This Week with George Stephanopoulos Full Broadcast - Sunday, November 8, 2026

[0:00] The voters have spoken. The question now, can Democrats deliver? [0:05] This week starts right now. [0:07] Title wave. [0:09] We just took back Texas. [0:12] Ohio has chosen unity and decency. [0:17] An overwhelming rebuke of President Trump. [0:21] And if I was on the ballot, we would have won. [0:23] As Republicans grapple with monumental losses, what does a Democratic Congress look like? [0:28] I'll ask the man poised to be the next Speaker of the House. [0:32] Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries. [0:35] It's a This Week exclusive. [0:37] And barrier-breaking wins. [0:40] This is our Texas, this is our government, and this is our one fight. [0:47] This morning, my Sunday exclusive, with the first Muslim ever elected to the U.S. Senate, [0:53] Michigan's Abdul El-Sayed. [0:55] We showed that in a battle between the money and the many, that the many really can win. [1:00] And the first black woman ever elected governor. [1:04] Georgia's Keisha Lance Bottoms. [1:07] Georgia has always been a state where we didn't settle for what was before us, [1:14] but we have always fought for better. [1:17] White House shakeup. [1:19] We've got to make moves. [1:20] After the Republicans' dismal week, Stephen Miller replaces Susie Wiles. [1:25] Our roundtable on what it means for Trump and the new Congress. [1:30] From ABC News, it's This Week. [1:35] Here now, Jonathan Karl. [1:38] Good morning. [1:39] Welcome to This Week. [1:41] It's been called a blue tsunami, a bloodbath, a close-to-extinction-level event for Republicans, [1:46] a Watergate-level repudiation. [1:49] And those are the words Republicans have used to describe Tuesday's election results. [1:53] Whatever you call it, the midterm elections were a decisive victory for Democrats [1:58] and a decisive rebuke of a president who repeatedly urged Americans to vote as if he was the one on the ballot. [2:06] Democrats have won at least 253 House seats and could end up with as many as 260, [2:12] which would be their largest majority in more than three decades. [2:16] In the Senate, they prevailed in some of the most solidly Republican states in the country [2:21] and won big, 54 Senate seats as of this morning, potentially 56 once the ballots are fully counted in Alaska and Mississippi. [2:31] Democrats will hold a majority of the nation's governorships, at least 28 and possibly 30 by the time all the votes are counted. [2:39] They flipped Texas, Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, and Nevada. [2:43] When the new governors are sworn in, three out of every four Americans will live in a state with a Democratic governor. [2:52] President Trump's initial reaction was uncharacteristically conciliatory. [2:56] He didn't cry fraud. He didn't refuse to accept the results. [3:00] And when I spoke to him shortly after those results came in and asked how he will deal with the new Democratic leadership, [3:07] he told me, quote, [3:08] I think we can get along. It's good for the country if we do. The country has had enough. [3:15] But his first major move hardly looked like a president ready to compromise with Democrats. [3:20] On Friday, he ousted his chief of staff, Susie Wiles, and replaced her with Stephen Miller. [3:27] Miller has been with Trump since the 2016 campaign. [3:30] He is a loyalist through and through. To Democrats, he has become a symbol of everything they detest about this administration. [3:38] Hakeem Jeffries reacted to the news by saying Stephen Miller should be fired, not promoted, [3:44] calling him a, quote, dangerous xenophobe and a reckless extremist who has American blood on his hands. [3:50] American voters sent a loud message on Tuesday. They have had enough, enough of high prices and corruption, [3:58] enough of cruel tactics in the name of mass deportation, enough of the Iran war. [4:04] The question now is whether that message has been heard at the White House [4:07] and whether Democrats will deliver on the promises that got them elected. [4:12] This morning, we look at the Democratic side with exclusive interviews with three incoming leaders, [4:18] all poised to make history. Abdul El-Sayed will be the first Muslim ever to serve in the U.S. Senate. [4:24] Keisha Lance Bottoms will be the first black woman elected governor in American history. [4:30] And we begin with the man expected to become Speaker of the House in January, Hakeem Jeffries. [4:37] Leader Jeffries, thank you for joining us. [4:41] Good morning. Great to be with you. [4:43] Obviously, a huge election for you. Have you spoken to President Trump yet? [4:47] I have not spoken to President Trump. It was a big night for the American people, [4:54] a tremendous repudiation of MAGA extremism, and a cry out for dramatic change in terms of the direction [5:02] that we need to take to make life more affordable for the American people, to restore American values, [5:08] and, of course, to hold those who have visited unprecedented corruption on the American people accountable. [5:13] I mean, usually at this point, I would have expected that the president would have reached out to the Democratic leaders. [5:22] He hasn't called you. Have you tried to call him, or will you try to call him? I mean, you're going to have to deal with him. [5:30] Well, we'll see what happens in terms of moving forward. [5:33] But I have spoken to three former presidents, and I'm thankful for those conversations. [5:37] Of course, President Obama, President Biden, and President Clinton, and many other leaders across the nation, [5:44] and most importantly, have had the chance to speak to everyday Americans who were the ones that powered this election [5:52] and want us to actually deliver a Congress that no longer functions like a reckless rubber stamp [6:00] for Donald Trump's extreme agenda, but functions like a separate and co-equal branch of government [6:05] designed to make life better for the American people. [6:09] It was interesting to see the president's response to all of this. [6:14] He didn't cry fraud. He didn't challenge the results, contest the results, not immediately anyway. [6:21] And when I spoke to him shortly after Tuesday, he said to me, [6:25] I think we can get along. It's good for the country if we do. The country has had enough. [6:32] Obviously, he's sent some different signals since then, but what's your sense? [6:36] Are you going to be able to work with him? [6:41] Well, the country clearly has had enough, and we've got to fight for an affordable America. [6:47] The cost of living is way too high. There are far too many people in this country who are working hard. [6:53] They're playing by the rules. They can't thrive, and they can barely survive. [6:57] People are drowning in this failed Republican economy, and enough is enough in that regard. [7:04] That's why we're going to fight to lower the high cost of living on all the things, and we have to. [7:09] We've got to fight to lower groceries and gas and housing, [7:14] and certainly we've got to fight to make health care affordable for every single American. [7:18] Now, we'll see whether our colleagues on the other side of the aisle actually are willing to listen to the American people [7:26] so we can work to get things done. [7:30] The good news is, Jonathan, that we've got a robust majority in a Democratic House [7:37] and a robust majority in a Democratic Senate to be able to get to work. [7:42] So what is the goal? There are two approaches you can take, oversimplifying a bit here, [7:46] but you can pass legislation that you think the president might sign, [7:52] or you can pass a whole series of bills that you know he's going to veto. [7:57] What's the approach? [7:58] Well, the American people clearly want change that's bold, change that's transformational, [8:05] and change that is dramatic. [8:07] They also want results because relief needs to come to the fact that so many people are struggling throughout this nation, [8:16] and that's everywhere. [8:18] That's in urban America, in rural America, in small-town America, in the heartland of America, [8:23] and in black and brown communities all throughout America. [8:26] So from our standpoint, we want to do things like end this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, [8:33] which has made life way too expensive. [8:37] We need to stop the Trump tariffs. [8:39] We need to reverse the Medicaid cuts that put the health insurance of millions of Americans at risk [8:46] and threatens to close hospitals all over the place. [8:49] We certainly need to reverse the snap cuts, and we need to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. [8:53] And hopefully we'll see some courage by a few of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle [8:59] to work on these issues to get things done. [9:04] And the only way ultimately you get things done is if either he signs them or you get a lot of colleagues [9:10] on the other side of the aisle to overturn his vetoes. [9:13] There are a couple of things that I see where you could potentially get him to sign. [9:19] I mean, President Trump asked Congress back in January to cap credit card interest rates at 10 percent. [9:26] He also pushed for most favored nation status, pricing on prescription drugs. [9:31] And Republicans, Republicans never acted on either one of those. [9:35] So will you, are those two areas where you could see passing bills in those two areas [9:39] and saying, go ahead, Mr. President, sign it? [9:43] Well, we certainly need to provide credit card relief to the American people, [9:46] and we need to lower the high cost of health care across the board. [9:51] And we look forward to working on those issues. [9:53] There have been a lot of Democratic bills that have been put into the public domain, [10:00] a lot of Democratic ideas to try to drive down health insurance costs [10:05] and the cost of being able to just live and live an affordable life, a comfortable life, and a good life. [10:12] So we'll see what the opportunities are, but we're committed to moving aggressively [10:17] during the first 100 days of the new Congress and beyond to keep our word, [10:24] to fight for an affordable America, to bring about accountability, [10:27] because we've seen unprecedented corruption that has been visited upon the American people. [10:32] And we are committed to holding the crooks accountable [10:35] and making sure that Congress functions like a separate and co-equal branch of government [10:40] and a check and balance on an out-of-control executive branch. [10:44] And we also have to restore American values, like liberty and justice for all equal protection [10:50] under the law, our commitment to the unfettered right to vote, [10:54] and to lift up our glorious history as a nation of immigrants. [10:59] You had some choice words for Stephen Miller's elevation to chief of staff. [11:04] You called him a dangerous xenophobe and reckless extremist, [11:07] said he had blood, American blood on his hands. [11:10] How does that, what does that mean for your ability to work with that White House, [11:15] with that chief of staff, this president? [11:20] It's an awful choice. [11:21] Stephen Miller is the architect of Donald Trump's violent mass deportation machine [11:28] and has unleashed billions of taxpayer dollars to brutalize and kill American citizens [11:35] like Alex Freddie and Renee Nicole Good. [11:39] And at the same period of time, to violently target law-abiding immigrant families and communities [11:45] all across the country. [11:47] So, you know, it was an irresponsible decision in my view. [11:52] There's not going to be any opportunity, certainly, to work with Stephen Miller and what he represents. [11:57] And we're committed to forcefully pushing back against the extremism [12:02] that they may try to continue to unleash on the American people. [12:05] And we've got a firewall in the House and a firewall in the Senate, thanks to the American people. [12:12] Because, as I understand it, you used to, you talked on occasion or had some communication with Susie Wiles [12:18] in your role as Democratic leader, her role as chief of staff, which is natural in any White House, any Congress. [12:24] But you're saying that can't happen with this new chief of staff? [12:28] It's not going to happen with this new chief of staff to the extent that he lasts, [12:35] because he clearly represents, along with Pete Hegseth and a few others, [12:40] a really toxic brand of political engagement, of politics, and of governance. [12:47] And the American people just voted for that kind of MAGA extremism to be eradicated, [12:54] which is why they've been defeated up and down the ballot all across the country, [12:59] in the House, in the Senate, in governor's races, in other statewide races, [13:04] and certainly in state legislative bodies. [13:06] Well, let me ask you about Pete Hegseth, because Thomas Massey, of course a Republican, [13:10] tells me that he intends to introduce a resolution of impeachment of Hegseth as defense secretary [13:17] as soon as tomorrow. [13:18] Are you going to support that? [13:19] Will Democrats vote in favor of that impeachment resolution? [13:23] I'm a hard yes on the Hegseth resolution. [13:29] The so-called secretary of defense has abused his power, undermined our national security, [13:36] and engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran, [13:40] which has skyrocketed prices on the American people and made the country less safe. [13:46] Pete Hegseth has got to go. [13:47] And you're confident all other Democrats are going to join you on that? [13:51] We'll certainly have that conversation on Tuesday morning when we reconvene for the first time [13:58] in Washington, D.C., but I believe there will be incredibly strong support for that resolution. [14:05] What about the rest of the accountability agenda? [14:07] Your incoming House Oversight Committee chairman, Robert Garcia, put it simply as to his agenda. [14:15] He said, lawyer up. [14:16] That's the message to staffers in the White House, administration officials. [14:22] Is that what it's going to look like? [14:24] Well, there's a cost to corruption. [14:27] And throughout this campaign, we promised that we would focus certainly on affordability [14:32] and driving down the high cost of living and on accountability in the face of the unprecedented [14:36] corruption that we've seen unleashed on the American people by the Trump cartel. [14:41] And as a matter of fact, our view has been, if you've got folks out there who've been shortchanging [14:47] the American people, screwing over the American people, or stealing from the American people, [14:51] then they need to be held accountable in a manner consistent with Congress's role constitutionally [14:58] as a separate and co-equal branch of government and a check and balance on an out-of-control executive [15:05] branch. [15:05] And my view is that we've got to follow the facts, apply the law, be guided by the Constitution [15:12] at all times, and then let the chips fall where they may on behalf of the American people [15:18] and highlight the fact that there certainly is a cost to corruption when you have people [15:24] in high office who are solely focused on enriching themselves, their family members, [15:30] their friends, and their donors, and they're not focused on making life better for the American [15:34] people. [15:35] We're committed to cleaning up the mess, wherever it's found. [15:38] That's in the Congress, in the Supreme Court, and with respect to this administration. [15:44] That's why I strongly support banning members of Congress from being able to trade stock [15:51] as one of the things that we'll need to do as soon as we're back in control. [15:56] Do you expect Stephen Miller will be called to testify in some of these oversight investigations, [16:01] hearings? [16:01] Well, I'm going to defer to Jamie Raskin and the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee, [16:09] as well as Robert Garcia and Democrats on the Oversight Committee, in terms of how they're [16:13] going to proceed. [16:14] We'll have a conversation about that over the next few weeks. [16:17] And I don't want to get out ahead of any investigation other than making clear that we are going to [16:23] visit accountability on the wrongdoers. [16:26] And we're just about out of time, but I've got to ask you, what does it mean to you to [16:31] be on the verge of being the first Black Speaker of the House in American history? [16:35] Well, listen, this is representative democracy, and it's been an honor and a privilege to [16:41] be able to serve the people of Brooklyn, as well as to work on behalf of the people of [16:46] this great country. [16:47] It was definitely meaningful, as I closed this campaign with Shamari Figures in Montgomery, [16:54] Alabama, the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, thinking about all of the struggles [16:59] of those great heroes like Dr. King, Rosa Parks, and so many other foot soldiers who helped [17:06] to get us to this point. [17:08] Listen, we have to continue to push back against the national nightmare that has been visited [17:14] upon the American people. [17:15] But I'm confident, standing on the shoulders of so many great heroes, that we are going to [17:21] be able to continue this country's long, necessary, and majestic march toward a more perfect union. [17:27] All right, Leader Hakeem Jeffries, thank you for joining us. [17:32] Thank you. [17:34] Back in May, Abdel El-Sayed predicted he would win by seven points. [17:39] Six months later, he, in fact, beat Mike Rogers by seven points to become the senator-elect [17:45] from Michigan. [17:47] And senator-elect Sayed joins us right now. [17:49] Thank you very much for being here. [17:52] It's an honor to be with you. [17:53] Thank you for having me. [17:54] Congratulations on your victory. [17:56] What message did that send, your victory in Michigan? [18:00] We built a campaign to get money out of politics, put money in your pocket, and we're [18:03] going to be able to get money out of politics, put money in your pocket, pass Medicare for [18:04] all. [18:05] We faced an unprecedented amount of spending against us, and yet we were able to come [18:09] out victorious, both in a primary, outspent 11 to 1, and then in a general, where we got [18:13] outspent by $110 million. [18:15] The reality of it is, though, is that politics can be what it was meant to be by our framers, [18:20] where we have conversations about who we are and who we want to be. [18:23] We go across our state and have those conversations in living rooms, in town halls, in VFW halls, [18:29] in basements, in churches, in synagogues. [18:32] And the Michiganders decided that we want something that's a little bit different than [18:36] 30-second ads bought by big corporations and special interests flooding our airways. [18:41] And I think it proves that we really can have government of the people, by the people, [18:44] and for the people if we are willing to fight for it. [18:47] Have you heard from Mike Rogers yet? [18:50] Not that I know of. [18:51] I think he had a flight to catch to Florida. [18:53] Wow. [18:54] So let's start with the big news out of the White House. [18:58] Stephen Miller is the new chief of staff. [19:01] What message do you think that sends to the country and to your ability to get something [19:06] done with this White House? [19:09] Well, the same kind of incoherent messaging that we've seen out of the Trump administration [19:13] for a very long time. [19:14] He says he wants to be conciliatory. [19:16] He says he wants to work with us toward our end to actually deliver on the affordability [19:20] mandate that the American public called for in my state and so many other states. [19:25] And then he decides to hire the most broken man to continue to run the most dysfunctional [19:30] White House that we've seen. [19:32] I don't know what Stephen Miller has actually contributed to our culture, our society in [19:36] any real way, except for to make us more angry, to stoke the worst kind of fear and vitriol, [19:42] to weaponize ice in our streets, to take American lives. [19:45] The real question is, why appoint this man, White House chief of staff, if you want to have [19:49] a productive relationship with the Congress that actually intends to deliver on the mandate [19:53] that the American public has just given us? [19:55] And we'll wait to see. [19:56] On Friday, you said that Democrats should drop the decorum and treat Trump, these were [20:01] your words, as the unserious fool that he is. [20:06] So how is that going to work? [20:07] How are you going to deliver on your promises you're calling the president unserious fool that [20:12] he is? [20:14] Well, let's talk about how he is an unserious fool. [20:17] Think about this war in Iran that every single president had resisted fighting because, [20:21] of course, it was a dumb idea because there's this place called the Strait of Hormuz that [20:24] everybody could have told you would have been a choke point on energy. [20:27] He does this in a moment when energy is single-handedly upholding the S&P 500 because of the power [20:33] of AI corporations building data centers right now, which we also have to start addressing [20:39] because, of course, that's run amok. [20:41] Let's talk about the foolishness of a tariff war with Canada. [20:45] Canada. [20:46] I mean, I'm from Michigan. [20:47] It's the only place in the country you can go south to get to Canada, and you know Canadians [20:50] are really nice people, and yet here we are paying $5,600 a year. [20:55] Let's talk about the foolishness of gutting Medicaid to pass tax cuts for the richest people [20:59] in America, and we're about to watch that nuclear bomb go off in the form of those cuts [21:05] taking hold in January. [21:08] I mean, this is foolishness. [21:09] So, look, if he wants to act serious, we are happy to work alongside him to actually address [21:14] these issues. [21:14] He is the president of the United States. [21:16] Nobody wants to continue to fool. [21:17] He will hire people like Stephen Miller to run the White House, and he gets to choose [21:21] where he goes next. [21:22] The American public have made their choice. [21:24] They want affordability. [21:25] They want accountability. [21:26] They want to be able to afford their gas and their groceries and to see a doctor, and [21:29] we intend to get those things done. [21:31] Well, let me ask you, when Mayor Mondani was running for office, Trump called him terrible [21:36] names. [21:37] He mispronounced his name intentionally, just like he did with you, and then they ended up actually [21:42] having somewhat of a working relationship. [21:44] Do you see, is that any possibility with you and Trump? [21:49] Look, I've never met the man. [21:51] I am, he is the president of the United States. [21:52] I am the U.S. senator-elect from the state of Michigan. [21:55] I am happy to meet with him, like I'll meet with anyone who can advance the goals I ran on, [21:59] to get money out of politics, put money in pockets, pass Medicare for all. [22:02] I've said this. [22:03] If he wants to pass Trump care for all, which will guarantee health care to everyone and put [22:07] his name on it, like he's putting his name on everything, I'm game. [22:09] Let's see if he wants to do that. [22:11] So I haven't had any outreach. [22:12] I'm happy to sit down with him to talk about how we can serve the Michiganders who just [22:16] elected me. [22:18] So you also had some choice words during the campaign for Chuck Schumer. [22:22] Here's what you had to say about him back in July. [22:25] If you're a big bank that wants to collude against us, I am dangerous. [22:32] If you're a monopolist who wants to raise our prices, I'm dangerous. [22:35] So that was obviously during the primary. [22:42] He was endorsing your opponent. [22:44] But in what way, or you still think you'll be dangerous to Chuck Schumer? [22:50] Well, Senator Schumer and I figured out how to work together on the three pragmatic goals [22:53] we had. [22:54] We wanted to take back the Senate. [22:55] We wanted to win this Michigan seat. [22:57] And he wanted to see me elected as the next senator from Michigan, as the Democratic [23:01] candidate in that race. [23:03] I want leadership who is going to deliver on the goal of getting money out of politics, [23:06] put money in pockets, pass Medicare for all. [23:08] As you know, a vote is a choice between two or more options. [23:11] I don't know what those options are. [23:13] But I am committed to making sure that we can deliver on the goals that we need. [23:17] And we need action now. [23:19] And so I've had my criticisms of the now, soon to be, or currently the minority leader. [23:26] Soon to be majority leader, you almost said it. [23:27] We'll talk a little bit about potentially. [23:30] Here's the question, though. [23:31] Here's the question. [23:31] I want to support somebody who is ready to take action on day one. [23:36] And we look, I mean, past this prologue. [23:37] So I have not been impressed by what we've been able to do. [23:40] Let's see where we can go from here. [23:42] We may very well have a 56-seat majority. [23:45] That is unprecedented. [23:47] So if we squander that opportunity, it'll have been wasted. [23:49] We've got to treat this as the floor, not the ceiling. [23:52] And the question to me is, who wants to be the leader who's going to make sure that we [23:55] deliver on the mandate that we just got? [23:57] I want to see who else is in the running. [23:59] I have been very, very committed to somebody like Senator Chris Van Hollen, who I know has [24:04] his eyes set on other goals. [24:06] But let's see. [24:07] And I'm open to be talking to folks who are ready to move the ball to actually get things [24:12] done. [24:12] So one last thing. [24:14] I want to play a clip from your graduation speech when you were a college kid. [24:20] This is 19 years ago. [24:21] Let's play a clip. [24:22] The Michigan difference is us, the students. [24:29] It's in the diversity of names, faces, stories, and experiences with which we decorate this [24:35] great place. [24:36] I wish every person in the world who believes that we are fated to have a clash of civilizations [24:41] and cannot reach across the religious divides could have heard you speak today. [24:47] I just wish every person in the world could have heard you speak today. [24:52] Now, at that moment, you were on your way to medical school. [24:57] Did that college kid think he'd be where you're sitting right now? [25:03] I never thought I could run for office. [25:05] In fact, after that moment, President Clinton came up to me and says, you know, son, why [25:10] are you going to medical school? [25:11] Which, of course, is not a question people usually ask you when you're going to medical [25:13] school. [25:14] And I said, I love people and I love science and this is how I want to serve. [25:17] And he said, that's great, but you know, you got a gift for speaking. [25:20] Maybe someday you'll run for office. [25:21] It was really nice of him to say. [25:22] And I laughed in his face. [25:23] I said, Mr. President, I don't know if you saw my name. [25:24] It's got 11 letters in it. [25:25] People like me don't get to run for office. [25:27] The next year, I watched a guy named Barack Hussein Obama run for and win the presidency. [25:31] Both of them, he saw something in me I'd never seen in myself. [25:34] And President Obama showed me something in me I'd never seen in myself. [25:38] And 19 years later, I'm grateful to be the senator-elect from the state of Michigan. [25:42] But more importantly, I think Michiganders showed that we reject the kind of divisiveness, [25:46] the kind of hate that was the hallmark of the Rogers and Trump and J.D. Vance campaign against us. [25:53] They chose an America big enough for all of us. [25:55] And even though, you know, in 2007 I couldn't see it, I'm so grateful that Michigan showed me that in me [26:00] and that America really is big enough for any of us and all of us. [26:03] All right, Senator-elect El-Sayed, thank you very much for joining us this morning. [26:07] We'll see you when you get to Washington. [26:10] Up next, Tuesday's blue tsunami went well beyond Congress to governorships and statehouses. [26:15] Is Georgia now a blue state? [26:18] Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms joins me in two minutes. [26:21] Tonight, she'll remind us all that no matter what community we come from, [26:30] Georgia is not defined by one moment in time or by one person. [26:37] It's been defined by all of us. [26:39] And I will be a governor for everyone in this state. [26:46] And that was Keisha Lance Bottoms on Tuesday night celebrating her victory [26:49] as Georgia's first Democratic governor in nearly a quarter century [26:53] and the first black woman ever elected governor in the United States. [26:57] And Governor-elect Bottoms joins us right now. [26:59] Thank you for being here. [27:01] This was a huge night, not just for you, but for Democrats up and down the board in Georgia. [27:06] Think about it. [27:07] You won, Democrats won all 10 statewide races in Georgia. [27:11] You won by eight points. [27:14] Ossoff re-elected by 18 points. [27:17] Democrats won a majority in the statehouse, almost won the state Senate. [27:20] Is Georgia now a blue state? [27:25] I think it's safe to say that we are a blue state. [27:29] I said throughout the course of this campaign that we would show people across Georgia [27:33] and across the nation that sending Senators Ossoff and Warnock to the Senate [27:39] and flipping Georgia blue in 20 was not a fluke, [27:42] that we were on a path towards truly showing everyone that we were solidly blue. [27:48] And we showed that in a really big way on Tuesday. [27:51] We've also seen Georgia has made shifts. [27:54] I mean, for a good couple of decades, Republicans were solidly in control up and down the line. [27:59] Now, a lot of Republican voters voted for you and voted for John Ossoff. [28:05] How do you keep them from going back? [28:08] How do you keep them in your camp? [28:09] Well, I was very intentional in visiting areas that Trump carried. [28:16] We kicked off the general election up in the county that Trump had carried by close to 77 percent, [28:23] and we ended it in another county that Trump won. [28:26] And I wanted to be clear that I was there to listen and I was there to hear the concerns of people across this state, [28:33] that I wasn't just campaigning to Democrats but also those independents and Republicans across this state, [28:41] because at the end of the day, the issues that we're facing transcend party lines. [28:46] This cost-of-living issue is real. [28:48] We've had nine rural hospitals to close. [28:50] We're struggling to fund fully and properly fund education in this state. [28:55] And whether you are a Republican, Democrat, or independent, you want better. [29:00] And that's what I hope to relate to people, and I'm glad that they heard me loud and clear. [29:06] You were mayor of Atlanta during a really tough time. [29:10] I mean, obviously, you had COVID. [29:12] You had a spike in violent crime. [29:15] What lessons did you learn from that period that you now bring to you as governor? [29:23] So many leadership lessons, but I'm often reminded of the proverb that says, [29:28] when you want to go fast, go alone. [29:30] When you want to go far, take others. [29:33] Sometimes, even in the midst of chaos, you just have to stop and take a beat. [29:37] And sometimes it just may be to catch your own breath, [29:42] and other times it may be just to have others around the table with differing opinions. [29:49] You know, as a leader, I did everything that I thought was the right thing to do during 2020. [29:56] But I would say you're not a great leader if you don't do some self-reflection and assessment. [30:02] And I want to take all the lessons learned with me into this new season as governor. [30:08] And in this new role, you're going to have to deal with the president of the United States, certainly. [30:14] Your predecessor, Republican, Brian Kemp, famously was at odds with Trump on a whole range of issues, [30:22] sometimes really came to verbal blows with him. [30:27] How do you plan to deal with Trump? [30:29] You know, I want to talk to leaders across this country, Democrats and Republicans, [30:35] to find out how they've been able to navigate this White House. [30:40] I was mayor under the first Trump administration. [30:43] There were a couple of reasonable voices that we were able to communicate with. [30:48] I don't know that those voices can be found, especially with the transition of the chief of staff. [30:54] But I'm certainly going to talk to others who've had to deal with this administration for the last two years [30:59] and find out, you know, how do you deal with this administration that at least outwardly projects nothing but chaos and confusion and division. [31:10] But if there's someone there that we can work with on those things that will make lives better in Georgia, [31:17] then certainly I'm willing and open to have those conversations, [31:21] but always willing to stand up and push back and fight back when necessary. [31:26] On the day before your historic victory, you went to visit Crawfordville, Georgia, [31:33] and you visited a grave site of a woman named Betsy Peake, your great-great-grandmother. [31:40] Tell me about that. [31:41] It was one of the most moving experiences I've had in my life. [31:49] I didn't know that this grave site existed. [31:52] No one in my family has ever spoken of it. [31:55] And I visited Crawfordville, where my grandmother was born in 1916. [31:59] So I wanted to get there before the campaign ended. [32:03] And we went to the cemetery where we thought some of my family members were buried. [32:09] And there are a number of unmarked graves. [32:12] And we stumbled across a tombstone that had our family name. [32:18] And I literally fell to the ground when I saw that it was Betsy Peake. [32:24] And it said, Betsy Peake, wife of Shepherd Peake. [32:28] Shepherd Peake was my great-great-grandfather who was also enslaved. [32:32] Incredible. [32:33] And as you pointed out on election night, also Crawfordville, the place that was the home [32:39] to the former governor of Georgia, who was also the former vice president of the Confederacy. [32:45] History is a remarkable thing. [32:47] Keisha Lance Bottoms, governor-elect of Georgia, thank you very much for joining us. [32:53] Thank you. [32:55] Up next, what Republicans are saying about their midterm shellacking and what it means for J.D. Vance. [33:00] We're back in two minutes. [33:04] All right, the roundtable is here. [33:05] We have Bernie Sanders, 2020 campaign manager, Faz Shakir, Democratic strategist Liz Smith, [33:11] Republican congressman Don Bacon of Nebraska, and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie. [33:16] All right, Faz, I want to write to you about what these results mean for Democrats. [33:20] Great ones. [33:21] Okay, let me take a look at an analysis that was put out by Third Way, this Democratic group. [33:27] They say moderates made Democratic majorities. [33:31] Democrats should be clear-eyed about who the majority makers were in these midterms. [33:36] The majority makers of 2026 were mainstream and moderate Democrats who overperformed and flipped red [33:42] and purple places blue. [33:45] In other words, maybe not the candidates that you were most excited about. [33:49] Victory has a thousand fathers. [33:50] We could also go through Abdul Saeed, who you just talked to, and a whole bunch of other wonderful people who have won. [33:55] A different ideological persuasion. [33:56] So the point is, a lot of Democrats won, and I'm happy about that. [33:59] One of the core reasons why a lot of those Democrats won is to think about what were the common bonds between so-called moderates and progressives. [34:05] Well, it was an economic populism. [34:06] The fact that we focused on working-class economic lives, the issues of health care, the issues of taxing the rich, [34:14] the issues of AI and data center regulations, those were the things that drove working-class interest in the Democratic Party [34:22] at a time when Donald Trump had literally nothing to offer them, and I hope it is the recipe for us governing in this moment, too. [34:28] But, Liz, the point they make is that, yes, El-Sayed won and others progressives won, some DSA candidates won in the House, [34:36] but the largest swings came with people like Adam Hamilton in Kansas or Tallarico in Texas. [34:44] Yeah, and let me just note, those are two candidates that my group, the bench, supported in this election, [34:49] and what it tells me is that Democrats are starting to learn the lesson. [34:53] One, it's important to elect people and run people who actually listen to voters. [35:00] I think for many years, we were seen as dismissing voters' concerns about the border and about inflation as, you know, made up by Fox News. [35:08] Second thing that we learned is that there's no one way to be a Democrat. [35:12] You look at Adam Hamilton in Kansas, he ran as someone who was pro-life. [35:17] He ran as someone who called Biden's border policies a disaster. [35:21] And we need to run candidates who fit the states they're running in and don't fit some national ideological litmus test. [35:28] Most importantly, look, you can call it economic populism. [35:31] I just call it common sense economics, saying that this disastrous war is driving up prices, these tariffs need to go. [35:37] And I think if we read into it too much and think that this is an endorsement of Bernie-style economic populism, [35:44] that we're not taking the right lessons from this election. [35:46] What is it, Chris? [35:48] You know, I had a political science professor in college who said, [35:52] when your adversary is in the midst of committing suicide, there's no reason to commit murder. [35:56] The result is the same. [35:58] That's what these elections were. [36:00] The Republican Party was in the midst of committing suicide. [36:02] And Democrats of all stripes, the ones that FAS likes, the ones that Liz likes, and any in between, [36:08] were the happy beneficiaries of it. [36:10] Let's not pretend that this election was about anything else other than one thing, Donald Trump. [36:16] That's what it was about. [36:17] And here, I'll tell you why. [36:18] I can give you that example. [36:20] Yeah. [36:20] In my county where I live in New Jersey, we have not elected a Democrat county commissioner in 53 years. [36:27] There's seven of them. [36:29] We haven't elected one. [36:30] We elected a Democratic county commissioner on Tuesday night by 22,000 votes. [36:36] They've never won since 1973. [36:39] So my point to you is, like, this is a repudiation of my party. [36:42] And we have to live with that. [36:45] We now have to go through the autopsy that you need to go through to say, the Trump era is over. [36:50] He has led us to the greatest losses this country has seen for a party since Richard Nixon. [36:56] And so now we have to decide what else to do. [36:57] I think Liz is right. [36:59] The worst thing the Democrats could do here is to overread this as some mandate for them to do things that are really out there. [37:07] Because if they do, the American people will reign them in, too. [37:10] Maybe not as harshly as they reigned us in on Tuesday night. [37:14] But there will be retribution for that as well. [37:16] Congressman, is that the way you say this is a repudiation of Trump through and through? [37:19] Absolutely. [37:20] The president ran during the election or the campaign saying, pretend I'm on the ballot. [37:24] Then after the election, he goes, I wasn't on the ballot. [37:27] But he was on the ballot. [37:28] He had a minus 30 favorable. [37:31] So did Joe Biden, by the way, you know, towards the end of his administration. [37:35] But I think there's a difference here. [37:36] There was anger, a broad-based, not just partisan anger. [37:40] I mean, you decided not to run for re-election. [37:43] Your seat in Omaha, Nebraska, Democrats carried by how many points? [37:47] 16 points. [37:48] And that's the biggest win for about 20 years in the district. [37:52] So this was all about President Trump. [37:53] And I don't think it was just one policy. [37:56] It wasn't just Iran, which I have some feelings about as a three-year Air Force guy. [38:01] I've had a deal with these guys for a long time. [38:03] But that aside, it was an issue. [38:04] Tariffs were big issues. [38:05] I don't know how the Republicans became the protectionist party when we've been the free trade party since World War II. [38:10] But the president's brought us there. [38:11] Now the Democrats are being on the free trade side of this. [38:14] But it was more than that. [38:15] Chaos, the sense of narcissism with the president, the whims of the tariffs. [38:22] Had a good meeting, so we're going to cut your tariffs by half. [38:25] Oh, you said something bad about we're going to expand your tariffs. [38:27] I think the voters were tired of the eight or nine things that the president brought to the table that were unpopular. [38:34] And it wasn't just minus 30. [38:36] It was emotionally anger. [38:39] And they took it out on us. [38:40] And so what is the approach for Democrats? [38:43] To Congressman Bacon's point, working-class people's lives got worse. [38:48] Health care was taken away from them. [38:49] Subsidies went up. [38:50] The cost of health care went up for most people. [38:52] And the fact that you had to pay for basic things, not only diesel, but all of the things that are affected within the system, [38:58] through the one big, beautiful bill, through tariffs, all those things made working-class people's lives harder. [39:02] So what does a Democrat do? [39:04] Well, you have to offer a plan of expanding health care, making health care more efficient to people. [39:09] And at a time when the tax code is broken, there are ways in which we should constructively tax the rich. [39:16] We should be able to afford ways to improve working-class people's lives at a time. [39:20] We could expand Social Security benefits by raising the cap on Social Security income. [39:24] These are things that I think will be wildly popular. [39:26] Expand Medicare to cover hearing, dental, and vision. [39:29] I guarantee you, go to Congressman Bacon's district, talk about those things, and they will be very, very popular with Trump supporting people. [39:36] Medicare for all? [39:37] So I was at a progressive conference yesterday, Crooked Khan. [39:42] I think you were there, too. [39:43] I heard people talking about how in two years, Democrats are going to have 60 Senate seats, [39:48] and the first vote we need to do is to implement Medicare for all. [39:52] And when I hear that, like, I support celebrating this election. [39:56] I do not support this irrational exuberance. [39:59] And when I hear that language, I think about what the Republicans did after 2024. [40:03] When they read into that election as a complete mandate for the things they ended up doing, [40:08] like this complete overreach with ICE, where they created all this chaos in communities, [40:13] we cannot make the same mistake. [40:15] This is the reality. [40:16] The majority of Democrats did not run on Medicare for all. [40:20] You think Adam Hamilton... [40:22] He said, actually, he doesn't favor it. [40:23] Exactly. [40:24] You think he got elected in Kansas by saying, [40:26] I want to kick everyone off their private insurance plans? [40:28] But he was for expanding health care. [40:30] That is not Medicare for all, though. [40:31] I support expanding health care. [40:33] But, like, let's be real about... [40:34] We can find an agreement. [40:35] Let's be real about what these things mean. [40:37] And so what we should not do is overread this mandate and go in... [40:42] And the first, second, third vote we take is something that would not only alienate most [40:48] of the American people, but completely divide the Democratic Party and put the Democrats [40:53] who are in the toughest races on the record on an extremely divisive issue. [40:57] That is the definition of political insanity. [40:59] I hear you saying a lot of things you're not for. [41:01] We should be for certain things. [41:03] I understand if you're not for Medicare. [41:04] I got you. [41:05] I heard it. [41:05] What are you for? [41:06] So at this point, we need to be for expanding health care. [41:09] Universal health care. [41:10] Let's do it. [41:10] And I promise you, if you and I can just say and agree with that, we go out to the American [41:14] people who Governor Christie is represented, Congressman Bacon is represented, they will [41:17] be for those things. [41:19] And we can maintain coalitions of people who would say, thank you, the Democrats are standing [41:22] up to say, make health care more affordable for me. [41:26] Meanwhile, Governor Christie, J.D. Vance said this was all about Iran. [41:32] And Israel. [41:32] Long statement. [41:33] And Israel. [41:34] He added Israel. [41:35] Which bothered me. [41:36] J.D. Vance, what does this mean for presidential candidate J.D. Vance? [41:42] Well, we'll see. [41:44] But what I suspect is that with someone whose only two resume items are, I wrote Hillbilly [41:52] Elegy and I was Donald Trump's henchman, it's probably not a great resume to run on. [41:58] Look, what he participated in in this race is the finish of hollowing out the moral core [42:04] of our party. [42:07] When he stood up and chastised Republicans, Democrats, and Independents who objected to [42:13] Vivek Ramaswamy's ad, which was essentially elder abuse against Amy Acton's mother, who [42:19] she hadn't seen for 50 years. [42:21] J.D. Vance showed you who he was and who he is. [42:25] He is an opportunist. [42:27] He has no principles. [42:30] And he showed that when he went from saying Donald Trump was a Nazi to being his vice president. [42:35] I mean, so I think J.D.'s got a lot of work to do. [42:38] And what I would also say is, like, I really enjoy this. [42:41] Like, the Fahs and Liz debate is really great. [42:43] This is what we're going to see play out. [42:45] That's what I'm saying. [42:45] Like, again, don't forget that lesson from my political science professor. [42:51] Republicans need to get smart again about appealing to the American people. [42:57] And by the way, they need to get rid of this Trump-era narcissism that the congressman talked [43:03] about. [43:03] All right, we've got to take a quick break. [43:04] But when we come back, we'll take a look at Donald Trump's choice of Stephen Miller as [43:10] his new chief of staff. [43:11] We'll be right back. [43:15] All right, we're back with the roundtable. [43:16] So, Congressman Bacon, were you surprised Stephen Miller as chief of staff? [43:20] I was. [43:20] I think part of the election results Tuesday reflected anger towards Steve Miller. [43:25] He took an immigration policy that Trump had two years ago as a two-to-one favorable, [43:31] but he overreached. [43:33] He not only secured the border, but he started deporting people that most Americans thought [43:37] was indecent and inhumane. [43:39] And he took this two-to-one favorable to a two-to-one unfavorable. [43:43] And it's one of the... [43:44] I don't think it's the top reason for the results, but it was, like, in the top. [43:47] It was the top three of why we took such a beating on Tuesday. [43:51] And it particularly hurt us in Texas, Arizona, maybe Florida. [43:55] And so... [43:56] And what the president's signaling here, he wants to fight. [43:58] He's not looking to work across the aisle, try to find some areas where he can agree on. [44:02] It's like he's going to war. [44:05] He called him the wartime conciliar from, like, the mafia shows. [44:09] And I don't think it's the right message. [44:11] So Rick Klein and I spoke with Stephen Miller about less than two weeks into the first Trump [44:17] presidency back in 2017 for a podcast interview. [44:20] I want to play a clip from it. [44:21] The only person who makes decisions here is Donald Trump. [44:25] The only person whose vision is executed is Donald Trump. [44:28] The only person who is guiding the strategy of this White House is Donald Trump. [44:32] It's his vision, his policies, his insights. [44:36] So I think it's about Donald Trump when it comes to Stephen Miller. [44:40] I mean, look, he is the first White House chief of staff that Trump has pulled in from inside [44:47] of the White House. [44:48] And he is, if nothing else, completely and totally loyal to Donald Trump. [44:55] And is one of the very few people that has survived all the purges. [44:58] He's still there. [44:59] He was there in the beginning. [45:00] He's still there now. [45:01] Yeah, look, I take a bit of a different signal to this than the congressman does. [45:07] This is probably one of Donald Trump's most insecure moments since the Access Hollywood [45:13] tape came out. [45:15] And he's nervous and he doesn't know what to do. [45:19] And Stephen Miller is comfort food for a nervous and insecure Donald Trump. [45:24] He's going to tell him, you're the greatest, sir. [45:26] You're the best. [45:27] Your instincts are everything. [45:29] I will just execute what you're going to do. [45:31] I'll be loyal to you. [45:32] Don't worry. [45:33] That's what the president needs to hear right now, because after the beating he took, he [45:38] is horribly insecure right now. [45:40] And so it may lead to some fights. [45:43] You may not be wrong. [45:44] But I don't think that's what's motivating the pick. [45:46] I think what's motivating the pick is gross insecurity on the part of the president. [45:51] And he needs his teddy bear. [45:54] I mean, he does know how that White House operates. [45:57] I mean, we've seen the reaction from Hakeem Jeffries and others. [46:01] Well, and I don't know Mr. Miller that well. [46:04] And my sense of watching him operate has been a lot of retribution, a lot of anger towards [46:09] Democrats, a lot of anger towards people of color in the society. [46:13] And now it's an opportunity. [46:15] You grow into a leadership rank, right? [46:16] You're a chief of staff. [46:18] And for him, I hope you know that you have to change the way you are perceived if you care [46:22] to function in this job. [46:23] If the president is saying he wants to strike deals with Democrats, and I do think there [46:26] are deals, you could raise the minimum wage right now. [46:28] Absolutely you could. [46:29] Would the president veto that? [46:30] And Stephen Miller fancies himself a populist, which means he can work. [46:34] Yeah, and taking on big corporate monopolies, sure. [46:37] There are going to be ways to do that. [46:38] Taking on private equity and housing, there's ways to do that together. [46:41] That's all for today. [46:43] Thank you for sharing part of your Sunday with us. [46:45] Check out World News Tonight, and have a great day.