PSAKI BOMBS! No One Likes Ted Cruz / Wembanyama Speaks … — Transcript

Hi, it's Jen. There is so much to talk about today and one of the things that I just keep thinking about because I think it tells us a lot about this moment and how we should all look at it is what Governor Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota had to say about his phone call with Trump this week. So, let's listen to it.

Look, I know why the president called and saw this. He didn't call because I talked to the White House. I talked to Tom Homan. I talked to numerous people and not once did they ever say Alex or Renee's name. The reason he was calling was his poll numbers dropped and it looked bad on TV. And I know that.

We all know that. And that is so important to remember in this moment because this is not like Donald Trump woke up and had a change of heart. It's not like he woke up and thought, Renee Nicole Good.

I'm thinking about her family. I'm thinking about the suffering of the people of Minneapolis.

I'm thinking about Alex Pretty's family. That's not what happened here. He saw his poll numbers and he knew he needed to readjust. And so when he says he's going to de-escalate, I certainly hope he is. We all should hope he is. And certainly, he wouldn't be even talking about that and there wouldn't be a removal of people like Little Greg Bovino, unless the people of Minneapolis had done what they had done over the last couple of weeks. And that has been incredible.

But he's doing this because of poll numbers, not because of a change of heart. And because he wants people like me and people like anyone in the media, people, anyone who has a platform, the people of Minneapolis, people who are out there protesting, he wants everybody to be quiet. He wants it to be a mission accomplished and have people move on without necessarily delivering on all of the things that he really should be delivering on. He wants people like this to be quiet. And this is one of the best players in the NBA. So let me play what he had to say and he can break through in a way that most other people can't.

PR has tried that. I'm not going to sit here and give some politically correct.

You know,

every day I wake up and see the news and I'm horrified.

I think that it's crazy that some people might make it seem like

or make it sound like it's acceptable.

The murder of like the murder of civilians is acceptable.

You know,

saying everything, you know, that's on my mind would have a cost that's too great for me right now.

You know, I'm, you know, I know I know I'm a I'm a foreigner.

You know, I live in this country.

No, I'm not.

I I am concerned for sure.

They want people like Victor Wembanyama to just stop talking about this and just talk about basketball.

Again, one of the best players in the NBA.

He's young, he doesn't talk about much publicly aside from basketball.

As most basketball players don't.

But he's speaking out from the heart, even as he said, which I love that he acknowledges publicly.

That the PR people don't want him to do it.

But Trump and his people want want people like him and all of the celebrities and all the people with big platforms to be quiet.

But here's the thing to remember, even as there's been this little change from Greg Bovino to Tom Homan.

Even though that has happened, what Tom Homan had to say is that things were not perfect.

And let's say he said,

things can be improved.

How generous of you, Tom Homan.

Things can be improved, two American citizens died.

People of Minneapolis are being terrorized by icing your streets.

And they haven't been removed.

That's where things stand right now.

And also, this is what people in Minnesota are still experiencing.

Here here is this ice officer cut on tape this week.

And he's basically saying, he's projecting what power they still feel.

So let me play that for you too.

I will tell you this, brother.

What?

You know,

I will tell you this.

You raise your voice?

I erase your voice.

If I raise my voice, you'll erase my.

Exactly.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Are you serious?

You said if I raise my voice, you'll erase my voice.

Yeah.

He feels bold enough, he doesn't even have a mask on and he's saying,

if you raise your voice, I will erase your voice.

Those that is still happening in Minneapolis right now.

People have not been removed, Tom Homan has not given a timeline for that.

The mayor of Minneapolis said this just yesterday.

He hasn't given a timeline and he has not said that he would remove all of the ice agents.

So that that's where things stand.

Now,

it's not just the need for everybody to be out there publicly and continue to talk about it.

And not look away and not allow them to say mission accomplished.

What's also interesting to me is that even some of Trump's big supporters right here in Washington,

have had some things to say about this.

And now Tom Tillis, so he's one of the ones who stuck out to me.

He is retiring, so maybe he's just like,

fuck it, Tom Tillis at this point.

I mean, he's like, I'm going to say whatever I want.

But here's what he had to say about Christie Gnome, who still has a job, by the way.

So does Stephen Miller earlier this week too.

The president called you a loser.

I believe.

I am thrilled about that.

That makes me qualified to be Homeland Security Secretary and senior advisor to the president.

Member of the Republican Party, everyone.

He was asked about the name calling, people were name calling him from the Trump administration.

And he was like, I'm honored because look at the losers who are in that administration.

That's Tom Tillis, Republican Senator, again retiring.

But still quite telling on how problematic this is politically for Trump.

And we even even in a Fox News poll, and this number was pretty stunning.

I don't know, maybe if it's not shouldn't be stunning because it's it's crazy what's happening and horrible what's happening.

But 59% of respondents in a Fox News poll this week said that Ice is being too aggressive.

59% in a Fox News poll.

Which tells you a whole lot.

Now,

this wasn't the only problem Trump had this week.

Are you can I guess you can kind of tell all of this is getting under his skin, I should say.

Because there was audio that also surfaced this week, this is on a different topic.

But it still made me think about what's getting under the orange man's skin who's sitting in the White House.

There was audio that came out this week of Ted Cruz talking to donors.

And this happened last year.

But he basically smack talks JD Vance and kind of makes fun of Trump.

And we don't have the audio, but here's here's what the reporting says he said.

Okay.

He said, Tucker created JD, as in Tucker Carlson.

JD is Tucker's protege and they are one and the same.

He also said he had a conversation with Trump on tariffs that did not go well.

I wonder why.

And he also said that Trump was yelling and cursing and said, fuck you, Ted.

Okay.

So clearly that relationship is going well.

And remember, he endorsed him back in 2016 after he ran against him.

And he's pretty much been a loyal foot soldier.

But this was Ted Cruz talking to donors, that is not somebody who is fearful of speaking to donors.

About kind of how off the hook Trump is, which is kind of interesting too.

Now,

that audio comes out, kind of embarrassing.

But, you know, a lot of people would just let it go.

Not Trump.

Because here is what Trump said just this week when that audio came out about Ted Cruz.

Cruz has one thing that I let if I ever have problems, because it's hard to get people approved.

He's a brilliant legal mind.

He's a brilliant man.

If I nominate him for the United States Supreme Court,

I will get 100% of the vote.

The Democrats will vote for him because they want to get him the hell out.

And the Republicans will vote for him because they want to get him the hell out too.

Why is he talking about Ted Cruz?

Also, he's basically trying to say,

everyone hates the guy.

So you should know that as you hear and read about this audio that was leaked about him smack talking me.

That was what was going on there.

So with all of this in mind, so Republicans kind of backing off.

There's also a couple of Republicans, Tom Tillis is one of them, Lisa Murkowski is another one.

Who's basically calling for changes in the administration like an end of Christie Gnome being there.

That's kind of interesting.

There's a growing number of Democrats in the house who are calling for her to be impeached.

So there's a lot of pressure on the White House right now.

And there are a lot of these questions about that I have, I think a lot of people have.

About what is the right way to talk about what they're doing right now?

Because you can call it out in all sorts of ways.

And and I certainly do that and we try to do that as well.

But here here's one of the the interviews that stuck out to me.

And this was Justin Jones, um, who came to be known and you probably have seen him.

Because after the horrific shooting in Tennessee, he, um, joined with some other legislators.

And tried to get gun reform legislation, gun violence prevention legislation passed in Tennessee.

And he is an incredible speaker.

He went on Sean Hannity, which I just love that to begin with.

I think more Democrats and more people should be doing that.

They're they're not that scary, just dive right in there.

And go right into the beast and and talk back to them.

Because you have better information on your side.

But here's what he had to say on Sean Hannity, um, about everything that's going on.

It really stuck with me.

viewers.

To your.

Answer the question.

Raid.

You want to.

Answer the question.

Because he wants to protect the.

Can you name one victim of violent crime?

He does not care.

In your state.

He hangs out with pedophiles and criminals.

Can you answer?

He does not care about going after rapists.

He cares about keeping you fearful.

To control you.

Because he wants to distract you from the real enemy, which are the corporate CEOs who are screwing you over.

Okay.

This man wants you to be afraid.

He wants to control you.

Because I'm just looking at the transcript here.

Because he wants to protect the billionaires that keep you from having healthcare, keeping the files closed.

He does not care about crime.

This is the way to talk about it.

Like what is happening here?

He is trying to scare people in this country, Donald Trump is.

So that they focus on that and not all of the other things that he is covering up.

All of the money he's made, all of his billionaire buddies who he's making rich.

And all of that happening.

The Melania documentary comes out officially this week.

Now, there was a premiere at the White House.

On Saturday night, the day that Alex Pretty was shot on video by an ice officer.

The White House decided to still proceed that night.

And I cannot imagine another White House doing this, or I can't imagine another White House doing a million things.

And proceeded with a bizarre event for the premiere of Melania's documentary.

Now,

this documentary, just to dial back, just to reverse here for a second.

Amazon, Jeff Bezos, who also owns the Washington Post and laid off a bunch of people at from Amazon and also is going to lay off people from the Washington Post, reportedly.

He paid $40 million for the rights to this documentary, as if Melania Trump has some sort of fascinating story that everybody needs to hear about.

Then, they're spending $35 million on marketing.

$35 million.

Okay.

Now,

um, the other thing I would say is that producers of this film.

So people who worked on this film.

People who threw some version of their heart and souls into it.

Don't really want to be named as a part of it.

A good number of producers don't want to be named as a part of it.

And there was this incredible Daily Beast story about this where quoted a bunch of these producers.

One of them said, a crew member said, unfortunately, if it does flop, I would really feel great about it.

Wow, totally a normal thing to say about a movie you worked on.

And it was about two thirds of crew members reportedly asked for their names to be left off of the film credits.

That tells you a whole lot.

Okay.

So back to the marketing strategy.

So this has had Melania Trump out there doing press, largely friendly press.

Um, around her documentary to promote it.

There's been a couple of interviews on Fox News.

And there is one of them where as I play this clip, just think about.

As you watch this clip, just think about what is happening in the White House where she is the first lady.

Of the she is married to the president.

Think about all of the things that that are happening.

He Trump is calling protesters insurrectionists.

He is, um, has been completely allowing his administration to, um, attack and criticize two US citizens who were killed by ice agents.

Uh, they're terrorizing streets, there are lots of things happening.

And here's what she had to say about her husband on Fox News.

I think he's a unifier.

Um, he's a unifier not just here in United States, but around the world.

Uh, he, uh, he stopped many wars.

And as well, here in United States, it's a lot of opposition.

And, um, that that's the problem, right?

So the people, uh, not agreeing with everything that's the what he does.

And, um, you know, they just need to come on the same page and see that he wants to make America only safer and better.

Okay.

There's so much to unpack there.

It's like she's saying, listen everybody, my husband's a unifier.

And if you don't believe that, then you need to get on the same page.

I'm not sure if she's maybe she's not tracking.

She's obviously reading some from some people's paper somebody gave her.

But she lives, maybe not in the White House, but she is married to the man who is the opposite of a unifier of the country.

And she's going on TV and saying that.

It is just bananas.

That was not the most bananas thing though that was said in one of these interviews.

And I don't even know what to say about this, except that it's completely weird.

So I'm going to just play it for you if you haven't seen it.

And just leave you with this.

When he's doing the YMCA,

he says you don't like it.

How do you feel?

I like it at a certain times.

Okay.

Some days was not appropriate and I told him so.

But, uh, it's his dance and I think people love it, people in sport all around the world, they're dancing.

And it's a great, um, atmosphere when he does, so brings happiness and fun.

As well as serious as you need to be as well.

So I, I think he's, uh, doing just fine.

I mean, I do love that they showed the awkwardness of her husband doing the YMCA.

Weirdly on screen while she did it.

But,

that was officially the weirdest moment from a Fox News interview.

Stay tuned, maybe we'll find more before next week.

Thanks everyone.