Governor Shapiro on Standing Up for Pennsylvania and the Country

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0:56Ben Meiselas:Way fair, every style, every home. AI agent today on monday.com. Donald Trump is losing control as yet another poll just dropped showing that Donald Trump is doing something that is the most unpopular in American history. Just 24 hours after numerous polls dropped showing that Donald Trump's net approval is the lowest in American history, worse than Nixon's approval, right as Nixon was resigning from the presidency, a new poll just dropped about Donald Trump's catastrophic and unlawful war in Iran. According to all of the latest polling data, Americans disapprove of this catastrophic and unlawful war in Iran by multiples of what the disapproval was when the Iraq war was at its highest disapproval.

1:47Ben Meiselas:Now, it should also be noted that when Donald Trump began the catastrophic and unlawful war against Iran. It started with a significant net negative approval, which is almost unheard of for a war because usually some effort is usually made to propagandize the public and to try to at least build some sort of support around the war effort, not Donald Trump. So he started off negative, but it's gotten so negative amongst Democrats, Republicans, and independents. It is by far the most disapproved of war like ever right now. And it just keeps getting worse each and every day, especially as we head into the midterms.

2:31Ben Meiselas:This is catastrophic for Trump and the MAGA Republicans. That's why their whole thing right now is the Bolsheviks. The Bolsheviks are going to get you. The communists are going to get you. This is an existential fight against the Bolsheviks. And like most young people and most people like, what, the what, the Bolsheviks? What are you talking about? You promised me that you were going to make healthcare more affordable and groceries more affordable and gas more affordable and help my cost of living across the board. You were going to bring down inflation and there would be no never ending wars in the Middle East or elsewhere.

3:05Ben Meiselas:You would end the war from Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 24 hours. And now you're talking about the Bolsheviks What are you, the Bolsheviks? What are you saying, WTF, WTF? Here, play this first clip. The Bolshevik takeover of the Democrat Party is in full swing. And communism is on the ballot this November against freedom. Make no mistake about that. The lines have never been more clear in an election. Then as you even look on state regime media, which calls itself Fox, on state regime media. This is their Fox power rankings. Who will take the House? Hint, hint. They say the Democrats play this clip.

3:50Ben Meiselas:As for the House, Fox News projects that Democrats have the lead to flip control of the House back to blue. And they're in better shape than Republicans there right now. There are 16 House seats projected as toss-ups that will end up deciding control, though Republican redistricting wins could end up blunting some of the losses that the GOP was potentially facing. The Fox News power rankings also show, as of right now, voters prefer Democrats on the generic ballot against Republicans by about 4%. That's a flip from 2024 when Republicans led that by 1%. So you're looking at about a five-point swing towards Democrats since the 2024 race.

4:30Ben Meiselas:We'll send it back to you. What about the Senate? It's a tie right now. It's even in the Senate. Here's how they describe it. on state regime media. This is why they're ramping up. The Bolsheviks are coming to get you. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, he goes, I would make the best communist, Trump says. I would be like Lenin, as that's how Donald Trump refers to Lenin. Because I would just make all of these promises and never deliver, and you would just take over all of the modes and methods of production of companies. Oh wait, that's what Donald Trump does. Anyway, here play this clip. ...this fall and things are looking really, really tight.

5:06Ben Meiselas:So let's dive right into it right now. Beginning with the Senate forecast, Fox News is projecting that control of the Senate is essentially just a toss-up right now, with the balance of power likely coming down to Senate seats in four states that are all considered coin flips right now. Those four states are colored in yellow. Fox News projects that Alaska, Iowa, Ohio, and Maine all have Senate races that are all toss-ups. And these are the match-ups that will likely end up determining control of the Senate. Now, Republicans are eyeing a handful of potential Senate pickups in Georgia, New Hampshire, and Michigan, all of which Fox News power rankings project as leaning Democrat, while Democrats think they can flip Texas, which obviously leans Republican.

5:48Ben Meiselas:All right, let's bring on Governor Josh Shapiro of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This is the interview I just did moments ago with Governor Shapiro. Let's bring him in. I want to bring in Governor Josh Shapiro of the incredible Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Great to see you, Gov. I want to begin, though, by just rather than even getting into the weeds, I just want to give you a quote from the premier of British Columbia because this hit me hard. He said, I feel sorry for Americans today under Trump. If you can't be friends with Canada, then you almost certainly do not have friends anywhere in the world.

6:27Ben Meiselas:And that is a very lonely place to be. And when I wake up, I feel with this Trump regime controlling America, it feels painful. It feels lonely and it feels chaotic and frankly, very dangerous. I just want to get your take being the governor of a commonwealth like Pennsylvania. What do you make of that when you hear leaders in other countries saying things like that? Yeah, it's very sad. I mean, Donald Trump is an agent of chaos and, you know, sort of drilling down more specifically on the quote, you know, you just cited. I mean, I was in Canada about a month or so ago. They're one of our most important trading partners in Pennsylvania.

7:08We do about 14 billion in both imports and exports, really, really balanced. And I got to tell you, when I was there, I gave a few speeches. And one of the things I made very clear is that I respect Canadian sovereignty and appreciate the relationship we have with Canada. And folks clapped for that. They were grateful for that. A line that a few years ago would have just sort of been, you know, something that sort of washed over people because, of course, we would have respected Canadian sovereignty. Now it's different. Now, you know, Donald Trump continues to poke his finger in the eye of our allies and coddle our enemies.

7:45It makes us less safe. It makes us more isolated. And it makes things cost a whole lot more for the American people. Here in Pennsylvania, We've seen our craft brewers pay higher prices because of the tariffs on Canada. We've seen our farmers in Pennsylvania lose significant market share because of the tariffs on Canada. They're an important trading partner for our farmers. And so what you really have is an agent of chaos who makes us more isolated, makes things cost more, and makes our allies look for new alliances that don't include the United States, which ultimately makes us less safe and less prosperous.

8:25It's very, very sad, but this is the Trump doctrine. This is his approach and it's bad for America.

8:32Ben Meiselas:You know, I find myself more frequently these days just talking about things that frankly have nothing to do with Democrats, Republicans or independents or even the day-to-day political stuff. And I find myself, you know, talking about things as basic as predictability, stability, empathy. Is this right or is this wrong? You know, and taking a step back and saying, what's the point of government in general? It's not to do dystopian reality TV shows where we're non-consensual participants and we wake up and see what these cast of evil villains are going to do to us each day? What are they going to take from us?

9:16Ben Meiselas:And I just think sometimes when people view that as, well, that's a party and this is this party and this is them. It's like, whoa, whoa, whoa. That's not what the American people I think are saying. I think your popularity in Pennsylvania amongst people from all different political parties is that, you know, you govern with empathy and predictability and transparency. And so talk about those lessons because to me, that's what we talk about here more than, you know, and on this specific day, the Democrat needs to look like this. To me, I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa. This is some existential stuff we're dealing with at a bigger level.

9:52Yeah. You know, I think your use of the word empathy is really, really interesting. I think that's been a defining characteristic for our country. And I think it's a through line that connects different religions through a common faith, which is to love thy neighbor. It doesn't matter how you worship. It doesn't matter if you're from a rural, urban, or suburban community, that sort of belief that you love your neighbor, you look out for your community, those are American values. And those are things that have sustained us for the last 250 years through challenging moments that we've gotten through because of the strength of that love and that empathy that we have.

10:33Right now, we have a government in Washington that doesn't reflect the goodness of the people in our states, the goodness of the people in my state in Pennsylvania, neighbor helping neighbor, people looking out for one another. Understanding it's not a zero sum game that, you know, if my kid does well, it doesn't mean that your kid can't do well, that we can lift up all of God's children and give them all a shot. I think the reality here is we have a government that doesn't understand that, a president who is focused on his own greed, his own corruption, lining his own pocket at the expense of others.

11:11And that is a real disconnect between the goodness of what I see from the people and the unfortunate chaos and cruelty and corruption of the administration in Washington.

11:23Ben Meiselas:You saw that embodied, of course, in that bizarre speech that donald trump gave last week i think you said when you were in canada you were can i believe i'm getting an applause for talking about sovereignty like that that's where we are you know also this idea that on a national address a national address which used to be reserved for the most house the most solemn of circumstances he's up there incoherent not reading the teleprompter but more than just the incoherence when he did piece together or string together words, what he said was so utterly deranged to me, so utterly weak. You're whining about things that didn't happen in 2020 when you've lost all these cases and you litigated a lot of, you know, his stuff where his lawyers were sanctioned and didn't have evidence.

12:13Ben Meiselas:And this went in front of Trump judges and on all types of judges, you know, who ruled against him. So I want to get your perspective when you watch that because to me we could play it as okay donald trump look look what he did again he's horrible but but there's a a national injury that we suffer when the president does that yeah i think that's an important way you just said it you know a national injury it it hurts us as a country i actually thought it was a sad day for our nation to have a president of United States from the White House speaking and acting in such an unhinged manner, totally disconnected from reality.

12:56And you point out as a lawyer, you know, it's one thing to make these claims in a press conference. But as we learned back in 2020, when Donald Trump and his enablers sued me 43 different times to try and throw out the votes of the people of Pennsylvania, thwart the will of the people in Pennsylvania when he had to go to court and he had to back up these claims, what happened? He couldn't. And in the few cases where his lawyers lied, we sanctioned them. And ultimately, like Rudy Giuliani, they lost their law license for lying to a court. He's got nothing to back up these claims. What he's really trying to do and what his enablers are trying to do is distract from their chaos, from their cruelty, from the corruption, from the war in Iran, from the tariffs that have given everybody higher prices, from the soaring interest rates that are hurting our housing market, hurting businesses, hurting families.

13:55It's all a grand scheme at distracting the American people from their failures. You mentioned, I mean, you and I met each other

14:09Ben Meiselas:when you were the AG, you know, you had a very successful career as an AG, as a lawyer before becoming the governor. I would love to get your take on this, because when you analyze how Trump litigates, you know, these cases, even private, you know, when he's in office, but he sues in his individual capacity, you know, when he sues, it's always$10 billion because he needs the headline,$10 billion lawsuit against BBC, a$10 billion lawsuit against all of this. I was a litigator. When you make a claim,$10 billion, the power of your pen as a lawyer, as anybody stepping into a court is a significant thing.

14:48Ben Meiselas:So you do a$10 billion lawsuit. And then what happens? It's the same path for all of these cases. The other side then propounds discovery and says, okay, well, you said 10 billion. Let me see the documents. Let me see your evidence. Trump produces none. He then attacks the judge. He attacks this person. I'm not going to do it. They try to notice his deposition. I don't want to sit for a deposition. In the BBC case, apparently the Secret Service is blocking subpoenas to Don Jr. In the BBC case, not getting a lot of attention. The DOJ intervened in that case like they did in the Trump suing the government for$10 billion, the other case.

15:27Ben Meiselas:And they said there shouldn't be discovery about the underlying claims of it. And, you know, to me, it speaks to a broader pathology, though, of him. It's this, I'm going to bully you. Then I want no accountability. And then when I finally call my bluff, I back out and I run away. And to me, for people who call themselves alpha and tough, there's nothing weaker than that kind of behavior that exists. Yeah. And now look at it in the context of something that's affecting the American people every day. He beat his chest and he bluffed and bluffed and bluffed and then ultimately went into this war of choice in Iran, which was wrong, had no plan when he went in, has no idea how to get out.

16:16He took the Strait of Hormuz, which was open to traffic, open to commercial traffic. And now it's closed and at the mercy, basically, of the Iranians. And we are all worse off because of his bluster, because of his BS, because of his failure to sort of put the American people first and think through really, really complex situations. That's what we're dealing with now. And you see that really in all aspects of his life. The one you mentioned, the war in Iran, his dealings with Congress and a whole lot more. Every single time his tough guy bluster shows a real weakness and leaves us all worse off.

16:58Ben Meiselas:And then to add to the injury, to add to it, then he goes, I did it. I did the deal. They're begging me. They're begging me. They're begging me. And look, by the way, it shouldn't even work once anymore because we've seen this script. But it does. It works once. It shouldn't definitely shouldn't work twice, but it does. It's works twice. And you see the markets go, you know, whatever. It shouldn't work the third time, but sometimes it does. But then he does it and does it and does it and does it. And it's like, dude, shut up. Stop saying deal. Deal makers don't go around going deal. I did a deal.

17:32Ben Meiselas:Deal, deal, deal, deal, deal. It's like you do the damn thing or don't do the damn thing. Shut up. Grow up. You're the president. Your words matter. and despite me like despising everything he's done to this country, I still want somebody there, you know, who, who can just speak clearly no matter who that person is. Even if I despise, like just be normal. Stop saying the word deals. Stop it. You're not doing deals. We know you, we know you're not doing it. And then he does it. And then it's, and then it's just like, it's, it's embarrassing. I feel every day is a humiliation ritual, but you know, more than just the humiliation ritual the american people are suffering they're out there and this means that their refrigerators have two items in it sometimes you know and they're trying to figure out okay what do i do do i keep two items in my fridge one bologna and cheese sandwich for my kid or do i get health care this month and i don't see a doctor so anyway just it's no i i actually think you're you're expressing how a lot of americans feel we can totally disagree from the president on a whole bunch of issues, but we want to see our president succeed.

18:40We want to see our president sort of reach for high heights and demonstrate the sort of values, live the values and the ideals that we hold dear as Americans. You know, we can disagree with him. We can vote against him. We can have different candidates we prefer, but we want to see our president do better. And that is, I think, a uniquely American feeling. But we're not seeing that every day. We're seeing a guy who is more and more untethered from reality. We're seeing a guy who lacks integrity. We see a guy who's engaged in self-dealing. And to your point, we see a guy who strings together a bunch of words in ways that are really dangerous for us and for our allies.

19:24Ben Meiselas:Before we go, Gov, you're running for re-election. And despite your popularity, I know you don't take any day for granted. You travel around the Commonwealth every day. I see, you know, you traveling everywhere, meeting with everybody. So before we go, any final message you want to give to the people in the Commonwealth or the people in this country? And where can people learn more about your campaign? Yeah, and you're right. Look, we take nothing for granted. And I work my tail off every day. Just before I jumped on with you here, we were announcing a new Life Sciences Innovation Fund. And just before that, I was announcing historic investments in rape crisis centers to help survivors of sexual assault really be able to regain some control and be able to, you know, have their day in court, prosecute those who did this to them.

20:15Those are just two examples in the last 24 hours. I'm working my tail off for the good people of Pennsylvania, Democrats, Republicans, independents. I'm grateful for the broad support that we have, but I take nothing for granted. And I need your help. If you like the job we're doing, I'd love to see you text FREEDOM to 32210 to engage in our campaign. You can check us out online, joshshapiro.org. I'm the GST Democrat governor from Pennsylvania, and that's the work I'm doing every single day, getting stuff done for the good people of Pennsylvania. I'd love to have your help.

20:51Ben Meiselas:Governor Josh Shapiro, thanks for joining us as always. Thanks. I'll see you soon. Everybody hit subscribe. Let's get to 7 million subscribers.

21:11Ben Meiselas:Let's do this.

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