Narrator/Host (3:38)

You know who Jelly roll is?

Guest/Interviewer (3:39)

Do I? Yes. We have selfies together.

Ben (Podcast Host) (3:42)

Right? So then he's there with his wife, Kelly Johnson, and here's what he talks about over here about being Speaker. Let's just play this clip.

Narrator/Host (3:53)

Probably no downtime. Yeah, hardly any downtime for me.

Ben (Podcast Host) (3:59)

Just.

Guest/Interviewer (4:00)

No, that's right. I mean, even when you think like, the work of the day is done and you put the phone down, I mean, this would be 11:30 at night. Ring, ring. What? Another crisis. You know, I mean, you're sort of like a firefighter in a way. You have to put up fires every, you know, every hour.

Ben (Podcast Host) (4:14)

And there's more from MAGA Mike and his wife right here. And he tries to say, like, the Democratic shutdown, it's all of their fault. Here, play this clip.

Guest/Interviewer (4:23)

It's, it is such an all encompassing role because you're in charge of not just the policy and legislative side, but it's the fundraising, the politics, the member management, you know, all the various aspects. And it is a. I mean, somebody asked me the day we were accused, when we were out of session, when the Democrats closed the government down a few couple weeks ago, Hakeem Jeffries is the Democrat leader in the House, and he was out saying, Speaker Johnson put the House on vacation. And I thought it was laughable. And I was on FOX News Sunday last weekend. And Shannon Bream asked about that. I said, that's, that's funny. I haven't had a vacation day in two years. I haven't been off in two years, literally. So it really does. Not Christmas Day. But even then, even then, last Christmas, I'm taking calls from members with their drama, you know, so I mean, that's part of it. We accept the responsibility. It's first season of life. It's not forever, but it, it is, it takes everything out of whomever serves in a position and by extension their family. So we're blessed to have a close knit group.

Narrator/Host (5:20)

It's a team effort for sure. And you have to feel called to it together, no doubt. And it's, it's a true honor, though. It's, it is difficult, but it is an honor to serve our country when.

Ben (Podcast Host) (5:31)

There'S, and then Magamike here talks about how the process of becoming speaker was very rushed because no one wanted Magamike to even be the speaker in the first place. Here, let's play this clip right here.

Narrator/Host (5:43)

Time. It all felt very rushed and not something I don't believe you guys prepared for. Oh, no, not at all. In fact, it was, it was such a surprise that I wasn't even here for it because I told him, I said we don't know what's going to happen. I mean, we've already seen what's already happened. And so I'm just, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna come up there. And then. So I missed it. But yeah, our lives changed overnight and we were not prepared for it. But we've just been taking it one day at a time and we are adjusting. Finally, we are finally getting used to it.

Ben (Podcast Host) (6:23)

I just found that first clip interesting where MAGA Mike's like, being the speaker is like being a firefighter and every day I've got to put out fires right now. All right, well, let's take a look at some of those fires. Mag and Mike. As Jake Sherman from Punchbowl reported, first he talked about all the MAGA Republicans who seem to be ready to be resigning very soon. And then Sherman writes, since his prior report ran four hours ago, he's now gotten countless more text messages from House Republicans agreeing with this sentiment and saying, why the hell should we stay in Congress if all we're going to do is vote on censure motions and be a potted plant for Trump and MAGA Mike? Marjorie Taylor Greene, repost this from Ann Vander Steel, who writes it's over the whole maga. Psyop is over. It's America only. Ride or die. Don't slide into my DMs whining about flipping on Trump. He flipped on us. Even Tucker Carlson saying, I'm not a Republican anymore. They've betrayed us. Watch what he has to say here, play this clip. And on the Republican Party, which is almost to the point where it's just useless and I'm going to have to oppose it because they're just. I hate them too much, but because they're such betrayers. But anyway, they're popping the Republican Party. It's like, you a socialist. Are you from Mandani? No, not really a socialist. Just, I don't want any more dollar stores. I don't want high density housing in my neighborhood. I don't want any more fucking strip malls that nobody goes to. No more karate studios and vape shops. Like, how about now? While all of that's taking place, Donald Trump's been panicking over the idea the threat that Republicans may lose Tennessee's 7th congressional district. There's a special election that's taking place in the next week or so there where you have the MAGA Republican candidate, Matt Van Epps running the pro democracy candidate, Afton Bain. Afton's been on Midas Touch podcast. I'm sure you saw the interview I did with her. She was absolutely great. This was an area that Trump won by 20 points. Trump is freaked out. He's been posting. Please vote Van Epps. Please vote Van EPPS. It's a Trump +20 district. I think it's going to be a very close race and it's possible Afton Bain wins. And if she does, Democrats have a real ability to potentially take control of the House. Not after that seat, but we need a few more resignations and then I think that that could happen, actually. And you're hearing lots of reporting about it, by the way. Don't take my word for it. Here's what Kevin McCarthy said, that Marjorie Taylor Greene's resignation is a canary in the coal mine. Here, play this clip.

Hakeem Jeffries (8:55)

Okay.

Ben (Podcast Host) (8:56)

What happened, by the way, with mtg? She's leaving Congress. She's leaving Congress, but I don't think that's the end that you'll see about her. And I think, look it, I've always believed anytime you have an elected official that's known by three initials, they're effective on what they do. And I found Marjorie to be very effective. But she's almost like a canary in a coal mine. And this is Something inside Congress, they better wake up, because they're going to get a lot of people retiring, and they got to focus. I think keeping members out of Congress, you only get two years to be in the majority. And if the Democrats get you not to work every day for two months, that's losing two months of the majority. To help us make some sense of this, if we can, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Leader Jeffries, it's so great, great to see you. What do you make of this? Right now, these rumblings that we're hearing in the Republican Party of utter chaos.

Hakeem Jeffries (9:51)

Donald Trump and Republicans are completely falling apart. They've been a total failure from the beginning of the year, broken their core promise, which was to drive down the high cost of living costs are going up, housing costs out of control, childcare costs out of control, grocery costs out of control, electricity bills through the roof. And now they continue to refuse to extend the Affordable Care act tax credits, meaning they're gonna make health care unaffordable for tens of millions of folks. At the same time, they're unleashing this incredible extremism on the American people. Donald Trump is deeply unpopular. They got wiped out in elections all across the country, up and down the ballot from New Jersey to New York to Virginia to Pennsylvania to Georgia to Mississippi to California, and at all points in between. And now you've got Republicans who are ready to get out of town before sundown. And I think these reports that Republicans are going to follow Marjorie Taylor Greene to the exit, these are all consistent with some of the things that we're hearing in the United States House of Representatives when we're on the floor.

Ben (Podcast Host) (11:01)

What do you make of the fact that Trump was gonna talk about, I don't want to call it a plan, but he was apparently going to talk about extending Affordable Care act subsidies because he realized how popular it is to extend those and how it was harming him. So he was about to do a press conference. Then, from all of the reporting, maga, Mike Johnson, with all of his crew in the House, said, if you do that, basically the resignations are probably going to start to happen sooner than expected. You can't do that. And then Donald Trump backed off. So there was an announcement that he was gonna do something in public, and then they shut it down. It was erratic and it was odd, but it's also kind of playing with the people who need this right now. And so it was almost extra cruel, I felt. What do you make of it?

Hakeem Jeffries (11:50)

It's incredible to me that Donald Trump was prepared to address the Affordable Care act tax credit issue. And then House Republicans led by Speaker Johnson made clear that you can't do that because our members, for whatever reason, want to see tens of millions of people experience these dramatically increased premiums, co pays and deductibles. This is extraordinary. But we waged a month long fight, months long fight as it relates to the Affordable Care act tax credits and indicated that it's not over. We're just getting started. And this is only going to end in one of two ways. Either Republicans are going to agree to extend the Affordable Care act tax credits before December 31st of this year, or the American people are going to throw Republicans out of office because of their failure to make their life better. And that's the dilemma that Republicans are in right now. As Democrats in the House, we're continuing to press our case with a three year extension connected with a discharge petition. We have over 200 signatures already. @ the end of the day, when we return to Washington next week, we only need a handful of House Republicans to join us and we'll be able to successfully force an up or down vote on extending the Affordable Care act tax credits. And that's our.

Ben (Podcast Host) (13:15)

Intention. Do you think there's a realistic possibility for that discharge petition in order to extend the Affordable Care act subsidy? From what you're hearing, I believe.

Hakeem Jeffries (13:26)

That the votes do exist to extend the Affordable Care act tax credits. And we're in active discussion with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, particularly now that Mike Johnson has killed the ability of legislation to be put forth for us to negotiate and discuss from the Trump administration. This is going to have to be an approach that has been taken in other occasions, most recently of course, as it relates to forcing the release of the Epstein files and the legislation that was triggered by the discharge petition when Representative Adelita Grijalvo became the 218th signature. We're gonna have to take a similar approach. Listen, Mike Johnson had House Republicans on vacation, a taxpayer funded vacation, for seven weeks. This guy is uninterested in governing or doing anything to make life better for the American people. That's part of what is causing this great Republican dissatisfaction. And also they know they're headed to defeat. Marjorie Taylor Greene in her farewell video made that clear. Republicans are about to lose control of the House of Representatives. That's one of the reasons why we're gonna see continued retirements. When people sit down with their families over the Thanksgiving break and realize they don't wanna come back to the malignant clown show that has been the House Republican.

Ben (Podcast Host) (14:44)

Conference. Are you noticing a different in the way Republicans are acting in the past few weeks since the shutdown? I mean, you mentioned that they seem more receptive to potentially a discharge petition on the Affordable Care act subsidy extension. If you and I were speaking, say two months ago. Doesn't seem like that would ever be the case. So that seems like a new development. Are you seeing that these cracks that are being talked about behind the scenes, we're Republicans who see themselves as very vulnerable are now speaking to either you or the whip or other people in leadership to say what can we do? Like we'll agree to these things. Are you seeing things like that? Cuz that sounds like a.

Hakeem Jeffries (15:26)

Difference. It's a combination of a few things coming together at the same point in time. We took the fight to them during the Trump Republican shutdown. The American people clearly have held Republicans responsible for shutting down. The government saw all manner of cruel and irresponsible behavior that during the Trump shutdown, including ripping food away from the mouths of hungry children and seniors and veterans unnecessarily, while at the same time refusing to extend the Affordable Care act tax credits. Republicans are struggling with their gerrymandering scheme at best. We are going to fight them to neutral. That's not what Republicans expected was gonna happen. And there's a worst case scenario for Republicans where they actually may net lose seats at the end of the day. So you've got angry Republicans, particularly from California, who feel like their seats have been taken away from them because of Republican action on this gerrymandering stuff to no end at the end of the day. Then Republicans were wiped out in early November across the country because of their unwillingness to address the cost of living issues, which is out of control in this country. While Democrats are running toward that affordability issue, making clear we want to fight hard and we'll continue to do so to lower the high cost of living, fix our broken health care system and clean up corruption that's rampant under Republican control of government right now. And then of course, they lost the battle as it relates to the Epstein files. The survivors won. The American people won. All of these things are coming together at the same period of time. And, and so Republicans, I think, are starting to realize that despite their claim that they had some massive mandate, nobody can find it. It doesn't exist. The American people are rejecting their extremism and embracing the Democratic view, which is anchored in making life better for the American.

Ben (Podcast Host) (17:23)

People. And Donald Trump goes on vacation again. I mean, he leaves on Tuesday. Okay, I get. I mean, Thanksgiving's Thursday, and I understand that it's a holiday, but, dude, I mean, and you're like, there's a lot of things going on right now. And it just seems over and over again all this guy wants to do is rush out to go to Mar a Lago and golf and grift. Just over and over, rinse, repeat, rinse, repeat.

Hakeem Jeffries (17:46)

Right? Golfing and grifting seems to be his favorite pastime as President of the United States of America. Which is one of the reasons why the overwhelming majority of Americans are saying the country's moving in the wrong direction. And Republicans have gone too far enough with the extreme extremism and their failure to do anything to make life better for everyday Americans. We've seen this unprecedented assault on all of the things, on the economy, on healthcare, on law abiding immigrant communities, on veterans, on farmers, on the American way of life, on the rule of law and democracy itself. And the American people are rejecting this extremism. And that is the opportunity that's in front of us so that we can continue to pour into the American people the notion that we're going to preserve this great country, this union, this democracy of ours, and we're gonna end this national.

Ben (Podcast Host) (18:37)

Nightmare. You know, also, you know, just as I observe Trump's behavior, he also just seems like, like, deeply unwell. I don't know how else to describe it. I mean, you know, he often needs help walking. I see him zigzagging in the meeting with Putin when he was with the Prime Minister of Japan. She had to, like, show him, like, like, where to go. He talks about phone calls that he has with people, and it seems like he's not having these phone calls and he's just, you know, and he's just making it up. And then he was asked about this MRI that he got, and he said, I don't know which body part it was on. Who knows? Like, people don't know where they get MRIs, but it was the most perfect MRI. It strikes me as something that should be important and discussed, that we don't just go, hey, by the. He's the only person who's ever gotten an MRI who says, I don't know what body part. Let's move on. I mean, because, you know, this guy is close to the nuclear weapons, you know, and I'm watching him and I'm like, this is someone who. Who looks unwell. I don't know if it's dementia. I don't know if it's him getting old and that's how his bodies respond. I just know, observing it that he looks deeply.

Hakeem Jeffries (19:50)

Unwell. It's hard to tell what the heck is going on because the guy's been out of control for such a long period of time. Lying for such a long period of time, norm breaking for such a long period of time. The one thing that is clear is that this presidency has been a disaster and a failure and it doesn't look like it's getting any better. He spends more time on the golf course than he does solving problems for the American people. And as you pointed out, Ben going off again, jet setting down to his luxury resort where we'll see images again of him being on the golf course. Meanwhile, everyday Americans are struggling to make ends meet. Can't thrive, can barely survive. Too many people living paycheck to paycheck and the American people are done with it all. And it's going to be very interesting when we get back to Washington to see the continued erosion, I believe, of Donald Trump's grip on the Republican Party. The whole thing is falling apart. I mean, Marjorie Taylor Greene, this was his ride or die biggest supporter and now they're in the middle of a civil war. The whole thing is crashing and.

Ben (Podcast Host) (21:02)

Burning. Leader Jeffries, we appreciate your time as always. Thank you so much. Thank you everybody. Hit subscribe let's get to 6 million subscribers. Want to stay plugged in? Become a subscriber to our substack@midasplus.com you'll get daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski, ad free episodes of our podcast and more exclusive content Only available@midasplus.com. The world moves fast. Your workday even faster. Pitching products, drafting reports, analyzing data. Microsoft 365 Copilot is your AI assistant for work built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft 365 apps you use, helping you quickly write, analyze, create and summarize so you can cut through clutter and clear a path to your best work. Learn more@Microsoft.com M365 copilot this holiday.

Narrator/Host (21:59)

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