← The Briefing with Jen Psaki
The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Trump suffers the consequences of poor staffing choices
00:41:04
Jen Psaki looks at why Donald Trump is likely regretting staffing his administration based on culture war credibility rather than competence as FBI director Kash Patel's antics appear to have reached critical mass, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is spending energy being upset about beards while being unable to end the war with Iran, and Vice President JD Vance is buying himself a multi-million dollar estate in the midst of a political season in which "affordability" is the biggest theme.
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- [00:01]
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- [00:51]
Jen Psaki
Alright, picture this. It's Friday night. Which it is. You're done with work for the week. And you probably are. You've clocked out, you've slammed your laptop shut, and you're about to board a flight to go see your girlfriend or boyfriend, whatever. You're already dreaming about that in flight beverage. You are thinking about that in flight beverage. And then suddenly you get summoned back to the office and you're a little panicked. I mean, just imagine what that would feel like. And as I tell you, what happened to FBI Director Kash Patel tonight, Because that's basically a version of what happened to him tonight. Because tonight msnow is reporting that top Trump administration officials have been, quote, frustrated with Patel and summoned him to the White House, forcing him to abruptly cancel his weekend getaway plans to see his girlfriend in Chicago, who was apparently performing at a country music festival in the parking lot of of the stadium where the Chicago Bulls play. Which, good for her, I guess. She's had a string of performances as of late. Now, one of the sources briefed on the trip said Patel canceled the trip while on the tarmac and was summoned to the White House immediately, adding that it was apparent panic. Now, the precise reasons that Patel's political bosses demanded he cancel his trip and report to the West Wing are unclear. But several people said top Trump deputies were disturbed by a range of actions by Patel. Some found it confounding that the FBI director was leaving town amid the recent revival of the war with Iran and alleged threats against the president's life. According to a person Familiar others cited two unforced errors by Patel that created bad optics for the Trump administration. They certainly did. I mean, the first being his early morning tweet in which he boasted, this is a quote. You can see it on your screen. My jet ski is gold plated, dumbass. His words, not mine. Which he wrote in response, by the way, to msnow's coverage of his high flying lifestyle. Stay classy as always, Cash. Now, the second misstep, the people said, was that extensive reports by Amazonow and other news outlets about taxpayers footing the bill for Patel's globetrotting ultimately spurred formal questions from Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, a critical ally, of course, of President Trump. He got kind of. He's old, but he got kind of wily this week. Now, so far, the FBI has declined to comment. A White House official denied Patel was summoned, saying he was just there for unrelated meetings on a Friday night after he canceled his trip.
- [03:28]
Stephen Chung
Sure.
- [03:29]
Jen Psaki
And White House spokesperson Stephen Chung told MSNow that Director Patel remains a critical player on the administration's law and order team. And listen, I have written a lot of statements in my time. Let me just pause on that very specifically worded Stephen Chung statement for a moment. Because remaining, quote, a critical player on the administration's law and order team is not the same as saying, cash Patel is an excellent FBI director. The president relies on him and he's looking forward to working with him in that role for the remainder of the administration. It's not. We don't know more than that. But I'm just saying. So we will be keeping a close eye on that story for sure. But guess what, Casp? Patel isn't the only Trump official who is living the high life. Certainly not. I mean, listen to what J.D. vance had to say on a podcast recently about how his life has drastically changed since becoming vice president.
- [04:23]
J.D. Vance
Like, my life is, dude, totally transformed. I don't go to the grocery store anymore. People go to the grocery store for me most of my meals. Like, like when I cook a meal, I love to cook, actually. I'm a big baker. I like to cook for my kids as a special occasion. But I don't have to cook anymore because I've got an army of people who are willing to cook me my food. My life is so weird. I fly around on a 757. No more TSA lines for me and the kids. It's so weird. But it can become the sort of thing that if you internalize it, you start to be an entitled asshole.
- [04:58]
Jen Psaki
You don't say, I did learn that JD Vance considers himself a good baker, so I guess there's that bit of information. But the irony here is that the point Vance was attempting in that clip was that he is actively trying to avoid becoming an entitled you know what. However, projecting a pious attempt at humility is hard, especially when sources tell Axios that Vance is simultaneously eyeing house to lease on a Grand Prix 500 acre farm in Middleburg, Virginia, a property that last sold for $8.5 million. Here's how Axios puts it. Between vineyards and equestrian estates, it's a slice of countryside far removed from the hardscrabble upbringing Vance described in his book. Hillbilly Elegy certainly is. Look, I'm not saying that public officials do not deserve hard earned vacations, but it is pretty rich that Vance appears to be saying one thing and doing another here. Promise to remain humble while also bragging about your tax funded chefs and staff and then dreaming about kicking your feet up inside a multi million dollar mansion. Those two things don't really go together. Meanwhile, Americans all across this country are struggling to pay rent, let alone buy a home. It may come as no surprise to you that yesterday home prices in the United States hit an all time high, and LendingTree says that fewer than 4 in 10 non homeowner households can afford a typical starter home priced around $200,000. The American dream of owning a home is increasingly out of reach, so much so that many are rethinking it altogether. Then there's the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, who also seems increasingly out of touch, if that is even possible. He started out of touch, but according to cbs, Hexseth is concerned that some service members have facial hair, and he has expressed frustration over lapses in physical training and violations of military height and war standards. Hey Pete, isn't there a war you should be thinking about? You know, instead of facial hair? Maybe you know, the one with Iran that Trump said was over but then restarted this week seems like a bigger concern to me. The word that has sent gas prices skyrocketing, causing other essentials like food to go up with it. Speaking of groceries, you may be shocked to know that it isn't just members of the Trump administration who are increasingly out of touch. There are also Republican lawmakers like Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, who is currently running to be Iowa's next senator and thought it would be a great idea to just try to relate to the average Joe to tell them she knows what families are facing. I am at the heart of everything, a working Mom. And whether it is, you know, refueling the minivan or restocking my fridge for our teenager boys, I know what is facing our families here in Iowa. You know, I'm getting the text from my kids on the way on the plane out to D.C. mom, can you put some more money in my lunch account? Or, hey, can you. Can you do something about the lack of groceries in the house? That's an everyday problem in our house right now. Now, I do not know the inner workings of Ashley Hinson's household, but what I do know is that the folks at Midas Touch point out that according to her recent financial disclosures, Hansen's net worth has increased by up to $7 million while she has been in office, thanks to her husband's ownership of individual stock in his private company. And I will just go out on a limb here and say the average American has nowhere near those financial assets and certainly not the average person sitting in Iowa. She's trying to get to vote for her. And unlike Ashley Hinson, they're actually struggling. According to a new Survey this week, 67% of Americans say meat and poultry are especially unaffordable these days. 82% believe that politicians have the power to lower costs if they choose to do so. Also this Week, an Economist YouGov poll shows that 88% of Americans say the price of their food has gone up, 87% say the price of their gas has risen, and 77% of Americans say their housing costs have gotten more expensive. Just to sit with that for a second, the overwhelming majority of people in this country say the cost of basic things like food, gas, housing have gone up in the last year because a lot of them have. And in the face of all that data, what did Donald Trump do with a bipartisan housing bill that has been sitting on his desk? Well, today he posted online, I will not sign the housing bill in protest over the fact that the United States Senate is not capable of passing the Save America act, his voter suppression bill. Of course. See, the bad news here is that the people in charge of the federal government right now are comically out of touch with the country they're supposed to be running. The good news is there's an election coming, and in politics, it is incredibly useful when your opponents have a huge problem on their hands and don't even seem to be tracking that it is happening. Rob Flaherty is the former director of Digital strategy for President Joe Biden and the host of the excellent Nobody Knows Anything podcast, which I have appeared on. And you should all be listening to. Molly Murphy is a top Democratic strategist and pollster. They are two of the smartest political minds I know, and it has been a hell of a week, and I was dying to talk to them. Thank you guys both for being here.
- [10:03]
Molly Murphy
Thank you for having us. Thank you.
- [10:05]
Jen Psaki
Okay, Molly, let me start with you, because I am a retired campaign rat, as I like to say, but I spent a lot of time on campaigns, as we all have, and I just walked through national polls. And what we're seeing in Washington, which is basically this clown car imploding, right? And completely out of touch leadership in the White House. But the most important question right now is we're a couple months from the election is like, is this trickling down to states? How is it trickling down to states?
- [10:30]
Rob Flaherty
What's happening?
- [10:30]
Jen Psaki
Where is it not? So can you just level set for us?
- [10:33]
Molly Murphy
There is somewhere that it is not. Let's start there. Yeah, it is really affecting people everywhere. Because when it is the gas you put in your car to get everywhere you need to go and the price you're paying at the grocery store, there is not a corner of the country that has escaped from this. And the Senate is in play. You know, right after the 2024 election, we all said, wow, this 2026 Senate map looks pretty rough. For Democrats to have pickups, you got to win a of lot. Alaska, you have to win Iowa, you have to win Ohio, Texas. Those are states that Donald Trump won by double digits. And all of those states are competitive now. And at this point, Democrats have great odds to take the entire Senate control simply because not only is life getting worse for people, but people do not feel like this administration or these Republican incumbent senators are doing anything about it. In fact, they're going the opposite way. They're supporting policies that make them a lot of money, but don't actually help put money in the pockets of people.
- [11:27]
Jen Psaki
It's been very clear. I mean, it was clear before this, but very clear to most people that the cost of living and affordability are obviously front and center to what is impacting people nowadays. But sometimes when you hear people articulate this message, it feels like it is spit out of like an AI Chatbot, I'm gonna say. Right. And I've been dying to ask you this question because you had to run digital strategy without money. You had to get policies that kind of wonky out there and into people's homes and things. And I just wonder if, as you look at people who are talking about these issues, the ones who are not saying things like, our message is affordability, which is not a way to do it. Who's doing it well? And I'm gonna put Mayor Mamdani over here. Cause he's obviously doing it well. But who else is doing it well? Who's out there right now? Who's a good model, in your view?
- [12:15]
Political Strategist
Yeah, well, I think the thing with affordability is that affordability without causation goes over people's heads. And so you need to give a reason. And the people who are doing this best are giving a reason why costs are high. Jon Ossoff in Georgia attributes it to corruption. Mary Peltola in Alaska. Fish family freedom, talking about how it makes it harder to raise a family. And it's easy to talk about causation because Donald Trump is taking a big fat nap on the prices go higher button. He has started a war of choice that nobody wants and put tariffs on people. And all of that has contributed to why people are feeling the way that they're feeling.
- [12:47]
Jen Psaki
One of the biggest pieces of news this week in politics is, of course, what has happened in Maine. And I'm just going to put it at that. But Graham Platner finally did sign paperwork today. I think there was a concern I had at least that he was gonna wait until Monday or who knows? I mean, what was gonna happen there? There's been a lot of analysis out there, but a lot of chatter about the Platner coalition. I mean, you can think, as I think we all do, that what he did is horrendous. There was no place for him in this race. We believe those women, they are the heroes here. But he built a base of support in Maine that now there's a question of, can that be translated? What is that coalition? Who has that coalition? What strikes me is it's been. It's been talked about as like an ideological coalition, but it feels a little bit like it was also character vibes. I don't know if there's a way to describe it.
- [13:35]
Molly Murphy
Yeah.
- [13:36]
Jen Psaki
What do you make of that coalition? Can it be translated? Should people be thinking about it in a different way than that? As we look to Maine?
- [13:43]
Molly Murphy
I think it absolutely can be translated. I think what was appealing to people about Graham Platner and the lessons that people should draw, setting aside the awful personal character and conduct that he embodied was what he brought to people was populism. What he brought was. It's not just one individual. It's the system that isn't working. And I recognize the problems in the system. And I'm going to take this as a big versus small fight, big and powerful versus small and overlooked, and not about D versus R necessarily. Now it is D versus R. But he was also taking this to represent more than just those politics. And I think that caught on to people, and I think that was really appealing. I don't think Graham Platner owns that message. You see lots of candidates who are taking on that mantle and doing quite well, and I think you can see that again. I absolutely also think that races are most energized when people believe in the candidate and they have a common enemy. And Susan Collins is deeply unpopular. And we really haven't even started talking about Susan Collins in this race. And so I think that, yes, absolutely. Especially once the dust is settled, we will all be sort of unified behind that core goal.
- [14:51]
Jen Psaki
Yeah, that's a very good point. I mean, I was talking to Amy Walter about this earlier this week. It's like Maine has been a blue state in presidential elections. It is a blue state in general, or blue, purple, whatever you want to describe it. And just Susan Collins has been hard to beat. One of the challenges, I think, for these candidates, and who knows? We don't know who the candidate will be, but we'll know in a couple of weeks. We'll know in two weeks about. Is that they're not even well known in Maine right now. That's not their fault. I mean, they're in the situation where a lot of them have put their names in the hat here. Troy Jackson, of course, Shannon Bellows, Dr. Shaw, others as well. What do you do if you're them?
- [15:28]
Molly Murphy
Right.
- [15:28]
Jen Psaki
I mean, they gotta raise money very quickly, obviously. They have to find ways to kind of generate some enthusiasm for their campaigns that's main, focused and not national, because that's what Mainers clearly want. What advice would you give to them?
- [15:43]
Political Strategist
Yeah, well, look, there's a lot of tactics they can be using. They could be doing more content. They can be talking to the broader public as a way to raise money and raise their profile. They obviously have a small sliver of Maine that they actually have to get the votes of these delegates. But the real big thing is you have to have something that you're about. I mean, that's the big problem is that, you know, you're gonna be in a field of a lot of people. You have to have a real reason, a real brand, something that defines you, and that needs to come through before any tactic. You know, the reason why you're running, I think, is the most Important thing
- [16:12]
Jen Psaki
in this short window and differentiating themselves. I mean, even I'm even. Even beyond the 500 to 600 delegate part of it. It's like when you get to the other side of it. And Susan Collins is still incredibly well known.
- [16:25]
Stephen Chung
Right.
- [16:25]
Jen Psaki
So that feels like its own challenge. Let me ask you about women. Everybody brings up women voters in Maine. Right. And how important they are, and we all know that. But break down for us, like, what that exactly means, because clearly Platner, he had. He had a base of women supporters, which is hard to believe in this moment, but he did. Right. Susan Collins certainly has her own. What does that mean? Are there people that could be won over that maybe he didn't have? Or how do you think about that?
- [16:48]
Molly Murphy
Yeah, absolutely. So a couple things to know. Maine is one of the older states on the map. The electorate is old in Maine, and disproportionately, unfortunately, your sort of key swing voter is an older woman who is likely working class, non college educated. Graham Platner spoke to a lot of those values and sort of what they're looking for. Susan Collins has also, in the minds of those old, maybe more moderate women, felt like someone who was able to bridge the gap, sort of eschew the partisan sort of game in Washington. But that is a shrinking pool of people and voters, especially these women voters who have watched Dobbs, you know, take over and, you know, get rid of Roe. They've watched the attacks on women. And now we're in sort of the wake of Graham Platner with another scandal relating to women. I think these women voters are really sort of homeless in some ways as they think about with their choices. And I think it's a huge opportunity for that eventual Democratic nominee to emerge and sort of be that place to go coming out of the, you know, Platner scandal. Even before the most recent, most awful news, he had a troublesome record with women. And, you know, also be able to call Susan Collins out for the ways in which she's turned her back on Maine women.
- [18:01]
Jen Psaki
Yeah, it's interesting because it could be some people up for grabs that were not necessarily before. Okay, before I let you guys go, I just want to ask you about Michigan because they're. Earlier this week, Mallory McMorrow dropped out. Now there's two candidates in the race. I just wanted to play a little slip of each of their ads and get your thoughts on it, because I think it tells us a little bit about what's going on in this race right now. And darn proud to Vote for Abdul Else said for Senate. I know Abdul, and Abdul knows what's at stake. He was the first Muslim American leader to endorse Kamala Harris for president.
- [18:36]
Rob Flaherty
When they came for our auto jobs,
- [18:38]
Political Strategist
Haley Stevens stood up.
- [18:40]
Stephen Chung
She was chief of staff to President Obama's auto rescue.
- [18:43]
Jen Psaki
And Haley Stevens, by the way, she
- [18:45]
Mark Elias
was a critical part of my team that helped the American auto industry come roaring back.
- [18:51]
Jen Psaki
I mean, it's just an interesting inclusion of a bunch of past politicians that does feel like a more ideological race as opposed to Maine, which is a little different. But what do you make of those ads? What do you think about what's going on there?
- [19:03]
Political Strategist
Yeah, well, if you're el sayed, he's obviously trying to position himself as a normie Democrat. He's got a black woman, the base of the party featured prominently. He's got the first person to endorse Kamala Harris. He's trying to say, I am a. I am a Democrat. I'm not a scary socialist.
- [19:19]
Jen Psaki
They're trying to tie him to the uncommitted movement. Right. Which is interesting, that ad. Yeah.
- [19:23]
Political Strategist
And so he's trying to walk that back. And then, you know, Haley Stevens, of course, you know, if you've got the most popular politician in the world saying your name, Barack Obama, smoke him. Smoke it if you got it. You know, it's like it is. It is a thing you want to use.
- [19:35]
Jen Psaki
Smoke it if you got it. I feel like we may need T shirts or cups or something for our next time. That's advice for politicians out there watching. Molly, Rob, it was great to see you. Thank you both so much for being here.
- [19:44]
Molly Murphy
Thank you.
- [19:45]
Jen Psaki
Quite a. Quite a week in politics. Okay, coming up, the warning signs are flashing bright red about Donald Trump's plans to mess with the midterm elections. And his latest move might just be the most brazen one yet. Mark Elias is standing by, and he joins us next.
- [20:05]
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- [20:35]
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- [21:31]
Jen Psaki
There is nothing that Donald Trump is more fixated on than undermining the integrity of American elections. And he is using every lever at his disposal to do so. It has really become kind of a whole of government approach. He has tried to strong arm Republicans in Congress to pass his expansive voter restriction bill. He has installed election deniers throughout his administration. His defense secretary has not ruled out deploying troops during the upcoming midterms. And his administration talks about sending federal agents like ICE officers to the polls as well. Trump has also attempted to use the U.S. postal Service to restrict mail in ballots. And he's tried to rewrite election laws with executive orders to make it harder to vote. And just the last week, Trump's Department of Homeland Security told states that it would withhold anti terrorism funds unless they changed their voting rules. His DOJ threatened state election officials with prosecution in an attempt to intimidate them. And just last night, Trump, with the go ahead from the conservative majority Supreme Court, purged the remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission, a bipartisan independent agency that supports election officials nationwide in administering elections. So that is a lot, and I probably just skimmed the surface there. And if you're wondering why Trump might have done the last piece I just mentioned, just consider that the commission was part of a joint statement that said there was no evidence that the 2020 election was compromised. And we know how he feels about that. Joining me now is election attorney and founder of Democracy Docket, Mark Elias, who keeps us all warned and informed so that we're all ready for November. Okay, Mark, let me start with this. And we talked about this on the show last night. But there have been a variety of responses to Trump purging the last Election Assistance Commission members. I mentioned why he may have done that. But what do you think the impact of this latest move is from Trump. Should people be very worried about it? Not so worried. What will it actually do during, before or after the election?
- [23:22]
Mark Elias
Yeah. So look, I think, Jen, you got it right in your lead up, which is, it's not that any one of these things is in and of itself like gonna, you know, cause us to not have free and fair elections. It is the cumulative impact of those things. Plus his various statements, remember going back to last August, he said that he believed the states were his agents for the counting and tabulation of ballots. That means that he believes he is in charge of what ballots get counted and not. And he said that before, you know, all those things that you listed that he's done with the Postal Service and the like, you know, he, he has repeatedly, repeatedly said that Republicans should take over the vote counting. And he suggested 15 places. Well, how many places did he just deploy election monitors to? 15. All in Democratic jurisdictions in mostly in blue states. So this latest thing with the eac, with the Election Assistance Commission is just a further sign that what he wants to do is to remove off the playing field any referee that might call the game. Honestly, any, any, anyone who might speak up or stand in his way that's in the federal government is going to be sidelined. And that's the reason why he didn't just fire the Democrats, he actually made the Republican resign so that there is
- [24:37]
Jen Psaki
no Election Assistance Commission, especially kind of after the election. Right. I mean, if he were to say something funny happened in this election because Democrats won back the House, this is the kind of group who might say something funny didn't happen.
- [24:50]
Molly Murphy
Right.
- [24:51]
Jen Psaki
And they're not, they're bipartisan, so they could be, play a role in doing that.
- [24:54]
Stephen Chung
Right.
- [24:55]
Jen Psaki
Is that what people should understand? Yeah, yeah.
- [24:57]
Mark Elias
They might speak out, they might vouch for election equipment, which is one of the things that they play a role in that is reportedly one of the things that has irritated people around Donald Trump. Trump is that they sort of, they have certified accurate election equipment as being accurate. And, you know, he may want to say that it's faulty. And you're exactly right. That's, that's among the reasons.
- [25:18]
Jen Psaki
Let's talk about these election monitors. And I know people watching, they've heard about election monitors being sent. We've dealt with this before. What, what does that mean? And as people are thinking about what it's going to look like in November in these states or what to prepare for, what should they prepare for and what does that look like in communities?
- [25:36]
Mark Elias
Yeah. So look, I think that what people need to be prepared for is that, number one, we're going to have elections. Donald Trump does not have the authority to cancel elections. You know, there's been a lot of talk about Donald Trump declaring some kind of state of emergency and, you know, taking over elections. Let me be clear. Donald Trump can declare whatever he wants. He can declare his arch is the greatest arch ever and that the, the, the, that the reflecting pool is sparkling blue rather than algae green. But it doesn't make it true. And the Constitution gives Congress, I'm sorry, gives the states the power to set the time, place and manner of election subject only to legislation enacted by Congress. It gives the president no role. So, number one, he can't cancel elections. That said, there are a lot of things he can do that will make it harder for people to vote and easier for Republicans afterwards to cheat. So, for example, he can deploy federal officers, you know, ICE and cpb, not just at polls, but around polls, close streets, cause, you know, concern. He can withhold some federal funding and threaten to withhold federal funding, which you just saw him do if states don't change their laws. And he can motivate and he can activate a large number of MAGA faithful who will do his bidding. You know, back in 2020 on January 6th, we saw what that looked like. But after that, every election now since then, I have dealt with in the courts these election vigilantes who, whether they stake out dropboxes because they think they're going to prevent fraud or they, they file mass challenges because they're trying to bog down the counties. And so he can deploy them as well. And that is as much as anything else, what I'm worried about.
- [27:21]
Jen Psaki
I mean, yeah, that is, and I think people out there should be, as you always tell us, it's like you got to be clear eyed about this and understand what's coming. Marc Elias I check democracy docket on the regular just to make sure I'm understanding what is happening. Thank you for doing what you do and what your whole team does and keeping us so informed. And thanks for being here with me tonight as well.
- [27:41]
Mark Elias
Thanks, Jen.
- [27:42]
Jen Psaki
Okay, coming up, another ridiculous Trump gimmick and another case in which we are trying to follow the money. Isn't that always the origin of it? We'll be right back.
- [27:56]
Stephen Chung
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- [29:32]
Jen Psaki
Part of Trump's jump speech in 2024 was his promise that he was going to cut American energy prices in half. I mean, he specifically promised that he would bring gas prices down below $2 a gallon. Obviously, that didn't happen. Trump's war with Iran has choked one of the world's most vital oil supply routes, raising prices all across the country and the world. And now, rather than actually use his office to try to help people feel less pain at the pump, he instead appears to be trying to take credit for a cheap, or I guess I should say not so cheap, gimmick.
- [30:05]
Freedom Fuel Network Spokesperson
We're here at the first Freedom Fuel Network gas station right here in Philadelphia, leading the charge to lower gas prices. $3.47. That's for our 47th president, President Donald J. Trump. The price of gas here is $0.50 lower than the Pennsylvania average gas price. President Donald J. Trump leading the charge to lower gas prices right here at Freedom Fuel Network's gas stations.
- [30:33]
Jen Psaki
Okay, now, this week, the White House itself posted that video trying to give Trump credit for lowering the price of gas at this one gas station chain, bragging about how gas there was only $3.47. But there are a Couple problems here, of course. Number one, when Trump took office, the national average for a gallon of gas was $3.12. So even this discounted gas is still much more expensive than gas was when Trump took office. Number two, this gas station chain has just 25 locations in two states, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Anyone who doesn't happen to be near one of those stations is just out of luck, I guess. And number three, these 25 gas stations that are selling gas at 50 cents less than market rate beg a really big question. A question this protester in Pennsylvania made a great sign for this week. Who is paying for this? That's what the sign says. Now, the head of petroleum at the gas price monitoring site, Gas Betty, told msnow that he can't foresee how they are profitable at such a low price, adding, quote, somebody's paying for that. A White House spokesperson says the stations are run by a private company and are not receiving any special rates on gasoline or government funding, which is an incredible admission considering that Trump is trying to take all the credit. And the only person who might know who is funding this apparent PR stunt for the President might just be President Trump himself, who last week, by the way, posted online that a, quote, very smart retailer was going to be lowering prices at 25 gas stations throughout the Northeast. So who's behind this? How much is it costing them? And are they expecting anything from Trump in return? We don't know. Those are all open questions right now. But we do know that national gas prices rose yet again today to $3.88 a gallon as Trump has reignited his war with Iran. And turns out even Freedom Fuel is not immune from feeling that pain because as of today, the majority of those gas stations have had to raise their prices, too. So much for 47 cents for the 47th president. Joining me now is Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, Democrat from Pennsylvania, whose district is now home to multiple Trump backed, newly branded Freedom Fuel gas stations. Okay, we know that the White House is open for business. We know that. And we also know that whoever is behind these gas stations, there's very little chance, according to our friend GasBuddy, that they're making any sort of profit. Most they're taking a loss. Some of these are in your district. Where does your mind go on what is going on here and what questions do you have?
- [33:07]
Rob Flaherty
Oh, I've got lots of questions. And the gas station you just showed is my district, dresher Pennsylvania. So I'm happy for a corner where my constituents can buy gas a little cheaper. But certainly we Have a lot of questions. Who is doing that, promoting? Is the president behind any of it? Is the president or his family profiting from it? Are somehow pardons involved in any of this? Who is the huckster behind it? The only thing that we have found so far is that it has been established by a Delaware llc. Maybe your reporting is showing something more. I'm not certain why it is focused in my district and suburban Philadelphia. Philadelphia and then over into New Jersey. I have lots of questions. The other gas stations in my area, we are all watching the digital numbers every single day. 399 is pretty typical. I run in if I see a 385. But 399 is about the price of gas. And let's remember before this war it was $3 and under $3. So even at this $3.47 price, Americans are still suffering and struggling as a result of President Donald Trump's reckless, ill partnered war with Iran that he is so bogged down in. We had an MOU conversation with Secretary Rubio and Mr. Witkoff and members of Congress just 10 days ago, all about the MOU and the ceasefire and what has the President said in recent days? It's over.
- [34:40]
Jen Psaki
And meanwhile, everybody's suffering around the country as a result. Let me ask you, I mean, I talked about this earlier, but at midnight tonight, as you well know, a sweeping bipartisan housing affordability bill will officially become law. And despite Trump refusing to actually sign is really, I mean, it is crazy politics that when he has the opportunity to sign into law a bill that would actually lower the cost of housing, he's not doing it. What he's doing on Iran as it relates to gas. How are people feeling, all of that in your district? Is it translating to people in your district? Are they blaming the Trump administration or what are you hearing from your constituents?
- [35:18]
Rob Flaherty
Oh, my constituents are upset. And I say that not just about Democrats who may have voted for me or may have not voted for Mr. Trump. I say it about Republicans and Independents who have come to me to say they're extremely upset. The housing bill, good, it will become law. It is bipartisan. It is bicameral. It helps his members, it helps Republican members in the House and the Senate because it is about helping Americans afford housing. It is about housing those who are unhoused. And so the president with his temper tantrum around the SAVE act, which is really voter suppression, we all know that. Fortunately, this bill will become law, Please God. At the expiration of this evening. And the president is so ill advised and unhinged and uncaring about the American people, the people who he represents, that he said I will bring costs down and I will end wars. Look what has happened. He's done neither. And he also has shown that he does not care about Republican members of the House and Senate, how it reflects upon them. When costs are up and people can't afford health care, people are shopping gas stations, people are staying home instead of going out and shopping more. He doesn't give a damn about that and his own Republican members know it and will suffer for it.
- [36:50]
Jen Psaki
It's bad policy and bad politics too, both good politics. Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, thank you as always for joining us today.
- [36:58]
Rob Flaherty
Good to be with you, Jen.
- [37:00]
Jen Psaki
Okay. Coming up, DJ Is saying one thing. Witnesses are saying something else entirely. The people of Houston want justice. We'll talk about that when we come back. Last night, the Harris county medical examiner officially ruled the shooting of 52 year old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by ICE officers in Houston a homicide. And today, the Department of Homeland Security's already unbelievable narrative about that shooting kept falling apart. DHS initially justified the shooting by saying that Salgado Araujo weaponized his vehicle attempting to run over an agent and the agent only used his weapon in self defense. But today the three other men in the van disputed that account. Speaking to the Washington Post via a lawyer because all three of them are currently in ICE detention, they said that Salgado Araujo did not try to ram anyone with his van. They say that there were never even any ICE agents in front of the van and that the agents shot at the van from the side of the vehicle, not the front. And while those witnesses are currently in ICE detention, Congressman Silvia Garcia says that ICE agents involved in the shooting are no longer in Houston. The Department of Homeland Security has declined to even release the agents names. And despite then DHS Secretary Kristi Noem having announced in February after the shootings of Renee Nicole Goode and Alex Preddy that DHS would put body cameras on all ICE officers nationwide. A spokesperson for DHS told msnow that the officers involved in this week's Houston shooting did not have body cameras. The spokesperson blamed the lack of body cameras on Democrats for refusing to give more money to DHS earlier this year. Again, that is a huge blatant lie because last year Trump's big ugly bill funded ICE, but to the tune of $75 billion. That made ICE literally the highest funded federal law enforcement agency in the country. As the Republican leader in the Senate, John Thune Put it earlier this year, the agency was already pre funded.
- [39:01]
Mark Elias
The good news for us is we saw this coming and we pre funded this last summer. Okay, so ICE and CBP are funded and will be funded at the end of the fiscal year.
- [39:10]
Congressman Christian Menefee
The body camera money that was in
- [39:12]
Jen Psaki
the big beautiful bill that was passed
- [39:13]
Congressman Christian Menefee
a few months ago, that was already there.
- [39:17]
Jen Psaki
So with no body camera footage, with no way of knowing who the ICE agents involved were, with the only known witnesses in ICE detention, with the feds refusing to share evidence with local prosecutors and DHS lying left and right, how can this shooting be investigated? And how can the city of Houston get justice? Joining me now is Democratic Texas Congressman Christian Menefee, who represents a part of Houston right next to where this shooting took place. Congressman, thank you for being here with me tonight. Let me start by just asking you, I mean, I think watching this and hearing about this is hard for anybody even viewing this right now. How are the people, your constituents doing tonight, the people you've been talking to in the community who've been watching this unfold and seeing lie after lie?
- [40:03]
Congressman Christian Menefee
They're taking it incredibly hard. The more information that we get, the more it's becoming abundantly clear that ICE is lying and that they killed someone in the middle of the street. And it is impacting folks across our communities. It was so incredibly powerful when Mr. Rajo's son Ronaldo spoke at one of the press conferences and he talked about how his dad worked and built himself up in this country and was able to send his three boys off to college. And they now have degrees and they are participating in this economy and they are neighbors and folks in Houston who we treat as part of our community. In Houston, we believe in recognizing the dignity of our neighbors. And every single immigrant and undocumented immigrant in Houston is treated the same as any other Houstonian. But to see President Trump send ICE agents to do enhanced enforcement actions and to see that happen in our city and to see someone gunned down is just a horrific thing that our communities are still struggling with.
- [40:58]
Jen Psaki
I don't have to tell you, but for people watching, there are so many layers of this story. And I wanted to ask you about one of them. Last night, a representative for the families of the witnesses, other men in the car was Salgado. Araujo told us that these men who are being held in ICE detention right now are being pressured to sign self deportation papers. This morning, a spokesperson for DHS told us that it's, quote, categorically false. I wish we could believe everything they Say we can't. That DHS would pressure someone to self deport. That's what they said is categorically false. What do you think is happening there? Because that's another part of this story.
- [41:35]
Congressman Christian Menefee
It's about obfuscating, trying to remove evidence and doing every single thing they can to make sure that folks in Houston and across the country don't know the truth. And the truth is that it was an unmarked vehicle that ran down on Mr. Rajo when he was in his van and that tried to pull him over and immediately got violent. You can ask anybody in Houston, friends, family members of mine. Nobody is going to pull over for an uncle unmarked vehicle in a state that has guns on everybody suit the nuts. And they're able to be able to use those guns. And people have seen the real implications of road rage incidents in this state. Nobody's going to pull over for an unmarked vehicle. This was not a police operation. There was no way that any reasonable person could view it that way. So what you're seeing from ICE right now is they are rushing as fast as they can to try to harm evidence so that there cannot be a transparent and thorough investigation. And when ICE says that that's not happening with the other witnesses, I call bs. I have been to Dilley Detention Center. I have spoken with people who are being pressured to self deport. And I know that it's happening to immigrants who were detained across this country. So I think I speak for most Houstonians when I say we are not buying what ICE is selling.
- [42:47]
Jen Psaki
It's very clear. I mean, we've seen protests already, peaceful ones this week. Tomorrow, multiple protests are planned across Houston in response to this shooting. Unfortunately, we also know that the Trump administration likes to vilify protesters. We saw that in Minnesota. You've seen that and experienced that too, and used them as an excuse to put an even more aggressive federal presence on the ground. What is your advice to your constituents who feel the outrage I can hear in your voice and who want to protest that? What is your advice to them?
- [43:18]
Congressman Christian Menefee
Stand up and make your voice heard. And I'm going to do every single thing in my power. I know Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia is going to do everything in her power to make sure that you're protected. I'll be in constant communication with officials at the city and at the county. And if you go out to protest, we're going to make sure that your voice is heard. Because we know that this administration is all about trying to find scapegoats. They have said that the reason that these agents didn't have body worn cameras was because of the government shutdown that happened earlier this year. But we already know that ICE received $75 billion in surge funding and it was Democrats who said that they would not vote for any more funding to DHS unless certain conditions and reforms were met, including having independent investigations and mandatory body worn cameras. When President Trump proposed decreasing the ICE funding for body worn cameras from 20 million to 5 million, it was Democrats who pushed back on that and fought to keep it at $20 million. This administration will stop at nothing to throw people under the bus. So my message to Houstonians is go out, make your voice heard, and we're going to have your back.
- [44:21]
Jen Psaki
Congresswoman Christian Menefee, it's so important to hear from people like you in moments like this. Thank you so much for joining us tonight.
- [44:28]
Congressman Christian Menefee
Thank you very much for having me.
- [44:29]
Jen Psaki
We'll be right back. That does it for me tonight. You can catch the show Tuesday through Friday at 9pm Eastern on Ms. Now. And don't forget to follow the show on Bluesky, Instagram and TikTok.
- [44:41]
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