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tv   Meet the Press  MSNBC  February 17, 2025 1:00am-2:01am PST

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we do know that if he hadn't, meg's secret would likely have remained buried with her. i got into this job to help people. and there's nothing better than making a family happy with an outcome for a case. and in this case, it's beyond happy. it's beyond words. everybody-- they can finally rest in peace that this has been resolved the way it should have been. that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. >> this sunday. >> foreign relations. this sunday, foreign relations. >> can ukraine survive without u.s. military support? >> we will have low chance.
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low chance to survive without support of the united states. my exclusive interview with ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy as president trump seeks to negotiate an end to the war in ukraine. >> do you think president trump is negotiating in good faith? >> i hope so. i hope so. >> plus cancel culture. >> we do need to delete entire agencies. >> elon musk says he plans to wipe out entire government agencies in his efforts to curb government spending while also admitting he might make some mistakes along the way. >> we are moving fast. so we will make mistake, but we will also fix the mistakes very quickly. >> and live from new york. >> the lockbox. [ laughter ] >> hi, monica. >> you're fired. >> our meet the moment conversation with saturday night live's master impressionist darryl hammond as the show gets ready to celebrate 50 years of laughs. joining me for insight and
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analysis are nbc news senior political reporter sahil kapur. amna nawaz, co-anchor of pbs newshour. republican strategist matt gorman and former white house press secretary jen psaki. welcome to sunday. it's "meet the ♪♪ ♪♪ from nbc news in washington, the longest running show in television history. this is "meet the press" with kristen welker. good sunday morning. president trump's foreign policy is facing its most urgent test of his new term as efforts ramp up to negotiate an end to russia's war in ukraine which is about to enter its fourth year. world leaders gathered at the munich security conference this weekend where tensions mounted over mixed messaging from the president and his top officials. >> you suggested several things that ukraine should give up, the idea of nato membership, territory that was seized back
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in 2014 by russia. what should russia give up? >> russia has gotten themselves into something that i think they wish they didn't. >> nato allies were reportedly blindsided by news of president trump's call with vladimir putin and frustrated that defense secretary pete hegseth appeared to make concessions to russia. >> the united states does not believe that nato membership for ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement. >> hegseth, after a backlash, then saying everything is on the table. european leaders worry president trump is giving leverage to putin even before peace talks begin and signalling a desire to retreat from europe. these comments by vice president vance at the u.n. security conference setting off alarm bells. >> the threat that i worry most about vis-a-vis europe is not russia, it's not china, it's not
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any other external actor, and what i worry about is the threat from within. the retreat of europe from some of its most fundamental values. >> i sat down exclusively in munich with ukrainian president zelenskyy who delivered a stark warning about what will happen if the u.s. stops military aid. >> president zelenskyy, welcome back to "meet the press". >> thank you so much. >> thank you for being here. it is an honor to have you. ukraine is approaching the third anniversary of russia's invasion into your country. let me ask you about something that president trump said this week. he did not say yes when he was asked if he sees ukraine as an equal member in the peace process. he did say later that ukraine would have a seat at the table. have you been given any assurances that ukraine will have an equal seat at the negotiating table?
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>> so i will never accept any decision about the united states and russia about ukraine and our people and our adults, children and everybody. this is the war in ukraine against us and it is our human losses. we are thankful for all of the support. unity between usa in usa around ukraine support bipartisan unity, bipartisan support for all of this, but there is any leader in the world that can really make a deal in the world without us about us. the united states can have a lot of decisions, partnership, et cetera, we are not happy with it, but they can have it with russia, but not about this war without us, and that's why i think that what we need very closely to work and quicker. i think we lose time now, quick
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tore work on the plan, common plan. we are ready because the united states is our -- the biggest strategic partner. we are ready not only to share our plan. we are in a plan with president trump and we need support from eu that's important. they are also big donators during this war, and we will be the members of future european union. that's why we need the support of europe and this current plan we need to discuss with russia and we will and the table it is very important to hear america, europe, ukraine and russia. yes? >> can you accept any peace deal that is cut without ukraine? >> no. >> do you feel like you have a seat at the table right now? >> i not only count on it, i am sure we have to be there otherwise it is not acceptable, but if there is a decision
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without us and putin will go after all our land we will be in nato and putin will be in the prison. so president trump can do it without us. >> let me ask you about your phone call with president trump earlier this week. it came on the heels of his call with president putin. does mr. trump's direct communication with vladimir putin before speaking to you unnerve you? >> we spoke about it, by the way, with president trump, and i said that i know that -- i know that we have already phone calls, and he phoned him. of course, i wanted very much that i want ukraine to be in priority for trump, not russia, and i hope we are more important. yes, we are not so big as rush abu i think strategically
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ukraine is more important for the united states because we are partners, allies and we share common values and we are from a democratic world. >> do you feel like you have president trump's full support? do you feel like he's valuing ukraine as much as you saw he may be russia? >> i became more, more, more problematic from the very beginning of this war, and less sensitive to such things, and i believe and trust only in real steps, and i trust president trump because he is the president of the united states because your people, your people voted for him and i respect their choice, and i will work with president trump which i have to the united states, but of course, i want to have real
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meeting, productive without just words without steps and to hear us, to hear president trump, to make common plan and to share it with allies than with russians and stop this war. i think we need it urgently. >> is it true that you told president trump during that phone call that putin is only pretending to want peace because he's afraid of mr. trump? >> yes. yes. i said that he's a liar, and he said i think that my feeling is that he's ready for these negotiations, and i said no. he's a liar. he doesn't want any peace, but i think he is really a little bit scared about the president trump, and i think the president has this chance that he's strong, and i think that early
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he can push putin to fierce negotiations. yes, i think so. i think he can, but don't trust him. don't trust putin. don't trust just words about ceasefire i said because i have practical things, practical meeting with putin in 2019, and we made a decision with all our signatures. we need a decision about ceasefire and exchange of prisoners, yes, and he -- he destroyed all of these decisions and et cetera. so we don't trust him. >> do you think president trump is negotiating in good faith? >> i hope so. i hope so. yes. i count on it. i count on it very much. >> based on what you're saying about president putin, do you
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think he's negotiating in good faith once talks begin? >> who? >> putin. >> is he capable of negotiating in good faith? is putin capable of negotiating in good faith? >> it's not about good faith. no, no, no, no. no, no. you just can't block his motivation to put him in such strong circumstances when he can't begin the new invasion, but he wants. you'll see. everybody will see. he will try to begin something new. by the way, i said it today, i am not sure that only about ukraine we are speaking. you're thinking not only about ukraine. for example, now we have and we
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share it with intelligence of our partners. we see how he's preparing to train 150,000 people mostly on the territory to show that it's just training that usually he's doing the same, usually, but it's not truth. he began the occupation three years ago. full-scale war. he began from some symbolic training and et cetera, but really, really that -- >> translator: it was really under conspiracy so he conducted military training, exercises. he said these are exercises that are always ongoing on belarus territory, that they are an allied state with belarus and they were doing regular business
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and they had missiles and the invasion came from belarus. we know for sure that he is preparing steps on the territory of belarus. it can happen in summer, maybe in the beginning, maybe in the end of summer. i do not know when he repairs it and it will happen and at that moment knowing that he did not succeed in occupying us, we do not know where he will go. there are risks that these can be poland and lithuania, because we believe -- we believe that putin will wage war against nato. that is why i told you that what is he waiting for? for nato, for instance, policy of the united states of america, for example, the united states of america will think to take its military from europe.
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yes, he didn't think of that, but i will believe that the united states will not take its forces, its contingent from europe because that will severely weaken nato and the european continent. putin definitely counts on that, and the fact that we receive information this he will think of the invasion against former soviet republics and today these are nato countries. >> just to be very clear, you are saying you have actual intelligence that president putin is planning to attack nato countries? >> no. we have intelligence. we have documents that they are preparing trained mission of big number of soldiers on the territory of belarus, and we are just sharing that they are at
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high risk that he can do the same, maybe not, god bless not, and maybe before it president trump and the allies will stop him, yes? but anyway, i think that we have to prepare, yes, to prevent it not to have such surprises that he will come back like it was three years ago with invasion to ukraine. that is my point. not my point of view, that is our intelligence understanding. >> if you were sitting across from vladimir putin right now instead of me, what would you say to him? >> i will speak -- it's not emotions. it's about how to stop him. so for me, he is a killer, and he will never change,s and thas why this is a dialogue with a terrorist.
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this is a dialogue with a killer. i don't have the power to push him out and that's why i have to speak on it so our allies can give me such power to push him out, but our allies decided to make a deal with putin, but what can i say? when i'm ready and think, we don't want to lose our people and if it can be so in diplomacy to start this war, so of course, we are ready. think we will be happy with the peace. >> and when we come back more of my exclusive interview with president zelenskyy. >> do you still think it's possible for ukraine to win this war militarily? >> i'm trying to find. >> something we. >> can afford. >> fortunately. >> in. >> only a few minutes, selectquote found john a $500,000 policy for only $29 a month and his wife, anne, a
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powering five years of savings. powering possibilities. comcast business. month. call 183337354495. >> or visit homeserve.com. >> welcome back. >> defense secretary. >> pete hegseth. welcome back. defense secretary pete hegseth said this week nato membership is not a realistic outcome of ukraine peace talks. a sentiment echoed by president trump. then after backlash, hegseth said everything is on the table.
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in our interview, president zelenskyy insisted his country must have a future in the military alliance for ukraine's long-term survival. >> president trump said he does not think ukrainian membership in nato is, quote, practical. in your view, is nato membership something that should be determined as a part of this deal? >> i want to be very clear with nato for us and for everybody, it's the cheapest security guarantees. the cheapest for us, the cheapest for europe, the cheapest for united states and the cheapest really for russia. if we are not in nato it meant that we will build nato and ukraine. otherwise we will not have security guarantees. >> president trump said wednesday that restoring all of the territories seized by russia since 2014 is unlikely. are you willing to say here that
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you are prepared to formally cede some of the sovereign territory of ukraine to russia in order to stop the killing? >> traditionally, it is out of the constitution to recognize our occupied territory like territory of russia. we will never do it. it's not about any negotiations. we will never speak about it. >> even crime why? >> even crimea, we will never recognize because in years all things, all things which are ukrainian will be ukrainian, maybe, i don't know when, but yes, we have to return diplomatically. yes, we can. if we are in nato, it's understandable why diplomatic. it is very understandable, and of course, not to lose people is a good way, a diplomatic way to find diplomatic way how to get
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back our land, and the people are most important for today. that's why diplomatically, it's good, but where we will have security guarantees? where we will stand? >> what security guarantees does ukraine need specifically from the united states? >> the strong package of missiles, like prevention step that we will not be using before any invasion. we will not use, but if they will do it, we will do it quickly, but it has to stand on our territory, not like it was before the full-scale invasion that the white house put sanctions after the invasion. no, and gave us weapons after an invasion. no, they occupied a big territory, if we could have before, they couldn't occupy us.
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yes, some territory, but not everything because we've been without weapons and that's why strong package of missiles, and big army, as i said, comparable with russians and not sure the same number, but comparable, not to give them possibility to occupy it and it's psychologically, it is very important because psychologically it's a strong signal that putin will not go if he understands that he will stay comparable, the same number of army. can ukraine survive without u.s. military support? >> probably it will be very, very difficult. of course, you know the difficult situations you have a chance, but we will will have low chance, a low chance to survive without support of the
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united states. >> your concern being without u.s. military support ukraine would be vulnerable to another attack by russia in another few years. is that your concern? >> yes. i think this can be -- this is really what he wants. he wants to prepare, trained, take off some sanctions. >> let me ask you about this deal that has been discussed, president trump has discussed about mining ukraine's rare earth minerals. just so everyone understands, those are minerals to make things like cell phones, electric cars, that would be president trump says to pay back some of what the united states has already given to ukraine. what is the status of that deal, president zelenskyy? >> translator: look, that is first and foremost, we wanted
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american business to come, and these critical minerals, rare earth, they are for many partners. we are ready to open them for the business of the united states. that is what we have. that is where we can put money and make profits together. this is good will from us, so it's possible to make money, and i believe that here we cannot forget about the main idea that it was in the beginning that let us protect all that, help us defend this and maybe we'll make money on this together and here, it's very important that in this document shall be a term to protect it and that is the security guarantees and if we are not given the security guarantees from the united states, i believe that the
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economic treaty will not work. >> you had a message to vice president vance about the potential implications of pulling out of nato. what was your message to the vice president? >> that that will be the destroying of nato. >> why? >> because in 80 strong brigades in europe and not nato, it's united states, and even if i will look at the army of russia, if they will see it, that russia have 220 or 250 brigades and europe has 50, that is the answer. the risk that russia will occupy
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europe is 100%. >> if the united states pulls out of nato, russia will occupy europe. >> not all the europe. they will begin from those countries, as i said to bigger like france, but the u.s. side and the soviet union, they will begin and europe will not answer. they will begin to defend itself. each country defend itself at this moment so sia will get all of the success and the territory they will want. i don't know if they will want 30% of europe, 50. en. nobody know, but they will have this possibility. >> do you still think it's possible for ukraine to win this war militarily? >> of course, yes, but it's many losses. so we understand -- we
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understand how many, i think it's too much, and i'm not sure that with such speed as our partners do this with our support it would be difficult and it would be longer than it can be. >> i know you're a dad of two, and you have remarkable energy and have put so much heart into spreading the message for ukraine. what is your message to ukrainians who have lost hope that this war will ever end? >> no. no. no. no. we will finish this war and it doesn't matter whether putin want it or want, we will finish this war, and i am sure of it. together, we are stronger than putin, and i am sure that we will finish. i know that the peace that we really need and we really want
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and you know, it's like in the land when you want something very much, with friends and with god we will do it, i'm sure. >> u.s. officials will be in saudi arabia to start talks. ukraine was not invited and the intention was for the u.s. to host bilateral talks in russia and then with ukraine and talks for lasting peace. president zelenskyy said it is dangerous to speak with enemies before you speak with allies and ukraine's position remains unchanged. we need to have a joint position of ukraine, the u.s. and europe before any negotiations with putin. you can see my full interview with ukrainian president zelenskyy at meet the press.com. when we come back, president trump is
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1-800-403-7539. that's one (800) 403-7539. when you need brutal honesty. when you need answers first thing in the morning. when you need to go deep inside washington and hear from someone who's been there. you need your morning joe weekdays at six only on msnbc. >> welcome back. the panel.
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>> is here. >> nbc >> welcome back. the panel is here. nbc news senior national political reporter sahil kapur. amna nawaz co-anchor of pbs newshour and former white house press secretary jen psaki, host of inside with jen sacky and republican strategist matt gorman. thanks to all of you for being here. amna, let me start with you the interview with president zelenskyy. he said there can be no deal without ukraine at the table and talks are continuing with the u.s. and the russians. they say ukraine will be next, but what do you make of this moment? it's interesting that they're speaking with the russians first, that the call was first to president putin before president zelenskyy in any of this. if there is a plan it is clear the ukrainians don't yet know what it is and what's missing is the bigger context here which is to say that security guarantees from europe alone have never been enough to deter russia. we know that vladimir putin has expansionist aspirations that he's clearly articulated and
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there's no way to separate the russia and china threat. none of this has been taken into consideration or articulated by the u.s. in terms of a broader plan or approach here. what i take away from your interview that this is a plan desperate to save his nation and i spoke to him at the same moment u.s. aid was on the line. he wasn't sure if he'd get that money and he didn't know what a trump presidency would bring, but that it could bring change and he's having to deal with that reality now. i will say if there is a trump plan for peace it is not clear to concede the two biggest points before you begin to negotiate. >> that's what white house officials were say, that basically they're taking bargaining chips off the table and they're trying to get the deal from rare earth minerals. give us 50% of your rarest earth minerals. president zelenskyy is saying not without security guarantees. he believes that is critical, quite frankly, to ukraine's
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long-term survival. >> of course, it is, and i think what you've seen from your interview in the last couple of weeks is what i would say is two dramatic shifts in the dynamics here, and just the way u.s. leadership use the reasons to help ukraine and this is true for democratic and republican presidents prior to trump and the reason why you help in the past has been a country like russia does not have the right to illegally invade a sovereign country and there are risks what they can do to other countries in eastern europe. that's the reason the united states has supported them in the past. now it's, what do we get from you? it's a very transactional from you. the minerals, proposal, right? the second piece and amna referenced this is just the change in leverage that zelenskyy has. you can hear it in his voice during your interview and in some of his answers. he does not have the leverage that he had with the united states a couple of years ago. that's part of the reason of the oval office, and part of the
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reason is u.s. support among the american public for significant aid to ukraine has also changed over the course of time, and you can hear he's trying to get to yes, he needs the security support, but he doesn't have the leverage he had a couple of years ago. >> matt, on top of this, was there the speech by vice president j.d. vance where he said the biggest threat is not from russia, it's not from china and it's the threat from within europe which really stunned a number of european allies who felt as though, wait a minute, is this a sign that the united states may be aiming to retreat from europe itself? and again, kind of leaning toward some of the far-right groups in europe? >> i don't think it was that, but it was provocative by design. europe is its own worst enemy because it can't confront russia or china which it hasn't met military demands and you expand your welfare state and you don't have enough money to provide for your own security and they have
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not been too passive and they can't step up. presidents of both parties told european countries they need to do more in nato. trump got more done than anybody else, but for the sake of their own security and their own continent and ukraine and that's what you heard from vance and they will hear more from the administration. >> yet, sahil, that's the concern that will the united states even stay in nato? you heard pete hegseth, the defense secretary this week laying out all of these things that will be unlikely and again, taking the bargaining chips off of the table. his message, he walked it back the next day and then it was walked back and the walkback was walked back by president trump and one of the things that unnerved folks at the munich security conference was the mixed messaging. they weren't exactly sure where the u.s. stood on all of these issues. >> that's right, kristen. we are seeing a growing divide within the republican party within the traditional security hawks who favor robust american
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involvement that includes nato and traditional european allies. on one hand, roger wicker, the chair of the armed services committee has choice words and it's president trump and vice president vance. we've seen this movement for year now and the second category e this america first wing is wing the argument within the republican party. i spoke with vice president vance just a little over a year ago about this, and he explicitly said that ukraine will need to cede land in order for the war to end and he was then chosen among vp. i understand the alarm among republicans and nobody should be surprised where it's going. >> it's been for years. >> it's been their position for years. article 5, he still believes that the u.s. should honor article 5 commitments. zelenskyy in your interview said the united states is the only bull work for article 5 and the
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next to fall is lithuania and poland's lands. >> elon musk really just stripping government spending, agencies gutting some of them. elon musk in the oval office this week fielding questions and saying that we're moving so quickly, there are going to be some mistakes made. >> yeah. >> it's notable that some of the layoffs resulted in accidental firings of nuclear safety workers that the administration is trying to unfire after we saw the attack on chernobyl. what do we make of the speed and breadth with which they are moving. >> the big picture here is that there's a private citizen who is an unelected billionaire who is operating with unprecedented power and influence within the government right now. just put that over here in this bucket for a moment. you look at what doge has been doing, and i think this example of the nuclear staff raises the exact question. if the agency making these cuts itself isn't aware of what it's
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cutting in the moment then how can the american people understand what's happening at all? the question is, you know, no one will disagree that there's fraud and waste of the government and i spoke to the head of the accountability department, the way you get there is not using a machete rather than a scalpel. these mistakes, as they call him, could have a real conference. >> sahil, president trump said this is what i campaigned on, and i'm following through on it. did he campaign on cuts that go this deep and there are jitters about medicaid and social security, even though trump said social security is off the table for cuts. >> that's the problem that president trump and elon musk are running into that there are early rumblings of republican angst about the way they're proceeding this for the specific reason that some of these cuts hit home for republican allies of donald trump, nih and direct cuts we've seen several senators come out and say this will hurt institutions in my state including katie brit in alabama,
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the university which happens to be her state's largest employer. usaid which republicans have strongly supported cutting has the food for peace program which been fits their farmers in rural america and we're seeing a coalition of north dakota, like kansas and save the food for peace program and it combats starvation around the world and we're seeing discontent around the federal workforce cuts like senators bill cassidy and louisiana and lisa murkowski and alaska, the big picture is that red states are disproportionately more dependent on the federal government. in other words, they take more from the u.s. treasury than they pay in in contrast to blue states. you can't take a meat axe to the federal government without drawing some blood in some country. >> jen, i see you nodding along. >> this is such a key part. it is. i'm for cuts, but not if they impact me, and you mentioned some of the specific examples
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from north carolina who complained the nih cuts. they agree with cutting nih and just not the universities in their state and there is the next layer of this, when people recognize that this money that has been held up and this is what the judge ruled this week, that they haven't given it all back and people in communities like farmers say i need these subsidies. i know i voted for trump, but this isn't what i voted for. wait, my kids rely on this early childhood education. wait, medicaid helps me get health care. these are things that impact communities across the country and you will start to feel the impacts in the coming weeks. >> what about the tension between what president campaigned on and versus who is being impacted? >> i think you will see consternation and even elon said that in the oval office part. republicans feel confident by and large fighting on this. i think they believe rightly so that government jobs are not lifetime contracts and everyone in the private sector what
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layoffs are and buyouts are and everyone has been affected by it or know someone who has. it might be unfortunate, but it's a fact of life and democrats want to be the party defending by republican standards and bure krts and foreign aid. >> we have about 30 successes s left. the cuts from the justice department after it called for the case against mayor eric adams of new york to be dismissed. what do you make of that term? does it go too far? >> i'm not a lawyer, but specifically because the trump administration appears to be ignoring the court order to get the money flowing again. that is the potential for the constitutional crisis, but my view is that is not the phrase that democrats should be screaming from the rooftops every day. it may be we're on that road, but you need to be talking about how this is impacting your communities. the farmers amna referenced, the people who rely on medicaid, the
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have taken buyouts as president trump and elon musk ramp up their dismantling of the federal government. while their approach is unprecedented in scale, the debate over government spending is as old as washington itself, but in a 2012 interview with "meet the press," president barack obama made the case that cutting costs isn't always the right answer. >> you are not only going to cut your way to prosperity. one of the -- one of the fallacies, i think, that has been promoted is this notion that deficit reduction is only a matter of cutting programs that are really important to seniors, students and so forth. that has to be part of the mix, but what i ran on and what the american people elected me to do was to put forward a balanced approach, to make sure that their shared sacrifice, that everybody is doing a little bit more, and it is very difficult for me to say to a senior
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citizen or a student or a mom with a disabled kid, you are going to have to do with less, but we're not going to ask millionaires or billionaires to do more. >> when we come back, saturday night live celebrates 50 years. with jacuzzi bath remodel. you can get a beautiful new bath or shower installed in one day. that's right, one day and at a price you can afford. in fact, there's never been a more affordable time to call than now with this love your shower sale. we're waiving all installation costs and postponing all payments for up to one year, giving you the quality you deserve from a brand you trust at a price that won't break the bank. and when it comes to quality, jacuzzi has been the most trusted name in water for
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more than 70 years. >> oh my gosh. >> it is beautiful. oh. it's incredible that they were able to. >> do this in. >> one day. >> it really was amazing how. quickly they. >> could do it. >> they were outstanding. how did they do. >> that in one day? >> listen to what your bathroom is telling you. and take it from this to this in one day with no stress and no mess. or maybe it's trying to tell you something else. if safety is the issue, take back your peace of mind. now is the time to convert your old bathtub into a beautiful, easy entry shower with features like grab bars and a custom seat that combines safety and style, so you'll love taking a shower again. and every transformation features state of the art materials that resist mold and mildew. no grimy grout to scrub, it just rinses clean so you can spend less time cleaning and more time relaxing. because the only sound your bath should make is this.
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>> call or go online to jacuzzi bath remodel.com. for a limited time, we're waiving installation costs on your new bath or shower. plus, we're postponing payments for one full year. go to jacuzzi, bath, remodel.com or call (800) 249-9634. that's dude, i really need a new phone. check out my new samsung galaxy s25 ultra. it's got galaxy ai. imagine this thing running on our superfast xfinity mobile network. and i also heard that it can do multiple things with a single command.
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—with google gemini. let me try it. add recipes with overripe bananas to my “dessert ideas” note. that's what you chose to ask it? i had other things planned. ask how to get up to one thousand dollars off the new samsung galaxy s25 ultra with xfinity mobile. >> just text. >> mind to 215215. now. >> welcome back. the iconic saturday night live the iconic "saturday night live" celebrates its 50th anniversary tonight. in its five decades, snl has spanned ten presidency, offering up the definitive impressions of american presidents and becoming a campaign stop for candidates. >> christmas, no problem. [ laughter ] [ applause ] >> i am the president. only i need to understand.
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is that clear? >> yes, sir. >> i'm talking 3, 4% tops, no more than five. that's it. so read my lips, no huge new taxes. [ laughter ] >> and whatever you dig up i promise you i will lie about it. i will do this. i will do this. i will do them both together. >> i will instead ask each candidate to sum up in a single word the best argument for his candidacy. governor bush? >> strategery. >> and i can see russia from my house. >> such great memories. only 167 people have landed the dream job as member of studio 8h, among them darrell hammond who has done more than a hundred impressions on snl including president bill clinton, vice president al gore and president donald trump. hammond has performed for four presidents and is now the show's announcer, and darrell hammond
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joins me now for a live, meet the moment conversation. darrell, darrell hammond, welcome to meet the press. >> ello, kristen. >> you were on 14 seasons of those years. talk about why you think this show has been so beloved for half a century. >> because it's so well done, that's why. i was backstage at radio city music hall concert the other night moving 35 bands in and out of that place and timing it all down to the second. it is so well done, you know? all the best comics in the world, all of the best singers in the world. all of the best dancers in the world. >> yeah. >> it's just so well done. >> it's the precision. you are absolutely right in all of the characters. you've played so many of them,
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president bill clinton, george w. bush, donald trump. do you have a favorite? what's your favorite political impersonation? >> well, you know, we sort of likened president clinton to daffy duck in that, you know, warner brothers said you can use daffy duck for any kind of comedy, any kind of sketch, dramatic readings. he was this versatile. after we'd done clinton a dozen times we did him in a musical once and we did a slapstick thing with him one time. it would have to be him. there's no one more colorful that i can think of. >> on that note, just to remind folks, you played his clone at the 1997 radio and television correspondent's dinner. we have this picture of two of you standing together. if you can, give us your best president clinton impersonation this morning.
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>> well, do you want to do one with me or no? >> sure. let's do it. you go first. >> okay. >> okay. this is how we do it on snl. we do the thumb and the lip, right? >> okay. >> even though he never did those things, and then we do the staircase it's called and the staircase is, like, i love your shoes. i love your shoes. >> let me do it. that's so good. >> i love your shoes. i love your shoes. i think you're utsch in much be it. here are one of my favorite clips of you. you are playing tim russert, the moderator of this program actually interviewing the real senator john mccain. i want to play a clip for our viewers and get your reaction on the other side. >> what if president bush does not run?
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>> i don't see any reason -- >> what if he forgets to run? [ laughter ] [ applause ] >> i don't know, tim. all right. tim. >> the president forgets to run for reelection and the republicans are without a candidate. does john mccain then step in to fill that void? >> i would call the president and remind him to run. [ cheers and applause ] >> so you're running? >> how did you prepare for that? did you watch a bunch of "meet the press" episodes to prepare? >> it was written by jim downing who won those emmys and legendary, fabled writer. both downey and -- sorry, both russert and gore downey came to me in my dressing room before the show and literally gave me
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line readings. he put his head down and had me looking like that. he literally gave me line readings. i copied what i saw him do in my dressing room both in the gore/bush debates and with russert. you are assisted by people who win emmys, writers, hair and makeup, wardrobe, lighting and there's a whole big thing involved in putting that product out there. >> you put your whole body, heart and soul into it, and i think that's what made each of those characters so cial, darrell. we live in such divided times right now, what role do you think snl plays in our politics, in our culture right now? >> um, it's interesting that when you tell a political joke and the audience laughs you can conclude they basically understand your premise and they
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basically agree with you. so that's what's being put out there every week. they're taking a look at both sides. here is what you're looking at these days. up to you to make a choice. >> finally, darrell, as we approach tonight's special, what are you looking forward to most? what do you hope that people you watch take away from the special tonight? >> they just -- they saw the greatest show in history. i mean, i -- i don't know how to put it any other way. it's the most successful show in history. what you're going to see tonight is every star you ever heard of, you will see cast members past and present from snl, you will see figures from the sports world, the biggest, the brightest, the best are going to be there doing their thing tonight, and i hope everyone loves it. i'm sure it will be great. >> all right. i'm going to work on my bill clinton impersonation, but thank you so much for joining us.
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we will be watching. we'll be laughing and here's to 50 more. thank you so much, darrell hammond. such a pleasure to have you. >> thank you. >> and you can see "saturday night live's" 50th anniversary special tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern only on nbc. that is all for today. thank you so much for watching. we will be back next week because if it's sunday, it's "meet the press." can ukraine survive without u.s. military support? >> probably. it will be.