← The Briefing with Jen Psaki
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
The perspective you're looking for: Democrats still in good shape but gear up for hardball
00:41:22
The Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act followed closely by Virginia's supreme court rejecting their new redistricting has taken the wind out of Democratic sails, but the actual math and other political factors still favor Democrats re-taking the House in this year's elections. Dan Pfieffer, co-host of "Pod Save America," and Quentin Fulks, former Harris principal deputy campaign manager talk with Jen Psaki about why Democrats are in good shape to take the House and why the party's focus needs to shift to state legislatures.
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- [00:00]
Freedom From Religion Foundation Announcer
America is an idea. For 250 years, that idea has helped expand our rights and our freedoms, but progress isn't guaranteed. Today, those founding principles are being challenged by efforts to mix religion and government. The Freedom From Religion foundation is working to protect the Constitution and keep power where it belongs, with we the people. Visit FFRF US MSNOW or text MSNOW to 511-511-Text MSNOW to 511-51-511 and keep state and church separate. Text fees may apply.
- [00:30]
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- [00:51]
Jen Psaki
I want to start tonight with a serious question. If you are a Republican running for reelection this year, what exactly are you running on? If you were sitting in your strategy meeting with your whole team, all your strategists, your consultants, whatever it may be, figuring out your stump speech, what you're gonna say to voters, or where you're gonna spend money on air or online, what policy, platform or list of accomplishments are you pitching to American voters, to the people that you are trying to get to vote for you? Now, for most of the past 10 years, Republicans have outsourced that particular question to their dear leader, of course, Donald Trump. Whatever Trump was fixated on at the time became the Republican Party's defacto platform, even when it's absurd or unpopular. I mean, when Trump said build the wall, Republicans would basically say, how high and how much money can we spend campaigning on that particular topic? So what is Donald Trump fixating on these days?
- [01:49]
Donald Trump
Right up here, you probably noticed a new black granite. I have a special black granite, magnificent new granite. It's called charcoal. It's black granite. If we put the granite, you know what your color is? It was gray. It was gray. It had a gray stone underneath. Whether it was the concrete or the granite, it was a gray stone. And now we actually picked the color. It was called American flag blue. It's called American flag blue. I said, that's the color I want, American flag blue as opposed to gray. I said, well, what about turquoise, like in the Bahamas? He said, well, this is Washington. You know, where you're standing or sitting right now is white stone giving you a little Lesson in stone. Granite is the most powerful stone there is. Marble is much weaker than granite. I like marble more because marble can be more beautiful. It's nice and it's cool. The white reflects the sun, so you don't. Although it does go in my eye right now.
- [02:53]
Jen Psaki
There you have it, folks. The Republican party platform for 2026. Vote for us because we're focused on the real issues that matter to you, like what is the best kind of granite? Is marble more beautiful than granite? Is turquoise better than gray? That really is all Trump talks about these days. And I know what you're thinking. Oh, man. God, the President is obsessed with his ballroom. He keeps talking about it, but guess what? None of what I just showed you was even about the ballroom. I mean, we could fill an entire other hour with Trump prattling on about his ballroom, trust me. But those were all just clips from the past two weeks of Trump talking about different renovations he's making to the White House and to the National Mall. Donald Trump is spending his entire presidency acting like the host of one of those fixer upper shows on hgtv. I enjoy them. But the thing is, his main job should be running the country, not picking up bathroom tiles with the nice couple from Nashville, which is basically what he seems to be doing every day. And as ridiculous as it all is, this is actually becoming a real political problem for Republicans ahead of this election because Trump is now asking Congress to approve $1 billion taxpayer dollars, I should say, for his ballroom. You know, the one he said was going to be paid for entirely by private donations. And according to Punchbowl News, vulnerable Republicans are now freaking out about how that vote could hurt them in the midterms. Of course they are. I mean, here's part of what that piece says. Several House and Senate Republicans are privately raising alarms about the money and the political pitfalls, defending anything related to Trump's controversial ballroom. A first year poli sci major would know not to ask members to take this vote. And we hope the speaker does, too. One House Republican told Punchbowl, who was given anonymity to say this very, very obvious thing. Another anonymous House Republican put it this way. There's no way in hell that this will get 218 votes on the floor. It's clear that Republicans cannot run on the President's priorities right now. Voters are not going to support a billion dollars of renovations for Trump while they're stuck paying $4.55 a gallon for gas. So what else can Republicans run on? Well, maybe instead of parroting the things Trump says they could focus on the things his administration is doing. The real sausage making the actual policy that they're focused on and spending their energy on that they think could maybe make a difference in people's lives. Surely there must be some recent accomplishments there to tout, right? Well, there's this. RFK Jr. Clears path for minors Use of Tanning beds Much to the dismay of dermatologists. That's right. Today we learned that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Is pushing the FDA to roll back the rules that prevent children from using tanning beds. Rules that exist so that kids don't get skin cancer. Sure, that one will go over great on the campaign trail with suburban moms all across America. Now, what else have they got? Well, there's also this piece of news. Trump pressures FDA Commissioner to approve flavored Vapes. This week, under pressure from the Trump administration, the FDA rolled back its restrictions on fruit flavored E cigarettes. Restrictions that were put in place to stop kids from getting addicted to nicotine. Sensing a bit of a pattern here. You the health decisions of this administration are even getting too weird for the weirdos Trump appointed. Tonight, the Wall Street Journal was first to report that Trump has signed off on firing his wacky FDA commissioner, Marty Makary. Not because of his vaccine skepticism or his decision to ban life saving cancer drugs. Nope. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump recently became frustrated with McCary for not moving fast enough to approve flavored vapes, an issue of course, independent voters have long been demanding action on. Okay, so maybe those aren't the issues Republicans should be touting. Obviously, maybe there's something else they can run on, something that doesn't have to do with endangering the health and well being of our nation's children. What other big policy decisions has the Trump administration made recently? Oh, here's one. Trump Administration lifts ban on Cyanide Bombs on public Lands Great. People can now detonate bombs full of deadly cyanide on America's public lands. Finally, people have been demanding that that should play great. This is the kind of policy accomplishment that Republicans have to run on this year. And that's before you factor in all the other unpopular Trump policies like a new Middle east war, high gas prices and tariffs on everything you buy or sell. Now when I was in campaign communications, we used to have these little talking points, cards candidates would use to stay on message. And you pocket cards they'd call them. You'd give them out. People could give them out when they were door knocking, whatever. Just imagine one of those. One of Those would look like for Republicans right now because under Donald Trump, American kids have never been tanner. Finally, Americans can walk down the street breathing in the sweet smell of cotton candy vape smoke. Under Joe Biden, you could walk through a federal park without encountering even one cyanide bomb. Donald Trump fixed that. Republicans cannot win by running on their policies. They cannot win by running on their president's messaging. They cannot win by convincing the American people that their leadership has been good for the country. And so they're trying to win a different way. I mean, this was the scene at the Louisiana Capitol, state Capitol today. People filling halls to protest as Republicans worked to ram through new gerrymandered congressional maps, even though thousands of voters have already cast their ballots in Louisiana primaries. It was a similar scene in Alabama, where Republicans are also working to push through a new congressional map to erase the state's two majority black districts. Last night we showed you some of the protests and pushback in Tennessee, where Republicans are also pushing new rigged congressional maps to erase Democratic House seats and give themselves an advantage. They're full speed ahead on their plans to hold onto power by redrawing districts wherever they can so that their members don't actually have to run on Trump's illegal war tanned children, flavored vape, cyanide bombs, ballroom bonanza of a record, and whatever else there is. Democrats have been pushing back on efforts, of course, to blow up the rules in the middle of the game wherever they can. But they have faced some big, huge setbacks. By now you've probably seen the news that Virginia Supreme Court struck down that state's voter approved congressional maps, maps that were meant to counter Republican redistricting elsewhere, maps that voters voted on themselves recently. If you saw that news and screamed into your pillow, or maybe screamed into this street this morning, or at your neighbor, your office mate, you are not alone. It is absolutely infuriating that Republicans have engineered this election for their own advantage, that they are eliminating congressional seats that have long represented majority black communities, that they are erasing representation for majority black communities. It is maddening that Democrats attempts to counter that scheme have faced such challenges. Well, the Supreme Court has paved the way for Republicans to go further. But it's also important to remember that none of this means Republicans will hold on to power this November. The Republican Party still has to run on their disastrous record. Everything I just mentioned, and so much more. Remember the big ugly bill and voter enthusiasm is still on the side of Democrats who have won a slew of off year and special elections since Trump took office. If all of their efforts are successful, Republicans could pick up as many as 19 House seats from redistricting, while Democrats are still expected to pick up as many. That means if everything goes their way, Republicans could give themselves a 13 seat advantage heading into this November. In 2018, the last time there was a midterm referendum on Donald Trump, Democrats picked up 41 seats. And Donald Trump is more unpopular now than he was then. Democrats can still win back the House this November. That is clear. What's also clear is that Democrats cannot just focus on winning back the House because in order to counter Republican redistricting, Democrats are going to have to keep fighting to redraw congressional maps after this November. And in order to do that, they're going to need to win control of state legislatures this November and protect the ones they have. The fight for a fair democracy is just the beginning and it's going to run through state governments across the country and it's going to take a lot of energy and organizing in this election and beyond. So where does it start and what happens next? Joining me now are two of the smartest political minds I know. They have won elections. They have been in every room there is about strategy and communications and ads and all of it. Dan Pfeiffer was a senior advisor to President Barack Obama. He's now, of course, a co host of Pod Save America. And Quinn, folks, was the deputy campaign manager for Kamala Harris presidential campaign, former campaign manager for Raphael Warnock's successful Senate campaign in Georgia. And Politico recently described him as the strategist who beat the money machine after his work on Juliana Stratton's Senate campaign in Illinois. So that's a lot of campaigns between the two of you. I think, you know, I just said this and I know you wrote something this morning, too, Dan. When I saw the news this morning, I did want to punch the wall. And I think that probably is how a lot of people out there felt or worse or scream or all those things. And there's clearly a lot that has happened over the last eight days that is maddening, infuriating. It's reshaping, of course, the political dynamics. And there are a lot of questions about the longer term impact. We'll talk about that. But let me just start with the more immediate one, which is where do you stand on Democrats chances of retaking the House this November, the challenges and what, what the path looks like?
- [12:19]
Dan Pfeiffer
Yeah, I think Democrats were prior to today and certainly prior to the Supreme Court decision last week, overwhelming favorites. Take the House right now, I think they are still favorites. Take the House. It is a, we are perhaps a larger hurdle to overcome, but we still are well positioned. Donald Trump still incredibly unpopular. The political environment cannot be better for Democrats. As you mentioned, there's a massive enthusiasm advantage for Democrats and the Republicans like their best case scenario is unlikely to happen. Right. Even if with the old maps in Virginia, Democrats will almost certainly pick up one seat in the 2nd district and have a very good shot at picking up another seat in the first district. In Florida, where they try to add these four seats, it's not a guarantee Republicans win all four of those seats. You know, Alabama has, is under a, wants to change their map, but they are under a court order preventing them from doing so. So they have to go to court. You know, Mississippi wants to have, they already had the primaries. That's going to cause legal challenges. South Carolina has it. So I think it's going to end up somewhere not the worst case scenario. But Democrats are still well positioned and we certainly should double down and keep fighting as we can do this.
- [13:21]
Jen Psaki
What do you think? When does this change? How does this change the forecast much and where do you think is the best opportunity here as we look ahead?
- [13:32]
Quinn Folks
Look, I mean, I echo everything that, that Dan said. I also believe that, you know, we should look at this as an opportunity. I mean, inherently when you break up these Democratic districts that Republicans are trying to do, clearly we would love to have our districts and not have Republicans try to change the rules. But we also have to look at the momentum that Democrats had before all this started because of the unpopularity of Donald Trump and the Republican Party. And we should invest in those districts. Inherently, when you break up these districts, you make the surrounding districts that are Republican held now a little bit more Democratic and we should look at those areas to invest. I think that we shouldn't sort of take our eye off the ball in regards to, you know, the gerrymandering efforts. And I really think that there's probably only one place left in the country that could really do something in regards to the map, and that's Maryland. I think the Democratic Party should really look deep inwards and make sure that we all recognize that this is much bigger than one state and do everything we can. And so if there is a shot in Maryland, we should take it. I'm not into name checking people, but there is a pathway to maybe do something there. But we have to continue to invest. I mean, right now Americans are seeing a president that's more interested in being a geologist than being the President of the United States. And I think that's an advantage for us. And so I think our path, as Dan said, remains clear as it is. Even with the original maps in Virginia, we have seats one, two and five that are still in play for us and then around the country by taking advantage of the gains that Democrats have made. And so we have to continue that work and make sure we're on track come this November.
- [15:05]
Jen Psaki
Let me ask you, Quentin, I mean, you know, one of the things about, say, Senator Warnock's campaign, which you ran, so you know this better than I do, is he showed up in places people that surprised people and he turned out voters in places that I think surprised strategists. Right. I'm curious about what you think. I mean, people see this, it feels demoralizing. But there is also anger, I think, that is going on in voters souls right now. As you think about voter turnout and getting people inspired and engaged. What is the right strategy and the best strategy if you're running a campaign that's impacted by what we're seeing happen in states that are being gerrymandered right now?
- [15:46]
Quinn Folks
Yeah, look, I think that I've always been a believer that you have to go places where people don't think that you can win. And especially in certain races, particularly statewide races, it's easier to do that because even if you lose an area, you know, 80, 20 instead of 90, 10, just because you go there, it actually plays into the overall scheme. But right now, I don't believe that there's a place that Democrats can't go in the country and talk to voters because no matter how they draw these maps in any state, the underlying fact remains clear, which is that Americans are dissatisfied with Donald Trump and the Republican Party because of the lack of doing anything that they promised that they were going to do when they sent them there. And I also think that, you know, we have to make sure that we're continuing to speak about the things that actually matter and understand that we're moving from special elections and primary elections that are upcoming this summer to a more general election electorate. And that is going to change the calculus of people. It would be a disservice for the Democratic Party to go out and just think that gerrymandering and this conversation around democracy is going to be the argument that wins. If you knock on 100 doors in this country, maybe five or six people might say democracy or gerrymandering, the majority of them are going to say, I'm worried about paying my light bill. I'm worried about how much money I'm making at my job. I'm worried about childcare, health care. And so as long as we stay focused on the message at hand and the advantage that the Republicans and Donald Trump are giving us for their lack of accomplishments under his leadership, I think the Democrats are going to be just fine. And we should be saying that in districts that are R +5, R +7, all the way up to the districts that we feel safe in, because that is the underlying issue at hand and that is why Democrats have these advantages going into the midterm elections.
- [17:30]
Jen Psaki
Dan, one of the things this shines a light on for me is just the importance of state legislatures. I think we know that. We've learned that that's something you've talked about. You all inform people out on Pod Save America about that all the time. Talk a little bit about the importance of those races for people out there who want to tune in, they're trying to inform them, where should they be focused, what should they be paying attention to? And why does that matter so much? Moving forward?
- [17:56]
Dan Pfeiffer
Sure, because of the Supreme Court decision. We are now in a world of perpetual redistricting. This is not something we do once every 10 years. Every single cycle. There is the opportunity to redraw the maps in a way that is more favorable and, and the risk that the other side will take power and do the same. And the people who draw the maps are state legislatures and governors. And we must elect and we must give Democratic governors majorities to draw that. We must put pressure on Democratic governors and Democratic legislators to fight fire with fire. There is a bunch of states, New York, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Oregon, Colorado and others, that in 2028, we can redraw the maps and net as many seats as we could potentially lose from the Supreme Court decision last week. But what's only going to happen is if we, if people elect Democrats who commit to doing that, and then once those Democrats are in office, we put real grassroots pressure on them that anything short of doing fighting fire with fire is unacceptable.
- [18:54]
Jen Psaki
Dan Pfeiffer, Quentin Folks, we've spent a lot of time, importantly, talking about how gut wrenching the Supreme Court decision was. But I really wanted to have a conversation tonight about the path forward and what people can do and make sure people feel empowered. As gut wrenching as this all is, thank you both for being here.
- [19:12]
Dan Pfeiffer
Thank you.
- [19:12]
Quinn Folks
Thank you for having me.
- [19:14]
Jen Psaki
Okay, my next guest knows better than anyone what Donald Trump and Republicans are capable of, and he's offering up his own roadmap for how to fight back against them. Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger was one of only two Republicans on the January 6th committee, and he joins me next.
- [19:31]
Freedom From Religion Foundation Announcer
America is an idea. For 250 years, that idea has helped expand our rights and our freedoms, but progress isn't guaranteed. Today, those founding principles are being challenged by efforts to mix religion and government. The Freedom From Religion foundation is working to protect the Constitution and keep power where it belongs, with we the people. Visit FFRF US MSNOW or text MSNOW to 511-511-Text Ms. Now to 511-511 and keep state and church separate. Text fees may apply.
- [20:01]
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- [21:38]
Jen Psaki
Donald Trump's chief of staff, Susie Wiles is supposed to be the adult in the room. And yet here was Susie Wiles just yesterday, assuring the MAGA faithful that the administration she runs is hard at work to rewrite Trump's election loss. We had a lovely dinner and at the end of it he wanted to know why he won Florida but maybe struggled in some other states that I think we're gonna find out. He actually did win. No, I mean, Trump actually didn't win the states he lost in 2020. But six years later, he's using the federal government's vast investigative powers to find anything to fuel his long debunked election conspiracy theories and to help him mess with the midterms this November. His Justice Department is trying to get voter registration data from all 50 states. His director of National Intelligence, of course, has investigated voting machines in Puerto Rico. His FBI raided an election center in Georgia and seized ballots from the 20. Trump DOJ just subpoenaed Georgia officials for the personal information of 2020 election workers. The Trump administration recently widened its 2020 election probe to other states that Trump lost, like Arizona. And we just learned that the FBI has now reportedly questioned an election official in Wisconsin about the 2020 vote there, too. So there is a very clear pattern here, but we're six months out from another election, and we need to be very clear eyed about what that pattern actually means. Joining me now is someone who knows better than most the lengths that Trump and his allies are willing to go to rewrite history and mess with elections in this country. Adam Kinzinger is a former Republican congressman from Illinois who served on the House select committee on January 6th. He's also the author of a new children's book, that's what Heroes do, which we all need more of, putting that in our veins in the time we're living in. We'll talk about that, too. Let me start by asking you this. I mean, there is a very clear pattern here. We talked about this a lot on our show. That is partly about, I think, Trump's ego and partly about laying the groundwork for messing with elections in the future. I mean, as soon as the November, you know very well how Republicans are thinking about this fight ahead. You wrote about it on Substack today. What do you think Democrats need to be prepared for here?
- [23:45]
Adam Kinzinger
Well, I think they have to be plainly, you know, prepared to fight, prepared to keep telling the truth, be prepared for anything. So I remember in the period between the election in 2020 and January 6th, that three months, you know, the Republican Party was filled with people saying, oh, Trump's just, you know, he's got to get through the court cases and then he'll be fine, or he's got to do this and then he'll be fine. And he was never fine and obviously culminated into into January 6th. But this whole idea of the election was stolen has become really an intro. It's like almost a religion. I call it a cult. It is like that is. The basic entry into the cult is you have to at least say that the election was stolen. It's like a passport. You can't get into a country without a passport. You cannot belong into the GOP without saying that the election was stolen. And so here's the best advice I can give to Democrats is make the election so decisive and so overwhelming that they can tinker around the edge. Where they tinker around the edge will make no difference. And then let's put guardrails up as best we can and call every single member of the administration in front of the American people, reveal the corruption, reveal the truth, and let the American people make their decision.
- [24:57]
Jen Psaki
There's gonna be a lot of hearings, I suspect, and subpoenas if Democrats take control. You wrote in your piece on substac today about Virginia's redistricting ruling. I was just talking about that with Quinn, folks and Dan Pfeiffer, and you talked about the importance of expanding the coalition for Democrats, including the creation of a pro democracy coalition and not treating persuadable people like lost causes. That all makes sense. But for people out there who think that sounds a lot like the lead up to the 2024 election and the strategy of the Democrats, then how is it different? Or is it different in your view?
- [25:31]
Adam Kinzinger
I think it's different because, look, it was one thing to say we're gonna reach out to swayable Republicans and then find out there's not a ton of swayable Republicans, cuz people end up coming home to their base. But there are a lot of people in the middle. We see this. There's a lot. There are people that are becoming disaffected with Trump. That doesn't mean they're gonna turn around and be Democratic voters. But they can stay home because they may be upset enough with what's going on in the Republican Party. I think the Democratic Party, as I've gotten to know the Democratic Party in this different position now has enough room for people from all different stripes. And if we can make home for people with different stripes in the party, it'll be a party that's never defeated again. And I think that's gonna be essential. That doesn't mean that every Democrat needs to become a squishy moderate or every moderate needs to. Needs to be, you know, on the far left. It's like just understanding. It's a family. Families fight by the way families have differences of opinion. But when it's all said and done, families are fighting together to defend the very thing that I think is at threat, which is democracy. And if you truly believe democracy is a threat, which, like I do, then there is no more important calling than to say we have to have this, what I call sometimes uncomfortable or awkward alliance to defend. To defend our freedom.
- [26:48]
Jen Psaki
Yeah, it's a good. I mean, I think one of the things a lot of campaigns struggle with is where do you spend your time and resources? And part of the problem in 2024 was people who had been Democrats for a long time didn't turn out either. But that's part of what you do in a strategy meeting. Let me ask you just about Trump's Republican Party right now and kind of his MAGA following, because there have been many moments, and you have. You're very active on TV and subsec and lots of places. You've spoken to many of them where it's like, is this the moment the party will walk away from him? Right. And it's sane. People think this is gonna be the moment. This is gonna be the moment. He's historically unpopular. Right now, we're stuck in an incredibly unpopular war. We've seen some breaks in the party, but give us a level set here. I mean, do you think this moment is different from others or not?
- [27:37]
Adam Kinzinger
You'll see the edges break away a little bit.
- [27:39]
Quinn Folks
Right.
- [27:40]
Adam Kinzinger
And that's important. That's good. But the reality is, I don't think there is anything besides cold, calculated defeat and then Donald Trump being out of office, that will do anything to at least even fix the gop. But I got to be honest with you, I think the Republican Party that you and I remember is completely gone. There's no conservatism in it. It's just straight nationalism now. And, you know, that's a recognition. Here's the thing. So I'm just going to use Liz Cheney and I as an example. We dare say that the election was legitimate in 2020. And what happens? We get pushed out of the party. We get made an example of, and I'm proud to have been made an example of it. It doesn't bother me, but it's the example to other people that would sit and go like, well, I want to stand up against Trump on this one thing. And then they're like, oh, yeah, anybody that does gets excommunicated. They kicked out of the tribe. And it scares them because unfortunately, we're not electing people that have courage that go in it for the right reason. It becomes an identity. And so that's just a reality. Just gotta defeat em in a big way.
- [28:45]
Jen Psaki
That's the lesson. Let me ask you about your book. I mean, I have two little kids, a lot of people watching right now, kids, grandkids. Your book has this very important message right now about the everyday heroes in our communities. Why do you think that's so important for parents to instill and highlight for their kids at this moment?
- [29:02]
Adam Kinzinger
I think our country, and this is to 2028 candidates. I'll say this, too. Our country is desperate for some version of aspiration and inspiration. I think it feels like a desert. And that's no different among kids. Kids are sitting around, they hear the things we're talking about. They, they absorb some of the news. And you look and you say, well, who are heroes Is a hero. Donald Trump is a hero, Superman, what is it? And the truth is heroes can be anything from somebody that is willing to give their life for a country. And I have a very personal story in this book. A friend of mine who did die fighting for this country all the way to somebody that's just willing to put somebody else's needs in front of their own. And I think it's a message that kids desperately need. And I'll be honest with you, I've had a lot of adults say they have it, too. And it's a quick read if you're an adult. So that's, that's the easy thing. You can, you can say you read a book, but it's, that's why. Just inspiration.
- [29:54]
Jen Psaki
That's true. People need that. Kids need it. Adults need it, too. Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger, thank you so much for being here.
- [30:01]
Adam Kinzinger
You bet.
- [30:01]
Dan Pfeiffer
Yep.
- [30:02]
Jen Psaki
Okay. Coming up, we learned today that Trump's reality TV star transportation secretary has literally been filming a reality TV show for the last seven months. I can't get over this. I talked to Chris about this, and there are at least seven things that are absolutely insane about this story. I'm gonna tell you all about it when we come back.
- [30:22]
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- [31:21]
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- [31:52]
Jen Psaki
You know that thing where you get an amazing pair of shoes at a really great price and want to tell everyone about it? Yeah. So do we. Here at Designer Shoe Warehouse. We'll give you something to brag about, like the latest styles from brands you love or the trends everyone's obsessing over or shoes that make you feel like, well, you. So go ahead, show off a little. Buying shoes that get you and prices
- [32:15]
Tax Relief Advocates Announcer
that get your budget.
- [32:16]
Jen Psaki
Head to your DSW store or dsw.com today. DSW. Let us surprise you. So this week when the Atlantic published their incredible piece about Kash Patel and the custom bottles of bourbon with his name on them that he has allegedly been handing out while conducting FBI business. I thought, well, surely no one can compete with that. Surely no one else in the Trump administration could top that kind of government sponsored self promotion. Well, it's quite possible former Fox News host turned Defense secretary Pete Hegses saw that story and said, cash, hold my beer.
- [32:57]
Adam Kinzinger
Mr. Secretary, what? What are you doing here, sir? I'm going to your show tonight, you awesome.
- [33:05]
Jen Psaki
Well, jump in.
- [33:05]
Adam Kinzinger
I'll give you a ride.
- [33:07]
Jen Psaki
Oh, I appreciate, but how about I give you a rest? That was from one of MAGA musician Kid Rock's concerts last week. You know of also RFK junior Bear topless fame from that crazy video. Anyway, Pete Hegseth appears to have used multiple military helicopters. You can see them on the screen to help Kid Rock shoot that flashy video for him to start his concerts with. And he did that just after he came under scrutiny for a military helicopter flyby that just happened to go by Kid Rock's Nashville home. Now, the nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington asked the Defense Department's inspector general to investigate that flyby. And just yesterday, they got a response. And the inspector general's office told them that, quote, secretary Hegseth indicated that he decided not to pursue this matter. So just to pause on this for just a second, the inspector general just isn't looking into it because the guy running the agency, his agency, as in the inspector general's office, is responsible for conducting oversight over, told them not to. Which is not at all how an inspector general's office is supposed to work or ever works in most other administrations ever. But amazingly, that is not even the worst example of a cabinet secretary using their role to promote themselves that we have seen this week. Because today it seems like former reality TV turned Trump's Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy saw what Kash Patel was up to and saw what Pete Hegseth was up to. Seemed like he saw what they were up to and just said, hold my beer and hold my bourbon, please.
- [34:48]
Dan Pfeiffer
Well, America's 250th anniversary is fast approaching, and what better way to celebrate our beautiful country than to see our beautiful country.
- [34:55]
Jen Psaki
The Duffy family is doing just that, embarking on a great American road trip to rediscover our great nation. I think mud's kind of mad. I know you're mad.
- [35:07]
Sean Duffy
We're not going to fight on this trip. Put your seatbelts on.
- [35:10]
Jen Psaki
So we're inviting you along with our family on the great American road trip. That's right. It's a real video. It's not. AI Trump's former reality TV star transportation secretary has turned being transportation secretary basically into something of a reality TV show, if you can believe it. One that provides an awful lot of free promotion for Secretary Duffy and his family, I might add. Now, Duffy told Fox News Today that he has been filming this whole thing on and off for seven months. Again, does this guy have an actual job? I mean, that is incredible when you remember how mad Sean Duffy himself was, that Biden's Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, for taking a singular vacation and of course, going on paternity leave.
- [35:58]
Sean Duffy
What's striking is how often this happens. There's a crisis, and Pete Buttigieg decides to ignore it. Mayor Pete went on vacation in Portugal just a couple weeks ago as rail workers prepared to strike. He was on paternity leave as dozens of container ships couldn't enter the country. A year ago.
- [36:16]
Jen Psaki
Now. Remind me, Sean. Can I call you Sean? When Pete Buttigieg was Transportation Secretary, did we have the longest TSA shutdown in American history? With the longest TSA wait times in American history? No. That 75 day shutdown ended just last month while Secretary Duffy was out shooting this road trip reality show with his family. Secretary Duffy says that the point of his new series is to celebrate America's 250th anniversary by encouraging families to get in the car and see the country. Because, as he put it remarkably on Fox News today, it fits any budget
- [36:53]
Sean Duffy
to do a road trip.
- [36:55]
Jen Psaki
Does it now? Transportation Secretary it fits any budget now to do a road trip. Are you sure that's the message you want to go with right now? As Americans all over the country are struggling to pay for their everyday lives, including gas, as they face the skyrocketing cost of everything, including gas, because of Donald Trump, your boss's war with Iran. Are you sure you want to talk about the price of driving right now? But the cost of what appears to have been a fun trip for Secretary Duffy and his family is something we definitely should talk about because the Department of Transportation told msnow that career ethics officials reviewed and approved Secretary Duffy's participation and travel for this series. The department also told msnow that all production costs for this trip were paid for by a nonprofit called the Great American Road Trip. And that nonprofit told us tonight that it paid for things like gas, car rentals, lodging, food and activities for the Duffy family. So Secretary Duffy got a nice, fun, free trip. And if you go to that nonprofit's website, you see all sorts of corporate sponsors like Toyota and Shell and Royal Caribbean and United Airlines. You know, all sorts of companies that could have business that the Secretary of Transportation could be involved with in any official capacity. Companies that also just so happen to feature prominently in the Transportation Secretary's new series. Now in the trailer, you can watch the Duffy family touring a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. Earlier, I misspoke and said he took that cruise. Forgive me. He just toured the dock ship, going on the water slide and using the rock climbing wall. My bad on that one. Now in the trailer, you can also see them drive around in a Toyota with the Toyota logo right in the center of the screen. Now, all of this, Kash Patel's self promoting bourbon bottles, Pete Hegse self promoting and Kid Rock promoting military helicopter rides, and Shahn Dhafi's self promoting reality show. All that's pretty incredible when you remember that just two months ago when Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. His reported reason for doing so was that he didn't like her using her office for self promotion. Hey Trump, if you're listening, I know you mainly like to fire women, but you may want to take a look at the guys in your cabinet right now cuz they're up to some things coming up. One media company went on offense against the Trump administration today in a way that we have never seen, we have not seen before. Scott McFarlane was a CBS News correspondent before transitioning into independent media. I have been dying to talk to him ever since he made that jump. You should all follow him on every channel there is to follow him on because he's great. He joins me next. You might remember that In December of 2024, ABC News settled a massive defamation lawsuit that Trump filed against the company with a $15 million payout in an incredible case of hair splitting. I'll call it. Trump alleged ABC had defamed him after anchor George Stephanopoulos said on air that Trump was found liable for rape by a jury in 2023, when really Trump was found liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll instead. Now at the time, lots of legal experts believed Trump's case was extremely weak and that ABC would have won if they had chosen to stand up and fight in court. But ABC didn't do that. They settled and gave Trump the win that he wanted. Just like how executives at ABC also gave Trump a win when they took Jimmy Kimmel off the air for nearly a week last year after Kimmel made some comments he didn't like following the death of Charlie Kirk. It was only after a massive public backlash that ABC decided to change course. And that was a very valuable lesson, not just for abc, but I think for business execs or it should be all over the place. Viewers don't like it when networks bend the knee to a wannabe dictator, which is probably why we are seeing these things being handled very differently right now. Or I think it's part of it. I mean, Trump called for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired last week over a joke he didn't like, and ABC didn't so much as flinch. And in an official filing that was made public today, ABC directly pushed back against Trump's fcc, claiming the agency's investigation into their show, the View is an attempt to chill critical protected speech. So now it's ABC who's picking a legal fight with Trump. My, how things have changed a bit. Joining me now is Scott McFarlane, Chief Washington Correspondent For Midas Touch. First of all, it's great to see you. I love all the things. I love watching and consuming all the things you're doing. Thank you. Let me start by just asking you. I just talked about what I see is a bit of an evolution here in terms of at least how ABC has sort of managed and respond to these threats from the Trump administration and the fcc, I should say. What do you make of it and what do you see? Do you see this as an evolution or am I over overstating that?
- [41:36]
Scott McFarlane
What ABC is doing is through this petition asking for some relief from the FCC is saying you've asked us FCC to do some unreasonable, unfair and in their words, unprecedented things to start litigating the View its guests and trying to find some type equal time for any guests who may be political. What they're arguing is that the View is a bonafide news show. You don't have to do equal time when you're telling the news. What's more, they're making this argument with which I'm sympathetic of it's not 1978 anymore. We don't all just watch Laverne and Shirley reruns in Gunsmoke. Like there's plenty of places to find information in the information ecosphere. You don't have to worry about what the three channels and the dial knob on the TV are giving you. This, according to critics of the administration, is a clear mechanization, if not weaponization of the FCC against ABC for whatever they have objections to.
- [42:31]
Jen Psaki
You've covered so many things. What is next here? As people are watching this, keep in
- [42:37]
Scott McFarlane
mind what pressure point the FCC is pushing is not the ABC corporate offices in Manhattan. It's not the people in the E ring or the C Suite. What they're doing is messing with local television stations. The FCC doesn't have oversight over the world news. They have oversight over the local broadcasters, the ones carrying the high school football games, the city hall, the school board meetings. And that is quite a pressure point to push. And I think they run the risk of it looking hyper political. It just sorted to people you have
- [43:09]
Jen Psaki
lived through and you've actually made your own choices about your own career. Through the course of the last year and a half, when Trump has threatened media organizations, some have buckled, some have paid in settlements. But there's been a lot of fighting back as of late, or it feels like that to me. I mean, this is an example of it. Obviously, the Atlantic has fought back pretty boldly to efforts by the FBI to investigate, you know, Reportedly one of the story, one of the reporters and the stories. Do you think that there is a. Do you see it as a sea change in terms of how media organizations are preparing to respond, or what do you make of that?
- [43:44]
Scott McFarlane
I think there's a sea change among members of the media. Some of them recognizing there is a populist movement going on in media. People are now more trustworthy in individuals than in institutions. They find individuals more credible than corporate brands. So you've seen a lot of people kind of separate themselves from corporate media brands to go independent because people are receptive to that. They view corporate ownership of media as at least potentially sorted, as perhaps having the appearance of. Of conflict. Individual members of the media without corporate tentacles may be more credible to some independent news consumers.
- [44:26]
Jen Psaki
You, in addition to covering many things, Congress, Justice Department, all sorts of things, you've covered Virginia politics. So while I have you, I gotta ask you just about the news this morning. We've been digesting that with political experts today. What do you make of the court ruling? How do you think Virginia will respond? Give us your sense.
- [44:47]
Scott McFarlane
There was this idea, Jen, that there was going to be four Republican held seats that would swing Democratic under the new district lines. Still think there could be one or two that go Democrat from Republican held. So they haven't necessarily lost four pickup opportunities. They may have lost two or three. That notwithstanding, there's a much bigger picture here. People in Virginia voted by the millions. Their voices were heard and now have been silenced. Doesn't that dovetail with what the Supreme Court did, where they took people's voices away? And you want to talk about what starts a wave, a political wave in a year like this, a mass of people who think their voices have been silenced. That doesn't stop a wave that fuels one.
- [45:29]
Jen Psaki
We've certainly seen that to date. Scott McFarland, thank you for being here. Okay, we'll be right back. Okay. Before we go, a quick but exciting reminder. On Sunday, June 14th, you can join me live from 6th and I in Washington, D.C. where I'll speak with actor and author Billy Eichner. We're gonna discuss his new audiobook, Billy on Billy, An Audio Memoir, and talk about how humor can sustain us during difficult times. It feels very applicable in the moment we're living in. You can scan the QR code, you can just point your code, the camera on your phone, toward that code, scan the code on your screen to buy tickets. And if you're in dc, I really hope to see you there. That does it for me.
- [46:10]
Tax Relief Advocates Announcer
Tonight, you wouldn't take financial advice from a 72 hours in a single day alpha influencer, would you? Same goes if you're in a car accident or any accident, who you choose matters. That's why Morgan and Morgan exists. They're the largest injury law firm in America, and they've built a reputation by actually winning cases, not just talking about it. Over a thousand lawyers across all 50 states and $30 billion recovered injured. Go to forthepeople.com podcast. That's forthepeople.com podcast.