GOP Leaders Suffer Bad in Public as Trump Loses All Control

0:00In business, the best days are when priorities stay on track. For midsize and large companies, that means managing multiple exposures, from property and liability to cyber and more. The Hartford helps companies plan for risk with insurance and proactive risk solutions. So focus can stay where it belongs. Prepare for risk. Protect success. Smart risk management from the Hartford. Contact your agent or visit thehartford.com slash risk mitigation. By the time I hit my 50s, I'd learned a few things. Like how family is precious. Work can always wait. And 99 % of people over 50 already have the virus that causes shingles.

0:44Not everyone at risk will develop it, but I did. The painful, blistering rash disrupted my life for weeks. Don't learn about your shingles risk the hard way. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist today. Sponsored by GSK.

1:28Greater than 50 gigabytes can be slow when network is busy. See terms.

1:31Ben Meiselas:Queen Carvania stood haloed by the morning sun. An army hung on her every word. My champions, I have sold my chariot on Carvana. It was a lovely SUV, an inexplicably queenly offer. They're even coming to the castle to collect it. Tonight, we feast. An offer you can feast on. Sell your car today on Carvana. Pick up these mail-by. The right window treatments change everything. Your sleep, your privacy, the way every room looks and feels. At Blinds.com, we've spent 30 years making it surprisingly simple to get exactly what your home needs. We've covered over 25 million windows and have 50 ,000 five-star reviews to prove we deliver.

2:16Whether you DIY it or want a pro to handle everything from measure to install, we have you covered. Real design professionals. Free samples. Zero pressure. Right now, get up to 45 % off site-wide. Plus, get a free professional measure at Blinds.com. Rules and restrictions apply.

2:30Ben Meiselas:Republican leaders are quite literally losing their minds in public as they're making appearances on various TV shows. They're like panicking on air. They're freaking out as more data is coming in, which shows overwhelmingly the American people are blaming Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans for this Trump government shutdown. And rightfully so. And as these MAGA Republicans are making these public appearances, they are letting it slip and revealing their true intentions all along, which is they want this Trump government shutdown for a few reasons. Number one, Donald Trump wants it to carry out his Project 2025 agenda.

3:10Ben Meiselas:Let's face it, before this actual government shutdown, there was a de facto government shutdown as Donald Trump ripped apart our government. And also, Donald Trump wants to cover up the Epstein files and the MAGA Republicans are refusing to swear in Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva while the government is shut down. And they're using that as an excuse. And also, they want to rip away the health care of tens of millions of Americans. They think that it is a better priority for them to use the money that should go to help people get health care to give tax cuts to billionaires. That's what's really going on.

3:46Ben Meiselas:And they gave away the whole game during these public appearances. Let me go through this with you exhibit by exhibit and prove my point. You have MAGA Republican Congress member Jim Jordan. He was on CNN last night and he admitted that under no circumstances at all would he ever support extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies, meaning that he wants your monthly premiums to skyrocket, become unaffordable, causing medical bankruptcy and causing people to lose their insurance and die. He just admitted it last night. Watch this. Let's play the clip. So you're against extending the subsidy. Yeah, I think it's I think that's a problem.

4:25I think we should look for other ways to improve health care for Americans, for families and do it at a cheaper cost. What could you do in the next three months that would that would change? Let's have that debate. But right now, I mean, Senator Bernie Sanders, I think, would like to have that debate with you. Let's have that debate. We're for health savings accounts. We're for empowering people. We're for catastrophic health plans, making an easier access to those. We're for all those things that we think empower people and patients.

4:44Ben Meiselas:Then you have MAGA Mike Johnson seeming to just be having a jolly old time walking around the Capitol building. He's like the only MAGA Republican in the Capitol building as he instructed all of his colleagues to basically go home on a paid vacation. Donald Trump and MAGA Mike Johnson ordered all Republicans in the House, do not show up to work. Go on a paid vacation on the taxpayer dime so you don't talk to Democrats, yet alone negotiate with Democrats. But here, MAGA Mike Johnson lets everybody know that he's really angry at something. He's angry that bad bunny is going to be doing the halftime show at the NFL Super Bowl.

5:26Ben Meiselas:He thinks that Lee Greenwood, who does those Bibles with Donald Trump, the Trump Bibles for 60 bucks, the sticky Bibles, that he should be doing the halftime show. what the hell are these people even talking about? Here, play this clip. Any reaction to Bad Bunny being chosen as the Super Bowl halftime performance? I didn't even know who Bad Bunny was, but it sounds like a terrible decision, in my view, from what I'm hearing. What's that? How come? Well, it sounds like he's not someone who appeals to a broader audience, and I think, you know, there's so many eyes on the Super Bowl, a lot of young, impressionable children, and I think, in my view, you would have Lee Greenwood or role models doing that, not somebody like this.

6:08Ben Meiselas:Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Now, back to MAGA Republican Congress member Jim Jordan. He's asked a good question by Caitlin Collins. Well, what do you say to people like Marjorie Taylor Greene even? And she's saying that the Affordable Care Act subsidies are a necessity right now in order to prevent the monthly premiums from skyrocketing. What do you say to people who say that the Republicans need to be addressing health care and that Donald Trump's, this is Marjorie Taylor Greene who said this, that, you know, Donald Trump said, oh, the plan's coming in two weeks and two weeks and two weeks, his first term.

6:43Ben Meiselas:And now what's Donald Trump doing? He's posting about alien technology from outer space, these QAnon conspiracies about med beds that cure people's cancer magically, or Donald Trump claims he's going to do most favored nation provisions to make the price of pharmaceuticals in the United States, the same as any other country in the world that's being given these pharmaceuticals so that if it's a dollar in Canada, it's a dollar in the United States, except that hasn't happened. You claim that's happening. It's not happening at all here in the United States because your executive order is meaningless there.

7:20Ben Meiselas:Or Donald Trump saying he's reducing pharmaceutical prices, drug prices by 1600%, which is impossible. No, get serious. What's your damn plan? Get serious. stop just making up things and defrauding the American people. Here, watch this, play this clip. And the Democrats' position is to, oh, we're going to extend it and expand it? I don't think that makes sense. If the government reopens tomorrow and these subsidies expire and they don't get extended because you're not going to vote to extend them as you've made your policy clear right here, what do Americans do when their premiums go up? It depends on whether the changes happen to healthcare that actually empower families, not empower government, not empower insurance companies.

7:54Are we going to expand the ability to health savings accounts, people to have better control of their health care, more catastrophic plans where they're much cheaper plans. Are we going to do those kinds of things that I think are good for families or not? But Marjorie Taylor Greene says that Republican leadership is not having a conversation about what to do about that if these subsidies don't get extended. We have conversation about health care all the time in this town. It's like one of those issues we talk about a lot. And the Democrats always want more government, which leads to higher costs and I think reduced, not the same quality of care.

8:22So we're happy to talk about what happens in the future. But let's let's take one step at a time. Let's open up the government. Yeah, but I think that they have the question of what happens when these expire and they haven't seen Republicans. I mean, this is a Republican saying Republicans don't have a plan for this.

8:35Ben Meiselas:And more of Caitlin Collins pressing Jim Jordan about what Marjorie Taylor Greene says. Here, watch this. Your fellow congresswoman, Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, has a very different opinion than you on this. And she said that she's carving her own lane. She's disgusted that health insurance premiums will double if the tax credits expire this year. And she says not a single Republican leadership has talked to us about this or given us a plan to help Americans with their health insurance premiums doubling. Is that true that no one in Republican leadership is having conversations about what to do about this?

9:05We are focused on getting the government back open right now. And Chuck Schumer is the impediment to doing that. Chuck Schumer is the one who's making this, this, this, keep people from working, the potential that some of these furloughed people can't get back to work. He's the one doing that. He's the one who's raising this issue. Open up the government. We'll be happy to debate and discuss health care. But what is that? November 1st is open enrollment. So what does that look like? This policy doesn't kick it. This change in policy doesn't expire until the end of the calendar year. Until the end of the calendar year.

9:32We've got time to work with it. We're happy to do that. We're happy to do that. But to me, the answer is not. Extending and expanding Obamacare, which again, everything we were told about Obamacare turned out not to be true. And the Democrats' position is to, oh, we're going to extend it and expand it. I don't think that makes sense. If you're a homeowner, you need to listen to this. In today's AI and cyber world, scammers are stealing home titles and your equity is the target. Now, here's how it works. Criminals forge your signature on one document. They use a fake notary stamp, pay a small fee with your county, and just like that, your home title has been transferred out of your name.

10:08Then they take out loans using your equity or even sell your property, and you won't even know what's happened. That is until you get a collection or foreclosure notice. So when's the last time you checked your home title? If your answer is never, you need to do something about it right now. That's why I've partnered with Home Title Lock so you can find out today if you're already a victim. Use my promo code MIDAS at hometitlelock.com and you'll get a free title history report and a free trial of their million dollar triple lock protection. That's 24-7 monitoring of your title, urgent alerts to any changes, and if fraud does happen, they'll spend up to$1 million to fix it.

10:50Find out why I trust Home Title Lock. Protect yourself like I did. Go to hometitlelock.com and use promo code MIDAS. That's hometitlelock.com, promo code MIDAS.

11:02Ben Meiselas:And, you know, Jim Jordan's a sociopath. I mean, this is somebody who's not just covering up the Epstein files now, a pedo sex trafficking ring. This is what Jim Jordan was known for, right? When he was a wrestling coach, he was covering up sexual abuse that he was aware of at the Ohio State University with one of the team doctors there. So this is Jim Jordan. His whole life has covered up sex abuse like that's what that's what this guy does. But he's a sociopath. So what he goes to right away is he's like, look, how could you shut down the government when we're thirty seven trillion dollars in debt?

11:37Ben Meiselas:Well, Jim, didn't Donald Trump say that he just brought in seventeen trillion dollars? So we should we have didn't we have a 15 trillion dollar surplus, according to Donald Trump, if he brought in 17 trillion, even though we know the deficit was two trillion. So shouldn't it be a 15 trillion surplus? Oh, wait a minute. Y 'all are lying to us like you always do. He didn't bring in the 17 trillion dollars. Oh, and by the way, that 37 trillion dollars in debt, you know who contributed to about 30 percent of it, the most of any president in history? he had Donald Trump during his first term. Here, play this clip.

12:15Ben Meiselas:If they will vote for the exact same. But if it opens tomorrow, they win a week without pay, right? And President Trump, I think they get paid. But I think the president's saying, if this goes on, maybe, maybe there's this question he's going to debate it, going to look at it. The other thing you got to keep in mind is, what are they supposed to do? $37 trillion debt and the Democrats refuse to open the government? What are they supposed to do? So I think that's the other thing you got to look at. And I think, frankly, that's how most, Again, Americans who have common sense view the whole situation.

12:43Yeah, but the debt has been there. It's been a problem in past government shutdowns. And the president signed that bill in 2019 to restore back pay for all these federal workers then. And you voted yes on that, actually. And he may, in fact, do the same thing now. All I'm saying is the easiest way to make sure this is not a concern for any people, people who are working or people who are furloughed, is for the Democrats to open the government. But actually, when the bill was signed back in 2019 during that last shutdown, it wasn't just for that shutdown. It was for future shutdowns. So federal workers wouldn't get caught in this dispute between Republicans and Democrats.

13:14OK, fine. That's that's fine. That's what was signed back then. I think the same thing could happen this time. We'll see. But we know it's not a problem if the Democrats will do the right thing, the common sense thing, instead of saying, oh, I'm going to do what the hard left is demanding our party do, fight President Trump at every single turn. This is so darn simple. You voted for it six months ago. What's the difference now?

13:35Ben Meiselas:Now, back to the other sociopath, MAGA Mike Johnson. like all these people in these Republican Party, you know, these leaders, sociopaths. So here, Maga Mike Johnson, he lies. Listen to what he says. He claims, look, Adelita Grijalva, Congresswoman-elect from Arizona's 7th Congressional District, she should come in whenever. I will swear her in. Why doesn't she coordinate with me? We'll make sure we swear her in. The question was, well, why aren't you swearing her in? Is it because that she would be the 218 signature on the discharge petition, which would then lead to the release of the Epstein files.

14:11Ben Meiselas:Is that why? Watch him say this with a straight face. He lies when he breathes at this point. Here, play this clip. Earlier this year, you swore in two Republican members during the pro forma session. So why not swear in Adelita Krihalva, who was elected two weeks ago during the pro forma session? Does it have to do with her 218 signature on the discharge petition, the Epstein discharge? No, it has nothing to do with that at all. We will swear her in when everybody gets back. It's a ceremonial duty. Look, we'll schedule it, I guess, as soon as she wants. It has nothing to do with it. We're in pro forma session because there is nothing for the House to do.

14:47The House has done its job. People say, why don't you do more? Let's do more. Now you should do something. We already did something. It was passing a clean CR.

14:55Ben Meiselas:Because as soon as that ended, what did we learn? Well, a leadership aide for Speaker Johnson then told reporters like Kate Santeliz, quote, as the full content of his remarks make clear, the posture hasn't changed on swearing her in once the Democrats shutdown is over and the House is back in session. Y 'all sweared in Republicans in something called pro forma sessions, meaning when Congress wasn't even actually there. You swore in the Republicans when they won their special elections. Swear her in. It's so utterly despicable and so transparent that what you're doing here is covering up the Jeffrey Epstein files.

15:36Ben Meiselas:That's what's going on. And it's just like a horrible human behavior. Congresswoman-elect Grijalva has three kids. She wants her family to be with her, to be sworn in. She has to represent 800 ,000 people in Arizona's 7th Congressional District. You're depriving her constituents of having a congresswoman right now. She won by over 40 points. This is the loser mentality of MAGA through and through. It's so Trumpy, such losers. Speaking of which, then you have Ron Johnson, the MAGA Republican senator from Wisconsin, whose farmers, their lives are being destroyed in Wisconsin. He's got how many? I mean, so many people in the state of Wisconsin are on affordable care act plans, Medicare and Medicaid.

16:21Ben Meiselas:They're going to be screwed. But what Ron Johnson from Wisconsin wants to talk about is that the threats facing our country right now, they're coming from Biden and Obama. These people are sick. This is some sick stuff. Here, play this clip. This doesn't surprise me. It should shock. It should outrage every American. Quite honestly, by now, it should be obvious to every American that it's not the Republicans that are a threat to our democracy. It's President Obama. It's President Biden. It's the radical leftists that have served and support them. This is outrageous. And then, you know, Maga Mike's talking points are just so utterly destroyed at this point that he gives these press conferences in the morning, like the one I'm about to just show you a brief clip of.

17:09Ben Meiselas:And he just basically like it's like a like a high school student who doesn't prepare for the speech they're about to give. So they just kind of like wing it. So Maga Mike shows up in front of the press and he's like, well, you know, I just read an article in the newspaper and the article was telling me that we may need to furlough people. I don't know. I'm just reading the article. I haven't been read in on the issues. Maybe I'll have to be. That's his favorite word now being read in on something. OK, I don't know. You're the speaker of the House, dude. Behave like the leader. What do you mean being read in on?

17:42Ben Meiselas:Maybe understand the data, understand the facts, like the people in your congressional district, because we've got the facts. If they were paying about$500 a month for their premiums next year, they're going to be paying $2 ,500 a month on their premiums. So what over$25 ,000 a year in your congressional district in Louisiana, how are they going to afford that MAGA mic? Here, play this clip. With regard to whether the furloughed civilian employees of the federal government will receive back pay, it is true that in previous shutdowns, many or most of them have been paid for the time that they were furloughed.

18:21But there is new legal analysis. I don't know the details. I just saw a headline this morning. I'm not read in on it, and I haven't spoken to the White House about it. But there are some legal analysts who are saying that that may not be appropriate or necessary in terms of the law requiring that back pay be provided. So I'm sure that'll be a there will be a lot of discussion about that. But there are legal analysts who think that that is not something that government should do that. If that is true, that should turn up the urgency and the necessity of the Democrats doing the right thing here.

18:53Even more pain, more than I just listed for more people. So we've got to figure it out.

18:57Ben Meiselas:And I want to give some credit where credit's due. I actually think that leader Jeffries is stepping up. You tell me what you think, but, you know, this is some powerful stuff right here. Here, play this clip. Why are House Republicans still on vacation? They've actually been on vacation for the last few weeks. And Mike Johnson once again has canceled votes. Why are they so afraid of being here at the Capitol and doing their job? Why don't Republicans want to swear in representative elect Adelita Grijalva? Is it the Epstein files? Is it the unwillingness to address the Republican health care crisis?

19:35Is it because they know the American people have blamed Republicans for recklessly shutting down the government? Or is it all of the above?

19:44Ben Meiselas:And then hat tip to my buddy Don Lemon, who interviewed people on the ground. Who do they blame? Here play this clip. Who's more responsible for the government shutdown, Democrats or Republicans? Republicans. Republicans. Republicans, definitely, yeah. Republicans. Why is that? They have the power. Republicans! Why so? They control the House, the Senate, and the White House. Who else would be responsible? I would assume the Republicans. Republicans! I think it's the Republicans. One party is in control of all three branches of government, and I don't think that there's really any reasonable way to spin this is the Democrats' fault.

20:17I would say Repubs. Republicans are good for one thing themselves. I mean, with everything that's going on and everything that Trump does, I think we can clearly see why.