State Senator Mallory McMorrow Responds to Trump Job Losses

Summary

Podcast Title: The MeidasTouch Podcast
Episode: State Senator Mallory McMorrow Responds to Trump Job Losses
Release Date: August 3, 2025
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas

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Introduction

In this episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast, the Meiselas brothers delve into the pressing economic issues facing America, particularly focusing on the recent job losses attributed to former President Donald Trump's policies. The discussion features critical analyses of job reports, responses from key political figures, and an in-depth interview with State Senator Mallory McMorrow of Michigan, a candidate vying for the United States Senate seat.

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Analyzing the Job Reports and Republican Responses

The episode opens with the hosts critiquing the MAGA Republicans' handling of recent job reports. The political commentator highlights discrepancies in job data, questioning the authenticity of the numbers released by the Trump administration.

[01:57] Political Commentator: "The downward revisions meaning the job losses that were not accounted for... it's so obviously a fake number. It's quite literally impossible based on the ADP numbers."

The commentator points out a significant downward revision of 258,000 jobs, the largest since 1979, and criticizes Trump’s initial reporting of job gains that starkly contrasted with private sector data.

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Senator John Kennedy's Perspective

Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana provides his take on the job numbers, balancing criticisms with some positive indicators.

[03:24] Senator John Kennedy: "It wasn't a good jobs number. It wasn't. There's, the job market is softening. Our business people are creating fewer jobs... unemployment stayed steady at 4.2%. We had job growth last month annualized about 3%. Inflation has not spiked."

While acknowledging a softening job market and fewer jobs being created, Kennedy emphasizes steady unemployment and controlled inflation, attempting to present a more optimistic outlook despite the negative job data.

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Lori Chavez-Durimer Defends Trump’s Policies

The discussion shifts to Lori Chavez-Durimer, a Republican and Defense Secretary, who counters the mounting criticisms by praising Trump’s economic strategies.

[05:05] Lori Chavez-Durimer: "The President has done a wonderful job in these trade deals... We need those interest rates down so that our businesses can borrow more money at a cheaper rate and invest in their companies... Native born workers account for all of the job growth, and that's key."

Chavez-Durimer lauds the administration's trade deals and interest rate policies, asserting that these measures prioritize American workers and foster economic growth, despite acknowledging that job numbers could have been better.

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Introducing State Senator Mallory McMorrow

The podcast transitions to an in-depth conversation with State Senator Mallory McMorrow from Michigan, who offers a stark contrast to the Republican narratives.

[06:37] Senator Mallory McMorrow: "We've got our Automakers gearing up for the worst... consumer confidence is at its lowest level in decades. And you know, just as a reminder, all of this was manmade. This was because Trump decided to do all of these things."

McMorrow criticizes Trump’s economic policies, particularly tariffs affecting Michigan’s auto industry, leading to increased costs for consumers and diminished profits for automakers like Ford.

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Impact of Trade Deals and Tariffs on Michigan’s Auto Industry

McMorrow elaborates on the detrimental effects of trade tariffs, emphasizing the complexity of automobile manufacturing and the resulting financial strain.

[08:19] Senator Mallory McMorrow: "In the process of manufacturing a car, that vehicle may pass back and forth between the Michigan and Canadian border upwards of more than a dozen times... if that gets tariffed every single time and passed on to the automaker, you better believe that's going to be passed on to the customer so we can see prices go up. Thousands of dollars for a new vehicle."

She explains how tariffs disrupt the intricate supply chains of the auto industry, leading to higher prices for consumers and jeopardizing the competitiveness of American manufacturers.

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Political Influence and Gerrymandering Concerns

The conversation addresses the role of billionaires in politics, specifically highlighting allegations of unlawful gerrymandering and undue influence in Michigan’s Senate race.

[09:53] Senator Mallory McMorrow: "There's this super PAC supporting him that raised more than 5 million last quarter alone that is almost entirely funded by this oil baron pastor... he is messing in Michigan elections. This is nothing but a pure power grab by Donald Trump and his worst billionaire supporters to hold on and cling to power no matter what it takes."

McMorrow accuses wealthy donors, particularly an oil baron and Christian nationalist pastor from Texas, of manipulating political outcomes in Michigan through significant financial support, undermining democratic processes.

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McMorrow’s Campaign and Voter Engagement Strategies

McMorrow discusses her grassroots campaign efforts, emphasizing direct engagement with voters to build support and counteract the influence of entrenched political forces.

[11:48] Senator Mallory McMorrow: "We are right now on a statewide brewery tour... inviting people to just come grab a beer. No question is off limits. And these events are packed... people are expressing a lot of frustration that this is not what they voted for."

Her campaign strategy includes holding informal events like brewery tours to foster open dialogue with constituents, addressing their frustrations, and promoting her vision for building a new, effective governmental framework.

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Conclusion and Call to Action

As the interview concludes, McMorrow urges listeners to support her campaign through donations and volunteer efforts, highlighting the beauty of Michigan and the importance of community involvement.

[13:27] Senator Mallory McMorrow: "You can find us at McMorrowforMichigan.com... Michigan is a beautiful place... we will take you out for a beer one of our brewery tour stops."

The episode wraps up with encouragement to support democratic candidates who are challenging the status quo and striving to implement meaningful change.

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Key Takeaways

• Economic Discrepancies: The episode underscores significant discrepancies in job reporting under the Trump administration, raising questions about the authenticity of economic data released.

• Impact on Michigan’s Auto Industry: Tariffs imposed during Trump's tenure have adversely affected Michigan’s automotive sector, leading to increased costs and declining consumer confidence.

• Political Manipulation: Concerns are raised about the undue influence of wealthy donors in political races, specifically in Michigan’s Senate elections, highlighting issues of gerrymandering and power consolidation.

• Grassroots Campaigning: State Senator Mallory McMorrow exemplifies a grassroots approach to campaigning, prioritizing direct voter engagement and transparency to counteract established political and financial power structures.

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Notable Quotes

• Political Commentator [01:57]:
  "It's quite obviously a fake number. It's quite literally impossible based on the ADP numbers."

• Senator John Kennedy [03:24]:
  "It wasn't a good jobs number... unemployment stayed steady at 4.2%. Inflation has not spiked."

• Lori Chavez-Durimer [05:05]:
  "We need those interest rates down so that our businesses can borrow more money at a cheaper rate and invest in their companies..."

• Senator Mallory McMorrow [06:37]:
  "Consumer confidence is at its lowest level in decades... all of this was manmade. This was because Trump decided to do all of these things."

• Senator Mallory McMorrow [08:19]:
  "Thousands of dollars for a new vehicle... that's not how business works."

• Senator Mallory McMorrow [09:53]:
  "This is nothing but a pure power grab by Donald Trump and his worst billionaire supporters to hold on and cling to power no matter what it takes."

• Senator Mallory McMorrow [11:48]:
  "We are right now on a statewide brewery tour... No question is off limits."

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Conclusion

This episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast provides a comprehensive examination of the economic challenges stemming from former President Trump’s policies, with a particular focus on Michigan’s struggles in the auto industry and the broader implications of political influence by wealthy donors. Through the insightful perspectives of political commentators and State Senator Mallory McMorrow, listeners gain a nuanced understanding of the current political and economic landscape, as well as the grassroots efforts underway to foster meaningful change.

For more insights and detailed discussions, subscribe to The MeidasTouch Podcast and join the conversation supporting democracy and informed political discourse.

Transcript

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[Political Commentator]

Specialoffer the MAGA Republicans were losing it on Friday. Leaders in the Senate and the House and those in Donald Trump's cabinet to try to spin the horrible jobs number one of the worst jobs reports really in recent American history. And the downward revisions meaning the job losses that were not accounted for and let's just call it what it was the fake Trump job reports from May and June. We had a downward revise that by 258,000 jobs. That's never happened since like 1979. I've been flagging it. I mean, remember that June jobs report right before Trump signed the disastrous budget bill and we saw those ADP private payroll data that showed a job loss of 33,000. But miraculously, 24 hours later, Trump posted 147,000 jobs were created. And I'm like, he just uses the number 47 because he's the 47th president. It's so obviously a fake number. It's quite literally impossible based on the ADP numbers. Well, it turns out that that was revised down where basically no jobs were created that month. This past month they claimed 74,000 jobs were created. But if past is prelude for the revisions, I think we lost jobs in the month of July as well. And this is not good. I mean, listen to what MAGA Republican Senator John Kennedy from Louisiana had to say. Here, play this clip.

[Senator John Kennedy]

Everybody in Washington now seems to be an economist and some of them just don't know what they're talking about. Taking their advice is like, it's like taking the advice of a nun about sex. And a lot of them are trying to score political points. Let me, let me try to be as objective as I can. It wasn't a good jobs number. It wasn't. There's, the job market is softening. Our business people are creating fewer jobs. But on the other hand, unemployment stayed steady at 4.2%. We had job growth last month annualized about 3%. Inflation has not spiked. Point three.

[Political Commentator]

You've got to put you were almost objective there for a second, Senator Kennedy, except inflation is surging right now. Except you've just embraced the job numbers that we know are going to be revised downward again as the others were. And even on Fox they were saying that the 4.2% unemployment rate seems also like a fake number. If you just look at the jobless, the job cuts that are taking place right now, the number doesn't make sense. So then they bring on the MAGA Republican Lori Chavez Durimer, the anti labor secretary, and she goes, you know, look, there may have been a not, not so great of a job report, but we're putting American workers first. A here, play this clip.

[Lori Chavez-Durimer]

The President has done a wonderful job in these trade deals. We're seeing more and more countries come to the table and this is another leg of stool that can be assisting the American worker in the American business. And he's choosing not to do so. We need those interest rates down so that our businesses can borrow more money at a cheaper rate and invest in their companies, invest in the American economy and grow this economy even better. We've seen positive job growth. We have seen consumer confidence go up. We've seen unemployment hold steady. While we could have seen better jobs numbers. Right now we're seeing American workers are being put first. Native born workers account for all of the job growth, and that's key. And the President is going to lean in and all of his secretaries are going to lean in. And I can tell you this, what I'm hearing on the ground is positive. People are excited about what's happening on the ground. We're setting the table for a positive economy. And the American worker is going to win in this occasion because the President has their back.

[Senator John Kennedy]

One quick point.

[Political Commentator]

He absolutely doesn't. Legs of a stool. Or Senator Kennedy said, like asking a nun for advice on sex. What are y' all even talking about? Consumer confidence is up. No, no, it is. And quite literally everything's like, let's bring in Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow. State Senator McMurraw, great to see you running for United States Senate seat in Michigan. You heard what these MAGA Republicans had to say. They said that this is great. The American people are happy. This is great for the American worker. Well, you're there in Michigan. What are you seeing, Senator?

[Senator Mallory McMorrow]

I mean, what we're seeing is don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining. Nothing is working right now. We've got our Automakers are gearing up for the worst. Ford just announced that they are taking out a massive loan to gird for the worst, that their profits are being slashed because of the impacts of tariffs. And we just held a hearing in the state legislature, in the Senate Oversight Committee, on which I serve as a vice chair, that shows that consumer confidence is, is at its lowest level in decades. And you know, just as a reminder, all of this was manmade. This was because Trump decided to do all of these things, not because of a pandemic or a recession or the economic downturn like we saw in 2007, 2009. He chose to do this. And it's just a mess on the ground right now.

[Political Commentator]

You know, you have all of these fake trade deals that not all of them. You have like six or seven. There's, there's no paperwork to them, so they're not binding. We don't get to see what they actually are. There are social media posts, but American car manufacturers in Michigan are pissed because even if you just take, I guess the one thing that's from the social media post where it's like a 15% tariff on Japan, the UK and the European Union, the American car manufacturer, like, so wait, we get hit with the tariffs from all of these parts of 25 to 50% depending on them. Even if we build in America, every time we import in, we're getting hit with the tariffs. The countries aren't eating it. But now you've given a leg up on that stool of yours to Japan, the UK and the European Union. What are you hearing about that?

[Senator Mallory McMorrow]

It's so frustrating. So for your viewers, a lot of people may not know that in the process of manufacturing a car, that vehicle may pass back and forth between the Michigan and Canadian border upwards of more than a dozen times with all of the parts and all of the assembly that come in between the various suppliers putting all the pieces together. So if that gets tariffed every single time and passed on to the automaker, you better believe that's going to be passed on to the customer so we can see prices go up. Thousands of dollars for a new vehicle. And exactly to your point, because this isn't in writing, you know, they are truths. That's on Truth Social. He's saying one thing. He's trying to get to these 15% trade deals with all of these countries with Canada. He's like, well, maybe I'll give him a little more time. Everything is in two weeks. I'll make a decision in two weeks. You cannot plan your business based on the feelings of an old man. Truth Socialing what he's going to do tomorrow or the next day, that's not how business works.

[Political Commentator]

You know, but a lot of these billionaires are spending a lot of money against you. And my dogs clearly don't like that either. You can hear them in the background. So talk to the audience. Loves hearing the dogs bark during important interviews. So we'll just, we'll just leave that in there. But let's talk about it. I mean, you have, you know, the same guy, the same billionaire who's doing the unlawful gerrymandering in Texas is, is supporting your Republican opponent, former Congressmember Turner out there. What's going on there?

[Senator Mallory McMorrow]

That's right. So look, Mike Rogers is back and running for election here in Michigan. This is a previous member of Congress. He ran for Senate here in Michigan just last year and he lost by less than 20,000 votes to Alyssa Slotkin. So last week, Donald Trump came in, endorsed Mike Rogers. He cleared the field. On the Republican side, there was another member of Congress, Bill Heisenberg from West Michigan, who had already decided he was going to run. And then Donald Trump called him and said, stand down. And Heizega said, okay, that's what's happening right now. So he's cleared the field on the other side, they're making this big bet that if he doesn't have to spend any money, he doesn't have to campaign, he doesn't have to earn the nomination, that they can just skate into the general election. And there's this super PAC supporting him that raised more than 5 million last quarter alone that is almost entirely funded by this oil baron pastor, this Christian nationalist pastor from Texas who, yes, is funding the illegal gerrymandering in Texas, is also on record historically for funding efforts to ban abortion, to ban books, to pass voucher schemes, to strip dollars away from public education. He is messing in Michigan elections. This is nothing but a pure power grab by Donald Trump and his worst billionaire supporters to hold on and cling to power no matter what it takes.

[Political Commentator]

What are you hearing in Michigan? Are you seeing changes? We check in with you every 45 days or so? I think we've done about an interview, really, from the election to now. And Michigan, unfortunately, went for Trump 2024. Are you seeing buyers remorse, regrets as your travel in the state for your race as United States Senator? What are you seeing?

[Senator Mallory McMorrow]

Look, I want to just set the field here. So Donald Trump did narrowly win election here in Michigan, but he didn't even clear 50% of the vote overall. So there were some people who voted for Donald Trump and nothing else. We saw this happen, which is why we now have Alyssa slotkin as a U.S. senator. So we have a Democratic senator in a state that Trump won. There are a lot of people that stayed home and a lot of people who may have voted for him because he promised to do things like bring their costs down to make their lives better. We are right now on a statewide brewery tour. I am very proudly the 2025 beer defender of the Year from the Michigan Brewers Guild. So they've been helping us put these events together, and we're taking this all over the state and inviting people to just come grab a beer. Get to know me. No question is off limits. And these events are packed. We have so many people coming out, including families and a lot of young men who are looking at what's happening right now who maybe didn't vote, maybe voted for Donald Trump, who are expressing a lot of frustration that this is not what they voted for, that things are not working, but also telling us that things have not been working for a long time. So that's a lot of the message of our campaign, that, yes, Donald Trump is taking a chainsaw to the government. It's going to get torn down to the studs all of our institutions are going to be destroyed. But it's not enough just to go back to the way things were because that didn't work for a lot of these guys. We got to build something new. So it's been great to hear directly from people and the fact that we see our events getting larger and larger and larger, even 16 months before this election is a really good sign.

[Political Commentator]

Where can people find out more about the campaign?

[Senator Mallory McMorrow]

You can find us at McMorrow for Michigan.com we're going to need all the help we can get, so if you're able to donate, please donate. If you want to sign up to volunteer. Michigan is a beautiful place in the summer and the spring and the fall and we could use you out here and I will take you out for a beer one of our brewery tour stops.

[Political Commentator]

Love it. State Senator Mallory McMorrow, we appreciate you running for the United States Senate seat there in Michigan. Keep us updated.

[Senator Mallory McMorrow]

Will do.

[Political Commentator]

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