tv Inside With Jen Psaki MSNBC August 18, 2024 9:00am-10:00am PDT
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>> you are looking at live pictures -- preparing for the kickoff of the harris-walz bus tour ahead of the d&c in chicago. the d&c in chicago kicks off tomorrow. and that does it for me. you for watching. you get me back here every saturday and sunday morning. don't forget, velshi is available as a podcast. you can follow it for free where we get your podcast. you can find our contact on you too. head over to msnbc.com/ali. stay tuned. inside with jen psaki starts now.
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kamala harris is about to land for a full day of campaign. democratic convention starts tomorrow and donald trump is twisting in the wind. senator amy klobuchar -- and she is coming at first. plus, we will show you where -- behind-the-scenes trip and i may or may not have taken a shot with illinois governor j.b. pritzker. also today, a top architect of project 2025 caught on camera talking about his cozy relationship with donald trump. congressman dan goldman joins us on what he said and why this should concern us all. and later, you may know them as bartlett and deputy -- kate harper actors martin sheen and -- of west wing fame are here in studio for conversation that ability for two for a very long time.
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okay, the democratic national convention kicks off tomorrow, and over the next -- and maybe even some pop stars, we will see. will come together to celebrate the legacy of joe biden and of course, the candidacy of kamala harris and tim walz. i think it's safe to say that there is one guy out there who is really going to hate all of that. if there's one thing that donald trump loves about anything else, it's attention, and it doesn't even have to be positive attention. i mean, trumpism who takes the phrase all press is good press a little early. this is a guy who put his own mug shot on t- shirts and coffee cups, for god's sake. he said he likes to be the focus. we seen that over and over again for years. he has shown a willingness to say and do some wild, offensive, and yes, deeply. things. remember to hold onto it.
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but for now, for the first time perhaps in his political career, donald trump is losing the battle for attention and he is losing it because kamala harris is beating him at his own game. this afternoon, harris and walz will talk to supporters in -- as part of the bus tour. you can see the footage right there. they are going through the state on their way to chicago and that visit will cap four straight weeks of packed rallies, campaign events and swing states they have done across the country. even just one month time, remember, it's only been a month, harris and walz have been the hot ticket. they've also made up significant -- putting nevada north carolina back in play. and they have also -- interest than the party has felt in some time. taken from the national finance chair for the d&c who told abc news, quote, a credential to get into the chicago -- is a hotter ticket than a taylor swift concert. that dynamic is very clearly driving trump insane. -- his old bag of tricks.
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he only has one bag of tricks, a recent comment there, a crazy conspiracy there, and of course, grabbing a microphone and a camera and doing whatever this is. >> what happened to biden? i was running against biting them all the sudden i'm running against someone else. i said why my running against? harris. i said who the hell is harris, have you heard her laugh, that is the laugh of a crazy person. that is the laugh of -- a laughable lunatic. i am much better looking than her. she actually called me weird. you want to see a bird cemetery, you will see thousands of birds deb. i love the playback controls you have nowadays. the used to call it tivo. they were saying he was rambling. i'm not really. i'm a really smart guy. >> there was a lot packed in
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there, but the problem with his strategy, if it isn't obvious, is basically this, every time he opens his mouth at these rallies and press conferences, he kind of sounds boring, he looks small and other times he looks like he's just completely unraveling. the best case scenario is small and boring, i guess. in past elections, whatever you thought of his demagoguery, and there's a lot of it, it was kind of hard to look away. there was the star, eerie unpredictability about him. that is no longer the case. now is just reruns. it's just boring and small and kind of sad. now kamala harris and tim walz have stole the show and everything they are doing right now, harris and walz are stringing him down to the aging, confused, boring, rambling donald trump who he really is. they are holding the huge rallies, generating the crowds and headlines. this makes him seem small. they are putting out biting releases, which makes him see -- seem small and they're calling him. because he deserves it. it also makes him seem small. and all the joy and excitement
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and the celebration of the democratic convention that we will see the next four days, starting tomorrow will make him seem even smaller. that will drive them crazy. 20 we now is amy klobuchar of -- 20 we now is amy klobuchar. we just talked through the course of the show, great to see you, it truly seems to me like trump is losing the battle for attention to harris and walz and it's kind of driving him nuts. but how do you see it? >> completely, i loved your synopsis there because i was thinking, he is talking bird cemetery's and they are in -- he is out there wanting around in his golf club, talking about claiming credit for things he never did like bringing down the insulin prices when, in fact, it was joe biden and kamala harris that put that cap in place and they are on a bus tour throughout pennsylvania. you think what she's done in 28 days, jen, it's phenomenal.
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since the nomination, has raised over $30 million. has made the convention the hottest thing ever. i've had the same experience. are there tickets left? other tickets left? are hotel rooms? she has picked this extraordinary vice president, filled arenas with 15,000 people and i just love a good bus trip on the way to a convention. i was remembering the clinton campaign, the obama campaign. it just creates this momentum and it is not just the states that we are focused on before. it's also now arizona she is surging in and georgia and in addition to the blue wall states of michigan and wisconsin , it's just an incredible -- nevada, just we are seeing across the country is phenomenal. >> i thought governor pritzker when i was in chicago, donors
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are trying to call him to offer him money which you know is not always how it goes. so let me ask you a little about messaging. you've actually been talking to the people of your state. for years, you know what works and doesn't work. for a long time, it was focused around the threat trump poses, and there's no doubt, he poses a threat to the rule of law, to women's rights, to freedom, to many, many thanks. but there is a shift now painting him has -- as weird, small, boring. when you think of that? >> i think the facts speak for themselves. people are just tired of seeing this rerun of him saying these nutty things that they don't want to hear him again and the words that used to represent the republican party in the -- those kinds of words, rule of law, they been flipped on their heads. there still republicans out there that believe in that and many will believe, i protect, voting for vice president harris, but those words are now out and you hear it in the
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themes for the convention. you have for the people, putting people first but it's also about democracy. you've got freedoms where the donald trump has said he is probably the person responsible for overturning roe v wade and democrats are standing up for freedom and freedom to make your own decisions. you've got kamala harris, when that debate happens coming up in september and one side, there's a former prosecutor whose put murderers in jail, who believes in the rule of law and then you have donald trump with his over 100 indictments and over -- what is it, 34 felony convictions. this is a clear contrast where they have turned the words and the meaning of their party on its head and i think it's just all coming in and he is just, he cannot believe this is happening and he brought that party to that point. we know that. and he also cannot believe that
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he is obsessed with crowd size and this is not going well for him. >> it's not. he's had some gaps in his crowd sizes. we were just seeing, i wanted to reference, we were to showing the vice president and her husband getting on the plane to meet the boss -- the bus where they will me. let me ask about president biden because this convention is, of course, about the top of the ticket. it's also about honoring the legacy of joe biden, his presidency, his commitment to public service. you have known him a long time. you have worked closely with him. i wanted to ask you about what you think of the hall is going to be like tomorrow night when he speaks. >> there's going to be so much love for joe biden. there's going to be tears of joy. when he walked into that hall. what he has done, and i love that major focus is going to be on democracy. he literally saved our democracy in the u.s. he beat donald trump, he was sworn in, as you know, i was there and i
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cheered at that inauguration and there are some people saying put it in a bunker after the insurrection and joe biden says no. we are going to be out there on that platform that they first invaded. we don't care if we have windows that aren't real or if we have to spray paint the pillars, we are going to be out there, we are going to take back that platform. so on monday night, you're going to hear him talk about that democracy that he has upheld. he has upheld it with voting rights. he's upheld it with his fight to save ukraine and to stand up for democracy. he has fought for it with how he has done things for the people, which is a theme of that night. and i just think, everyone is going to -- i just can't wait to hear his speech. >> he is going be hugging a lot of people, i think. i heard that staff are coming in. alumni are coming in. you are also very close to vice president harris. you worked closely with her. you know her personally. she had a much shorter runway
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to prepare for all this which is very hard. i think it's in good for her. she's had to be decisive, fearless. what do you think? >> those qualities, and i say fearless is a great actress of, they have always been kamala harris when you see her cross- examining the supreme court nominees that donald trump put on the bench that overturned roe v. wade. she had their number and she has always been fearless, attorney general, biggest attorney general's office in the country when she ran that office in california, but now, you have seen those decision- making skills. everyone, there were so many -- there is absolutely no doubt about them. any of those top people would have served with such honor and brought a lot to the ticket. she couldn't wait week. it was like speed dating.
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she made a decision that was unorthodox. choosing my friend, tim walz, the governor of minnesota and it has worked incredibly well. she made that decision based on their chemistry, based on the fact of what he had done in his life. and i think you are seeing the results of that. that is one big decision she had to make as well as many others, putting her staff, of course, keeping dylan and many of the other great people from the biden campaign and then adding in a few new people. you know what that's like, having been involved in campaigns. that alone is a hard thing, but she has done it with grace and force and you can see the results in the polls, in the numbers, and just in the momentum we are seeing and excitement. >> no questions. going to be a big week. i know we will be talking to you because we always love to hear what centric literature thinks of what's going on -- senator amy klobuchar likes to think of what's going on. but thank you for joining me today. >> great to be on, jen.
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thanks. coming up, martin sheen and mary mccormack are going to be here in studio. kamala harris is about to land in pittsburgh. there's so much happening. we are going to talk about all of it, but first, i traveled to chicago to get inside look at the change at the top of the ticket added a new layer to what was an already high-stakes event. my conversations with the people in charge of the convention and, of course, governor j.b. pritzker is one of them, after a very quick break. break. ♪♪ when you're a small business owner, your to-do list can be...a lot. ♪♪ [ cellphone whooshes ] [ sighs ] that's why progressive makes it easy to save with a commercial auto quote online so you can take on all your others to-dos. already did. see if you could save at progressivecommercial.com.
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five years? -five years? introducing the comcast business 5-year price lock guarantee. powering 5 years of savings. powering possibilities. there has not been a democratic convention hall full of delegates, politicians, balloons, celebrities, all of the things for eight years because of covid 19. this year is going to feel different to people, new in some ways, and not just because of the change at the top of the ticket. this week, went to chicago and i got a sneak preview of what
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is in store with a few of the people responsible for pulling off what is the biggest show in politics. >> there is always a story that conventions are trying to tell. what is the story of the convention next week? >> you know, i think the stories about where joe biden started, you know, he started us with we are going to claim the soul of this nation. that is this underlying story of all of this. we are going to continue the work of the biden harris administration. we're certainly going to pivot to the future as we get harris- walz, but i think our anger in our northstar was when he started us. >> as the northstar, the sitting president, how will be honored, i know he will speak on monday. >> it would be hard to have a
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convention that was reflective of joe biden because joe biden represents everything that the democratic party is all about. fairness, decency, american leadership. these are the things that joe biden has fought for his entire career and those of the values of the democratic party is going to put on display in chicago next week. >> you both have had a challenging task, i think it is fair to say, because at the top of the ticket, it just changed a few weeks ago and now vice president harris is at the top of the ticket. she has selected governor walz to be her running mate. how have you had to change your planning, your programming for the convention? >> one of the things that i think we should do and have an obligation to do is to introduce her and governor walz to the american people in a way that they probably haven't seen her so it gave us the opportunity. it wasn't as hard as people thought it was. i think it was probably more a shock to people, but she was always built into this convention from the beginning to end and so what we really had to do was just change names. we had to start looking at what she believed in, have bios of the coach, which we were all excited about. will introduce her husband, we will see his family, so those of the things that we will see differently. >> one of the things that
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people have seen is her connection to her sorority, one of the defined nine. they are very supportive and proud of her. she's very proud to be a member. are we going to see some accelerated -- excited sorority sisters next week? >> you will see a lot of pink and green. >> you are in it, as well. >> yes i am. we plan to devote a special day and section to the divine nine because they have been a part of her history, a part of her journey so you will see all the colors of all the sororities and fraternities come together. >> there's a lot of things that people get excited about in conventions, including hollywood and singers. are we going to see, i mean, beyonce said that kamala harris could use her music. could we see beyonci next week? >> well, you know, i think
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anything could be a surprise, even to us sometimes. we have seen a lot of that on social media, but you know, we do have a lot of entertainers that have expressed interest, but we also have a lot of people that are just coming because they believe in this ticket, they believe in what we stand for. >> all right, so we are backstage. >> we are. >> this is backstage of the convention. what is happening behind the scenes of the convention? what everyone is seeing on camera, speakers getting big speeches, what is going behind the scenes? >> so when they nailed their flawless speeches, they are back here first and they are prepping. we have -- where they can work with the speechwriter to fine- tune the final details, the hair and makeup. >> so the writers room is a bunch of speechwriters who come in and they help people find tune. >> exactly. >> sometimes people are nervous, sometimes they want to change the whole speech. >> it's cliche to say it, is the super bowl or something, but this is like the super bowl for speechwriters.
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>> this is the convention floor. >> this is it. >> and what are we walking out to right now? >> we are walking out to the first of its kind creator platform. just because we are going back to an in person convention doesn't mean we are going to the same way of doing things. >> this stage has never existed before in this form. >> correct. >> what is going to happen here? >> this is the front row seat for content creators to cover our convention. we know that the number one search engine for gen z is tiktok. we are going to be welcoming all of our traditional media friends and we can see positions for that all over the hall here, but we also have 200 plus content creators. they are going to be having the opportunity come up here to create and broadcast their content to americans right where they are because there are so many people, especially young people, they are not necessarily watching children -- television, they turn to their voices for their news and information are these online voices on tiktok, youtube,
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instagram. we are bringing them here. >> behind us here are some balloons. the balloons are all going to go up into the ceiling, right? and then they will be drop-down on thursday. >> fool me joyland -- spoilers -- so many spoilers, jen. we are bringing creators, but we have to have some time- honored traditions. >> governor pritzker, it's so great to see you. >> good to see you. >> thank you for taking the time on convention eve. the last time i was in chicago, it was last fall, we talked about the convention. one of the big reasons it's in chicago is because of your advocacy. how are you feeling? it's finally about to start? >> i have to say we've been planning for a year and a quarter since we were awarded the convention. we are ready. this city is energized and ready to go.
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we have tens of thousands of people are arriving for the convention even now and so we are just so excited. >> if you like there's a lot of energy around this ticket, vice president harris, as you reference. governor walz. how are you feeling that here in chicago and as we anticipate the start of the convention? >> i have to say, just the electricity, the young people in particular who have, i just said hey, i want to volunteer, i want to be involved. >> you have no governor walz. he's a fellow midwest or governor it must have -- >> the first thing that's very noticeable about him, and it is true, he has a big heart. he genuinely cares about people and, you know, watching him operate and what he has done in minnesota for young people, what he's done to stand up for the values of every day minnesotans, he's going to bring that to america. >> there's been a lot of reporting about protests, the potential for tens of thousands of protesters. are you anticipating that number coming to chicago? >> i don't think that number, but listen, we expected protesters. it's been a year and a quarter of truly planning for this
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across the city of chicago. i want to remind you that every level of law enforcement is involved here. we got all the way from the secret service, the fbi to the sheriff to the cpd. it's going to be a safe convention. >> i would expect you're going to speak next week sometime. when can we expect to hear from you? >> tuesday night, prime time, i get an opportunity to tell people about illinois and more importantly about the ticket and why we are also excited about kamala harris and tim walz. >> that did not taste good, i just want to first say. but my thanks to governor pritzker, matt hill, everyone on the ground in chicago who made all that possible during in advance of what was going to be a crazy week for both of them.
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coming up, a new seeker video of one of the key authors of project 2025 confirms all of our worst fears about -- congressman dan goldman joins me after a very quick break. br. ♪ to see hundreds of miles of tracks. ♪ [vroom] [train horn] [buzz] clearing the way, [whoosh] so you arrive exactly where you belong. our right to reproductive health care is being stolen from us. i can't believe this is the world we live in,
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so you are seeing right now i live look at the airport in pittsburgh, were kamala harris is going to touchdown at any moment and kickoff a daylong bus tour through pennsylvania. that rally hasn't started yet. she has not landed yet. we will keep you updated. we'll keep an eye on all of that for you this afternoon. in the meantime, we have spent a lot of time on this show warning about the dangers of project 2025. we've also spent some time talking about one of the plan's key authors, someone who could be white house chief of staff during -- this week, -- undercover reporters that he is overseeing -- regulations, and memos to help make -- a
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reality. and while trump and his allies claim they know nothing about project 2025, vought managed to -- undermine that claim . >> he's involved in the project, and then you read some of the things, they are extreme, i mean they are seriously extreme. >> so he is not running against any people, he is not running against any institutions. it's interesting. he is in fact, not even opposing himself to a particular policy. >> project 2025 is not affiliated with the trump campaign. >> i'm very happy with the j.d. pick . i think it's transformative for sure. and he is thinking of him as a number version of what we do. >> project 2025 has actually nothing to do with the past, present, or future president trump and president trump alone will make its own policies. >> and someone like stephen miller, and all the stuff gets plugged right in.
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>> joined me now is democratic congressman dan goldman of new york. congressman, it's great to see you. thank you so much for joining me. i wanted to just start by asking you to give us your reaction to that undercover video, that's what that was, of russell vought, and that side- by-side of trump alice trying to distance themselves from project 2025 . >> it's so telling, and this is clear that this is all part of trump operation. you don't have to look far. russell vought was the office -- another had leader of project 2025, donald trump's personnel manager, just left, even though he was a big part of trump's operations and let's this, let's not forget, this is project 2025. his uncle project 2029, is not called project of the future, donald trump has been the clear
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presumptive nominee since january 7th, 2021 and we all know that this is exactly what they are gearing up for. they have a massive rolodex of people they want plugged into the trump administration, and there has been tremendous coordination behind the scenes. donald trump realizes that it is a political liability so he will lie as he always does and try to run away from it, but he can run as far as he wants and project 2025 is going to follow him. >> that guy, russ vought, is rumored to be on his short list for chief of staff. the american people know what's going on here. let me ask you, kamala harris, will continue do it, you will continue to do, but kamala harris and tim walz are about
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to embark on this bus tour throughout pennsylvania. they are kicking it off today. there's so much energy around this campaign. it felt, for so long, like a big part of the democratic message was anti-project 2025, auntie donald trump. obviously the core, but it does it feel like to you that this is becoming more about voting for something rather than just voting against something? >> yes. that's partly, i think, the energy that kamala harris has brought an joe biden has been a historically impressive president, but the message he had was, you know, we need to finish this job and danger is donald trump. now, we really have a messenger and kamala harris who can promote this vision of the future where we are working in government for the american people. we are trying to lower cost. we are trying to give people the opportunity to achieve the american dream, as opposed to donald trump and project 2025, which wants to go back to the 1950s and take away our rights and freedoms. limit immigration, limit the great melting pot that is this country.
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it is basically a forward- looking vision versus a regressive vision that donald trump has. >> some of it is even going back to the 1890s, even before the 1950s, believe it or not. before let you go, i have to ask you. house republicans led by your collie, congressman james: -- james comer, what do you make of this latest attempt to attack of the harris-walls ticket? i don't think it's going to stick, but what do you think of all of it? >> it will probably stick as well as the biden impeachment investigation did which is to say not at all. but it is grossly inappropriate and improper. you cannot use the official authority of congress as the oversight committee to do partisan electoral work and we made that clear that that's all of the biden impeachment
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investigation was for a year and half. there's no way around it, as soon as vice president harris and tim walz are on the ticket now, james comer, it is clear that james comer is improperly using the oversight committee as an arm of donald trump's campaign. it won't stick because there's nothing there, and because james comer is an apt, but it is truly remarkable that they would go this brazenly to make such a partisan effort out of an official duty of congress. >> and governor walz was teaching when he was in china, i think people should be aware of what he was even doing there.? >> dan goldman, i was enjoyed talking to you. thank you so much for taking the time today. >> thank you, jen. see you this week. and coming up, his outrageous comments about mineral honor recipients are -- medal of honor recipients are a reflection of just how warped his view of patriotism is.
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donald trump says a lot of wild things, but every now and then, he says something that gives you a window into the really is . >> i have to say, i watch sheldon sitting so proud when we gave miriam the presidential medal of freedom. that's the highest award you can get as a civilian. it's the equivalent of the congressional medal of honor, but civilian. it's actually much better because everyone gets the congressional medal of honor. they are either in very bad shape because they've been hit so many times by bullets or they are dead. she gets it and she is a healthy, beautiful woman. >> we heard trump essentially saying that a republican donor is more deserving of recognition then our men and women, many who have been injured in uniform, and what he
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clearly doesn't understand is that patriotism isn't at all determined by political loyalty or how hard you publicly hug the american flag is about the actual service of the people you represent and it is about sacrifice and trump's warped view of patriotism really stands out. when you listen to how kamala harris and tim walz talk about the country, they are just out there speaking to democratic ideas, they are speaking to american ideas. they are not just speaking as partisans to a single base or two donors, they are speaking to a much fuller picture of america, much bigger swath of the country then trump is. throughout his political rise, trump has tried to pick -- have branded as their own for decades that they are the party of patriots, that they are the only ones who own the flag. but their projection does not make it true and it also doesn't mean it can't be disrupted. remember at a democratic convention 20 years ago, my old
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boss, barack obama, walked on stage and refrained patriotism entirely. >> the pundits want to slice and dice our country in the red states and blue states, red states for republicans, blue states for democrats, but i got news for them, too. we worship an awesome god in the blue states, and we don't like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the red states. we coach little league in the blue states, and yes, we got some gay friends in the red states. there are patriots who opposed the war in iraq and there are patriots who support it . we are one people, all of us, pledge allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the united states of america. >> trump's rise was in part a backlash to exactly that vision that barack obama outlined. he did his best to turn the american flag into a symbol of his maga movement, rather than a symbol of this diverse and complex country that we live in , but right now, kamala harris
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and tim walz are exposing how airbrushed that new patriotism really is. people out there are responding to it. >> usa! usa! usa! usa! >> trump and his party don't own patriotism. no political party does. they don't own what it means to be american, and right now, kamala harris and tim walz are reframing patriotism as something that belongs to all of us because it does. coming up, the conversation i've been looking forward to all week. actors martin sheen and mary mccormack of west wing fame joined to talk about the new book that's just coming out, right after a quick break. your memory is an amazing thing, but sometimes it can start to slow down. but did you know prevagen can help keep your memory sharp?
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okay, the story goes like this . the historically successful but aging democratic president prepares to step aside and throws his -- diverse and inspiring successor to carry his mantle forward. and no, i'm not talking about joe biden and kamala harris. >> our president, the leader of our democratic party, president
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josiah bartlett. >> ♪ ♪ >> thank you. it's been an honor to serve you for the past eight years. >> four more years! four more years! >> but now it gives me a great pleasure to introduce you to the leaders of our party in the next president and vice president of these united states, -- and leo thomas! >> ♪ ♪
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>> joining us now is actor martin sheen, also known as president joe borlik, and , also known as kate harper, and the co-author of the book, i have it here, what's next: a backstage pass to the west wing. it's cast and crew and its enduring legacy. it's coming out at such a perfect time. everyone needs hope and a reminder. we were all watching that and getting a little emotional. >> i've never seen it. >> you've never seen that clip? >> i have never seen it before and people have asked me about it and john spencer still lives here in our family and i think that was his last seen, if i'm not mistaken. the last time he appeared on camera and i've never seen that scene, ever, until just this moment. it was just overwhelming. we were just talking about him last night. we were equally sad and happy and joyful to have worked with
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him, to have known him and then seen him there. i've never seen that thing before and i'm just overwhelmed. forgive me. i just didn't expect it. >> uniter -- you never need to be forgiven. i'm getting emotional from that. how special that show is, how it brought about so much love and patriotism and commitment and connection to public service. >> it still does. >> it still does. >> a letter to public service, and it is. it's okay to feel aspirational about our government. it's, and it's nice to feel it again, frankly. >> no question about it and that's exactly what this book is about. it's a reminder to people, and it will tell you, i'm watching the west wing, our whole team is re-watching the west wing. it's a remarkable show. i watch that i was thinking also of joe biden. and i watched it a little earlier and i got a little
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emotional watching earlier because i'm thinking of the speech he's about to give tomorrow night and it is such a prophetic moment because he is also handing over the torch. i know you both were at the white house this week, right? >> yes. >> you spoke with him, how was it? >> i got tongue-tied. i just adore him and i have an infinite measure of gratitude and praise and i just, i got tongue-tied. i can't even remember what i said. he said a few things, mr. president, thanks for helping out and so forth. and i just got tongue-tied. what made me laugh in that picture you are showing earlier is he came back, we saluted each other, and he came back to me and what he is saying right there is do you want to talk to the -- >> oh, that's the best part. >> i said no, no. i'm playing a president on television. this is not what i built for. >> you can say no. president bartlet was probably criticized in some episodes. that's another story line. i know you are also there watching marine one take off. it never gets old.
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it's never getting old. >> i'm just a girl from new jersey. i don't know what i was doing there. that was crazy! it was such an honor to be able to say thank you to him. you know? for everything he did, for saving us, for saving democracy. for saving the country, for his decency and kindness. >> one of his staff said, with the exception of jimmy carter, made such a personal sacrifice of true patriotism and love of the country. >> there's no question about that and i experience that from working for him, too. this book, it is, as i was telling you, as i was talking about earlier before, i actually left politics, i left the obama administration, i was a consultant. i watched the entire seven seasons and then i went back to politics and worked on his campaign. as you were saying earlier, there is this real connection between public servants who
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were inspired by it, but also the show was inspired by public service. talk to me a little bit about that how it's captured -- >> fitzgerald, who wrote the book with me, she played carol and she was approached to write a backstage pass and is not really my book to write. and i said it's not really my book to write because i came late to the party and we both talked and decided that the book we could write is one that shined a light on service. if we did it through a lens of service and both the shows legacy and also our friendships, we are all very close, we are all in a text chain. >> there is a west wing text chain? >> and it's half making -- >> oh my gosh. all day long. we make fun of josh molina and then we also ask each other to show up for events and we always do. >> do you plan the reboot, we will want to happen? >> they were talking about this last night. the reboot for us is we are a
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little too old for the, that kind of a show. but he said, where we are, if we started in a small town where one of us would be the key, working for a man or a woman who's trying to get in office. -- and that's the start of it. it's at the state level, the county level. that's just, politics is local. that is where we can serve. and mississippi and -- no one's ever heard of and suddenly, they have -- and that's what we can do whatever. are you listening? >> the whole cast is always invited. we will do the whole thing here. let me ask you. the show was inspiring because it brought joy back into politics.
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are you watching harris and walz? >> seeing it, knowing that, reagan had an ad that primarily, a new dawn. it's happened again. it's a new day, america is the shining city on the hill, there is a new fresh air. there's a new energy, it's young and vital and it's a joy filled and it can finally breathe. >> i think they watch it as a tonic, also. that's what feels like's happening now, with walz and harris. if you like a tonic and they are what's next. >> they are not afraid to talk about politics on a deeply personal level. yes, we are responsible for one another, whether we accept that
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responsibility or not and we are responsible for the world because consciously or unconsciously, we have made it what it is and we don't control the rules that govern the universe, we do control all the rules that govern our own lives and that is where we are given a chance to finally express. >> it's a unique -- now we have seen you out there a little bit. are you going to be out there on the trail for harris and walz? >> i hope that whatever we can do, whatever -- >> we will show up in whatever way. >> i hope everyone is listening out there. they will show up in any way. >> the west wing chain will go. >> we will be there and cover it. >> so what is next? >> what's next, there you go, that's what we are ready for. thank you both so much. we have been looking for to this all week. i'm re-watching this show, we appreciate you being here. everyone, go by the book, it will bring some nostalgia and joint back to your lives. and we will be right back after a very quick break. ck break.
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