Meet the Press NOW — September 8

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1:10Welcome to Meet the Press Now. I'm Kelly O'Donnell. With Labor Day in the rearview mirror and summer unofficially over, the sprint to November's midterms is truly underway. Tomorrow, Republicans will gather in Dallas for a first-of-its-kind midterm convention. as the president's party navigates intensifying political headwinds ahead of November. The two-day event will feature top Republican leaders, including not one, but two speeches from President Trump, who has made himself the center of his closing midterm message, despite being broadly unpopular among voters. Over the weekend, Congressman Mike Lawler, whose seat is a top target for Democrats this year, explained why he is going to the convention.

1:57Why align yourself so closely with the president now when his popularity is at an all time low? It's not a function of alignment. It's a function of doing the job in order to get anything done. You have to be able to reach across the aisle and also work within your own party. I've been able to bring back tens of millions of dollars to my district. And I delivered one of the biggest wins for New York by standing up to President Trump on the issue of salt. And so part of what I will be highlighting in my remarks is the ability to not only agree when we must, but disagree and deliver for my district and stand up for the people that I was elected to represent.

2:43And salt is state and local taxes. The convention comes as the president's approval rating remains low. A new NBC News decision desk poll showing just 36 percent of Americans approve of his job as president and even fewer approve of his handling of the war with Iran, which has pushed costs higher here at home. The price of oil remains significantly higher than before the war began. Diesel is at an all-time high. And gas is still more than a dollar a gallon higher than before the war, prompting calls from some Republicans in Congress for their party to take action. Do you believe Republicans will be punished at the polls for the price of gas?

3:26Well, here's what I think about the economy for what it's worth. Except for inflation, which, as I said, sucks. The economy's solid. But look, that inflation is a big if. And it's gutting people like a fish. Inflation is pernicious. And we've had it for a few years now. It's been up and down since President Biden's administration. What we ought to do is something about it. Do you think there's enough time to address inflation before November, Senator? Sure. Sure. If we wanted to. We should have started five months ago. We didn't. But we need to start talking about it now. In addition, new tariffs from Canada on American goods are in effect starting today, raising the possibility of higher prices on everything from clothes to construction equipment.

4:17Joining me now is NBC News White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor, NBC News senior national political reporter Sahil Kapoor. He's at the big board today. And NBC business and economy reporter Ali Canal joins us from New York. Yamiche, let me go to you first. We mentioned the headwinds facing the president ahead of November. We know that is a factor. So why do you think he still feels like he is his best messenger for the Republican Party? Well, Kelly, I know you're asking that question, but I know you know part of that answer, which is President Trump has thought he was the best messenger for himself since the beginning of his political career.

4:53Let's remember that the White House doesn't even have a White House press secretary right now because the president gives out information, posting it online, talking to reporters, on the phone. He believes that he is the person who can talk his party into winning in the midterms. And he feels confident about that. He doesn't bother looking at polls or he doesn't bother taking in these polls is what the sources I'm talking to tell me. Whether or not that's true in terms of the president being feeling a bit taken aback by the polls is a question. But the president ultimately really does believe that when Republicans go down in Dallas, when they essentially do what they do every four years now, every two years and talk to people about their candidates, talk to their people about the president's vision that they can convince voters all over the country to get behind Republicans.

5:38It'll be a big question whether or not that actually can happen. But the president is very confident in the fact that he can be the one to do this. Kelly. In many ways, you mean she is the communicator in chief. And yet in some issues, it can be more complex. Six months into the conflict with Iran, there are some administration officials who've tried to avoid calling it a war. But yesterday, the president used the war word, and it seems to suggest that it has not yet been won. He acknowledged that. Do you think, based on your reporting, the White House is on the same page here with the president?

6:11Well, it's an interesting thing because the president himself has made conflicting comments. Let's remember that last week the president was saying that the war in Iran was, quote, small potatoes, and it wasn't a big deal. He was even talking about the fact that the service members that we've lost as a result of the war with Iran, that it pales in comparison to the people who died in Vietnam. At the same time, the president is calling it a war, is saying that he has no timeline for when it could end, is saying he's in no hurry. But also, just today, at a 9-11 commemoration event, the president was talking about the fact that he believes Iran is part of the legacy of the 9-11 attacks, in that he believes keeping them from having a nuclear weapon is ultimately keeping Americans safe from the type of terrorism and tragedies that we saw in 9-11.

6:54So the president is both saying this is very serious and that Americans need to be protected, while also saying that he's not that worried that this isn't a big deal. So even listening to the president in his own words, there's a lot of conflict there, Kelly. Yamiche, thank you so much. Let me turn now to Sahil. And as we noted, President Trump has put himself right in the midterm message. He's at the center of it. And that might be a risk for his party as he sets essentially the headline agenda for this convention. Sahil, what do you think? Is the president being at the center a help or a hurt for Republicans?

7:26It is a risk, Kelly, but it's a calculated risk. and let's take a look at the numbers behind it. This is what our NBC News decision desk says about the president's job approval rating. Just 36 % overall. That's not a comfortable place for the party in power. Look at the number among independents, just 24%. Again, a troubling sign, but this is what it all comes down to. This 80 % among Republicans. There's a lot of vote here, and this is fundamentally why the GOP is hosting a Trump-a-palooza convention so close to the election before the midterms, because the pattern we've seen is that when Donald Trump is on the ballot, But these voters show up in force when he's off the ballot.

8:00We've seen this number plummet. So let's take a closer look at that Republican approval number. We can break it down from strongly from Republicans who strongly approve of the president and those who somewhat approve of him. This column on the left in April, 52 percent of Republicans strongly approved of him. That's down to 41. But once again, there's a lot of vote in this 41. This is the molten core of the MAGA base. And this is the prime audience for that GOP convention in Dallas. They need to squeeze as much vote as they possibly can out of that 41 percent because they're losing opportunities to do it with independence where that number is.

8:33In addition, they would like to move some of the 30 percent somewhat approved into the strongly approved number. So they're more motivated to wake up on November 3rd and to vote for the Republican candidate in the hope that they would go to Washington and support Donald Trump. Let's take attendance for a minute with this upcoming convention. What can you tell us about who will be attending and who will skip it? Absolutely. So it's a fascinating split here. Let's take a look at first the Republicans who are not attending. Tom Barrett stands up to me because he sits in a toss-up race, one of those bellwether districts that is most likely to determine which party controls the majority.

9:09He's decided not to attend, which tells you he wants some distance from Donald Trump. Maybe appeal to swing voters and independents saying, even if you don't approve of the president, I'm not him. You should come out and vote for me. In addition, Jeff Hurd, Maria Salazar, Rob Whitman, all of them sit in districts that are rated lean Republican or likely Republican by the Cook Political Report. None of them are going to the convention. Rob Whitman, in fact, came on this program last week, declined multiple times to say whether he wants Trump to campaign for him in a district that Donald Trump won.

9:38That is revealing. Let's take a look now at some of the lawmakers who are attending the convention. Pay attention to those on the outer edge of this. Mike Lawler, the only Republican or rather one of three Republicans who sits in a district that Kamala Harris won in 2024 in the Hudson Valley. He feels the need to go juice that MAGA vote. Derek Van Orden, Wisconsin. I spoke to him just a few days ago. He told me he's angry about the fact that, in his view, Republicans are not getting the credit they deserve for all their great accomplishments in the trifecta. He wants to go sell that point. And then there are the two freshmen from Pennsylvania, Ryan McKenzie and Rob Bresnahan.

10:14They won their elections for the first time in 2024, riding Trump's coattails off that big MAGA vote. They want to go to the Dallas convention and try to appeal to those voters again. It's a calculated risk, Kelly, because for every voter that they turn out, we know Trump is good at turning out the GOP vote. He's also very good at turning out independents to vote against Republicans. So all the Democrats running against these candidates are going to be arguing that a vote for them is a vote for Trump. And if you disapprove of the president, the Democrats will say, vote them all out. And so as these lawmakers are making the calculation, we know that Republicans hold the majority in both chambers, but it's very, very thin.

10:49Walk us through those numbers and and how tight this is. Absolutely. It's a very tight majority right now. Look at this. 218 Republicans, 214 Democrats, two vacancies here. So functionally, this is 215 Democrats. They need to hold their seats and win just three seats on net to flip the house. That is how narrow this majority is in the Senate. It's a bit of a taller task for them. Forty-seven seats. Democrats need to win their best opportunities in North Carolina, in Maine. In addition, they need to win two more states—two more seats, rather, in states that Donald Trump carried by double digits in 2024.

11:27They've got opportunities in Iowa, in Ohio, in Alaska, in Texas. Ordinarily, these states would not be on the map. But in an environment like this, Kelly, an environment this blue, both parties agree that the House and the Senate are very much up for grabs in the 2026 midterms. I think we can all agree your big board penmanship is getting an A as the back to school seasons upon us. Thank you, Sahil. Let me turn now to Ali. Let's talk about those high oil and gas prices. Everyone has been factoring that into their own budgets. They've been elevated for six months. What would it take for them to fall to pre-war levels?

12:02What conditions would be required? Yeah, Kellyanne, you're right. Six months in here, Americans are certainly feeling this. We have estimates from Brown University that says the average U.S. household, due to these higher gas prices, these diesel prices, they're paying 771 bucks more. And to really get back to these pre-war levels, you need to see oil prices come down. The main way that that is going to happen is if you have easing geopolitical tensions. That's a very tall order at the moment. We still have escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. The Strait of Hormuz, the most important oil choke point, that is still closed.

12:39Even though there does seem to be progress between Russia and Ukraine, that's still a factor when we talk about oil prices. And even energy experts who I speak with say, you know, there's really not much that can be done besides reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Now, there could be a little bit of relief coming since the EPA did move up the timeline for switching to the winter blend of gasoline that's a little bit cheaper to produce. So that could help marginally at the pump. But again, this all really relies on oil. And remember, oil is priced on a global market. So supply disruptions anywhere is going to affect prices everywhere.

13:14So that's what we're most focused on right now. Let's drill down a little bit on tariffs. We know Canada is imposing tariffs on U.S. goods as a part of the ongoing conflict between our two nations. Those go into effect today. And how do you see this impacting prices for consumers? So it's not directly correlated here, Kelly. It's an important distinction because these are Canadian tariffs on U.S. goods. So the Canadian importer pays. You can think of a tariff like a sort of tax here. But there certainly are economic consequences for us here at home, because if those tariffs raise the price of those American products and Canadian consumers pull back and don't purchase those products, that could have a ripple effect when you think about profits for these companies that could eventually impact jobs here at home.

14:00And there's another factor here as well. What happens next? Does President Trump choose to impose more U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods? Because in that case, the American importer will have to pay. And that could certainly raise prices at a time when you're already dealing with high inflation across the board, those high gas prices, gas still firmly above four dollars a gallon nationally. It's been at that level for quite some time now. So when we look at these tariffs, the main issue is if this escalates into a tit for tat trade war, because you bring in more products, more industries, that's going to lead to pretty mass disruptions here.

14:37Appreciate all those updates. Thank you so much, Ali. And then coming up, if it's Tuesday, you know that phrase around here, voters are voting in one of the final primary elections before the big midterms. And Steve Kornacki is tracking it all from the big board. He'll be here next. Plus, meet the candidates. I speak to a Republican and a Democrat running in tonight's Senate key primaries. You're watching Meet the Press Now.

15:10Ever notice how every new AI tool asks you to explain your business to it all over again?

15:39Welcome to the Circle. In this game, you never meet the other players. Your goal is simple. become the most popular. But should you play as yourself or catfish as someone else? With the new host, celebrity contestants, and this time, audience voting will influence the game, you decide who has what it takes to win. Watch the Hulu original series, The Circle, on November 17th, streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers. Terms apply. Most women wait years before seeking relief from menopause symptoms. Menopause happens, but the suffering doesn't have to. Alloy was built by women who dealt with all of it.

16:18It's an all-in-one platform that provides expert care and real effective treatment. Complete a simple online intake, get matched with a menopause-specialized doctor who creates a treatment plan and provides unlimited messaging support, and once approved, your prescription ships straight to your door. Join the women who found real relief. Head to myalloy.com and use code SXM20 for 20 % off your first order. Valid on products only. Welcome back. Say it with me now. If it's Tuesday, it's the final Senate battleground primary before the midterms. Voters are heading to the polls in New Hampshire, where the highest profile race is the battle to replace retiring Democratic Senator Gene Shaheen, a seat that could be critical in the fight for control of the Senate in November.

17:05Let's get right to NBC News Chief Data Analyst Steve Kornacki, who is at the big board. Steve, what are you watching in the Granite State? Yeah, Kelly, it's interesting. This is a race that's a little bit different than how we normally talk about these Senate races this year, where normally it's about the Democrats being on offense, trying to flip Republican-held seats. Here's a state that is held by a Democrat now, as you say, Gene Jaheim not running for re-election, that Republicans are trying to turn into a battleground that they could flip this November. So the Democratic primary tonight here, really two main candidates to focus on here.

17:37Chris Pappas, he's a congressman, first elected back in 2018, basically from the eastern half of the state, Manchester, out to the coast here. He's been leading in the polling. He's got the most endorsements. He's got the most money. But there is some indication, some, and this is the mystery here, how much of this is real, that there might be some energy behind this candidate right here, Karishma Manzoor, who is very far to the left, is a Democratic socialist, part of the Democratic Socialists of America. We've seen those candidates have some surprising success in some places all across the primary map this year.

18:10Is this something that could get interesting tonight? That's what folks are wondering, how much of that potential energy is real for Manzur. And Republicans are hoping it's very real because they believe if Manzur ever were the nominee here, that that might sort to test the limits of voters in a state like New Hampshire, that in a climate like this, you think overall with Donald Trump's approval rating low, Trump losing New Hampshire every time he's run for president in the general election, you'd think the Democrats have the clear advantage here. Would Manzur winning this nomination change that?

18:42And Republicans are not just hoping for that. They also think that in the front runner on the Republican side here, John Sununu, they have a candidate who the type of voter I'm describing who might be a little uncomfortable with a candidate as far to the left as Minter. They think Sununu would be a good home for that voter. Sununu, a former senator, he held this seat back from 2002 to 2008. He beat Jean Shaheen to get the seat in 02. He lost to her in 08. Now she's retiring. He's running again. He's got President Trump's endorsement. He's far ahead in the polls. But you may recognize the name of his primary opponent here, his main opponent against.

19:16Really, it's a two-way race here, we think. But Scott Brown, former senator from Massachusetts, moved to New Hampshire, ran against and lost to Gene Shaheen in 2014. And Sununu, by the way, his brother Chris had been the governor until last year, left office with a very high approval rating. So see what happens in that Democratic primary. See if there's any surprises on the Republican side, but a seat that Republicans would love to make a battleground this fall. And if ever Republicans could flip New Hampshire this fall, that would totally scramble the math there for Democratic, for a control of the Senate that we've been talking about so much.

19:48By the way, quickly, one other race we are going to be watching tonight here. It is in that first congressional district, the seat that Pappas is vacating to run for the Senate here, Democratic primary. There's that name Shaheen again, the daughter of Jean Shaheen here running in that primary. Maura Sullivan, she lost to Pappas in 2018 when he won the congressional seat. She lost him in the primary. Carly Barion running sort of as the progressive candidate here. So a very sort of active Democratic primary, a Republican primary as well, where the power of the Trump endorsements being put to the test, Trump endorsing Anthony DiLorenzo.

20:23There is clearly some support here as well for Holly Noveletsky. So see what shakes out there. Although, again, the backdrop, this is a district. This is a district. I'm sorry, I thought that we're going to get the 2024 results right there. This is a district where the Democratic nominee, whoever it is tonight, will be the clear favorite in November. But two big primaries there in it to watch tonight. Steve, thank you so much. Appreciate all the number crunching, and we will see you for special coverage of tonight's election results on the latest edition of the Kornacki Cam, starting at 7 p.m.

20:55Eastern on NBCNews.com and YouTube. And joining me now is one of the individuals that Steve was just talking about, Democratic candidate for Senate in New Hampshire, Karishma Mansour. Thank you for making time to be with us. I know you are right in the middle of it. So to help our audience understand who you are and what you're about in this race. You are a member of the Democrat Socialist of America Party. And what do you say to voters who might be worried that backing your campaign could put this Senate seat at risk for that Republican flip that we were just hearing about? So first of all, I'm a Democrat.

21:32I'm part of the Democratic Party. So I'm not sure why I'm always called DSA and socialist. I'm a Democrat, just a regular old Democrat, but a good Democrat, not a Bob Democrat, not a corporate Democrat, just a normal progressive Democrat. And that's what I am. Let me see. Those kinds of fear-mongering tactics are always used by both parties just to ensure that the grassroots campaigns don't have any change. They're afraid of the people. I am coming from the people. I'm tired of the corporate Democrats and the corporate Republicans playing games with us while people are right here in the United States and in nature are suffering.

22:08We have a little bit of housing. child care crisis, a health care crisis, because both parties are playing games with our lives and are failing us. Well, you are a member. We have a little bit of a delay here, so bear with me. I don't mean to jump on your answers, but you are a member of DSA, which is part of why we raise it. And that then sort of leads to the question of, do you consider yourself a socialist or a capitalist? Again, trying to help voters understand where you are. I'm just a regular American trying to improve people's lives right here in New Hampshire. We are the richest country in the world, and I believe that anyone who works at 40...

22:46Do you consider yourself a socialist or a capitalist? I consider myself to be a scientist. A scientist? I'm a scientist. I'm not an ideologue. But when you put yourself on the ballot, people like to have some understanding of how these things work, so you won't answer a specific yes or no on that? It's interesting. But interestingly, it's only the media that are asking the questions. questions. I'm talking to people who are just excited. I'm talking about the fact that they don't have livable wages. Thank you. Okay, but also do fine. But ask me questions. For example, why a 17 year old here in New Hampshire just told me that her parents had to get a divorce so that her mom could have access to Medicaid because she has suffers from chronic illness and they have no access to health care.

23:33Parents had to get divorced. The mother could qualify for Medicaid, asked me about the young man, a 23-year-old that I just spoke to. His father was in so much despair, working two, three jobs, couldn't make ends meet, started to turn to alcohol and has just passed away. These are the stories I'm thinking about. Kids who are saying that their public education is underfunded. Kids who are just worried about growing up in the United States. Kids who are worried about turning 26 and losing their health insurance, their parents' health insurance. Those are real questions. Ask me those questions. I'm just trying to change people's lives.

24:09Well, those are the passions that you bring to your campaign. We're trying to sort of set the table for our viewers and voters to understand the terms here. That's all. Let me move on to this. I'd like to play something that Senator Elizabeth Warren, she's a progressive Democrat, said, and on why she's supporting your opponent over you. Let's play that clip. I believe that you vote for people you trust. We need allies who will be in this fight and who will be in this fight on behalf of bringing down costs for working families and hosing out the corruption that Donald Trump has accelerated in Washington.

24:49And I believe Chris Pappas is the person who will get that done. And we want to give you the opportunity to respond to Senator, to the senator's comments, why she's choosing Pappas over you. Elizabeth Warren and I have never met each other. She doesn't even know who I am. Has she ever had a chance to sit down and talk to me? No. So if she wants to say these answers, let her do it. It's the machine trying to basically protect the machine. What we are saying is we're done with the Democratic machine. We're done with the Republican machine. Our lives here in New Hampshire are really hurting. We have, again, a housing crisis.

25:28There are people who are desperately looking for places to live. They're on the streets. There's a health care crisis. There are thousands of people here in New Hampshire who do not have access to health care. We have a child care crisis. There are parents who cannot go back to work because they cannot afford child care. Those are the real problems that we need to address. Chris Pappas, whatever Elizabeth Warren wants to talk about, he has been there for eight years. Right here, he's from the city of Manchester. The homelessness crisis has doubled in the last few years. If he is doing such a great job, why are people right here in New Hampshire suffering?

26:03Why are people right here in his city suffering? So please, Elizabeth Warren can say whatever she wants. But interestingly, I am actually endorsed by the progressive Democrats of America. That's a nationwide organization actually invested in progressive values. Those are real progressives, and I'm a true progressive. Let me ask you about this. You have talked about Congressman Pappas. You've done so here. And you've said in the past that he is a part of the establishment for big corporate Democrats, as you would describe it. Now, whoever wins this primary is likely to face John Sununu based on just the polling as it stands right now, whoever the Republican ends up being.

26:42He's got a lot of money on hand. If you win if you win this primary, would you accept financing from the DNC to help bolster your war chest in the race toward November? as long as it's not PAC, corporate PACs, super PACs, APAC, dark sources. Yes, I am only going to be beholden to the people of the United States, not any kind of corporations, not any kind of special interests. I am only answering to the people of New Hampshire. And that is as a candidate and as a senator. That is the problem in our society at the moment. It's money fighting money. I appreciate the direct answer on that. That was very helpful.

27:25You've also we've got limited time, so bear with me. You've also been critical of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and said that you would not support him as leader if you were elected. Is there someone in the Democratic caucus that you would want to see as leader of the party in the Senate? There's some wonderful people, but I don't know if it makes sense for me to just throw some names around because I don't know if these people are interested in becoming a leader of the party. Once I'm in the Senate, I will talk to one of these amazing progressives or folks who are really trying to make a difference in the lives of Americans.

28:01And then I move forward from there. But I don't want to randomly throw out names. Fair enough. And if you are not successful, do you expect to support Chris Pappas? I don't understand. Right now, I've talked to hundreds of people just today. I'm exhausted. I'm talking about party unity. 435. I'm about people unity. People unity. I'm talking to Republicans, independents. We appreciate your time. I hope you feel you were able to get some of your views across. And we do. We do appreciate your time. And thank you for being with us today. And we'll turn next to the primary on the Republican side and former senator of Massachusetts, but we're talking in New Hampshire here, Scott Brown.

28:50He weighs in on why he thinks he can break into New Hampshire and beat a Sununu to boot. That interview is next on Meet the Press Now.

29:02Ever notice how every new AI tool asks you to explain your business to it all over again?

29:31Welcome to the Circle. In this game, you never meet the other players. Your goal is simple. become the most popular. But should you play as yourself or catfish as someone else? With a new host, celebrity contestants, and this time, audience voting will influence the game, you decide who has what it takes to win. Watch the Hulu original series, The Circle, on November 17th, streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers. Terms apply. Most women wait years before seeking relief from menopause symptoms. Menopause happens, but the suffering doesn't have to. Alloy was built by women who dealt with all of it.

30:11It's an all-in-one platform that provides expert care and real, effective treatment. Complete a simple online intake, get matched with a menopause-specialized doctor who creates a treatment plan and provides unlimited messaging support, and once approved, your prescription ships straight to your door. Join the women who found real relief. Head to myalloy.com and use code SXM20 for 20 % off your first order. Valid on products only.

30:40And welcome back. Joining me now is former Senator from Massachusetts, Scott Brown, who is running in tonight's Republican Senate primary in New Hampshire. He is a resident there. He made the move. He's against another former Senator, John Sununu. So welcome to Meet the Press Now. Good to have you with us. now it's great to be on great to see you again thank you so your opponent as you know john sununu with the heavy weight of the sununu name in new hampshire is leading you right now in polling the latest university of new hampshire poll by about 40 points that was taken in late august so do you have any indication based on what you're seeing on the ground the people you're talking to that you've been able to close that gap well first of all that's the same new hampshire a poll that had me down 15 points nine days pursuant to the Boston Globe before I beat Martha Coakley by six.

31:31We don't give any stock in that poll. We just got two recent polls. It has me up one and up two. And the people poll, listen, I've been working for 17 months. He came back after being in D.C. for 18 years and has really done nothing. He's nowhere to be found. He's doing kind of that front porch, back porch, basement type of campaign. And, you know, what's interesting, you referenced in your opening. Listen, I'm from New Hampshire. I was born at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyards. I'm a ninth generation son of the American Revolution out of Newington, New Hampshire. Been a homeowner taxpayer since 1990.

32:03John was born in Boston, you know, and Gene Jahan's from Missouri. So I actually am the only one from here. And people recognize that. And honestly, being there approved 94 to 4 as the ambassador from New Hampshire to New Zealand, Cook, New Way, Samoa, and all the activities you had. And I think you may have covered them. Some of the backyard barbecues with all the presidential candidates, not only in 16, but in the recent cycle and the activism and supporting everybody. It's kind of a no brainer. We have that MAGA base. President Trump's endorsement really doesn't matter because they recognize that the Sooners have never liked the president.

32:36And the question is, what did he do to get that endorsement? That's really what you should be asking. Yeah. Let me get at it. Then the president did endorse John Sooner. You worked for him in Trump one, serving in his administration as an ambassador. In many ways, you have reached out to the MAGA voter base. Do you think the president's endorsement, were you surprised that it didn't go your way? And what do you think its impact will be in this race? Well, I don't think it'll be impactful at all. He's at 32 percent, 33 percent here in New Hampshire. Women, he's down to 30, 32 percent. Independents especially, they're going to determine who's going to win this race.

33:13It's always been that way. We were like 34, I think 35 percent Republican, 32, 31 percent Democrat. The rest are independents. They're going to control this race. And respectfully, John was with Kasich. He was with Nikki. And then he wrote an op-ed calling Trump a loser a year before when he ran the last time. And yeah, I voted from three times. I supported him. The first mainstream guy to do so in 16. Yeah, of course I did. Yeah, of course I did. But here's what we're understanding. I call balls and strikes. I tell him when I think, for example, sir, when we are dealing with Canada, that I don't want to make them the 51st state.

33:49I don't want to belittle and embarrass them. I want you to get in a room with the prime minister and do a damn deal because they're they're five eyes partner, which is that in turn and intelligent security relationship. U.S. Canada, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand. That's why I chose New Zealand. Like get the get the get the deal done. So I say that. And, you know, you know, as well as I do, the president doesn't like to be questioned. And that's probably the reason. And when a vote comes up, you look at the special interests with John SLF, Senate, NRC, AFP, Turning Point. Then you get Chris Bapp as a litany of special interests.

34:22My only special interests are the people in New Hampshire. And it's just like 2010. You were there. The energy is just like it is. And these polls, listen, I know how New Hampshire breaks. You know, I've known it forever. It's the last five weeks and that's what's happening. And the fact that he ditched a debate from the only station in town. We had 10 ,000 people come over almost just like that. So it's going to be fun. I'm really excited. I feel really balanced about what's going on. You gave us a kind of a window into how you interact with the president. You bring in those diplomatic skills from being a sitting ambassador.

34:56When you think of ways in which you would challenge the president, what do you consider the most important issue where you would disagree with the president or stand up to him? well i already have i mean listen i supported him in the war he should have kept the pedal to the metal he didn't he gave them chance after chance after it's been six months and the fact that i think right away while we did the second we did obviously epic pharaoh then we did the second round after they said they had enough nuclear material for 11 nuclear weapons i was that was appropriate but i if he's going to put 50 000 troops in the ground he needs congressional approval.

35:32I've I said that that's one area. I also think that the economic sanctions that the Secretary Besant put on the secondary sanctions to China and Russia and others who are back filling their their basic coffers should have been done months ago. And I think Scott Besant does a great job because we have a rock solid foundation in our economy. But the mouthpiece and the president needs to focus on that. Things aren't OK, sir. You know, people are hurting. And while they support the war, obviously, you know, and they don't want Iran to have a nuclear weapon because I've been to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel, Dubai, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait.

36:06I understand that region. And they're the big bullies. They've been that way for 50 years. And it's stifling that part of the world. And it's wrong. So I want to make sure that we get this job done and we get back to the normalcy so we can focus on our our issues, our economy. In your answer there, you did have praise for Secretary Besant, who's at Treasury. What are your views on Secretary Hegseth? You have served in the military, National Guard, longtime service. Do you believe that he is handling the stewardship of the Pentagon in a way that you agree with? Well, first of all, I need to get in there and do a deep dive and look him in the eye and ask the appropriate questions.

36:46I look forward to getting that opportunity. Having served for 39 years, my last four were at the Pentagon, as you know. You saw me there advising the Joint Chiefs on the rules of law of war, rules of engagement. Rewrote the sexual assault regulations. He has the president's confidence. And that's the only thing that matters. The president is the commander in chief. Would I give guidance to him? Yeah, I can. I text him now. I'm happy to pick up the phone and speak to him. I look forward to this opportunity because John and Chris do not have any diplomatic experience. They have no military experience.

37:18And people around here know that. And it matters, especially this day and age. Fuel costs are affecting so many in not only gas, but also home heating. That's certainly an issue as we're heading into the cooler weather in the Northeast. The bump in costs on average,$771 per household is the estimate because of the Iran war. As a senator returning, if you are chosen by the citizens and voters of New Hampshire, what would you want to do first to try to reduce those costs? Well, first of all, I have to remind people that when I got back from New Zealand, you know, gas station was gas was much higher under President Biden and we didn't have that conflict.

37:59So we when President Trump got in, we increased our energy production. We became less reliant on foreign reserves and resources. And it's been coming down. Then we had the conflict and went back up. The first thing you can do, I mean, let's be real, is on the war. I mean, that's the trigger. And really, you didn't mention diesel. That's what's driving, obviously, the high cost of goods, because we need our truckers and others to get us the products. One of the first things I want to do is obviously make sure that if, in fact, our TSA and our Coast Guard and others aren't getting paid, then they're not getting paid and neither are their staff.

38:33And if the staff's not getting paid, I bet they will get everything done. But one of the most important things that we're noticing here is unfunded mandates. For example, special education. It's short. They only get about 40 percent reimbursement. And yet they're telling us what to do. First. Second thing I'm going to do is go around to every senator and say, hey, listen, Alabama, you're of 400 million. You're short 400 million. If we can find one point eight billion for a weaponization fund, we can actually find money to fully fund special education. You do that across the board. I guarantee you we'll find the money to basically fund fully funded special education, reduce the tax base on people, which obviously will give them more money in their pocket.

39:11So two things and the war and then fully fund special education that'll take a dramatic not only taxes, but energy costs. And I'm working against the clock. So thank you for your time today, giving us your views. And we wish you well as we do all the candidates in the arena. Thank you so much. It's great to see you and good luck and everyone have a wonderful week. Thank you, sir. And after the break, we'll have more coming up in A.I. in America, where the new polling says Americans are viewing artificial intelligence data centers as society grapples with the technology's sweeping impacts. We'll have more of that coming up on Meet the Press Now.

39:58Welcome back. Let's turn now to the growing power and concerns surrounding artificial intelligence. The latest NBC News Decision Desk poll showing Americans have deep reservations about the new technology. According to that poll, 70 percent say they are more worried than excited about artificial intelligence. And two thirds of Americans say AI poses a high to very high risk to society as a whole. Now, this comes as last week, OpenAI announced its newest model had achieved artificial general intelligence. That means human level intelligence. Here in Washington, lawmakers are scrambling to keep up.

40:38Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressman Greg Kesar recently introduced legislation to ban artificial super intelligence. Local communities are also grappling with the impact of AI. Both the New York City and Los Angeles school districts are now restricting the use of AI tools in classrooms. Meanwhile, a new study first reported by NBC News found the leading AI chatbots provided inaccurate information on basic questions about the elections or voting procedures ahead of the November midterms. And joining me now to break all of this down is NBC News reporter covering artificial intelligence, our resident expert Jared Perlow.

41:18Good to have you here to help us understand what these terms mean and how it all comes together. We're seeing that policymakers are trying to keep up with AI, but our poll shows Americans are trying to put the brakes on it where they can, feeling like the government is not doing enough. What can you tell us about how lawmakers are trying to rein in the AI companies? Well, it's great to see you again. And I quickly think that these midterms are quickly becoming the AI midterms. So we're seeing more and more interest from a range of lawmakers at the federal level, at the state level, at the local level, they're interested in regulating AI.

41:54Now, AI touches on almost every aspect of society. Now, we're about four years after ChatGPT was released, and so we're seeing a lot of different efforts throughout that AI continuum. So, as you mentioned, just a couple days ago, Senator Bernie Sanders and Greg Kesar in the House proposed this bill to restrict artificial superintelligence, that's AI, that's smarter than humans across most cognitive tasks. But we're also seeing a range of different options, you know, that are slightly less severe. So in March, there was a new update to the Guard Act, which would ban AI companions or, you know, chatbots that seem like they're humans from interacting with people under the age of 18, or you would need parental supervision, parental sign-off for that.

42:36But then we're also seeing more widespread efforts like the Frontier Act, which comes from Representative of Jay Obernolte of California, along with Lori Trahan of Massachusetts, that would require more transparency into what's actually happening at the largest AI companies in the country, like OpenAI, like Anthropic, like Google. A lot of what's happening with AI today at the cutting edge, we just don't know because it's all happening behind closed doors at those companies. The Frontier Act would try to inject some more transparency, require third-party audits, independent verification. So that's, I think, going to be taken up in the House in the coming weeks, in the coming days and should be voted on in committee before too long.

43:15So that's the policy. Let's dive into the product a little bit. We mentioned a new sort of milestone, the controversial milestone of artificial general intelligence. I am not familiar with what that actually means. Can you help us understand what it is and can it be safely deployed? Absolutely. Well, I think it's a code word for many and it can mean many different things to many different people, even in Silicon Valley. But broadly, I go with the definition that artificial general intelligence refers to AI systems that are broadly just as capable as humans across most meaningful cognitive tasks.

43:49Now, I like to say this is anything from writing an email, writing an essay, doing a spreadsheet at work, or coming up with a poem, doing math problems, anything like that that a human can do, at least cognitively. That's what artificial general intelligence, or AGI means. Now, I was on a call with OpenAI's president, Greg Brockman, last week, where he very excitedly said, welcome to the AGI era, because OpenAI was unveiling their latest model, which they're calling Astra. He says that Astra could probably be viewed as the first AI system that does seem like artificial general intelligence or AGI.

44:23Now, just today, we saw that OpenAI system built off of Astra, kind of the next generation, solve this math problem that's been percolating for 200 years. It had a prize of a million dollars. So it's certainly very capable at some things. But I think the question of whether it can replace humans or compete with humans across all these different tasks just as well as a human can think, that's still up for debate. Of course, these companies are also rushing to IPO. So getting their investors some money and some of that hype is certainly part of the calculus here as well. It is so much to process, to understand.

44:55We're grateful you can come here and help us to put it all together. We'll see you again soon. Thank you so much, Jared. Appreciate your time. Thank you. And still to come, unconventional politics. The panel looks ahead to Republicans' midterm rally tomorrow, first of its kind. So keep it here on Meet the Press Now.

45:21Welcome back. It's panel time on the eve of the Republicans' midterm convention, which, as we noted, plenty of lawmakers are planning to not be there in person. Some Republicans appear to be distancing themselves from the president in a different way. According to Politico, California Congresswoman Young Kim has deleted several references to President Trump from her campaign's website. A spokesperson for the Congresswoman told Politico it's completely absurd to infer that she was trying to disassociate from President Trump. Now, this comes after NBC News recently reported that Ralph Alvarado, a Trump-backed House candidate from Kentucky, removed mentions of the president from his website as well.

46:03And joining me now is our panel, Shelby Talcott, White House correspondent for Semaphore, Antoine Seawright, Democratic strategist, founder of and CEO of Blueprint Strategies, and Mark Bednar, who is here as our Republican strategist and principal at Monument Advocacy. Shelby, let me start with you. We're seeing these examples where candidates who are lawmakers are trying to find ways to put some daylight between themselves and the president. How is the White House handling that? Are they giving them room to do it in order to win or are they irritated? So far, the White House is giving them room, I think, partially because the president over the past few months has a little bit had to be coaxed into really having an active participation when it comes to the midterms.

46:48He's much more involved now than I would say he was six months ago, whereas his aides six months ago were trying to get him more involved. But at the same time, I think there's definitely frustration when I talk to administration officials and people close to the White House. They've consistently argued to me, even behind the scenes, that they believe that Republicans will do better if they embrace Trump policies. Whether or not that is that is the reality, that's what they're arguing. That's part of why you're seeing the president get out on the campaign trail more is because they're trying to get that sort of 30 percent, 20 percent of the core Trump voters who only show up for Trump.

47:23And they believe that if Republican candidates hype that up, they'll have a better chance of getting those voters out. They want the people who have the Trump flag in their yard to actually go and vote. Mark, let me ask you, when you see changes like that, removing something from a Web site, distancing on a policy issue, those are not accidental changes. Those are intentional, thoughtful moves, usually with an aim. Do you think this is the right way for these candidates to go about it? I think it's overthinking it. It's being a little bit short-sighted because a couple of things can be true at the same time.

47:56One, President Trump has the highest approval rating amongst Republicans for any Republican president in history, right? Simultaneously, turnout is dependent on base voters and swing voters. So you need to be able to speak to all audiences at once. And so for anyone to say that they're going to shun President Trump and that's going to help them win the election if you're Republican, that's that's absolutely a mistake. So leaning into President Trump to to reach those voters who even in 2024, we should have two more Republican senators from Michigan and Wisconsin. But Trump voters, they actually peeled off and they did not vote for down the ballot.

48:29So this is a lesson for Republicans. Antoine, what can Democrats do with these sort of details? a little distance and not going to the convention, maybe a differing view, these signs of perhaps discontent. What do Democrats do with it? Well, that crisis convention, better known as a shakedown meeting based on the prices they're charging for those to participate and have pictures, are simply a way for the president to, I think, lean in on his control freak type nature. He wants to control the news cycle. He wants to control the base. He wants people to believe that somehow or another he's more popular than what he is.

49:01The truth of the matter is Donald Trump and Maga Mike Johnson are walking and talking liabilities for Republicans in the midterms. So you're going to see candidates run full steam backwards away from them and their policies. The problem with that is you can run, but you can't hide in politics. And when you think about the price of gas, groceries, goods, services, health care, utilities, housing, all those things, Republicans own that and voters are going to, I think, display their displeasure with this Republican majority. Should Democrats sort of harness the imagery from this midterm convention or just let Republicans sort of fold on themselves if that is what happens?

49:39Well, we know they're not going to talk about material life changing issues because they've done nothing on that regard. So I think we should let them lean into their red meat, right wing racist bigotry to some degree. But I think we have to continue to highlight their theories, but talk about what we are going to be for, fighting for an affordable America, holding the crooks accountable, lowering the cost of prices of gas, goods, groceries and services, but also dealing with health care. The number one defining issue I think this election cycle will be about. And Shelby, you're reporting you talked about how there has been a move within the White House to get the president more involved.

50:14One thing we're seeing is opening up the checkbook from his mega funds, his enormous campaign war chest that had not been going where certainly Senate Democrats want. What are you seeing there in a new infusion for Ken Paxton? Well, this is what a lot of Republicans have been waiting for a long time. There were so many questions that I'm sure we all heard about when is this money actually going to start being used? And I think it's really notable that it went to Ken Paxton. I don't think it's surprising. I think, you know, when I talked to people, that is where that is one of the places that they assumed it was going to go.

50:47In deep red Texas, the president's got to spend money. It just points to the argument that we heard from a lot of Republicans when the president backed Kim Paxton, which is this is a shakier candidate and it is going to require more money to get him across the finish line. But the president backed him. And so now you're seeing that support from the president because he is a Trump endorsed candidate. Mark, you've had to look at resources and decide where should they go? How much is this the right amount now? I mean, we're running out of weeks here. Should it be more right now? Well, you need to work yourself backward from Election Day.

51:20So to be spending now with eight weeks or so to go, that's a good thing. What's additionally important about President Trump's money, where he shows his buys, that also shows other donors, other candidates, where they should pool their resources to. Because you want to be able to duplicate your resources on top of other ad buys. So if the president says, I care about Texas, I care about all these different states and districts, that's good for Republican donors in general to be able to. They see where true north is and they can funnel their resources that way, too. You mean toward Texas or do you mean in other areas where there might be?

51:53All the above. President Trump says, I care about this race. I care about this candidate. By the way, you can spend your money elsewhere, too. But here's where here's where we're focused on right now. That the sooner and the more that President Trump does that, the better it is for Republicans. That argument sounds like what they say down in Texas, all hat, no cattle. The bottom line is, if the president is spending$10 million in deep red Texas, that means there's something in the milk that's not clean. The reality is Donald Trump cannot and will not show up in competitive races, whether it's House or Senate races, because he's a liability.

52:25What he wants to do, I think, is kind of spend time with the base and solidify a very fractured Republican Party because of him and because of his policies. I think$10 million in Texas should send a strong signal to the nation that the Republicans are on political life support. And I think voters will pull the plug in November. Well, this ain't Texas. This is New Mexico. Let me ask you about the president's interest in the state naming rights for New Mexico. So the home to Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos. He wrote on a post many people suggesting changing the name of New Mexico, one of the great, as he called it, vote cheating states of all time to New America.

53:06What does your reporting say? Is this just a kind of a trolling move or is there anything to it? Yeah, I was asking around about this and some of his other posts this weekend about Iceland and Mexico and Greenland. And one White House insider said to me, quote, troll city, even as this person acknowledged that this was a post from Trump, because one of the questions I had is, is this coming from the president or is this one of the posts that are coming from one of his aides who has access to his true social posts? So a lot of the White House is viewing this as a troll. But at the same time, it's notable because the president has renamed things in the past.

53:42He certainly has. We are running out of time. I have more topics, more pages, many things to talk about. Please come back. Always good to have you with us. Thank you all for being here. And we'll have more of Meet the Press Now tomorrow. At Jared Jewelers, we know the right gift can bring a lifetime of meaning, a memory cherished forever. 20 % off storewide. Exclusions apply. See jared.com backslash radio for details. Jared, make the holiday last forever. Shop Jared Jewelers.