Skip to main content

tv   Meet the Press  MSNBC  November 18, 2024 1:00am-2:00am PST

1:00 am
felon, she may never be allowed back into australia. but savanna returned there to the place she calls home. to continue her college studies. after her visit, savanna and her father didn't keep up communication, but if there's anything that harris has learned in the last twenty years, it is that there is always hope. >> you know, my daughter is her own person now. she can make her own decisions. whether my daughter wants to contact me or not, she knows where i am and she knows i want to hear from her, whatever happens. >> that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. ♪♪ank you for watching. this sunday, confirmation battles, president-elect donald trump's controversial cabinet picks are sending shock waves
1:01 am
through washington and raising questions about how he will carry out his second administration. >> i don't think it's a serious nomination for attorney general. >> i was shocked that he has been nominated. >> i have concerns that he can't get across the finish line. >> it must be the worst nomination in american history. >> will the senate approve mr. trump's picks? plus total control, republicans take charge of both houses of congress, clearing a path. >> we're going to raise america first banner above this place. >> we have a mandate from the american people. >> it's not just a defeat but a challenge. >> how will the democrats operate with the gop in control? >> politics is tough and in some cases it's not a nice world but it is today. >> my guest this morning, house democratic leader hakeem
1:02 am
jeffries and republican senator mark wayne mullen of arizona. joining me, eugene daniels, former white house press secretary jen psaki, and lanhee chen, a fellow at the hoover institution. welcome to sunday, it's "meet the press." >> the longest running show in television history, this is "meet the press" with kristen welker. >> good sunday morning. president-elect donald trump is building his cabinet, making it clear the most important thing is loyalty to him. former senator matt gaetz to be attorney general, the house ethics investigation zeroing in on alleged drug use, sex with a
1:03 am
minor, other allegations but ending this week. gaetz has denied wrongdoing. lawmakers are calling on the committee to release the report before the hearing. >> i don't want any limitation. >> you want to ee it? >> absolutely. >> do you have concerns of someone accused of sex trafficking leading the department of justice? >> i have concerns he can't get across the finish line. >> do you want the house committee to release the report? >> i do. >> house speaker johnson said the speaker is not involved in what happens with ethics, but a day later, johnson reversed course and said he would strongly discourage the release. >> it doesn't follow our rules
1:04 am
and it would open an pandora's box. wouldn't help the institution. >> gaetz has been a fierce critic of the department he's been tapped to lead. >> i don't care if it takes every second of our time, every ounce of our energy, we get the government back on our side or get id of, abolish the fbi, cdc, atf, doj, every last one if they do not come to heel. >> several gop sources told nbc news that more than half of senate republicans, including some in senior positions, are privately saying they do not see a path for gaetz and would not confirm him. robert f. kennedy jr. to run the department of health and human services. he now says he's not against
1:05 am
vaccinations. >> i'm not going to take away vaccines. i've never been antivaccine. >> but he's pushed false claims about vaccines despite decades of studies showing them safe and effective. he touted a false conspiracy theory that covid was designed to target ethnicities. >> covid-19 is targeted to attack caucasians and lack people. people most immune are chinese. >> can you name any vaccines that are good? >> some live virus vaccines are probably solving more problems than they're causing. there is no vaccine that is safe and effective. i do believe that autism comes from vaccines. a mountain of scientific study
1:06 am
links autism with early vaccination with certain vaccines. >> according to the cdc there's no evidence of any link between autism and vaccines which protect children from measles and other diseases. pete hegseth, a former military fox tv news host. he was investigated for an alleged sexual assault at an event for republican women. he was not arrested. no charges filed. the trump transition team saying he has vigorously denied all accusations and no charges were filed. we look forward to his confirmation. and hegseth has argued that women should not serve in combat roles. >> i love women service members
1:07 am
who contribute amazingly because everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated and complication in combat means casualties are worse. >> the pentagon opened combat roles to women in 2016 and women have succeeded and excelled in those roles since then. joining me, republican senator mark wayne mullen of oklahoma. welcome to "meet the press." >> thanks for having me on. >> thank you for being here. i want to start with former florida congressman matt gaetz who former president trump announced as pick for attorney general. you said you trust his decision making, but you've been critical of gaetz as well. here's a little bit of what you've said. >> we've all seen the videos on the house fall we walked away, all the girls he slept with.
1:08 am
he walked up to me and said she's a fine -- and put the b word in place there. that's the type of person matt gaetz is. >> you clearly have questions about his character, do you believe he's qualified to serve as attorney general? >> there's no question we've had our differences, that's no secrete. moving forward, i do respect president trump's right to appoint the individuals. but congress has to advise and consent and he'll go through the scrutiny as every other individual. i'll give him a fair shot like every individual and the senate has to confirm him. it's a tough row. i got a tough situation, got to set my personal opinions, really not opinions, my personal situation with matt to the side and look at the facts. if he's qualified, he's
1:09 am
qualified. to be frank i didn't know he was an attorney until he was appointed attorney general and had to do the research. i know that's crazy, i served with him, but never found out his degree. what it was in. >> speaking of digging into his background, the house ethics committee was about to release findings into allegations of misconduct by former congressman gaetz. he resigned before it could happen. a number of your colleagues have said they would like to see that report. should the ethics committee release that report, senator? >> absolutely. i believe the senate should have access to that. should it be released to the public or not, i guess that's part of the negotiations, but it should be part of our decision making. i go back to it. article ii section two in the
1:10 am
constitution, the senate has to advise and consent these individuals. in that process we've gill matt gaetz the same chances as all of his nominees. i believe president trump has the ability to pick really good people. you can see why he was successful in business and running his campaign. he surrounds himself with the right people. i have no doubt that president trump believes that matt gaetz is the right person to do the job. but the background of matt gaetz does matter, and the decisions that the senate makes has to be within our boundaries of constitutional authority we have. we will do our due diligence there. matt will be treated the same as every nominee from myself and every other senator. >> his views. here's what matt gaetz had to say last year about the very law enforcement agencies that he is poised to be tapped to oversee.
1:11 am
take a look. >> we either get this government back on our side or we defund and get rid of, abolish the fbi, cdc, atf, doj, every last one of them if they do not come to heel. >> senator, do you support getting rid of the fbi or doj under any circumstances? >> no. i actually agree with what he was saying there. hard as it is to safe. he's saying they were -- either come to the side of the american people and quit playing politics -- the doj and fbi have been politicized. no question about it. we've seen them go after donald trump. we've seen the fake russia hoax by the fbi, the fbi shielding the biden family and laptop from the american people during the election. if they don't want to come back
1:12 am
and do their job, and it is to keep america safe, watch over the america's freedom through doj, making sure the justice system is running smoothly and leaving politics out of it. but they haven't lately. if they don't want to come back to the mandate, we need to revamp the system, say maybe we got it wrong. >> worth noting, hunter biden has been convicted on federal charges. charges against president donald trump were through individual grand juries. >> but they had to go through the process. >> but do you approve him telling his attorney general to go after his political enemies? >> the president didn't say that? that's taken completely out of context. and president trump hasn't been the one that weaponized the doj.
1:13 am
he did not do that in office the first four years, could have against the clintons and he didn't. who did weaponize the doj was the biden administration. we saw them continuously going after donald trump. the classified documents at mar-a-lago versus the garage of biden, how the different reports read. no question they were treated different. the democrats have weaponized the doj and no one can deny what they did to president trump. >> there's absolutely no evidence that president biden had anything to do with the federal charges brought against president-elect trump. >> garland was appointed -- >> but senator -- >> the white house was involved. >> we're too good of a country
1:14 am
to have the justice department going after political opponents. are you comfortable with the doj doing what you say you oppose? >> if the doj will take a hard look at themselves and say we got it wrong, leadership positions have to change. people that made the decisions have to go and get the doj focused on their priorities, making sure the constitution of the united states is equal for every person out there. if the doj is willing and capable -- they did it for decades. if they get back and say we've got it wrong, admit wrong, let's do it. i've never fired a single individual for making a mistake. but if you can't admit you made a mistake. doj and fbi have been multiple mistakes. >> bottom line, have you decided at this point whether you're going to vote for matt gaetz? >> absolutely not, i haven't
1:15 am
made a decision who to vote for with any of the nominations, i'm going to treat everyone the same and go through advise and consent. background, doing everything to verify the individuals. know who they are, and put them in the best place to succeed to put america first. i understand we have an agenda and mandate because president trump won the popular vote and electoral vote. they want a new direction and we agree. >> some of the other picks. you're a member of the senate armed services committee which will hold hearings into the pick for defense secretary, fox news host pete hegseth. you said you're going to vote for him. allegations of sexual assault surfaced, including he paid the accusers in a nondisclosure
1:16 am
document. he denied it and was never charged. do you think it could sink his confirmation? >> it could, but tell you about pete. he's an individual that served 20 years in the service. honorable discharged veteran who served as a combat individual that walked into afghanistan and iraq, has two bronze stars, highly orated veteran and he's a civilian, he fits the role. good pick. as allegations come out, we'll figure out as the senate moves forward with advise and consent to the president of the united states, we'll figure out if he could be confirmed. i think he's a good pick. >> said you absolutely planned to vote for him. do you? >> i do, as of right now.
1:17 am
i start with yes. but can i be moved off that, i'm sure. everybody starts at some point, some dead even, some at yes, some at no. i start at yes and will take some movement to move off of that. >> president-elect trump's pick for hhs, robert f. kennedy jr., he has said he believes no vaccine is safe and effective. you've been on the record defending the efficacy of vaccines. are rfk's views on vaccines a deal breaker for you? >> no, i appreciate bobby kennedy taking a hard look at the vaccines. there's questions that have to be made. and i appreciate the scrutiny. i've had multiple conversations with him, had long conversations with him and find the guy extremely intelligent when it comes to this stuff and some raises questions.
1:18 am
democrats are talking about scrutiny of president trump's picks? but biden's picks? the hhs person, whatever pronoun he or she decides to use. sam, assistant secretary of energy, and the individual was arrested multiple times for stealing luggage off of conveyer belts inside airports -- >> senator -- >> and i didn't see the scrutiny. talk about pete buttigieg, is he qualified? i don't see the same people given scrutiny here. >> we scrutinized them all robustly. you've said you believe vaccines are safe and effective. you're not concerned about rfk
1:19 am
jr. overseeing the largest health agency in the land? >> i've said there's positives to vaccinations. i've also questioned vaccines multiple times. i think they should be questionized. why is america highest in autism, what is causing it, diet or something we're putting in your childrens' systems. unheard of, one to 10,000, and some races now 1 out of 36 kids by 3 have developed some form of autism. what is causing that? if it's vaccines, there's nothing wrong with taking a hard look. is it something else? we're not at healthy as we should be. we've the most developed country in the world. everything should be on the table. >> i just have to say, no credible expert or study has shown a link, be on the record
1:20 am
with that. we're almost out of time -- >> but when we ask about the vaccines and study that was done specific for autism. it's extremely vague. there's not been a direct study on each individual vaccine if it has a possibility of causing it. they have an overall reaching view. i asked these questions on health and senate. >> there's just no scientific evidence for that. we're almost out of time. trump has floated the idea of recess appointments. would you vote for that? is that something you support? >> yeah, if it became the last option. it is very difficult to get there. article ii section three, the president has the right to call us into recess if we can't agree, if we get bogged down and hakeem jeffreys is holding up
1:21 am
some of the house stuff, not to do with confirmations, or deal with chuck schumer in the senate with confirmations, the president has the right to call us into recess, however it's difficult to get that done. obama did this, republicans took him to court, underneath the cannon case and we won. there's cases out there that shows this wouldn't be temporary, would have to be in recess ten days, both houses would agree before the first appointment. that would be temporary, only two years at least or until the next congress and would have to go through the confirmation period anyway. would be last resort, but if that's what we have to do to get it through, absolutely let's do it. but last option. >> you talk about hakeem jeffreys, we put it to him. senator mark wane mullin, thanks
1:22 am
for joining us, re really appreciate it. >> thank you. >> when we come back, house democratic leader hakeem jeffries joins me next. with vaseline, hydrated skin is just the beginning. level up to even toned, radiant skin. new vaseline radiant x body lotion with 1% niacinamide. level up to even toned skin.
1:23 am
1:24 am
♪ ♪ new va ♪ something has body loti changed within me ♪de. ♪ it's time to try defying gravity ♪ ♪ ♪
1:25 am
welcome back, republicans have retained control of the house with a narrow majority, 218 to 212, five races still uncalled. house democratic leader, hakeem jeffries, and an author. welcome back, thank you for being here. >> morning, great to be with you. >> great to have you. i want to start with the results of the presidential election. for more than a year you have issued really dire warnings
1:26 am
about what a second trump term would look like. look at a little bit of what you said. >> it would be a very dangerous, devastating and destructive thing if donald trump got anywhere close to 1600 pennsylvania avenue. the american people should be terrified. everything that we care about is on the ballot. this november. if roe v. wade can fall, anything can fall. democracy itself, as we know it can fall. >> leader jeffries, why do you think the warnings didn't resonate with voters? >> well, i've congratulated incoming president, and we look forward to working to find bipartisan grounds like the
1:27 am
american people want to do, deliver results on the issues that matter. at the same time we'll push back against right extremism, protect social security, medicare, the affordable care act, reproductive freedom and the progress we've made on having a sustainable planet. >> new reporting out says that some democrats are frustrated with speaker emerita pelosi, saying she needs to let you lead the caucus or take a seat, that she's not respectful of you. do you agree? >> she's been incredibly
1:28 am
respectful. to continue to work closely with them, we stand on their shoulders. at the same period of time as house democrats, we're proud of the new leadership team and looking forward to confronting the challenges we have to face on behalf of the american people. we're going to focus like a laser beam on dealing with issues related to working-class and middle-class americans and those who aspire to be part of the middle class, and build a healthy economy and help out everyday americans struggling to work paycheck to paycheck. that's a team effort and we'll dive in as a team. >> do you think she's undermining your leadership with her public pronouncements? >> no. >> that was quick. one of the arguments that nancy pelosi made is that president biden should have gotten out of
1:29 am
the race sooner. do you believe he should have dropped out sooner? >> i think that president biden will go down in history as one of the most consequential presidents of all time. i was thankful for all the work we did. he made a selfless position to pass the torch to vice president kamala harris and she ran with it and did the best job she could in incredibly challenging circumstances in a little over 100 days. she came close, we fell short. we'll have to do analysis that should be candid, clear-eyed and comprehensive. how do we improve upon our performance to be in the strongest possible position to solve real challenges that everyday americans face for far too long. the deck has been stacked
1:30 am
against the american middle class and those who aspire to be part of it. we recognize that and have to deal with it decisively. >> you take me to my next point. the book, "the abcs of democracy democracy," a children's book based on a speech you gave when you became leader. you said quote -- working families over the well connected. in this past election donald trump won working-class voters. traditionally a democrat stronghold. why? >> it's an illustrated book for people of all ages and hopefully will set forth values and blueprint for how to move forward. we have to put working families over the well connected. in america when you work hard and play by the rules you should be able to provide a comfortable living for yourself and your
1:31 am
family, purchase a home, educate your children, have access to high quality health care, go on vacation every now and then -- >> but why did president-elect trump resonate with those voters? what are you missing? >> that will be an important part of our analysis, and it will be thorough. but that american dream has been under assault for decades for a wide variety of reasons. poorly negotiated trade deals, outsourcing of good paying american jobs, rise of automation have jammed up people in the heartland, the great lakes states and working families across the country. it's going to fall on democrats, republicans and independents to
1:32 am
do something about it decisively. that's the lesson i take from the recent election. >> the report that the house ethics committee was set to vote on to release on former president matt gaetz, president trump's pick to be attorney general. speaker johnson is saying the report should not be released. what is your reaction? >> of course it should be released. that's not just democrats saying that. you have repeatedly seen senate republicans make clear, who are on the senate judiciary committee or throughout the chamber say they want access to all available information to make a decision about whether the nominee for attorney general is qualified to serve in that office. the senate has a clear responsibility to serve as a separate and coequal branch of government and check and balance. that's as america as baseball,
1:33 am
motherhood and apple pie. >> another pick, president-elect trump's pick for director of national intelligence, tulsi gabbard, your former colleague in the house. here's what debbie wasserman schultz had to say about her. >> tulsi gabbard has met with war criminals, violated the department of state's guidance, secretly went to syria and met with assad who gassed and attacked his own people with chemical weapons. she's considered by most assessments a russian asset. >> leader jeffries, do you agree she's a russian asset? >> here's what i have to say about several of the nominations that have been made by the incoming president, including
1:34 am
that one that wasserman schultz was referring to. the incoming president promised the american people we would have the best economy, border security and administration possible. the question that has to be asked, is this the best that we can do in the context of some of the nominations? is this the very best that america has to offer for a moment like this? with so many challenges we confront. of course not. america deserves better. hopefully we'll see the senate republicans do their job, scrutinize these picks. certainly confirm those that meet the basic level of qualifications and reject others. >> you're not willing to say she's a russian asset? >> no, that's not how i would characterize her at this particular juncture, but i'm open to scrutinizing whatever information is presented to all
1:35 am
of us. this is going to fall on senate democrats and republicans. >> there's talk of recess appointments. if president-elect trump tries to push that, is there any recourse in the house to block that? what would you do? >> we'll work closely with the senate democratic colleagues. i have great trust and respect in chuck schumer and dick durbin to make sure no inroads can be done best as we can. we have to stop the brinksmanship, partisanship, bickering and back biting. the american people sent a message for us to work together and deliver real results and deliver for hardworking taxpayers. that's the job that house democrats will do. >> thanks for joining us we appreciate it. >> thank you. when we come back,
1:36 am
president-elect trump's cabinet picks have shocked washington. will the senate confirm the most controversial choices? the panel is next. s? the panel is next. shopify's point of sale system helps you sell at every stage of your business. need a fast and secure way to take payments? we've got you covered. how about card
1:37 am
readers that you can rely on? yep, that too. want one place to manage every sale from every channel? that's kind of our thing. whatever you sell, businesses that grow grow with shopify. with vaseline, hydrated skin is just the beginning. level up to even toned, radiant skin. new vaseline radiant x body lotion with 1% niacinamide. level up to even toned skin.
1:38 am
all aboard! new vascome with met x body lotito meet the wizard.ide. why couldn't possibly. this is your moment. i'm coming. if you think that's something to see, wait til you see this. ♪ ♪
1:39 am
you're good. -very good. welcome back, the panel is here. coanchor of "pbs newshour," eugene daniels, jen psaki. former press secretary and host. and lanhee chen, fellow at stanford university. thanks for being here. anya, start with you, talking about president-elect trump's cabinet picks, some are controversial. this is really the first big test for republicans in the senate. >> the first bill loyalty test, the first of many to come. that's one thread that ties all the nominees together. we've seen the way the nomination process is unfolding for team trump. he's making decisions very quickly, his team tells us they
1:40 am
believe they have a mandate because of the way he won the election to put whoever he wants in. and don't want to repeat the mistakes of the past as they see it, leaning on the republican establishment. people who disagreed with the president and stood up to restrain his worst impulses in office. they will not be in the room this time. for the senators, the big question is how will they treat these nominees. how they chose to oppose them, do they ask enough about rfk's antivax status, gabbard's questioning of her intelligence committees, all the questions around gaetz, or do they act as a rubber stamp is a big indication. >> that's the big difference in 2016, the picks were establishment, now it's all about loyalty. matt gaetz seems to have one of the toughest paths, a number of
1:41 am
senators privately telling nbc news they think it will be tough. >> loyalty and disdain for the agencies they would be in charge of in a lot of cases. >> great point. >> for gaetz, he's probably the easiest person for senators behind the scenes to say i'm not with it. the kinds of allegations we've seen publicly, a lot of it already happening. not that he doesn't have experience but allegedly he had relations with girls who were under 18 years old. but the difference is, this happens all the time with republicans. we've seen it for years, they say a lot of things to us behind closed doors and we watch them walk to the cameras and say the opposite or vote the opposite. that's happened over and over again. there's a possibility that gaetz might not become the attorney general not through the normal
1:42 am
process, or he might. the senators are likely to do the rubber stamping aspect. ones to watch are the ones up in 2026 and folks in the bluer, purpler states, or who are safer. susan collins going against gaetz will get more support at home. >> and gaetz has denied wrongdoing and senator markwayne mullin has not decided yet. he wants to see the report. >> advise and consent is a serious function, and 53 is a significant majority for republicans but it's not 60. doesn't take that many to peel off before there is a problem there. obviously there's a focus on some of the nominees. step back for a moment, there's a lot of nominees not getting attention i think are good choices, doug burgum with issues
1:43 am
around energy costs, marco rubio has strong bipartisan support and elise stefanik. there are good appointments not getting a lot of attention and they should, they're important from a policy perspective. >> you were in the discussion with the president making picks. talk about the high stakes. >> we're seeing it play out this is not how the normal process goes. there's an extensive vetting process where candidates are asked everything about their personal lives, their finances, clearly we're not seeing that right now. i think -- i understand your point, but if you look at two of the big four, to shorthand them, to department of justice and department of defense, you have nominees that are not qualified and have major ethical issues
1:44 am
that are publicly known. the think the lack of focus on the other nominees is because that's alarming to not just democrats but republicans as well. i think there's an ease in just focusing on what the tabloid headlines are. i would hope and advise democrats not to just do that. because it's easy just focus on he had allegedly sex with a minor. he is also not qualified for the job in multiple cases. >> what about the ethical questions? >> the ethical questions are serious, but we have seen nominations from presidents of both parties with ethical and substantive issues. a nominee for hhs secretary in this administration who had never dealt with health care before being nominated. >> i'm not here to to -- attorney general for the state of california.
1:45 am
>> so experience suing health care companies. >> the point i'm raising that is part of the process, not just ethical questions. somebody, a military veteran, and should be honored, but never overseen something as large as the department of defense in the situation room advising the president on the lives of -- should he be the one. >> that's why the senate -- >> the way this is coming out is forcing the conversations and forcing republicans to have answers they don't have yet. last time mr. trump didn't make a nomination until december. we're seeing key positions rolled out one after the other. raises questions about how the decisions are made and makes it harder to ask questions. >> eugene, what about the tension between yes, you have the ethical questions and also the questions about whether
1:46 am
these folks, some of them, have the right experience for the roles they're being picked for? >> to jen's point, if democrats can convince enough republican senators on the issues and policy prescriptions and whether or not they have management experience, that's a better lane probably. we've seen trump republicans in the senate and house, a lot of the tabloidy stuff doesn't bother them. that's been key as trump has run the republican party. if democrats can talk to them behind closed doors, they can do a press ure campaign. we've been asking if you're going to work on a pressure campaign publicly to convince the senators to do what they're saying they want to do behind closed doors. >> and pick one. >> can't do all of them. >> and the vote to make thune
1:47 am
leader was private. they have to publicly defend the votes for nominees. when we come back, president biden's thoughts from his time as a senator in the role the senate should play in confirming a cabinet. "meet the press" minute is next. (tony hawk) i still love to surf, snowboard, and of course, skate, so i take qunol magnesium to support my muscle and bone health. qunol's high-absorption magnesium glycinate helps me get the full benefits of magnesium. qunol. the brand i trust.
1:48 am
1:49 am
1:50 am
welcome back. the senate's role in providing advice and consent on a president's cabinet nominees is in the spotlight once again, as
1:51 am
some of president-elect trump's picks raise eyebrows on capitol hill. as george w. bush was preparing to take office, then senator joe biden joined this broadcast about the senate's duty. >> hear so much people say the president should get his picks. if that were the thing, wouldn't very advice and consent in the constitution. there are circumstances where he shouldn't get his pick. one, he picked someone for a job who said he wants to get rid of the department. i'm not voting for that. number two, if someone for the job communicates to the public at large they're not likely to even-handed way apply the law. that's a reason. for example, i voted against attorneys general in both administrations. >> when we come back, democrats in the political wilderness.
1:52 am
how will they operate with the gop in control of congress? congs
1:53 am
1:54 am
drop everything and get some magic of your own during the xfinity black friday sale. xfinity internet customers, our best deals of the year are back! switch to xfinity mobile and get your choice of a free 5g phone, plus your next unlimited line free for a year. get amazing savings and connect to wifi speeds up to a gig on the go with xfinity mobile. fly don't walk to get our best deals of the year. connect to the world of wicked this holiday, only in theaters november 22nd.
1:55 am
> welcome back, the panel i still here. jen, i want to play one of the biggest images from the week. president-elect trump meeting with president biden, this is a tradition that then-president trump did not extend to the incoming president biden four years ago. how do you see democrats charting their path forward at this moment? both leaders say we want a smooth transition. >> that's correct. but you can't, nobody here and anywhere should focus on one visual moment as indication of all the things happening behind the scenes. you're obviously not doing that. democrats are in the wilderness,
1:56 am
there is no clear leader of the party, joe biden will be out of office shortly, kamala harris just lost the election, a lot of governors and other people we don't know about might emerge. there is no clear leader of the party. that to me is an opportunity. people have to decide -- nobody is given it. seize the mantle or don't. are you the right person to stand up against trump? the country that brings the country together? the person that talks about the economy in ways people understand? there are a lot of ways to do it. i don't know who will emerge but that's where we are. >> that's fascinating, no clear leader, but minority leader hakeem jeffries is one of the leadership voices. what do you make of what you heard from him in the path forward. do they know what it looks like? >> no, they seem to have no
1:57 am
idea. there's so many constituencies in the party on capitol hill and elsewhere. the most interesting dynamic is the young guard versus the old guard. 30, 40 and 50, that's young around d.c., they're going to put up a huge fight with the older folks because you can't bring us to where we are now and take us out of it. >> and moment for generational change is now. democrats control nothing, so if people want change, now is the moment to change it. >> that's part of the tension with nancy pelosi by the way. >> one of the challenges that democrats will have, is it oppositional or forward looking agenda? >> both? >> they have to emphasize one or the other and i think it should be forward looking. i never thought i would say this, i might agree with
1:58 am
elizabeth warren and bernie sanders. >> we never thought that. >> making news today. there has to be an articulation of what are you going to do for working americans. that was lost in the 2024 campaign. >> not one person but lots of people will present agendas. that's the moment. and speaker pelosi did step back. she's no longer the speaker. it's not moving people out of leadership roles who aged out. >> but the tension how they move, the generational tension will define democrats' way forward. there's unknowables, what would have happened with a different primary process, if biden had dropped out earlier, still part of the conversation. in the house alone, folks like jeffries saying we'll work with the president. others saying we're not going to help the republicans govern, they have to do it on their own.
1:59 am
democrats haven't figured out. >> every time he want to be the adults in the room and show the american people we know how to govern, but the american people want to see people fighting often, and more importantly, they need an example. if democrats believe that donald trump and republicans can't govern, why assist them doing that and make it look like they can? that's something the democrats have to work out. >> that tonal issue of adults in the room, some democrats said that came off as condescending and needs to be addressed as well for voters. >> it has many meanings, finding ways to work on policies where there's agreement, the public does want that. but finding places to pick your fights and being bold is also important. i know you say you can't could both, you absolutely can do both. i think tonally though there are lessons learned from the
2:00 am
election without navel gazing forever. it was not just people going to trump, it was the democrats losing working people. if they're the party of working people, they have to figure out how to talk to that group of people. >> that is all for today. thanks for watching. we'll be back next week, if it's sunday, it is "meet the press." ♪♪ ♪♪ of course it