The Briefing with Jen Psaki

Donald Trump's avalanche of unpopular ideas and failures has Republican senators livid and turning against him. Even senators who have distinguished themselves as enthusiastic suck-ups to Trump are voicing concerns about Trump's slush fund and the hardships Trump's economy is imposing on the American people. Senator Richard Blumenthal joins to discuss.

The $1,776,000,000 that Donald Trump wants to distribute to his criminal political allies does not come from an insurance policy or a corporate entity. It is money from American taxpayers. Andrew Weissmann, former federal prosecutor and author of the newly released "Liar's Kingdom," discusses why Trump's fund shouldn't exist in the first place, even before any debate about who should benefit from it.

Donald Trump's endorsement of Ken Paxton for Senate in Texas may have come too late to avoid the damage of a toxic primary battle. Chuck Rocha, Democratic strategist, and Mark McKinnon, former advisor to George W Bush and John McCain, discuss the Republican mess in Texas and why this year may be when conditions align to favor Democrats.

With Donald Trump's approval rating sinking to historic lows, Rep. Brendan Boyle discusses how Democrats can take advantage of this opportunity. 

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Jen Psaki points out that Republicans in Congress are increasingly losing their motivation to follow Donald Trump through his wildly unpopular vanity projects and destructive policies that are hurting Americans. On top of that are the number of lame duck legislators who ran afoul of Trump and lost primaries because of him and not have the rest of their term to exact payback as members of the "Yolo Caucus."

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse joins to discuss Trump's slush fund as well as bizarre remarks by Jeff Bezos about income inequality and taxing the rich.

Jen Psaki shares video that suggests that Donald Trump was aware of his tax information being leaked months earlier than he claimed in his lawsuit against the IRS, putting him past the statute of limitations for what is ostensibly the basis of his slush fund settlement. Rep. Dan Goldman, former federal prosecutor explains the legal perspective to Jen Psaki and discusses why Trump's slush fund for criminal political allies is legally doomed.

Ben Rhodes, former deputy national security advisor to President Barack Obama, talks with Jen Psaki about the Trump administration's clumsy belligerence toward Cuba.

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Jen Psaki reports on a wild day in Republican politics as Rep. Thomas Massie was defeated in an insanely expensive Kentucky primary by a Trump-backed challenger. Massie's advocacy for the release of the Epstein files put him at odds with Trump. Senator John Cornyn committed no act of defiance against Trump, and, in fact, debased himself in a desperate appeal for Trump's favor, only to be stabbed in the back when Trump endorsed his exceptionally compromised opponent.

Tim Miller, host of The Bulwark podcast, and Jim Messina, campaign manager for Barack Obama's 2012 campaign, talk with Jen Psaki about the wildly expensive Republican primary in Kentucky in which Trump insisted on supporting a challenger candidate, and the millions the Republican Party sank into the Texas Republican Senate primary before Trump finally endorsed a deeply flawed candidate.

Acting Attorney General and former Donald Trump criminal defense attorney Todd Blanche tried to convince the Senate Appropriations Committee that giving Donald Trump $1.8 billion to distribute to his legally aggrieved political allies is a reasonable thing to do. Senator Chris Van Hollen talks with Jen Psaki about why he wasn't fooled.

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Jen Psaki looks at the boasts and promises Donald Trump made on the campaign trail about how he would handle China and President Xi, and compares that to Trump's performance on an actual trip to China.

Former U.S. ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, and former Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr discuss Donald Trump's underwhelming performance in his meeting with China's Presient Xi.

Rep. Jamie Raskin talks with Jen about insider trading and elected officials, including the president, and what legislators need to do to put an end to it.

And David Fahrenthold, investigative reporter for the New York Times, talks with Jen Psaki about the rash of Donald Trump's vanity projects in Washington, D.C. and the bizarre details of Trump's overhaul of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall.

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Jen Psaki shares new reporting from ABC News that Donald Trump is expected to settle his lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for a $1.5 billion slush fund for people he feels were persecuted by the Biden administration.

Former FBI Director James Comey talks with Jen Psaki about the state of the FBI in the second Trump administration, the effect of Kash Patel's leadership on morale and the resilience of the FBI's culture to survive the deleterious conditions of the Trump administration. 

Senator Chris Van Hollen talks with Jen about legislative efforts to hold members of the Trump administration accountable for rampant corruption.

Jack Schlossberg, grandson of former President John F. Kennedy and candidate to represent New York's 12th Congressional District talks with Jen Psaki about running a modern campaign, his qualification for the job of congressman, his controversial "first cousin once removed," Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his policy ideas should he be elected.

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