KRISTEN WELKER:
This Sunday: Power shift.
MAYOR-ELECT ZOHRAN MAMDANI:
The future is in our hands.
GOV.-ELECT ABIGAIL SPANBERGER:
Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship.
GOV.-ELECT MIKIE SHERRILL:
You guys just screamed from the rooftops.
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM:
No crowns. No thrones. No kings.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Democrats sweep the first elections one year after President Trump won back the White House as concerns over the cost of living grow
PRES. DONALD TRUMP: The shutdown was a big factor, negative for the Republicans.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Do democrats have momentum heading into next year’s midterms? Plus: Endgame. Pressure builds to strike a deal as the longest government shutdown in history drags on.
LEADER JOHN THUNE:
Can this be over now? Have the American people suffered enough?
PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
It's time for Republicans to do what they have to do and that's terminate the filibuster.
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
We need Donald Trump to show some leadership.
KRISTEN WELKER:
My guests this morning: House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma. And: Defying gravity. Our “Meet the Moment” conversation with Jon Chu, the director of the blockbuster films “Wicked” and “Wicked: For Good.”
JON M. CHU:
Even though it's a fantasy, even though it's a fairy tale, it's our access into a human experience. What does it feel like when you believe so deeply, when you love so deeply, when you sacrifice everything?
KRISTEN WELKER:
Joining me for insight and analysis are: NBC News Chief Capitol Hill Correspondent Ryan Nobles, Amy Walter, editor-in-chief of The Cook Political Report, Marc Short, former director of legislative affairs for President Trump, and Ashley Etienne, former communications director for Vice President Kamala Harris. Welcome to Sunday, it’s Meet the Press.
ANNOUNCER:
From NBC News in Washington, the longest-running show in television history, this is Meet the Press with Kristen Welker.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Good Sunday morning. Urgent negotiations to reopen the federal government and end the longest shutdown in U.S. History are underway here in Washington. After 40 days, the impact is causing chaos at the nations' busiest airports, and food banks are struggling to meet demands. Senate Democrats now say they will vote to reopen the government in exchange for a one-year extension of the Obamacare health insurance subsidies set to expire this year. Republicans have so far rejected the proposal. After elections this week, where Democrats won big in Virginia, New Jersey and New York, the issue of rising costs and affordability ranks as one of the top issues for voters.
[BEGIN TAPE]
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER:
If you could boil down the theme of Tuesday's elections down to one word, it was affordability, and Republicans absolutely whiffed on that by focusing on everything but affordability. In fact, Republicans have governed all year like drunken sailors.
PRES. DONALD TRUMP:
We are the ones that have done a great job at affordability, not the Democrats. And yet, we just lost a couple of elections
[END TAPE]
KRISTEN WELKER:
And joining me now is the House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Leader Jeffries, welcome back to Meet the Press.
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
Good morning, great to be with you.
KRISTEN WELKER:
It's great to have you here. Let's start on the government shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history. Leader Jeffries, do you believe that your colleagues in the Senate are close to reaching a deal and ending this shutdown?
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
Well, we need to end the Trump Republican shutdown, the longest shutdown, of course, in American history. And as Democrats, we've repeatedly maintained that we will sit down any time, any place, with anyone, in order to reopen the government, to find a bipartisan path forward to enacting a spending agreement that actually meets the needs of the American people. Which means trying to drive down the high cost of living, because America under Donald Trump and Republican policies has become far too expensive, while at the same time dealing with the Republican health care crisis that threatens to drive up premiums, copays and deductibles to levels that will be unaffordable for working class Americans because of the Republican refusal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Well, Leader Jeffries, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer did make a new offer effectively saying, “Let's extend Obamacare subsidies for one year in exchange for reopening the government for one year.” You have said that you would support that proposal, but just last month you said this. Take a look.
[BEGIN TAPE]
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
A one-year extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits is not acceptable. It's a nonstarter. It's a nonstarter.
[END TAPE]
KRISTEN WELKER:
So Leader Jeffries, what changed?
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
Well, the proposal that I was making reference to in October was something that was floated out there by a handful of rank and file House Republicans, and that was immediately rejected by House Republican Leadership because they have no interest in driving down the high cost of living for everyday Americans. The Schumer proposal, of course, was offered in good faith. It's both a one-year extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits. Now we're already in the middle of the open enrollment period. Tens of millions of people are on the brink of facing dramatically increased health care costs – costs that in some cases could be $1,000 or $2,000 per month. That is unaffordable for middle class Americans, working class Americans, and everyday Americans. And the Schumer proposal also provides a path toward bipartisan negotiations for a multi-year extension, which would provide the type of certainty that the American people need.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Well, as you know, Republican Leader John Thune has called it "a nonstarter." Let me ask you, would you support a bill that would include a promise to vote on extending Obamacare subsidies? Is that something you could live with?
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
Now let's understand that these Republicans have tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act more than 70 different times over the last 15 years. They're not acting in good faith as it relates to dealing with the health care crisis that they're visiting on the American people. This is the same group of folks who just enacted the largest cut to Medicaid in American history as part of their one big ugly bill. Hospitals and nursing homes and community-based health centers are closing, all across the country, including in rural America because of Republican policies. We're faced with the possibility of a $536 billion cut to Medicare at the end of this year if Congress doesn't act, connected to what they did in the one big ugly bill, and now they're refusing to extend to the Affordable Care Act tax credits for even a year –
KRISTEN WELKER:
But –
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
– when they just enacted massive, permanent tax breaks for their billionaire donors. Does that seem reasonable? Is that the type of policy that the American people are screaming out for as evidenced by what just happened with Republicans being wiped out in the general election last Tuesday?
KRISTEN WELKER:
But Leader Jeffries, just very quickly, yes or no – do you rule out supporting a bill that would include a promise to vote on Obamacare subsidies? Yes or no?
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
I don't think that – I don’t think that the House Democratic Caucus is prepared to support a promise, a wing and a prayer, from folks who have been devastating the health care of the American people for years.
KRISTEN WELKER:
All right. Let's talk about the impacts – you mentioned them –of this government shutdown. They're being felt across the country. Hundreds of flights, as you know, have been canceled this weekend across major airports. The lines are growing longer outside of food banks, and there's a lot of uncertainty about food assistance programs which currently hang in the balance right now, in limbo, Leader Jeffries. Is it responsible for Democrats to continue to push for a better deal and to not reopen the government given that people are suffering right now?
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the presidency. Donald Trump from the very beginning of his term has taken a "my way or the highway approach." That's not reasonable. It's not reasonable for Donald Trump to withhold, intentionally, SNAP benefits from 42 million Americans including more than a million veterans who are at risk of going hungry a few days from us honoring the veterans of this country who have sacrificed with their bravery and their courage. It's not reasonable for Republicans to devastate the health care of the American people to find $40 billion as they did a few weeks ago to bail out their right-wing, dictator friend in Argentina, but can't find a dime to make health care affordable for the American people? Listen, as Democrats we want to find a bipartisan path forward. We want to reopen the government. We're also fighting to drive down the high cost of living. Donald Trump promised to lower costs on day one. Costs aren't going down, costs are going up. Housing costs through the roof, grocery costs through the roof, electricity bills are skyrocketing, and now we're on the brink of health care insurance premiums dramatically increasing, devastating working class Americans. None of that is acceptable. We need to find a – a viable path forward.
KRISTEN WELKER:
But Leader Jeffries, the people who are suffering right now and who are quite frankly concerned about how they are going to put food on the table over this holiday season, how long can they expect this shutdown to continue? Can you guarantee that you will reopen the government before Thanksgiving?
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
We need to resolve this immediately, and here are two things that can be done –
KRISTEN WELKER:
You think it'll happen before Thanksgiving?
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
– to get that accomplished.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Leader, do you think it will happen before Thanksgiving?
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
Well, one: Donald Trump – I hope so. Donald Trump needs to get off the golf course and get back to the negotiating table. He spent more time golfing over the last several weeks than he has talking to Democrats who represent half the country as part of an effort to find a bipartisan path forward. And by the way, we also know that House Republicans have literally canceled votes for the last six weeks. They've been on vacation, and they have no plans to return next week. We'll be in Washington as House Democrats ready, willing, and able to reopen the government to make life better for the American people and to address the health care crisis that has been devastating the country.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Leader Jeffries, President Trump floated what he believes is a potential solution to this online, let me read it to you. He says, quote, "I am recommending to Senate Republicans that the hundreds of billions of dollars currently being sent to money-sucking insurance companies in order to save the bad health care provided by Obamacare be sent directly to the people so that they can purchase their own much better health care." Would you ever support giving subsidies directly to the American people instead of Obamacare?
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
Well, we have a broken health care system, but the Affordable Care Act has been part of actually providing health insurance to tens of millions of Americans. Of course there's always opportunity to improve current policy that exists, but Republicans aren't operating in good faith as it relates to doing anything to actually make health care more affordable. And we've seen that repeatedly over the last several weeks. Now if Donald Trump is changing his tune and is actually willing to sit down and negotiate a bipartisan path forward, of course we are interested in doing that. We've been making that point for the last several weeks.
KRISTEN WELKER:
What do you make of that proposal online, though? Does it sound like he's interested in doing that?
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
I mean, it's hard to take these online things seriously. There's no actual legislation, there's no text, there's no policy, documents to be able to review. If that exists, if that somehow materializes and manifests itself in the next day or so, we look forward to reviewing it in good faith.
KRISTEN WELKER:
All right, Leader Jeffries, let's turn now to Tuesday's election results. Democrats had a clean sweep winning the New York City mayoral election, both gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, as you know, a ballot measure in California, you are on track to potentially become the next Speaker if Democrats were to win back the House in 2026. How confident are you that that's going to happen?
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
Well, Democrats are definitely going to take back control of the House of Representatives, and we're going to stay focused on the issues that matter: lowering the high cost of living, fixing our broken health care system, and cleaning up corruption to actually deliver a country that works for working class Americans, for everyday Americans, and for middle class Americans. As Democrats, you know, we believe in a country that has a strong floor and no ceiling. If you work hard and play by the rules, there should be no ceiling to the success that you can accomplish for yourself, for your family, for your children. At the same time, we also believe in a country that has a strong floor. That's Social Security, and Medicare, and Medicaid, and nutritional assistance, by the way, the things that Republicans are trying to devastate right now.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Leader Jeffries, what about the Senate?
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
Listen, I think that the results on Tuesday which were so decisive, in the states that you mentioned, but also in Georgia, in Mississippi, in Pennsylvania, across the country, up and down the ballot including in races that didn't get the same level of attention, shows that there's a real path, of course to take back control of the House of Representatives, where we're only three seats short right now. When we flipped the House in 2018, we were 24 seats short. But also a strong and viable path in the Senate because the American people have had enough, and they want a government that actually puts them first as opposed to what Republicans have been doing: prioritizing the wealthy, the well-off, and the well-connected.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Two quick questions, lightning round. Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani won big in New York City. He's just coming into City Hall having made ambitious promises. Let's take a listen to what he said on election night.
[BEGIN TAPE]
MAYOR-ELECT ZOHRAN MAMDANI:
Together, New York, we're going to freeze the –
CROWD:
Rent.
MAYOR-ELECT ZOHRAN MAMDANI:
Together, New York, we're going to make busses fast and –
CROWD:
Free.
MAYOR-ELECT ZOHRAN MAMDANI:
Together, New York, we're going to deliver universal –
CROWD:
Child care.
[END TAPE]
KRISTEN WELKER:
So frozen rent, free buses, universal child care. Do you believe that he can deliver on those promises very quickly, Leader Jeffries?
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
Well, he's going to have to work with the rent guidelines board and probably more importantly with the governor of the state of New York and the State Legislature in order to enact those proposals. But I do expect that the legislature, of course, and the governor are going to meet him in good faith, try to negotiate a path forward. But it's all centered around the notion of making New York City more affordable, which is of course what we have to do throughout America, in a country that's far too expensive. This is the wealthiest country in the history of the world. It's unacceptable that far too many people are struggling to live paycheck to paycheck.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Leader Jeffries, quickly before I let you go, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi announcing she will not seek reelection. If you do in fact become the next Speaker, will you model yourself after her?
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
Well, Nancy Pelosi is a legendary, heroic, historic, transformational figure. I'm proud to just stand on her shoulders, to serve with her, and to have the benefit of her guidance, her wisdom, her mentorship, and her insight.
KRISTEN WELKER:
All right. Leader Jeffries, thank you so much for joining us on a very busy weekend. We really appreciate it.
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES:
Thank you.
KRISTEN WELKER:
When we come back, Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma joins me next.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Welcome back. Joining me now is Republican Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma. Senator Lankford, welcome back to Meet the Press.
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD:
Glad to be back again.
KRISTEN WELKER:
It's wonderful to have you here. Thanks for being here in person. I know you're here – the Senate is in session, a rare weekend session, as you try to reopen the government. Let me ask you the same question I just asked Leader Jeffries. How close do you think you all are to a deal?
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD:
Well, we have hoped that we've been close for a very long time. Just to be able to set context to where we've been, this is six weeks of us doing the same thing that we've done every single time we reached this point during the Biden administration. Clearly Republicans had differences of opinion with President Biden. But we worked to be able to keep the government open. So we brought a continuing resolution, which just keeps status quo, keep it open while we continue to negotiate. And Democrats determined they want to be able to close the government down. This shutdown is not about health care. This shutdown was really about Democrats saying they want to show their resistance to President Trump. They want to show they're fighting. They want to be able to energize their base. They use terms like “this helps the Democrat brand," I've heard. I mean, the focus has really been on “we want to show we're fighting Trump,” because their base says, "You're not fighting hard enough." So they're fighting hard enough. The problem is people are getting hurt in this. People are not getting on flights. They can't get SNAP benefits. There's real pain across the country while they're showing “we're fighting Trump."
KRISTEN WELKER:
Given that real pain, do you think the government will reopen by Thanksgiving as we just –
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD:
Oh, yes.
KRISTEN WELKER:
You do.
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD:
I do. And it absolutely needs to. It needs to be open today if we can get it open. So we put out a proposal literally 14 times to say, "Let's open it today. Let's keep negotiating." And on the health care issue, it's been fascinating. President Trump came out within the first week and said, "If you want to talk about health care, we'll talk about health care as soon as the government is open." Vice President Vance came forward, "We'll talk about health care as soon as the government's open. We're not going to negotiate while the government's shut down," which is the exact same position we've been in and Democrats were in before during the shutdown when Republicans closed down the government.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Speaking of health care, President Trump is out with a proposal on health care. It would eliminate Obamacare and send money directly to people to buy their own health care. My question for you, Senator: Do you support President Trump's plan to eliminate Obamacare and send money directly to the people?
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD:
Well, his statement wasn't to eliminate Obamacare. His statement was very clear. It was, "Why are we sending money to insurance companies?" Right now the Democrat proposal they put out, what Chuck Schumer put out this past week was, "Let's continue to send billions of dollars to insurance companies and hope insurance companies will bring down premiums." That's not worked. That's not worked for years now. You go back to Obamacare when it was first released, it was just going to bring down rates 25%. Can anyone tell me that their rates have gone down 25% anywhere in this? And so the president's proposal was pretty straightforward. Stop sending money just to insurance companies in hopes this gets better. Give Americans freedom of choice. If we're going to allow subsidies to get out there, get them to people, not to insurance companies.
KRISTEN WELKER:
You're saying something really interesting. I want to make sure I understand. Is the Republican proposal not to repeal Obamacare, which has been the long-held position?
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD:
Yes, right now Obamacare is health care in America. What Democrats did 15 years ago was they radically changed all health care in America. They moved all physicians under hospitals. They changed all the reimbursement programs. They shifted everything in. So it is health care in America. So the challenge is what we have now has to be fixed. The Democrat proposal that even came out this past week from Chuck Schumer was, "Okay, let's just do a one-year extension of the subsidies." And he continues to talk about the Obamacare subsidies. It's not the Obamacare subsidies that they're actually proposing. It is a plus-up that was done during COVID that President Biden put out there. So it's on top of the subsidies that are already there. And it's only for about 20 million people. That's a big group, but the other 320 million Americans are still saying, "Hey, our health care's skyrocketing as well. Democrats, you're targeting that group of 20 million people when our rates are going up as well." What we're trying to do is to say, "Why aren't we talking about all health care for all Americans rather than targeting 20 million people and saying we're going to help them?"
KRISTEN WELKER:
To this point though, President Trump wants to send money directly to all people, your colleague, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, had this to say on X. He wrote, "This is unsurprisingly nonsensical. Is he suggesting eliminating health insurance and giving people a few thousand dollars instead? And then when they get a cancer diagnosis they just go bankrupt?" Senator, how does the president plan to lower health care costs and support people with pre-existing conditions?
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD:
Yeah, that's not what the proposal is. And I'm sure Senator Murphy knows that. It makes for good politics. But that's not what it really is, and he knows it. The challenge that we have right now is that this has become a political fight when people are really being hurt. There is a real focus on affordability of health care, but it's for all Americans. What we're saying is, "Isn't it better for Americans to have their own choice, their own opportunity to be able to look at plans they want to look at?" We still want to protect pre-existing conditions. We still want to have the opportunity for people to get insurance of all different types out there. Of course we do. This is not about wiping out all insurance. This is about giving people choice and opportunity. Right now Obamacare says, "No, we're going to choose for you from the federal government exactly what your plan has to look like and choose the plans." And we watched plans skyrocket across the country. And we just think there's a better way to do it.
KRISTEN WELKER:
You know, Senator, it's worth noting that 80% of these subsidies are actually going to help people who live in states that President Trump did win back in 2024, including 300,000 who live in Oklahoma.
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD:
In my state.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Yes. Should those 300,000 Oklahomans be prepared for their subsidies to skyrocket or to potentially lose coverage?
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD:
Yeah, we're trying to find a way to be able to help them. But again, remember this is not the Obamacare subsidies. This is on top of the Obamacare subsidies. This is the bonus COVID plan that Democrats put in place in 2021 that they had expiring this year because they literally said, "This is a COVID plus-up during the health care emergency." What we're saying is, "If we're going to get back into health care again, why are we talking about $40 billion just for that group?” I've got 300,000 Oklahomans that are receiving those subsidies, but I've got 4 million Oklahomans total that are struggling under the high cost of health insurance. What are we doing for that?
KRISTEN WELKER:
I think the question for Republicans right now: Why wait ten months to start talking about these alternatives? Why not propose something, vote on something the first or second month that President Trump took office? Was that a failure to address a critical issue?
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD:
No. We have quite a few issues that we've been dealing with already. You think about what happened this past July with what we did in tax changes, what we did in health care. And I know my Democratic colleagues continue to attack us. And they play the politics game on this to say, "They hate people. They want all hospitals to close." It's ridiculous. Of course we don't. We're human beings as well. We actually see the challenges there. For instance, we put $50 billion towards rural health care in our plan this past summer because in that bill, we wanted to make sure we're strengthening rural hospitals. That's one of the weakest areas in our health care delivery right now because they don't have the patient count. But they still have the high costs. So we added $50 billion. We did what we could to be able to strengthen the proposals there.
KRISTEN WELKER:
The $50,000 though that you mentioned was because –
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD:
$50 billion.
KRISTEN WELKER:
$50 billion rather was because there were deep cuts to Medicaid that would have impacted those rural hospitals. But let me ask you. Because President Trump is calling for getting rid of the filibuster, which of course requires 60 votes to pass legislation in the Senate. You've come out and you've said you are opposed to that. So let me just be very clear. Do you rule out ever voting for any bill that would include getting rid of the filibuster?
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD:
Yes, we should not get rid of the filibuster. The filibuster's been core in the United States Senate since the early 1800s. Now there's been different forms of it over the years. The current form that we're living under was actually done in 1975. But what's unique about the filibuster and about the United States Senate, it's the only place in our government where both sides have to talk to each other. That's a good thing for America. This is the place where the grownups need to sit down and to be able to have hard conversations and say, "We have differences of opinion. Let's work our differences out." The same is going to happen in churches today. And that's the same thing that happens at work places and neighborhoods and communities where people who have difference of opinion work it out. In the House of Representatives, it's majority only. In the Supreme Court, majority only. In the executive branch, majority only. The Senate forces both sides to talk to each other. I think that's good for the country.
KRISTEN WELKER:
I do want to ask you about the people who are suffering right now. You have talked about this – this SNAP, the food assistance program. Roughly 42 million people, Senator, rely on this. It ran out of funds on November 1st. The Trump administration has fought this all the way up to the Supreme Court to not fully fund this critical food assistance program. What do you say to the allegations made by many Democrats that the Trump administration is simply weaponizing hunger?
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD:
Yeah, this is the spin. Literally this is the painful spin that people across the country are like, "I'm so sick of the politics and the spin. Just fix the problems." Fourteen times we voted to reopen the government. Two weeks ago, we brought a bill that would fully fund SNAP for the entire year. Last week we brought a bill that would just pay our federal employees. Democrats have voted no, no, no, no every single time because the goal for them is leverage. If you listen to things they say, over and over again, they say, "People are suffering. But that gives us more leverage in our debate here." Listen, people don't want leverage. They want to get access to food. And I would only say, President Trump diverted tariff revenue into the WIC funding, Women, Infants and Children's funding, to be able to make sure that program stays solid. The problem with SNAP is you would have to take funds away from the disaster aid that’s there if we have a hurricane that comes in, or take it away from the school lunch program. So it's this terrible choice the president has to make: take it away from the school lunch program or deal with SNAP? He's said over and over, "Just open the government. That's the solution."
KRISTEN WELKER:
And yet the Trump administration did say in court, told the court that it does have billions of dollars. The billions needed to cover SNAP, they say it exists in reserve funds. So shouldn't the administration find a way to fund SNAP and make sure that people are not going hungry?
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD:
So –
KRISTEN WELKER:
Politics aside.
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD:
Sure, the politics aside, absolutely. The billions of dollars are literally taken out of the school lunch program to be able to do that. And so that’s the question of, "Yes, there are billions of dollars. But it's set aside for that." So we don't know how long Democrats are going to hold out at this point. As you just heard from Hakeem Jeffries, they don't know if it's going to keep going, if they're going hold out, or just stop negotiating at whatever point. So we've got to make sure the school lunch program's still there. If we have a hurricane, we got to make sure the disaster aid is still there. We're in a really difficult time on this. The president's been moving around funds, try to pay the troops, try to do whatever he can. But at some point, you've got to just open the government.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Finally, I do want to ask you about this controversy in the Republican Party right now over antisemitism. It started after former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson hosted a podcast with Nick Fuentes. A lot of people thought it was a very chummy, friendly podcast. Fuentes is a white nationalist. He has expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler. As the co-chair of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, do you believe there is room in the Republican Party for Nick Fuentes or anyone who shares his ideology?
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD:
No, I don't. That's not a conservative ideology at all. That's a hateful rhetoric that's inconsistent with even the United States Constitution, not just inconsistent with the Republican Party. So no, that's not who we are. The Republican Party and conservatism has stood up for decades and decades for all individuals. If you want to trace back our lineage, it goes all the way back to George Washington, 1790, writing to what he called the "children of the stock of Abraham," that they would live in peace with the people around them. They would live under their own vine, their own fig tree, and not be afraid. From the beginning of our country, we have welcomed every faith in this country. But we have absolutely strongly opposed antisemitism and should continue to be able to do that and make it clear.
KRISTEN WELKER:
All right, well, clearly something you're very passionate about. Thank you so much for being here, Senator Lankford –
SEN. JAMES LANKFORD:
Glad to be here.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Really appreciate it. When we come back, Democrats are celebrating after big election wins this week. Could they take back Congress in 2026? The panel is next.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Welcome back, the panel is here. NBC News Chief Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles, editor in chief of The Cook Political Report Amy Walter, Ashley Etienne, former communications director to Vice President Harris and Speaker Pelosi, and Marc Short, former director of legislative affairs for President Trump. Thank you all so much for being here after an incredibly busy week, a marathon week for you, Ryan. What say you after listening to Leader Jeffries and Senator Lankford? Do you think they're going to get a deal?
RYAN NOBLES:
No.I think that –
AMY WALTER:
It’s not that simple.
KRISTEN WELKER:
I didn’t sense that much optimism.
RYAN NOBLES:
And it's not just what they told you, it's also what I'm hearing from people that I talked to about this issue. They seem pretty entrenched in their original positions. And if – if you actually go back to the things they were saying prior to the shutdown beginning and comparing them to what they're saying now, they really haven't moved all that much. You know, Senator Schumer this week presenting this proposal about a one-year extension, that really fell with a lead balloon in the White House. Democrats feel emboldened. Their base is telling them to continue to fight. Republicans feel no incentive to give on this at all. That's the recipe for this continuing on. And Kristen, I – I don't want to say this, but I really believe this could extend all the way to Thanksgiving –
KRISTEN WELKER:
Oof.
RYAN NOBLES:
– if not beyond, because there just seems to be no break in this fever.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Yeah, Marc, Leader Jeffries said, "I hope it's resolved by Thanksgiving." But the backdrop that Ryan paints and the fact that you have President Trump saying, "Hey, let's send money directly to people and let's get rid of the filibuster," how do you see this ending?
MARC SHORT:
Look, I don’t think – I think the filibuster's a non sequitur, and I think that sending money to individuals isn't solving the problem. As Leader Jeffries said on your show, he said the health care system is broken. Well, Obamacare's been the rule for 15 years. And I think – and if you're saying we're going to send it to an individual instead of health insurance, you're not lowering the cost. You're still going to have to then go to health insurance companies. But I really think the Democrats really can be overplaying their hand here. I don't think that the elections, anybody was saying, "Hey, we want the shutdown to continue." What they were saying, whether it was in New Jersey, Virginia, everywhere else, was saying, "Cost of living is high, affordability is a problem for us." And I think that – I know that it's a knee-jerk reaction for Democrats to oppose everything that Trump does. But really, they should be cheering this economic agenda. You've got Republicans now advancing price controls, Republican president asking for state-owned enterprises that Bernie and Elizabeth Warren like, a tariff agenda they like. And now stealing a chapter from Upton Sinclair and saying we're going to go after meatpackers just this week. So it's like – it’s basically a playbook for Democrats.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Ashley, what about –
ASHLEY ETIENNE:
Trump goes socialist.
KRISTEN WELKER:
– Marc's point?
MARC SHORT:
Yes. The economic agenda has been.
ASHLEY ETIENNE:
Right.
KRISTEN WELKER:
That got lost. But you're saying parts of that seem like a socialist agenda. Do Democrats run the risk of overplaying their hand?
ASHLEY ETIENNE:
No, I think that's right. I mean, I think the reality is this shutdown's getting really real for too many Americans and it's exacerbated by a failing economy. The way that I measure success or a win for Democrats at this point is what's your day-after strategy? How do you come out of this shutdown, win, lose, or draw, as a strategist. And so my advice would be is to capitalize on the momentum we saw on Tuesday, to capitalize on the anxiety that people are feeling around the economy, and roll out a proactive agenda. Contrast what you would offer to the American people versus what they're getting from Donald Trump. You've got to give people something to vote for, not just something to vote against.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Well, Amy, it does come against the background –
AMY WALTER:
That’s right.
KRISTEN WELKER:
– of the election results on Tuesday. How does this play out for Democrats given that?
AMY WALTER:
Yeah. I mean, I agree with these two about the – the risk of overplaying your hand. Now, on the one hand, you look at the results of Tuesday night. And if you were a Republican, especially a Republican sitting in a swing state or a swing district, you'd say, "Boy, the winds are really at our face. We need to do something to address this affordability issue, maybe health care and these subsidies is one way to do it." On the other hand, I absolutely agree that this stuff is getting real now. And that winning the fight, winning the battle of public opinion, which it seems like this is where Democrats are, they say, "We're still winning on the blame game," is going to get lost as the lines for food banks continue to get long, as the lines at airports stack up. I mean, the idea that Thanksgiving travel, the busiest day of the year, is going to be impacted by this. I don't know that anybody wins. And at the end of the day, if your goal is to say, as Democrats, "The role of government is to help people," I don't know that that message is going to resonate as people are desperate, looking for food, or waiting in lines.
RYAN NOBLES:
Right. But part of the problem, Amy, and this is one of the things I think has been so difficult in covering this, is that no one disagrees about the consequences, right?
KRISTEN WELKER:
Yeah.
AMY WALTER:
Yes.
RYAN NOBLES:
Every press conference I'm in, we're talking about SNAP benefit recipients not getting their funding, we're talking about long lines at airports, we're talking about federal workers going without pay. Everyone knows it's bad. The problem is everyone is saying, "It's the other guy's fault." Until we get to a point where someone takes responsibility, which no one in Washington is doing right now –
AMY WALTER:
Never.
RYAN NOBLES:
– there doesn't appear to be a way out of this.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Well, Marc, what was so notable is that President Trump had his own diagnosis for the election results. He said he wasn't on the ballot. And he said the shutdown, he acknowledged it's hurting Republicans. I mean, what does that say and what does the election say about Republican strategy moving forward?
MARC SHORT:
Well, he wasn't on the ballot. And Republicans still haven't figured out how to win when he's not on the ballot. But I think, you know, suggesting that it's just the members in Congress's problem I think exacerbates exactly the issue with the challenge that Republicans have. Because he's not going to be on the same page they are, nor is he going to have the same messaging. But again, I think a lesson for the White House is it wasn't just New Jersey and Virginia and California. Republicans lost seats in Georgia and Mississippi. People aren't focused on that. And I think the reality is there really is an affordability issue. And even this week, Scott Bessent and Kevin Hassett both acknowledged that parts of our economy are in a recession. The president needs to actually replace his whole economic team. All they’ve done is pursue a bigger status economic plan and offering no free market solutions.
ASHLEY ETIENNE:
Well said. Thanks Marc, I’m ready.
MARC SHORT:
I'd love to see Democrats actually advance free markets. Actually, Democrats are proposing free trades for the first time in generations –
ASHLEY ETIENNE:
But Marc is –
MARC SHORT:
– because the president's on the other side.
ASHLEY ETIENNE:
Marc is absolutely right. The question is, how – what lessons have the Republican party and the president learned coming out of Tuesday? Will they recalibrate? The economy is only getting worse. By their own admission, the inflation is up, the economy's actually in a recession, by their own admission. A million people have already lost their jobs. 156,000 just last month. So this is something that the Republican Party has to get on top of. And that's what I'm going to be watching. So it's less pressure on us, more pressure on the Republicans.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Amy, part of what makes the fight in the midterms so fascinating is this redistricting battle that is happening against the backdrop of all of these other different components. Of course, Prop-50 in California, the redistricting measure sailed to victory. And now there's a back and forth over this –
AMY WALTER:
That’s right.
KRISTEN WELKER:
– in various states. How do you see this playing out? Because Democrats feel like they're emboldened in that redistricting math fight as well.
AMY WALTER:
Yeah, they’re in a much – Democrats are in a much better place on the math than they were a couple months ago. Back when this really began, when Texas redistricted, our assumption was that when we looked at all the different states that could do this redistricting, Republicans were likely, could at best, come out 12 seats or more on top when this was all said and done. Now when you look at what happened in California, what's happening in a number of other states, including the state of Virginia, which is now putting on the fast track, a Prop-50 type special election in Virginia to help Democrats, now it looks more like Republicans likely only to get a handful of seats out of this redistricting fight instead of double digits.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Ryan, final 30 seconds to you, Leader Jeffries says he's very confident that he could win the House back.
RYAN NOBLES:
Oh, I – Democrats are as emboldened as they've ever been based on what happened on Tuesday night. I think they feel stronger across the board. And I think this is interesting and it depends on which poll you look at. But President Trump's approval rating is as low as it's been since January 6th. That's a remarkable opposition that Democrats have right now. The momentum is definitely at their back. But as we’ve talked a lot about at this table, they have a habit of overplaying their hand –
ASHLEY ETIENNE:
And a year's a long time.
RYAN NOBLES:
That's right.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Sure is. Great conversation guys. Thank you so much for being here. And still ahead, our Meet the Moment conversation with “Wicked: For Good” director Jon M. Chu.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Welcome back. Former Vice President Dick Cheney died this week. A former White House chief of staff, defense secretary, and congressman, Cheney is widely seen as the most powerful vice president in U.S. history. One who stood by President George W. Bush after America was attacked on 9/11 and helped shape the controversial War on Terror. Cheney joined Meet the Press in 2001, reflecting on how he was viewed in pop culture.
[BEGIN TAPE]
TIM RUSSERT:
Before you go, a lot of email to me, "Where's Dick Cheney been? What does he do all day?" Answer?
VICE PRES. DICK CHENEY:
I work hard. I'm frequently when the president's in the White House, I'm elsewhere. But wherever I go, I have my secure video conferencing capabilities. And so I'm plugged into the regular meetings at the White House.
TIM RUSSERT:
And advising him on a daily basis?
VICE PRES. DICK CHENEY:
On a regular basis, yes.
TIM RUSSERT:
This is how Saturday Night Live portrayed Vice President Dick Cheney, let's watch.
ANNOUNCER:
And now from a secret location, here is the vice president of the United States.
DARRELL HAMMOND:
Hello America, I'm Dick Cheney. As you know for the past few weeks, I've been off in an undisclosed location. Well, I'm here tonight to disclose that location, Kandahar, Afghanistan. I'm a one-man Afghani wrecking crew. That Northern Alliance they've been talking about? Pretty much just me.
TIM RUSSERT:
And?
VICE PRES. DICK CHENEY:
Well, Tim, if you have another successful ten years on Meet the Press, maybe you'll get your own skit on Saturday Night Live.
[END TAPE]
KRISTEN WELKER:
Vice President Dick Cheney was 84 years old.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Welcome back. Hollywood director Jon M. Chu has built a career on turning stories about outsiders into celebrations of belonging. From his groundbreaking hit, Crazy Rich Asians, to the vibrant, cinematic world of Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights, now Chu is taking on his most ambitious project yet, Wicked: For Good, the second chapter of his epic adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical. Take a look.
[BEGIN TAPE]
KRISTEN WELKER:
“Wicked” has become a cultural phenomenon. It's the most profitable Broadway film adaptation of all time. It was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture. It was named one of the Top Ten Films of 2024 by the American Film Institute. What does that mean to you personally?
JON M. CHU:
My whole life, I've been trying to prove myself that I can be here, that I can be in this business. And I think I was always searching for that kind of validation. But through the process of making movies and doing it over -- and I had a whole long career before ever doing “Wicked” – I think I got killed many times. I felt like I couldn't go on many times. I felt like maybe I don't deserve to be here many times. But I think through the process of making this movie, I've learned so much from Elphaba and Glinda and from Cynthia and Ariana. I think I've gotten to let go of that idea of proving yourself. We were too in it. It was too long to wait for validation. So we had to give ourselves that.
KRISTEN WELKER:
So you learned to trust yourself?
JON M. CHU:
Absolutely.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Well, when you were 23 years old, you're just starting out, you'd actually gotten two movie deals.
JON M. CHU:
Yup.
KRISTEN WELKER:
And then they fell through. Did you think, Jon, in those years that you were going to give up? That you couldn't make it in this business?
JON M. CHU:
Absolutely. There were days where I was like, "Am I a fool?" Those, yes, were times when I would go into USC – they asked me to speak at USC, because this is the guy that just came out of college and got his deal – and we pull in, and I drop my friend off who's going to school there. And I sit in the loading dock, and I'm watching all these kids excited about making a movie. And I feel like nothing. I feel like – and I just started to weep. It was probably the first time I cried in 20 years or something at that point. I was like, "These people think I'm a complete fake."
KRISTEN WELKER:
And then came “Crazy Rich Asians.” How did that change your life?
JON M. CHU:
I had to learn every movie I was doing. And there's a certain point where I remember, I was making “Now You See Me 2” with Mark Ruffalo and Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman. And I hit my 10,000 hours like they say, but I felt it. And it was the first time I felt like, "Oh, I don't have to prove myself. I know I can hang with these people." And then I was looking at what I was doing. I was like, "Oh, anyone could make this movie. What is the movie that I can only make? What's the thing that scares me the most?" And the thing that scared me the most was my cultural identity crisis, talking about being an Asian American. It was my whole life, even my parents sort of were saying, "Make sure people don't even think about that about you so that you fit in." So to actually put a spotlight on it, oh my gosh, people are going to start saying, "Ni-hao" to me. They're going to start sending me Asian scripts all the time instead of just seeing me as a director. So to go back was really difficult, but at the same time, it felt like it was the thing I had to do. And so I found this book, “Crazy Rich Asians” about an Asian American girl going to Asia for the first time. I understood that story. The romantic comedy part of it, sure, whatever. The wealth part of it, sure, whatever, but self-worth about somebody of this generation figuring out their cultural identity of both American and Asian, to me that was something that I could tell.
KRISTEN WELKER:
Well, and Asian Americans are underrepresented still in Hollywood, in film and TV. What do you think needs to happen to change that, having wrestled with all of those really complex emotions that you have?
JON M. CHU:
I think we just need more. I think “Crazy Rich Asians” was great, because it cracked the door open or showed a path for the other people who needed to invest money in this. I'm not sure if it was for us. I think it was for everyone else to say, "Oh, these actors have value.” So in my mind, that was just an avenue to open up what other people looked at us. Now it's all of our turns to like, all right, let's own our stories and tell every version of our story we could, so that nothing was dependent on just one movie. And so I think we're in that process. I think we have to be careful to expect too big of a change too quickly. Of course, we want that, but to change culture, it takes time. You cannot force people to do that. We can't have a debate and just say, "Everyone agrees with that." I'm sick of having a debate and conversation about it. Just do it and prove it.
KRISTEN WELKER:
You talked about the magic of going to a movie theater. Do you worry that part of that is being lost because of streaming, which is a platform that obviously you are on as well? But you love that experience of being in a movie theater.
JON M. CHU:
I think movies are one of our last analog spaces. It's a space that we have to protect. When you go into a movie theater, you have to make a choice to go in. You have to leave your phone. You have to go into the dark. You have to take effort, and then you have to just sit back in the dark and watch something for two hours through someone else's perspective. That is maybe one of the last spaces we have to do that. It is a part of our culture. We built it in to be a place where we can question the things we're going through or ask questions or spread some sort of joy or hope. And in a time where I think the vision of who we are is sort of lost in the news now. It's all over the place. We're getting such hard things coming at us that – I mean, that's why I love the segment is it gives you light in this crazy information age – that I feel like in a movie you actually are forced to have that space. So I think it's more than just entertainment. I think it's when we don't have a vision for who we are, the loudest, strongest person in the room out in the airwaves gets the power. And not many people can get that kind of power. But you know what? Movies can. Movies can be louder. And so if you can spread the idea like, "Hey, this is who we can be," that's why I love “Wicked.” Because “Wicked,” even though it's a fantasy, even though it's a fairy tale, it's our access into a human experience. What does it feel like when you believe so deeply, when you love so deeply, when you sacrifice everything? That we still have the capacity to do that. It makes you believe that we can still do that. And I believe that fully. It's what my parents taught me. It's what America has taught me. And the space in the movies are the thing that set horizon lines for all of us to be able to know that that still exists for us. So I think that space is very important.
[END TAPE]
KRISTEN WELKER:
“Wicked: For Good” hits theaters on November 21st. And you can watch my full interview with Jon M. Chu at MeetThePress.com. 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.