Meet the Press NOW — October 27

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1:10hi there welcome to meet the press now i'm ryan nobles and if it's tuesday we're just one week from election day as the president hits the trail once again in a typically red state and democrats hope the midterm environment will allow them to retake control of the house and maybe even the Senate. At this hour, more than 33 million Americans have already cast their ballots. That's already about one third of what the entire turnout was in the last midterms. Early voting in most states right now is outpacing those 2022 levels. Diving deeper, more Democrats than Republicans have cast their ballots early, which is not unusual.

1:47Democrats typically vote early, while Republicans tend to vote on Election Day. In our closely watched 10 Senate battleground states, more than 11 million votes have been cast early. And again, most of those states are outpacing what they saw in 2022. That includes Texas, where President Trump is campaigning again right now, part of a packed travel schedule in this final week of campaigning. The president today hoping to boost Republican Ken Paxton, who's locked in a tight Senate race with Democrat James Tallarico. Speaking moments ago in Corpus Christi at the first of his two Texas rallies today, The president slamming Tallarico as he urged voters to back Paxton.

2:29Seven days from now, the people of Texas are going to defeat Democrat communist James Tallarico. We're going to elect Republicans up and down the line. And most importantly, we are going to elect one of the greatest attorney generals. And this is in the entire country. This guy is considered by many to be the best. but whether he's the best or among the best few, but he's the greatest in the history of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Now, the president's October travel blitz is part of an effort to re-energize his base, as nationally the president's approval rating is sitting at more than 20 points underwater, that according to our new NBC News polling average, which also shows that more Americans say Democrats should control Congress, this time by a nine point margin.

3:22Last night, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson dismissing the polling. The polls are grossly underestimating Republican enthusiasm around the country. The American people understand this is a contrast election. We do not want to go back to crazy. And I'm afraid if these Democrats took control of Congress, it will be crazier even than the Obama years and the Biden-Harris years because they've taken a far lurch to the left. And people see that. And I think it's going to it's going to juice enthusiasm for our side. Joining me now from Lubbock, Texas, where the president will be later today is NBC News senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez and breaking down the midterm environment with one week to go, senior national political reporter Sahil Kapoor and business and data correspondent Brian Chung.

4:04They're each at a big board. You know we're getting close to Election Day when we've got double big boards. Gabe, let's start with you from the campaign trail. We hear from President Trump today in Corpus Christi. And are we expecting anything different from the rallies where you are tonight? Well, Ryan, I don't know if I can compete with a one-two big board punch, but we are here in Lubbock, Texas. And as you said, the president right now is across the state in Corpus Christi at the port of Corpus Christi. And what he is there, part of the reason why he is there is he's speaking about the economy, slamming James Talarico, as you just played, trying to support Ken Paxton and really rally supporters behind Ken Paxton, despite some concerns that there could be a lack of enthusiasm across the state for a Republican candidate that is, of course, very controversial, had been impeached at one point by members of his own party in the Texas House before he was acquitted in the Texas Senate.

5:02What we have heard so far from President Trump is he says that there is a container ship filled with Venezuelan oil at the port of Corpus Christi, certainly part of his economic message, trying to convince voters that he is trying to help them when it comes to their concerns about the economy, about the rising cost of fuel, although many energy experts point out that the U.S.'s involvement with Venezuela won't affect gas prices in the short term. But with Secretary of State Marco Rubio en route with the president to Texas. Certainly, this is an issue that the administration wants to highlight.

5:41But we expect to hear more of what you just played from the president, both in Corpus Christi and here tonight in Lubbock, trying to brand James Tallarico as different, as a communist, a message that we've heard over and over again from the president. And we only expect to intensify in these last few days for the election, Ryan. Yeah. And, Gabe, you mentioned that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is joining him for this trip. This is a pattern we've seen with the Trump administration where these cabinet secretaries, particularly these high level cabinet secretaries, appear on the campaign trail.

6:13How unusual is that? Right. Well, look, in the Trump administration, it is now not become all that unusual, although certainly it is breaking norms from years past. There was a little bit of it in the first Trump administration. I believe Ben Carlson was seen at a Trump rally during the first Trump administration. Recently, though, we have seen people like Attorney General Todd Blanche at a political rally, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at a rally, also Doug Burgum, the Interior Secretary. But Secretary of State Rubio is significant. I'm sure if we'll actually, how much we'll hear from him, if at all, during this rally.

6:51But, you know, he's expecting in some way to participate in the president looking at that container ship filled with Venezuelan oil. Of course, Venezuela, a huge policy issue for Secretary of State Rubio. He's also the national security advisor. So certainly unusual for cabinet secretaries to play such a large role in any type of campaign in terms of a midterm campaign. But the Trump administration really hasn't shied away from it. And truthfully, they you know, when you speak with White House officials, they really don't see it as very significant. Yeah, I think that's a pretty fair assessment.

7:28James Tallarico, obviously the Democratic candidate in Texas. But we've seen the president attack Tallarico even when he's campaigning in other states. Abdul Al-Sayed, Michigan, he's the other one. What does the messaging on both of these candidates say about the president's optimism with just a week to go? Well, look, we just heard it right there from House Speaker Mike Johnson. didn't we? In interviews, top Republicans, including the president, perhaps especially the president, are trying to frame this election in terms of them trying to prevent the so-called radical left or communists from taking over government once again.

8:04You heard Johnson talk about a return to the Obama years, to the Biden-Harris years. When it comes to President Trump talking about, you know, Tallarico, you know, choosing nicknames for him to try and put him down, put down his candidacy and try to accentuate and highlight some of the more far left positions that Republicans feel that Tallarico embodies. Same thing with Abdul al-Sayed, same thing with other candidates in other states that Republicans are concerned where they're, because they're seeing much tighter than expected races. So we expect to hear more of that over the next coming days, Ryan.

8:41Okay. Gabe Gutierrez on the ground there in Texas for us. Thank you, Gabe. Let's go to our first big board in Sahil Kapoor. So let's talk about the president's campaign schedule here, Sahil, and what it tells us about the environment for Republicans with just a week to go. Ryan, it signifies a tough environment for the GOP if this is where Donald Trump is campaigning in the final week of the election. Texas, Ohio, South Carolina, Florida, Kansas, Iowa, what do these states have in common? Donald Trump won all of them by double digits in 2024. Now Republicans are playing defense there, starting in Texas, where Gabe is right now.

9:14Ken Paxton facing a real challenge from James Tallarico. Democrats see their best chance in a generation to turn Texas blue, their white whale. One big thing I would watch here, Latino voters, they have shifted away from the Democrats toward the GOP in recent cycles, sort of choked off the Democrats' path to winning Texas. Now they're shifting back toward Democrats. Could that help put James Tallarico over the top? One interesting House race to watch here, South Texas, This heavily Hispanic district Monica de la Cruz won this one going away in 2024. Now she faces the popular Tejano musician Bobby Polito in a district that could be a bellwether for the Hispanic vote.

9:49From there, Trump is going to Ohio, where the appointed Republican Senator John Husted is facing a challenge from former three-term Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown trying to make a comeback, a big thing I would watch here in Ohio, blue-collar voters. There are a lot of ancestrally Democratic voters in industrial manufacturing towns in Ohio, who moved from the Democrat toward the GOP in the Trump era. Sherrod Brown historically has overperformed with them. He's going to have to show a big turnout and a big win with that group. Marcy Kaptur in the northwestern part of the district around Toledo, again, manufacturing, industrial area.

10:23She's overperformed before in a district that Trump carried. She's going to have to do it again in order to pull it off. A youthful bellwether there for the blue-collar vote. From there, Trump is going to South Carolina, which, Ryan, if I'm picking one, state that is a blue wave bellwether, maybe a blue tsunami bellwether, it's this. Democrats should have no business winning South Carolina. This is how much Trump has won it by in 2024. Yet Democrat Annie Andrews is putting up a real challenge against Darlene Graham, who was appointed to fill the seat of her late brother. If Republicans can't hold on to this seat on Election Day, there's no telling where the bottom is for the GOP.

11:00From there, Trump is going to Florida, where Republicans are heavily favored in the Senate race. One of the reasons he's going there is to try to help his friend Byron Donalds win the governor's race. And then Trump is going to Kansas, which I don't think anybody had on their bingo card as a competitive race. And yet Roger Marshall, the incumbent, facing a challenge from the Democratic megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton. Kansas is a state that Democrats haven't won for 94 years. Republicans are playing serious defense there as this race has gone neck and neck, pulling very close to each other. These two in the final stretch.

11:31Finally, let's go nearby, next door to Iowa. Another one of those purple to red states. Trump won it pretty handily. Look at this. In 2024, Ashley Henson trying to hold off a challenge from the Democrat. Josh Turek here. This is going to be a test, Ryan, of rural America. There are a lot of voters in these parts, in farm country, who voted for Trump probably three times who are unhappy with costs right now, the cost of gas and diesel and fertilizer and food. Are they going to hold for Republicans, or is this going to be the first time since 2008? where Democrats can actually win back Iowa. There's a lot to play for here.

12:05This is the schedule. These six states, double-digit Trump states, where he's playing defense in the final stretch. And we know that early voting is already underway in all of these places. Is there anything that we can glean from these early vote numbers? Yes, there is, Ryan. These are the early vote numbers. These are the percentage of votes already cast in each of these states as a percentage of registered voters. Now, just for context, it's about three-quarters of registered voters show up in the midterm, So the bar is expected to get roughly there. Let me show you some fascinating trends from 2022 at this point in Kansas.

12:38There's an increase in early voting of 51 percent relative to 2022. Probably a lot of voters have never seen a competitive race in Kansas. They see one now in North Carolina, in Maine and in Texas. It's more than 30 percent up from this point in 2022. Now, that could mean one of several things. It could mean that there is a surge of enthusiasm and it could be a lot more voters are showing up in the 2026 midterm election. It could mean a lot of these voters were already planning to vote either later on in the early voting period or on election day. And this is simply cannibalizing the election day vote.

13:09This is one of those big questions, Ryan. We're going to know the answer to one week from today. We always over or maybe underanalyze early vote because you don't really know what it means until after all the votes are cast. OK, Sahil Kapoor, thank you for that. High fuel prices driven largely by the war in Iran are, of course, playing a major role in races across the country, including Washington's third congressional district. That's a closely watched battleground where I visited recently speaking to both candidates about rising energy costs. Here's some of what I heard, starting with my conversation with Democrat Marie Glucin-Kemp Perez.

13:42It has been a disaster, this war in Iran. It's really thrown, obviously, our fuel markets into chaos, but it's really hurting families. Her district voted for President Trump, who promised to bring down prices on everything, including gas. We will end inflation and make America affordable again. But inflation has increased since President Trump's return to office, with fuel costs spiking since the start of his war with Iran, something Glusenkamp-Perez's Republican challenger John Braun agrees is partly to blame. We need to wrap up the conflict in Iran as quickly as we can. We got to get a good solution, but we need to do it quicker sooner, not later.

14:20True. And diesel has seen the sharpest price increase since the war began, nearly 70 percent. Higher gas and oil are more than 40 percent higher than before the war. And something for Republicans in the final weeks of the campaign, President Trump's tried to play down the impact of his policies on rising prices. You know, I hate these stupid people back there. They go, oh, tariffs, tariffs. They don't cause inflation. You know, they cause success. They cause growth. They cause jobs. Trump has raised the cost. We haven't raised the cost. We have we have growth. And by the way, your incomes are going up much faster.

15:00Let's turn out a Brian Chung. It's interesting. That's the case the president's making. Brian, when I was in Washington state, the school districts there were telling me they were paying three dollars more a gallon for diesel to put into school buses than they were this time last year. In some cases, that's the equivalent of two teacher salaries. I mean, with these high gas prices, the president touted the arrival of a ship from Venezuela with oil. Is that going to make any difference for consumers? And there's also three tankers, by the way, coming from Russia with diesel. And so the administration might be hoping that that's going to give them a boost, at least rhetorically going into the midterms.

15:31But again, here's the challenge that they face. People are just looking at the prices at the pump and going, this is not a good situation compared to prior to the war. The current national average,$4.26. That's a far cry from the Sub$3 we saw at the start of the Iran war in February. It feels like a long time ago. But diesel costs, this is the big one, 635, the high, all-time high we saw as a result of this conflict at 653 on September 22nd. That is a direct result of the war with Iran. And that's going to lead to higher trucking costs, higher farming costs, which bleeds down to the consumer. And that's a reason why we are concerned about the rate of inflation.

16:05The last read on inflation, prices rising in America, 3.7%. That is an increase from what we saw as the, let's call it, low threes, maybe mid 2 % prior to the start of the war. And then you see that number going up. And more alarmingly, that blue line, which tracks inflation, is above the red dotted line, which is wage growth. Wages are not keeping up with inflation. That's what Americans are feeling as they talk about affordability and then tariffs. Even if we were to get over this conflict, let's say just like that, you still have the tariffs that are threatening to make things more expensive.

16:34Yes, those emergency tariffs announced in the Rose Garden on Liberation Day, April 2025. Those were overturned by Congress, but you still have industry-specific tariffs on steel and aluminum, as well as country-specific tariffs like those on our neighbors to the north and south Canada, a whopping 50 percent on some products. China, the EU, don't forget about those countries as well, trading partners where you see those tariffs also threatening to make inflation stick around. OK, the numbers don't lie. Brian Chung, thank you for that. We appreciate it. Coming up, Vote Watch, the latest attempt by the Trump administration to sow doubt in the midterms and inject the federal government into the counting and certifying of election results.

17:11Plus, breaking news out of Israel, where if it's Tuesday, voters are voting as Prime Minister Netanyahu fights to remain in power. We'll have the first look at the exit polls telling us which way this election could be going. You're watching Meet the Press Now.

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19:08Welcome back. We do have some breaking news out of Israel, where polls have just closed in their high-stakes election. And we're getting our first look at the exit polling out of that election. And now it shows no clear winner, but Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition does appear to have shrunk. Already, Israel is seeing its highest voter turnout in decades as it holds its first elections since the October 7th Hamas attacks more than three years ago. Prime Minister Netanyahu is fighting for his political survival. His main rival in this race is the former chief of staff of Israel's military, Gadi Eisenhower, whose son was killed in Gaza earlier in the war.

19:48That war and the issue of Israel's security remains a key issue in these elections. It comes as the New York Times is reporting that Prime Minister Netanyahu pushed for an attack on Iran ahead of the elections, but ran into resistance from the military. Joining me now are NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel and NBC News International Correspondent Matt Bradley in Tel Aviv. Richard, let's start with you. From what you can tell, I know we're just getting these exit polls in the last few minutes, but what stands out to you right now in your early read of these numbers? Well, a lot of Israelis were hoping for a clear result.

20:27I was just at a viewing party, and a lot of Israelis here in Tel Aviv were watching the screen. And when these early exit polls, as you say, were announced, there was total silence. Some people put their hands over their mouth. They were hoping that there would be a decisive win for their candidate. They were hoping for Eisenhower. We don't know at this stage how this is going to play out, because there still needs to be a coalition-building process. And it will be up to Israel's president to try and encourage these two sides to form a coalition. But it was not a knockout blow for Prime Minister Netanyahu, nor was it a decisive victory or a victory for Gadi Eisenhower.

21:09So we are back into a political process that at this stage seems unresolved. So we're going to be heading into potentially weeks of horse trading, weeks of negotiations. That means this country remains in limbo. There was a lot of enthusiasm today for this vote. The highest voter turnout ever. And a lot of polling stations I went to, we saw enthusiastic supporters of Netanyahu, enthusiastic supporters for Eisenhower. And they were not hoping for this result. They were hoping for a clear mandate from their people to form a government. Now they were going in neck and neck. Now they've come out neck and neck and will have to try and put together a government.

21:50And that is a delicate process in Israel as the different political parties try and balance positions, exchange favors, exchange ministries. We have a long political road ahead. And tonight, no clear direction of the way Israeli politics are heading. And Richard, you mentioned that you spoke to some voters today as they were casting their ballots. Let's actually hear from one of those voters right now, and then we'll talk about it on the other side. What's at stake in this election for you? I think we all know or most of us know that this country has suffered so much in these past years. October 7th, wars, wars with Iran.

22:35We want a peaceful and better future for this country in so many ways. And if things remain the same, then we don't see a better future for this place. Something needs to change. Richard, I would imagine that based on what we've seen so far, and they still have to count the votes, but these exit polls are telling us that clarity is not going to lead to stability that this voter is looking for. So to add a little bit more clarity, so these are general elections for the parliament and people vote for candidates and then it's up to the candidates to form coalition. There are 120 seats. You need more than 60 to form a government and neither Eisencott, who's the retired general Israel Netanyahu's main challenger, former army chief of staff.

23:30He was the vote of change in this country. Neither Eisenhower nor Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israel's longest serving prime minister, achieved a majority. And neither did either of their stated coalitions. So that is why things are so unclear. Eisenhower, at this stage, his coalition, perhaps according to these exit polls, may have a slight advantage. but a lot of indecisive right now. As I said, they went in neck and neck and they've come out neck and neck and now there'll be a lot of horse trading. Okay, Matt Bradley, let's bring you into this conversation and talk more about that horse trading because there is, I don't know if it's a surprise, but there is an interesting development in the fact that many of the Arab parties that were running in this election did pretty well.

24:16Tell us about the impact that they've had on this election and the impact that they could have on this coalition building that Richard was talking about. Yeah, Ryan, I mean, it's really an interesting situation for the Arab political parties, the Palestinians who make up about 20 percent of Israeli citizens. As we've noted before, Palestinians who live in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, they do not vote. They are not considered Israeli citizens. They have their own parallel government system. So this situation means that the Arab politicians here, who are about to go into the same horse trading process that other political parties are going to be doing, they have been ostracized throughout the entire run-up to this election.

24:57Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said that Eisenkot and his partners won't be able to form a coalition without the help of the Arab parties. And Benjamin Netanyahu may be vindicated. It will be very, very difficult for Eisenkot, his Yashar party. I'm at the Eisenkot after party, by the way, right now, where there's some muted celebrations. It will be very, very difficult for this party and its coalition partners to form a government that will remain in power if they don't have the help of some of these Arab political parties. Those voters have come out in huge numbers, but they're in a very interesting position because, as I said, they're not going to be able, these coalitions can't form without them.

25:36And yet so many right-wing politicians have been demonizing the center-right, the center and the left for their association with the Arab parties. Previous governments have been formed without Netanyahu that have included the Palestinian or the Arab-Israeli parties, but those politicians who have allowed them to serve in their governments have paid huge political prices for them. Netanyahu has been releasing dog whistles the entire time, saying that a vote for anybody basically but him or his coalition partners will be allowing Arabs into the government. This was actually so explicitly stated in one of the AI videos that Netanyahu's campaign released early on, just a couple of months ago, where he actually showed politicians riding on top of a Trojan horse into what looked like Israel, or was marked as Israel, and inside the Trojan horse were Arab Israeli or Palestinian Israeli politicians.

26:34So this really just goes to show that this is the kind of boogeyman that Netanyahu can put in front of the Israeli public to dissuade them from voting from just about anybody else other than him. But at the same time, these politicians need the Palestinian vote, and they're going to need them now more than ever in order to form a coalition. Okay, there is a lot that still needs to be resolved there in Israel. Richard Engel and Matt Bradley, thank you both for being on top of it. We're going to stay close to this breaking news. Please let us know if you have any updates. We'll bring them to you as they come in.

27:06And remember, you can dive deeper into the upcoming elections in this country with access to polling, early vote data, expert analysis, and much more exclusive content, all with an NBC News subscription. You can just scan the QR code on your screen now or visit NBCNews.com slash subscribe. We'll be right back with more Meet the Press Now.

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29:09Welcome back. With just one week until Election Day, the Trump administration is taking a series of actions it says are about concerns over voter fraud, despite there being little, if any, evidence of widespread voter fraud being an issue. Yesterday, the Department of Justice asked election officials in Washington state to set aside some 400 ballots it claims could be cast by non-citizen voters. A U.S. appeals court rejected a similar request by the DOJ for California to segregate some 20 ,000 ballots. Also yesterday, the president also offered a $1 million reward for voter fraud tips that lead to convictions.

29:45While departing for Texas today, President Trump would ask if he would accept the results of the elections next week. Take a listen. And you'll respect the results, whatever happens? I will, if they're honest. Joining me now is NBC News senior reporter covering elections, Jane Timm, and NBC News senior justice reporter, Ryan Riley. Jane, let's start with this new suit in Washington state. The administration's asking local officials there to sequester certain ballots that they allege could be cast by non-citizens. It does feel like this is a trend that the Trump administration's at least trying to see if something will stick.

30:20Yeah, we've seen this play before in California, a letter with a very short timeline saying, check these ballots. We think there's going to be non-citizens voting and then an immediate lawsuit. So we're expecting that will come soon where they try and stop these ballots from being counted. Again, this is just a list of 400 voters. We don't even know if these people have cast a ballot in Washington, of course. The reason they're targeting lists of voters there in California is that these are mail elections. So everybody on the registration list gets a ballot. That's what the DOJ is laser focused in trying to go after.

30:55But again, we saw in California, all those people, the county officials said many of these people had places of birth in the U.S., really strong indicators. These are absolutely citizens. And so time will tell if there's actually non-citizens that are on these rolls. And this comes after they faced a serious setback in this similar effort in California, which you're alluding to. Talk to us more about what the appeals court said in that ruling. Yeah, the appeals court said, you know, you're asking for this immediate intervention and even faster intervention than the lower court had offered. And they said, go back to the lower court.

31:27This really isn't going here. But when I talk to election officials, not sorry, election experts and legal experts, they say, you know, the Justice Department doesn't have a legal footing here, that it's there's nothing in the law that says they can get involved in ballot certification or election certification, ballot counting. These matters are not supposed to be part of this by the laws that exist. So a lot of the courts are not going to find fertile ground here. Yeah, we have to remind our viewers that the Constitution specifically says that states run elections, not the federal government.

32:00There's also an ongoing saga in the Alaska Senate elections. I want to play for you something that Vice President Vance said today. Let's take a listen. Mr. Vice President, why should Alaskans find it insulting that the administration appears to be suggesting they can't read the word incumbent on their ballots and know the vote for Senator Sullivan? Well, I think the question presumes quite a bit. I mean, look, a lot of Alaskans are going to go and look at the ballot and realize exactly what you said, that this is all a big fraud. But people are busy. People have lives. People have jobs. And when you put a person on the ballot explicitly to try to confuse voters, I think that's the definition of electoral fraud.

32:41And I don't think that we should endorse it. I don't know if that's specifically the legal definition of electoral fraud, but what's the latest on this legal fight? Well, we expect that sort of at the end of the week, there's some filing deadlines. We could get a ruling sometime next week, an initial one. But I guarantee you this is not the last we're going to hear of it. That first ruling will just be the beginning of a legal fight. OK, thanks, Jane. Let's turn to Ryan now. And Ryan, let's just talk about how unusual this is for the Department of Justice to make all of these requests, specifically with just a week to go until Election Day.

33:12Yeah, I mean, as Jane highlighted, they're very unusual. And it comes at a time when the Justice Department is taking a lot of sort of norm breaking steps. You know, we've seen a lot of these actions against political figures in this, what's traditionally been sort of a quiet period right before the elections, including the case we're going to talk about with James Comey, as well as with, you know, the search of a sitting member of Congress's home. We saw recently we saw a very high ranking Democrat in Virginia who was charged. Traditionally, those are sort of overt steps that would be pushed back until after the election.

33:43But in the second Trump term, a lot of those sort of rules around that have been tossed out the window. It's something I've been talking to a lot of veterans of the Justice Department about who are just sort of shocked about the approach that the Trump administration seems to be taking to this, Ryan. And you mentioned the situation with the former FBI director, James Comey. He was charged for a third time by the Trump administration. We want to play for you what Comey said in a video statement yesterday. Well, they're back again. Again, it would almost be funny if it weren't such an appalling abuse of the Department of Justice, one that we cannot become numb to.

34:20Nothing's changed with me. I'm still innocent. I'm still not afraid of these people. And I still believe in the independent federal judiciary. So what's the deal with this case, Ryan? Yeah, I don't know if there's going to be a three strikes and you're out rule here for DOJ. But, you know, they've gone really to the mat on these cases. They had one case that was already tossed out that involved allegations that Comey had misled Congress. They brought that right before the statute of limitations expired. In that case, it was five years. Then they brought the Seashells-related case. No statute of limitations questions there, just some really deep questions from every legal expert you could speak to about whether that's a legitimate threat against the president, whether that's a legitimate case.

34:59They had that big rollout for that, a big press conference. And then lo and behold, they're going back now 10 years alleging that there was some national security information that was disclosed back in 2016. This is before Donald Trump was even elected to office. And they did that as well on the very last day. Comey's lawyers will be in court on Friday arguing that the statute of limitations really barred this because that action wasn't actually indictment. They still haven't secured an indictment in D.C. I think that's going to be probably pretty tricky for them, given that D.C. grandeurs have been skeptical of some of these cases that the Trump administration has tried to bring here, Ryan.

35:34OK, we'll see. Jane and Ryan, thank you both. Up next, a closer look at one of the most competitive races in the country. I'm joined by Nevada's attorney general as he pushes to unseat a longtime Trump loyalist in the race for governor. You're watching Meet the Press now.

35:54Welcome back. Turning now to one of the most competitive races in this election, the race for Nevada governor. That's where the state's Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford is trying to unseat the Republican governor, Joe Lombardo. Lombardo flipped the governor's mansion red in 2022, defeating the Democratic governor by just over 15 ,000 votes. Nevada is a state that President Trump won by just three points in 2024. And joining me now is that Democratic candidate for Nevada governor, the state attorney general, Aaron Ford. Mr. Attorney General, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

36:26This race is ranked one of the most competitive gubernatorial elections in the country this year. What makes you think you can flip this seat? Well, hi, Ryan. First off, great to talk to you. And, you know, to your question specifically, we are we are under a Lombardo Trump economy right now that's making everything too expensive. I, for the last year and a half, two years, have been talking to Nevadans all across our state, and they have the same complaint. Everything costs too much. And they know that it's because our current governor has aligned himself with Donald Trump at every turn, not stood up for Nevadans.

36:56And they know that I'm a fighter for Nevadans, as I've demonstrated both as attorney general and as a state senator. And they know I'll take that fight to the governor's office. Now, Governor Lombardo's pushed back on this idea that he's some sort of sidekick of President Trump's. He has worked with Democrats in your state to pass more than two billion dollars in education funding during his term. He's also broken with the president on renewable energy projects. In fact, fighting to protect solar projects in Nevada. Do you think that that's enough in terms of his relationship with President Trump?

37:29And how do you think that's impacted the people of your state? Well, I know how it's impacted the people of my state because they're telling me. They see that our governor is going to go down as the governor who's vetoed the most bills in the history of our state and even worse, the most bipartisan bills in our state. They've also seen that Governor Lombardo had every turn, has in fact aligned himself with Donald Trump, beginning with the tariffs, saying that we should feel pain from the tariffs as opposed to standing up and showing leadership and saying these tariffs are going to demolish our economy.

37:59He actually said we should be excited about the big, beautiful bill that ultimately ends up kicking off 100 ,000 Nevadans from Medicaid and causing another 100 ,000 Nevadans to have their medical insurance go up. He has said things to the effect that we got to take care of Trump and his billionaire friends because they're the ones creating jobs when the fact is it's the small jobs in Nevada that are creating these jobs, pardon me, the small businesses in Nevada that are creating these jobs and they're being demolished. I know that because I'm talking to them and that's exactly the reason why I've obtained the endorsement of the Retail Association of Nevada.

38:29So there are so many different things that he's aligned himself with, not the least of which is this Iran war that has caused our gas prices to skyrocket. Regularly added$5.70 in some places, over$6,$7, I believe it is, per diesel in certain places. And so these are things that Joe Lombardo has done to align himself with Trump. He's been a doormat for Donald Trump. Afraid to stand up. I will always stand up. Okay. But if you are elected the governor, you will have to work with President Trump. He will be the president for the next two years regardless. Are there ways that you can work with this administration if you are elected?

39:05Well, absolutely. And when the president was elected, I said, I will work with anybody who's willing and who's serious about making lives of Nevadans better. And he said he wanted to help us on trafficking issues, for example. And then he went and cut our funding. Look, with or without him, though, we're going to do everything we can to improve the lives of Nevadans. And if that means that have to stand up to Donald Trump, then I will do that. But look, at the end of the day, if Donald Trump is serious about helping us, I'm willing to work with him. OK, you do have an ambitious agenda. You've promised things like providing free school breakfast and lunch for kids through grade 12.

39:38You want to push more funding for education and community health centers. But there's no doubt that the residents of your state are struggling economically. Your state has one of the highest unemployment rates. Are you going to be able to fund all these ambitious projects without raising taxes? Well, I'm glad that you mentioned unemployment rate because it has been, if not the highest, certainly one of the highest under this governor's entire tenure. And he ran on lowering unemployment. And at the end of the day, his policies have failed us. And, you know, when it comes to providing free meals, for example, for our children, it's a matter of priorities.

40:09It's a matter of budgeting. Joe Lombardo vetoed the bill that could have guaranteed our students guaranteed meals. But what he did instead was vetoed it, saying that it cost too much. And then he went and spent twenty five million dollars on office furniture. He said it would have been a waste of money. It wouldn't have been a waste of money on a kid who grew up like who's living like I grew up, which is having to eat, sell candy bars for dinner. One in four of our kids don't know where the next meal is going to come from. Joe Lombardo could have done something about that, but he aligned himself elsewhere.

40:37And the badness of suffering. I want to talk more about unemployment in a second, but just to put a pin in this, can you do all of this without raising taxes? Do you pledge to not raise taxes during your term as governor? I have said unequivocally that because of this Lombardo Trump economy, I will not raise taxes under the current circumstance. That does not mean, however, that we can't prioritize in our budget. Show me your budget. I'll show your priorities. He spent$25 million on office furniture. That money could have gone halfway toward feeding children in our state. I would sit on the floor if it meant I could feed my children, sir.

41:07OK. All right. You mentioned unemployment. You criticized the current governor for that. But unemployment actually has dropped, even though it is still high. It's dropped the last five consecutive months. Does the governor get any credit for that? And how would you continue to bring down unemployment? Well, if you if he wants credit, he should be on the road talking to people I'm talking to who are looking for jobs, sending out hundreds of applications and getting nothing in return. The types of jobs that he's creating aren't those that are being able to provide a good cost of a good standard of living for individuals.

41:37and the fact of the matter is he ran on improving unemployment. It has been the highest and it is, it remains among the highest in the nation. We can do a lot better with priorities that focus on, on people as opposed to Trump and his billionaire friends. And that's what I'm going to focus on. You have some of the highest gas prices in the country. You're just behind California and Hawaii. Regular gas right now, last check at 529 per gallon. Do you support a proposal to suspend your state's gas tax to provide some relief to your citizens? Well, if we could find a way to suspend our gas tax, we would.

42:11I believe, as I understood, that there are legislative barriers in the way from doing that. But certainly we need to bring as much relief as possible. But let me be clear, the relief could have begun early on instead of Joel Embarter running to cheerlead for the Iran war and then subsequently following up saying that he wanted to spend an additional$70 billion to fund that war, knowing it would continue to increase our gas prices. The job of governors to be the biggest cheerleader for the state and to stand up against anybody and any entity that is doing harm to Nevadans. Our governor has failed to do that woefully, and that's the reason why our message is resonating and why we're going to win in this election cycle.

42:48All right, let's talk about data centers. That's become a major issue on the campaign trail all across the country. You said that you'll pause tax breaks for data centers, but you did co-sponsor a bill in 2015 when you were the Senate minority leader that actually gave data centers millions of dollars in tax breaks. Do you regret pushing that bill? What has changed, sir, since 2016, 2015 is the data center. The data center of 2016 is not the data center of 2026. 2015 is not the data center of 2026. We weren't talking about chat GPT to seven years after we incentivized data centers to come to improve our employment opportunities.

43:23We certainly didn't have this use of AI that has drawn on water and energy in our state. And I am being responsible and responsive to the needs of Nevadans who have now said that they are concerned about data centers. Our governor operating on new information, on the current information, has said that data centers are, in fact, the gold rush for Nevada. The fact is, the only gold rushing is from data center interests to his campaign conference. I will, in fact, pause these tax breaks because unlike the governor, I'm going to actually follow the law that we passed in 2015, which requires audits of the data centers that have received tax breaks to ensure that they've complied with their terms.

43:57He has not done that. And instead, he's given out two hundred and forty million dollars of tax breaks, has received from interests two million dollars subsequent to that and won't hold them accountable. So I will not be lectured by a governor who continues to advocate and align himself with data centers, notwithstanding the fact that Nevadans have voiced their concerns about it. OK, we're going to have to leave it there. Attorney General Aaron Ford, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it. Best of luck next week. Thanks so much. Still ahead, the push to flip a Trump stronghold in deep red Arkansas.

44:29I'm joined by the Democrat hoping to ride a wave of endorsements to victory. You're watching Meet the Press Now.

44:43Welcome back. We're turning now to the battle for Little Rock, Arkansas, where Democrats are looking to flip a deep red district. Democrat Chris Jones is looking to unseat Republican French Hill, who chairs the powerful House Financial Services Committee and has represented the district for more than a decade with little competition from Democrats. But earlier this month, the Cook Political Report moved the seat in Democrats' direction, shifting it from solid to likely Republican. Joining me now is the Democratic candidate running for Arkansas' second congressional district, Chris Jones. Chris, thank you so much for joining us.

45:19Yeah, thanks for having me. Yeah, you're running in a district that President Trump won by more than 15 points. Your opponent, Congressman Hill, beat his opponent in 2024 by 17 points. The Cook Political Report, even though they say the environment's a little better for you, still says that this race is likely Republican. Convince me how you can win this race. Well, look, again, thank you for having me on here. One of the major reasons why this race is tight and winnable is because for the last 12 years, French Hill has had the opportunity to actually represent the people, and he's chosen to represent big banks and billionaires.

45:54If you look at his record on tariffs recently, he's voted six times to continue the tariffs or allow the president to continue the tariffs. He's voted to allow us to remain in the war. He voted to cut Medicaid funding. He voted to cut funding for rural hospitals. So Arkansans are feeling the pressure of high gas prices, of high grocery prices, of health care and housing. And what they're saying is they're ready for something different. So that's a big part of it. The other big part of it is the corruption that's coming out of the White House. And French Hill has been silent on the corruption that's coming out of the White House.

46:26So when I go out across the district in which I've been to, I've done town halls in every county in the district. We've had roughly 30 to 35 town halls since I launched the campaign. And they said my opponent has not shown up and they want someone who will actually listen and represent them. OK, in a debate earlier this month, you said that Republicans like your opponent in Congress have been feckless in confronting the Trump administration. administration if voters in Arkansas send you to Congress are you going to be someone who tries to work with the current administration or just a legislator who tries to block the administration's agenda well look I'm an engineer I'm a nuclear engineer and as an engineer I'm a NASA rocket scientist and we're in order to get that rocket to space we'll work with anyone who is willing to do the job who'll do it to the best of their ability and will accomplish the goal the goal is to make life easier for Arkansans.

47:16So if someone wants to do that, then let's go. At the same time, Arkansans have been very clear that they want prices to go down and they also want people to be held accountable. So it is a balance between holding folks accountable, but also working with them when necessary to bring prices down. So if the administration wants to end these tariffs, let's go. If the administration wants to end this war, let's go. If the administration wants to fund Medicaid and fund rural hospitals, then I'm all willing to do that with them. Well, can you think of one issue that the Trump White House currently holds, a policy that they currently hold that you would agree with and could work with them on?

47:51Not something you want them to change, but something that they currently do that you could support? Absolutely. You know, look, I've had a big issue. I ran one of the most prominent community land trusts in the country. That's the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative. I also ran the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub here where we launched small businesses, hundreds of small businesses. And when I think about that body of work, and I particularly think about housing, certainly the administration got it right when they said we should not have corporate buyouts of neighborhoods and homes because it only drives the prices up and it suppresses the value that regular everyday residents can take away with them.

48:30So I'm okay with that. I'm in agreement with that. Now, I do think that this bill that they passed doesn't go far enough in ensuring that they address the affordability issue today. And instead, it's an issue that they won't address for months later. OK, what about on the other side of the coin? Do you see areas where you may break with the current Democratic Party? You know, look, it's not until recently that the Democratic Party has said that the South needs to be invested in. places like Arkansas need to be invested in. You know, I think when I think about both the message and the focus of where the Democratic Party has been, you know, I would I certainly have broken in the past with them on that particular focus.

49:13And I want the focus to be here in places like Arkansas. So that's definitely one area. OK, you've criticized Congressman Hill for not doing enough to actually lower the costs for people in Arkansas. What would you do specifically to address that problem? Yeah, you know, coming out of the blocks, and it's pretty clear, when I talk to Arkansas, there are a couple things that come up. You know, there's a resident here in the state that said when she loses her health care because of the one big, beautiful bill that the congressman signed, she is going to have to, she told her family already, she only has four months left to live.

49:48So that is all because she cannot afford her health insurance and cannot afford the care. That's problematic. And I would certainly be a vote to restore those premium subsidies. The other piece is the price that people pay at the pump. As they're filling their gas tank, folks are thinking about what they take out of their grocery cart. That is unconscionable. And so what I would certainly do would be a vote to end these tariffs that are driving prices up and a vote to take us out of this war of choice in Iran that certainly are driving oil prices up and particularly diesel prices. And I have to let you know, farmers in Arkansas have the highest rate of farm bankruptcies in the country and farmers in Arkansas have the highest rate of farmer suicides in the country.

50:30That's some pressure we need to take off of folks. All right. You've been questioning whether or not Congress has done enough to hold the White House accountable. Does that mean impeachment for you? Would you support impeachment investigations into President Trump? Look, I think the entire administration needs to be investigated, particularly when I think about the Department of Defense and Pete Hegseth. Certainly, the actions that he's taken need to be investigated and investigated immediately. And when I think about the Epstein files, French Hill chairs the Financial Services Committee. He could have easily called in an investigation of the banks that allow billions of dollars to go into sex trafficking.

51:10These are things that I think are critically important and that must be addressed. So while my opponent is silent on issues of corruption, we think about a family that is getting billions of dollars off the backs of taxpayers, the no big contracts to things like the reflecting pool and the ballroom. These are things that my opponent certainly could have focused on and certainly that I would focus on to make sure. Does that rise from what you've seen, though? Does that rise to the level of impeachment? Do you think the president deserves to be impeached again? I think it certainly needs to be investigated.

51:46OK. All right. We'll leave it there. And then you are going to have a really important vote almost immediately if you're elected in November, and that is to pick a new leader for the House Democratic Caucus. Hakeem Jeffries is the current leader. Would you vote for Hakeem Jeffries to either be the leader of the Democratic Caucus or potentially the Speaker of the House if you win? Yes. Look, I think there's no time to waste. We have to get busy on my job would be to get busy working to make life a little bit easier for our Kansans and to build structures that allow them to create businesses that allow families to be able to thrive.

52:22And we don't have any time for chaotic situations like the Republican Party had when they chose a leader. So, yes. OK. And then there are reports that the Department of Justice is planning to send election monitors to Arkansas, including Pulaski County, which overlaps with some of your district. Are you concerned about the potential presence of federal election monitors? And are you worried that that could impact whether or not people decide to vote? So, you know, I'll say this. Pulaski County is the most populous county in the district. And if folks want to find out more about me or the district, go to ChrisJonesForCongress.com.

52:55You can not only find out, but you can sign up to donate, to volunteer and help because this election matters. And one of the reasons why the administration is sending folks to Pulaski County particularly is not only is it the most populous county in the state, but it also has seen the highest turnout so far in the early vote for this election, almost double what it was four years ago. So I am concerned. We are encouraging people to go vote. So if you're in Arkansas, if you're in the district, go vote now before Election Day. But also we're making sure we're watching everything. OK, Chris Jones, a candidate for Congress in Arkansas.

53:30Thank you so much for joining us, sir. And we wish you the best of luck next week. Thanks a lot. And of course, we are just one week out from our election night coverage across NBC and NBC News Now. After a special edition of Meet the Press Now, our special coverage kicks off at 5 p.m. on Election Day. Join Savannah Guthrie, Tom Yamas, Kristen Welker, Steve Karnacki, Hallie Jackson and me for coverage all night long as the results come in. We're back tomorrow with more Meet the Press Now, but there's more news ahead. Real talent is defined by what people can do, not where they learn to do it. So by stopping at the education section of a resume, you might throw away the perfect hire.

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