1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:04,160 Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Molly John Fast and this is Fast Politics, 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: where we discussed the top political headlines with some of 3 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:11,879 Speaker 1: today's best minds. And Trump mentioned Biden three hundred and 4 00:00:11,920 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 1: sixteen times on social media in fifty days, mostly to 5 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:17,400 Speaker 1: blame him for thing. We have such a great joke 6 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:22,040 Speaker 1: for you today, the Lincoln Projects. Rick Wilson joins us 7 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:26,439 Speaker 1: to discuss Signal Ghazi and it's continued fallout. Then we'll 8 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:29,639 Speaker 1: talk to The New York Times own Annie Carney about 9 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 1: her and Luke Broadwaters book Mad House, how Donald Trump, 10 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:39,839 Speaker 1: Magamine Girls, a former used car salesman of Florida, and 11 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:43,479 Speaker 1: fo Baby and a man with rats in his walls 12 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: broke Congress. But first the news Somali. 13 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:49,520 Speaker 2: Donald Trump is having a little bit of a dose 14 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 2: of copium as he sees the implications of his tariffs. 15 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 2: He's told Howard, let Nicky Kit go on Sunday shows anymore. 16 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 1: We're Howard, that's all here, Yeah, yeah. 17 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:00,520 Speaker 3: I know. 18 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:03,440 Speaker 2: This is like if you told Trump they couldn't paint 19 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 2: himself a color anyway. He now says that he couldn't 20 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:09,320 Speaker 2: care less if far an automaker's raise prices due to tariffs. 21 00:01:10,040 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: Who could have seen it coming all probably everyone. Look, 22 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:17,959 Speaker 1: if there was one thing that Donald Trump had as 23 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: a mandate, and again mandate, use the word mandate very loosely, 24 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:24,280 Speaker 1: but Donald Trump said he had a mandate. He did 25 00:01:24,319 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 1: not have a mandate. But if he had one thing, 26 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:29,400 Speaker 1: one reason that anyone voted for him, it was that 27 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 1: he said he was going to make the price of 28 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:36,480 Speaker 1: eggs cheaper. Guess what he's not doing making the price 29 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: of eggs or anything else cheaper. And here we have 30 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:44,119 Speaker 1: a great example of that. The guy is obsessed with tariffs. 31 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: He believes that they will somehow make things cheaper, and 32 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: that they will, in fact, call that they'll be crazy 33 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: tax revenue from He just has no idea how any 34 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 1: of this works. So instead of listening to advisors, he's 35 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:01,320 Speaker 1: just going to go ahead with it. And earlier last 36 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:04,080 Speaker 1: week we saw that he said he might make it 37 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:07,720 Speaker 1: so that car companies can't raise prices. If Harris had 38 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:10,639 Speaker 1: said that, they would have put they would have done 39 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:13,280 Speaker 1: the twenty fifth Amendment on her right, because that's it's 40 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:17,440 Speaker 1: anti capitalists, and Republicans hate things that are anti capitalist. 41 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:20,800 Speaker 1: You'll remember that actually she had said that there was 42 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 1: price gouging and that she was going to look into 43 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 1: price gouging, and all those Republicans weren't crazy. So Donald 44 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:29,440 Speaker 1: Trump said he might make it so that companies can't 45 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: raise prices because of tariffs. Now he realizes, I'm sure 46 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 1: that a lot of very rich people called him to 47 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:38,920 Speaker 1: yell at him, and so now he's saying that he 48 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,120 Speaker 1: doesn't care if they raise prices. The whole point, the 49 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 1: reason they voted for you was because you lied and 50 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:49,079 Speaker 1: said you were going to make things cheaper. Now here 51 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:52,000 Speaker 1: he is directly making things more expensive and saying he 52 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:52,519 Speaker 1: doesn't care. 53 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:55,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, the free markets, they just just love this stuff, 54 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 2: and hence why our stock market is in the toilet down. 55 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:03,359 Speaker 2: I'm like two friends of the Pod and another professor 56 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 2: of departed Yale for Canada. Some people are calling this 57 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:09,959 Speaker 2: brain drain. Some people are calling this much meaner things. 58 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:10,960 Speaker 2: What are you seeing here? 59 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:15,959 Speaker 1: Okay, So I know Timothy Snyder and his wife Marcy 60 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 1: and Jason Sanley, and you know what, they've been planning 61 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 1: this for a while. I tried to talk Jason out 62 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 1: of it a number of times. I don't know Timothy 63 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 1: well enough to try to talk him out of it. 64 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,360 Speaker 1: I really think this is a mistake. I said it 65 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: to all of I didn't get to say to Marcie, 66 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: but I think it's a mistake. I think that we 67 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:44,320 Speaker 1: are in it's a huge country and this is just 68 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: a foray into authoritarianism, and we Americans don't like it, 69 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: and we are going to push back. And I think 70 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,640 Speaker 1: that it's a huge mistake. And there are many many 71 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: academics who are not famous and who can't just pick 72 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:05,920 Speaker 1: up a move and we stay and fight for them. 73 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 1: So I respect that this was what they felt they 74 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 1: had to do, but I certainly think it's a mistake 75 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 1: and I think they will regret it. And I know 76 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:18,120 Speaker 1: I think so much about this my grandfather, Howard Fast, 77 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:21,560 Speaker 1: who chose to go to jail rather than name names 78 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 1: during the house. In an American activities, we have to 79 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:29,240 Speaker 1: be brave, We have to be brave. It feels very 80 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 1: scary right now they're picking up graduate students off the street, 81 00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:36,479 Speaker 1: but it's scary by design, and we have a responsibility 82 00:04:36,600 --> 00:04:40,680 Speaker 1: to be brave. We must be brave. And I am 83 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,760 Speaker 1: proud to get to live in this country and I 84 00:04:43,800 --> 00:04:47,279 Speaker 1: will not leave and I will be brave, and that's 85 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: what we all need to be doing. So I'm very 86 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:53,560 Speaker 1: disappointed about this, and it's a loss for Yale and 87 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:56,560 Speaker 1: it's a loss for America. But it's also just not 88 00:04:56,839 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 1: what any of us. What the rest of us are 89 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 1: going to do. The rest of us going to stay 90 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:05,520 Speaker 1: and we are going to fight to keep our democracy 91 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:07,960 Speaker 1: and we will prevail eventually. 92 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:08,920 Speaker 3: Well said. 93 00:05:09,279 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 2: So, speaking of not being courageous, the White House Correspondents 94 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:18,240 Speaker 2: have fired comedian Amber Ruffin after insulting Mega on a podcast. 95 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:21,080 Speaker 2: My company produces no comment there, but what do you 96 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:21,560 Speaker 2: see it here? 97 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:25,159 Speaker 1: So this is just like one of these things that 98 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:29,600 Speaker 1: the White House Correspondents Association did, And we know that 99 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:36,039 Speaker 1: it's important to push back against this administration's authoritarian impulses. 100 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:41,279 Speaker 1: We know that. So they basically fired Amber because she 101 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:46,280 Speaker 1: went on she went on a podcast and she said 102 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 1: she was going to be a comic. And I think 103 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:53,800 Speaker 1: it's worth remembering that, like the White House, for the 104 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:57,680 Speaker 1: White House Press Association has had an opportunity to push 105 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:00,200 Speaker 1: back on a number of things I'm thinking of, like 106 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:03,160 Speaker 1: what happened with the Associated Press and the Gulf of America. 107 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:06,360 Speaker 1: They had an opportunity to say, no, this is not 108 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:09,920 Speaker 1: all right, that you can't ban one if you ban 109 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:14,080 Speaker 1: one outlet, you ban us all, and they didn't. And 110 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 1: I think like the only way to survive in this 111 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: authoritarian White House is to bargain collectively. So Trump loves 112 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 1: the mainstream media, and in a situation like this, what 113 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:31,279 Speaker 1: I would have done is I would have said, okay, 114 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 1: if you don't take us, if you don't keep up, 115 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:35,240 Speaker 1: if you don't have one of us, you don't have 116 00:06:35,279 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 1: any of us. And I think that would have been 117 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:42,040 Speaker 1: the play. Now we're seeing that the White House wants 118 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:46,520 Speaker 1: to do the seating, which the which the So the 119 00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:51,160 Speaker 1: White House, the White House Association, the Press Association, has 120 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:55,520 Speaker 1: has done this, White House Correspondence Association has always done 121 00:06:55,560 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 1: this seating in the gallery, in the press gallery, and 122 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:02,000 Speaker 1: now the White House is saying they want to do 123 00:07:02,040 --> 00:07:05,520 Speaker 1: it themselves. So what's happening here is that the White 124 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:09,160 Speaker 1: House Correspondence they're giving and giving and giving, and and 125 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:14,200 Speaker 1: what's instead of like that giving being respected the bullies. 126 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:17,280 Speaker 1: The White House, which is filled with bullies, is doing 127 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:20,240 Speaker 1: the thing we expected them to do, which is just take, take, take, 128 00:07:20,280 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 1: take take. So the only way to stand up to 129 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:26,520 Speaker 1: bullies is to be strong and say this is not okay, 130 00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: and here we have a really good example of just 131 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:31,080 Speaker 1: what not to do. 132 00:07:31,640 --> 00:07:31,920 Speaker 3: Yep. 133 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:36,920 Speaker 2: So another very very very stupid news. Trump says he's 134 00:07:36,960 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 2: open to using military force to seize Greenland. 135 00:07:39,560 --> 00:07:43,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, this is so stupid. I mean, Greenland doesn't want us. 136 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:49,440 Speaker 1: It's worth listening to that very stupid speech that jd Vance, 137 00:07:49,480 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 1: who is actually quite smart, quite smart Jadvance gave this 138 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 1: baffling speech where he said, Denmark is not doing for 139 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:00,240 Speaker 1: you what they should be doing for you. Okay, I 140 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:03,320 Speaker 1: mean what should Denmark be doing for Greenland? I mean 141 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 1: it's just ridiculous right these Greenland does not want out 142 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:10,840 Speaker 1: of its relationship with Denmark. The only person who has 143 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:14,200 Speaker 1: any interest in Greenland is Donald Trump. Right that the 144 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:17,680 Speaker 1: idea that somehow Denmark is not serving them, it was 145 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:21,200 Speaker 1: that was really embarrassing. Gdvan says had to do a 146 00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:24,840 Speaker 1: number of really embarrassing things, but that was that struck 147 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:33,640 Speaker 1: me as even more humiliating than the more. Rick Wilson 148 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:35,600 Speaker 1: is the founder of the Lincoln Product and the host 149 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:39,120 Speaker 1: of the Enemy's List. Come back to Fast Politics. 150 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:42,160 Speaker 4: Rick Wilson, Molly John Fast, how are you on this 151 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:42,760 Speaker 4: fine day? 152 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:46,320 Speaker 1: Oh? I was at the New Orleans book Fair and 153 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:48,640 Speaker 1: it was very fun, and I just flew home and 154 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:49,120 Speaker 1: it was. 155 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:52,520 Speaker 3: It's it's a good town this time of year. 156 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:55,920 Speaker 1: It's great. And the thing that I was so struck 157 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:58,240 Speaker 1: by and I want to and we're going to talk 158 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:02,000 Speaker 1: about it today, I hope, is that it's like we're, 159 00:09:02,040 --> 00:09:05,520 Speaker 1: what nine ten weeks into this presidency something like that, 160 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 1: and I think this is the week we can say 161 00:09:09,760 --> 00:09:12,280 Speaker 1: for sure that the doors fell off. 162 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:16,840 Speaker 4: I think we can say that this week was one 163 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:21,719 Speaker 4: of the most evident weeks of disaster for Trump that 164 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:25,640 Speaker 4: that we've seen so far in either administration. And I 165 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:29,800 Speaker 4: say that because I truly believe that this week Trump 166 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:32,880 Speaker 4: had lost, he lost complete control. 167 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:35,600 Speaker 3: Over his ability to dominate the message. 168 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:40,679 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, okay, so signal Ghazi. Okay, it's not a Gate, 169 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:41,400 Speaker 1: it's a Gazi. 170 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:43,240 Speaker 3: I'll take Yes, it's a gazi. 171 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:47,679 Speaker 1: Was So what happened there was broke on Monday, Jeff 172 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:52,120 Speaker 1: Goldberg added to the group chat, probably because because Mike 173 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:55,760 Speaker 1: Walls had some kind of let's not pretend right that, 174 00:09:55,880 --> 00:10:00,000 Speaker 1: probably because Mike Walls leaks to Jeff, or maybe because 175 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:02,679 Speaker 1: they did a conversation at some point, but it's worth 176 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 1: having a second of why Mike Walls has Jeff Goldberg's 177 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:10,480 Speaker 1: private cell phone number, right, I mean not I have it, 178 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:11,840 Speaker 1: but not everybody has it. 179 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:16,000 Speaker 4: But look, as was revealed, Mike doesn't have my number 180 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:18,280 Speaker 4: that but he could have it if he had me. 181 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:18,920 Speaker 1: To a group job. 182 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 4: I've got his number, he's got mine. But that's the 183 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 4: story for the day. I wasn't added to the group chat. 184 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:26,480 Speaker 4: Was a bridesmaid. 185 00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:31,520 Speaker 1: That's right. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't happen for. 186 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:34,400 Speaker 4: You, reck I know, right, I feel I feel, I 187 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:37,600 Speaker 4: feel so. So one of the things to think about 188 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:40,840 Speaker 4: here terror Paulmiery has reported, And now if you look back, 189 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:44,760 Speaker 4: it's quite evident Walls ran for this job. He was 190 00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 4: out there working reporters to make sure that Trump kept 191 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:51,280 Speaker 4: looking at him as the logical candidate for this job. 192 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:55,680 Speaker 4: He ran a program, a press effort to get this job. 193 00:10:55,880 --> 00:10:57,160 Speaker 4: Who do you have to talk to if you're going 194 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:00,959 Speaker 4: to do that the press? And so the idea that 195 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:05,320 Speaker 4: Mike Walls not only has a cozy relationship outside of 196 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:09,280 Speaker 4: Trump's direct supervision with this reporter, but that it could 197 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:12,240 Speaker 4: be even more, that could be even more reporters that 198 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:15,079 Speaker 4: he could add to some potential future group chat, I 199 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:19,080 Speaker 4: think is not great for his survivability. 200 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:22,400 Speaker 1: So I want to sort of continue on this thinking. 201 00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:24,959 Speaker 1: Trump has said that he is not going to fire 202 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:27,800 Speaker 1: a Waltz. I'm not in his head, but it seems 203 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:30,880 Speaker 1: to me like the thinking here is that if you don't, 204 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:34,559 Speaker 1: if there is no scalp, then it wasn't a real scandal. 205 00:11:35,559 --> 00:11:40,680 Speaker 1: And I think that this is absolutely wrong. And I 206 00:11:40,720 --> 00:11:44,559 Speaker 1: think the reason why they fire people right, the reason 207 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:49,080 Speaker 1: why scandals lead to someone getting thrown under the bus 208 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:52,000 Speaker 1: is because if you don't throw one person under the bus, 209 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:56,960 Speaker 1: then all of you eventually go under the bus. Discuss so. 210 00:11:57,520 --> 00:12:00,079 Speaker 4: One of the rules of political physics in Washington, and 211 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:03,240 Speaker 4: that until this week Trump has defied for years and 212 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:06,040 Speaker 4: years and years, is that when you screw up and 213 00:12:06,080 --> 00:12:09,240 Speaker 4: you admit blame, you take the steam out of the system. 214 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:12,599 Speaker 4: You reduce the pressure to cause a bigger cataclysm in 215 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 4: the system. And this has been a rule for White 216 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:20,199 Speaker 4: House's Republican and Democrat for generations. Where people say, oh, yeah, 217 00:12:20,360 --> 00:12:23,480 Speaker 4: Cabinet member so and so, director of whatever agency such 218 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:25,960 Speaker 4: and such, they screwed up. They go out and they 219 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:28,920 Speaker 4: say the following words, I take full responsibility for what 220 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:32,840 Speaker 4: I have done. Here's what happened, They explain what happened, 221 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:36,400 Speaker 4: They own it. It sucks for a while, but it 222 00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:39,280 Speaker 4: stops the wolves from trying to get in the door 223 00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:44,080 Speaker 4: to the president himself. This procedure works because it's how 224 00:12:44,160 --> 00:12:47,480 Speaker 4: human beings work, It's how humans think and work. And 225 00:12:47,559 --> 00:12:52,720 Speaker 4: it's not just because Trump has some magical superpowers that 226 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:54,600 Speaker 4: he got away with it. He got away with it 227 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:58,600 Speaker 4: in part because the media lived in this wonderful bubble 228 00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:00,960 Speaker 4: where Trump would get in trouble and then to get 229 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:04,000 Speaker 4: himself out of the first trouble he'd caused more trouble. 230 00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:08,240 Speaker 4: He knew something else more outrageous. Right, Oh no, I 231 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:10,880 Speaker 4: didn't just go out with that with that girl. I 232 00:13:11,760 --> 00:13:14,400 Speaker 4: killed her, and you set off one bomb to distract 233 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 4: people from the first bomb, and. 234 00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:16,920 Speaker 3: On and on. 235 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:20,000 Speaker 4: But with this one, what it showed was something that 236 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:23,760 Speaker 4: people in Washington and the country already sensed that these 237 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:27,839 Speaker 4: are not the top of the political and talent food 238 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:31,560 Speaker 4: chain in America. These folks came out looking and looking 239 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:35,280 Speaker 4: like they were a bunch of backslapping bros. They didn't 240 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:37,920 Speaker 4: look that spin that the White House put out. Briefly, 241 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:40,640 Speaker 4: what you saw was how serious they were. No, you 242 00:13:40,679 --> 00:13:43,800 Speaker 4: didn't see that. You saw that these guys were flipping 243 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:46,880 Speaker 4: emojis back and forth, as David Remnick wrote, like the 244 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:51,000 Speaker 4: average middle schoolers. And the idea here that this was 245 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:54,439 Speaker 4: some kind of group chat that showed how competent they 246 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:56,120 Speaker 4: were is completely wrong. 247 00:13:56,360 --> 00:13:58,720 Speaker 3: People knew this stuff was classified. They didn't. 248 00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:02,640 Speaker 4: You can't argue it into into Even Trump's people can't 249 00:14:02,679 --> 00:14:06,080 Speaker 4: bend that reality into the shape they wanted to be. Right, So, 250 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:08,880 Speaker 4: if they had given up, if they had thrown somebody 251 00:14:08,920 --> 00:14:11,719 Speaker 4: off of the of the sled to the wolves, if 252 00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:17,160 Speaker 4: they had some one or two reasonable admissions that we 253 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:20,640 Speaker 4: shouldn't have done this this way, but that is but 254 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:24,440 Speaker 4: Trump can't do that because that's the Roy Cohne Roger 255 00:14:24,520 --> 00:14:29,520 Speaker 4: Stone world of never apologize, never admit, always attack the 256 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:32,720 Speaker 4: person who identified your mouthfeasance, et cetera. 257 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:37,280 Speaker 1: But what I think is interesting is that Mike Waltz 258 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:42,880 Speaker 1: does not He doesn't necessarily matter so much, right, member 259 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:46,120 Speaker 1: of Congress, very red district. Now, he's a security he 260 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:48,600 Speaker 1: has some kind of nebulous security. 261 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:51,400 Speaker 3: He was a Green Beret. That is national security about it. 262 00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:54,560 Speaker 1: But I'm just saying he has this sort of nebulous security. 263 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:59,560 Speaker 1: He's not compared to Pete who who is who really 264 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:03,240 Speaker 1: is as the head of the d D and is 265 00:15:03,400 --> 00:15:07,520 Speaker 1: someone for whom you know his resigning would be a 266 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:11,840 Speaker 1: big fucking scandal. I think it's a smarter play to 267 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:14,680 Speaker 1: get rid of Walls, to keep heg Seth if you're 268 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:17,600 Speaker 1: just sort of trying to do politics. 269 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:19,120 Speaker 4: One hundred percent. And I'll tell you why I think that. 270 00:15:19,400 --> 00:15:22,360 Speaker 4: And again, I don't think they will formally fire Walls. 271 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:24,920 Speaker 4: They will he in a few months. He will just 272 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:28,240 Speaker 4: say I've helped the president make sure that we are 273 00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:31,600 Speaker 4: safer and set our foreign policy on the on the 274 00:15:31,600 --> 00:15:34,680 Speaker 4: best possible pet path, and and now I need to 275 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:36,240 Speaker 4: go spend more time with my family. 276 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:36,640 Speaker 1: Yeah. 277 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:40,440 Speaker 4: And and look, honest to god, most of the press 278 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:44,040 Speaker 4: will go, yes, he's this is secretly being fired, but 279 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:47,400 Speaker 4: it won't have the same blow up that Pete Hegseth 280 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:47,800 Speaker 4: would have. 281 00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:50,040 Speaker 3: And there's a reason Trump won't fire Heseth. 282 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:55,200 Speaker 4: He's better looking, He's and for Trump, he still sees 283 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:57,920 Speaker 4: Oh Hegseth goes on TV and says fuck you to 284 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:02,000 Speaker 4: reporters and that and whereas and I did hear this 285 00:16:02,080 --> 00:16:06,120 Speaker 4: out of somebody close to the Trump organization. He Trump 286 00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:09,920 Speaker 4: flipped his shit when Walls went on Laura Ingram. He 287 00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:14,400 Speaker 4: thought that was a terrible performance. That is very very 288 00:16:14,440 --> 00:16:15,400 Speaker 4: bad for Michael. 289 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:19,000 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, no Michaelalls. I mean I still think he 290 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:22,920 Speaker 1: ends up not surviving this. But what that looks like, 291 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:27,320 Speaker 1: I don't know, but it is. I think it's worths realizing, like, 292 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:30,480 Speaker 1: this scandal is not about the scandal, right, It's about 293 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:34,080 Speaker 1: that these guys are not good with data, that these 294 00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:38,240 Speaker 1: guys are not good with keeping secret secure. That these 295 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:41,400 Speaker 1: guys are and we see hag Seth hired his brother 296 00:16:42,160 --> 00:16:44,040 Speaker 1: and his wife, well. 297 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:47,320 Speaker 4: His wife has been attending classified security meetings with Pete 298 00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:50,960 Speaker 4: hag Seth. I just I just want to let you 299 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:54,320 Speaker 4: guys know, having been around the National security apparatus, that's 300 00:16:54,400 --> 00:16:55,240 Speaker 4: fucking insane. 301 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:57,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, that would be my take. 302 00:16:57,640 --> 00:16:58,200 Speaker 3: Yeah. 303 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:01,480 Speaker 1: So, I mean, so there's all sorts of nepotism stuff, 304 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:05,520 Speaker 1: and then there's right, Mike Wallas has an open VENMO, 305 00:17:05,840 --> 00:17:09,640 Speaker 1: so you can see a venmo's with journalists. I guess 306 00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:15,040 Speaker 1: they're just these guys are so incredibly they feel like 307 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:16,040 Speaker 1: so messy. 308 00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:19,040 Speaker 4: They are the hottest possible mess They are a they 309 00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:22,640 Speaker 4: are a convention of hot messes meeting on the top 310 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:26,600 Speaker 4: of Burning Tire Mountain. This is this is this White 311 00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:30,679 Speaker 4: House again. If you just if you just watch them 312 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:34,359 Speaker 4: outside of the Trump matrix for one second. These people 313 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:36,879 Speaker 4: are over their head. They don't know what they're doing. 314 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:41,880 Speaker 4: They are they are all engaged in this performative, one 315 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:44,760 Speaker 4: eye over their shoulder, watching out to make sure that 316 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:48,679 Speaker 4: Stephen Miller or Donald Trump doesn't get mad at them. Yeah, 317 00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:52,159 Speaker 4: and and none of it's working. Telling people we're not 318 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:55,399 Speaker 4: seeing the promised piece in Ukraine. In fact, Trump is 319 00:17:55,440 --> 00:17:58,760 Speaker 4: now realizing finally that Putin has been jerking them around. 320 00:17:59,200 --> 00:18:01,880 Speaker 4: We're not seeing economic prosperity. In fact, we're seeing the 321 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:02,840 Speaker 4: opposite of it. 322 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:03,840 Speaker 1: Market's crazy. 323 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:06,639 Speaker 4: Just after we got the markets were like, okay, that 324 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:08,119 Speaker 4: last tariff thing was the last one. 325 00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:09,920 Speaker 3: Trump's not going to be that stupid shit again. 326 00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:13,919 Speaker 4: And so this on Friday or Thursday, excuse me, of 327 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:17,600 Speaker 4: last week, he of course goes much further. All that 328 00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:20,359 Speaker 4: is breaking the wrong way for Trump right now. 329 00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:24,560 Speaker 1: And another thing which I think is pretty interesting. So 330 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:28,080 Speaker 1: he's got the tariffs, he's saying he doesn't care. I mean, 331 00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:31,520 Speaker 1: there's reporting again, who knows if it's true or not 332 00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:34,560 Speaker 1: because it's Trump and everybody leaks and everybody lies, but 333 00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:39,080 Speaker 1: saying that he doesn't care about the tariffs if they're 334 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:42,359 Speaker 1: unpopular because he doesn't have to run again. Then talking 335 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:45,240 Speaker 1: about a third term right on television, he says he 336 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:47,520 Speaker 1: or he says it to Kristen Welker on the phone, 337 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:50,080 Speaker 1: that maybe he does he's going to run again. But 338 00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:53,840 Speaker 1: the other thing that I think is worth sort of 339 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:57,240 Speaker 1: doing a minute or two on is that he came 340 00:18:57,240 --> 00:19:00,920 Speaker 1: out and said that maybe he won't do the tax right. 341 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:05,000 Speaker 1: The whole reason they're very rich people got involved in 342 00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:09,800 Speaker 1: this Trump presidency was because they they didn't want the 343 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:13,439 Speaker 1: tax cuts to expire. Now he throws out that maybe 344 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:17,919 Speaker 1: he'll actually let the tax cuts expire because he wants 345 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:20,560 Speaker 1: to cut taxes on tips. 346 00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:23,439 Speaker 4: So what you're going to end up with is neither 347 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:26,360 Speaker 4: at this point, and that's a loss for him in 348 00:19:26,440 --> 00:19:31,160 Speaker 4: every direction. First Off, he had a absolute rock solid 349 00:19:31,280 --> 00:19:35,240 Speaker 4: death grip on Wall Street, and he had the folks 350 00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:37,320 Speaker 4: at Goldman, the folks at Blackwrook, the folks at Blacks, 351 00:19:37,400 --> 00:19:38,439 Speaker 4: and the folks at State Street. 352 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:40,440 Speaker 3: All of these people have for. 353 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:42,720 Speaker 4: The last two and a half months been working there, 354 00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:45,399 Speaker 4: working overtime, saying, oh the tariffs are just a prank. 355 00:19:45,440 --> 00:19:47,440 Speaker 4: It's just that we're all going to get. Don't worry. 356 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:49,880 Speaker 4: It's all for the tax cut. It's all to get 357 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:53,000 Speaker 4: us to the tax cut. Well, now, the tax cut 358 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:56,960 Speaker 4: is an impossibility if you even if you even if 359 00:19:56,960 --> 00:20:00,200 Speaker 4: you accept the bullshit math that they had out there before, 360 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:03,679 Speaker 4: it's an impossibility to pass it. If you say that 361 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:06,600 Speaker 4: we've got so much, so much, such a great deficit 362 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:08,640 Speaker 4: in all these other things right now, there's no way 363 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:11,320 Speaker 4: to do this even if you accepted like the goofy 364 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:15,040 Speaker 4: modeling of oh the trickle down and all the other crap, 365 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:18,520 Speaker 4: they would say. The Republican conservative fiscals in the House 366 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:21,240 Speaker 4: are going to say, no, we can't do this. So 367 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:24,560 Speaker 4: all these people are going to get absolutely fucked on 368 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:28,800 Speaker 4: Wall Street because they built into all their expectations that 369 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:33,159 Speaker 4: they were going to get twenty seventeen tax cuts times ten, right, 370 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:34,639 Speaker 4: and it's just not going to happen. 371 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:37,119 Speaker 1: The question is will they expire? And remember they have 372 00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:40,239 Speaker 1: burned so much capital on this CR. Right, so there 373 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:43,200 Speaker 1: was this right, there's cr that they had to pass. 374 00:20:43,359 --> 00:20:47,359 Speaker 1: They basically went around and got everyone except Thomas Massey 375 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:51,480 Speaker 1: on Born in the in Congress now they have to 376 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: pass the tax cuts. One of the things that we 377 00:20:55,400 --> 00:20:57,720 Speaker 1: remember from TROM one point zero is that they passed 378 00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:03,760 Speaker 1: the tax cuts before they went tariff crazy. So now 379 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:07,760 Speaker 1: here's a scenario where the tariffs are already choking the 380 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:10,199 Speaker 1: public market and now they have to try to get 381 00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:13,320 Speaker 1: a tax cut through. I think this is I think 382 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:16,520 Speaker 1: this is going to be a lot bigger, heavier lift. 383 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:19,120 Speaker 4: I think it's going to be a I think it's 384 00:21:19,119 --> 00:21:22,440 Speaker 4: going to be a nearly impossible lift for a couple 385 00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:26,240 Speaker 4: of reasons. One, we are almost certainly going to see 386 00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:29,720 Speaker 4: an even smaller majority in the House after next week. 387 00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:32,000 Speaker 4: It looks like we're going to pick up one more seat. 388 00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:36,520 Speaker 1: Well, well, you're talking about Florida seven, Florida six, Florida six, Okay, 389 00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:40,240 Speaker 1: Florida six. You that you can't just like drop that 390 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:42,879 Speaker 1: into a conversation because Florida. 391 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:46,120 Speaker 3: I'm not I'm not calling it hard yet. 392 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:48,359 Speaker 1: Right, but it's an easy call. 393 00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:50,960 Speaker 4: I'm going to say this the signs of panic behind 394 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:53,880 Speaker 4: the scenes in Florida six, because if there's one thing 395 00:21:53,920 --> 00:21:57,360 Speaker 4: I know, it's the Republican Party of Florida. On Thursday morning, 396 00:21:58,119 --> 00:22:03,280 Speaker 4: they basically told every human being whoever has worked for 397 00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:06,560 Speaker 4: or makes money from the party, you better be in 398 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:09,719 Speaker 4: Ovido down there in the heart of the district knocking 399 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:13,119 Speaker 4: doors this weekend. We're keeping track. Also, they were beating 400 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:15,119 Speaker 4: up every lobbyist that could find. We need a million 401 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 4: dollars here, we did five hundred thousand. 402 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:16,760 Speaker 5: There. 403 00:22:16,920 --> 00:22:19,879 Speaker 3: They weren't getting it. They were turning very they were 404 00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:21,160 Speaker 3: turning very shitty. 405 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:21,879 Speaker 1: Why. 406 00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:25,680 Speaker 4: Look, Randy Fine, the Republican candidate, and I want you 407 00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:28,199 Speaker 4: to just everybody who's listening to calibrate this as I 408 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:31,680 Speaker 4: say it. Randy Fine, even for Florida, is one of 409 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:37,200 Speaker 4: the shittiest, most horrifying, most terrible human beings you will 410 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:39,480 Speaker 4: ever meet. I haven't even had that much to do 411 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:42,840 Speaker 4: with Randy Fine, but in my experience, I wouldn't piss 412 00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:44,800 Speaker 4: on Randy Fine if he was burning alive. 413 00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:48,080 Speaker 3: Oh and I'm not even that much of like a 414 00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:50,040 Speaker 3: I don't even have a big beef on the guy. 415 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:54,040 Speaker 1: But people here hate him. I've seen his Twitter and 416 00:22:54,119 --> 00:22:55,000 Speaker 1: it's pretty bad. 417 00:22:55,160 --> 00:22:56,160 Speaker 3: Oh he's a shitbird. 418 00:22:56,680 --> 00:22:59,679 Speaker 1: So Randy Fine, And then this is an R plus 419 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:02,399 Speaker 1: Why in our plus ten and our plus eleven. 420 00:23:02,119 --> 00:23:03,159 Speaker 3: Like eleven or something. 421 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:06,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, and the Democrat who's running against Randy Fine is. 422 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:10,360 Speaker 3: Called what Josh Wheel and look right now. 423 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:11,520 Speaker 1: Seven million dollars. 424 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:13,399 Speaker 3: He's raised ten million dollars. 425 00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:16,919 Speaker 4: Right the last week of the campaign he had about 426 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:19,400 Speaker 4: he had about two in the bank and Randy Fine 427 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:20,479 Speaker 4: had ninety three thousand. 428 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:23,120 Speaker 3: So we'll see how it goes. Look, it's still. 429 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:24,879 Speaker 4: A very red district in a very red state and 430 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:28,360 Speaker 4: all that blah blah blah. But the Republicans have had 431 00:23:28,359 --> 00:23:32,359 Speaker 4: to pour a gigantic sum of money and warm bodies 432 00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:35,360 Speaker 4: at this problem. Trump was doing a teletown hall over 433 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:39,280 Speaker 4: the weekend about it all this crap. Right, Yeah, that seat, 434 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:42,080 Speaker 4: if that seat goes, and look off, your races are 435 00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:45,200 Speaker 4: not one hundred percent predictive. But if that seat goes, 436 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:48,000 Speaker 4: you're gonna know why he kept you know, you know 437 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,800 Speaker 4: why he kept saphonic back. You're gonna know why they're 438 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:53,280 Speaker 4: suddenly telling these guys never to do a town hall. 439 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:56,040 Speaker 4: Don't speak, don't meet anybody, don't breathe. 440 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:56,240 Speaker 3: Don't talk. 441 00:23:56,680 --> 00:23:59,480 Speaker 1: If Randy Fin loses, what Randy Fine loses? 442 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:02,600 Speaker 3: Your down? Now, where the margin. 443 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:04,879 Speaker 1: Is one seat is one seat, and. 444 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:09,480 Speaker 4: If you take victorious sparks, Tom and Tassi. 445 00:24:09,440 --> 00:24:12,360 Speaker 3: Sometimes Andy ogles sometimes. Now. 446 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:17,920 Speaker 4: Now, the danger zone for Mike Johnson isn't just he's 447 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:19,760 Speaker 4: going to lose CR votes or he's going to lose 448 00:24:19,840 --> 00:24:22,800 Speaker 4: votes on different bills. It's that they're going to say, see, 449 00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:26,040 Speaker 4: we told you Mike Johnson was all wrong for this moment. 450 00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:29,600 Speaker 3: He needed to be crazier right, more things. 451 00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:32,040 Speaker 4: And I got to tell you, if you're Mike Johnson, 452 00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:33,440 Speaker 4: I don't think you're in a good. 453 00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:36,000 Speaker 1: Spot right all right, No, I don't think so either. 454 00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:38,439 Speaker 1: And it's and it's a delight to watch. Thank you, 455 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:39,240 Speaker 1: Rick Wilson. 456 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:41,520 Speaker 3: Absolutely delighted to be with you as always. 457 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:46,359 Speaker 1: Annie Carney is a congressional correspondent for The New York 458 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:51,000 Speaker 1: Times and co author of Mad House, How Donald Trump, 459 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:56,040 Speaker 1: Magamine Girls, a former used car salesman of Florida Nefo Baby, 460 00:24:56,080 --> 00:25:00,239 Speaker 1: and a man with rats in his walls Broke Congo Us. 461 00:25:00,880 --> 00:25:04,400 Speaker 1: Welcome back to Fast Politics, any Karney. 462 00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:06,200 Speaker 6: Thank you, Molly, it's actually my first time. 463 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:10,120 Speaker 1: Well, I feel like you've been here before because we're friends. 464 00:25:10,280 --> 00:25:13,480 Speaker 1: Before we were recording, we were talking about how you 465 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:16,440 Speaker 1: cover Congress for the New York Times, and I said 466 00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:20,439 Speaker 1: to you, while nobody's interested in Congress anymore, So let's 467 00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:24,080 Speaker 1: talk about that because why well. 468 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:26,439 Speaker 5: I think what's happened is that they have really like 469 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:30,199 Speaker 5: seeded all of their power to Trump. Mike Johnson, the 470 00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:33,480 Speaker 5: Speaker of the House, is like on paper, the head 471 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:37,320 Speaker 5: of a coequal branch of government, but he has you 472 00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:40,480 Speaker 5: wouldn't know that by watching his actions. He's looks like 473 00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:42,879 Speaker 5: he's part of the Trump entourage and is acting like 474 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:45,960 Speaker 5: a junior partner or like a White House aid, like 475 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:49,119 Speaker 5: he's filming JD. Evans going to the Oval, and he 476 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:53,680 Speaker 5: is not acting like he's a you know, a head 477 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:55,439 Speaker 5: of a co equal branch of government. They have just 478 00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:58,080 Speaker 5: seated their power to Trump. So in a way, they've 479 00:25:58,119 --> 00:25:59,760 Speaker 5: made themselves irrelevant. 480 00:26:00,359 --> 00:26:04,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, which is an incredible You know, we're in the 481 00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:07,320 Speaker 1: first couple months, first little more than two months into 482 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:12,000 Speaker 1: this Trump presidency, and Congress has already completely flattened itself. 483 00:26:12,119 --> 00:26:14,159 Speaker 1: Let me ask you a question, because I feel like 484 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:18,959 Speaker 1: some of the kind of jiu jitsu that the Senate 485 00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:22,000 Speaker 1: has been able to do during the time of say 486 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:25,400 Speaker 1: Lyndon Johnson or you know, when the Senate was run 487 00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:28,560 Speaker 1: by people who really were masters, has sort of fallen 488 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:31,959 Speaker 1: by the wayside because nobody remembers anything because we are 489 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:35,440 Speaker 1: in the United States of Womonesia. If you had a Congress 490 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:38,840 Speaker 1: that was really a coequal branch of the government, what 491 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:40,960 Speaker 1: would you see it doing right now? 492 00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:44,159 Speaker 5: I think that the main thing that people know that 493 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:48,919 Speaker 5: Congress did so far is confirm all of his cabinet picks, 494 00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:53,880 Speaker 5: including Robert F. Kennedy Junior, Telsea Gabbard, Pete Hegseth Cash, 495 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:58,040 Speaker 5: Mattel like these people that we know Republican senators sound 496 00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:03,240 Speaker 5: totally unacceptable, voted anyway, and that was sort of the 497 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:06,720 Speaker 5: most even Trump I think, didn't think like even Trump 498 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:09,080 Speaker 5: was like started out talking about how he wanted to 499 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:11,520 Speaker 5: do Reci's appointments. I think because he didn't know for 500 00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:14,480 Speaker 5: sure that he could get the votes and is laid down. 501 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:17,399 Speaker 5: So I think that you know, in a more normal time, 502 00:27:17,680 --> 00:27:21,280 Speaker 5: with a more functional political party that wasn't just scared 503 00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:26,440 Speaker 5: of one man's power, you would have seen senators rejecting 504 00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:30,280 Speaker 5: at least those four that I mentioned as like unacceptable. 505 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:32,840 Speaker 5: That is a big part of their job to advise 506 00:27:32,840 --> 00:27:34,800 Speaker 5: antent on cabinet nominas, and they did. 507 00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:35,440 Speaker 6: Not do that job. 508 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:38,080 Speaker 5: So I'd say that like so far, in terms of 509 00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:40,520 Speaker 5: what Congress has done and what like has broken through 510 00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:42,760 Speaker 5: to the American people. I'd say that's like a huge 511 00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:44,000 Speaker 5: one for the Senate side. 512 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:49,040 Speaker 1: Obviously they're scared, but Trump is largely in some ways. 513 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:50,560 Speaker 1: I hate to say this, but like he is a 514 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:55,120 Speaker 1: paper tiger, right, Like nobody's organized her roles, right. I mean, 515 00:27:55,160 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 1: the whole organization is is run by shoestring. Elon has 516 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:02,439 Speaker 1: a gazillions of dollars, but there's a lot going on there. 517 00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:06,400 Speaker 1: I'm wondering sort of what you think kind of has 518 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:10,560 Speaker 1: caused this collapse in the Senate And if you think 519 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:11,560 Speaker 1: they could come out of it. 520 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:13,960 Speaker 5: I don't think they're coming out of it anytime soon. 521 00:28:14,119 --> 00:28:16,240 Speaker 5: And it's not just I think it's both sides. I'll 522 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:20,280 Speaker 5: answer it in two parts. First, is that Trump's control 523 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:23,040 Speaker 5: of the party is like near total that he doesn't 524 00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:27,720 Speaker 5: even really have to threaten very much. They anticipate it. 525 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:30,080 Speaker 5: They know, like they've seen the playbook, like you fall 526 00:28:30,119 --> 00:28:32,760 Speaker 5: out of line, the bait. Like there's also this like 527 00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:35,440 Speaker 5: echo chamber that exists now that will do the work 528 00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:39,200 Speaker 5: for him of threatening a very challenge like going after you, 529 00:28:39,880 --> 00:28:41,800 Speaker 5: making it so you can't keep your job unless you 530 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:44,520 Speaker 5: fall in line. They all know that the playbook. They 531 00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:47,400 Speaker 5: don't need Trump to actually threaten them anymore. And he 532 00:28:47,520 --> 00:28:51,280 Speaker 5: knows that they know, so he's mostly like carrot at 533 00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:54,720 Speaker 5: this point. With Republicans in Congress, they kind of especially 534 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:57,440 Speaker 5: in the House, they love him. He takes them on 535 00:28:57,480 --> 00:29:01,240 Speaker 5: Air Force one, he takes mar A La, he calls, 536 00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:04,000 Speaker 5: they have his cell phone number, they text with him. 537 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:05,240 Speaker 6: He texts them on their on TV. 538 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:08,560 Speaker 5: Like mostly he gets to be the host. They know that, 539 00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:10,760 Speaker 5: like the stick is there. It's just like at this 540 00:29:10,800 --> 00:29:13,440 Speaker 5: point it's unspoken because his power is so total. 541 00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:18,520 Speaker 6: And in terms of the book, like this started we last. 542 00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:21,240 Speaker 5: Congress, the one hundred and eighteenth Congress was the first 543 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:24,680 Speaker 5: maga Congress, Like that is what our book is about. 544 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:28,560 Speaker 5: When it really like took all of all these characters 545 00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:30,840 Speaker 5: who ran the place and ground it to a halt 546 00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:36,160 Speaker 5: and like actually broke Congress, Like basically were Trump's mimicking 547 00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:39,360 Speaker 5: minions who just carried it on even when he was 548 00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:41,880 Speaker 5: out of power, and a lot of people who were 549 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:45,760 Speaker 5: not in that mold left just exited Congress. It was 550 00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:49,200 Speaker 5: like too horrible, too dysfunctional, and they left Jeff like 551 00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:53,000 Speaker 5: types right, like people like kind of like the old 552 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:56,840 Speaker 5: school more center or leaning Republicans. 553 00:29:57,040 --> 00:29:59,280 Speaker 6: A lot of them just quit in the middle, like didn't. 554 00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:01,640 Speaker 5: Even finish out their term. And the people who are 555 00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:05,400 Speaker 5: still here and are rising and basically have tenure because 556 00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:08,360 Speaker 5: they come from like red districts are the Marjorie Tailer 557 00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:11,120 Speaker 5: Greens and the Lauren Boberts and the hard to write 558 00:30:11,160 --> 00:30:15,360 Speaker 5: people who are you know, just diehard Trumpists. And that 559 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:18,160 Speaker 5: is Congress now, and we our book if you want 560 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:20,920 Speaker 5: to understand this moment, like it's really like brought to 561 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:24,680 Speaker 5: you by the last Congress and very very relevant to 562 00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:27,240 Speaker 5: like why they're acting the way they are today. 563 00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:32,320 Speaker 1: So the last Congress was famous for having passed less 564 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:36,400 Speaker 1: legislation then talk us through sort of how much legislation 565 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:37,160 Speaker 1: they passed. 566 00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:41,560 Speaker 5: So the last Congress was the most insane story ever. 567 00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:45,080 Speaker 5: They couldn't elect a Speaker of the House for a week, 568 00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:47,160 Speaker 5: then they ousted him, and then they took another week 569 00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:49,360 Speaker 5: where they couldn't choose someone else, no one could get 570 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:54,040 Speaker 5: the votes, like they routinely just ground the House for 571 00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:57,720 Speaker 5: to a standstill by blocking their own parties bills. And 572 00:30:57,760 --> 00:31:01,560 Speaker 5: they like barely managed to like avoid defaulting on our debt. 573 00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:03,480 Speaker 6: So they like barely managed. 574 00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:05,480 Speaker 5: To do like what should be the bare minimum of governing, 575 00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:09,040 Speaker 5: and they passed the least number of laws in like decades, 576 00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:13,040 Speaker 5: So they literally forgot And what they did do was 577 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:16,880 Speaker 5: like engage in petty personal feuds that they like pretended 578 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:18,720 Speaker 5: were about like bigger issues. 579 00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:20,880 Speaker 1: So are we talking about Matt Gates here? 580 00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:25,000 Speaker 5: Are more not just Matt Gates everybody? For instance, that 581 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:28,440 Speaker 5: first week obviously Matt Gates's personal feud against Kevin McCarthy. 582 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:30,360 Speaker 5: But that first week, one of the people who was 583 00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:35,000 Speaker 5: with Matt Gates throughout opposing Kevin McCarthy was Lauren Bobert. 584 00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:38,000 Speaker 5: And the reason we in our book we reported that 585 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:40,440 Speaker 5: she originally had made a deal with McCarthy that she 586 00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:42,680 Speaker 5: was going to be with him, but then she saw 587 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:45,280 Speaker 5: that Marjorie Taylor Green had also made that deal, and 588 00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:47,640 Speaker 5: she hates Marjorie Taylor Green so much that she got 589 00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:50,080 Speaker 5: she went the other way. So like it looks like 590 00:31:50,280 --> 00:31:52,560 Speaker 5: these people are taking these positions out of some sort 591 00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:57,560 Speaker 5: of like stance. It's really she hates Marjorie Taylor Green 592 00:31:57,640 --> 00:31:59,320 Speaker 5: and like cannot be on the same side with her 593 00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:02,800 Speaker 5: on anything. So it's about any personal feuds drive So 594 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:07,280 Speaker 5: much of what's happening. It's like the American people don't 595 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:10,240 Speaker 5: know that, Like they're being asked to weigh in and 596 00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:12,760 Speaker 5: having a decision made for them by people who like 597 00:32:12,880 --> 00:32:16,720 Speaker 5: are just totally embroiled in their like high school level 598 00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:20,320 Speaker 5: drama between each other, and when the House is not 599 00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:23,080 Speaker 5: really doing anything. Also it was a moment of divided government, 600 00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:25,400 Speaker 5: so they couldn't do as much. But when you're not 601 00:32:25,520 --> 00:32:29,080 Speaker 5: doing anything, also, like they tried and failed to impeach 602 00:32:29,160 --> 00:32:32,920 Speaker 5: Joe Biden. But when they're not doing anything, these like feuds, 603 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:38,120 Speaker 5: they started to act like feuding and playing games and 604 00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:41,520 Speaker 5: censoring each other like that that was the job. 605 00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:43,920 Speaker 6: So it became idiotic. 606 00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:47,960 Speaker 5: But it also like just broke the place for actually 607 00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:52,640 Speaker 5: like doing anything like passing laws or doing anything policy wise, 608 00:32:52,680 --> 00:32:56,760 Speaker 5: And it really sets the stage nowt Now Republicans control 609 00:32:56,960 --> 00:32:59,920 Speaker 5: all of government, the Senate, the House, and the presidents 610 00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:02,480 Speaker 5: and like the owner. Now they kind of like if 611 00:33:02,480 --> 00:33:04,800 Speaker 5: they can't get anything done in this Congress, it's gonna 612 00:33:04,880 --> 00:33:08,080 Speaker 5: look worse because you can't do it now, you really 613 00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:08,719 Speaker 5: can't do it. 614 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:10,800 Speaker 6: Ever, they actually have to pass some laws. 615 00:33:10,520 --> 00:33:13,880 Speaker 1: Now, Yeah, so let's talk about law passing, because yeah, 616 00:33:13,920 --> 00:33:17,239 Speaker 1: the last Congress was insane. They didn't pass anything, they 617 00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:21,520 Speaker 1: named some post offices, they fought with Democrats, they had 618 00:33:21,560 --> 00:33:25,200 Speaker 1: the weaponization. Do two minutes on the weaponization. I just say, 619 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:26,640 Speaker 1: please place place. 620 00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:29,560 Speaker 5: So our book like traces most of these big fights 621 00:33:29,560 --> 00:33:33,160 Speaker 5: that probably everyone remembers, like the speaker fight, the second 622 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:36,720 Speaker 5: speaker fight, the fight about Ukraine funding, the dead ceiling fight, 623 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:39,560 Speaker 5: and you think that you know what happened. And then 624 00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:41,600 Speaker 5: like the most fun thing about writing this book was 625 00:33:42,040 --> 00:33:43,840 Speaker 5: like the way we did it was we would like 626 00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:46,840 Speaker 5: wait a month or six weeks till after the fact 627 00:33:47,120 --> 00:33:49,320 Speaker 5: and circle back and talk to everyone in the room 628 00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:53,880 Speaker 5: and like all these insane stories that didn't come out 629 00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:55,360 Speaker 5: of me, and then the world moves on. But like 630 00:33:55,400 --> 00:33:57,280 Speaker 5: you go back and then people are willing to share 631 00:33:57,320 --> 00:34:01,200 Speaker 5: more because it's news anymore. It's oh, and we found 632 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:04,520 Speaker 5: out like so many more, just like jaw dropping. 633 00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:09,080 Speaker 6: And insane behaviors, like what, let's see. 634 00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:12,840 Speaker 5: I learned that there's a drunk caucus and they're literally 635 00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:15,000 Speaker 5: called the drunk Caucus, and how. 636 00:34:15,040 --> 00:34:18,400 Speaker 1: The drunk Wait what there's a drunk caucus? 637 00:34:18,440 --> 00:34:20,959 Speaker 6: Well, informally, I mean I wouldn't say they're yes, but. 638 00:34:20,880 --> 00:34:23,160 Speaker 1: They're called the drunk communists. 639 00:34:23,360 --> 00:34:26,960 Speaker 5: They are routinely pretty wasted if there's an e vote, 640 00:34:27,280 --> 00:34:30,759 Speaker 5: and leadership knows that, like if you schedule a vote 641 00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:34,120 Speaker 5: after six, like it's problematic because a lot of people 642 00:34:34,160 --> 00:34:36,560 Speaker 5: are drunk, especially in last Congress when like there's nothing 643 00:34:36,560 --> 00:34:39,640 Speaker 5: to do all day, so they're drinking. And this reared 644 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:43,000 Speaker 5: its head during the Kevin McCarthy's speaker fight when like 645 00:34:43,040 --> 00:34:45,080 Speaker 5: they were like very close to closing the deal on 646 00:34:45,120 --> 00:34:49,080 Speaker 5: like the fifteenth vote, and Patrick McHenry saw someone who 647 00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:54,280 Speaker 5: he told everyone looked inebriated, like beyond functionality. 648 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:57,280 Speaker 6: Best Van Done of Texas. 649 00:34:56,719 --> 00:35:01,200 Speaker 5: Who denies that she is inebriated beyond function trying to 650 00:35:01,239 --> 00:35:04,680 Speaker 5: get involved in like talking to Bobert and like messing 651 00:35:04,800 --> 00:35:07,560 Speaker 5: up the deal they had in place. And they fear 652 00:35:08,360 --> 00:35:11,520 Speaker 5: the drunkards on the houseboard. So we all watch someone 653 00:35:11,640 --> 00:35:14,680 Speaker 5: lun literally lunch at bat Gates. But it wasn't he 654 00:35:14,719 --> 00:35:17,320 Speaker 5: wasn't the only person who was potentially under the influence, 655 00:35:17,320 --> 00:35:18,640 Speaker 5: Like it was the. 656 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:21,800 Speaker 1: Drunk As someone who's been sober since they were nineteen, 657 00:35:22,480 --> 00:35:26,759 Speaker 1: I laugh, but I also cry because I know how 658 00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:30,480 Speaker 1: shitty alcoholism is and how it makes you just an 659 00:35:30,719 --> 00:35:34,719 Speaker 1: unfunctional human. I wonder if you could talk to us 660 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:38,920 Speaker 1: about this how Trump got this CR passed, Because we 661 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:42,440 Speaker 1: know Mike Johnson serves at the pleasure of Donald Trump. 662 00:35:42,520 --> 00:35:46,040 Speaker 1: He is installed by Trump. He's basically Trump lackie. But 663 00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:51,719 Speaker 1: he also has this incredible ability he cannot count. So 664 00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:55,879 Speaker 1: the fact that as we were watching this CR come 665 00:35:55,920 --> 00:35:58,000 Speaker 1: to the floor, there were a lot of people, you know, 666 00:35:58,080 --> 00:36:00,960 Speaker 1: I read punch Bowl, I read you, I read that. 667 00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:03,680 Speaker 1: You know, I was listening to the punch Bowl podcast. 668 00:36:04,040 --> 00:36:07,600 Speaker 1: I am the only non lobbyist to listen to that podcast, 669 00:36:07,840 --> 00:36:10,680 Speaker 1: and they were saying, you know, it's hard to imagine 670 00:36:10,719 --> 00:36:13,640 Speaker 1: that Mike Johnson can actually get this past. So what 671 00:36:13,840 --> 00:36:14,959 Speaker 1: happened that got a past? 672 00:36:15,239 --> 00:36:18,160 Speaker 6: Trump wanted it, and so a few things happened. 673 00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:23,080 Speaker 5: So Chip Roy is a far right Republican from Texas 674 00:36:23,239 --> 00:36:25,480 Speaker 5: who has done on the wrong Donald Trump for a 675 00:36:25,520 --> 00:36:29,400 Speaker 5: long time. He endorsed DeSantis early in the primary. He 676 00:36:30,120 --> 00:36:33,200 Speaker 5: you know, blamed Trump for January sixth and then didn't 677 00:36:33,200 --> 00:36:36,640 Speaker 5: really ever walk it back. So he's had a Trump problem. 678 00:36:37,040 --> 00:36:40,520 Speaker 5: He is an ambitious guy who's pretty smart, who wants 679 00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:44,239 Speaker 5: to rise and I think he saw an opportunity here 680 00:36:44,719 --> 00:36:47,640 Speaker 5: to play kind of the deal maker and make the 681 00:36:47,680 --> 00:36:51,520 Speaker 5: case that these fiscal conservatives who have never voted for 682 00:36:51,640 --> 00:36:54,160 Speaker 5: a government spending bille in their life, should get on 683 00:36:54,200 --> 00:36:56,520 Speaker 5: board with this, which is what Trump wanted, and he 684 00:36:57,120 --> 00:37:01,240 Speaker 5: organized these Freedom Caucus guys, organized a White House meeting 685 00:37:01,239 --> 00:37:03,719 Speaker 5: to bring them over and meet with Trump. So part 686 00:37:03,800 --> 00:37:05,839 Speaker 5: one is like chip Roy saw it opening here to 687 00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:08,759 Speaker 5: beat the deal maker for Trump, and now their relationship 688 00:37:08,840 --> 00:37:13,799 Speaker 5: is great. And two, Trump like leaned on these guys again, 689 00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:15,640 Speaker 5: like I was saying, he didn't even really need to 690 00:37:15,719 --> 00:37:16,279 Speaker 5: yell at them. 691 00:37:16,680 --> 00:37:17,800 Speaker 6: It's good. 692 00:37:18,120 --> 00:37:19,799 Speaker 5: He had them over to the White House and he 693 00:37:19,880 --> 00:37:24,160 Speaker 5: says to them, you know, I totally understand your concerns. 694 00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:25,960 Speaker 5: I totally agree with you, but I need a starting 695 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:27,439 Speaker 5: point and we'll get more cuts later. 696 00:37:28,080 --> 00:37:30,479 Speaker 6: And they roll over. 697 00:37:30,760 --> 00:37:35,479 Speaker 5: These guys who literally ousted Kevin McCarthy because he made 698 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:38,480 Speaker 5: a deal like this to like keep the government open 699 00:37:38,680 --> 00:37:42,040 Speaker 5: on a short term funding bill, like just voted for 700 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:44,719 Speaker 5: it with no problem because Trump asked them to. 701 00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:47,920 Speaker 6: Some of them like acted like holdouts till the end. 702 00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:50,759 Speaker 5: But it almost seems like kabookie theater, like they act 703 00:37:50,840 --> 00:37:54,799 Speaker 5: like holdouts and then Trump calls them and then like 704 00:37:55,280 --> 00:37:57,640 Speaker 5: also in this tight slim majority they have, like they 705 00:37:57,760 --> 00:38:00,680 Speaker 5: have one vote to lose. Anyone can put themselves at 706 00:38:00,680 --> 00:38:02,279 Speaker 5: the center of the news cycle for a day, which 707 00:38:02,280 --> 00:38:04,600 Speaker 5: they love to do. So you just say like, I 708 00:38:04,640 --> 00:38:05,920 Speaker 5: don't know how I'm going to vote, and then you 709 00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:07,920 Speaker 5: get a call from the President and then the reporter 710 00:38:08,080 --> 00:38:10,399 Speaker 5: swarmium and you can say like, I had a really 711 00:38:10,440 --> 00:38:13,000 Speaker 5: good talk with the President and he you know. 712 00:38:13,040 --> 00:38:14,319 Speaker 6: I'm like, that's what they do. 713 00:38:14,640 --> 00:38:16,839 Speaker 5: But ultimately they all fell on line. It didn't even 714 00:38:16,880 --> 00:38:20,640 Speaker 5: take particular arm twisting from Trump. It took like listening 715 00:38:20,680 --> 00:38:22,719 Speaker 5: to them and calling them and asking them, and they 716 00:38:22,719 --> 00:38:25,600 Speaker 5: did the end and it was it was like a 717 00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:27,759 Speaker 5: lot of these guys who voted for it literally have 718 00:38:27,840 --> 00:38:30,000 Speaker 5: never voted for a government spending bill in their life 719 00:38:30,239 --> 00:38:33,080 Speaker 5: and ousted a speaker of their own party for it 720 00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:34,120 Speaker 5: last Congress. 721 00:38:34,560 --> 00:38:37,839 Speaker 1: Yeah, so part of it was their sick vincy, but 722 00:38:37,960 --> 00:38:41,600 Speaker 1: part of it was the Elon MUSKMANI train talked to 723 00:38:41,640 --> 00:38:42,160 Speaker 1: us about that. 724 00:38:42,560 --> 00:38:45,759 Speaker 6: Well, yes, so what a lot of these guys called it. 725 00:38:45,800 --> 00:38:48,520 Speaker 5: In their argument, they were like, like chip Roy pitched 726 00:38:48,560 --> 00:38:51,840 Speaker 5: it as this is a doge protection act, like we 727 00:38:51,880 --> 00:38:54,920 Speaker 5: can keep the government open, Elon can keep doing his 728 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:57,600 Speaker 5: work and we can get more cuts down the line, 729 00:38:57,640 --> 00:39:01,520 Speaker 5: but like this keeping the government open alow Doge. 730 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:03,960 Speaker 6: To keep cutting. That was like how they framed it. 731 00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:08,880 Speaker 1: But also didn't Elon basically donate to people who voted 732 00:39:08,920 --> 00:39:12,839 Speaker 1: for it and threaten people who didn't vote with primaries? 733 00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:15,920 Speaker 1: Did he Yeah, because there were donations made. 734 00:39:16,440 --> 00:39:18,719 Speaker 6: I know he just donated to people who are doing 735 00:39:18,800 --> 00:39:19,919 Speaker 6: judicial impeachments. 736 00:39:20,440 --> 00:39:23,080 Speaker 1: Right, Okay, so that's another one. But the point is 737 00:39:23,120 --> 00:39:26,440 Speaker 1: there definitely is a fair amount of like Elon is 738 00:39:26,440 --> 00:39:27,000 Speaker 1: the bank. 739 00:39:27,239 --> 00:39:29,880 Speaker 5: Well, what Eyon is doing is like he's making it 740 00:39:29,960 --> 00:39:32,759 Speaker 5: clear on various issues that he cares about that like 741 00:39:32,960 --> 00:39:35,319 Speaker 5: if you're with him, he'll like, for now, he's just 742 00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:38,600 Speaker 5: doing like the maximum hard dollar. So it's not that 743 00:39:38,719 --> 00:39:42,200 Speaker 5: much money, it's like seven dollars, but it's a signal 744 00:39:42,440 --> 00:39:44,799 Speaker 5: that like if you're on the team, Like he has 745 00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:47,439 Speaker 5: other ways of funneling money to candidates, Like for now, 746 00:39:47,600 --> 00:39:49,480 Speaker 5: that's what he's doing. He could do a super pack 747 00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:51,880 Speaker 5: sort of thing. He like, it's a sign that like 748 00:39:51,920 --> 00:39:55,680 Speaker 5: if you're on board, you're taken care of financially. You're not, 749 00:39:55,960 --> 00:39:59,680 Speaker 5: you're in trouble. So like between Trump's like power of 750 00:39:59,719 --> 00:40:02,600 Speaker 5: the Bay and you can't get crosswise of like the 751 00:40:02,600 --> 00:40:05,440 Speaker 5: president tweeting at you or calling for a primary challenger, 752 00:40:05,560 --> 00:40:07,880 Speaker 5: or getting like the Steve Bannons and the echo chamber 753 00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:12,280 Speaker 5: against you and Elon's money. Like there is one path 754 00:40:12,360 --> 00:40:15,000 Speaker 5: for these people who want a political future in the party. 755 00:40:15,280 --> 00:40:17,520 Speaker 1: Annie Carney, I hope you'll come. 756 00:40:17,360 --> 00:40:25,880 Speaker 5: Back, please anytime, No moment, Rick Wilson, momly, jog fast. 757 00:40:26,480 --> 00:40:27,520 Speaker 3: Is it that time again? 758 00:40:27,640 --> 00:40:31,640 Speaker 1: It is that time? The best? It's Liberation Day, that's right, 759 00:40:31,719 --> 00:40:34,560 Speaker 1: lib Oh my god. By the way, if you're a 760 00:40:34,600 --> 00:40:38,080 Speaker 1: Trump world, you're gonna make Liberation Day so close to 761 00:40:38,120 --> 00:40:42,800 Speaker 1: April Fool's Day. I mean it seems like an unforced. 762 00:40:42,239 --> 00:40:47,640 Speaker 4: Error, right that unforced errors right now? Truly on brand? 763 00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:51,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm for sure. Who what is your my moment 764 00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:56,879 Speaker 1: of fuckery? Liberation Day, the tariffs, April second, April Fool's Day. 765 00:40:57,360 --> 00:40:59,960 Speaker 1: Let's see what happens. What is your moment of fucker? 766 00:41:00,480 --> 00:41:03,400 Speaker 4: Mine is much smaller. I have a moment of a 767 00:41:03,440 --> 00:41:08,040 Speaker 4: nano nanofuckery, microfuckery. Perhaps nanofuckery is certain. I don't need 768 00:41:08,080 --> 00:41:10,640 Speaker 4: to see the White House, what I considered to be 769 00:41:10,719 --> 00:41:14,880 Speaker 4: one of America's sacred historic spaces turned into a fucking 770 00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:18,640 Speaker 4: vulgar casino. The goddamn gold leaf all over everything now 771 00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:22,759 Speaker 4: and taking away paving, paving the rose gardens so that 772 00:41:22,800 --> 00:41:24,880 Speaker 4: he can do disco night like he does at mar 773 00:41:24,880 --> 00:41:28,080 Speaker 4: A Lago, all the all, the gold leaf, all the 774 00:41:28,360 --> 00:41:32,080 Speaker 4: all of a sudden like like gold earns. And it 775 00:41:32,120 --> 00:41:36,160 Speaker 4: looks like it looks like a brothel in Atlantic City 776 00:41:36,640 --> 00:41:39,600 Speaker 4: attached to a Trump casino. And you know, the smell 777 00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:43,200 Speaker 4: is like despair inside and mildew. But it's just like 778 00:41:43,600 --> 00:41:46,200 Speaker 4: it's so irritating to me right now. It's a small 779 00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:48,839 Speaker 4: thing in terms of the giant scope of every other 780 00:41:48,880 --> 00:41:51,560 Speaker 4: piece of horror they're doing. I'm like, not only are 781 00:41:51,600 --> 00:41:54,440 Speaker 4: you tearing down everything that America has worked for for 782 00:41:54,440 --> 00:41:57,880 Speaker 4: for one hundred years, you're now making it look vulgar 783 00:41:57,880 --> 00:41:58,680 Speaker 4: at the same time. 784 00:41:58,840 --> 00:41:59,880 Speaker 3: I know it's a small thing, I. 785 00:41:59,880 --> 00:42:03,840 Speaker 1: Know, but didn't you also didn't we also have we're 786 00:42:03,840 --> 00:42:06,400 Speaker 1: going to talk about the Wisconsin judgeship. 787 00:42:06,040 --> 00:42:08,680 Speaker 4: We were and Elon paying people a million dollars out 788 00:42:09,160 --> 00:42:10,160 Speaker 4: bribing people. 789 00:42:10,560 --> 00:42:13,160 Speaker 3: Let's not look, I know he's got good election. 790 00:42:12,920 --> 00:42:15,880 Speaker 4: Lawyers, because I know who these election lawyers are, and 791 00:42:15,880 --> 00:42:18,120 Speaker 4: they're going to argue this case until the end of 792 00:42:18,160 --> 00:42:23,160 Speaker 4: the day, but he's bribing people again, and at some 793 00:42:23,360 --> 00:42:27,200 Speaker 4: point state and federal law, both states and federal laws 794 00:42:27,320 --> 00:42:29,520 Speaker 4: prohibit bribery, sorry, Elon. 795 00:42:30,080 --> 00:42:31,759 Speaker 3: And at some point it's got to catch up. But 796 00:42:31,800 --> 00:42:33,960 Speaker 3: it's so offensive, it's unbelievable. 797 00:42:34,120 --> 00:42:37,600 Speaker 1: That is right, Well, good thing, Thank you, Rick Wilson. 798 00:42:38,640 --> 00:42:42,960 Speaker 1: That's it for this episode of Fast Politics. Tune in 799 00:42:43,280 --> 00:42:48,720 Speaker 1: every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday to hear the best 800 00:42:48,800 --> 00:42:53,120 Speaker 1: minds and politics make sense of all this chaos. If 801 00:42:53,160 --> 00:42:56,200 Speaker 1: you enjoy this podcast, please send it to a friend 802 00:42:56,640 --> 00:42:59,840 Speaker 1: and keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening.