that is going to come at them if they vote for this bill. We're not just going to be cutting Medicaid and snap. We're not just going to be cutting taxes for billionaires and corporations. We're also going to be funding ICE at a level of the Russian military and sending mass deportation forces throughout the country. They want to replicate what they've been doing in la, in Austin, in Seattle, in New York, in Chicago. They don't have the money yet to do it, but they're getting the money in this bill and that is also deeply unpopular. People are going to vote on that and I think places that are currently seen as out of reach for Democrats are suddenly going to be looking very favorable.

[Unknown Speaker]

What do you think Dan, you agree?

[J.D. Vance]

I do 100% agree. I think this no legislative body in the history of this country Maybe the world has ever passed a bill this unpopular. It answers no problem, anyone's asking. It addresses everything that people don't want to do. It makes all of our problems worse. And so if we do our job as Democrats, both not just elected Democrats and leadership, but average everyday voters and organizers and we inform people what's in this bill. There are a whole bunch of districts that are not in play right now that will be in play afterwards. There are Senate seats, particularly rural states like Nebraska in Iowa that are filled with the rural hospitals that will shut down and Medicaid patients who will lose access to their health care. That could be in play if we can win the messaging argument on this. So I think this, this could be a political earthquake if we play our cards correct.

[Unknown Speaker]

Let me ask you, while I have you here, you're a very student political expert. The ranked choice results for the New York May rural race came in and to just today and Mamdani defeated Cuomo by 12 points, which is pretty sizable. There's a lot of reading into what this means. What does it mean and what does it not mean? What should people read into it and what should people not read into it?

[Ezra Levin]

Look, I think what people should read are underestimating.

[Unknown Speaker]

Oh, wait, hold on. Each go. Each go. Because you're also going to say something smart. Ezra, you go first then Dan.

[Ezra Levin]

The distance between rank and file Democrats and the Democratic establishment is vast right now. I think mom Dimen tops tapped into something quite real which is people want new leadership in this moment. What I would like to see from Democrats looking at this result is to learn from this campaign and to rally around the primary winner here because there are going to be a lot of primary challenges all over the country this year or headed into next year. And if Democrats can't rally around Mamdani, I think it's going to be a mess for them going into 2026 on.

[Unknown Speaker]

Some of the failure to rally a little bit odd. I understand the reasoning, but it's odd and not good. Dan, what about you? What do you think people should take from it? What shouldn't they?

[J.D. Vance]

That there is huge energy for someone who is an outsider in American politics. We judge this and everyone's thinking about this race in terms of left and right. He's a Democratic socialist, he's to the left. He had a very popular and populous agenda. But the lesson for everyone, whether you're in a blue district like New York City or the reddest district in America, is that people are looking for someone who will take on A corrupt, broken political system that benefits, benefits the rich and politically connected. Mandani did that campaign exactly right. That's why he's won. And no matter where you're running, you can follow that model and have a real chance of success.

[Unknown Speaker]

Ezra Levin, Dan Pfeiffer, I could talk to you for the whole show. We have to get to more news, but I appreciate you both joining me. Thank you so much. Coming up, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are back in open warfare of sorts and beneath their very toxic breakup. Continuing toxic breakup is a bigger issue that warrants more attention in my view. So we're going to talk about it when we come back. So we had a short lived break from the elementary school feud between Elon Musk and and Donald Trump. Short one, but all it took was a big ugly bill to bring it right back. Musk kicked it off with a new round of attacks, saying the bill is insane, calling it debt slavery, and saying supporters of government spending are the porky pig party creative in all caps. Now, this is not the kind of thing a president should spend much time caring about, obviously, but Donald Trump can never resist a petty feud. So he threatened Musk with the agency Musk helped create, saying Doge is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. He suggested that Doge take a good hard look at the subsidies and contracts Musk receives. And of course, he left the door open to deporting him.

[Donald Trump]

I don't know. I think we'll have to take a look.

[Unknown Speaker]

Fun thought. Sure. Still 100% illegal, even if you're the president. Musk responded to Trump's threat on X saying so tempting to escalate this, but I will refrain for now. Well, big reason why Elon Musk can refrain is because he may already have gotten what he wants. I mean, remember it was Elon Musk and Doge who effectively plundered the government's personal data on millions of Americans, pushing their way into agencies like Social Security and the IRS to get that sensitive information. As the Washington Post reports, Doge has secured powers Inside at least 6, 7 agencies to view data of private sector companies that could help Musk's businesses for years to come. If the data was misused, it would be pretty valuable to a guy like Musk. But we do know that data is already benefiting another South African born billionaire. You've probably heard the name Peter Thiel. He was an early backer and mentor to Vice President J.D. vance. He's also the founder of Palantir, a company that sells software, including AI, that companies or agencies can use to analyze data. Well, you should also know that several Palantir employees have worked under Musk at doge. And as the Trump administration tried to follow through on efforts to create a registry of Americans and their citizenship status, it's Palantir that has reaped the benefits. The New York Times reported in May that Palantir has received $113 million in government spending since Trump took office. That didn't even count a contract they just signed for nearly $800 million. The Times also writes that the Trump administration has already sought access to hundreds of data points on citizens and others through government databases, including their bank account numbers, the amount of their student debt, their medical claims, and any disability status. Mr. Trump could potentially use such information to advance his political agenda by policing immigrants and punishing critics. That's all from the Times. And, yes, that's true. So the fate of your personal data, the data that you've entrusted to the federal government for years, could depend on how things shake out between three billionaires with massive egos who may or may not be on speaking terms. And that, at least in my view, deserves at least as much attention as a social media spat. Even as fun as it is coming up, is it a coincidence that Colin Allred launched his campaign for Senate on the same day the Senate passed Donald Trump's big, ugly bill? I'll ask him when we come back. Donald Trump's big, ugly bill may have passed the Senate today, but not without a whole lot of collateral damage to the Republican Party. Open warfare has again broken out between Donald Trump and Elon Musk. With Musk the threatening to back primary challenges against Republicans who supported the bill, Republican Senator Thom Tillis announced he would retire rather than vote for it, leaving his seat in North Carolina wide open in 2026. And that is definitely not the only one in jeopardy. Vulnerable Republicans across the country are now in the difficult position of having to defend the biggest cut to Medicaid in history. Like in Texas, where just today former Democratic Congressman Colin Allred launched a Senate campaign against incumbent Republican John Quinn. And joining me now is former Congressman Colin Allred of Texas. It's great to see you. Let me first start by asking you, I mean, is it a coincidence that you launched your campaign the same day that the Senate, with the support of Senator Cornyn, passed the big ugly bill? Is that a coincidence?

[Colin Allred]

Well, thanks, Jim. Thank you for having me on. It's just a coincidence. I could not have known that they were going to do Something I think this harmful to Texans today. But I think this is just another example of insiders rigging the game for their friends, and Texas families are paying the price. Listen, let's be very clear. This is going to make life more expensive for Texans. It's going to kick Texans off their health care. This is something that's going to raise our energy costs at a time when everybody's talking about affordability and the cost of living. And for somebody like me who grew up being raised by a single mom in Dallas who's a public school teacher, I know what this is going to mean for average families. This bill is a disaster.

[Unknown Speaker]

I expect it's going to be pretty central to your campaign. Let me ask you, though, I mean, before you, you're running for John Cornyn's seat, but there's a primary first. And in two recent polls, including one from Trump's own pollster, which matched you up in the very Trumpy state Attorney General Ken Paxton, you take the lead. So are you hoping to face Ken Paxton, or how are you factoring in the outcome of the primary to how you're going to run this race?

[Colin Allred]

You know, I don't think it matters. What I see is folks are either too weak or too corrupt to stand up for Texas. And listen, I'm somebody who, the way I grew up knowing that in the last election, there were some promises made to folks about lowering their costs. And I think a lot of working people took that and said, well, listen, maybe somebody will be on my side. But what they've gotten instead is that they've been betrayed. And instead, they've seen their costs go up. They've seen a chaotic tariff situation that's making this entire system not work for us in Texas as the number one trade state in the country. And we need somebody who's going to stand up for us. And so whether it's John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, I don't care. We need somebody who will fight for Texans first. That's what I'll do.

[Unknown Speaker]

Democrats haven't won a Senate race in Texas since 1988. I think this is correct. 1988. That's a long time ago. You yourself lost the Senate race by just eight months ago. By. By eight points. What. What's different this time?

[Colin Allred]

Yeah, well, I just think everything's backwards. I think everything's upside down. You know, I see hardworking folks who are just working harder than ever, who can't get ahead, whereas the folks who are cutting deals and cutting corners, I mean, they're doing just Fine. And we just can't continue like this. And so listen, I know that all across Texas there are people who are waking up every single day, going to work, dropping their kids off, doing what they need to be doing. And I know that they're hoping that their elected officials are working as hard as they are. And the fact is these folks will not do it. And so I need everyone to get involved with us here in Texas, make sure that we can give 30 million Texans a sender that they deserve. So go to colinallred.com, get involved with our campaign. Whether it's Kim Pax and John Corn doesn't matter. We'll beat them. We'll make sure we give representation to our state, but also to my stand up for our values as a country.

[Unknown Speaker]

You do have the website right behind your head, which I was admiring the backdrop before you came on. There is one of the differences is that Donald Trump is in office now. Republicans are in control of the Senate and the House. They just passed this big, ugly, terrible bill where people are going to lose their health insurance, lose their snap benefits. As you said, energy prices will go up. Does that bill become a central part of your argument if you, you know, moving forward once that once you are through the Republican primary?

[Colin Allred]

Yeah, I mean, I think it's a perfect encapsulation of the problem that we have, which is that folks were looking in the last election for somebody who would help lower their costs coming out of COVID knowing that inflation was too high, hoping that somebody was going to be on their side. And so they voted in good faith, thinking that maybe they would and instead they've been betrayed. And what we're seeing is this bill is a perfect example of it. You're talking about that the hardest working folks, the folks who work paycheck to paycheck, are actually going to lose money on this bill, whereas the wealthiest Americans are going to just be making out like bandits. I mean, it's outrageous and every American, every Texan should be outraged by it. The fact that John Cornyn knows that this is going to cost a million Texans their health insurance in the state with the highest uninsured rate in the country, that'll pass on higher costs to every other Texan even if you are insured. He knows that and he still voted for it. We can't put up with this anymore.

[Unknown Speaker]

Colin Allred, thank you so much for joining me the day you announced. We appreciate it. And coming up, a portrait. Absolutely. A portrait is worth a thousand words. We're back after a quick break. The Rotunda in the Colorado State Capitol features a gallery of presidents with oil paintings of all U.S. presidents funded by donations, not tax dollars. Now, in 2018, Colorado Republicans used GoFundMe to raise the money to fill in the hole where the 45th President of the United States should be. And then in 2019, this portrait of Donald Trump was unveiled, thus ending a completely ordinary, unremarkable story. Except this is Donald Trump we are talking about. So it's not normal. Somehow Trump finally heard about this portrait that had been on display, by the way, for nearly six years this year. And he hated it, claiming on his social media platform that the likeness was purposefully distorted. Even worse for Trump, the artist also did President Obama and he looks wonderful, but the one on me is truly the worst. That's his quote. So of course Colorado Republicans had the painting taken down. Fast forward to today. Trump was back on social media, praising the new portrait that is up in the Colorado Capitol, painted by a self described Christian worship artist and donated by the White House. So this is how Trump wants to see himself. And this. Take a nice look here. This is how he does not want to see himself. Do with that information what you will. That does it for me today. You can catch the show Tuesday through Friday at 9pm Eastern on MSNBC. And don't forget to follow the show on Blue sky, Instagram and TikTok for now. Goodbye from Washington and we'll see you next week.

[Nicole Wallace]

MSNBC presents the chart topping original podcast, the Best People with Nicole Wallace. This week, Nicole speaks with American soccer legend Abby Wambach and her wife, best selling Authority author Glennon Doyle.

[Glennon Doyle]

We are in the middle of amazing dehumanization, so staying human and feeling it all and witnessing it all feels like the only antidote right now.

[Nicole Wallace]

The Best People with Nicole Wallace. Listen now. For early access ad free listening and bonus content, subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts.