Sept. 20 — Sen. John Barrasso, Sen. Cory Booker and Hasan Minhaj

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1:00Kristen Welker: This Sunday, price check. Just 44 days until the midterms, a new NBC News poll reveals voters are feeling the squeeze as gas prices surge and the Fed raises interest rates.

1:13Steve Kornacki: Inflation is too high and has been for too long. Obviously, gas prices are too high right now. Diesel prices are too high. It's a very inexpensive price to pay for what we've done. We have a damn good chance of taking back the Senate.

1:26Kristen Welker: I'll talk to Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey and Republican Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming. And Steve Kornacki breaks down the latest numbers to watch. Plus, warning from within. A Republican congresswoman challenges President Trump on his immigration crackdown. Some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far. The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today. is the White House listening and stand-up act. My meet-the-moment conversation with comedian Hasan Minhaj on family, identity, and celebrating his cultural roots in his new film.

2:08This is a love letter to my community. It's a love letter to my upbringing.

2:11Kristen Welker: Joining me for insight and analysis are NBC News White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor, New York Times columnist Jamel Bowie, and Republican strategist Sarah Fagan. Welcome to Sunday. It's Meet the Press. From NBC News in Washington, the longest running show in television history. This is Meet the Press with Kristen Welker. Good Sunday morning. President Trump is banning news organizations from the White House, CNN, MSNOW and Politico while attacking their coverage of his administration. And this weekend, the White House began enforcing that ban, denying journalists entry. It's happening just 44 days before the midterms, where the battle for control of Congress is intensifying, with the economy emerging as a defining issue for voters.

3:04Kristen Welker: Inflation is rising. Gas prices are surging. And this week, the Fed raised interest rates for the first time in three years. From the housing market to the gas pump, voters are feeling the squeeze. So which party do they trust to turn things around? Joining me now for a look at our new NBC News poll is NBC News chief data analyst Steve Kornacki. Steve, good morning. There's so much to go through in this poll.

3:30Steve Kornacki: Absolutely, Kristen. Good morning to you. And let's start with the bottom line number here on the president's job performance. It stands at 41 percent approval in our new NBC News poll. And this is the lowest mark for Trump in our poll during his second term here. This number was closer to the mid-high 40s when he started out, now down to 41 inside of two months until Election Day. What is driving that? What is dragging him down? Huge thing here, obviously, it's the economy. Asking folks, have Trump's policies helped or hurt? Only a quarter, basically, of voters are saying they've helped. A majority now saying that they've hurt.

4:04Steve Kornacki: And just look at the change here over the course of this year. Back in March, the numbers weren't good for the president, but he was about 10 points better on help. And hurt wasn't yet a majority. It's now nearly 60 percent of independent voters, Kristen, who say Trump's policies have hurt when it comes to the economy. And it's not just the economy. It's also the war with Iran. Look at this asking, do you think it's worth it or not? Only a third of voters say worth it. Sixty two percent say it isn't. So those are two major drags on Trump and his party. Asking bigger picture here, folks, what do you think the single most important issue facing the country is?

4:37Steve Kornacki: You see inflation at the top of the list. You see the others that make the top list here. Where do voters think? How do they rank the parties? Which party on each issue do they say would do a better job? And check this out. What do you see? Almost all blue. One advantage for the Republicans on immigration. But look at this on inflation and on jobs in the economy. That may not look like much. Plus one for the Democrats. That's the first time in our poll in nine years since 2017 that there's been any kind of Democratic advantage there.

5:06Kristen Welker: Well, it's a significant shift, and it is notable Republicans still leading on immigration. But, Steve, as you say, inflation continues to be the top issue for voters.

5:15Steve Kornacki: Yeah, top of the list means more voters say that than any other issue. And you see that Democratic advantage there. And another thing this translates into, this is negative energy. This is something Republicans and the president have to worry about. We asked voters here, is your midterm vote going to send a signal of opposition to the president? Look at this. 43 percent say yes. They want to signal opposition to Trump. We've been asking this question, look at this, going back 20 years in midterms, never seen a number this high. That includes in Trump's first term when it was only 33 percent. So that's another clear headwind for the president and for his party.

5:50Steve Kornacki: Now, here's where things get a little interesting, though. Ask about the image of each party, right? Democrats and Republicans. Republicans are not that popular. The Democrats are far less popular, 29 and 50. And that is a change. The 2018 midterm of Trump's first term here, you can see it. still unpopular Republicans, better numbers for Democrats.

6:08Kristen Welker: Well, and here we are talking about the headwinds for Republicans. This is a clear headwind for Democrats heading into the midterms.

6:14Steve Kornacki: Absolutely. Republicans are hoping this gives voters who are not sold on Trump pause before actually flipping over and voting for Democrats. And then you take a look at where that might be coming from as well here. Your opinion of the movement sort of shaping each party, the MAGA movement for Republicans, the Democratic Socialists of America. We've seen energy from them in the primaries this year. Neither one you can see is popular at all. Very, very unpopular with all voters here. And then take a look here among independents in particular. It's nearly 60 percent negative for MAGA. The DSA a little bit less well known, but 16 positive, 46 negative.

6:48Steve Kornacki: Now, what does this all translate into? Everything we've been showing you, the bottom line number here, the generic congressional ballot, which party do folks say they vote for for Congress right now. That's a five point advantage, 50 to 45 for the Democrats right now. Now, again, we can compare it eight years ago, Trump's first midterm at about around the same point. It was a seven point advantage for Democrats.

7:08Kristen Welker: Well, a slightly larger advantage. And we remember back in 2018, there was a blue wave. Democrats taking back the House, netting more than 40 seats. That's right.

7:17Steve Kornacki: And if there's going to be a blue wave like that this time, the Democrats need to make some big incursions in the Republican territory. Republicans are hoping that while this is not a good number for them, it's close enough that it can prevent those deep incursions.

7:28Kristen Welker: All right. Well, a lot to watch, and we will see you a whole lot between now and November. Steve Kornacki, fascinating stuff. Thank you so very much. And with just six weeks to go, the economy is front and center on the campaign trail. This week, Vice President J.D. Vance acknowledged there's more work to do, asking voters for more time.

7:48Steve Kornacki: Whenever you hear me talk during this midterm campaign, I'll say Rome was not built today because we know there's a lot of work to do. don't give power to the people who cause the problems that we're fixing. Give us another chance or give us another couple of years to continue to work on the amazing things that we've been doing for the past two years.

8:05Kristen Welker: And joining me now is Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming. Senator Barrasso, welcome back to Meet the Press. I'm great to be with you here from Iowa, where I'm campaigning with Ashley Hinson for the United States Senate. And we're pointing out the difference between common sense Republican candidates and these crazy Democrat candidates who have taken over their party. Well, you take me to my very first question, Senator, because you are out there in Iowa campaigning with Ashley Hinson. And it comes as both nationally and in Iowa, the cost of diesel is the highest it's ever been, Senator.

8:43Kristen Welker: And since the beginning of the war, the price of gas is about 50 percent higher nationwide. The president said this month those prices likely won't come down until after the midterms. Should voters in Iowa hold Republicans responsible for those higher prices, Senator? Well, people all around the country are feeling the pain. I'm hearing it in Wyoming with our farmers and ranchers as well. But people vote about what's going on in their life and their future. And we know we need to do more. We need to get more money into people's pockets. That's what Republicans want to do. But let's talk about what we have done.

9:19And that is We've prevented a four trillion dollar tax increase. We've gotten rid of taxes on tips and social security and on overtime. And we know what the Democrats would do if they were able to take over. They would put all those taxes back on for the purpose of paying for health care for illegal immigrants. So they want to put on taxes on waitresses, on nurses who work overtime, firefighters and on our seniors. I mean, there's a huge difference between where Republicans want to take this country and where Democrats want to take this country. Those Democrats that are so unpopular in your poll, why?

9:54They want to eliminate Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. They want to defund the police. They want to get rid of the military. They want to open the borders. They talk about opening the prisons and putting these prisoners back in our communities. That doesn't make us safer. It doesn't make us more prosperous. And that is the difference between common sense and the craziness. And I think that's what this election is going to be about.

10:14Kristen Welker: You know, Senator, you're talking about those tax cuts. They have all but been wiped out by the cost of President Trump's tariffs, the war with Iran. According to Moody's, in fact, the war with Iran has cost the average American household a total of$1 ,760. Is there a disconnect from what you and your fellow Republicans are saying and what people are feeling in their pockets? But we're always looking for ways to put more money in people's pockets. And I hear it in Wyoming all the time at the grocery store, at the gas station. People are paying more and we need to do more. And that's why we need more American energy production.

10:55We need to get rid of regulations. We need to do more with permitting. That's legislation we're working on now. The president and Republicans are focused on all of those things. At the time, the Democrats have gone so far to the left that they don't want to do those sorts of things. And I'll tell you, once this war in Iran is over, diesel prices are going to go down and stay down under President Trump. But they would stay up forever under the Democrats and specifically diesel in Wyoming. I was in Matitsi, Wyoming last week talking to ranchers and farmers there. Diesel is over six dollars a gallon now.

11:29But in California, it's over eight dollars a gallon. And the difference is the rules, the regulations, all the climate issues in California. If the Democrats took over, prices would go up to those levels, which are over two dollars higher in California than they are in Wyoming right now.

11:46Kristen Welker: Senator, as you all know, President Trump did promise lower prices since you're in Iowa. I have to ask you, Senator Chuck Grassley just this morning calling for an export ban on diesel to help lower those prices. Would you support an export ban, Senator? Well, the president is considering a number of different things that he can do. Right now, we know that regulations are adding to the price and it would get worse if the Democrats were in charge. What we do in Wyoming, you know, we import diesel from Canada. We refine it and then send it back. So the president will consider a number of things.

12:26What we need to do is when the war is over, prices are going to come down and stay down significantly.

12:30Kristen Welker: Just very quickly, are you saying you're open to an export ban if the president were to support that? I think the president, the president is considering a number of different options. Canada is our number one trading partner, and we work closely with them on diesel in and out of the country. All right. Let me ask you again, since you're in Iowa, about something that Iowa Republican Congresswoman Marionette Miller-Meeks posted this week after another attempt by Congress to end the war with Iran. She writes, the Iranian regime and its nuclear ambitions have been defanged. The president needs to present a plan to Congress and the American people for how this ends so we can focus on bringing our soldiers home and lowering prices.

13:16Kristen Welker: Senator, do you believe it is time for this war to end? Everyone wants the war to end. We as our children and America are safer with Iran, not having a nuclear weapon. And what we see now is the pressure campaign is working. Iran is continuing their current playbook. I mean, what are they doing right now? Increasing some attacks and then saying we demand talks. That's the way they've continued to do it. They are more desperate. We're going to continue with what we're doing with the strikes, with the sanctions and also with negotiations. Iran has never been weaker. Inflation is rampant in Iran now.

13:57It's at an 80 year high. They are in shambles in terms of their military, their leadership, in terms of their economy. And it's going to get worse for them because we have now passed the House and the Senate in bipartisan ways, the Lindsey Graham Sanctions Act, which has to do with both Iran and Russia. So the heat is going to be turned up again on Iran. And what we know is this is American peace through strength. And we're going to continue on this course.

14:24Kristen Welker: All right, Senator, a number of more issues to get through with you. Let me ask you, as you know, the president said this war would end with a negotiation, a deal to end Iran's nuclear program. Would you support ending the war without such a deal? We need to make sure Iran can never get a nuclear weapon. That has to be the bottom line. Iran has been at war with the United States for the last 50 years, attacking, killing Americans. President Trump is the first one to actually act and act decisively on that. We need to make sure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon. Let me ask you about this core promise that we've heard from President Trump.

15:03Kristen Welker: He reiterated it from the Oval Office on Friday that every single American will get$5 ,000 checks if Republicans hold on to the House and the Senate. Do you commit that if Republicans hold on to Congress, Americans will see those checks? The president's always looking for ways to get more money in people's pockets. So we've done it already legislatively in some ways, as you point out, with higher gas prices, higher grocery prices that I see in Wyoming and people are seeing all around the country. We need to do more. I've outlined some of those things with energy, with regulations and also with permitting.

15:43I think those things make a better sense long term than any single check could do. Bottom line is the president is right to be focused on people and the economy. I'm focused on winning the House and winning the Senate, because, as you know, the president said we get to that point with checks only after we win the House and the Senate. My focus is the next 44 days.

16:04Kristen Welker: So if you, in fact, do that, if Republicans can hold the House and the Senate, would you, in fact, support those checks? Do you commit that they will go out to Americans? Well, I know you asked the Speaker of the House this a number of times last week and kept coming back to the question. I agree with the Speaker. We will have a discussion in Congress. It's something Congress would have to decide and vote. And we'll have that discussion in the next Congress with preferably the Republican common sense candidates in place in office instead of the crazy Democrats who want to take this country far, far to the left in places I don't think America wants to go.

16:40Kristen Welker: I want to talk about immigration enforcement and play for you a new ad from Florida Republican Congresswoman Maria Avira Salazar. This week, she speaks direct to camera to President Trump. I'm going to play it. Get your reaction on the other side. Take a look. Mr. President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far. In July, 50 % of the 50 ,000 people that were detained had no criminal record. Be careful what your advisors are telling you about immigration policies. The same Hispanics who helped you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today. Senator, do you agree that some of President Trump's enforcement policies have, quote, gone too far?

17:24She is speaking about her district. She knows her district. Candidates know their own district. The president has seen that. And he said he understands her situation and position. What I will tell you is the president is in office today because Joe Biden and the Democrats let in over 10 million illegal immigrants, sometimes up to 10 ,000 a day. And they included drug dealers, criminals, gang members, one of whom killed Lakeyn Riley, a nursing student, out for a jog. And what we also know is that the candidates that are running on this Democrat socialist agenda that is way out there, the Democrat candidate in Texas wants to lay out a welcome mat at the southern border.

18:06You know, I can run through the states of the candidates that want to destroy ICE, tear ICE apart, says ICE is evil. I don't agree with that. Senator, has anything gone too far for you? All the illegal immigrants have voting rights. But you had talked about prioritizing those with criminal backgrounds.

18:21Kristen Welker: Has anything gone too far for you, given the fact that a lot of people have been rounded up without criminal backgrounds? Well, number one is we are deporting illegal immigrant criminals, and that's the way we need to continue to do that. Americans overwhelmingly support that. We need to make sure we do it in the right way. I visit with Mark Wayne Mullen regularly about that. He meets with senators to make sure we can do it in the right way. We have a new director of Homeland Security, and I appreciate what Mark Wayne Mullen is accomplishing. All right. I do want to ask about President Trump's decision to ban CNN, MSNOW and Politico from the White House over their reporting, which he disagrees with.

19:01Kristen Welker: Do you agree with the president's ban, Senator? We all respect and value the freedom of the press. It's in the Constitution. The president, remember in his first term, he was banned from Twitter. He was banned from Facebook. And I didn't see people come to his defense. So it goes both ways. The press has an obligation to report fairly. And the president doesn't see it happening that way. Every politician wants fair treatment from the press, as do I, as does the president. No president has ever thought they've gotten fair treatment from the press, to be fair. But as you know, Senator, the First Amendment guarantees freedom of the press.

19:44Kristen Welker: Courts have barred the White House from banning access over their coverage. Do you believe he is violating the constitution with this ban, Senator? No. I believe the press has an obligation to report fairly. When you take a look at this president and you take a look at the Hunter Biden laptop, if you want to really get into things where the press ignored the reality for a long period of time, said it was a Russian hoax. But the bottom line on all of this is this is not going to have an impact on an election 44 days from now. People are going to go to the voting booth. They're going to make a decision based on their life, their future, what they believe is best for them and their families.

20:25And my point is that they're going to choose between common sense Republicans and crazy Democrats. And I think when they make that decision, they'll say in the long term for their lives, they're going to be better with Republicans, which is why your polling shows the Democrats in dire straits as they're even less popular right now than the Republicans.

20:44Kristen Welker: Senator, I just want to play one thing that President Trump said during his joint address to Congress back in 2025. Take a look. And I have stopped all government censorship and brought back free speech in America. It's back. Senator, the president and the administration has now limited reporters it doesn't like in the Pentagon and the White House. Do these bans amount to government censorship? You know, I think I've answered it. You've asked the question a couple times than I've answered. All right. Senator John Barrasso, thank you so very much for being here. Be safe out on the campaign trail there in Iowa.

21:20Kristen Welker: We really appreciate it. Thank you. When we come back, Democratic Senator Cory Booker joins me next.

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23:08Kristen Welker: Welcome back. And joining me now is Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey. Senator Booker, welcome back to Meet the Press. It is so good to be back along. Thanks for having me. It's so great to have you here in person. Thank you. I want to start our conversation where I left off with Senator Barrasso. Get your reaction to this ban by the Trump administration of three major news outlets. Do you think it violates the Constitution? It clearly does. What bothers me is not only this violation of the Constitution, But remember, in unprecedented ways, he's using his Justice Department to persecute reporters.

23:41He's basically said, if you break stories on me I don't like, my Justice Department is going to investigate you. In fact, look at what he did after the Qatar Airway, that sort of I call cowardice retreat from the airplane where he escaped in a dining car. Immediately, they started launching investigations against those reporters. So much so that a federal judge said he was going to sanction the Justice Department. they quickly withdrew. So this president has no regard for the First Amendment. He's going after reporters. And this ban just doubles down.

24:12Kristen Welker: All right. Well, I want to turn to the Democratic Party's image now with just less than two months until the midterms. And I want to ask you a little bit about our poll. We laid it out at the top. The Democratic Party is viewed less favorably than both the Republican Party and President Trump and only slightly more favorably than the MAGA movement. And when voters hear about the Democratic Socialists of America and socialism in general, those fare even worse. Does the Democratic Party have a brand problem, Senator? Well, look, I think the Democratic Party will do much better if it's less concerned with the Democratic Party and really focuses on the people.

24:48And to me, I see leaders and candidates all around the country not talking about the Democratic Party, talking about the urgency we have right now to stop these costs from going up that had been triggered by Donald Trump, by his war, by his reckless terrorists, by his tax plan, which cut and gutted programs for working Americans in order to give big tax breaks to the wealthiest. We are in an existential crisis right now in a country that's not left or right, it's right or wrong. And that's why you see Republicans leaving him, independents leaving him, and so much enthusiasm amongst Democrats.

25:21Kristen Welker: But Senator, you see there in our poll, socialism is viewed even more negatively, as I said, than the MAGA movement. President Trump is trying to paint progressives and frankly, all Democrats as socialists. And we're seeing one of the big battles play out for progressivism in Michigan right now with Abdul Al-Sayed, the candidate there, who did tell me he was a capitalist, by the way. But do you think Democrats are drawing a firm enough line between themselves and socialism? Again, this is really what the Republicans want to do, focus on a few fringe people. I serve in the United States Senate, and I can go through my colleagues left and right.

26:03What we want right now is to end these reckless tariffs and drive down prices, to end this war, to drive down prices and give a tax plan for this country that puts more money in working people's pockets and ends the giveaways to the wealthiest of Americans. This is a distraction. The party, in my opinion, is being represented right now by the key battleground states. And those folks in those purple states are right in line with the people they're trying to represent.

26:30Kristen Welker: All right. Let's talk about some of the issues that Democrats are debating right now. Top of the list, Medicare for all. I asked House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who was here last month, if he would put a Medicare for all bill on the House floor, should he become Speaker of the House? He told me it's not legislation he currently supports. You were, of course, co-sponsor of the last Medicare for All bill in 2025. Would you like to see Medicare for All get a vote in the House and in the Senate? So let me say what my values are that the American people agree overall with is we must get to universal coverage.

27:11In the United States of America, the richest country in this world, it is outrageous that people have to ration their drugs or outrageous that they go without doctor's appointments because they can't afford going to the doctor. We are in a health care crisis accelerated by Donald Trump. And so there are many ways to get to universal coverage. I'm exploring all of them. But one thing I know we agree on is not the slogans. We agree on universal coverage and health care being a right in America.

27:37Kristen Welker: Universal coverage. But does that include Medicare for all? Are you going to push for that if, in fact, Democrats take blast back to the House. I'm going to tell you what we're going to do exactly. If we take office, the first thing we do is stop these disastrous trillion-dollar Medicaid cut that is causing hospitals to close all over the country and crippling hospitals in my state. Number two we're going to do is restore the Obamacare subsidies, which right now has driven millions of Americans off of their care. Again, this is not a time for slogans. It's a time for us to get back to what we need to, which is a pathway to universal coverage, which Barack Obama brought us a long way down the path.

28:13Donald Trump has set us back. I'm going to look at every single way for us to get there. Wherever we can get consensus in our party is where we should go.

28:20Kristen Welker: Let's talk about another big issue that Democrats are debating right now. The Supreme Court, former Vice President Kamala Harris, has argued that Democrats should add four justices to the Supreme Court. As you know, it's been a big debate in your party. I want to play what you had to say about this idea back in 2019. Take a look. Look, I worry about people that want to rush to expanding the Supreme Court because I worry, where does that stop? Is it a race to the bottom? Does the Democratic Party get the kind of alignment of power in order to do that and expand it by a couple justices? And then the Republican Party come, and when they have an alignment of power, they do the same thing.

28:54And then one day my grandchildren will be asking me, hey, granddad, why is there 101 justices on the Supreme Court?

29:00Kristen Welker: Do you still believe that expanding the Supreme Court, adding seats to Do the Supreme Court risks the kind of arms race that you talked about in 2019? Well, I've now come out with some really great colleagues of mine, and we've put forward a vision for the Supreme Court that's overwhelmingly supported by over 70 percent of Americans. And it's this. You create term limits for the Supreme Court. 18-year terms. Every president we elect, we now know, gets two appointments to it. And that is vital. It will create a balanced court, and it's something we can do without a constitutional amendment or a simple court-packing plan.

29:33I want pragmatic solutions. But let me add the most important thing. Not only is it term limits for Supreme Court members, right now we have a situation where the highest court in the land has the lowest ethics laws. We have a compromised court because they take unlimited gifts from billionaires who have interest in matters before them. We need to put the highest ethics laws there and term limits.

29:53Kristen Welker: You're calling it court packing. Are you against adding more justices? I put my plan before the American people, along with some incredible colleagues of mine. We polled it. We know it's supported overwhelmingly. Would you rule out supporting adding justices? I will fight for the plan and the vision that I have for our nation, ending corruption in all three branches of government and putting term limits on the Supreme Court and strict ethics laws on every branch. Let's talk about AI. Of course, one of the major issues right now, you've called on President Trump to summon Congress back to deal with this issue.

30:24Kristen Welker: It comes as Senator Bernie Sanders, some of your other colleagues on the left actually want to pause advanced AI development and halt new AI data centers. Would you support an outright pause on AI development right now? Well, let's be clear. Artificial intelligence without human wisdom, discernment, and judgment is going to be catastrophic. We have three problems right now. One is making sure the cataclysmic predictions don't become real. Two, stopping the harms right Right now, we're seeing chatbots hurting our children, scams hurting seniors, surveillance prices driving up prices. But the third thing is capturing the benefits of AI for the American people, not just making a handful of people billionaires and even trillionaires.

31:10There's so much upside for humanity. And so what we need to do right now is have common sense. Yes, if the ability to control AI is outpaced by the threats, we should do things to slow it down. That's common sense. Three years ago, I was writing to the then president saying, we need to do common sense steps like having fierce, independent evaluations of AI, rigorous testing of the models, pre-deployment, and safeguards. We haven't seen that yet. And the consequences of that lack of action is making this all the more threatening. Call Congress back in. This is a time we need to do something bold and common sense when it comes to AI.

31:51Kristen Welker: All right. Finally, before I let you go, I do want to ask you one question about 2028. Governor Gavin Newsom said this week, got a lot of attention. He said he's not going to run for president as former Vice President Kamala Harris does run. Is there a universe, Senator, where you would wait to make your decision about running for president based on what Kamala Harris decides? Well, first and foremost, I'm running for re-election in New Jersey. I know that's your focus right now. And please go to CoryBooker.com and contribute. help me because we're running only on small dollar and individual contributions, not corporate PAC money, not issue area PAC money.

32:28We're trying to set a standard. I'm the only person in all of Congress now that doesn't take issue area PAC money, doesn't take corporate PAC money, doesn't take lobbyist money. But let me be clear on this point. After the election, my wife and I are going to make our decisions based upon can we offer the kind of leadership we think our country needs. I think our leadership, we need to renew the very idea of America. We need to renew our spirit, but more importantly, redeem the dream. Because right now, most Americans don't believe in that. That means bold economic plans and an anti-corruption agenda that ends the influence on all three branches of government that is corrupting our government as a whole.

33:03Kristen Welker: All right. Cory Booker, thank you so much for being here, Senator. Really appreciate it. Appreciate you. All right. When we come back, the warning signs for Republicans. What will they mean for the midterms? The panel is next.

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34:50Kristen Welker: Welcome back. The panel is here. NBC News White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor, New York Times columnist Jamel Bowie, and Republican strategist Sarah Fagan. Thanks so much to all of you for being here. We've got this huge poll, Yamiche, that Steve Kornacki laid out. Seventy percent of voters say their vote in this year's midterms will be a signal about President Trump. I want to play a little bit for you of what we've heard from Vice President J.D. Vance this week. Take a look.

35:19Steve Kornacki: Don't give power to the people who cause the problems that we're fixing. Give us another chance or give us another couple of years to continue to work on the amazing things that we've been doing for the past two years.

35:30Kristen Welker: Yubishi, you've been talking to your sources in the administration outside. What's the strategy? Well, there's a lot of concern in the White House and among Republicans that the economy is just going to drag them down. And what you heard from the vice president is just a portion of what he's telling Republicans. There was this leaked audio this week where the vice president told House Republicans, you can't ignore the fact that this economy is bringing people down and that people are concerned about this, that things aren't perfect. He said that he should be looking at he and other Republicans should be looking at blaming Democrats for this.

36:01That being said, you have the president also having a real hard time landing on a message. The president at one point was saying that the economy was going great. Look at the stock market. He's now starting to try to level with people. And in his latest in his latest talks, we've been talking about the idea that people should be understanding that the war in Iraq and the war in Iran, rather, that it's going to cost people money and that we need to essentially be OK with the pain there. But the president is essentially telling people, give us a little bit more time. That's not really landing with people.

36:32As you can see in the poll, there are a lot of people that are saying, look, I'm not feeling the way that the president is doing this. And they're blaming it, frankly, on the war in Iran because we know that that is what's impacting gas prices. And the president is making that very clear as well. So it's really a conundrum for Republicans.

36:46Kristen Welker: Well, Sarah, pick up on this point by Yamiche, because when you think about the economy and how voters are experiencing it, you see in our poll Democrats narrowly are favored in their handling of the economy. And voters narrowly trust them. Actually, it's not as narrow trust Democrats to handle inflation more than Republicans by seven points. What do you make of those numbers, knowing that the economy is the top issue? I mean, I think it's very problematic for any Republican on the ballot. This election is going to be a referendum on President Trump. There's no changing that at this point in the cycle.

37:21And so you see the White House doing what it can, which is to level with the voters and say, yes, there's pain, but, you know, there's relief coming and we're the right people to deliver that relief. Another number in this poll, which I think is problematic for Democrats, is, you know, you see voters rejecting socialism, the rise of Democratic socialism. And you're going to see Republicans talk more and more about this, which is, yes, you might be uncomfortable now, but it is going to get so much worse if some of these people on the ballot are elected.

37:55Kristen Welker: Jamel, you heard me talk about that very point with Senator Booker. Do moderate Democrats need to draw a firmer line around socialism? Do you think that expanding the tent could actually hurt Democrats' chances of winning some of these more hard-fought district and Senate seats?

38:13Steve Kornacki: I'm not certain that it will. I mean, as it stands already, we're looking at a Senate map, for example, where Democrats are fighting competitive races in Texas, Kansas, Alaska. Senator Barrasso was coming to you from Iowa. Iowa, yes. Like places where we did not expect Republicans to have to fight hard. So if the presence of Democratic socialists in the tent is harming the Democratic Party's ability to win the middle, it hasn't shown up yet. We haven't seen that actually happen yet. The other thing I'd say is that it's not actually clear to me. Like we can get a poll, right, that says that this percentage of voters says they don't like socialism.

38:49Steve Kornacki: But what's the salience of that, right? We don't actually know the extent to which this really actually influences decision making. You asked me, you know, do you dislike or like X, Y, or Z thing? I could say, yeah, I don't like it, but it doesn't matter to me that much. And that's where I think I'm not dismissing the idea that voters could dislike it and it matters. But it's actually not clear to me that it matters as much as gas prices, as much as housing prices, as much as grocery prices. Yeah.

39:17Kristen Welker: Well, Yamiche, all of this is the backdrop against which President Trump announced that unprecedented ban of three major news outlets, CNN, Politico, as well as MSNOW. What has the reaction been that you're tracking? Well, we have to first, I think, start with what the White House Correspondents Association is saying, which is that this is violating the First Amendment and that the Constitution lays out that the American people through the press need to be able to scrutinize and hold people of power, including the president, to an account through the press. That being said, and they are urging, by the way, the president to reverse this because they said any news outlet by these standards could be attacked and could be banned by the president.

39:59You also have inside the White House, people were caught off guard, Kristen. When I talked to my sources, senior White House officials, a number of officials from the press office to communications where this is going to directly impact him, they just did not know this was coming. That said, a senior White House official did tell me the president did have some senior staff around him when he sent out this online post. But there wasn't a strategy here. There wasn't a plan here. And then you think about the fact that the president announced this, Kirsten, right before an event where he was going to be talking and wanted to talk about trying to lower the cost of prescription drugs.

40:29So in that conversation about the economy where he was set to have this big meeting, that whole event becomes about the media ban. So there's a real question about, and I'm asking my sources, how is this undermining what the president is trying to do and the message on the economy? And the president is now having to deal with this and talk about this ban. And it's a real conundrum and very problematic for the president's messaging on the economy. Kristen. I think I agree with Yamiche on this. I think my experience in campaign politics, you know, the reason you might do this politically is that you're trying to attract these Trump voters who are disengaged, only show up for him.

41:06And that could work. But I have never seen in my years in politics process arguments motivate voters. And so on one hand, when you're talking about substance, prescription drugs, lowering gas prices, lowering grocery prices, that appeals to most people who want to vote. Talking about this insidery process, who's in, who's out, usually does not actually get you anything.

41:31Kristen Welker: Jamel, how do you see this?

41:33Steve Kornacki: I see it much the same way. I just want to emphasize something. The idea that the president believes he has the authority to ban the press from the White House, I think speaks to the extent to which this president does not understand himself to be a servant of the American people. For me, this is watching someone who sees the White House almost as his own personal domain, right? You can ban whoever you want from your home, but on a fundamental level, the White House does not belong to President Trump. The Oval Office does not belong to President Trump. It belongs to the entire American people.

42:09Steve Kornacki: And banning any press from the White House, from the Oval Office, is an indication that this president just does not understand that he is not some sovereign figure. He is a limited official in a constitutional democracy.

42:25Kristen Welker: Yeah, one of the big questions, it may energize the MAGA base, Sarah, as you're saying, but what, if any, impact will it have on those voters in the middle who are going to make all the difference in November? Thank you all so much for a fantastic conversation. Really appreciate it still ahead, our meet the moment conversation with comedian Hasan Minhaj on family, identity, and the experiences that shape his comedy. When we come back, comedian Hasan Minhaj gets personal in his latest project. Our meet the moment conversation is next.

43:04Steve Kornacki: Meet the Moment is sponsored by Vanguard. 50 years of investor success doesn't happen by chance.

43:16Kristen Welker: Welcome back. Peabody Award winner Hasan Minhaj has done it all. Actor, writer, producer, comedian, and even co-owner of a chai tea company. Now he's got a new movie on Netflix. Best of the Best is a love letter, he says, to his heritage, centered on the world of collegiate Bollywood dance competitions. The 40-year-old who grew up in California is the son of Indian immigrants. He says his father warned him not to talk openly about being Muslim or about American politics. Instead, Minaj built a career doing both, from The Daily Show to an interview with President Obama. We made up in New York for a wide-ranging interview on the heels of his movie premiere.

44:02Kristen Welker: There's so much to talk about. Congratulations on your new film, Best of the Best. Thank you. So you co-wrote it. You starred in it. You produced it. This is a film about Bollywood collegiate dancers and two best friends. Yes. Why was it important for you to make this film in this moment? So for me, this is a love letter to my community. it's a love letter to my upbringing. Competitive collegiate Bollywood dance has existed in the United States of America for 40 years. Since the 1980s, essentially a collection, a group of kids of South Asian descent from the diaspora, let's just call them melanated brown kids, wanted to celebrate their culture, celebrate the music that defined their culture through dance.

44:47And so there are these young kids that are brimming with potential, messing up their GPA, lying to their parents, all for the love of dance, to celebrate their culture and also grind on each other at after parties. And both of these things are equally important. It's meet the press, folks.

45:03Kristen Welker: Well, and it's educational because you expose how competitive it is and the fact that it's a family and how meaningful it is. So when I think about Bollywood music, if you ask me, hey, what was it like for you growing up? It represents the cassette tape that my dad is playing in the Toyota Camry. It represents me watching, I'm going to date myself, a DVD with my grandmother of a great Bollywood movie, bootleg VHS tapes from the Indian grocery store that we'd all watched together as a family. These were kind of hidden pockets of our life. You're a first-generation Muslim American. Your parents immigrated from India, as you've talked about.

45:39Kristen Welker: And you said that when you were growing up, your father actually said, you know, it's not necessary to talk about your background, your Muslim background, politics, instead build a career apart from that. And yet you have infused all of that into your work. How did you explain that choice to your father? How do I explain it? You know, he's still figuring it out. So we, you know, we said this to me off camera, you and I, we met, we met at the White House Correspondents Dinner, but one of the most powerful moments in my career that was very just, you know, life affirming and really beautiful. At that dinner, I'm at the dais and I'm roasting like Wolf Blitzer, but I look over and I see my mom and my dad and my dad isn't laughing.

46:25He's looking at other people laughing. And I think my dad was feeling this sense of like, this matters. Like you believe that this matters. And that was very affirming for me. I couldn't have been more proud to be his son in that moment. I felt like, man, I hope you're proud. And I hope you're seeing that the house that I grew up in and the way we would talk about politics and the world, all of that influenced what I'm doing now. We're having this conversation. Today was my daughter's first day of third grade. And my wife went up to her and she goes, you're it, girl. You're it. You're number one on the call sheet.

47:03You're the lead. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. That is what I want my children to know. I didn't always get that from my parents. I think they were too busy doing the best they could to get us through, take us to Kumon, get mad at us, get us into great schools. And both me and my sister turned out great. But that feeling of, hey, whatever you are, the way you are, I see who you are, and I'm going to meet you where you are, and we'll go from there.

47:31Kristen Welker: Muslim Americans have made incredible strides. Here we are in New York City, where Zoran Mamdani has become the first Muslim American mayor of this city. What do you make of this moment? Do you feel that or do you see it differently? I think it's an incredible moment. And I think what Mayor Mamdani has showed us and what he has showcased to, I think, an entire generation of people. First of all, he's five years younger than me. And I think my dad is secretly more proud of him than he is of me. So this is a whole thing, Zoran. You really kind of ruined it for a lot of us. It's like you failed at the whole rapping thing, and that was supposed to be the story.

48:09And then now you have this moral clarity, and you're speaking truth to power. And it's like, come on, man. I have to hear this from my dad. He's just nonstop YouTube WhatsApps. And you talk about social media presence. My man is flooding the zone. So that's one thing. In the past, the way politics was kind of navigated was vis-a-vis this kind of negotiation. You give a little give and take, be practical. And I think here in New York City, we got to witness, hey, I'm going to do it my way. What if I win, lose, or draw, start a campaign literally from Jackson Heights, from Queens, from the forgotten boroughs of this city in.

48:53I took from the outside in. And I think it's similar to art in that way. So many great stories are taken from the margins to the mainstream. But what's beautiful about this moment is this is a moment for a lot of us to walk and act with moral clarity. Hey, I'm not compromising my core beliefs. I'm walking through with this with clarity.

49:11Kristen Welker: Have you ever had moments in your career or in your upbringing when you went to college where you didn't feel seen, where you felt discriminated against? And do you draw upon that in your work? Sure. You know, I recently got to interview the amazing comedian Kumail Nanjiani on my show. And many of you know his work in comedy and acting. I know him from his abs. And I asked him, I say, hey, man, do you feel American? And he says, it's not about how I feel. It's about the way the country sees me, right? Your belonging in a group is about the way the group sees you. I think about my grandmother who raised me.

49:54She literally went to school under British colonial rule in British civil lines. So she was not seen as a whole person. And she persevered despite that. And when I see, when she raised me, God bless her, dosif risbi she's in heaven she carried herself with such elegance and dignity she was not defined by the way other people saw whether it was british colonial rule or the manager at safeway that treated her a certain way so when i think about me being on stage i think about dosif risbi and hashmath hussein usmani the people that i come from that shaped me and then and they're watching me. And that gives me fearlessness.

50:40Kristen Welker: And my sincere thanks to Hussam Minaj for that fantastic conversation. You can watch the full interview on meetthepress.com. And you can head there too to see more from our panel in our Meet the Press postgame. That is all for today. Thank you so much for watching. We'll be back next week because if it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press.

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