Trump National Guard stunt REJECTED by Maryland governor: 'I will not authorize'

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Briefing with Jen Psaki - "Trump National Guard Stunt REJECTED by Maryland Governor: 'I Will Not Authorize'"

Release Date: August 13, 2025
Host: Jen Psaki, MSNBC

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Introduction

In this episode of The Briefing with Jen Psaki, hosted by MSNBC, Jen Psaki delves into the controversial actions of former President Donald Trump regarding the deployment of the National Guard to Washington, D.C., and potentially other major American cities. The highlight of the episode is a revealing one-on-one interview with Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who strongly opposes Trump's maneuvers.

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Trump’s National Guard Deployment Plan

The episode begins by setting the context of Trump’s repeated tactics to divert attention by labeling American cities as crime-ridden. This strategy culminates in his plan to deploy hundreds of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., an action seen by many as an extraordinary power grab.

“It’s like a fresh set of tires for your brain.” [03:28]

Trump's rhetoric positions cities like Baltimore, Chicago, and Los Angeles as failing under Democratic leadership, using claims of rampant crime to justify his National Guard deployment.

“We have Slums. We’re going to move the people and we're gonna have the most beautiful capitol in the world.” [02:19]

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Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s Refusal

Governor Wes Moore firmly rejects Trump's request to deploy the Maryland National Guard to Washington, D.C., emphasizing constitutional authority and the sanctity of using the Guard strictly for mission-critical and mission-aligned tasks.

“I will not authorize the usage of the Maryland National Guard for any mission that I do not deem to be mission critical or mission aligned.” [13:20]

Moore highlights the successful strategies Maryland has implemented to reduce violent crime without military intervention, contrasting them with Trump’s approach.

“We were able to do that without having to deploy the National Guard in order to make that happen.” [14:53]

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Discussion on Crime Rates and Policies

The conversation shifts to the actual state of crime in the mentioned cities. Despite Trump's claims, violent crime rates have been declining nationwide, including a significant drop in Washington, D.C., and Maryland.

“The violent crime rate is falling nationwide, and it has been since before Trump took office.” [04:50]

Governor Moore elaborates on Maryland’s comprehensive approach to reducing crime, which includes:

• Investment in Local Law Enforcement: Over $50 million invested in Baltimore's police force.
• Technological Enhancements: Use of predictive analytics to prevent crimes before they occur.
• Community Partnerships: Collaboration with community groups and violence interruption programs.

“Maryland is seeing amongst the fastest drops in violent crime amongst any state in the entire country.” [23:17]

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Political Implications and Gerrymandering

The discussion broadens to address broader political strategies, including Trump’s influence on gerrymandering efforts aimed at securing more Republican seats in upcoming midterm elections. Governor Moore criticizes these tactics and emphasizes the importance of fair congressional districts.

“We have to have congressional districts all across the state that are fair and we cannot have elected officials who are choosing their voters, but actually voters who are choosing their elected officials.” [27:39]

Moore expresses willingness to explore all legitimate options to counteract these efforts, though skepticism remains about federal cooperation.

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Insights from Governor Moore

Governor Moore provides critical insights into effective public safety strategies, contrasting them sharply with Trump’s militaristic approach. He underscores the importance of:

• Local Leadership: Empowering local jurisdictions to address public safety.
• Preventative Measures: Focusing on the root causes of crime rather than punitive measures alone.
• Fiscal Responsibility: Highlighting the exorbitant costs associated with deploying the National Guard for political purposes.

“It is deeply offensive for so many of us who have worn the uniform to see someone who has never had, who has never chosen to wear the uniform... being used as pawns, as distractions.” [19:08]

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Conclusion

The episode concludes with a reaffirmation of Maryland’s commitment to effective and humane public safety measures without resorting to military intervention. Governor Moore’s steadfast stance serves as a counter-narrative to Trump’s desperate attempts to manipulate public perception and political outcomes through fearmongering and showmanship.

“If Trump wanted to actually make cities safer, if he was funding programs that would actually help support cities instead of just doing this Performative National Guard... what would he do? What should he do?” [23:17]

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Notable Quotes

• “I will not authorize the usage of the Maryland National Guard for any mission that I do not deem to be mission critical or mission aligned.” – Governor Wes Moore [13:20]

• “We were able to do that without having to deploy the National Guard in order to make that happen.” – Governor Wes Moore [14:53]

• “Maryland is seeing amongst the fastest drops in violent crime amongst any state in the entire country.” – Governor Wes Moore [23:17]

• “It is deeply offensive for so many of us who have worn the uniform to see someone who has never had, who has never chosen to wear the uniform... being used as pawns, as distractions.” – Governor Wes Moore [19:08]

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Key Takeaways

1. Trump’s Strategy: Uses the National Guard deployment as a political maneuver to divert attention and vilify Democratic-led cities.
2. Governor Moore’s Stance: Strongly opposes the militarization of law enforcement, advocating for local and community-based solutions to crime.
3. Crime Trends: Contrary to Trump’s claims, violent crime rates are decreasing across major U.S. cities, supported by effective local policies.
4. Political Integrity: Emphasizes the importance of fair electoral processes and rejects manipulative tactics like gerrymandering.
5. Budgetary Concerns: Highlights the financial imprudence of deploying the National Guard for political purposes instead of investing in sustainable public safety measures.

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This episode provides a comprehensive analysis of the tensions between federal manipulations and state-level leadership in addressing public safety, underscoring the effectiveness of community-focused strategies over militaristic interventions.

Transcript

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[News Anchor or Journalist]

When Donald Trump feels cornered, when he doesn't like the headlines he's seeing, when he wants to lash out and change the subject, which is a lot lately, one of his favorite things to do is attack American cities and call them crime ridden hellholes. He loves to use that language. Point is, it's not a new tactic. It's something we have seen him do over and over and over again for pretty much as long as the guy's been in politics.

[Host or Announcer]

Right now.

[Donald Trump]

You walk down the street, you get shot. This is a massive crime wave. Places like Afghanistan are safer than some of our inner cities right now. They're crime ridden, they're falling apart, they're run by Democrats. The city of brotherly love is being ravaged by bloodshed and crime. If you look at what's happening in Los Angeles, you look at what's happened to New York. Crime west, you look at what happened to Chicago, look at Portland, you look at Baltimore and Oakland and these are Democrat run cities that are horrible on crime. There's no law and order.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

Now Trump is taking that same scare tactic that you just saw over and over. And there are many other examples to a new level by sending the national guard into Washington, D.C. and federalizing its police force. It's obviously an extraordinary power grab and it's something Trump has been thinking about for a very long time. In fact, he spilled his plan to do exactly that out more than a year ago.

[Donald Trump]

We have a capitol that we all love right now. It's a rat infested, graffiti infested shithole, horrible where people are being killed and we're going to take it away from the mayor. And again, that doesn't make me popular there, but I have to say it. We're going to knock out the slums. We have Slums. We're going to move the people and we're gonna have the most beautiful capitol in the world.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

So that was Trump in January of 2024, with a strange Trump caucus captain hat on at the same time. And now he is seven months into his first term. His approval rating is cratering. He's desperately trying to outrun his past relationship with a notorious child sex predator. And he's decided that now is the time, I guess, to start rolling troops. And into Washington D.C. another D.C. military parade that nobody wanted, I suppose, and definitely nobody asked for. But Trump has also made it clear that this is not a one off. He doesn't have plans to stop with Washington, DC.

[Donald Trump]

You look at Chicago, how bad it is. You look at Los Angeles, how bad it is. We have other cities that are very bad. New York has a problem. And then you have, of course, Baltimore and Oakland. We don't even mention that anymore. They're so far gone. We're not going to let it happen. We're not going to lose our cities over this. And this will go further. We're starting very strongly with D.C. and we're going to clean it up real quick.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

We're starting with D.C. and we're going to clean it up real quick. Now, just like many of the cities that Trump has attacked over the years, those cities you just mentioned all have a few things in common. They're all cities run by Democrats, of course, in states that typically vote for Democrats. And all of them, every single one has a black mayor. And all of them have seen a decline in the rate of violent crime. Yes, violent crime is going down, not up in every single one of those cities he mentioned. In fact, the violent crime rate is falling nationwide, and it has been since before Trump took office. Even FBI Director Kash Patel couldn't resist acknowledging the declining crime rate while standing at the very same podium. It's almost like they weren't paying attention to each other. At the very same press conference that Trump announced this supposedly crime driven takeover.

[Host or Announcer]

The murder rates are plummeting. We are now able to report that the murder rate is on track to be the lowest in US History, in.

[Commentator or Analyst]

Modern recorded US History.

[Host or Announcer]

Thanks to this team behind me and President Trump's priorities.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

It's a little contradictory to what your boss is announcing, but that aside, part of what he said was actually correct. I mean, the murder rate was already falling before these guys came into office. It's been falling, following that trend for a few years now. But at least for a moment, they actually admitted the crime is Coming down. So I guess we'll give Kash Patel some momentary credit for that. Because the truth is, despite Trump's claims, what he's doing to Washington, D.C. is not about crime. Obviously, it never has been. It's not about in any of these cities. I mean, just listen to Trump's hand picked U.S. attorney for D.C. jeanine Pirro, when she was asked whether there was any plan to address the underlying causes of criminal behavior. What about preventative? Do you or the president plan to do anything to address the root causes of crime in D.C. such as truancy? My job is to try to heal the victims and prosecute the criminal. Everybody else can deal with rehabilitating the individual. I honestly am not concerned about why they commit crimes. My concern is if they commit crimes. I mean, first of all, why does she look so surprised by the question? It's a very obvious question for someone to ask her. But more importantly, she's not concerned with why people commit crimes, not concerned with addressing the actual root of the problem. She just wants to know how many people she can lock up. Maybe she's looking for a quota of some sort. That sounds familiar. It's because it's the same approach this administration has taken with other issues like, say, immigration. I mean, I don't think. I know. I don't think anyone thinks that Stephen Miller has ever really thought about why people come to this country or what conditions they may be fleeing from when they come to this country. And. But he's clearly thinking a whole lot about locking up and deporting as many of them as possible. He's even pushed ICE to meet arbitrary quotas so the administration could show off their big arrest numbers and call everyone they arrest a criminal. Even if they're not. A majority of them are not. It was those policies that led to widespread and largely peaceful protests against Trump's policies in Los Angeles. And that in turn led to Trump lashing out and sending armed troops to roam the streets of a different major American city. I mean, remember, Trump sent 4,000 National Guard troops to LA and another 700 Marines. He spent a whopping $134 million of taxpayer money on that spectacle. And what does he have to show for it? I mean, the people of Los Angeles are still protesting his immigration policies despite Trump's attempt to terrorize their city. The California National Guard has seen a severe drop in morale, with some worried they may face lower recruitment because of all of this. And instead of focusing on crime, lawyers for Trump's Justice Department are spending this week in federal court trying to defend their military takeover of Los Angeles. It's hard to look at any of that and call it a big win for the Trump administration. That didn't stop them from attempting to do it all over again, this time in the nation's capital, where his pretext for doing it is, you could argue, might even be weaker. I mean, there is crime in D.C. just like any city. But violent crime is down 26% in D.C. since this time last year. Robberies are down 28%. And if Trump really cared about preventing crime, he would not have cut the staff of the Department of Homeland Security's violence prevention office by 20%. He would not have announced plans to cut $64 million in security funding for New York City. He wouldn't have cut $158 million from a program to prevent gun violence in American cities. And there's many more. That's just some examples. I mean, just listen to how D.C. u.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, I know her again, but she says a lot of things, responded when asked specifically about that just today. I want you to report on. But you said, you said it's guns. You said it's guns on the street that's causing this problem. Are you concerned that the DOJ's funding cuts to gun violence prevention programs undermine the efforts? Stop it. We are putting all kinds of resources onto the street. But what about the gun aspect of the gun violence? Thanks. Thanks. I mean, I guess Jeanine Pirro doesn't want to talk about the role guns play in gun violence, which they play a very big, significant role. And she definitely doesn't want to talk about the role that Trump's cuts play in letting that violence go uncheck. Look, I'm not saying that any of these programs alone are key to ending violent crime in America or in any individual city. But there are real solutions out there. I mean, just look at the city of Baltimore, which Trump claims is so far gone. In 2021, Baltimore saw its homicide rate hit a record high. But that year, the city's newly elected mayor, Brandon Scott, rolled out a comprehensive plan to address gun violence in his city. And today, Baltimore's homicide rate has reached a 50 year low. Is there more work to do? Sure, but that's quite a lot of progress now. At the same time, Maryland Governor Westmore has seen similar success statewide, with homicide rates dropping 20% across the entire state. In response to Trump's decision to mobilize the National Guard in D.C. governor Moore said this in a statement. If the President wants to have a serious conversation about how to reduce violent crime. He should look at what we've been able to do in Maryland. We await outreach from the White House if they want to have a serious conversation about public safety, but we won't hold our breath. That's good that they're not holding their breath for that one. I doubt the White House is going to take Governor Moore up on that offer, but I certainly will. Governor Westmore joins me here in just 90 seconds. Seconds. They say if you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together. At Amica Insurance, we know what matters most to you and we work even harder to protect it together. As a mutual insurance company, we're built for our customers and prioritize your needs. Amica Empathy is our best policy. Visit amica.com and get a quote today.

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[News Anchor or Journalist]

Joining me now is promise is Maryland Governor Wes Moore. Governor Moore, it is great to see you. I have about a million things to ask you about, but thank you so much for being here with me tonight.

[Host or Announcer]

It's such a joy to be with you. Thanks, Jen.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

Let me just start. I mean, today I tried to give an overview of what we're looking at in the nation's capital, how it could impact other cities. Today the Washington Post reported that the Trump administration is considering creating what they are calling a reaction force. It's quite a name of hundreds of National Guard troops that they could deploy into any American city within hours. I think people are familiar with your bio, but Just to remind people you're a veteran of the army and the Army Reserve, you're also Commander in Chief of the state's National Guard, of course. As governor, what do you make of the National Guard being deployed not just to Washington D.C. but potentially to other American cities like this?

[Host or Announcer]

I'm proud to be the 63rd governor of the State of Maryland. But I'm humbled to be the Commander in Chief of the Maryland National Guard. And it's something that I do take very seriously. As someone who has led soldiers in combat, I understand the gravity of what it means when you're asking these men and women to put themselves in harm's way, when you're asking their families to trust the decisions that are being made by those in charge, that the mission is both going to be mission critical and also mission aligned. And so I want to be very crystal clear to anyone who is listening, I will not authorize the usage of the Maryland National Guard for any mission that I do not deem to be mission critical or mission aligned. If there is wants to be a real conversation about how to have public safety inside of our cities, just take a look at what we've been doing here in the State of Maryland over the past two and a half years. Because the year before I became the governor, that Maryland, that Baltimore City averaged almost a homicide a day. Now, in two and a half years, the last time the violent crime rate was this low in Baltimore City, I was not born yet. So if there wants to be a serious conversation about the work that we did collectively, together with the mayor, with our county executives, with local law enforcement, with the U.S. attorney and the State's attorney, to be able to. With our community groups, to be able to drive down violent crime, then we should have that conversation. But let me not bury the lead. We were able to do that without having to deploy the National Guard in order to make that happen, I want.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

To ask you about that because there are some actual things that can be done. I mentioned a number of the programs that have been cut federally, not that any one is a silver bullet. A lot of this is controlled by local leaders. But you say you wouldn't allow it or you wouldn't authorize it. If he singled out Baltimore, he singled out Baltimore yesterday by name. So who knows if he tried to send the National Guard to Baltimore, how do you stop it? I mean, we've seen this happen in la. How do you stop it?

[Host or Announcer]

Well, the President has made an effort to single me out and single Baltimore out on multiple occasions. And I am very clear that I will work with anyone, but I will bow down to no one. And I understand where my constitutional authority begins, and I understand where my constitutional authority allows me to do. And as the commander in chief of the Maryland National Guard, I have the sole responsibility and the sole honor of being able to determine how, when and why the Maryland National Guard is utilized. And it's something that I've done since I've been the governor. When we have had natural disasters, when we've watched historic floods in western Maryland, where we had our National Guard on standby, when we've had members of the Maryland National Guard who are currently deployed overseas, I understand the gravity of the decision that goes into when, where, and how you utilize members of the National Guard. And so if I receive a request or instructions to be able to utilize the brave men and women, the citizen soldiers of our state, the ones who are raising their hands to take on additional. This additional job of being able to support our state in our time of need, if it is not mission critical, if it is not mission aligned, I will not authorize it, and it will not happen.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

Trump also name checked. He name checked Baltimore. He name checked a number of other cities. Chicago, Oakland, Los Angeles, New York City. I just mentioned this. I mean, one of the things there are a lot those cities have in common, led by Democratic mayors. They also have black mayors. I called this out. But what do you make of that?

[Host or Announcer]

I think there's another thing that goes in common is that these are places that the President has not spent time walking the streets like I am.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

That's true.

[Host or Announcer]

The president has not walked the streets of Baltimore like I have, like I do on a regular basis. The president does not know Baltimoreans like I do. The president does not know the progress that we have made in Baltimore City like I do. He just continues to use it as a trope. He continues to use it as a baiting technique, and he continues to use it as a distraction technique. So instead of talking about the historic progress that we have made in Baltimore to reduce violent crime, instead of talking about the work we're doing right now to make sure that every family has the right to feel safe in their communities and in their own neighborhoods, what he's doing is he's distracting us from talking about the real policies that are having real impacts on the people of Baltimore. Policies like pulling people off of health care. Policies like making sure that our children are not getting the supports and the food assistance that they need. Policies like making sure that you are making historic firings of federal workers, many of whom are Baltimoreans and now working to try to drive the unemployment rate up. So we are not going to allow this, you know, these, these chicken hawks, to be able to make policies that continue to try to use our military, the people who are wearing the same uniform that I was very proud to, we using them as pawns, as distractions, for the fact that the policy positions that he's putting in place are not working and are actually hurting real people.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

I agree with you. It's a distraction. It's more than that, which I think you would agree, too. I mean, one of the things it's definitely stunning to see. I mean, I live in the D.C. area, I work in Washington, D.C. obviously, you see FBI agents, DE agents, the National Guard, patrolling the streets of D.C. right now. That's true. In LA, he wants to do. In other places, it is somewhat, I guess, less shocking because we just saw a similar sight in Los Angeles. You are someone, as I mentioned, you are a veteran yourself. You know what it is like to wear a military uniform. I mean, do you have any concern, or how concerned are you that Trump is trying to normalize the presence of the military on American streets, make it seem like a normal thing to people living in our cities?

[Host or Announcer]

It's deeply disturbing and it's deeply troubling. And also, it means that there is not an understanding of the way constitutional policing works. You know, the way policing actually works is making sure that you can have a police force that moves with appropriate intensity and absolute integrity and full accountability, and works in partnership with the people, with the communities that they are building relationships with people in communities. Frankly, that's not what military personnel are trained for. That is not the training that we receive when we go through our basic training and when we go through our individual, individual technique trainings that you're now conflating something that frankly, does not need to be. And it's actually deeply dangerous to try to conflate those two things. And there are two really important things for people to remember about every time you mobilize the National Guard. One, it's expensive. And this is a very deeply expensive game that the President is using, where he's using taxpayer dollars, millions of them, to try to put on this demonstration of force that, frankly, just makes him look weak. And the second thing is, these are men and women who are citizen soldiers. These are people who have other jobs. These are people who are helping to support their families. These are people who are just simply asking for the leadership in charge to understand that and take that seriously. And so it is deeply offensive for so many of us who have worn the uniform to see someone who has never had, who has never chosen to wear the uniform. In fact, when he had the opportunity, talked about bone spurs to then give us the orders as to how we can be utilized when it's just simply being used as an expensive deployment of personal political ego that is unnecessary and is something that is deeply frustrating.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

Incredibly frustrating. I hear it in your voice. I have many more questions to ask you, including about the solutions, which I think are such an important part of this conversation. I hope you don't mind sticking around. We're going to take a quick commercial break. We'll be right back.

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[News Anchor or Journalist]

Joining me once again is Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Governor Mo for hanging with me through the commercial break. So I started the show talking a bit about how there are violent crime still exists in dc, it still exists in Baltimore, it still exists in cities across the country, but it is down. It's at a 30 year low. I'm sorry, in D.C. baltimore is the safest it's been in 50 years. If Trump wanted to actually make cities safer, if he was funding programs that would actually help support cities instead of just doing this Performative National Guard $123 million funding that he did in LA, what would he do? What should he do?

[Host or Announcer]

He should do what we've been doing here in the state of Maryland for the past two and a half years. You know, when we first came on board, you know, I said, I refuse to be a governor that just gives eulogies and offers thoughts and prayers that we were actually going to work together to be able to address this issue. And we made historic investments in local law enforcement. You know, we invested over $50 million in the Baltimore city local law enforcement alone that we were able to make sure we had a police force that was actually supported, that we were able to make sure we're investing in technologies and predictive analytics and both stopping crimes before it happens and also making sure that if someone commits a violent crime, particularly with a firearm, I want them in handcuffs in 24 hours. And we're able to work with our local jurisdictions, working, working with Mayor Scott, working with our county executives, working with our community groups and our violent intervention and violence interruption groups, because so much of the violence that we were seeing was retaliatory by nature. So you could actually stop that before the violence continued to escalate, that Maryland became one of the only states that actually helps to fund the U.S. attorney out of balance sheet. And so we're able to take a lot of these gun crimes and turn them into federal crimes that we funded our state's attorneys and making sure we can increase the prosecution rates and increase the closure rates on violent crimes. And that has been the things that have helped to lead to the type of historic results where now Maryland is seeing amongst the fastest drops in violent crime amongst any state in the entire country. And we know we have more work to do. I will never be satisfied if there is one person who does not feel safe in their neighborhoods and their communities. But I can tell you right now, the way we do it is by partnership. The way you do it is by putting the authority back and working with our local jurisdictions. And it's just ironic to me that it's Donald Trump and Republican Party, the party of get big government out of our way. That are now the ones deciding to put millions of dollars, hundreds of millions of dollars into doing something that is performative at best.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

I'm old enough to remember, I could say I've worked in two White Houses and remember Democratic presidents working with Republican mayors in some cities, working even with Republican governors if they were willing, because that's how you have conversations about how to solve issues. I know you mentioned you'd be happy to talk to the White House. I cannot imagine they've taken you up on that, but have they taken you up on it? Have you heard from them or anyone there at all?

[Host or Announcer]

No, the only thing that we hear from the White House is actually telling us that we're on our own. And whether that's be, whether that's the White House cutting off supports for gun violence programs that were actually working where the federal government was helping to fund and support operations that were taking place within the state of Maryland, you know, within Baltimore City, or whether it's the, whether it's the federal government when we're having historic floods, which by the way, was something that I actually deployed our National Guard to be on standby when we had historic floods out in western Maryland where we had, where we had school children that had to get saved via boat from the second floor of their schoolhouse because the fourth floor was washed out, where we were some of the first boots on the ground and where we put in a federal relief request for the federal government and something that's never been turned down in the history of the state of Mary, became the first governor where we received a simple note saying support of Maryland is not warranted. And by the way, not a single state that did not vote for Donald Trump has gotten any federal relief or any federal disaster relief. So no, the White House has not reached out. But I want to be clear, if you reach out about mobilizing Maryland's National Guard, my answer to you is going to be very clear. If it is not mission aligned and if it's not mission critical, the answer is no.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

You've made that abundantly clear. I think people have heard that part of it. I don't know if they. Listen, let me ask you before I let you go, I mean, right now there's just so much going on. Trump is trying to, as you well know, cuz I know you've been following it, get Republican led states to gerrymander their states to squeeze out more Republican seats ahead of next year's midterm elections. It's very transparent what they're trying to do. And There are leaders of Democratic led states who are facing some pressure to follow suit. I'm sure you are, too. And there are some Democrats in Maryland's legislature who are trying to get something going. What do you think of that? Is that something you support? I mean, would you call a special session or what are you willing to do here?

[Host or Announcer]

Yeah. The truth is that this tracks for Donald Trump because the way he's always lived his life is if he does not get a result he wants, he just cheats or he tries to change the rules. So this absolutely tracks for him because he knows that when the American people go to vote next November and they're voting on the policies that he's pulled together, policies that have ripped away their health care, policies that have been able to take away food assistance, policies that making sure that those who are the most disadvantaged and the most vulnerable are going to get hit the hardest while we are bending over backwards for billionaires that those policies are not popular. So the only way that he can try to hold on to the Congress is cheating. And so I am a big believer in that. We have to have congressional districts all across the state that are fair and we cannot have elected officials who are choosing their voters, but actually voters who are choosing their elected officials. But I do want to also say this, that in Maryland, all options are on the table, because if the President wants to start picking and choosing which states that they want to start having conversations about congressional seating in congressional district, then I think it's only appropriate that for each and every state to be able to have a similar type of conversation within their individual jurisdictions. So in Maryland, everything is on the table.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

Everything's on the table. Maryland Governor Westmore, it was such a pleasure talking to you. We covered a lot. Thank you so much for joining me tonight. I really appreciate it.

[Host or Announcer]

You did. I appreciate you. Thank you so much.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

Okay, we're going to take a quick break, but after we take a break, we're going to talk about what we know and don't know about Friday's summit between Trump and Putin and whether a peace deal on Ukraine is actually within reach. But first, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt gave a briefing today. Let's just say I have a bit of a different, different take on how to answer these questions honestly. So we'll take a crack at that after a quick break. There was a whole lot on the minds of the White House press corps during today's press briefing. It is August, but there's still a lot going on. So I thought I'd Take a stab at answering some of their questions. It's been a while. Minus the usual Trump White House spin, of course. That's not my deal. All right, first we have Phil Wegman from Real Clear Politics. Last week, the President said the CEO of Intel was highly conflicted, seeking to cite his past investment with Chinese companies that were doing business from the Chinese military. Yesterday, he called his meeting with that CEO a success. So what can you tell us about what the Intel CEO said to President.

[Political Analyst]

Trump that changed his mind?

[News Anchor or Journalist]

Yeah, Phil. I mean, that was quite the 180 degree turn. At first, Trump calls for the resignation of intel CEO, and then just days later he calls him a success after meeting with him. Now, we don't know what actually was said in that meeting. Not yet, at least. I'm sure people are working on reporting it. But with Trump, we know that flattery and concessions usually go a very long way, gifts even. And it can sometimes turn his opinions entirely around. I mean, if you love him, how could you not be great? It's kind of how it goes in his head, I think. And what shouldn't be lost about this story is that Trump had tried to directly intervene and change the leadership of a publicly traded company. Imagine if a Democratic president had done that. So my question is, where are all the Republicans who say the government should get out of the way of business? Hello, you out there. Some things you could be angry about right now. All right, next up, Joey Garrison from USA Today. Go ahead.

[Political Analyst]

The president's new nominee for BLS commissioner, E.J. antoni, recently told Fox Business that the BLS should suspend issuing monthly job reports.

[Host or Announcer]

And only issue quarterly reports until the jobs data methodology is corrected.

[Political Analyst]

So does the president disagree with that assessment that his nominee is said there or suspending these monthly job reports, a real option?

[News Anchor or Journalist]

I mean, Joey, I think you know this, but we are in pretty unchartered territory here. Trump fired the last BLS commissioner, a woman who was very qualified, because he didn't like the numbers. So it feels safe to assume he thinks this guy is going to do what he wants. Right? That's pretty much why he has the job. It's certainly not because he is so qualified for it. Even the Wall Street Journal editorial board called this guy partisan. That tells you something. I mean, let's be real. Trump isn't exactly a numbers guy either. I mean, he has been willing in the past to fudge or cover up statistics like, say, inflating the size of his penthouse or wanting to stop the counting of COVID 19 cases. So yeah, it kind of feels like a safe bet that he does not disagree with suspending the monthly jobs report. Maybe it's even what he wants. All right, let's do another. Oh, boy. Okay, right wing YouTuber Benny Johnson. Let's do this.

[Host or Announcer]

Nancy Pelosi has attacked the President for deploying the National Guard to the city, saying that it is to cover for his incompetence. Hillary Clinton has also attacked the President for securing the city of Washington, D.C. i'd like to get your response. Follow up to that. Given the heroic actions of a member of this administration just a few blocks from this building, will the president consider giving the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Big Balls?

[News Anchor or Journalist]

Well, Benny, I have to hand it to you, that didn't disappoint with the insanity of that question. But first off, I mean, Nancy Pelosi is right. The deployment of the National Guard is definitely not about actually lowering the crime rate that has been going down. It's about changing the subject. It's about normalizing military in the streets. It's about a lot of things. As for Big Balls, which I can't believe we have to say on a TV show, but here we are in 2025. I mean, what happened to him was horrible and I wish him a speedy recovery. Everybody should. But the people who typically receive the Medal of Freedom have decades of public service or storied careers under their belt. They aren't a 19 year old software engineer, so I don't see how he would make the nomination list. But then again, this is the Donald Trump presidency, so who knows? Okay, one more. Tamara Keith, npr. Go ahead. Last week, the meeting with Putin was sort of described potentially as an opportunity for a deal. Now it's a feeling out is there, has there been a shift in expectations within the White House or an effort to temper expectations about what success looks like for this meeting? Yes, of course there is a tempering of expectations. I mean, Trump agreed to a meeting on US Soil with Putin. It's already a big win for that guy. Now Trump is saying he's meeting with Putin to, quote, see what he has in mind and he'll know if a deal can be made in the first two minutes. What the deal may look like, who knows? But Trump has already hinted that Ukraine, the country that of course was invaded to begin with, that is not a part of the meeting, may need to give up territory to end this conflict. That isn't a sign of negotiating strength on Trump's part going into Friday meetings still a couple days away. Okay, don't Go anywhere because we are going to be talking lots more about Friday's Trump Putin meeting with former CIA director John Brennan. That's actor Cook. Break. So stay with us.

[Donald Trump]

It's going to be a big thing. We're going to Russia. That's going to be a big deal. It's embarrassing for me to be up here, you know, I'm going to see put Putin. I'm going to Russia on Friday.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

To be clear, no, you did not miss the news that Trump will be traveling to Russia on Friday because he is not traveling to Russia on Friday. And despite what he said there, Trump is expected to meet with Putin at a US Military base in Anchorage, Alaska this Friday. The White House confirmed that this evening. So whether the 79 year old President was experiencing a cognitive slip up or maybe making a Freudian slip, where in a few days time he may suggest handing the 49th state back to Russia, it's really anyone's guess at this point. Anything is possible. Anything can happen. I suppose one thing we do know is that this meeting on US Soil and with Ukraine essentially sidelined is already an enormous win for Putin. And besides Trump appearing confused about the location of the meeting, he also seems clueless about what could likely be the outcome. See, Trump thinks he'll be able to cut a deal to end Russia's devastating war in Ukraine. But according to Ukrainian intelligence, Putin has no plans to end the conflict. I think we all know that. And is instead readying its troops for new offensive operations. And it isn't just Ukraine throwing cold water on any expectations of a peace deal. No surprise. Here's how Russian state media, an extension of Putin, is talking about the meeting. Joining me now is John Brennan, former CIA director under President Obama, now MSNBC senior intelligence analyst. Okay, Russian propaganda TV is Russian propaganda tv. But to me it's interesting because it's like, what is the point of this meeting really? What do you think is the best outcome and the worst outcome of this meeting?

[Political Analyst]

Well, the best outcome is if no damage occurs as a result of this meeting. I think that's the best outcome. The worst outcome is that Donald Trump is going to continue to concede to Vladimir Putin. Concessions as far as the Ukraine conflict is concerned, I mean, let's face it, Vladimir Putin is an international pariah. He's been indicted by the Criminal Court of Justice for war crimes. And here he's been given a real benefit of coming to the United States, to Alaska to meet with the President of the United States. And the President of the United States has also sent signals that he's willing to make concessions on behalf of Ukraine, talking about the need to trade territory. Really concerned that there's been so little preparation for this. I know they've talked about, you know, the past several months, they've been thinking about this a lot. But I think Donald Trump, by his own admission, says he's going to be listening to what Vladimir Putin has to say, and, you know, talking to people who know Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump and especially the Europeans. And I've been to Europe several times over the past several months, most recently last month. They're very concerned that Trump is really getting outplayed by a master strategist on the international scene. And they see Donald Trump as a real amateur. He has no experience in international diplomacy. And Vladimir Putin is a former KGB officer, an intelligence officer, and very, very clever and cunning in terms of how he deals with other foreign leaders. So I think there's great concern. But also what I heard recently in Europe, which was different, you can never trust what Vladimir Putin is going to say or do. He may commit to a ceasefire and then violate it the following day. But this is the first time I've heard from the Europeans. They can't trust what they are hearing from the United States, given the mercurial nature of Donald Trump and his commitment one day to some path or some policy, only to change course the following week. So they don't know whether or not if there's going to be security guarantees that the Trump administration will give to Ukraine, whether or not, in fact, he's going to commit to those guarantees in the years to come, which is a.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

Very horrible place for the United States to be in the world. To state the obvious, I mean, I think we all remember Helsinki, when Trump came out of that meeting with Putin and seemed to claim Putin had told me that they didn't hack the election, and so they didn't. Right. There was this report. Earlier today, the New York Times reported that investigators have uncovered evidence that Russia is at least partly responsible for a recent hack of the computer system that manages federal court documents, including highly sensitive records with information that could reveal sources and people charged with national security crimes. Under a normal circumstance, with a normal president of either party, this would be a big topic at the meeting. I'm not holding my breath here, but you spent a career thinking about what. What people, what the Russians, what others might want. What do they want from that? What are they harping? What were they hoping to get from that?

[Political Analyst]

As much data as they can get about US persons to try to identify any types of vulnerabilities that people might have. If it is in fact the Department of Justice network or system, they're going in there to see, maybe are there some pending charges against individuals or what could there be in terms of behind these charges? Is there some material that they could use as compromise, as blackmail? The Russians have very sophisticated when it comes to cyber operations. We've seen it repeatedly in US Elections. We've seen them going after emails, servers and other types of things. So it should be no surprise to anybody that the Russians are actively involved in this. And if a president of the United States is going to be meeting with the president of Russia on the heels of something like this, damn well better say to Vladimir Putin, what's going on here? We've caught you, you have to stop. But unfortunately, I think as was demonstrated in Helsinki, as you pointed out, Donald Trump tends to take the side of Vladimir Putin. I hope he's not going to do that this time. You know, hope springs eternal in this. Maybe he'll change his ways, I don't know. But this is a very important meeting because the future of Ukraine really hangs in the balance. And a lot of the Europeans are seeing the future of Europe hanging in the balance. And here's the president of the United States, the leader of the Western world, who's going to be meeting face to face with Vladimir Putin while there are still thousands upon thousands of Russians occupying Ukrainian European soil. So this is critically important and I'm hoping that there's going to be no damage done, hoping that Donald Trump is really going to stay strong and continue to represent Ukraine in the manner that Ukraine needs to be represented by the United States.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

Mike McFaul. I talked to former Ambassador Mike McFaul on Friday and he said that one of the flags for him is if there's a lot of one on one time, or really any one on one time, I would guess that's the same for you. But what are the other things as you're watching this meeting take place because there's so many performative optics with the Russians, right? What are you watching for? That would be a red flag for you.

[Political Analyst]

Well, Certainly, as Mike McFaul said, one on one, just like in Helsinki, he excused even our US Translator and he had just the Russian translator there. So I'm very concerned about that. Secondly, if in a press conference that follows, if Vladimir Putin is able to get Donald Trump to acknowledge certain things again with the concessions as far as territory or other things, or to disavow any type of commitment to Ukraine's future security in terms of NATO membership. I think Donald Trump, who tends to be rather ad hoc in terms of his speech on these, you know, press conferences, he needs to be very, very careful because the world is going to be watching him and what he says. And it's very, very important that he not fall prey to Vladimir Putin, who, again, is an experienced operations officer from the KGB and is able to, I think, get him into a position and place to say things that even Donald Trump doesn't realize is going to be hard, harmful to Ukraine. But this is something I think that Vladimir Putin is determined to have happen.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

Is a joint press conference a flag for you if they do one or not? It's more kind of what they say.

[Political Analyst]

Well, I certainly am concerned about the press conferences that Donald Trump gives because, again, he tends to make it up on the fly. And I don't think he realizes sometimes the import of his words, particularly on something as strategically important as this. And if they have a press conference, say they had an exchange of ideas, they're going to go back then to the respective capitals and think about it and also talk to Ukraine and talk to the Europeans on the US Side, I think that is fine. But if they go beyond that, if Donald Trump starts to spin out different types of scenarios as far as future peace deals or whatever else, I think that's a danger. We need to get to a ceasefire immediately. We need to have the Russians stop with their offensive operations now. They're trying to reclaim additional territory before this meeting takes place. So, again, I think the least damage he does publicly and also personally with Vladimir Putin, he's got to stick to the strong line that we've taken that Ukraine's security is very much American's national security, and we're going to continue to support them.

[News Anchor or Journalist]

John Brennan, you know a lot about a lot of things, but one of them is former KGB agent Vladimir Putin. It's very important to speak this week, unfortunately, but. But it's important to know. Thank you so much for being here with me tonight. We'll be right back. Okay, one last thing before I hand it off to the fabulous Lawrence o'. Donnell. If you want to attend the very special event MSNBC is putting on this October called MSNBC Live 25, I have some good news for you because there are still some tickets available. So here's the details. The event is Saturday, October 11, in New York City at the iconic Hammerstein Ballroom. Very cool. I'm expecting, excited to go. It's a space basically to connect in person with other MSNBC viewers and with all of us. We'll all be there and hopefully we can all try to make sense of this unique moment we are living through together. At least take a chunk out of that conversation. I will be there, of course, with a dozen, more than a dozen of my amazing MSNBC colleagues. And I have to say, last year's MSNBC Live was an absolute highlight of my trip 2024. I got to meet so many wonderful viewers, including that little girl right there from all across the country and engage in some really thoughtful conversations. And I saw other people engaging in thoughtful conversations with each other. I can't wait to do it again this year. I also happen to have it on pretty good authority and maybe he'll have an update on this that Lawrence o' Donnell has been practicing his dance moves. So if you happen to miss the iconic Rachel Lawrence twirl session last year, we're giving you just just a little review of it there. Maybe we'll all be lucky enough to get a Take two in October. It is a ballroom after all. You can get your [e-mail] live25 or you can scan the QR code you see here on your screen. I hope to see you there. 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.

[Commentator or Analyst]

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