Meet the Press NOW — May 13

Added: 2026-05-14

[00:00:11]Welcome to Meet the Press Now. I'm Kristen Welker in Washington. We begin with President Trump's highstakes visit to China against the backdrop of the growing economic fallout of the war with Iran. after President Trump's stunning statement yesterday that he's not thinking about Americans finances, even a little bit, he said, when trying to negotiate an end to the war and ensure Iran can't develop a nuclear weapon.

[00:00:35]President Trump touching down in Beijing earlier today for the start of his two-day summit with Chinese President Xiinping. President Trump was greeted with pump and pageantry, walking down the red carpet as hundreds of children chanted welcome in Chinese, waving American and Chinese flags. The president looking to score trade deals on deals on trade tariffs and artificial intelligence, bringing with him more than a dozen business executives, including Apple's Tim Cook and Elon Musk. But looming over that visit is the president's comments yesterday about Americans financial situation amid the war. In case you missed those comments, here's what the president said while departing for China.

[00:01:21]>> When you're negotiating with Iran, Mr. President, to what extent are American financial situations motivating you to make a deal?

[00:01:28]>> Not even a little bit. It the only thing that matters when I'm talking about Iran, they can't have a nuclear weapon.

[00:01:34]I don't think about American financial situation and I don't think about anybody. I think about one thing. We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.

[00:01:44]That's all.

[00:01:45]>> Today, Vice President Vance was pressed by our very own Monica Alba about those comments on the war and Americans finances. Take a look. When approaching the war uh with Iran, do you agree with the president's position that Americans financial situations should not be a consideration in that decision-making process?

[00:02:04]>> Well, I don't think the president said that. I think that's a misrepresentation of what the president said. But look, I I agree with the president that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. We're obviously engaged in a very aggressive and very engaged diplomatic process to try to ensure that that doesn't happen.

[00:02:19]And the president has a lot of options.

[00:02:20]As he said repeatedly, there are options diplomatically, there are options on the military side, but the fundamental goal here is the president wants to make the world safe, but particularly the American people safe from Iran having a nuclear weapon.

[00:02:34]>> Remember, for months, the White House has been trying to reassure Americans that prices, particularly the cost of gas, will come down once the war is over. So if we have a little high oil prices for a little while, uh but as soon as this ends, those prices are going to drop, I believe, lower than even before. As soon as that war is over, which will be soon, your prices are going to drop like a rock. You watch >> the price of oil will drop like a rock as soon as a deal is done.

[00:03:03]>> The gas will go down as soon as the war is over. It'll drop like a rock. As soon as this is over with Iran, as soon as it's over, you're going to see uh gasoline and oil drop like a rock. Going to be dropping down like a rock.

[00:03:18]>> As soon as this war is over, which will not be long, you're going to see oil prices drop.

[00:03:26]Meanwhile, a new inflation report from the Labor Department shows that wholesale prices were up a whopping 6% in April compared to last year, the fastest rise in more than four years.

[00:03:39]Joining me now, NBC News senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez, who is in Beijing traveling with the president, NBC News business and data correspondent Brian Chung. And in just a moment, we'll talk to NBC News senior national security correspondent Courtney QB. And also with me is Andy Brown, China columnist at Semaphore. Thanks to all of you for starting us off. Gabe, I do want to start with you. In China, of course, these highstakes meetings set to begin in just a few hours. What are the expectations heading into these meetings?

[00:04:12]>> Well, Kristen, today we're expecting a lot of pomp and pageantry here.

[00:04:15]Something that President Trump of course relishes during these trips. his first uh face to face here with President Xi in Beijing since 2017. Uh but you're right, what's looming over this trip is the issue of Iran and whether the president can get any sort of concession from President Xi about what to do in the straight of Hormuse or in the broader uh conflict. But on the agenda besides that, there's a lot you ran through some of it. Trade uh tariffs uh also potentially AI and the thorny issue of Taiwan. And Kristen, the reason the president is bringing so many of these uh business executives with him, high-powered CEOs, the Trump administration is very eager to announce some sort of business deal here, some sort of investment deal here, and that is what they'd rather be talking about rather than the war with Iran. Kristen, >> well, that takes me to my next question, Gabe. I mean to what extent could issues like what is happening here at the home front with gas prices, the war with Iran, the comments that President Trump made about not taking Americans financial situations into consideration when he's dealing with the war with Iran. How much might that overshadow this trip?

[00:05:30]>> Well, certainly, you know, Kristen, it's very interesting. you hear uh from we heard from senior administration officials just a few days ago saying that yes that President Trump was likely to push uh President Xi uh when it came to potential uh weapon giving weapons uh to Iran and yet the president uh yesterday or was it two days ago now that here I'm in Beijing but the president telling reporters that at first that he was going to have a very long talk with President Xi uh but then a few minutes after that saying oh that Iran probably wouldn't come up because he wants to focus on the issue of of the economy and kind of downplaying any relevance that China has with regards to the conflict uh in Iran. But look, with the president making those comments to reporters about the financial situation, about him not considering Americans financial situation when making this, it's something that we it's been an interesting evolution over the past day or day or so from the White House. the White House, the top spokesman doubling down on the president's comments, really trying to hit that point that the president is worried about Americans national security, that he wants to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. And then uh earlier today, just a short time ago in that press conference, Vice President Vance, you played that soundbite in response to a question from our colleague Monica Alba.

[00:06:44]Uh it was very interesting how he responded, Kristen. At first, he took issue with the question. He seemed he he said that that wasn't what the president meant even though he did say that on tape. Uh but then he went on to pivot and saying again that Iran can't have a nuclear weapon. And at the end of his answer, Kristen, uh he actually did say that of course uh the Trump administration cares about Americans financial situation and that's why they passed previous tax cuts. So, the White House trying to clean that up a bit, especially as we head into this uh highstakes midterm election campaign.

[00:07:20]And that comment, the White House realizes could come back could come back and haunt Republicans over the coming months. Kristen, >> you're absolutely right. And of course, there are races in six states coming up on Tuesday, Gabe. So, the midterms well underway. Really appreciate your reporting from China. Let me turn now to Brian. Brian, take us into this latest inflation report that just came out.

[00:07:43]What are the implications for the economy?

[00:07:45]>> Yeah, well, as affordability remains top of mind for regular Americans and also the White House, we got a troubling report this morning that shows inflationary pressures on wholesalers are increasing 6%. That's how much this report says, wholesalers, so that's retailers like Costco and Target. So, not necessarily the price tags that we pay, but the price tags that they pay to get the merchandise into their store. 6% more expensive uh now than it was April of last year. We haven't seen a number that big since 2023. And you can see just how sharp a rise that is in a relatively short period of time. No surprise, this report says that a lot of that inflationary pressure is coming from energy where gas prices and oil costs are of course much higher because of the war with Iran. Services also up by 1%. Food prices only beginning to start to see some of that inflation only 210 of a percent. Not much to be read there. But again, the implication is that if the stores that we buy from have to pay more to get those goods and services to you and me, well, that could mean soon they're going to pass those uh costs on to consumers as well. This is already happening as the average price for consumers is rising on gas prices.

[00:08:48]Of course, $4.51. That is the national average according to AAA, staggering to think. That's up 51% from the start of the war. Remember, average prices were somewhere closer to 298 before the conflict with with Iran began. diesel, crude oil, jet fuel, all seeing those rises as well. And the idea here is the longer this goes on, the more there is that risk of inflation bleeding not just past the gas pump, but into everything else that we buy as well. Kristen, >> yeah, those are just staggering figures when you look at them like that. Brian, let me ask you because of course big news out of the Fed today. The Senate confirmed Kevin Worst to be the next Fed chair. President Trump has publicly said that he wants to see rates come down.

[00:09:28]some of his allies saying realistically this might not be an environment in which Kevin Worse can cut rates. Talk about what his priorities will be once he does begin.

[00:09:39]>> Yeah. Well, as you mentioned, the Senate confirming Kevin Worsh on a relatively narrow basis today, but of course, as you mentioned, he is in this economic environment where he's going to be stuck between the rock of trying to deliver on the president's uh desire to have lower interest rates, but also in an economy that might not want it right now. Again, Kevin War saying in his testimony that he has not agreed to anything uh with regards to making some sort of uh you know handshake agreement with the president to lower interest rates and especially when you consider again this potential for inflation to go up. That is not the type of environment you want to cut interest rates into. We'll see his first policy setting meeting is going to be one month from now. Kristen, >> well I know you'll be tracking that quite closely. Brian Chun, thank you so much. Really appreciate it. Let me turn now to the desk. Courtney QB here as always. Thanks for being here court. So, Secretary Hath traveling with President Trump on this trip. One of the big questions looming over this trip and this moment is might we see President Trump decide to escalate, decide to re-engage in military operations with Iran given that so far they have not been able to reach a ceasefire, broader ceasefire peace agreement. What are your expectations? Could that happen while the president is in China? Anything is possible, but it would be very unusual for the president to do something like restart a major combat operation uh in in any place while he's traveling overseas, especially someplace like China, right? So, we don't expect that.

[00:11:04]But I got to say, Kristen, it is always possible that Donald Trump could do something that is unconventional for the president. And especially at a time where look at what he is, his rhetoric, where his rhetoric has been in the past several days or even weeks, he now says that uh the ceasefire is on life support. it has a 1% chance of surviving. He continues to use this very strong rhetoric about how the US military could go in and finish the job.

[00:11:27]The military itself is is ready should the president decide that he wants to restart major combat operations or try something more tailored, whatever that may be. But again, it would be very very uncommon for the president to do something like that while he's overseas.

[00:11:40]And Courtney, there's this reporting that Iran throughout the course of this ceasefire has used this time to regain access to its missile sites to reconstitute its military strength. What are you hearing about that?

[00:11:53]>> Both sides have used this opportunity to sort of reset, refit, move certain things. The US now has two carrier strike groups that are there in the region. You'll remember at the beginning of the war, there was one that was in the region and there was one that was up in the Med in the Six Fleet area. So, I mean, the US has more forward than they did at the beginning of the war. Uh, but Iran notably has taken time. They've been able to access what we now know. As the ceasefire has gone on, it's been remarkable how it's become clear that not as much of their conventional capabilities were completely destroyed as we thought they were. So, we know, we reported that more than half of their air force and their navy actually remained intact. We know that they still have their fast boats, those small fast boats. We know that they still have some mines available to them. So they still have a real capability and very very critically they still have thousands of missiles and drones that comes directly from the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency. He told the Hill that several weeks ago. So Iran still has a conventional force should President Trump decide that he wants to go back in there and restart combat operations.

[00:12:55]>> All right. Well, we'll I know be all over what he is thinking about and talking about behind the scenes.

[00:13:01]Courtney QB, thank you so much. Andy, let me turn to you. We saw the images out of China so far. President Trump touching down. He had the red carpet quite literally rolled out for him. What will you be watching for in this high stakes trip?

[00:13:16]>> So, this is a low expectations summit. Bloomberg described it as a nothing burger. A bit of a yawn.

[00:13:25]maintenance work, keeping the trade truth alive, keeping the relationship on track, making sure that it doesn't get even worse. I'm looking for surprises.

[00:13:35]Like you, >> when Donald Trump is involved, anything can happen. He can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. And in fact, we've already had a surprise, the addition of Jensen Huang >> to the to the CEO party.

[00:13:49]>> Well, that's a really good point. And of course, one of the big questions, will there be a new trade agreement? Will there be an ongoing trade truce? What do you think are the chances for that? And how do those CEOs play a role in this trick?

[00:14:07]>> So, we're going to get we're going to get a hatful of trade deals.

[00:14:11]>> Okay, >> they talk about the three B's. Boeing, beans, beef. So, that's baked in. That's that's in the cat. I think it's interesting the the the way you can think about this from a commercial perspective is America Inc.

[00:14:28]>> Trump surrounded by this phallank of CEO superstars Elon Musk Jensen Huang meeting China Inc. led by Xiinping and and and you know both sides are converging on an economic model which is led by the state or guided by the state and an expression of that in Beijing is going to be the establishment of what the United States grand or US trade negotiators grandly call a board of trade where literally you have bureaucrats from both countries sitting around the table figuring out trade, who sells what to who, what price, when under what tariff arrangements, not the market inspired by price signals. And that I think managed trade is what the US sees as the centerpiece commercially of this whole summit.

[00:15:19]>> And geopolitically, of course, Iran is front and center. President Trump has said he wants China's help in reopening the straight. Of course, they benefit from oil passing through the straight of Hormuse. Do you have any expectation that China would move to help the United States?

[00:15:38]>> Well, good luck with that. Um, look, uh, uh, China never does anything at the behest of the United States. Still less will it be putting pressure on a close partner that the United States and Israel has just attacked. A partner, by the way, that until recently we were all obsessing about as part of this this so-called new axis of evil or the axis of disruption. Iran, China, North Korea and and Russia. I have very low expectations. And if Trump was to give way on that, he would demand a very very high price.

[00:16:11]>> Well, and and the other big issue, of course, is Taiwan. And it's anticipated that that President Xiinping is going to pressure President Trump on Taiwan to ease up some of the support that the United States has given to Taiwan.

[00:16:25]President Trump says, "Oh, we'll discuss that."

[00:16:28]How significant is that piece of this trip? And what if there were to be any shift in the United States posture toward Taiwan?

[00:16:35]>> Well, White House briefers have said that there's going to be no change in Taiwan policy. And I actually believe that. I don't think that that Donald Trump wants to go down in history as the US president that abandoned China to authoritar abandoned Taiwan, democratic Taiwan to authoritarian uh China. But I don't think that that is what the Chinese want out of it. What they want from him is just a slight adjustment in the wording. We oppose Taiwan independence. We we we support unification.

[00:17:04]>> That you might say as a word here, word there, no big deal to Taiwan. That would be a seismic impact, have a seismic impact because what it would say is that we're on the table. And that is exactly what Xiinping wants. He wants to get inside the heads of the Taiwanese to make them despair, to make them lose hope. You don't have a say in your future. It's all going to be decided over your head. It's psychological warfare. So it would have an impact on Taiwan and it would certainly have an impact on Japan and other countries that are looking to US commitments in the Asia- Pacific region >> in diplomacy. Small words have a big meaning as we know. So we'll be listening very closely to see if there's any shift in the language toward Taiwan.

[00:17:44]Courtney, thank you so much. Thank you so much for being here Andy. Really appreciate it. Great conversation, great information. And we should note my colleague Tom Yamis is live from Beijing this week with special editions of Nightly News and top story right here on NBC News Now. And coming up, war and affordability in America. I'll talk to a top Senate Democrat and combat veteran about the future of the war with Iran as both parties confront rising cost from the gas pump to the grocery store. Stay with us. You're watching Meet the Press Now.

[00:18:22]Welcome back. As we mentioned, President Trump is in China to meet with Chinese President Xiinping as concerns about the war with Iran and the cost of living continue to grow back at home. Joining me now is Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois. She's a member of both the Senate's Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committee. Senator Duckworth, thanks so much for joining me. Really appreciate it.

[00:18:45]>> It's good to be on. Thank you. It's wonderful to have you back. I want to start with the president's trip to China. And I'm going to start, Senator, by playing you a sound bite, something he said about Taiwan in the Oval Office on Monday and the possibility of a Chinese invasion of the island. Take a listen.

[00:19:04]>> You have the right president. I don't think it'll happen. I think we'll be fine. I have a very good relationship with President Xi. I don't want that to happen.

[00:19:12]>> Do you think we should still be selling them weapons? the United States should have that discussion with President Xi.

[00:19:18]>> President Xi would like us not to and I'll have that discussion. It's one of the many things I'll be talking about.

[00:19:26]>> Now, Senator, you signed on to a bipartisan letter with 11 other senators reaffirming your support for Taiwan's ability to defend itself. Are you concerned the US could weaken its support for Taiwan at this summit?

[00:19:41]I am deeply concerned that that is exactly what will happen because as we've seen before too often President Trump has made a habit of cozying up to dictators and basically callously handing over concessions without twice thinking about what it would mean for America's allies and our own nation's best interests uh when he meets the president Xi. We can't afford Trump to continue this pattern and leaving our friends like Taiwan in the dust. In fact, I wrote the legislation, the law that was passed, uh, that actually is helping to train the Taiwan military from an invasion from the PRC. Look, I've always believed that if we if we want to remain a global leader, we must show up and support our friends like Taiwan who are really facing escalating threats from the PRC as they're working to strengthen their own Taiwanese democracy. And right now, ahead of Trump's meeting with President Z, I I join my colleagues in calling on Trump to advance the bipartisan 14 billion arms package for Taiwan. And I think that's something that is long overdue.

[00:20:35]The Taiwans want to defend themselves, but we need to approve the arm sales to them so that they can do that.

[00:20:42]>> Well, let me ask you about the current policy toward Taiwan. It has always been one of strategic ambiguity. Do you think it's time for that to change? Does the United States need to be clearer and tell China point blank that any action against Taiwan would be a red line?

[00:20:59]>> Well, I think that we need to keep the status quo as it is. and President Trump should not be going to the PRC and conceding uh to presidency, which is what I think he's planning on doing. And that will be very very worrisome. And if in fact, I am co-sponsoring the Defend of Taiwan Act with Republican colleagues that would immediately impose sanctions if uh the PRC were to attack Taiwan on top of other other actions. So uh I think that the status quo as it has remained is good. I think that uh President Trump should approve the arm sale to Taiwan. And by the way, the arm sale helping America's industrial base because it's American manufacturers who will be producing that equipment. Um and frankly, American support for Taiwan is needs to remain ongoing, ironclad, and non-negotiable. And if Trump is serious about combating the PRC and its aggression, then this should be an easy path forward to him for him in this next discussion he's about to have. And senator, of course, looming over all of this, the backdrop to this is the war with Iran. China gets much of its oil from the straight of Hormuz. Do you have any expectation that after meeting with President Trump that China may play a role in trying to resolve the conflict to reopen the straight of Hormuse?

[00:22:19]>> You know, I I am very I'm not optimistic that that's what will happen. And in fact, I think China is benefiting from Trump's actions against Iran in the straits of Hormuz. And in fact, Trump's so-called ceasefire has gone from fragile to spiraling out of control. And remember that we, you know, first Donald Trump said he wanted to have regime change in in Iran, which is why um which is why uh he launched the attack against Iran. Well, we have a we have regime change, but the Ayatollah that's there now is worse than the one before. Uh he says now he wants to open the Straits of Hormuz. Well, the straight of Hormuz was open with oil flowing to everyone, not just to the PRC and its allies. And now the straits of Hormuz is mined uh and we've taught Iran that it can charge ships a million dollars a ship to go through the straight of horm. So if anything, Trump's war of choice has strengthened the PRC and given Iran a new revenue stream, which is not to the benefit of Americans who are by the way paying, you know, in Chicago, I was just home this past weekend, is over $4 a gallon.

[00:23:19]>> Well, you take me to my next question.

[00:23:21]the economy, affordability. Democrats have been highly critical of the president's policies, but also comments yesterday that he's more concerned about Iran not getting a bomb than the financial pain that Americans are feeling. What was your reaction to hearing that sound from the president?

[00:23:41]>> Well, I'm not surprised that the that President Trump does not care about the pain that average Americans are feeling.

[00:23:47]We after all have a president who only cares about his his grifter of a family uh where they are enriching themselves and in fact uh they claim that they're going to be the richest family in the world when they're all all is said and done with his term in the presidency. Um this is not frankly the golden age that Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail. Inflation is outpacing wages for the first time in three years. And instead of working to clean up his mess, he's wants to spend a billion dollars of your taxpayer dollars to build his golden Marie Antuinet ballroom. Um, yeah, he doesn't care about Americans because he only cares about himself and his own family. Uh, except that Americans are suffering, right? Uh, gas prices are through the roof. They've lost their Affordable Care Act subsidies. I have a family um, a family in southern Illinois who said their premiums went from $3,000 a year to $13,000 a year for their Affordable Care Act uh, costs. Uh, Americans can't continue to suffer at the hands of Donald Trump and his poor uh, foreign policy decisions. and he need to focus on Americans and stop worrying about uh uh China and Iran. And by the way, Iran's uranium stockpile is still buried under thousands of feet of concrete.

[00:24:54]>> Well, and of course, this is a midterm election year polls showing that Democrats don't really do much better than the president as it comes to the economy. We're looking at a poll here from CNN which asks who's better on the cost of living. 37% say Dems, 28% say the GOP, the economy. Dems get 35%, the GOP gets 33%. So, you see how narrow that is. Senator, what do you think Democrats need to do to turn that around to convince voters that they have a better plan?

[00:25:30]>> Well, I think what we all should be doing, those of us who are in office, Democrats or Republicans, is worry about the average American and the pride prices they're paying. You know, Trump's war in Iran caused the cost of diesel fuel to go up by more than double. It's planting season in in Illinois. We're a farm state. My farmers are devastated with the high cost of inputs like diesel for their for their um equipment uh uh fertilizer for their crops. And yes, the prices are high for the farmers now in the spring, but all of America is going to suffer come fall when harvest season comes in and we're going to see higher prices in the grocery stores. And frankly, um, as long as the straight of Hormuza remains blocked and mined, uh, uh, the situation is not going to get any better. Which is why we, you know, had this resolution again today and we got three Republicans to vote with us to end this war in Iran. This illegal war has driven up record diesel prices. Uh, it is really hurting Americans. And that's what I'm focused on as a representative of the people is how do I make lives better for the average American in Illinois and around the country. So to that point very quickly, Senator, President Trump has floated the idea of suspending the federal gas tax.

[00:26:38]Is that something you would vote for?

[00:26:42]>> That's not going to solve the problem, right? As long as the straight of her moose remains minded, as long as we're still spending billions of dollars to attack Iran. And by the way, you know, Donald Trump came to us and says he's going to want 150 to 200 billion additional dollars just to wage this war in Iran. Uh suspending the gas price isn't going to do anything. It's not even a band-aid on the situation, but frankly, this illegal war is costing Americans uh significant money out of their pockets, and it's hurting our nation's military. We've expended, you know, hundreds of thousands of rounds of munitions that we need in order to defend ourselves against our greatest our greatest adversary, the PRC. He's he's moved assets from the Indoacific into the Middle East that should be in the Indoacific. And so, uh, uh, you know, we're we're in a significantly more precarious situation as a nation, both in terms of affordability for the average Americans, but also on national security, all because of Donald Trump's war of choice.

[00:27:39]>> All right, Senator Tammy Duckworth, thank you so much for your time. Really appreciate it.

[00:27:44]>> Thank you.

[00:27:46]>> Coming up next, meet the candidate, a former Republican who openly defied President Trump's push to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. Now he's running as a Democrat in next week's crowded primary race to be the next governor of the Peach State. That interview is next. Stay with us.

[00:28:11]Welcome back. If it's Wednesday, someone voted somewhere on Tuesday, which means we have midterm primary results with a winner in last night's Nebraska Senate primary, which could drop out of the race she just won. Democrat Cindy Burbank won the Democratic nomination yesterday, but she has said she would consider bowing out of the race if she didn't have a path to victory. instead endorsing independent Dan Osborne in an un to unseat the Republican in an effort to unseat the Republican incumbent Senator Pete Rickettts. Osborne lost to Republican Senator Deb Fischer by less than seven percentage points in 2024.

[00:28:51]Now, we're also counting down to the next week's big primary night, less than a week away, which will include a number of key races across several states, including Georgia, with contests for Senate, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Secretary of State all on the ballot. I'm joined now by Jeff Duncan, former Republican Lieutenant Governor in Georgia, who is now running for governor as a Democrat. Thank you so much for joining me, Lieutenant Governor Duncan.

[00:29:18]Really appreciate it.

[00:29:20]Yeah, glad to be here.

[00:29:22]>> I'm gonna get to your race in just a second, but I want to start with some news out of your state. The current governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, said this afternoon that he's calling a special session in June to consider redrawing the state's legislative maps in 2028. Of course, there's been a big back and forth over redistricting. What is your reaction to hearing that? Would you support such an effort?

[00:29:45]It's a huge step in the wrong direction for our state and for our country. Uh at the end of the day, all you have to do is listen to these Republicans that are running for office uh run and grab a microphone and just talk about the the immediate desire to racially gerrymander these districts. They couldn't even wait for the ink to dry on the Supreme Court case uh last week. Uh it's it's troubling to see uh the home of the Civil Rights Movement kind of take on this mantle of dismantling the uh the Voting Rights Act uh in a way that does not represent democracy. I mean, at the end of the day, Republicans are wrong.

[00:30:18]They continue to try to shrink the size of the voting universe to shape the outcome of an election. And here's a here's a novel idea. If you want to win an election, just do a better job. Don't support a president that's trying to bankrupt our country and trying to bankrupt our state. support somebody that really wants to meet people's needs like affordability, health care, and and the other issues that that are on top of mind.

[00:30:38]>> Well, of course, Democrats are trying to counter what is happening in some of these red states by redistricting in blue states, like California, for example. Do you support those efforts in blue states to pick up new Democratic seats?

[00:30:54]I mean, Donald Trump knew exactly what he was doing when he picked a fight starting in Texas and just started trying to usurp democracy. And it's a it's a catch 22, right? I'm one of those those traditionalists that think the Constitution knew what knew what uh it was talking about when it wanted to do this every 10 years. Uh as governor, I want to stand up and and pass a constitutional amendment at the state level to make this a every 10-year process to not gerrymander districts in between just for shallow political reasons. It's wrong.

[00:31:22]Let me ask you about your race now. You are running as a Democrat. How do you convince Democrats in your crowded field to vote for you over Kesha Lance Bottoms, for example, who is the former mayor of Atlanta?

[00:31:38]>> I've lived pretty out loud for the last six plus years. Uh I not only stood up to Donald Trump when it mattered the most here in Georgia, but I've been, you know, working with with Democrats for years. uh Stacy Abrams on rural hospital tax credit legislation, passing hate crimes legislation, uh standing up to a sitting president that tried to steal an election, civil unrest issues. I've been doing this out loud. Uh and also writing a number of opinion columns over the years. So I think Democrats see me as as the best possible chance to win this election. Uh I think I am absolutely not only going to show up and win a primary, but win a general election. But then most importantly, Kristen, is we have to govern well. I think that's the most important thing for Democrats is once we get this power, we can't just let it go to our heads like Republicans have.

[00:32:21]We've got to go govern well. We got to go share our ideas with better health care by expanding Medicaid, by passing common sense gun legislation. I haven't lost my mind switching parties. I've actually found my heart.

[00:32:33]>> Well, as you know, polls show that Kesha Lance Bottoms is actually ahead right now. How do you catch up and surpass her by Tuesday? Do you have enough time to win?

[00:32:44]Well, fortunately for for the the law in Georgia, we don't have to do it by Tuesday. It's going to go to a runoff.

[00:32:49]So, Kesha Lance Bottoms is probably going to cap out in the high 30s. I see myself coming in in the high teens, low 20s in a solid second place, and then we'll go to a four-week sprint. And just compare resumes, right? I've I've got a resume to run on. She's got a resume to run on. I think some Georgians have some serious concerns about her leadership as as mayor of the city of Atlanta, just like some folks have some concerns about me being a former Republican. But, you know, folks can find out more at duncanforjorg.com if they want to have more information about where I stand on the issues.

[00:33:18]>> You're talking about the issues. Let me ask you about one that has been in the spotlight this week in particular, the gas tax. There's a lot of talk about potentially suspending the federal gas tax. Governor Brian Kemp suspended Georgia's gas tax almost two months ago, but that's set to expire next Tuesday, actually, on primary day. If you were to be elected, would you reinstate a gas tax holiday?

[00:33:46]>> Uh, we would I would continue to to keep the gas tax off. Uh, actually in the state legislature years ago when I was a state representative, I voted against the gas tax. Uh, but yeah, I mean, look, state of Georgia didn't pick this fight that's that's taken our gas prices and our oil prices around the world in in skyrocketing places. Donald Trump did.

[00:34:04]If we want to fix this crisis, then Donald Trump needs to say he made a mistake and he didn't calculate the endgame and he needs to start falling on the sword. Uh bring these troops back home or figure out how to open up that straight of her moose. But Donald Trump doesn't care about people. He doesn't care about affordability issues. He doesn't care about people not having health insurance. He cares about the person that stares back at him in the mirror in the mornings. You know, Donald Trump is is not for America. He's not for Georgia. He's for himself and his family. And that's as obvious as the day is long. And I'm seeing Republicans left and right come our way on this campaign trail because I think they're seeing what I've already seen. That's Donald Trump is a selfless decision maker and at the end of the day he's the worst decision this country's ever made.

[00:34:43]>> Let me ask you about the broader political environment right now.

[00:34:47]Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensburgger, who resisted pressure from President Trump to overturn the results of the 2020 election and is now running for governor, said yesterday that there was an active threat at a campaign event that he had planned earlier this week. Do you worry about the risk of political violence in Georgia and elsewhere in this heated political environment?

[00:35:12]>> Unfortunately, I do. I mean, my family has been at the epicenter of it for years. I mean, just because I wasn't willing to lie about an election like Donald Trump wanted to, my family got death threats. We had state troopers outside our house. Our kids couldn't go to school for weeks on end. I mean, like, we've paid the price, too. And it's unfortunate, but when you have a sitting president that's willing to fan the flames of conspiracy theories and to create a mob mentality that essentially at the end of the day, it's just a Ponzi scheme. Donald Trump runs a Ponzi scheme and it's falling apart by the day.

[00:35:43]Final question to you. Do you see any scenario where you could return to the Republican party at some point?

[00:35:52]>> I don't. The the Republican party, that ship has sailed. Uh my heart has changed. And look, a number of these issues. I didn't have the political courage like so many folks in in office don't. I knew common sense gun legislation made all the sense in the world. I'm never going to turn around on that. I know expanding Medicaid makes all the sense in the world and we should never send somebody to the hospital without health insurance. I'm a proud Democrat with a great toolkit to serve the needs of 11 million Georgians and I can't wait to be their governor.

[00:36:16]>> All right, former Lieutenant Governor Jeff Duncan, thank you so much. Be safe.

[00:36:21]We will be watching your race closely.

[00:36:23]Really appreciate you joining us.

[00:36:26]>> Thank you.

[00:36:28]>> And speaking of Tuesday night, I will be joined by my colleagues Jackson, Steve Cornaki, and our team of reporters across the nation for special primary election coverage. It all kicks off at 6:30 Eastern right here on NBC News Now.

[00:36:43]And we'll be right back with more Meet the Press Now. Stay with us.

[00:36:51]Welcome back. Top Democrats on Capitol Hill are already seizing on President Trump's remarks yesterday that he's not weighing the financial impact on Americans finances when it comes to his war objectives in Iran.

[00:37:04]>> Can you believe it?

[00:37:07]You wouldn't believe it coming from any other president, but sadly from this president, it's smacks of reality. He says almost anything and he doesn't care. Donald Trump and Republicans don't give a damn about the personal finances of the American people. Donald Trump said it and he meant it. Joining me now is today's panel. NBC News senior national political reporter Sahil Kapoor, Joel Payne, Democratic strategist and former senior aid for Hillary for America, and Ashley Davis, Republican strategist and White House official during the George W. Bush administration. Thanks to all of you for being here. Saho, let me start with you.

[00:37:50]You heard the reaction from Democrats there on Capitol Hill. Talk about the fallout, what you're hearing on the Hill.

[00:37:56]>> It's a mess for the GOP, Kristen. the last thing they need to be hearing from the from a president who was elected primarily to bring down costs and improve America's financial situation and to avoid getting into new wars. Just objectively speaking, the opposite has happened so far. So, this is a situation where Republicans want results on the economy. They know that voters here care more about that. But the president seems to be, at least in in the words of Lindsey Graham, who I talked to a few hours ago, a staunch Trump ally. He said Trump is just trying to show the enemy that he's determined to prevail regardless of the domestic circumstances. That does indicate that he's willing to sacrifice some domestic circumstances for this, which of course is a political problem for Republicans, especially when you look at a recent poll by CNN found that his disapproval, President Trump's disapproval on the economy is up to 70%. It never even reached 50% in the entirety of his first term. This was his ace in the hole, not MAGA culture wars, the economy. Trust in the economy was always President Trump's biggest asset. Now it's gone.

[00:38:50]>> Actually, he did promise to bring down prices on day one. Gas prices are up, inflation is up. How big of a political problem do you see these comments being?

[00:39:02]>> Well, it's I mean, obviously the Democrats are doing exactly what they should be doing, which is capitalizing on those comments. I do from my national security hat, I would say that his comments are probably more directed to Iran than they were everybody else, which is not does not help us in the election, by the way. However, um I do think I'm a very staunch uh I I think that we should have taken on Iran. I do think that they're really bad actors and so I think he's not willing to sacrifice if we lose the midterms because of it. I think he's okay with it if he thinks the country is going to be safer.

[00:39:35]>> You think he's okay with it?

[00:39:38]>> I don't think he's going to negotiate something based on gas prices at home. I really don't. And I think that that's probably what the commander-in-chief probably should do in regards to safety to the country, in regards to national security, in regards to everyday Americans and their gas prices and their daily living. I think it's a big problem. It's a big problem.

[00:39:57]If I were, you know, leader Thun or if I were the speaker right now, I'm sure they're cringing as you just said on the Hill.

[00:40:03]>> Joel, how do Democrats play this?

[00:40:06]Because is there a risk in overindexing on some of these measures when President Trump believes once the war ends, gas prices are going to start to come down?

[00:40:17]Of course, economists say it's not going to happen overnight, but how do you think Democrats should be messaging this moment?

[00:40:23]>> Yeah. Well, Kristen, I think he's down to the studs on his core MAGA base anyway. I mean, when you're at negative, you know, what 50% or when you're at, you know, 70% disapproval on the economy and you're in the 30s, you know, you're in the the Bush term two zone, um, you don't actually have the type of coalition that he actually rode to electoral victory. So, I don't think Donald Trump's in the in in the coalition building business right now.

[00:40:51]He seems to be in the base maintenance business right now. I think the other observation I have is and I get a chance to sit next to a lot of you know smart Republicans like Ashley and the fact that she and that other Republicans the first thing they have to address the first thing they have to answer is Donald Trump his priorities his hubris his prioritization of the economy that itself that's the whole problem in a nutshell for Republicans there >> what about the fact that he is in China right now this allows him to pivot to some extent from Iran Iran and lean into this geopolitical diplomacy that he is trying to have with China.

[00:41:31]>> I think that largely depends on what if any deliverables he brings home uh from China. If there's a deal cut that can materially improve the lives of Americans, voters are going to be far more concerned about their own domestic uh issues than any kind of foreign policy concern unless they can connect the latter to the former. But look, broadly speaking, there is a political storm of headwinds brewing for, I think, Republicans in the midterms, presidential approval and a state of the economy. Those are not looking good for the party in power. They tend to be the most important things. Then there's a structural disadvantage that Republicans have uh in this new coalition where the MAGA voters don't really turn out when Trump isn't on the ballot. Now, the things counteracting that that are helping Republicans somewhat are the money factor. They're doing better this time uh than 2018 and redistricting uh in the House. That fight has broken clearly in favor of Republicans. Will it be enough? I don't know.

[00:42:19]>> Ashley, and what are you watching for this week while the president's in China?

[00:42:22]>> So, I think success is two different things. One, I think that he him showing up with all these CEOs showing that he's trying to make some sort of business deal with China. But the two things I'm watching is I think the our farmers could get some relief and that's a success. And if China is willing to buy some sort of oil gas from the United States, I think that's the su that defines success for him. Um, obviously I don't think we'll know truly what the negotiations are in Iran Iran because I think that it will be quietly talked about and maybe there'll be subtle is, you know, things that are said to Iran to say like let's open up the straight.

[00:43:00]Um, but I think the two like economic things are the the farmers and uh definitely them buying oil from us.

[00:43:07]>> Joel, how do you see this week? And do you think there could be a pivot to some extent?

[00:43:14]>> I think obviously the president's in China and that's going to drive a lot of, you know, interest and whatnot. But I think the story of this week is Republicans um escalating this fight over redistricting and and and I guess I would just say this. Look, this is personal. Um, and this feels provocative to millions of people, millions of people, frankly, who look like me. Um, and who come from communities and come from backgrounds like mine, like the name, my namesake, my great-grandfather, who was a sharecropper in the South, who fought and sweat and bled for these rights that Republicans on a Republican Supreme Court that's jet fueled by MAGA, and on a Republican Supreme Court that's swayed by a seat that was stolen, they seem to be playing games with precedent.

[00:43:54]They seem to be playing games with the public faith and public confidence. And I don't think that Republicans actually realize how dangerous the steps they're taking to undermine public confidence in the court, undermine public confidence in democracy are at this moment. Um, this country's a powder keg right now.

[00:44:13]And where I come from, there's a thing that we say is you don't want to play in people's faces. The Republicans are doing a lot of playing in people's faces right now.

[00:44:19]>> Ashley, how do you respond? Well, I think first of all I I I appreciate 100% what you're saying and I also think that there is a big question is this does anyone win out of this? I've been saying from the beginning that I think the whole redistricting issue that started in Texas, but we can even say it started back in 2017 in Illinois. But I think that >> it's just really bad for the country. I think it's not going to be beneficial to anybody one way or the other at the end of the day because we're isolating the whole population as as you just referenced in some cases, but also um you know we have the we have the people in the north too that we don't have any Republican seat. So there are two sides of the story, but this is more of an issue that that is um something that hits home.

[00:45:00]>> I appreciate where that comes from. But people in the north there not a history >> No, that's what I'm saying. segregation and a history of organized, you know, obstruction of the vote in the north like there is in the south.

[00:45:12]>> No, I get it.

[00:45:13]>> So, he'll give us the final takeaway here. What's the math look like right now? Because Republicans are feeling emboldened about their chances to potentially hold on to the House, but Democrats are saying the backdrop still gives them a big opening.

[00:45:26]>> Overall, I still think Democrats are favored uh in the House given how given what the landscape is, given all the structural advantages they have. I think it looks like right now, at least my Democratic sources think that somewhere between five and 10 seats just in redistricting could flip to the GOP on net. Democrats will gain some in California, but Republicans, Texas, Florida, now you have Virginia essentially counteracted. So, Republicans will cushion it somewhat. I still think Democrats are are pretty clearly favored overall because they only need a net gain of single somewhere in the single-digit numbers of seats uh to win the House. The Senate's obviously a different story. Needle's moving a little bit in the Dems's direction, but right now, Democrats have a still have plenty of reasons, I should say, to be optimistic about winning the House.

[00:46:07]>> Well, there's no doubt that this fight over redistricting has changed the shape of not just the map, but American politics in the debate that's unfolding right now. Thank you so very much, Sahil, Joel, and Ashley. Great conversation. Still to come, we are on the ground in Omaha where 16 Americans are being quarantined covering new developments related to the ongoing outbreak of the HANA virus. Keep it right here on Meet the Press. Now, welcome back. We are tracking the latest developments in the deadly honor outbreak that started on a cruise ship.

[00:46:46]We are learning a French woman who tested positive for haunt virus after being evacuated from the ship is now critically ill and being treated with an artificial lung. The World Health Organization says so far 11 cases of the disease have been reported and that number will likely grow but maintain the risk to the general public remains low.

[00:47:05]The outbreak comes at a precarious time for public health in the United States, which is operating without a permanent director at the CDC, without a surgeon general, and now without an FDA commissioner after this week's ouster of Dr. Marty McCary. There are currently 16 US states monitoring residents who are considered to have been exposed to the Andes strain of the Hunter virus that was spread aboard that cruise. people who either left the cruise early or came into close contact with cruise passengers during travel. Joining me now is NBC News correspondent Camila Bernal who is outside the National Quarantine Unit in Omaha, Nebraska where 16 of the evacuated cruise passengers are. Camila, thank you so much for being here. You have actually spoken to some of the medical staff at that Nebraska facility where 16 passengers from that cruise are staying. What have you learned?

[00:47:58]Yeah, and important news today from the CDC, Kristen, and that is that they are encouraging every single person here in Nebraska to remain here at this facility for the duration of the monitoring period. That is 42 days. And they say that period started on May 11th when they got off that plane from the cruise ship. and medical professionals here telling me that they're monitoring everyone, doing it case by case, making sure that they essentially have a next step for each person individually.

[00:48:29]Here's what one of the nurses told me.

[00:48:32]>> I know from the outside looking in, it probably feels like, well, why don't we have any answers, but it really is a conversation with each person in multiple jurisdictions, and we want to make sure that we can answer all of the questions we're getting, right? Is it safe for people to to leave? Is it safe for people to stay? Um, and so I think right now what we're really encouraging is we have the ability to provide quarantine and monitoring support services for 42 days and we're we would h be happy to have people stay.

[00:48:59]And the CDC also announced today that they have retested that passenger in the bioontainment unit that tested mildly positive. They're expecting fresh results from that test in the next day or two. Bristen >> and Camila, with the final minute that we have left, more than a dozen states, as we said, say they have residents who are being monitored for exposure to the virus. What do we know about these folks?

[00:49:23]>> Yeah. So, none of the states so far have said that they've asked anyone to quarantine. They're only asking to self-monitor. So what that looks like according to some of the states is each person at home is taking their temperature, is looking out for symptoms, and then reporting any changes or anything they see back to the state.

[00:49:41]So all of these states essentially saying that they're keeping track of all of those passengers that got off the boat early and returned to the United States. And also the people that were believed to have been exposed at some point, maybe even during air travel. So they are keeping track of them to make sure that if anything changes. This is obviously something that gets reported back to the states and then obviously to the federal government as well, guys.

[00:50:05]>> All right, Camila Bernal, you have been all over this story. We really appreciate your great reporting from Omaha, Nebraska. We will continue to track the developments around the HA virus. Camila, thank you so very much.

[00:50:17]We are back tomorrow with more Meet the Press Now. There's much more ahead on NBC News Now.

[00:50:25]We thank you for watching and remember, stay updated on breaking news and top stories on the NBC News app or watch live on our YouTube channel.