← The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell
The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell
Lawrence: 'Tariff scrooge' Trump is already killing U.S. jobs and has the worst 100-day polling ever
00:43:09
Tonight on The Last Word: Americans sour on Donald Trump’s tariffs and his handling of the economy. Also, the Trump tariff chaos upends a Canadian election. Plus, Trump fails to deliver his promised end to Vladimir Putin’s war. And Democrats look to campaign on the chaos of Trump’s first 100 days in office. Catherine Rampell, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Amb. Michael McFaul, and Rep. Angie Craig join Lawrence O’Donnell.
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- [00:00]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start. Thumbtack knows homes, so you don't have to.
- [00:06]
Rachel Maddow
Don't know the difference between matte paint.
- [00:08]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Finish and satin or what that clunking sound from your dryer is. With Thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro, you just have to hire one. You can hire top rated pros, see price estimates and read reviews all on the app.
- [00:20]
Kathryn Rampel
Download Today at Strayer University, we help students like you go from Will I to why not? For over 130 years we've been innovating higher education to make it more affordable, accessible and attainable so you can reach your goals. Go from thinking can I? To Yes I can and keep striving. Visit Strayer. Edu to learn more. Strayer University is certified to operate in Virginia by Chevinus many campuses, including at 2121 15th Street north in Arlington, Virginia.
- [00:52]
Michael McFaul
Now it's time for the Last Word with the great Lawrence O'Donnell. Good evening, Lawrence. Good evening, Rachel. And I'm on Blue Sky 2. And if you can find Rachel, you can find me Rachel. You know when the Maytag repairman, and I'm using that euphemistically, could be any repairman, but in this case I actually mean literally. The Maytag repairman gives you that window of nine to one which I reserved today. And the computer guaranteed me that that's what it was until last night when the computer suddenly told me it would be 1 to 4, which in my case meant 4, which means this was the latest start in actual travel progress to the studio in my work life by far. And what were you getting? What were you getting repaired? Well, actually I'm in la, so my house was really close to the fire as we know it did not burn. There was no real damage. But there's a lot of stuff that goes wrong when the power's out for a month. And so the washer, the dryer, the dishwasher, they refuse, they just refuse to come back on after being off for a month. Okay. And there's a lot of other little weird things that you have to deal with. Every single day has been some post fire chore, really minor stuff when you know, my neighbors lost their homes. And so that was today's getting the dryer working. But it works because here's why. The Maytag repairman is brilliant and he's fast and he's fantastic and it's not up to him exactly what time he's scheduled to show up at the anchorman's house. Cause he doesn't know it's an anchorman who has to be somewhere at a particular time. I just gotta say, Lawrence, that sometimes you do your best work when you have the least amount of time to get it ready because it just means you sprint all day long. I bet this is gonna be your best show. I bet you're going to be on Fuego. Oh, boy. Thank you for over promising what the next 58 minutes will be to the to the View. Thank you for that. I'll stay here in case you need me. I'll be here with the lights on for a little while in case you need me. I could easily, very easily run out. This is the night I could easily run out of material. We will see. Call me if you need me. Bye, Lawrence. Thank you, Rachel. Thank you. Thanks. Well, as I understand it, having spent most of the day in the car, Donald Trump spent the day talking about eating tariffs. I mean, the guy will eat anything but tariffs. As usual, it wasn't clear what Donald Trump actually meant by eating tariffs, but Trump administration officials went on TV today to humiliate themselves as economic illiterates by claiming that the Trump tariffs will not raise prices in this country, which is exactly the very point of a tariff, because the Trump tariffs are going to raise prices dramatically in this country. Christmas will look very different if Donald Trump doesn't surrender in his tariff war with China. And remember, only China has said, quote, we will fight till the end in the Trump tariff war. Donald Trump has never said that about his tariff war with China, never said he'll fight to the end. And no one working for Donald Trump has ever dared to say that they will fight to the end against China. Because they all know that Donald Trump might cave and surrender to China in this trade war at any moment, as he already has done with some auto parts that are exported from China. Donald Trump tried to explain today in Michigan that his caving on auto parts and giving up his own tariff scheme on auto parts was just a friendly gesture to the American automobile industry and the American auto workers so that they will actually have the parts they need to complete the building of cars here in the United States. But America's biggest automaker, General Motors, today withdrew its previous profit projection for this year because the Trump tariffs will raise prices and will reduce sales and will make life more expensive for everyone in this country, which, according to several projections, now will send the Trump economy toward a recession. Because the Trump tariffs will raise prices. 90% of the Christmas goods purchased in the United States of America will be more expensive. The New York Times has this report on the Scrooge effect of the Trump tariffs for this coming Christmas. Toy makers, children's shops and specialty retailers are pausing orders for the winter holidays as the import taxes cascade through supply chains. Factories in China produced nearly 80% of all toys and 90% of Christmas goods sold in America. Alarm in the industry is palpable with the companies predicting product shortages and higher prices. Some business owners, citing how crucial holiday sales are to their bottom lines, are consulting bankruptcy lawyers. So some business owners who depend on Christmas spending are already in April consulting bankruptcy lawyers. With 239 shopping days left before Christmas, the always goofy Howard Lutnick, Donald Trump's thoroughly unqualified and incompetent Commerce Secretary, tried to insist to CNBC's Brian Sullivan today that the Trump tariffs would not increase prices, which of course would. Brian Sullivan and anyone else who knows anything about pricing could not accept. If a company were to say we're raising prices because the tariff, is that a hostile act? I think if you go out of your way to try to make it seem like your price has changed when it's nonsense. Okay, a 10% tariff, why is that nonsense? Because a 10% tariff is not going to change virtually any price. The only price that would change would be a product that we don't make here. Like a mango. Yeah, it was nonsense. Brian Sullivan was right. That interview then went off the rails in Mango Land with the utterly ignorant Lutnick changing the subject. So that never went back to a point where Brian Sullivan could pursue the essence of what the most ignorant Commerce secretary in history about the subject of tariffs just said on TV. Howard Lutnick actually said a 10% tariff is not going to change virtually any price. So adding 10% to the cost of a product when it enters the United States will have no effect on the price of that product, according to Howard Glutnick. And that is where Donald Trump's eating tariff comes in. Donald Trump is obviously not a mango guy, so he mumbled his way through an interview about eating tariffs without mentioning any food products that actually can be eaten.
- [08:35]
Lawrence O'Donnell
It'll raise prices on everything from electronics to clothing to building houses.
- [08:40]
Michael McFaul
You don't know that. You don't know whether or not China.
- [08:42]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Is going to eat.
- [08:42]
Michael McFaul
That's mathematics. China probably will eat those tariffs. Remember when Donald Trump on the campaign trail said China will probably eat the tariffs? No, you don't, because he never said that. We're going to be a tariff nation. It's not going to be a cost to you, it's going to be a cost to another country. I heard Kamala the other day, Comrade Kamala, she said, oh, if you do that, he's raising your taxes. No, no, no, I'm not raising your taxes. I'm raising tax. China and all of these countries in Asia and all over the world. Imagine if any country could actually raise the taxes in another country. What Donald Trump appears to mean and what Howard Lutnick appears to mean is that Chinese exporters will lower the price by the amount of the tariff, which in China's case is 145%. So a $100 product exported from China will somehow still cost $100 in the United States because the producer of that product in China is going to reduce the export price on a hundred dollar item by $145. So if you're trying to do that math in your head, you can stop now. It's impossible. And that is why stores that sell toys and Christmas products are canceling Christmas and consulting bankruptcy lawyers because they know that Americans are not going to pay 145% more for a Christmas decoration for their tree or for their toys. And those stores do not want to be stuck with products that they cannot sell and they will not be able to sell in December. And oh, by the way, they cannot decide to order those products in November because of that thing we all learned about in Covid, the supply chain, which you know, takes a while supply chain is already slowing down dramatically and putting Americans out of work. Right now the supply chain from China primarily enters the United States on the west coast with the Port of Los Angeles taking most of it. The executive director of the Port of Los Angeles told CNBC that he, quote, expects incoming cargo volume to slide by more than a third next week compared with the same period in 2024. The West Coast Stockworkers union issued this statement today. Quote, these tariffs are nothing more than a direct attack on working class and should be opposed outright. The reality is clear. These tariffs don't put America first. They put American working people last. They will kill jobs, raise costs and fuel economic instability that will ripple through every community in this country. So the Trump tariffs are already killing jobs in this country, like truck driving jobs at the Port of Los Angeles. Which makes it all the more ludicrous when the Trump team tries to tell you that tariffs do not raise prices in this country. The sunniest face in Trump world is always the permanently smiling Kevin Hassett, the White House National Economic Council director. Not can make him stop smiling. He doesn't do the Peter Navarro scowl talking about China. He doesn't look like a clown the way Howard Blutnik always does talking about mangoes on tv. And Kevin Hassett doesn't talk about eating tariffs the way Donald Trump does. He tries to use economist speak to fake out interviewers to make them think he actually knows what he is talking about. And the tell and what you're about to hear is Kevin Hassett, a graduate of Swarthmore College who obtained his PhD in economics at the nearby University of Pennsylvania, uses the word inelastic. That is a word most people go through their entire lives without ever hearing or speaking. Inelastic. It's a word that comes up in every introductory course on economics in college, along with the word elastic. In those courses, we talk about el demand, meaning demand that can go up and down, and inelastic demand, meaning demand that stays very steady. And we talk about elastic supply, like the supply of toys in December this year, for example, which is obviously elastic according to what we just heard, because the orders are being canceled for those toys right now. And then there's inelastic demand, just a permanent demand that almost never declines in any significant way. The demand for energy is extremely consistent, which economists would sometimes call inelastic. As an example of inelastic supply, listen to the way the always smiling Trump economist sneaks in the word inelastic to say something that is absolutely impossible and get away with it, because he's using those words that he learned at the University of Pennsylvania. The question put to him today was about Donald Trump calling up Jeff Bezos, the owner operator of Amazon, to complain about a story from Axios saying Amazon was considering identifying the tariff increase in prices on the website. Put it right there on the website with their pricing. But after Jeff Bezos got that call, Amazon's Washington lobbyist put out a statement saying Amazon would never do that, would never do that. We would never tell our consumers on Amazon what Donald Trump has done to their prices. We live in a country where there are gas pumps in America that show you exactly how many pennies in the price of a gallon of gas is for the federal gas tax, and exactly how many pennies in the price of a gallon of gas is for that state gas tax that you pay in a gallon of gasoline. But no, Amazon will never let you know how much the Trump tariffs are adding to your prices. And Amazon's Jeff Bezos has promised Donald Trump he'll never, ever let Amazon customers know that, as if they can't figure it out for themselves. Here's how Kevin Hassett responded to that news about the Trump Bezos phone call. Now, when you listen to this, listen for the word if, always a very important word with economists. Listen to the word if and the absolute impossible hypothetical that comes after the word if. The bottom line is that if we charge a tariff on a foreign country, then if they have inelastic supply to us, then the supply supplier in that country is going to bear the tariff, not the US Consumer. And the idea that Amazon is going to say that the tariff is passing through to the consumer means that they don't understand economics. And so you covered it as a debacle. I did think it was a debacle for whoever is doing economics at Amazon because they were assuming something that's contrary to basic economics about who bears the tariff. And it was correct for Jeff Bezos to apologize for it, to correct the record that Amazon, whoever did it, made a big mistake. I went wonder if they'll have a job tomorrow. Now, there's a guy who should not have a job, absolutely should not have the job that he has. He is an undistinguished economist who has never done anything important in the world of economics, never been cited by other economists. And there's the smiling economist who's never accepted an invitation to appear on this program, telling you that prices will not go up in this country for any product that has inelastic supply. And he says inelastic supply really fast. Sounds really cool when he says it like he really knows something. That is an economist's hypothetical, which, like most economists, hypotheticals have absolutely no meaning in the real world. You would think that Christmas toys are about as close as you could get to something with both inelastic demand and inelastic supply, a supply that simply must keep flowing. But toy sellers in America are already talking to bankruptcy lawyers because they know that that hypothetical about inelastic supply that the smiling man just said is utter nonsense and that it is mathematically impossible for any exporter in China to lower the price of their products by 145%. And so this is the new game. Donald Trump now says China will probably eat the tariffs. During the campaign, he used to say very simply, china will pay those tariffs. Just pay them. You don't have to worry about them. China will step up and pay a tariff that's supposed to be paid by us. How generous of China. The vast majority of voters now know exactly who's going to pay the tariffs. People who have never heard the phrase inelastic supply know much better than economics. PhD Kevin Hassett who is going to pay the tariffs? Americans know they are going to pay the tariffs. Americans know that the only money that is going to flow into the United States treasury from tariffs will come from Americans in America and no one else. It is legally and technically impossible for tariff revenue to be paid by anyone outside of the United States. It's impossible. No tariff money has ever flowed into the United States treasury from another country, only from the ports receiving products in the United States on extremely low tariffs on products that have high profit margins, an extremely low tariff. It is conceivable that, say, a 4% tariff on a product might provoke the foreign producer of that high profit product to reduce their export price by 4%. So after the tariff is paid at the port of entry by, say, Best Buy importing a tv, the price of that TV at Best Buy could remain the same. But that doesn't mean that the foreign country paid the tariff. Best Buy paid the tariff at the dock, which means Americans paid the tariff and ultimately Best Buy customers will all pay the tariff when Best Buy spreads out that cost of the tariff on that TV over all of the products that it sells in its stores. And if Best Buy is lucky, they'd be able to spread out the cost of that tariff on the TV in small enough shares and all the other products sold in the store that you wouldn't really notice the small price changes. But the trouble with that example is, is that Donald Trump has put a tariff on every single product that Best Buy sells, every single one of them. And that is why in new polling today, the tariff Scrooge Donald Trump is getting a grade of F on his first hundred days from 45% of Americans. 55% say they disapprove of how Donald Trump is handling his job, and only 39 approve. 64% disapprove of Donald Trump's tariffs because they understand them. 72% say they think it's very or somewhat likely that his economic policies will cause a recession. 89%, a number seemingly unachievable in political polling in this country, 89% think the Trump tariffs are likely to result in in higher prices on the products they buy, no matter what. The smiling economist says the Tariff Scrooge has the worst polling numbers in the history of polling. At the end of 100 days of a presidency. And now to try to save themselves from the worst polls in the history of the first hundred days of presidencies, the Trump team is pretending that for the first time in history the United States has secretly negotiated a trade deal that's never happened before and can never happen. And see if you can catch why in Howard Lutnick's ridiculous statement about this secret deal. Today I have a deal done, done, done, done. But I need to wait for their prime minister and their parliament to give its approval, which I shortly. I'm not going to tell you what country let the president decide. It's just you and me here and a couple million people hopefully will let the president decide. So, and then there are country after country where we're just working through the details. But you have to remember they have prime ministers, they have parliament, they have to work through their process. But all of these are going to be coming. Yeah, they have prime ministers in parliaments. He just found that out. And that's one of the many reasons why trade negotiations have always been public, because trade negotiations between heads of state mean absolutely nothing and must always be approved by the Parliament or in this country, by the Congress. The last time Donald Trump did a trade deal, and the only time it was a very simple revision and update of nafta, and that was of course approved by Congress. And nothing was final in the deal until the Canadian Parliament and the Mexican and the United States Congress and Mexico and their Congress approved it. So in other words, Howard Lutnick and the Trump team, who have promised 90 trade deals in 90 days, are now 18 days into that promise with zero trade deals. And no trade deal since the invention of the telephone has ever been negotiated and completed in any form, first draft form, even, unless than 90 days. Leading off our discussion tonight is Kathryn Rampel, co host of the new evening edition of MSNBC's the Weeknd on Saturday and Sunday at 6pm Eastern Time, which debuts this weekend. She's also an opinion columnist for the Washington Post. And Katherine, by this weekend, we don't know if the Trump tariffs will still be in effect. So, you know, do the homework. But who knows what's going to happen next?
- [23:42]
Angie Craig
I am willing to bet at least the vast majority of those terrorists will be in effect. Even when Howard Lutnick talks about this mystery country that we have a deal with, it kind of has those fake girlfriend in Canada vibes, if you know what I mean. Except probably this is like not someone in Canada that he's negotiating with, if it's anyone at all. What my, my main question is, why do markets keep falling for this? Because we've seen these fake outs, this kind of vaporware over and over and over again. Where Trump says he's about to have a breakthrough and then it doesn't materialize. Somebody in the White House will strategically leak news of some sort of rollback of tariffs or negotiations or, or the Treasury Secretary will say to a private audience that these tariffs are not sustainable and therefore everybody assumes that we're going to go back to normal. And nothing approaching normal seems to be in the offing.
- [24:48]
Michael McFaul
Yeah. And as everybody has been talking about, business needs, planning time, for example, even small businesses whose, you know, basic yearly profit depends on a thing called Christmas, this is April. They've got to know exactly what's coming into the store and what they're going to have on the shelves in October. They've got to commit to that financially now. And these are very small businesses in some cases that we're talking about, as well as some bigger ones. There's been a lot of focus on the heavy industry, companies that need to make investment decisions about plant and equipment. But that story about the Scrooge effect of the Trump tariffs, that is the real world of this economy.
- [25:32]
Angie Craig
Absolutely. There are so many businesses that have been basically put on ice as a result of all of the uncertainty that Trump has created, where they don't even know what their costs will be. Right. So we've seen layoffs announced with ups. Gm, as you mentioned, has said that it is withdrawing its profit forecast. Who knows what's going to happen to car sales going forward. You've seen retailers have to pull back, wholesalers have to pull back. The port workers are upset because their jobs are at risk. There are so many actors throughout the supply chain that are affected by all of this even before you get to the effect on consumers. But yeah, a lot of these companies are going to be small businesses that have very thin margins and at the very least, they would like to know what their prices will be. Right. Ideally, they will not be 145% higher than they have been in Christmas's past, which is maybe what they're looking at right now. But at least if they knew that they were, they could plan around that. They could try to find alternative supply chains. But right now they're kind of playing this game of whack a mole. Like, okay, maybe they'll try to source from somewhere other than China if they can find the products somewhere other than China. But how do they know that Vietnam or Mexico or some other country that might be an alternative won't face similar high tariffs coming soon? So businesses cannot plan. And that in and of itself could throw us into recession. Right if every company across America, or at least every company in certain industries across America, pulls back simultaneously, that shrinks GDP growth. Which, by the way, we will get a report on tomorrow. So I'll be interested to watch that as well.
- [27:24]
Michael McFaul
Katherine Rampel, thank you for starting us off tonight. I have a new secret plan for making my Mondays a lot easier. I'm going to be watching you on the weekend primetime on MSNBC and taking notes. And don't be surprised if there's a lot of echoes Monday night from me of what you have to say this weekend.
- [27:43]
Angie Craig
Happy to be of service.
- [27:45]
Michael McFaul
Thank you, Kathryn. Thank you, thank you. And coming up, Canada voted resoundingly against Donald Trump last night after Donald Trump became the first president in American history to ask Canadians to vote for him. Donald Trump is obviously suffering from a severe case of constitutional dementia, but Canadians are not. Senator A.B. klobuchar's state of Minnesota shares a 547 mile border with Canada and will join us next.
- [28:22]
Kathryn Rampel
At Strayer University, we help students like you go from Will I? To why not? For over 130 years, we've been innovating higher education to make it more affordable, accessible and attainable so you can reach your goals. Go from thinking can I? To Yes, I Can and keep striving. Visit strayer. Edu to learn more. Strayer University is certified to operate in Virginia by Chevin as many campuses, including at 2121 15th Street north in Arlington, Virginia.
- [28:53]
Lawrence O'Donnell
It's President Trump's first 100 days and MSNBC's Alex Wagner will be covering it all from the front lines.
- [29:01]
Alex Wagner
What issue matters to you the most?
- [29:03]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Join her as she travels the country to talk to the people at the center of the President's policies and promises.
- [29:09]
Alex Wagner
Do you think now that he's pardoned everybody, he can count on this group of people again?
- [29:13]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Search for Trumpland with Alex Wagner wherever you're listening and follow. Subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen ad free. Stay up to date on the biggest issues of the day with the MSNBC Daily Newsletter. Each morning you'll get analysis by experts you trust, video highlights from your favorite shows.
- [29:33]
Michael McFaul
I do think it's worth being very clear eyed, very realistic about what's going on here.
- [29:38]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Previews of our podcasts and documentaries, plus written perspectives from the newsmakers themselves, all sent directly to your inbox each morning. Get the best of MSNBC all in one place. Sign up for msnbc daily@msnbc.com.
- [29:57]
Michael McFaul
For those of you who might not remember, this is what the elected leader of a democracy is supposed to sound like.
- [30:08]
Rachel Maddow
We become just by doing just acts, brave by doing brave acts. When we are kind, kindness grows. When we seek unity, unity grows. When we are Canadian, Canada grows. We are supporting our friends and neighbors in the crosshairs of President Trump through a crisis that we did not create. United, we will win this trade war and build the strongest economy in the G7, an economy that works for everyone.
- [30:39]
Michael McFaul
Win the trade war. That's his promise. Canadian voters elected the Liberal Party's Mark Carney as prime Minister last night in a resounding vote against Donald Trump, who is the only President of the United States in history to actually ask Canadian voters to vote for him in their Canadian election. That's how much constitution, institutional dementia Donald Trump suffers from. Today, on election morning yesterday in Canada, Donald Trump posted this. Good luck to the great people of Canada. Elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes in half, increase your military power for free to the highest level in the world. And then that demented screed went on in Donald Trump's request to Canadian voters to vote for him. He actually asked Canadian voters to vote for him. And this is the guy who screams about voter fraud. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar posted this today. Congratulations to Mark Carney on his election victory. Canada is our neighbor and Minnesota's top trading partner. And our bond is built on decades of trust, trade, and a commitment to democracy. Joining us now is Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota. She serves on the Senate Commerce Committee and the Judiciary Committee. She's the ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee. And Senator Klobuchar, in your top position as the top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee, as we know, the first place the Trump tariffs always hit the hardest is on agriculture in this country.
- [32:14]
Amy Klobuchar
That is correct. And especially on small farmers, small ranchers. And I would say again, I'm wearing my Canadian red, Lawrence. Congratulations to the prime Minister. I think people have to step back when they look at this trade agreement that we have had with Canada over the years. The last one negotiated during the Trump administration that I supported. This is the only embassy for years in Washington that was draped with the words friend, ally, partner. This is a country that served with us in two world wars. The first country on the scene after 9 11. A country that has always loved America. And what's happening now, now they are actually not booking vacations to America. They're canceling them. We've seen our numbers down in Minnesota. We can see Canada from our porch on our long border and then you're seeing the effect in the long term, as your last guest was talking about, people aren't going to invest. Our farmers right now, in addition to businesses not knowing what they can buy and are freezing, iced out, as she said, whether it's, whether it's Christmas gifts or the like, it is also, our farmers don't even know what to plant because they don't know what's going to happen with the market for soybeans in China. Will they now buy all their stuff from Brazil? They don't know what's going to happen with the ethanol that we sell, 40% of it to Canada, the corn to Mexico. This is out of our country. These are strong trading relations. And 20% of what our farmers and ranchers produce goes to other countries. That's a stat map. And so that's why this has put us in rural areas. It has put our country in so much peril. And why people who voted for Donald Trump, and you can see it in the polls, two thirds, over two thirds of people say we don't like these tariffs. We don't like how he is handling this economy. That is his record at 100 days.
- [34:13]
Michael McFaul
Donald Trump said nothing about Canada today. But let's listen to more about what Prime Minister Carney said about the United States.
- [34:23]
Rachel Maddow
America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country. Never. But these are not, these are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us. That will never, that will never, ever happen.
- [34:49]
Michael McFaul
And Senator, as you just mentioned, the trade deal, there is a trade deal with Canada. You don't need to do a trade deal with Canada. Donald Trump actually negotiated one when he was president. The update of nafta, there already is one. And it is Donald Trump who is the first violator of that trade agreement that his administration negotiated with Canada.
- [35:09]
Amy Klobuchar
So he has an opportunity, of course, to negotiate that trade agreement. It's coming up for negotiation. There's some things that we should do on dairy that would help our country and in other areas. But instead, he's chosen this, his usual shock and awe approach to the point where he has pissed off people in Canada so much with the 51st state talk that even on their own, they don't want to come to America. And I'm telling you, beyond farming, beyond manufacturing, this is very damaging to our country. So it is my hope the election is done. The new prime minister has had some discussions with President Trump that they will go to the negotiating table. They will do this in the context of the trade agreement that people will start respecting each other again in these two countries. And by the way, in the Senate, we're going to be voting on another, as you covered before, Senator Kaine and I and Mark Warner led a effort on tariffs with Canada that actually passed the Senate to say the president couldn't do what he was doing. And now we are including that a number of other senators, including a vote on other countries as well. So what we want to see right now is an end to this that is hurting the smallest businesses and the smallest farmers the most. They don't have the margin. They can't call like Tim Cook did, you know, congratulations to him for phones. But he was able to call. The president, set up a meeting. My little manufacturing company in southern Minnesota called Busy Baby. She doesn't have the president's number. She's not invited to the JP Morgan investment conference where the treasury secretary discloses what's going on. She doesn't know what Howard Lutnick's secret trade deal is with a country that maybe that's the country she should target and go to. That's what's happening right now. Lawrence and that's why with 100 days, chaos up, costs up, corruption up.
- [37:07]
Michael McFaul
Senator Amy Klobuchar, thank you very much for joining us tonight.
- [37:10]
Amy Klobuchar
Great to be on. Lawrence thank you.
- [37:12]
Michael McFaul
Thank you. Coming up, after 99 days of failing to end the war in Ukraine on day one of his presidency, Donald Trump has finally admitted that maybe he cannot completely trust Vladimir Putin. That's next.
- [37:29]
Kathryn Rampel
At Strayer University, we help students like you go from is it possible to anything is possible by offering access to up to 10 no cost gen Ed courses so you can reach your goals affordably and fast. Visit Strayer. Edu to learn more. No cost Gen Ed is provided by Strayer University affiliate sophia. Eligibility rules apply. Connect with us for details. Strayer University is certified to operate in Virginia by Chev and has many campuses, including at 2121 15th Street north in Arlington, Virginia.
- [37:57]
Lawrence O'Donnell
It's President Trump's first 100 days and MSNBC's Alex Wagner will be covering it all from the front lines.
- [38:05]
Alex Wagner
What issue matters to you the most?
- [38:07]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Join her as she travels the country to talk to the people at the center of the President's policies and promises.
- [38:13]
Alex Wagner
Do you think now that he's pardoned everybody, he can count on this group of people again?
- [38:17]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Search for Trumpland with Alex Wagner wherever you're listening and follow search subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen ad free. MSNBC Films presents a Six part documentary series, David Frost versus On the next episode, Muhammad Ali.
- [38:35]
Michael McFaul
You think I'm gonna get on this.
- [38:36]
Kathryn Rampel
TV show and deny what I believe?
- [38:38]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Sunday at 9pm Eastern on MSNBC.
- [38:46]
Michael McFaul
Donald Trump met one on one with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Vatican before the funeral of Pope Francis. This weekend, while in Vatican City, Donald Trump made the first public statement he has ever made indicating he might not be able to trust Vladimir Putin. Donald Trump said there was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns over the last few days. It makes me think that maybe he doesn't want to stop the war. He's just tapping me along and has to be dealt with differently through banking or secondary sanctions. Too many people are dying. Russia yesterday proposed a temporary three day ceasefire starting next week, May 8, and ending at midnight, May 10. During Russia's victory day celebrations, President Zelensky said, quote, we value human lives, not parades. That's why we believe, and the world believes, that there is no reason to wait until May 8. The cease fire should not be just for a few days, only to return to killing afterward. It must be immediate, full and unconditional for at least 30 days to ensure it is secure and guaranteed. This is the foundation that could lead to real diplomacy. And today, 99 days after Donald Trump failed to end the war in Ukraine on day one of his presidency, as he repeatedly promised he would do, a spokesperson for the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said, in effect, Donald Trump is ready to completely give up on his day one goal of ending the war in Ukraine.
- [40:18]
Amy Klobuchar
We are now at a time where concrete proposals need to be delivered by the two parties on how to end this conflict. How we proceed from here is a decision that belongs now to the president. If there is not progress, we will step back as mediators in this process.
- [40:40]
Michael McFaul
Joining us now is Michael McFaul, former US Ambassador to Russia and an MSNBC international affairs analyst. Michael, where were you when you read that Donald Trump post saying maybe he can't completely trust Vladimir Putin? And were you sitting down?
- [40:57]
Rachel Maddow
I was sitting down. I was reading it on my computer and it was a welcome sign. He obviously had just reacted to what President Zelensky told him. By the way, with no cameras rolling and no vice president there to ask for thank yous, that's the way you should do diplomacy. And so I applaud it. But I'd also remind you, I don't need to remind you, but I'll remind everybody else that we've seen President Trump speak Very tough on social media and threatening sanctions. It's one thing to be tough on social media. It's another thing to actually do it. And I would ask the president, just do it. The ideas for banking sanctions and secondary sanctions have been floating around for a long time. Do it. And I guarantee you, Mr. President, you'll earn some respect from Vladimir Putin.
- [41:45]
Michael McFaul
So this is the same president who doesn't just post strong language to countries like Canada, but actually specifically penalizes Canadian producers by imposing astronomical tariffs on Canada and what he does with China, but he doesn't dare do anything like that with Vladimir Putin on this issue of Ukraine.
- [42:14]
Rachel Maddow
Yeah, it's just extraordinary. It's shocking in so many ways. Number one, it's like he joined the autocratic camp, right? So punish the Democrats, punish the Ukrainians, punish the Canadians and other allies and do favor with autocratic Putin. But number two, if he was serious about really trying to end the war, and I applaud the idea that he should try, of course he can't do it in one day. You can't do it in 100 days either. Walking away after that is also absurd. But I would wish he would show the alleged talents he has for negotiations. Because what they've done so far is just give the Russians everything, expect nothing in return. And you know what? They've upped the ante. They've asked for new things. Not a very good negotiating strategy.
- [42:59]
Michael McFaul
Michael McFaul, thank you very much for joining us tonight. Sure. Thanks for being. And coming up, we have our first campaign commercial featuring a voter saying, quote, trump lied to us about the Trump tariffs. That's next. And now we have our first campaign commercial featuring a voter who says, Trump lied to us. These tariffs are killing us. Here it is. Trump lied to us. These tariffs are killing us. I'm very, very worried about what's going to happen to our Social Security.
- [43:38]
Amy Klobuchar
Trump allowed.
- [43:39]
Michael McFaul
Must go in and to tear things apart.
- [43:42]
Alex Wagner
The wealthies are doing just fine and.
- [43:44]
Michael McFaul
Working class folks like us are struggling.
- [43:47]
Alex Wagner
We are not gonna just sit here and let them take over our country like this. I'm trying to figure out how I'm.
- [43:52]
Michael McFaul
Gonna feed my family. We have to fight back.
- [43:54]
Alex Wagner
I'm Angie Craig, and I'm hitting the road to listen to you, to earn the honor to represent you in this great state, to be your voice. Because, guys, it's time the middle class started calling the shots again. And that starts right here, right now.
- [44:13]
Michael McFaul
Joining us now is Democratic Representative Angie Craig of Minnesota. She's the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee and is now running for United States Senate in Minnesota. Thank you very much for joining us on your first night as a candidate for Senate. We just had the senior senator from Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar, who's the top Democrat on the Senate side of the Agriculture Committee. And you could say in Minnesota, the tariffs are all about agriculture, but it's about a lot more than that.
- [44:44]
Alex Wagner
Well, it's a whole lot more than that. It's great to follow Senator Klobuchar. I'd love to follow her to the Senate to represent the great state of Minnesota. That farmer was a turkey grower from my district in Minnesota, too. And he's someone who I work with a lot. And farmers are starting to say it. They realize that the tariffs across the board, tariffs, the retaliatory tariffs are going to cost him $30 billion all over again. And, you know, I think what's really important is that Democrats, this Senate race, it's about fighting. And if you want to join me in that fight, you can see what we're fighting for in full@angiecraig.com Agriculture has.
- [45:28]
Michael McFaul
Been a giant export for the United States. And what's happening to our agricultural exporters in Minnesota and others is that the other countries responding to Donald Trump's war have set up tariffs blocking American agricultural products from getting in.
- [45:42]
Lawrence O'Donnell
Now.
- [45:43]
Alex Wagner
Yeah. 60% of Minnesota soybeans goes outside the United States. Over 30% of corn goes outside the United States. And there's just not enough domestic markets to make up for that lost business. And you know, I got in a car and drove a thousand miles across Minnesota last week. And I did town halls in every single one of my Republican congressional districts. We have four Republicans in Minnesota. It would just take four Republicans to stand up and stop these tariffs. And so my Republican colleagues, they're pretty upset about what I did. And I'm going to tell you, I'll do it over and over again until they step up, speak out and stand up for family, farmers and businesses in our country.
- [46:29]
Michael McFaul
Representative Angie Craig, now Senate candidate Angie Craig in Minnesota. Thank you very much for joining us tonight.
- [46:35]
Alex Wagner
Thank you.
- [46:37]
Michael McFaul
Thank you. We'll be right. Minnesota Senate candidate Angie Craig gets tonight's last word.
- [46:47]
Kathryn Rampel
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