The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Episode Title: Trump Cabinet's tone deafness makes election outreach plan ridiculous
Air Date: February 19, 2026
Host: Jen Psaki, MS NOW
Episode Overview
In this episode, Jen Psaki unpacks the Trump administration's latest election strategies—a mix of questionable cabinet outreach and escalating voter suppression tactics—highlighting their disconnect with ordinary Americans. She is joined by Maryland Governor Wes Moore and former Atlanta Mayor and current Georgia gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms, who analyze the GOP’s maneuvers, their impact on democracy, and ongoing threats to voting rights, especially targeting naturalized citizens and communities of color. The show also covers recent revelations involving Les Wexner in the Epstein scandal, featuring survivor Annie Farmer.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Trump's Cabinet "Outreach" Plan: Tone-Deaf and Counterproductive
- Timestamps: 00:49–05:24
- Trump’s advisors met privately to devise midterm strategies, notably sending cabinet secretaries to competitive districts to "highlight affordability issues."
- Psaki sharply mocks the plan, describing the bizarre public personas in Trump’s cabinet and their lack of relatability (e.g., RFK Jr. in a shirtless hot tub video with Kid Rock, Dr. Oz doing cold plunges, etc.).
- Quote:
“Nothing says I'm just a normal and relatable guy like drinking whole milk while relaxing in a hot tub with Kid Rock, right?” —Jen Psaki [04:12]
- Psaki argues these figures are scandal-plagued and lack basic empathy, making the outreach plan seem “ridiculous.”
2. Scapegoating and Voter Suppression: DHS Ordered to Target Naturalized Citizens
- Timestamps: 06:21–12:38, 13:06–17:41
- New reporting reveals the Trump White House has ordered DHS to search for voter fraud among naturalized citizens—a virtually nonexistent issue—using this as a pretext to prosecute, strip citizenship, and intimidate legal voters.
- According to reporting, DHS/Justice officials are also considering deploying law enforcement or military to polling sites to “secure elections.”
- Psaki and her guests agree this is blatant voter intimidation, especially targeting new Americans and marginalized groups.
- Quote:
“The Trump administration is directing DHS to hunt for and prosecute a problem that barely, barely, barely exists. Something that we have absolutely no evidence of being a widespread problem…” —Jen Psaki [07:42]
3. Redistricting Advantage: GOP and Democratic Map Wars
- Timestamps: 12:38–13:06, 19:26–21:49
- Trump and the GOP have succeeded in forcing redistricting in key states, gaining an estimated 2–3 extra House seats via gerrymandering.
- Democrats have countered in states like California and Utah, but the overall GOP edge persists.
- Hakeem Jeffries visits Maryland, pressuring state Democrats (including Governor Moore) to push for a new map to level the national playing field.
4. Governor Wes Moore on Defending Democracy and State Autonomy
- Timestamps: 13:06–18:09, 20:01–21:49, 24:25–26:23
- Moore excoriates the Trump administration for violating states’ rights and failing basic governance (“can’t fix a sewage leak but want to commandeer elections”).
- He describes his state’s robust protections for fair elections and recent legal moves to ban local police from cooperating with ICE, citing ICE’s ballooning budget/power and abuses.
- On redistricting, Moore calls on Maryland’s Senate to “defend democracy as ferociously as you're defending the status quo.”
- Quote:
“This is just a continuation of watching how this administration does not take governance seriously, but what they take is retribution seriously.” —Gov. Wes Moore [14:14]
5. Trump’s Personal Attacks and Racial Pandering
- Timestamps: 24:25–27:41
- Trump has targeted Moore personally, disinviting him from a White House event and blaming him for unrelated crises.
- Moore, unfazed, outlines his legislative wins versus Trump’s focus on petty distractions and online feuds.
- A clip of Trump’s “Black History Month” event—where he lists personal Black friends—elicits disbelief:
- Quote:
“When the way you are addressing Black History Month is just talking about the individual black friends that you have… Black history is about the foundation of America. It's about the fact that this country's history would be incomplete if we don't fully embrace the contributions that black Americans have made, oftentimes to a country that never showed them the same respect back…” —Gov. Wes Moore [27:43]
- Quote:
6. Fulton County, Georgia: Raids and the Threat of Election Takeover
- Timestamps: 31:36–36:55
- Georgia’s State Election Board, majority Republican, threatens a takeover of Fulton County’s election administration, following an FBI raid.
- Trump stokes threats of federal intervention in Atlanta, saying he could “take care of Atlanta so fast.”
- Keisha Lance Bottoms frames this as the dismantling of democracy and targeted voter suppression ("delusional belief" Trump can win Fulton; Black voters are being intimidated).
- Quote:
“Donald Trump and this rogue election board have made a mockery of our democracy. But what I can also tell you is… what he is doing, I can guarantee you, will backfire. We've seen record turnout in this state, and I know we will see it again in 2026, because people are angry. They want to fight back.” —Keisha Lance Bottoms [33:26]
7. The Epstein–Wexner Connection: Stunning Congressional Deposition
- Timestamps: 37:05–43:34
- Annie Farmer, Epstein survivor, joins to react to Les Wexner’s congressional deposition on his ties to Epstein. Wexner, a major funder and enabler, claims the FBI/DOJ never contacted him.
- Farmer is shocked and calls this “mind-blowing,” highlighting longstanding inaction from authorities and Wexner’s dubious denials of knowledge.
- Farmer details how Epstein’s wealth (much from Wexner) allowed him to build protective networks and how Wexner’s complicity also touches on other abuse scandals he was connected to.
- Quote:
“The fact that the FBI would never have even questioned him in any way is… just mind blowing to me.” —Annie Farmer [39:49]
“What would really help to ingratiate [Trump] with the Black community is stop the assault that we're seeing on the black community.” —Gov. Wes Moore [29:36]
Notable Quotes
- Jen Psaki, on Trump Cabinet outreach:
"Definitely send those three to swing districts. Maybe they should do a bus tour… One chicken nugget and broccoli stalk for everyone." [06:21]
- Governor Wes Moore, on Trump’s voter suppression tactics:
“This is about a much larger play about how they are trying to manipulate and take and steal the election in 2026." [15:16]
- Keisha Lance Bottoms, on Georgia’s voter suppression:
"Congressman John Lewis… said his greatest fear was that we would wake up one day and our democracy would be gone. … we certainly are experiencing that right now.” [33:26]
- Annie Farmer, on Wexner’s lack of scrutiny:
“It should be mind-blowing to any human being with a brain and a soul out there.” [40:28]
Important Timestamps
| MM:SS | Segment | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------| | 00:49 | Jen Psaki opens with Trump’s election meddling strategies | | 02:15 | Gov. Moore first comments on Trump’s VP "relatability" | | 05:24 | Satirical breakdown of Trump cabinet’s failings | | 07:42 | Psaki details new Trump voter fraud suppression orders | | 13:06 | Interview with Gov. Wes Moore begins | | 14:14 | Moore condemns DHS targeting naturalized citizens | | 15:16 | Moore explains GOP's multifaceted voter suppression | | 16:42 | Moore: “Right people voting” means “people who vote for them”| | 18:09 | ICE’s powers—budget and new law in Maryland | | 19:26 | Maryland redistricting fight | | 24:25 | Moore responds to Trump’s personal attacks | | 27:15 | Trump’s tone-deaf Black History Month event | | 31:36 | Fulton County, Georgia, election takeover threat | | 33:26 | Keisha Lance Bottoms on Georgia and voter suppression | | 37:05 | Annie Farmer on Les Wexner’s deposition | | 39:49 | Farmer expresses shock at DOJ/FBI neglect |
Tone and Style
Psaki employs sharp wit, clear skepticism, and righteous indignation, peppering satire and incredulity throughout her monologues. Governor Moore and Keisha Lance Bottoms speak with urgency and conviction, stressing both the gravity of threats to democracy and their resolve to defend voters. Annie Farmer’s testimony is sober and deeply personal, expressing both outrage and a call to accountability.
Summary Takeaways
- The Trump administration’s midterm strategy hinges on public figures whose actions and optics alienate voters, highlighting a growing disconnect.
- New federal orders to target naturalized citizens for voter fraud reflect a widening, evidence-free campaign of intimidation aimed at suppressing non-GOP turnout.
- State-level responses to voter suppression and redistricting, led by figures like Wes Moore and Keisha Lance Bottoms, remain key battlegrounds ahead of 2026.
- The episode concludes with a wider lens on rot in political and cultural systems via the Epstein–Wexner controversy, reinforcing the theme of accountability—or lack thereof.
For listeners who missed the episode, this summary captures the breadth and urgency of threats to voting rights and the deeply flawed, sometimes farcical approach of the Trump team’s electioneering, as parsed by Jen Psaki and her guests.