Gas Prices Hit Record High For Labor Day

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0:40Now we seize the moment. Now we turn the tide. Now we make a difference and make some noise. Now is the time to get up, get out, and join the movement. At the Alzheimer's Association Walk to End Alzheimer's. Held in over 600 communities nationwide. And we need you with us. Because now is the time for hope. Join the fight at alz.org slash walk. Welcome to The Beat. I'm Antonia Hilton in this evening for Ari Melber. And we're just 56 days now out from the midterm elections. And let's be honest, things are not looking so good for Donald Trump and the GOP. Trump's trade war with Canada is escalating.

1:16Gas prices hitting record highs, while Trump's approval hits record lows. And now the big Trumpapalooza convention is looking more and more like a potential flop. Right now, 49 % of Americans identify as Democrats compared to 39 % Republican. That's the biggest edge for Democrats since 2008. That is, of course, the year Barack Obama was elected. Canada just levied tariffs on$20 billion worth of U.S. products in the tit-for-tat trade war with the U.S. And meanwhile, gas prices hitting a record high of over$4 over Labor Day weekend. And according to AAA, quote, gasoline has never been above four dollars on Labor Day.

1:58Never. Campaigns are now in full swing heading into the midterms, but Trump and his allies, they seem out of touch with the political reality. He's posting AI pictures of himself physically assaulting the prime minister of Canada, which Trump fan accounts then use to AI animate. while his daughter, Ivanka, one-time senior White House advisor, well, she's raising eyebrows with this bizarre horse-riding video, critics calling it a tone-deaf, let-them-eat-cake kind of moment while Americans are struggling to put food on the table in this economy right now. And then again, this Trumpapalooza, or the GOP's midterm convention that seems to be all about Trump.

2:38Their festivities are kicking off tomorrow in Dallas, a major hub for the GOP. but one day out and things are looking a little bit dicey. The Republican Party is scrambling to give away free tickets in a frantic bid to pack the arena as countless GOP lawmakers and candidates stay away, according to the Daily Beast. For some reason, despite his historic unpopularity, the president wants to make these final weeks before the midterms all about him. Even some Republicans think this is a major risk. The White House is pushing a big bet. It's like we're at the tables. They're pushing all the chips on, saying we if we make this about Donald Trump and if we make it about Donald Trump's record and put him at the center of this, then we've got a shot to pull this thing off.

3:23I'm a little bit nervous about it because, look, we're in the final stages of campaign. I'd be more comfortable if this had been held in June or July and set a thematic that could be pursued for four months or five months rather than for 56 days. And today, while he was honoring emergency personnel involved in 9-11, Trump added to his constantly evolving story about his own experience on that day. The Times reports, quote, he said that he was watching television the morning of the attacks and that he later took a construction crew with him to the site, a claim that has been disputed by a biographer and former police officials.

4:00Mr. Trump said that during his trip to the site, two large firefighters picked him up and took him to safety when he observed an unstable building. And here he was today. I want to just thank my people. I took a lot of my I was building a big building in New York and I took the whole crew down there right after this happened. And they were they had no hesitation. Everybody went down with me. We went down as a big group of people. wasn't too much we could do. I'll be honest. It was raw. Nobody's seen anything like it ever. We had other buildings. The United States Steel Building was creaking, really creaking.

4:39Now, we thought it was going to fall down. The truth is it creaked a lot. It creaked. There's still creaks, but it never came down. And I'll never forget two firemen. We thought it was coming down on top of us and two firemen, big, strong guys. And I'm not the smallest guy in the world. They grabbed me under the arms and said, got to get out of here. And they literally lifted me up. This is not easy to do. I'm big. They lifted me up and they started running with me. I said, fellas, I can run myself. But they were amazing. But they thought it was coming down. It didn't come down. And joining me now is David Litt, former Obama speechwriter and author of the word salad on Substack, and Joan Walsh, national affairs correspondent with The Nation magazine.

5:27It's so good to have both of you here at the table with me this evening. Thanks. Thanks. So I want to start with where I just landed there, with the president telling a story about himself on a solemn occasion that can best be described, I guess, as evolving, perhaps unconfirmed. David, what's going on with him? What's going on with Donald Trump? I like that you start with the easy to answer questions. That's what I think. That's right. I think that there's two possibilities. One is that he knows that what he's saying is to be very kind about it, an exaggeration, maybe stretching the truth about where he was on 9-11 or what he did around 9-11.

6:09The other is that he doesn't know. And I think part of this is we all lived through four years and in retrospect warranted real questions about Joe Biden's cognitive abilities. Right. If Joe Biden had not been able to keep his 9-11 whereabouts or events story straight, that would have been a news story, a national news story for a very long time. And this sense when you when you watch that clip of Trump that you just played, it does not look like somebody who is in full command of his faculties, even for Donald Trump, even by Donald Trump standards. And that might be even more dangerous than the possibility that this is just the lying narcissist we've all come to expect.

6:45Joan, do you see his willingness to make a moment like this sort of about himself and and maybe a less than grounded and truthful account of his role in that day as connected to sort of the larger political problem around him right now? I mean, Trumpapalooza making the midterms all about himself when voters could not be more clear, actually, that there is they're over him. Yeah. Yeah. Is that how you see it? That's how I see it. I think that's a really, it's a great analogy because he's putting himself in the center of this national tragedy. It's 25 years ago, Antonia. We all, if we're old enough, we remember where we were.

7:23And he doesn't belong there. We've never heard it before. You know, he's had a lot of years and a lot of time in the spotlight to tell that story. He did say one true thing, though. He's a big guy. He'd be hard to carry. So let's give him truth for occasional honesty. But right. It's just like the Republicans don't want him in the middle of their midterms right now. They don't want him to come. And, you know, I think you probably know more about this than I do, David. But, you know, I know that President Obama and Vice President Biden, I know going back to Bill Clinton, you know, when presidents knew they were facing one of those midterms, they were very respectful of people.

8:00not wanting them to come. I don't need you here. Our story is not going to be the central story. It's also too late for that now. The notion that this would be, was it Karl Rove or somebody who said, oh, this could be a narrative, a through-line narrative if we started earlier. No, it would never be. There hasn't been a through-line narrative. He's just incapable of doing that. The only through-line is that he's the center of the story, and he will not let these Republicans who need to run away from him. Yeah. I mean, on the point of a through line, in fact, just a matter of weeks ago, my colleagues, Jake Traylor, others around the White House beat, you know, they were speaking to sources who were telling them that actually for the first time, basically, Trump was ready to let Republicans run without him, not make everything about him because they recognize the headwinds.

8:51So how did things change so drastically? Well, I feel like Trump loves to tell the, what is it, the scorpion story, right? Or the snake story. I don't know. It's one of the many stories. But it's the one that the moral of the story is people are who they are. You know who people are and they're not going to change. And I think even if, as you pointed out, if Donald Trump looked at the example of past presidents and said, maybe it is smartest for me to sit this one out and not make this all about me, he's Donald Trump. He's not going to do that. I mean, this is an old dog. He is not going to learn new tricks.

9:22And I think that what we're seeing also is there's this question of if Trump, if Trump's party, if the Republican Party could win by distancing themselves from Donald Trump, would Donald Trump consider that a win? I think he would consider that a loss. No, if people if people show up the night of the election and they actually Republicans, they won by distancing themselves, that he will be very sad. I think it's too late to do that, though. You know, I really think I think that they've placated him too long. If he were any of our parents, we would have stepped in a long time ago and taken care of them.

9:57Republican legislators should have done the same. Take care of him. Take care of us. They haven't. And it's going to be very hard in the next two months to really change the narrative. Is there I guess is it possible, though, Joan, that they're right to some extent that their best shot may be to run around whatever is left of his cult of personality and his appeal to the base, because people are kind of struggling right now, given everything that they are feeling in their own pocketbooks at their kitchen tables, to identify what the actual governing agenda is. Like, I guess, is it their best shot?

10:31Because this is what they got. I don't think so. They haven't done well with what they've got, Antonia, and I think a lot of people know that. I mean, he's losing support with his base. He's also losing the newer groups that he did manage to pull over in 2024, like Latinos, like Black men. People who were curious in 2024, they're no longer curious. They've seen it all. And so I think, you know, it's too late to distance themselves, but wrapping themselves in him is not going to work either. People are very, very alienated right now. You mentioned Latinos and Black men. There's also important constituencies like farmers who have been begging for different policy.

11:14I want you to take a listen to Brian Kilmeade on Fox. I mean, for Fox to be recognizing the problems and sort of openly talking about the problems facing this president. Take a look. And I'll add another thing is they're about to get hit with retaliatory strikes from us. So they have to brace for that. The one thing they did, like China, China retaliated against us immediately and we hit them. We went back and forth. We landed that plane. They never put our liquor back on their shelves. So they took it off. That hurt our guys. The one thing this does do is hurt farmers. They can't get fertilizer out of the straighter from O's.

11:47And now they're going to be paying more for fertilizer from Canada. So that's going to hurt. That's going to hurt in the election. Is there a constituency right now, a part of this base that can say, I am better off? Well, I think if you're a billionaire, a certain set of billionaires, if you're a member of Donald Trump's family, even his extended family, you're probably a lot better off. If you're Donald Trump himself, he's made$2 billion since taking office for himself personally. So he is much better off than he was two years ago. The rest of us, not so much. And I think this gets back to an important point that Joan made, particularly because this is a midterm election.

12:25So you need those sporadic voters to get out there. And so the voters who are hardcore MAGA, and there are millions and millions of them, but they're going to vote. The voters who are going to decide whether this election is sort of a blue ripple or a blue wave, those are the voters who are skeptical about Trump. They're also skeptical about voting in general. And so saying, I'm Donald Trump, remember how much you love me, is particularly unlikely to work with that specific group. Is there a state that you're watching really closely for this dynamic? Oh, you know, I mean, I personally, I've interviewed both John Ossoff in Georgia and James Tallarico in Texas.

13:02I think they're both great people. I'm a Democrat, you know, full disclosure. They also really lucked out in the people who they're running against. They're running against the worst possible people, Ken Paxton, indictments, ugly divorce, you know, Mike Collins, white supremacists, and somebody, you know, a staffer puts his girlfriend on the payroll. So, I mean, I'm looking at those two. I think that Georgia, he would have won anyway, I shouldn't say that too quickly, but... Ossoff would have won, you mean? Ossoff would have won anyway. But Tallarico, I think he's a very excellent politician, but he also really lucked out in his choice of Paxton.

13:42And, you know, Donald Trump helped make that choice. Well, you're both sticking around with me because I want to dig in a bit more into Texas, in part because tomorrow is the beginning of Trumpapalooza. So, David, Joan, you're sticking around with me. We're going to be right back after this break in just 90 seconds. Tires matter. They're the only part of your vehicle that touches the road. Tread confidently with new tires from Tire Rack. Whether you're looking for expert recommendations or know exactly what you want, Tire Rack makes it easy. Fast, free shipping, free road hazard protection, and convenient installation options.

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15:38All right, we are back with David Litt and Joan Walsh. And we were just about to start talking about Texas. Trumpapalooza begins in Dallas and Tarrant County tomorrow. That is, I mean, really a GOP hub stronghold. A lot of Republican and conservative organizing happening down there. I've spent years reporting in that part of the country. A lot of Trump superfans based there and their community groups based there out of Texas. So why do you think he's having trouble selling tickets right now? I'm surprised. I mean, I'll be honest. I'm a little bit surprised. I mean, people are busy, but still, it should be, you know, it's a place that he should have had an easier time.

16:19So, you know, we're all busy. It's back to school week, whatever. And also, you know, not to have the people who whip voters, whip people who sit in seats, you know, all of that. There's just something, there's so much missing from this White House. I mean, I think Democrats have done a good job in certain states, but they've also gotten such an assist from this White House, which, you know, just misses its own opportunities and its own free throws and everything, you know, every day. And so this is going to be interesting. Also, choose to do it in Texas where people, the people, the voters are struggling, but also the candidates are struggling.

16:56I mean, nobody needs this, but Donald Trump does. What are your predictions for what will come out of this? Because it's so clear that Trump is going to make sure that he's in the limelight the entire time. That's going to create difficulties for Ken Paxton, who we were just talking about a moment ago. The AP reporting that Republicans familiar with the process around this said the president was involved in the events every detail. His control over the program was such, in fact, that anyone pressing for information in recent weeks was told it wasn't yet known because Trump was still making choices.

17:26So, you know, we have him doing all the construction projects in D.C. and then, I guess, planning this big convention in the middle of a war and so many other things going on. David, what are your predictions for what kind of impact it'll all make? Well, I want to start with something you just said, actually. I mean, this is we just can't lose sight of this. Right. We're in the middle of a war. We're in the middle of not an economic crisis, but an affordability crisis. And you have a president who seems to really be trying to become a wedding planner when he grows up. Like he's doing like decor and event planning and he's not focused on the things that are his job.

17:59Right. He wanted this job. So I think that sense that that the president of the United States is focused on his own petty details and not on your life. That's what's going to come through loud and clear. But the one thing that I will say about an event like this, the same as the UFC event at the White House, the Formula One, the White House Correspondents Dinner parties this year, and then the rescheduled White House Correspondents Dinner parties this year for Trump's Republican Party. These are also all pay to play events. And that's part of the function on paper. This is about a convention. It's about the midterms.

18:30But it's also about bringing your donors together, collecting a check. they kiss the ring, they reiterate their loyalty. And then when the time is right, odds are very good that they just happen to get preferential treatment from the government. And I think that's a terrifying thing that we're in that place in the United States of America. But I do think that's part of what has happened. You're right that there's such a pattern there that it's something we're going to have to keep an eye on beyond just the rhetoric and the remarks that come from the event itself. You've spent time, you mentioned speaking to Tallarico.

18:58And a lot of eyes are on this race. I mean, Texans, I was just there the other week. When you talk to Democrats in Texas, I think they're very nervous about feeling too confident because, you know, they've thought they were on the edge so many times before. At the same time, things really do feel different. I drove 1 ,100 miles the other week along the southwest border, basically. So in the Big Bend sector where Texans are outraged about what's happened in Big Bend National Park because the president has said they're not building a wall there, but they have been constructing these roads. And there's all this physical activity that's disturbing the park that is so beloved by Texans of all backgrounds there.

19:37There are ranchers getting eminent domain notices and being told their land may have to be converted in part to a border wall. I mean, and these are people who have often supported this president. And so there is this feeling that, oh, things could actually be different now. Yeah, I think that he is messing with parts of his base that should be there for him. And that is, you know, a reason to have it in Texas, but a reason maybe I mean, they'll fill the seats. They always do. But, you know, a reason it may be a tough ask and a reason that people are wary of it, because there are people who should be voting for him based on past behavior.

20:13who may not, or not for him, but may stay home, more likely stay home than go for a Democrat, maybe go for a Democrat. So he's really made, you know, dogs dinner of this, of Texas in particular. And when you describe the border area and when you describe what's happening in Big Bend or what could be happening in Big Bend, I mean, it's just, it's heartbreaking as an American. I'm not a You know, I think people's hearts are breaking and he's he's done that. David, is there a single thing in these final weeks? I mean, like 56 days away now, that's almost no time that this party, the Republicans, could do to turn all of this around?

20:58I think that for a very long time, I mean, predating Donald Trump, really, it's the Mitch McConnell playbook of saying you may not like me, but the other guy is worse. And I think you're going to see a lot of that. First of all, there is so much money flowing through not just the Republican Party and the candidates, but all of these super PACs. So you're going to see a lot of ads on the air. And money does not win elections, but it certainly influences elections. You're going to see a wild imbalance of spending. And I think a lot of that spending is going to be harshly negative. And I do think, if we're being honest, it's going to tie Democrats to their most extreme candidates and the candidates who are the most avowedly socialist.

21:37because I think that if you look at, I mean, I looked at one poll recently, MAGA, I believe, had a minus 24 approval rating. The Democratic Socialists of America had minus 23. So it's a way of saying, listen, you may not love us, but you sure don't love them either. And I think you will see some of that. And it could matter in some marginal races. All right. David Litt, Joan Walsh, thank you both so, so much. Great to speak with you. Thank you. All right. Coming up, Trump's efforts to whitewash and sanitize American history going to incredible lengths. But first, the clash over mail-in voting.

22:08The administration going to the Supreme Court with less than two months until Election Day. That's next.

22:24Turning now to the latest in the fight over mail-in ballots for this year's midterms. Voters are already heading to the polls in some states or getting ready to send their ballots. and mail ballots are being sent out this month. Trump's fight to restrict mail-in voting is heading to the Supreme Court as time runs out to change the system in time for November's elections. The New York Times reporting that Trump's war on mail-in ballots has voters baffled. That may be the point, as state officials are at once reassuring voters that their ballots are safe and encouraging them to use drop boxes or vote in person.

22:58MS Now spoke to voters in North Carolina where the confusion is palpable.

23:06We would vote by mail back years ago in Georgia, but at this point, with what they're trying to do, I wouldn't chance it myself. I'm going to go vote early. They were afraid of losing this election. They know how unpopular Trump's policies are, and they are trying to keep us from going out to vote. That's part of the Republican plan, is to confusion. They could try to confuse everybody. There's no illegal ballots. I'm just I'm fed up with it. And just moments ago, a new defeat in court for Republican hopes of hanging on to the House. Just moments ago, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh rejecting Missouri's request to approve a new GOP friendly congressional map for midterms.

23:52Another last ditch attempt by Republicans to shape the midterms thwarted by the courts just weeks away from Election Day. And joining me now is Janae Nelson, president and director counsel of the NAACP's Legal Defense Fund and a renowned voting rights scholar. She was one of the lead counsels in a successful federal challenge to Texas's voter ID law in 2018. It's so good to have you here. It's great to be here, Antonia. Thank you. So I guess I want to begin with what you believe the administration is trying to do here with this battle. It's, of course, receiving immense pushback. Voters are, you know, they're calling it as they see it there in North Carolina.