Meet the Press Full Episode — July 26

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: This Sunday, escalating. The war with Iran intensifies as casualties mount, oil prices rise, and the administration asks Congress for billions more to pay for it. [00:00:13] Speaker 2: We're locked and loaded and ready to go. Their policy is an eye for an eye. The president's policy is a head for an eye. [00:00:20] Speaker 3: When will you show some leadership and stand up for your fellow Democrats who won't fund the troops? [00:00:24] Speaker 1: I'll talk to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, and Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, plus 100 days. [00:00:34] Speaker 4: Let's get to work winning this race. [00:00:36] Speaker 1: With just 100 days until the midterms, the battle for control of Congress comes down to a handful of key races. Steve Kornacki breaks down the races to watch and finding strength. Our meet-the-moment conversation with Today Show's Chanel Jones on the challenges of navigating grief and motherhood. [00:00:56] Speaker 5: There's this common language in grief and motherhood. And when you put those two things together, the reaction that I've received has been bigger and more powerful than I could have ever imagined. [00:01:11] Speaker 1: And joining me for insight and analysis are New York Times White House correspondent Tyler Pager, Adrian Elrod, former senior advisor to the Harris campaign, and Lonnie Chen, a fellow at the Hoover Institution. Welcome to Sunday. It's Meet the Press. [00:01:29] Speaker 6: From NBC News in Washington, the longest-running show in television history. This is Meet the Press with Kristen Welkin. [00:01:38] Speaker 1: Good Sunday morning. Today marks 100 days until the midterm elections. At stake? Control of Congress? Will the war in Iran and its impact on the economy hurt Republicans' chances of holding on to power? Can Democrats flip the House and Senate even as a fight rages within the party over its future? Joining me for a look at all of it, NBC News chief data analyst Steve Kornacki. Steve, good morning. Thank you for being here so much. We're watching with 100 days to go. [00:02:08] Speaker 7: Yeah, the countdown really is on. Let's put in perspective the landscape here. The bottom line number for Trump, this is an average of all the polls right now. Trump at 41 percent approved. Compare that to his first term, the midterm in 2018. At this point, he is a little bit lower now than he was then. I think no mystery about what's driving this. Again, this is from a Fox News poll recently. But look at Trump on the issues here. Majority disapprove everywhere. His best mark is 42 on immigration. Look at those numbers on Iran, on the economy, on inflation. Goes a long way to explaining the overall approval rating. And then there's this. How does he stack up with recent presidents at this same point here? Again, you see Trump at 41 now, 43 in 2018, and you see the others. [00:02:51] Speaker 1: Yeah, and we should note that in almost all of these cases, the party in power lost seats in the midterm elections. A slightly different picture in 2022 with former President Joe Biden. [00:03:02] Speaker 7: Yeah, that's the interesting thing. Democrats did lose the House in 22, but it was only a few seats and they actually gained the Senate seats. And that's what Republicans are hoping to do some version of, ironically enough, this [00:03:12] Speaker ?: year. [00:03:12] Speaker 7: And Republicans think that their one chance is the image of the Democratic Party. We've been seeing it in the primary season, socialists winning Democratic primaries, candidates from the far left. And look at this here. Among Democrats, this is that Fox poll, a majority have a favorable view of socialism. Step outside the Democratic Party. It's a totally different world. Look at independence, socialism, deeply unpopular there. So is that a vulnerability for Democrats that would keep them from capitalizing on Trump's obvious weaknesses here? Look more specifically at the two chambers here. Senate side. This, if you're a Democrat, this is the particularly tough one. They need a net gain of four seats to get control of the Senate. Take a look at the map here. How would they get four? Four is their target number. First thing, they can't lose ground. Georgia, New Hampshire, Michigan, Democratic seats. Big primary coming up in Michigan in a few weeks there. They could have general election implications. Democrats have to win those just to not lose ground. Then the two Republican seats they think they have the best shot at would be Susan Collins in Maine. Democrats have a new candidate there now. And in North Carolina, where Democrats have nominated the former governor there. It's a close state in 24. If they do that, they still need two more. And where could they get those two? This is where it gets real tough for them. Look at this. These are the four they talk about. Yeah. Alaska, Iowa, Ohio, Texas. And look at this, Kristen. They were all not just Trump states. Double-digit Trump states. Democrats would need at least two of those to get the Senate. House side, again, this one's more manageable for Democrats. That's the current balance. Some vacancies. They only need a gain of a few seats to flip it. It wouldn't take that big of a night. Two bellwether tests on the Republican side. Mike Lawler, New York. You see this? One of the few House Republicans in a district that Trump lost. Is he able to hold on in a climate like this? If he does, that could bode well for Republican chances. Flip side of this, Texas Democratic incumbent Vicente Gonzalez. Remember, they redrew the lines Republicans did in Texas to take advantage here. This is deep south Texas of those Hispanic gains Trump made in 2024. This district would have gone for Trump now by 11 points. If Gonzalez is able to survive here, it would say those Hispanic gains. Maybe they're not translating past 24 for Republicans. Maybe they're not transferring to other candidates. And of course, hanging over all of this is the big X factor. [00:05:23] Speaker ?: Iran. [00:05:23] Speaker 7: The war with Iran, and you can see it here, a new poll from Politico, basically two-thirds, 36 plus 29, 65 percent saying the war shouldn't continue or only if costs to Americans don't increase. But here's what really stands out, Kristen, the MAGA Republican base. It's now 56 percent who share that opinion here. Go back a couple months, that number was only 29 and 12. That number was only 41, from 41 to 56 in the president's base. [00:05:50] Speaker 1: This is significant because this is really one of the first times we've seen erosion in President Trump's MAGA base. [00:05:56] Speaker 7: Absolutely. And volatility still months to go before the election. [00:05:59] Speaker 1: All right. So much to watch. Steve Granacki, thank you so much for being here to break it all down for us. Well, for his part, President Trump is weighing whether to escalate the war in Iran further, amid concerns the war could be expanding. [00:06:14] Speaker 4: They'd love to make a deal. I don't think they're ready to. I don't think it's time yet, but I'm willing to listen. But they cannot have a nuclear weapon. [00:06:23] Speaker 1: And joining me now is U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz. Ambassador Waltz, welcome back to Meet the Press. [00:06:30] Speaker 3: Thank you. Good to be with you. [00:06:31] Speaker 1: It's great to have you here in person. I do, of course, want to start off by talking about Iran. The U.S. has been conducting nightly raids against Iran for the past two weeks, really. In recent days, the president said the U.S. was, quote, "locked and loaded." And he was considering a massive strike, he said. Then on Friday and Saturday, no strikes were reported in Iran. Has the president decided against escalation for now, Ambassador? [00:06:58] Speaker 3: I wouldn't go that far at all. The president is keeping all options on the table. I've spoken with the negotiators. I've spoken with Secretary Hegseth. What the president is doing right now, as we've seen all along, is giving some talks some space. Talks are ongoing. They're happening at every level, from the more technical aspect of it all the way to the highest levels, of course, within both the Iranian government and the U.S. government. What we are constantly seeing, though, is on the Iranian regime side, they are divided. There is internal fighting. Some are seeking the guidance of the supreme leader. Others want to move into a different direction. And that makes it hugely challenging from a diplomatic standpoint, but to get to some reasonable resolution here. [00:07:50] Speaker 1: So are strikes effectively halted for the next several days? Or can we expect to see some strikes tonight, tomorrow, in the coming days? [00:07:59] Speaker 3: Well, I would take the president very seriously if I was the Iranian regime. The U.S. military is locked and loaded. In fact, more assets have gone into the region. And as we've seen, we have focused on those assets that have illegally struck civilian shipping. I mean, look, we have to take a step back here. I mean, this is like the Somali pirates with cruise missiles. I mean, they are desperate in the sense that now we're attacking ships from Panama, from Cyprus, from Singapore. A number of civilian mariners have been killed. And at the end of the day, the president has decided and he is going to see this through that the Iranian regime cannot and will not have a nuclear weapon, but also they cannot illegally in this kind of terrorist fashion hold the rest of the world's economies hostage. [00:08:52] Speaker 1: You've raised assets. I want to ask you about the assets. NBC News is reporting the Pentagon is actually rationing some defense weaponry amid diminishing supplies. Is America backing away from a larger military attack because its military stockpile has been depleted? [00:09:08] Speaker 3: Well, look, we have to take a step back here in that a lot of stockpiles were depleted, not only from what we gave Ukraine over the last however many years, four or five years. And the administration inherited the secretary, Secretary Hegseth inherited a depleted situation from not only Ukraine, but also the ongoing fight with the Houthis under the Biden administration and a depleted military under the Biden administration. So they have decided, one, they're going to new types of munitions, cheaper munitions, new technologies, but also with these new defense budgets, rebuilding our great military. However, you know, I want to be clear. [00:09:50] Speaker 1: No, I want to acknowledge they're depleted at this moment. [00:09:53] Speaker 3: I want to be crystal clear. The U.S. military, and I've verified this every which way, has everything that it needs to conduct this campaign as effectively as it needs to be. And I have to tell you, the people that are leaking this nonsense deserve to be in jail. [00:10:10] Speaker 1: Well, let me ask you, because you're saying they deserve to be in jail. Is that something the administration's going to pursue, putting people in jail? [00:10:19] Speaker 3: Well, we have a number of leak investigations going on. I'll defer that to the Department of Justice, but here's the point. The point is, the U.S. military has conducted a phenomenally successful campaign. We have never, as you know, I'm a veteran by background. We have never maintained this kind of air superiority, sea superiority with unfettered access over Iran right now. [00:10:50] Speaker 1: Mr. Ambassador, a lot of people are very interested in the timeline of this because President Trump had initially said that this conflict would last for a matter of weeks, five to six weeks. He said, we are now at the five-month mark. Will this war be over by the new year? [00:11:08] Speaker 3: Well, first, this war has been going on for 47 years. [00:11:13] Speaker 1: This, these attacks on Americans, not, not in this, of course, not, not necessarily this intensity. [00:11:20] Speaker 3: But at some level, Iran has been at war with the United States. I was just looking at old video of under the Obama and then the Biden administration when they had on the Obama administration where they had sailors on their knees when they seized one of our boats and captured them. So, look, we have to take, again, take a step back from a diplomatic standpoint. Of course, I'm here as the U.N. ambassador. The talks with Lebanon are progressing in a way that's historic. Syria is moving in the right direction. We just had the Iraqi foreign minister, not only here in the Oval Office, but then he goes to Houston and signs new oil deals. Our Gulf Arabs have never been more aligned with us. Iran is diplomatically isolated, economically isolated and militarily devastated. They've never been so weak and we're positioned. We're negotiating from a position of strength. [00:12:12] Speaker 1: But very quickly, do you anticipate this conflict will be concluded by the new year? [00:12:17] Speaker 3: Oh, I'm not going to put some kind of timeline on it. The president has all options on the table and he is exercising both diplomatic, economic and military to achieve a very clear strategic aim. And that's what's different. The wars of my generation, we had policy drift here. Here, the president is very focused. [00:12:35] Speaker 1: This was an incredibly somber week, as you know, for the country. Four U.S. service members were killed in Iranian attacks. President Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, others attended the dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday. Should the country brace for more American lives to be lost in this conflict, Mr. Ambassador? [00:12:57] Speaker 3: President Trump: Every man and woman who signs up, as I have and so many others, to go serve knows of that eventual possibility. And my heart breaks for those families receiving the worst news of their lives, as does the president all the way down the all the way down the chain of command. President Trump: Where I am thankful as a veteran is that we finally have a president who has said enough is enough. The Iranian regime has killed thousands of American soldiers, has threatened our neighbors, has threatened the region and threatened the United States, and no more. And if they are willing to do this, if they were willing to build a massive conventional shield, which is what they were trying to do. President Trump: You mentioned you mentioned the issue of munitions and interceptors. Imagine if the president had just let this go, like all of his predecessors had. And years from now, they had tens, if not hundreds of thousands of these rockets and drones and then went to break out, which is what we know their plan was. President Trump: But in terms of casualties or heart breaks for them, but we're not going to take this low level warfare, whether it's taking our people hostage as they've done or attacking civilian shipping or attacking our neighbors or attacking U.S. assets around the world, enough is enough. [00:14:15] Speaker 1: President Trump: Just a moment ago, you mentioned Saudi Arabia. So I do want to ask you about this deal with Saudi Arabia. The U.S. signed this deal with Saudi Arabia this week. President Trump: It would effectively support creating a civilian nuclear program for the Saudis, then less than 24 hours after the deal was announced. President Trump: The president insisted the agreement would only go through if Saudi agreed to sign the Abraham Accords, something that Saudi Arabia has rejected. What is the status of the deal? President Trump: Is it going forward? [00:14:45] Speaker 3: President Trump: Well, we've been in discussion with Saudi Arabia on normalization with Israel or entering the Abraham Accords. President Trump: Way back into the first Trump administration, so that shouldn't I don't think that should surprise anyone in terms of the deal. President Trump: But in terms of the deal, I want to be very clear on a couple of things. One, we haven't sold our nuclear technology in terms of small modular reactors, micro reactors, large reactors in many, many decades. President Trump signed an executive order last year revitalizing the nuclear industry, whether it's the Saudis or others. They could go as many countries have to the Russians for nuclear technology, to the Chinese for nuclear technology. Finally, we are reasserting our technology on the world stage. President Trump: So they had options. They went with us. They're going with American companies, American workers. But there is no enrichment envisioned in this plan. [00:15:39] Speaker 1: President Trump: Quickly, is the deal offer on right now, as we have this conversation? [00:15:43] Speaker 3: President Trump: Well, the president was clear. I mean, the tenants of the deal are in place. But we are in discussions with the Saudis about coming into normalization with Israel. [00:15:52] Speaker 1: President Trump: The U.S. did sign the deal, though, right? The U.S. signed the deal. [00:15:55] Speaker 3: President Trump: Well, Secretary Wright and the Saudi energy minister have signed that. President Trump: But it has to be it has to be implemented. And the president's put an important condition on that. [00:16:05] Speaker 1: President Trump: You know, the U.S. is fighting a war with Iran over its nuclear program. President Trump: Why reward Saudi Arabia with a nuclear program now? [00:16:13] Speaker 3: President Trump: Huge difference. I mean, massive difference that it's important for people to understand. President Trump: You have the largest sponsor of terrorism in the world, in Iran. President Trump: You have them refusing to allow the inspections. President Trump: Contrast that, by the way, there's a deal in place with the UAE. [00:16:29] Speaker 1: President Trump: But could you set off an arms race? President Trump: They allow them. President Trump: Could you set off an arms race, a nuclear arms race? [00:16:34] Speaker 3: President Trump: No, but we'll set off a nuclear arms race, Kirsten, President Trump: is if Iran tests a nuclear weapon, Saudi has made it clear they will get a nuclear weapon. President Trump: This is civilian nuclear power, which is perfectly acceptable. President Trump: The UAE has a plan. President Trump: In fact, even Iran has a Russian provided plan. President Trump: The difference is Iran is enriching to weapons level that it doesn't need to do. President Trump: Iran is burying it, which no other country in the world does. President Trump: Hundreds of feet underground under hardened military infrastructure. President Trump: Iran is trying to shield it with a conventional drone and missile shield. President Trump: And Iran has stated if and when they get a nuclear weapon, President Trump: they will not only use it on Israel, President Trump: that they will threaten the rest of the world to export the revolution. President Trump: That is night and day different than an American company President Trump: selling a nuclear civilian nuclear plant to an ally. [00:17:22] Speaker 1: President Trump: Just to put a button on this bottom line, President Trump: the deal will not be fully implemented President Trump: until Saudi Arabia agrees to sign on to the Abraham. [00:17:30] Speaker 3: President Trump: That's the president's position. [00:17:31] Speaker 1: President Trump: OK, all right. Ambassador Mike Waltz, President Trump: Thank you so very much for being here. [00:17:35] Speaker 3: President Trump: All right. Thank you. [00:17:36] Speaker 1: President Trump: Really appreciate it. When we come back, President Trump: Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona joins me next. President Trump: Welcome back. And joining me now is Democratic President Trump: Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona. Senator Kelly, President Trump: Welcome back to Meet the Press. [00:17:56] Speaker 8: Senator Kelly: Good to be on. Thank you, Kristen. [00:17:59] Speaker 1: President Trump: Thank you so much for joining us. I do want to start where I left off with Ambassador Mike Waltz on Iran, of course. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week that the U.S. is still open to a diplomatic resolution to the war. He also described the president's approach as, quote, "ahead for an eye." As someone who has flown combat missions during the Gulf War, Senator, do you think that's the right approach? [00:18:29] Speaker 8: Well, I think these guys are flailing and this thing is completely stuck because this president got into this without a strategic goal, despite what Mike Waltz said about that they had a strategic aim in mind. At first, remember, Kristen, this was about regime change. Then it became about nuclear weapons and about ballistic missiles and about the Navy. They are flailing here. And I mean, the head for the eye thing, I mean, this is you hear this stuff out of the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, you know, running around on a stage about maximum lethality and killing people and setting records with the number of targets hit. I mean, when you were talking to them about munitions, of course, we've used a lot of munitions. We hit a lot of targets, 14,000, as of the last time I heard Pete Hegseth talk about this. So this thing has been a disaster, and it's been a disaster for the American people. In a time when they couldn't afford their lives, this president gets us into this war and costs then continue to skyrocket. The price of gas, $4.50 a gallon here in Arizona, over $4 a gallon across the country, people can't afford groceries and rent. I mean, this thing has been a disaster and they do not know what to do. [00:19:47] Speaker 1: Senator Kelly, I want to drill down with you on that point about munitions. Let me read you some of NBC's exclusive reporting. U.S. military commanders have been picking and choosing which Iranian missiles to intercept amid an effort to preserve the Pentagon's diminishing supply of weapons. What is your response to that report? [00:20:12] Speaker 8: Well, it's pretty obvious to people when you're in a conflict now for five months and you're flying, in some cases, hundreds of sorties a day, attacking targets just to drive the numbers up. I mean, Pete Hegseth talked about this a lot. And by the way, the guy doesn't know what he's doing. He's incompetent. He should have never had this job and he should be fired. But they were all about the numbers. You know, a conflict that, you know, he was talking about setting records going over 10,000 targets, 12,000, 14,000. Most of those targets are hit with multiple, multiple weapons. So, of course, I mean, we've expended tens of thousands of weapons. And it takes, as Pete Hegseth said in the committee hearing, when I asked him this question, it's going to take years to replenish these. This is by their own making. They're not keeping track. At this point, this president and the people around him are [00:21:12] Speaker 1: incompetent. Given the dwindling munitions, which you're referencing, Secretary Hegseth, as you well know, asked for an additional $67 billion more for the war with Iran. He said it's necessary to sustain military readiness. Will you vote to approve that $67 billion? Senator, do you see that as necessary? [00:21:37] Speaker 8: Kristen, they're also asking for $1.5 trillion for the defense budget this year and a supplemental. When I got to the Senate just five and a half years ago, the defense budget was 740 billion. It's more than doubled in five and a half years. We're now approaching numbers of like what the rest of the world combined spends on defense. I mean, do we really feel that we're that threatened and we need to spend these sums of money for our defense? We've got programs that this administration is going to spend money on that aren't going to work and things that we don't need. If we had some competent people running this department, you could figure out how do you defend our nation in a way and give the troops what they need within a reasonable budget. What they're asking for is not reasonable. [00:22:30] Speaker 1: So just to be very clear, are you a no on approving that $67 billion? You won't approve it? [00:22:39] Speaker 8: Hey, I haven't made a final decision yet on that specific vote, right? But as I said, they're asking for $1.5 trillion. This war was a mistake. He got into this without a strategic goal. He got into this without thinking about the consequences to the American people and to our troops. We have 18 killed service members at this point. So I haven't made a final decision on how I'm going to vote on that. But what the way they've managed this so far has been a disaster. Well, and of course, Iran is the [00:23:14] Speaker 1: backdrop to the midterm elections now just 100 days away. I do want to ask you about the midterms on Saturday. Democrats in Maine nominated Troy Jackson to replace scandal plagued Graham Plattner on the ballot. You said yourself, Senator, the path to winning back the Senate runs through Maine. Do you think that Troy Jackson is the strongest person to unseat Senator Susan Collins? [00:23:41] Speaker 8: I think he's a strong candidate. And I think we have an opportunity. And I think Senator Collins has backed this president on all his stuff, right? Every time it's mattered, and we could have used her vote to really put a check on this president. She stood with Donald Trump. I think we have an opportunity here. Maine's very important. We have other states, Ohio, Alaska. We have an opportunity, Texas, Iowa. Hey, even in South Carolina, you know, right now, Annie Andrews is running a great campaign. So we have an opportunity to win there as well, Florida. So the map, it's, it's, it's tough. We're going to have to work really hard. That's why I've been traveling across the country to all these states. And I'm going to continue to do that until November to make sure we have every opportunity [00:24:28] Speaker 1: to win back the Senate. Well, do you think your progressive colleagues like Senator Bernie Sanders, for example, made a mistake by endorsing and standing by Graham Plattner for so long, despite scandal after scandal, given the importance of this seat that you just laid out? [00:24:46] Speaker 8: Well, it's pretty obvious that Graham Plattner wasn't vetted well enough, but he was not the right person to do this. And he had a background, you know, that didn't allow him to continue in a, in a race, but that doesn't matter at this point. You know, what matters is getting Troy Jackson, the resources to run a good campaign and get him across the finish line. [00:25:04] Speaker 1: Okay. You'll be out on the trail with Troy Jackson. Can we expect to see you there in Maine with him? [00:25:11] Speaker 8: I don't have my entire schedule finished. Maine is not yet on my calendar, but I have every intention to work as hard as I can for the races that I think we can win. And that is one of them. I think we can win in Maine. We can win in Alaska, Ohio. So yeah, I mean, I'm certainly going to consider [00:25:28] Speaker 1: it. All right. Well, I want to, speaking of the progressives in your party, ask you about one of the big conversations right now. This week, New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani put out a video where he again referred to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal and called [00:25:44] Speaker 9: for him to be arrested. Take a look. My administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here. It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant. Do you agree with [00:26:10] Speaker 1: Mayor Mamdani that Prime Minister Netanyahu is a war criminal who should be arrested by the federal [00:26:15] Speaker 8: government? Hey, I'm not happy with the decisions that the Prime Minister of Israel has made through over the last few years. The way they conducted the operations in Gaza, there were a lot of mistakes made. That being said, Israel is an ally of ours. We support the Israeli people. I'm going to always stand by Israel as a nation. They have an election coming up on October 27th. The best way to resolve this issue with a prime minister that just like our president is not doing the job they were hired to do is for him to be defeated at the ballot box. So that's coming up pretty soon here. You know, and I hope the Israeli people rally around a candidate that will take Israel in a better direction. [00:27:04] Speaker 1: Let me ask you a couple of other questions related to this one. 2028. This week, the DNC rules committee voted to make South Carolina, as you know, the first state to vote in the Democratic presidential primary in 2028. Do you believe that was the right move? Should South Carolina be the [00:27:26] Speaker 8: first state to vote in 2028? I don't get a vote on this. This is for the DNC, the members of the DNC, to decide which state comes first. When you look at the five states they put up front, I think that represents the Democratic Party across the country. And South Carolina has always been, you know, a state that's been a critical component of this, not just the state. Congressman Jim Clyburn has been critical to this. We also have opportunities to win elections, not only the Senate race with Annie Andrews, but Nancy LaCour, who's a veteran, who has an opportunity here to win a critical House seat. So I'm not going to weigh in on like what the order should be because I don't get a vote there. But South Carolina has been always been an important part of the discussion. [00:28:21] Speaker 1: All right. Let me ask you about something you do have a vote in. Of course, a lot of buzz about whether you are going to run for president in 2028. This week, your wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, was asked if you should run. She said, go for it. You've been very open that you're seriously considering it. Senator, what would get you to a yes that you will run in 2028? [00:28:44] Speaker 8: Yeah, I think we've got to see, you know, what are the issues that we're facing after we get on the other side of November here. It's really critical that Democrats win back the House and the Senate and put a check on a president who is so corrupt. There's nothing to compare him to. I mean, he spends most of his time trying to figure out how to enrich himself and his family members and his friends. It is corruption that we've never seen before. And it's hurting the American people. People can't afford their lives. So this is a discussion I'm going to continue to have with my family. But we've got plenty of time. All right. Senator Mark Kelly, [00:29:22] Speaker 1: thank you so very much for joining us. We really appreciate it. Thank you for having me on. When we come back 100 days until the midterms and the fight for control of Congress is on, who has the advantage? The panel is next. Welcome back. The panel is here. New York Times White House correspondent, Tyler Pager, Democratic strategist, Adrian Elrod, and Lonnie Chen, a fellow at the Hoover Institution. Thank you all for being here 100 days out. Tyler, you just heard those competing conversations about Iran, whether or not there's actually a strategy. Take us inside your conversations with your sources. Is the White House concerned that they still do not have an off ramp? [00:30:07] Speaker 2: Yes, absolutely. There was a period of time in which senior Republican officials, people in the White House were optimistic that the war would be winding down or at least not on the front of voters' mind when they went to the polls or even after Labor Day when people really started to tune in. That's no longer the case. They've seen some relief in gas prices, though we've seen them elevate again as attacks continue. And I think there's real concern that this is going to be a huge issue for voters. But when you talk to Republicans, they point out a few things that make them somewhat optimistic that things could go a little bit better. One, the huge cash advantage that the Republicans have in the committees. Two, the redistricting efforts that have given Republicans a fighting chance in some areas that they didn't think they would compete in. And lastly, they think they have a message of attack, particularly around the Democratic Socialist candidates that have won, trying to paint them as representatives of the entire Democratic Party. But most voters care about the economy, and that is going to continue to be a huge issue for the party as they try to stave off what appears to be a losing hand heading into November. [00:31:12] Speaker 1: Lonnie, pick up on that point and this idea of Labor Day that Tyler brings up. I've had a lot of conversations with Republicans this week in particular who've said gas prices have got to come down by Labor Day. If not, we're really in trouble. What are you hearing? What do you make of [00:31:29] Speaker 10: this? Yeah, the economy is always the single biggest issue that animates voters as they think about what party they're going to support. I think the picture for Republicans is complex. You know, as Tyler notes, there are some positive things, whether it's the 10 to 15 seats on net Republicans are more competitive in because of redistricting, whether it's because of the fact that you've got candidates that Democrats have nominated in some congressional seats that are, let's just say, to the left of where most Americans are. So those are advantages, no question about it. But the challenge Republicans face is what I consider to be an expectations gap. There's an expectation about the end of the war. There's an expectation about prices coming down. And the reality hasn't always met those expectations. So not only are you seeing challenges with independent voters, the bigger issue for Republicans is energy. It's the energy of the Republican electorate. Are those most loyal Republican voters going to turn out and vote when Donald Trump is not on the ballot? That's the big [00:32:24] Speaker 1: question. Well, and there's a lot of energy right now, Adrian, with the progressive branch of the Democratic Party. And we're seeing this divide play out in critical races all across the country, including in Michigan, which has its primary on August 4th, Abdul El-Sayed. He's the progressive candidate facing off against moderate Haley Stevens. And Democrats need to hold on to this seat to retake control of the Senate. Of course, President Trump narrowly won Michigan back in 2024, put Michigan into context of the broader fight for Democrats to win back this. [00:32:54] Speaker 11: Yeah, Kristen, you're exactly right. I mean, the bottom line is that Democrats are going to flip the Senate. We have to hold on to Michigan. And we have a much better shot of holding on to Michigan if Haley Stevens, who is the more moderate of the two candidates, is the victor on August 4th during the Michigan primary. But look, I think when it comes to the DSA candidates overall, it is certainly a challenge that the overall Democratic Party has, right? Because you are, as Lonnie said, you are electing some of the candidates who may be not as appealing to the overall electorate in general in the primary. But so far, we are seeing this relatively isolated to places like New York City, you know, urban areas. And of course, that little blue dot in Colorado and in Denver with Diana de Getzlas. If Al-Sayed is successful in Michigan, that will sort of blow that argument. It will flop that argument significantly, because this is a state that is in the Rust Belt. It's a state that is critical to anybody winning in 2028 for the presidential, um, for the presidency. So if this happens there, then I think Democrats are going to have a bigger [00:33:55] Speaker 1: challenge. Tyler, you know, it's interesting because Republicans are dealing with a little bit of an intraparty battle over, of course, the Iran war. And we're starting to see support amongst MAGA, as Steve Kornacki was saying at the top of the show, erode a bit. How much concern is there [00:34:12] Speaker 2: about that based on your conversations? I mean, if you look back to the before the war started, Vice President Vance, based on conversations I've had and reporting my colleagues have done, was concerned and frankly opposed to going to war. And one of the big reasons why was because of the base. If you remember, when J.D. Vance endorsed Donald Trump for presidency in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, he said the reason he was doing so was because Trump would not bring the nation to war. He would not get into these protracted overseas conflicts. And we're seeing that exactly happen right now. So obviously that is a huge concern for the base. And that was what Vance was trying to channel in some of his opposition. The other thing, as Lonnie said, we have seen the Republican Party struggle when Donald Trump is not on the ballot, particularly with turnout when it relates to the base. And some of these voters that are huge Donald Trump supporters, but are not as reliably showing up for the midterm election. And so without Donald Trump on the ballot, plus this ongoing protracted overseas conflict, that is a problem for Republicans. [00:35:12] Speaker 1: Lonnie, what do you make of these MAGA numbers? Overstated, do you think, in terms of what might actually happen on election day? Or how do you think it's going to play out? [00:35:19] Speaker 10: Look, I think the concept of the MAGA base is a little bit misunderstood in the sense that what it really is, is it's Donald Trump's coalition. It's a unique coalition that no other politician has been able to replicate in recent American history. When Donald Trump is not on the ballot, as we talked about earlier, it changes the dynamics, the dynamics significantly. The question, of course, is, does the president want to get more involved? And what does that mean for individual candidates? So Susan Collins in Maine, for example, has a challenge because she's got to be able to turn out that base of Republican voters while still not turning off moderates who might have a different opinion of the president. Her challenge is going to be very different than you might see in other races. So the question of how far the president gets involved, this is his base. If he wants to turn on his base, if he wants to devote time and energy to getting those people out to vote, it's going to change the outcome of the election. [00:36:09] Speaker 1: Adrienne, quickly, on Maine, all eyes have been on Maine, and now you have a new candidate there, Troy Jackson, and you heard Mark Kelly's reaction saying he's a strong candidate. [00:36:17] Speaker 11: Yeah, look, absolutely. I think you're going to see, we've got this difficult point behind us, and now you're going to see not just the Democratic coalition, but a lot of moderates and independents rally around Troy Jackson because Susan Collins is one of the most vulnerable Republicans and not the most vulnerable in the country. [00:36:32] Speaker 1: And of course, Tyler, we have this Democrats deciding that South Carolina will be the first state to vote in 2028. [00:36:38] Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a continuation of what we saw when Joe Biden flipped the map. It is an interesting change for how Democratic candidates position themselves in 2028. It is a state that is obviously predominantly black voters, a change from Iowa and New Hampshire, where there was a lot of criticism that it was not representative of the Democratic Party's base. [00:36:58] Speaker 1: All right, guys, great conversation. Thank you so very much. When we come back, the danger of underestimating how long wars in the Middle East can last. Armita Press Minute is next. Welcome back. The war with Iran is escalating, despite President Trump repeatedly insisting the conflict will be over soon. Back in 2003, at the start of the Iraq War, Senator John McCain told Meet the Press he believed the hostilities would be short-lived. Two years later, with the war still raging, McCain returned to this broadcast and was confronted with his own words. [00:37:38] Speaker 12: March 30, 2003, you were on Meet the Press and said, "I believe that this conflict is still going to be [00:37:45] Speaker 13: relatively short." That was overly optimistic. That was overly optimistic and I believe that the, by the way, I do believe we were greeted as liberators in many respects in many parts of Iraq. We really were. I remember the statue coming down and people being freed from prisons, etc. But it was not only overly [00:38:06] Speaker 12: optimistic. It was wrong. You also said that the American people were strong and steadfast in support, and I think you'll remain that way. That has not happened. No, but I think the American people still [00:38:17] Speaker 13: don't want premature withdrawals. And I understand their frustration. I also believe that we still did the right thing by going there, because I believe that Sodom is saying, if he were still in power, with the sanctions not holding, that he would be attempting to acquire and [00:38:36] Speaker 1: eventually use weapons of mass destruction. When we come back, navigating grief, motherhood, and finding the strength to fight for joy. Our Meet the Moment conversation with Chanel Jones is next. [00:38:50] Speaker 14: Meet the Moment is presented by Progressive Insurance. Progressive Insurance makes bundling home and auto easy. Learn more at Progressive.com. [00:39:07] Speaker 1: Welcome back. Chanel Jones has shared her positive light with viewers as a host of the Today Show for over 10 years. But Chanel never imagined she'd fight for her own joy until she lost her beloved husband Uche to cancer. Last year, she stepped away from the Today Show to be by Uche's side, and throughout it all, he encouraged her as she wrote her first book. Through Mom's Eyes is a collection of stories for mothers of extraordinary people inspired by a segment she did for the Today Show. Chanel writes about the lessons she learned from interviews with Wanda Durant, Denise Jonas, Diane Gronkowski, and other extraordinary moms. I sat down with Chanel for a Meet the Moment conversation about motherhood, grieving through life's milestones, and finding the strength to fight for joy. Talk about what this journey has been like for you over this past year, Chanel. [00:40:06] Speaker 5: You know, I think I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it. Here's what I know for sure that I didn't know even just, you know, a year ago at this time. It's that there is a common denominator. There's this common language in grief and motherhood. And when you put those two things together, the reaction that I've received has been bigger and more powerful than I could have ever imagined. Grief knows no color. Grief is not red or blue. Motherhood is not red or blue. Trying to do the best you can for your kids, whether you have one child, whether you're an aunt, whether you're a foster mom, or whether you're a grandmother, that's not red or blue, you know. And so I've found a language that we can all speak. And I didn't even realize that when I set out to write this book. [00:40:59] Speaker 1: And in having read your book through mom's eyes, I didn't realize how much I would learn and how comforted I would feel about parenthood just by reading your book. So let's talk about this beautiful work that you have. [00:41:16] Speaker 5: That's like a hug to my soul when I hear you say that. And I just kept envisioning a mom like you or a mom, you know, maybe a grandmother or just someone and I wanted her to feel less alone. I wanted her to feel affirmed. I wanted her to think about this thing called motherhood. I wanted her to even on the hard days realize that it's a gift. [00:41:36] Speaker 1: It is a gift. It is a gift. You talk to moms of incredible people, actors, actresses, athletes, people across the spectrum and you get their perspective on motherhood. Was there a through line that you found a common denominator that these moms talked about that stood out as a value that they all shared? [00:42:02] Speaker 5: So I think one common thread is that they were all present. There's power in your presence. And for the working mom, the traveling mom, the busy grandmother, it doesn't have to be all day. And I realized whether it was Shaq's mom who had some challenges and decided to get her a degree in her 40s or whether it was the Jonas Brothers mom who when she realized that they were successful and they didn't depend on her for meals or laundry. She had to question, you know, who am I and all this or wanted to rent who was a single mom. I remember I had interviewed her, the chapter was almost finished and then Uche got sick. And I remember writing her chapter and I thought, Oh my God, like, she's a single mom. And she talked about the challenges of being a single mom. And I remember thinking, Oh my God, is that gonna be me? You know, and then eventually it was me. [00:42:53] Speaker 1: I want to talk about Uche's impact on this book, which you couldn't have written without him. I wouldn't be a mom without him. He was your rock and your partner in every way. [00:43:01] Speaker 5: Yeah, I was 19 when I met him. You know, I lost him when I was 47. You know, so it's, you know, he's, he's been in my life. He is a main character in my life, if you will, you know. And so I felt like I had to be honest about what we experienced, but I felt like I honored him in it because I focused on how he encouraged me to keep writing. And what I, I realize now, I think he also felt like it was important obviously for me to keep dreaming and keep going after things that I believed in. But also, I think it was a point of normalcy because if I'm still writing, the kids are still going to school and we're all still moving forward, then it's like, I'm going to be, he's going to be okay too. The moment I give up, I say, no, I'm not doing any of that. I'm here. It was almost like giving up. Giving up the book was almost like representative or symbolic of giving up and I wouldn't do that. [00:43:58] Speaker 1: And he didn't ever do that and you sat by his side the entire time, Chanel. What kept you going? [00:44:05] Speaker 5: I think it's the power of prayer. I think people were praying for me when I didn't even know they were praying for me. People who may be watching us right now who I may never meet, but I want them to know that I, I felt their prayers because it felt bigger than me. [00:44:21] Speaker 1: How do you and your kids keep Uche's memory alive? [00:44:26] Speaker 5: First of all, my boys look just like him. Sometimes it's, it takes my breath away a little bit or the things they'll say. You know that they didn't even know he used to say it happened to me just the other day and I went. You know, it's in the way. You know my little guy got in my bed yesterday. And he did this snuggle thing in the middle of the state while he was sleeping and I looked over and I went, because his dad did that. He doesn't know that. You know, so in some ways, he's still with me in ways that I could have never imagined and it's comforting. But in other ways, it's tough. [00:45:05] Speaker 1: He would have been so proud of everything you've accomplished in these past few months moving forward with this book. Returning to work Chanel, which is in such an active strength in and of itself and then then to be anchoring with Jenna. What has it been like for you to transition back into the all-star that you are on today. That's a really good question. As you say, people see you dancing. [00:45:32] Speaker 5: I know I'm really up on stage in the plaza. It's so interesting because I really worried about it. Of all the things I worried about coming back to work after Jay passed away, I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to laugh again. [00:45:50] Speaker 1: But you do laugh. Right. [00:45:52] Speaker 5: How do you balance the grief that you feel with the joy that you still encompass. I still have and it's so genuine when every comments and people say, oh my gosh, her joy is it gives me joy. They have no idea that that was the one thing I was so worried about. It's bigger than me. [00:46:10] Speaker 1: If she were here, what would he say about all you've accomplished in these just past few months now. [00:46:18] Speaker 5: I just feel like he is here. It's like everything short of just letting me hear your voice and saying, you're right, but the way in which it's happened and the timing and my prayer that I could model strength and resilience for my kids and I know they're watching me. We may not have to we may not talk about it all the time, but I see them and I know that they're watching and people who are dealing with grief who are watching right now, you know, people who are in hospital rooms right now. I just want them to know that I see them and we're going to be OK. If I can be OK, you can be OK. [00:46:56] Speaker 1: You can watch my full interview with Chanel at meetthepress.com. That is all for today. Thank you so much for watching. We'll be back next week because if it's Sunday, it's meet the press.