Meet the Press NOW — October 6

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0:43Welcome to Meet the Press Now. I'm Kristen Welker. Just four weeks to go until Election Day. And right now, every signal coming from the White House and the campaign trail is that Democrats have the momentum, with a political environment threatening to erase both the Republican Party's sizable cast advantage and the fact that they have the political equivalent of a home field advantage in the battle for Senate control. So many of the headwinds facing Republicans boil down to one issue, the economy. And this hour, President Trump is set to deliver remarks tied to that issue at a ship manufacturing facility in Maryland.

1:19It comes as he blitzes the campaign trail in mostly red states that Republicans are defending, trying to convince voters he's addressing their concerns about rising costs. Here he is last night in Nebraska. Your prices are going to come tumbling. All your prices have been tumbling down. Today, I'm announcing another unprecedented step to bring down costs. I'm going to sign a historic executive order to officially waive the off-road requirement and allow anyone to purchase tax-free red dye diesel for any reason. If Republicans win the House of Representatives and the Senate, I am going to give all adult citizens in the United States of America$5 ,000.

2:08So speaking of cash, Republicans are pouring money into Senate battleground races, mainly in red states, with hundreds of millions of dollars in new ad reservations in Texas and tens of millions in new spending in Ohio, dwarfing what Democrats are spending. Both states went handily for Republicans two years ago, but polls now show Democrats leading. The GOP's financial course correction also now extending to deep red South Carolina in an effort to boost Senator Darlene Graham. Republicans have a deep war chest and they are deploying it, outspending Democrats overall on the airwaves by more than$200 million since the general election ramped up last month.

2:51But the president's campaign travel and his midterm messaging make clear Republicans are playing catch up with the president rallying his base in red states and urging them to pretend he's on the ballot. And now we're on the cusp of beating the communist, socialist, radicalized lunatics and villains once and for all. We're going to beat a big, this is the most important midterm election.

3:20And we didn't come all this way and defeat all those dangers and all those parties and all those people, all those sickos, only to watch our country be taken over by a group of people that hate America. They hate America. So in this election, I am going to do this. I'm going to ask you to pretend that I'm running. the president's next stops texas and ohio the two states we just mentioned where republicans are now surging resources joining me now to start us off our nbc news team kelly o'donnell is at the white house ben camasar joins me on set shaquille brewster is on the ground in michigan ryan chandler has the very latest from texas and sahil kapoor is breaking things down at the big board thanks to all of you for being here.

4:12Kelly, I have to go to you first at the White House. The president poised to speak about the economy. Now, this is an official White House event. We should say that it's not a campaign event. But what exactly are you going to be watching for when the president talks today? Well, that distinction is important in terms of who pays for the event. And it means it has a government policy implication. And it does. But it will also give the president an opportunity to get his message out and to hit some of the familiar notes that we've been hearing when he is on the campaign trail. In Baltimore, he is there for the announcement of a joint defense contractor investment, U.S.

4:51Navy investment for shipbuilding in Baltimore. That is considered a priority of the president's because he believes that more manufacturing in the U.S. is important, but also competing against China, as an example, when it comes to shipbuilding and submarine building, a way for the U.S. to have more control over that sector of industry, and one that's certainly important in helping the Navy. It'll take years for this to be developed, but they believe it will create jobs, both direct and indirect jobs. So that gives the president a chance to talk about some of his ideas and how they may improve the economy.

5:28We'll also expect to hear the president use that moment before the microphone to touch on things that would not be a part of an official event, but the president tends to like to use that megaphone and to talk about other issues. We've heard him saying that he believes prices have come down. A lot of Americans can judge that for themselves about whether that is their experience. There are questions about energy costs. Can he make changes like the availability of a type of diesel, which was restricted for off-road use being more available. He has floated the idea of cutting some taxes on fuel in the short run.

6:06And he's talked about direct payments to American citizens as an inducement to vote for Republicans. Whether he'll say all of that today is unclear. It's an official event, but it's in a campaign season. It certainly is, Kelly. One more thing that we've been talking about. It's gotten a lot of attention. The Republican ad spending. You heard me start the show off with that. Last night, the president made some news. He actually says he's backing away from his own controversial ad spending, basically saying he's now going to pay for those ads instead of the U.S. government. What are you learning about that today?

6:41Well, it is a big reversal for the president, who was using taxpayer funds, at least$10 million so far. A contract for$20 million went out for ads that have been playing in big venues. Think of football games, big major markets, cable across the nation. So very visible. And they have been making not a specific campaign message. He's right that it doesn't name a candidate, doesn't name the Republican Party, but it echoes all of the themes of the president's midterm push and validates his point of view about how his administration has been doing. That feels very political. And he is now saying that his MAGA Inc.

7:22stockpile of money will pay for that. Notably, though, they're not saying that they will reimburse the government. Not sure there's even a mechanism to do that. So taxpayers have already paid the bill. If they hire, if they spend more for ads, they're saying that MAGA Incorporated, the PAC associated with that would pay for it. But will they need more ads? Because, as you point out, four weeks to the election. Four weeks to go. Kelly O'Donnell starting us off at the White House. Kelly, thank you so very much. Ben, let me turn to you because you have been tracking every dollar and cent that is being spent in this election.

7:57And Republicans are far outpacing Democrats when it comes to a spending advantage. What's so notable? They've diverted funds to Texas, Kansas, now South Carolina. But put this into a broader context. What does it mean in real terms for some of these races? Well, it means that we are testing the question of like, how finite is this resource that the resource advantage that Republicans have? Typically, you see, you know, these questions in October of, OK, well, if I have to take from this race and put it over here, you know, it's a triage question. We're seeing a little bit of that. Republicans are taking money out of places like North Carolina, putting it into places like South Carolina and Kansas.

8:35But then you have just, you know, the money printer. Right. You look at Texas. There's one hundred and twenty plus million dollars just getting thrown at that state with no indication that it's coming from anywhere. It's just sort of appearing. And so this question is, what can this Republican Party do with this massive, massive financial advantage? Can they create their own political gravity when the environment is so poor for that? Well, and just historically, Ben, spending more doesn't necessarily guarantee a win, right? Well, or else we'd have President Hillary Clinton and President Kamala Harris, right?

9:03So, yeah, it's such a good point, right? You want to have more money than them. They always do. It's always nice. It's always helpful to get the message out. But there's two questions. One, you know, what does that money do when you're facing all these other issues, right? It's not going to change the president's approval rating. It's not going to change the economic indicators. It might change how people feel about the economy. It might not. And also some Democrats are heartened that, A, this money is going to deep red places where Republicans are playing defense. It's not looking to expand the map in many places outside of Michigan, which is the Senate race, which is important there.

9:35And then the question is also, is there a rate of diminishing returns here? How many more dollars can you throw at the problem and not fix the problem? Yeah, well, and it's such a good point in the historical context is so important. And given that, given these resources, triaging, as you say, it's such an apt term for this moment. What races are you going to be watching? I mean, there are so many, but what are the ones at the top of your list? Yeah, I think I'll pick two. You know, you could pick any. Right. But I think pick two is seeing what happens in Texas. Right. They have thrown more than is 150 of the graphic.

10:09It's almost 150 million just in new advertising bookings this past month. Right. So how much is there an unlimited money earmarked for Texas? And what does that mean in a race where Republicans really need to win and overcome frustrations with their candidate there? And then I'm looking at Michigan, where Republicans actually do think they have a really important opportunity there. Will there be enough money to carry that one across the finish line or will they need to start making some hard choices? The implications for both races just so extraordinary. Of course, the Democrat hasn't won in Texas in the Senate seat since the 1980s.

10:43So the mere fact that it's a possibility, it just says a lot about this election cycle. Ben, thank you so very much for being here. We really appreciate it. Shaq, let's head out to you. Four weeks to go, my friend. What are voters telling you today? Kristen, I'll tell you, I had some fascinating conversations with folks today. The overwhelming majority of people are undecided. And then I was kind of surprised to hear that, especially by how much we talk about this race and the races across the country. But when forced to kind of give a perspective, they're willing to lean on one candidate or the other.

11:18But they're saying they're open to changing their minds. Listen to just some of the conversations I had earlier today. I really don't like any of the people that are running because they all have their. I don't know how to put it, their yuckiness. I am leaning more Democrat. El-Sayed, he, you know, some of the things that he's been doing within the community has definitely has risen my ears. So far, I'm leaning towards Mike Rogers so far. What about Mike Rogers? Have you heard that's making you lean that way? He just seems like he's fighting for the general, the general man of Michigan. I mean, he's representing Michigan in a way that I think we should be represented.

12:04Kristen, I'll tell you, any time that you heard a name, El Syed or Mike Rogers, it was because I kind of put some pressure on them. I wanted them to make that decision. But many of them saying, hey, there's still debates to watch. They'll be having their first debate later this week. They still want to do their own research before coming to a conclusion. But if I were to talk about the issues, many of them feeling the economy and feeling that way on their decision, talking about gas prices, talking about grocery prices, saying that will be top of mind as they make that final decision. Well, it's a purple state for a reason.

12:37Hearing from those voters just so fascinating. Shaq, I want to play, speaking of Abdul El-Sayed, a clip from an interview he did yesterday, basically baiting President Trump to come to Michigan. Take a listen. I'll get your analysis on the other side. Donald, come to Michigan. Please, I'm asking you, come to Michigan. All right. Clearly, your candidate can't speak for himself. He doesn't have anything to say. Clearly, you are the answer. And you should tell everybody why. They should imagine you on the ballot. Shaq, there's a lot of discussion about how these campaign stops by President Trump are playing.

13:13What are you hearing there on the ground? What do you think the implications and the impact will be? Yeah, I think, you know, El-Sayed, there in that clip and even And when you look at the actions of his campaign, they certainly do believe that President Trump coming to Michigan would be a boost for them. It'll be something that helps mobilize their base, kind of activate Democrats in this state. But I just got off the phone with a Republican consultant here in Michigan. And I was also told that Republicans feel that President Trump could help them as well, especially in mobilizing some of the lower propensity voters, especially in the western part of this state.

13:49This consultant did say that they wouldn't want to see President Trump in the suburbs, in the Detroit suburbs, because that could be a little bit of a problem for them. That's where we talked to those voters earlier today. But they do believe both sides that President Trump could be a boost. It'll be interesting to see which side is correct in that when and if President Trump does come to Michigan. Yes. Analysts have been saying to me that he still is the best person to energize the Republican base. What about the fact that President Obama set to campaign with Abdul El-Sayed later this month? What are you watching for there?

14:23Yeah. Yeah, I think this is a clear sign of El-Sayed kind of bringing in those reinforcements. We saw last month it was former Vice President Kamala Harris. Yesterday we saw El-Sayed sitting with Senator Alyssa Slocken. And then later this month you'll have President Obama coming in, again in the Detroit area, trying to mobilize those voters. When you look at the polling here and really the cross tabs, you see that El-Sahed still has some room to improve among key parts of the Democratic base. We're talking about black voters. We're talking about Jewish voters. You're seeing him kind of bringing these enforcements to help him out with the voters he needs activated and mobilized in just one month.

15:05Jack Brewster on the ground for us talking to the voters. Shaq, as always, thank you so very much. Really appreciate it. Ryan, I want to head out to you. Let's talk Texas. We've been talking about how much money Republicans are pouring into this race. The mere fact that it is competitive says so much about this election cycle, says a lot about Ken Paxton as a candidate. What are Republicans in Texas telling you about how they feel right now? Do they think they can hold on to this seat? Well, they're treating this as a real race. I have never seen Republicans run so scared in Texas. They are running as if they are behind because let's face it, they either actually are behind or we're going to have to have a real heart to heart with a whole lot of pollsters because Ken Paxton has led one of the last 20 polls conducted in Texas.

15:57He's tied in two of those. James Tallarico is leading 17 of those polls. You know, we always hearken back to 2018 when Beto O 'Rourke came within three points of Ted Cruz. He never led the polling at any point in that cycle. And now Tallarico is consistently leading the polls. So follow the money to see how they feel about this in terms of the Republican Party. $131 million in 17 days from Texas PAC. That is not the spending habit of a party that feels like they have this in the bag. So for the first time in a long time, I don't think they are keeping, they are taking anything for granted in the Lone Star State, Kristen.

16:35Yeah, I think you're absolutely right, Ryan. Do you think that that infusion of cash and we expect there to be a whole lot more between now and election day, could that make the difference?

16:48You know, I think it's interesting in if you look at the messaging that they are putting out with this infusion of cash, a lot of it is defensive. I think we're seeing some indications that the attacks from both sides are having a real impact on voters perception of each of these candidates. And that is seen no more acutely than in this new ad put on behalf of Ken Paxton. Take a look. In a general election, it's not as much about the individual players on the team. It's about getting the whole team across the finish line. Either we hold every Republican seat or we hand the future of Texas to the other team.

17:25So that, of course, is State Senator Angela Paxton, the estranged wife of Attorney General Ken Paxton. They've been going through a very public divorce in which Senator Paxton has accused him of infidelity, divorcing on biblical grounds. It seems that that ad is meant to preempt some of the concerns of especially Republican women, essentially saying, if I can vote for Ken Paxton, then so can you. All right. Ryan Chandler from Texas for us. Thank you so much for your great reporting, Ryan. We really appreciate it. Sahil, let me turn to you at the big board. Let's go to the map. What is each party's best path to winning the Senate, I should say?

18:05Hey, Kristen, with just four weeks to go, the battle for Senate control is coming down to a tale of two opposing forces. You've got a red map and you've got a blue environment. Which one will trump the other? Let me start with Republicans' best path to holding the Senate. And in theory, it should be fairly simple and straightforward. All they've got to do is hold states, blood-red states like South Carolina, like Kansas, like Nebraska, which they usually win comfortably. And then they've only got to win states that Donald Trump won three times and won by double digits in 2024. They include Iowa, Ohio.

18:42Republicans need to win Texas. And they need to win Alaska. And there you see it. That's 51. That guarantees them a majority. That's all they've got to do. In theory, it's a dream map for the GOP. But as Mitch McConnell, the former Senate majority leader, once told me, the map doesn't win elections. And that brings me to Democrats' path. The first thing that Democrats have to do to win control of the Senate is to hold ground where they currently have it. They can't afford to backslide. That means John Ossoff's got to win in Georgia. He's looking good to do that. That means Democrats have to hold an open seat in Minnesota.

19:14They're probably going to do that. And if they don't, Democrats are in deep trouble. They've also got to hold a seat in New Hampshire, an open seat, as well as Michigan, where Republicans are on offense. They think they have a real chance to flip this one from blue to red. Now, in addition, that's from here. Democrats need four more seats and they've got to flip some from Republican territory. The polls suggest their best shot right now is Ohio, where Sherrod Brown is polling quite well. He's a former three term senator looking to make a comeback. He's got a shot. You were just talking about Texas.

19:46The polls say that is the next best chance Democrats have. After generations of trying, can they finally flip Texas blue? Republicans are putting up warning flares all over the place about Ken Paxton. They're clearly worried about this. And that's 49. Beyond that, North Carolina looking like a very good flip opportunity. The governor, former governor Roy Cooper, looking very strong in the polls. And that's 50. That brings me to Susan Collins in Maine. She's a serial over performer, consistently wins blue leaning Maine. If this can be the year that Democrats can topple Susan Collins, that brings them to 51.

20:20But what if they're not able to do that? They also have an opportunity in Alaska with Mary Paltola, who's a star recruit for them. She's won statewide before. If they can't win Alaska, they also have an opportunity in Iowa, where President Trump's tumbling approval rating is dragging down the GOP ticket. Voters are upset about the cost of gas, food, diesel and fertilizer that's dragging down the Republican ticket. So that's a real possibility for Democrats to put Iowa back in the blue column. Now, there are a couple of wild cards to keep in mind here. The first is Susan Collins in Maine. There's a very real chance that she once again defies gravity and wins re-election, that she could end up winning re-election, even in a world where Democrats potentially win control of the Senate.

21:02Now, Kansas, this just in, moments ago, the Cook Political Report moved Kansas to toss up. This is a state that Democrats haven't won at the Senate level since 1932. It's 94 years. Could this actually be the year that Democrats win Kansas? That would be an extraordinary trophy in their cabinet. South Carolina as well. Republicans are putting up a distress signal, shipping out five million dollars to help the sister of Lindsey Graham, Darlene Graham, hold a red state. In addition, you've got Nebraska where the independent Dan Osborne is. Democrats are not so subtly rooting for him because if he topples a Republican, it brings down the Democratic magic number from 51 to 50 to end up getting a Senate majority.

21:45And on the flip side, you've got New Hampshire, John Sununu, the former senator, scion of a political dynasty. Could he potentially flip this one from blue to red? Democrats aren't taking this for granted. And Michigan, the one Democratic-held seat where Republicans feel probably the most optimistic or hopeful. They think Abdul El-Sayed is a flawed candidate, someone who they can potentially be what all boils down to, Kristen. These 13 seats are going to determine who controls the Senate for Trump's final two years, has control of his legislative agenda, his cabinet appointments, and maybe who he gets to put on the Supreme Court.

22:19I was going to say the Supreme Court as well. Sahil, that was just an absolutely fantastic breakdown. The fact that we're talking about states like Kansas and South Carolina, just extraordinary with four weeks to go. Thank you so very much. Well, we will have much more on the midterm elections coming up and on tonight's NBC News special decision. 2026 battle for control of Congress. It all kicks off at 8 p.m. Eastern right here on NBC News Now. And coming up, the president tries to ease some of the pain at the pump, ordering the government to defer taxes on diesel fuel. What it means for consumers and hard hit farmers heading into the midterms will break it all down.

22:58Stay with us. You're watching Meet the Press Now.

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24:38Welcome back. With four weeks to the midterms, President Trump is looking to bolster his economic agenda. While departing the White House, the president told reporters his administration is thinking about suspending the federal gas tax. It comes after last night during a campaign rally in Nebraska. The president signed an executive order aimed at bringing down sky high diesel prices by easing restrictions on a tax free version of the fuel called red dye diesel. Take a listen. So tonight I'm going to sign a historic executive order to officially waive the off road requirement and allow anyone to purchase tax free red dye diesel for any reason.

25:19This order will also drive down the cost of all goods, including grocery prices, very substantially. And it's an honor to do it. And we're not going to need it long. I hope we're not going to need it long because your prices are plummeting and they're going to really be plummeting. It's the latest in a string of economic related announcements by the president ahead of the midterms, including infrastructure investments in Senate battleground states like Iowa and Alaska. Joining me now is NBC News Business and data correspondent Brian Chung. Brian, great to see you. Thanks for being here. So help us understand this.

25:53What exactly does this executive order do? And could the impact be felt before the midterms? Well, Kristen, first I need to explain what red dye diesel even is. This might be news to a lot of Americans who are maybe already unfamiliar with the concept of diesel, but might be surprised to hear that there's another form of diesel that you don't put in necessarily your tractor trailers called red dye, which goes into farmer vehicles. These would be, you know, equipment that you would use to, let's say, for for example, you know, harvest your crops. The reason why it's dyed red literally is because it's treated tax free.

26:24So it doesn't get the federal tax. And for that reason, they want to make sure that inspectors can see if a truck is using diesel, for example, that they're not skirting it by using the red dye diesel. An inspector will be able to go in, put a dipstick in and say, OK, it's red. You're breaking the law here. We're going to fine you. Now, essentially what this EO does is it would say if you are a tractor trailer, you can use red dye, even though that's usually reserved just for farmers, and you would be able to get the benefits of tax-free treatment. And again, the idea there is that if it's cheaper to put those fuel into your tractor trailers that move things around the country, that should lower overall prices as well.

26:58Although I should point out the federal tax only roughly about 25 cents per gallon. And of course, none of this does anything to actually improve the supply of diesel that's out there, Kristen. Well, are there concerns, Brian, that easing these restrictions could actually put a strain on diesel inventories? and inadvertently drive up costs for farmers? Well, that's certainly a concern among economists because the idea is that if it becomes cheaper because of the tax-free treatment to then fill up your tank, well, then you have a lot more people eager to fill up their tanks with the red dye diesel, which would increase demand and then maybe lift the prices overall, which would wash out the effect of all of this.

27:34And so again, all of this is conjecture at the moment. The executive order was only signed in the last 24 hours. But I should also point out, there are an enormous amount of implementation questions questions around this, because it's a federal executive order, but it's also state law to enforce red dye diesel that is usually illegal in uses for road driving. And so are the states going to have to change their laws? How do they come? How do they abide with this EO? And also, you usually only fill up with red dye at wholesalers, not your local gas pump. So can you pull up a large tractor trailer to where you would normally pull up a John Deere tractor?

28:07That's the type of question that needs to be addressed before we figure out the impact of this. Well, and Brian, of course, as you and I have been talking about for months, the biggest driver of these increased fuel prices is the war with Iran. So can anything really bring down these prices in a meaningful way as long as the war is still ongoing? Yeah, we'll bring in this full circle as we see average prices for diesel at 632. That's an improvement from the peak that we saw of 653, but certainly well above the pre-war levels of$3.76. All of this has to do with supply, supply, supply. If you can get more crude oil coming out of the Strait of Hormuz, out of the Red Sea, that's a big deal.

28:44But also don't forget, Kristen, the war between Russia and Ukraine is a big part of this story as well. Russia has a lot of diesel refineries and attacks on that infrastructure there are an enormous part of this story as well. It certainly is. All right. Brian Chung covering all the angles for us. Thank you so much, Brian. Really appreciate it. Coming up next, the U.S. Army is set to carry out its first execution by firing squad in more than 80 years for the man convicted of shooting and killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. We'll have that story next with Courtney Kuby, only on Meet the Press Now.

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30:38Welcome back. For the first time since World War II, the Pentagon plans to carry out an execution by firing squad. Pentagon spokesman Sean Purnell posting on social media last night that death by firing squad was recommended by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and approved by the president to execute former Army Major Nadal Hassan. Hassan was convicted of murder for the 2009 shooting at Fort Hood in Texas, which killed 13 people and wounded 32 others. NBC News national security reporter Gordon Libel joins me now. Gordon, thank you so much for being here. So firing squads are incredibly rare. Why now?

31:18So they are rare. last one for a firing squad, last service member to be killed was a guy named by the name of Eddie Slavik in 1945 for desertion. This was something that was set in motion some months ago at the Pentagon. That would be probably how this thing would play out. We learned that, you know, President Trump signed off on it in recent days after after a senior staff level meeting. I think this is something that probably is on brand for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. It's also something that the Nadal Hassan wanted. He had hoped to be killed in the shooting in 2009. He wasn't. And he even said at the time, if he was killed by execution, that would help in his martyrdom at the time.

32:10And explain why this type of execution is so rare. Well, you know, the military just doesn't do this. I say, you know, the last one was in World War Two last execution 1961. There's a cultural issue within the military. It also requires presidential approval, as we saw in the case of President Trump. But there and there's appeals and there's different things that happen, especially because this is a separate military justice. I mean, separate system from the regular judicial system. So there's a number of factors that play into it. But, you know, there's any number of reasons why they just hold off and they do it now.

32:51Army spokesperson Sean Purnell or the Pentagon spokesperson, I should say, Sean Purnell, said that the time and place would be determined by Defense Secretary Hegseth. What are you watching for there? When do you anticipate this? The acting Army Secretary Adam Tell is the guy who actually is the guy who signs off on the thing is when it happens. He has between 60 and 150 days to execute this execution, if you will. And so this could happen anywhere, probably at a military base where they've done this kind of thing before. But obviously, since it's so rare, they would have to find the facility to do it.

33:32But he's got the next four or five, six months to finish it up. Let me ask you, because you have new reporting on what led the Pentagon to pull its bombers from that British base. that was used by the U.S. What do you know about? Sure. So they were pulled rather abruptly after intelligence showed that there was a potential Iranian drone threat to the base and to those bombers. We don't know how imminent that threat was, but it was a real threat. As you know, there was already an investigation into a terrorist attack or attempted attack at that base some two weeks ago, and then this added to it, and then they just pulled the bombers, and they brought them back to the states.

34:14All right, Gordon, thank you so very much. Really appreciate your being here with all of that great information coming up after the break. House hunting. Democrats chart their path to House control, and it could run through deep red territory in the final four weeks of the campaign. I'll talk to the House Democrat, who is spearheading her party's campaign push next. Stay with us. You're watching Meet the Press now.

34:43Welcome back. Joining me now is Democratic Congresswoman Susan DelBene of Washington. She is also the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Congresswoman, thank you so much for joining me. Really appreciate it. Absolutely. Thanks for having me. Well, let's talk about the state of play. The DCCC added six new districts to its target list. Here is how the National Republican Congressional Committee is responding. This is in a statement to The Washington Post, quote, Democrats can slap a label on another batch of deep red districts, but they still don't have the money or message to sell their radical socialist nominees.

35:20How do you respond to that? Well, we're winning. We're winning all across the country. And our map has expanded as more and more people across the country are searching for representatives who are going to stand up for them. They are tired of the broken promises from Republicans in Congress and this administration. Prices going up, families losing health care, a war with no plan, no strategy. All of this are broken promises from this administration. organization. And as people look at November and are looking about what they can do to make a difference for their families, they're looking at the great candidates that we have that are running.

36:02So we're winning. We've got great candidates. We've got the message. And the American people are with us. To the crux of their argument, though, the radical socialist nominees, do you have any concerns that the more progressive candidates that you are running in this cycle could make you vulnerable to losing some of the seats that might otherwise be pickups? You know, Republicans have nothing to run on, so they send out kind of false accusations out there. We have great candidates who've won in these purple districts, won in primaries in purple districts, who are talking on the ground to folks in communities who are struggling because of actions taken by Republicans.

36:46And these are purple districts. The path to the majority is through the purple districts across the country. And so having candidates who have crossover appeal is very important. People are seeing the folks who are running a variety of folks. We've got mayors, firefighters, many veterans who have proudly served their country, a Grammy award-winning musician, folks with a variety of backgrounds who are deeply connected to their communities. That's why we're winning across the country. Our secret sauce is great candidates. If I ask you if you're going to win back the House, I'm sure you're going to say yes.

37:24So if, in fact, Democrats win back the House, what type of margin are you anticipating? You know, we have over 60 races across the country where we're on offense. We need to net three seats to take back the gavels, which we will. And we're going to fight for a strong majority, a governing majority. We're fighting in races literally all across the country to make sure that people have strong representation in Washington, D.C. Well, our latest NBC News polling average for control of Congress shows Democrats with a 10 point advantage. And while Democrats may have the momentum right now, as we've been talking about throughout the course of this hour, Republicans have the money advantage.

38:11What do you think that means for these closing weeks? And could that dash some of your hopes of turning some of these seats? Well, they do seemingly have infinite money, but they also have no substance. They have no message. So we have great candidates and we have the resources to get their message out. When we do, we win. Remember, even in special elections up till now since 2024, Democrats have been winning and in many cases vastly outspent by Republicans, five times, 10 times more by Republicans. But, you know, putting a ton of money out there with no message doesn't work. Anything times zero is still zero.

38:55That's why we're winning. And we will have the resources to make sure our candidates are getting their message out to voters in these swing districts. Well, Democrats, as we just talked about, have the edge in the congressional ballot. Our NBC News poll last month found 50 percent of voters had a negative view of the Democratic Party. How do you think Democratic candidates across the country should deal with what appears to be a branding problem? Well, I think, first of all, we should acknowledge that people across the country are hurting prices going up. Families are struggling to get by and they want folks who are going to stand up for them.

39:33And the reason we went and frankly, our numbers are even better when you put the names of our candidates on those polls. When you talk about specific people who they've met and they know will stand up for them, we do even better. That's why great candidates make a huge difference. But also not just talking about how they're going to stand up for families, but talking specifically about the work that they're going to do when they get to Washington, D.C. People want to know how we're going to end the problems that they're facing right now, but also how we're going to build a strong future. Well, I know you're heading to Florida this week to campaign for Jared Moskowitz alongside prominent Hispanic leaders.

40:10NBC and Telemundo released a poll just this weekend among Latino voters that show them swinging away from President Trump and Republicans. However, they don't seem to view the Democratic Party particularly well either. Forty two percent say they hold a negative view of the Democratic Party. Why do you think that is? And do you have enough time to change that perception? um again being on the ground talking to folks is what makes a difference we've seen big swings in the latino vote since november of 2024 because they see and feel the impact from decisions made by this administration rising costs but also fear in communities being targeted by ice and people know and have friends who have been impacted i mean you've even heard about folks feeling like they have to carry around some type of documentation because they are concerned that they would be detained just for what they look like.

41:08That's what it means across the country. And even in the elections in November last year, we saw huge swings in the Latino vote already because of the impacts on the ground. So having great candidates who are connected with communities and who they know will stand up for them is why we win. There's a big debate about what the Democratic agenda should look like. I had the opportunity to interview Rahm Emanuel on Sunday on Meet the Press. I want to play a little part of that interview. Take a look. Do you think Democrats should impeach President Trump if they were to win back Congress? No. Short answer, no, because it's not going anywhere and it's going to be a food fight and it's just going to be we return to the politics of fighting.

41:55Look, I'm for the investigations. Hold this administration accountable. Hold them accountable and then pass an ethics package. You're never going to get an impeachment. Congressman, do you agree with Rahm Emanuel? I think people want to make sure that we are standing up for them first and foremost. Lowering costs because families are struggling every day has to be top of the agenda. making sure that people have access to affordable, quality health care, given the massive cuts that they put in place. But accountability, absolutely. We are an independent branch of government. Our job is oversight of the administration and standing up for communities and to fight against the corruption we have seen in this administration.

42:40So we need to do all of those things. You would support impeachment President Trump? You would support impeachment President Trump? I think, again, the focus has to be on the focus has to be on the needs of the American people. Costs, fighting to lower costs, making sure people have health care and fighting the corruption that we have seen and making sure that there is accountability in Congress and in the administration is critically important. That's what people are asking for on the ground. Do you rule out impeaching or supporting impeachment efforts? I think the number one thing is to stand up for the American people.

43:18Impeachment right now is going nowhere. People want folks to address the issues that matter. And the issues that matter are lowering costs, fighting to make sure that people have affordable, quality health care across this country, and ending the corruption. And so absolutely, accountability is a top role for Congress to play and something absolutely we will do when we have the gavels. All right. Congressman Del Bene will be watching every race closely right along with you. Thank you so very much for joining us. We really appreciate it. We have much more news and politics to get to with the panel next.

43:52This is Meet the Press Now.

44:06Welcome back. Joining me now is today's panel. Susan Page, Washington Bureau Chief for USA Today, Megan Hayes, former special assistant to President Biden, and Matt Gorman, Republican strategist and an NBC News contributor. Thanks to all of you for being here. Susan, let me start with you. We're getting some news just this afternoon. The Cook Political Report shifting three Senate races. Here they are, Kansas, North Carolina and New Hampshire towards the Democrats. What do you make of that? How significant is this? You know, I'm from Kansas. The last time we elected a Democratic senator, Babe Ruth was playing for the Angels.

44:42It's been a while. So that is remarkable that Kansas is in play. Now, North Carolina now looks safe. And New Hampshire, which had been one of the few states the Democrats were worried about losing a Democratic held seat, looks safer. So this is one more sign of what seems to be stacking up to a very good night for Democrats. Matt, it seemed like New Hampshire was a potential pickup opportunity for Republicans. Now, Cook, at least we're four weeks out, so we still have a ways to go moving it towards the Democrats. What do you make of this latest? I was not as much of a believer in New Hampshire's other people.

45:17I was always one of those that looked good on a Senate race two, three months out. And then as it got closer, tended to not break our way. Who knows? There's one person who can win up there. It is a guy with the last name Sununu. Look, I will say this a couple of things when it comes to both Kansas and South Carolina. Kansas, it was a toss up in 2014. Greg Orman on October 1st had an 11-point lead. Pat Roberts, the then senator, won by 10. Doesn't certainly mean that's to be the case this time around. I think talking to Republicans, they expect a Marshall win in the low single digits. South Carolina, we put money into the House races there in 2018.

45:50I can understand when the NRSC invested in there this time around. Put money in there now. It's cheaper to do it now than later. And one thing we saw in 2018, especially in the House, is last 10 days, We had people like Will Hurd, who has a district outside of El Paso, had one polling collapsed in the last 10 days. So shoring it up now helps rather than having to work and triage it within less than a week to go. Megan, what do you make of these latest developments? And do Democrats run the risk of getting too bullish? There's no doubt Democrats do have momentum right now. Yeah, as you know, Democrats like to run on vibes and it didn't serve us well in 2024.

46:29So I would caution Democrats to keep your head down and keep doing the work and keep reaching voters where they are and do the work. But I do think it is it is going to be extremely tight. And it's one of these nights where everything could break Democrats way. Everything could break a Republicans way or we could be just split back right where we are today. And I do think it's interesting that Kansas is on the map, though, because I think it says a lot about where Republicans and Democrats are alike and how much of an anti-incumbency election this truly is. And this isn't so much about they want Democrats more than Republicans.

47:00They want something different and they want a government that can work for them. And I think that's a caution to both parties. Susan, there is a real anti-incumbency feeling. If you talk to strategists, they say that's really the prevailing mood on the ground. And it comes as yesterday we saw President Trump attack Annie Andrews, who's, of course, running against Darlene Graham in South Carolina. Republicans putting money into South Carolina as well. I mean, South Carolina is a Republican stronghold. Is that a race that really could potentially be in play? Or does it fall into the same strategy that Matt's talking about, which is that they're preemptively putting money there so it doesn't become a problem?

47:43Doesn't it say something if they feel they must be preemptively put some additional money in South Carolina, which is such a Republican state? The most recent statewide poll had had Darlene Graham up five points. That's a lead, but it's not a safe lead. And so this is a state. This is a state that is a real test of Trump's ability to deliver his voters because there's no one he has embraced more fully than Darlene Graham's Senate candidacy there. Yeah. The sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham. Matt, what do you make of this? And his attack was basically to use a slur for trans people to describe her, to suggest that Annie Andrews, I guess, supports issues that support trans people.

48:27Are the culture wars resonating right now? Because Annie Andrews' statement was basically to talk about the economy and what she's going to do for the economy. It's the best argument I think we have. It certainly is potent on polls. But again, you know, one of the things I'm watching in South Carolina is, look, in 2018, we lost a House seat in South Carolina. It was the old Tim Scott seat. It was the old Mark Sanford seat. We lost that in the Charleston area in 2018 in a special election. The Ralph and when Ralph Norman was first elected, who later ran for Senate, we had to invest quite a bit of money in there.

48:58And it was it reminds me a lot of this. We had to mobilize our voters, get them out and motivate to vote. Democrats were on a crawl over broken glass to do it. We had to get our guys out. So I can understand the same line of thinking and getting investment there. And mind you, the NRC chair, Tim Scott, where is he from? Great state of South Carolina. So I think he probably is making sure that his home state is also taken care of as well. Megan, what do you make of the culture wars? Democrats obviously debated, tried to figure out how to respond, whether to respond in 2024. It didn't work well for them.

49:29Annie Andrews was very clear. She pivoted back to I'm going to work on lowering costs. Is that the right way to respond? We're seeing, frankly, a range of responses from Democrats. Yeah, absolutely. Republicans get to have to return out their base. Democrats need to persuade independents and Republicans to turn out for them. It's a different game. How do you do that? You do that by attacking the economy and going after the thing where they can't pay for gas, they can't pay for groceries, and you have solutions to fix it. So she responded the absolute best way to respond that's going to get those voters who may not vote for a Democrat to get them to turn out and vote for the Democrat because they don't want to vote for the Republicans.

50:07So maybe by talking about the economy and coming up with solutions, you can persuade some of these independents and Republicans to turn out. Susan, I want to ask you about this battle that President Trump is having with some blue state officials, Governor Gavin Newsom in particular, when he was talking about the Iran war last night, basically saying, look, I started the war to make everyone safer. And then he made this comment. Take a look. And again, remember, with the word just artificial, it's a little bit high. It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.

50:41They could take out a city. Let them take let let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. That's this is a very small price to pay. And it's going to be over very soon. How do you think that's going to play in these closing weeks? You know, it was kind of shocking to hear his comment and then to hear the crowd erupt in cheers at the idea of taking out Los Angeles and San Diego. Now, the White House is saying that this is literally what he said, but it is not what he meant. And he was referring instead to it's a small price to pay higher gas prices for the Iran war. I guess I don't think it's helpful.

51:19I don't think if you've got people who are worried about the cost of groceries, the cost of gasoline, the cost of health care, their loss of earning power in real wages, that this is the argument that gets them back in your court. Matt, do Republicans see this as helpful? Well, I'm old enough to remember when two years ago, a bad and unfunny joke about Puerto Rico was going to lose Trump the election. So I don't put much in stock into what's said at the rallies nowadays. And look, I think I think the White House is a point. I saw the clip this morning, I should say, I saw it written up and I rolled my eyes.

51:52I'm like, I don't know what what. And then I looked at the actual clip itself. I'm like, oh, I clearly understand what he was talking about. So, look, I don't put much stock in how this is going to change the election at all. But, yeah, I think it's something to grist over with a month left. We have about 30 seconds left, Megan. Gavin Newsom got right in there, tweeted that he's directing the state threat assessment to monitor this. What do you make of his response? I mean, Gavin Newsom is running for president and this is a way that he can govern and show people that he can govern. So, I mean, I think you have to sort of take that response under that light.

52:21All right. Well, we will watch this. That was nice and succinct, Megan. Thank you so very much. We will continue to watch this battle play out. Susan, Megan, Matt, thank you all. Four weeks to go. We're back tomorrow with more Meet the Press Now. And as we mentioned, we'll be back at 8 p.m. Eastern tonight with an NBC News special marking those four weeks until the midterm elections. You do not want to miss it. There's much more ahead on NBC News Now.

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