Meet the Press NOW — April 24

If it's Thursday. New poll numbers show a majority of voters have soured on President Trump's handling of inflation and the cost of living amid new uncertainty over the White House's economic agenda. Plus Vladimir stop. That was President Trump's message to the Russian leader today in response to Moscow launching deadly strikes on Ukraine's major cities, further imperiling peace talks.

And a judge orders the Trump administration to facilitate the return of another migrant deported to El Salvador as a separate court ruling blocks the president from withholding federal funding for sanctuary cities, adding to the legal hurdles for President Trump's immigration agenda. Welcome to MEET THE press. Now. I'm Kristen Welker in Washington where we're closing in on the 100 day mark of the Trump presidency with new polling showing Americans have grown dissatisfied with the president's economic agenda as the threat of market turmoil and economic uncertainty risks overshadowing the administration's other priorities.

Brand new numbers from RBC News Satun poll showed the President 20 points underwater on the issue that was core to his election success, inflation and the cost of living, with 60% of Americans disapproving of his handling of that issue. That public dissatisfaction coupled with worries for big business in the markets appear to be weighing on the White House as it has signaled a de escalation with China, with the president softening his tone on the sky high 145% tariff he placed on Chinese imports and saying the Fed Chair Jerome Powell's job is safe. And the Oval Office today meeting with Norway's prime minister. President Trump made some ambiguous remarks on the process of potential trade deals and attacked his predecessor.

We just have a great country, a very strong country and we have every other country. I can't think of one country that doesn't want to negotiate a deal. And they either negotiate a deal or we said a deal that we think is we are going to at some point just set prices for deals. Some will be tariffed, some treated as very unfairly.

They'll be tariffed higher than others. But we've been ripped off for many, many years. The United States has been ripped off like no country probably in the history of the world. I don't blame those countries.

I blame the people that sat at that beautiful desk right behind you because those people didn't do the job for this country. The numbers from our newest poll commented other warning signs for the administration. Other recent polls, surveys from Fox News and Pew show President Trump's job approval dropping 5 to 7 points, down to 44% and 40% respectively. The Fox poll, which the president tried to describe today, also has him underwater on virtually every major issue, including taxes, tariffs and inflation.

Meanwhile, we're seeing a familiar playbook from the White House focusing on issues that fire up debates, particularly on border security. White House Secretary Caroline Levitt confirmed the president will hold his first rally since taking office in Michigan to mark his 100th day. The president today also ramping his feud with higher education, calling Harvard University anti Semitic and a threat to democracy. And later this hour, we expect the president to announce an effort to target the democratic fundraising platform, ActBlue.

Joining me at the very latest from White House is NBC News chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander. And with me right here on set to break down what we're seeing from our NBC News Day 2 poll is NBC News national political reporter Ben Kamisar. Peter, I want to start with you at the White House. Of course, we did hear from President Trump today in the Oval Office.

What is the very latest he's saying about tariffs and the state of the overall economy? Well, we'll detail the situation with China in a moment. But specifically as it relates to terrorism impacting the economy, the White House has been witnessing some headwinds lately. Take home sales, the lowest, slowest growth of home sales since 2009.

Look at the ships, cargo ships coming from China to the ports on the West Coast, LA and Long Beach. New figures coming out estimating that in the first full week of May next month that they think the numbers will be down 44% over where they were the same week a year ago. The president, though, is touting some progress on the issue of terror so far. Obviously, he's going to have to get 90 deals done in 90 days, as the White House and the president's allies have insisted, which remains a unique challenge.

But we did hear from the treasury secretary today speaking about South Korea, saying there was conversations with South Korea and effort to come to some agreement about lowering tariffs that South Korea places on American products going there. So the president is insisting that process, the progress is being made right now. The bottom line is that's the message that Republicans say he should be focusing on, is this idea of progress being made and do everything in his power to avoid allowing Americans to believe there's a sense of confusion or uncertainty about exactly what the strategy here is. You know, Peter, I'm curious, what is the White House saying about all of these polls that we are seeing?

Our latest poll showing him underwater on his handling of the economy, which is his top issue, the reason why a lot of Voters put him in the White. I think that's right. You make a good point there. Obviously, on the topic of border security, the White House is emphasizing how successful the president's been with historic lows on that issue.

But obviously on the topic of the economy, as you look on inflation, cost of living, 60% of Americans disapproved on that issue. That's from NBC News. Stay tuned. Poll right now, it's not just NBC News.

Fox News independently reporting. Close to 60% are saying they have issues with president's handling of the economy and specifically on tariffs. Right now, that's where the president is trying to put a lot of the focus. He has been talking a lot about progress being made vis a vis China, obviously with 145% tariff now slapped on Chinese goods.

The president yesterday told my colleague, our colleague Garrett Haig, that there are active talks taking place. I'm talking actively, he said. But we heard within the same hour from the treasury secretary that none of those talks have started just yet. Last night we heard from the National Economic Council head Kevin Hassett saying the conversations haven't begun.

And China said today through its foreign Ministry that it was fake news. Here's part of what the president insisted on your short time Listen, the US Is speaking with China. They're saying it's fake news that trade talks are happening. Well, they had a meeting this morning, so I can't tell you.

It doesn't matter who they is. We may reveal it later, but they have meetings this morning and we've been meeting with China. So the president says they have been meeting with China. His advisors say those meetings have not begun in earnest yet.

For their part or for her part, Caroline Levitt, the White House press secretary, says there will be no unilateral lowering of tariffs on China. It will only come in the form of negotiations. And in the eyes of the US and the president if China is to begin the process of backing down. Levitt herself told us just yesterday here, the Americans just need to be patient.

Given all the volatility that we've seen in the markets here, there's no doubt that all eyes are on China. Thanks so much for that breakdown. Really appreciate it. Good to see you.

Ben, let me turn to you. Let's start with our new NBC News Stay Tuned poll of what we are seeing. 60% say they disapprove of President Trump's handling of inflation and the cost of living. As I was just discussing with Peter, this is his number one issue.

This is one of the biggest reasons why he was elected, then what are you seeing in these numbers? How significant is ultimately, you think about how Americans interact the economy, right? It's rising prices, it's the price of eggs, it's the price of gas. It's so easy to have that behind the first side defense.

And to your point, one of the big arguments that Donald Trump made, that candidate Trump made against Joe Biden, was on the issue of prices. And it's a very tangible return. And so I think it's not super surprising to see these numbers because it's very, it's very clear what you're seeing in the broader economics here, but also just in what the price of goods and groceries look like when you go to store. Well, when you think about the price of goods, you think about how much everyone has in their pockets.

And take a look at this compared to a year ago. How was your personal financial situation? That was the question we asked in our poll. 44% say about the same.

34 then say worse today, 22% say better today. What do you make of that aspect? Really reinforces these concerns about the economy. I think the pressure on President Trump, on administration officials to in fact, be able to strike deals, the longer you're in office and the more you take risks with your economic strategy.

Certainly the president, his team argue that long term, this is going to be better for America. That remains to see. It could very well be true. But in the short term, if the voters aren't seeing a tangible return, they're going to, you know, they're going to pay for it.

The question is, can they make these, can they land these deals? Can they land the plane in this sort of medium to long term and ultimately this all goes away. Maybe. But in the short term, it's hurting people.

People are hurting. Excuse me. And they're telling us out of the polls. Yeah.

And it's just such a fundamental issue, I think, for so many people. There's also the big picture of his overall approval rating. For that, we turn to some other polls, including the Fox News poll, which certainly got President Trump's attention. He tried to discredit this poll.

44%, his job approval rating. That's down from the last time he was asked. 40%, according to Pew. So underwater, certainly.

And down from where he was when he was inaugurated. Down, quite frankly, from where his counterparts were. Yeah, no, I think, you know, we used to elect presidents and it used to have this long, graceful honeymoon period. We don't have that anymore.

It's kind of a double edge over Trump. You Know, his. He has a high floor because the Republican Party is so coalesce around him that, you know, he's not. He's going to be more sticky in these numbers.

We're not going to see a dramatic drop, you know, unless something crazy happens. But we're also. There's a ceiling to be had here because ultimately, you know, I think the first couple months of this administration have been so geared toward sort of the policies that really endear himself to the right flank, to the Republican Party. The question now is, can he make this pivot in the economy of states and shish everyone?

Can he make this pivot and bring more people into the fold when these early actions have been largely based on rewarding the. I think that is the key question. I want to also look at his marks on border security. That's another one of his biggest issues.

He is getting high marks on his handling of the border. Let's take a look at those figures. You can see there, Ben, higher on border security, certainly than the economy, where it's -18. Border security is the one issue where he is doing well.

So if you want to know why he is happy to talk about these various fights he's having with the courts over deporting people, that's why he's winning on this issue. I like to think of what he told one of my close personal colleagues, Chris Milker and December I won on prices. Yeah, I won on the board. That's what I told you.

And I really wanted to look at his presidency through that lens and this economic numbering. If he comes to be his shrink. Right. So to see it falling like this is really interesting.

And I think this holds us really well. To talk to someone that we just showed on the screen. It's, let's up border security and immigration. They have this.

They have this story to tell on the border that has been working broadly. Right. Number of apprehensions of the board have gone down. They've been able to tell that story in a way that seems to be resonating with people.

But this immigration thing is harder because I spoke to a voter in Arizona. It really stuck with me. He said that he's totally an ideological lockstep with the president, but he wonders why he's taking kind of like the hardest approach possible, the one that sort of causes the most pain and anguish and controversy. Like there is a story to be told here for them, but they're seeking controversy.

And you see that with a lot of the immigration, with the headlines in the news of what we're Seeing. And ultimately, I think that's something that is going to be a question whether or not he can sort of expand that. Yeah, I think you're right. And having that first person account is just so informative.

Ben, thank you so much for being here, breaking down all the numbers for us. We really appreciate it. We do now want to turn to the war in Ukraine, where overnight Russia launched a massive bombardment on Kyiv, killing 12 people, according to Ukrainian officials, injuring 90 others and prompting President Zelensky to cut his trip to South Africa short so he'd return home. Ukraine's air force says Russia wants 145 drones and 70 missiles, making it one of the largest aerial assaults on the capital city in months.

This morning, President Trump took to social media to express his frustration with the Russian attack, writing, quote, vladimir, stop. And today, speaking in the Oval Office, President Trump reiterated he wasn't happy with the strikes and suggested that behind the scenes he's putting pressure on Russia to end the war. I didn't like last night. I wasn't happy with it.

And we're in the midst of broken peace and missiles were fired and I was not happy with it. No idea what pressure I'm putting. Right. We're putting a lot of pressure.

We're putting a lot of pressure on Russia and Russia knows it. And some people that are close to it know where he wouldn't be talking right now. That comes just a day after Mr. Trump criticized President Zelensky, claiming he was prolonging the war.

Joining me now is NBC News chief international correspondent Keir Simmons and former U.S. ambassador to Russia and NBC News international Affairs analyst Michael McFall. Thanks to both of you for being here. Here, let me start with you.

The president, on the one hand, appearing to strike a more optimistic tone that Russia and Ukraine will be able to reach some kind of agreement. But then all of that overshadowed by these bombardments overnight in that very tough tone that we heard from President Trump. Vladimir, stop. What are you hearing from your sources about the status negotiations?

Well, because I spoke to President Trump's envoy, Keith, General Keith Kellogg today, and he told me that the talks in London that closed yesterday were candid and constructive, despite the fact that the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio and another envoy, Steve Wyckoff, for President Trump didn't attend. And they didn't attend, it appears. And I didn't say this openly because President Zelenskyy is ruling out recognizing Crimea as Russia as Russian. And that is part of the Trump peace plan, if you like.

Now, Ukraine is constitutionally not able to recognize Crimea as Russia. Presidency couldn't just do it even if he wanted to. But that's just an example of how President Trump talks before the election about getting a peace deal quickly. What he's really doing is exposing how difficult it is, how after, you know, years of war, hardening people's opinions, it's going to get really, really, really, really hard to reach that kind of a deal.

Extraordinary, right? To hear, to not hear, but see President Trump writing on true social. I don't think that President Putin has a true social account writing to President Putin using his first name like that. Vladimir.

Stop. At the same time, I will say that in comments, similar comments just in the past few hours, amongst other things, President Trump suggesting that the fact that Russia had not Ukrainian territory was a concession by President Putin. Of course, that is simply not true. It was the bravery of the Ukrainians that prevented Russia from taking more territory, particularly taking the capital, Kyiv.

So this bombardment against Kyiv by the Russians raises the question about whether the Kremlin really is committed to peace. Interesting to hear what the Kremlin said today. Just listen to the language. It says President Putin stands for peace, that respects Russia's interests.

And remember that Russia includes its interests. What the Kremlin does, at least it includes not having Ukraine join NATO, which the US has ruled out. But also Russia says no security guarantees for Ukraine either. Ukrainians, of course, are simply saying, well, we'd like to know that we aren't going to be exposed to Russia doing this.

This again. I will tell you. We spoke to Russians on the streets of Moscow this week. Some say that they want truce.

Others say that Russia should keep fighting. There are quotes from Ukrainians on the streets of Kyiv who say a peace deal is not worth the price that we look like we might have to pay. So this is a very, very tough negotiation. It certainly is.

And of course, this was another key campaign promise of President Trump. So we watch it so closely here. Thank you so much for that fantastic reporting. Master McFall, let me turn to you now.

We have heard President Trump, other top officials, the vice president, the secretary of state, all say that they are prepared to walk away from these negotiations if they feel as though both sides, or either side is not serious about getting a deal done. What do you make of the strategy so far that we are witnessing from the Trump administration to try to get a peace agreement? Well, I applaud President Trump for being engaged and trying to mediate the end of this war. This horrific work that you just showed more shots of Second, I think the idea that we should have to talk to the Russians, which President Trump did, and Marco Rubio, Secretary State Rubio, went to Saudi Arabia to open that line of communication.

I also applaud, and that's where my applause ends, because everything else has just been. Their strategy has been concessions to Putin and pressure on Ukrainians. They somehow believe if they just keep giving Putin everything he wants, he will stop fighting and at the same time forcing the Russia, the Ukrainians, to surrender. And I just.

If it worked, I would applaud it as well, but it's not working. And the fact that Crimea, out of the blue, is now a necessary condition, allegedly for President Zelensky to endorse, but also for the United States to endorse. Where did that come from? The only explanation I have is that Putin already got everything he wanted on his list, and so he asked for more.

I just don't think the strategy that they're pursuing is achieving the objective. And I want to be clear, we're not talking about a pco. I think we need to be clear about that. We're just talking about a ceasefire.

Peace negotiations could have gone for years after that. And even to get a ceasefire, that has not yet been accomplished by the strategy. Yeah, that's a really important clarification to point out that this is an agreement talks to try to get an agreement for a cease fire. When I spoke with President Trump on the phone several weeks ago, he said if he doesn't think Russia serious, he's considering imposing secondary tariffs on Russia.

We have not seen that happen. We have not seen any actions taken toward Russia. Do you think that that type of pressure would make a difference, would get Russia to get more serious, to at least stop these bombardments that we're seeing in Ukraine? What do you think needs to happen at this point?

Well, you made a lot of news with that phone call. I want you to know, in my world, because that was the first time that I can remember on the record that President Trump actually thought about using coercive diplomac vis a vis the Russians. And, you know, I was diplomat for a while and I've studied diplomacy all my life. It has to be a mix of carrots and sticks.

It's rarely you just give everything and that works out. That's called appeasement. We know that that didn't work out, so that was very encouraging. But those were words he said to you, and they have not done that.

And I sincerely believe that if he wanted to change the dynamics of these negotiations, he could do one, impose more sanctions and two, signal that he's going to continue military assistance to Ukraine. You want to get Putin's attention. Those are the very two very concrete things that the president could do. Just saying something tough on social media, that's not going to get Putin's attention.

Well, you know, as a diplomat yourself, Ambassador, I wonder what you make of Steve Whitcomb going to meet with Vladimir Putin for a second time this month. How significant is that? Well, again, the modality, the principle of engaging with your interlocutors even when they're your enemies, as we did during the Cold War, I applaud. So I think it's a good thing that we have this channel of communication.

But so far I'm worried that's just being used to communicate what Putin wants. It's as if Mr. Witkoff is acting as his agent to go back and report to the Ukrainians. These are the new demands again, where did this thing of Crimea come from?

It may have came from that meeting that you're showing right now. That's not diplomacy. Just listening to Putin and then saying, well, this is what he wants. That's not real diplomacy.

That's just acting as an agent. And I hope that they change their position vis a vis the Russians because so far it's not achieving results. All right, Ambassador McFall, thank you so much as always for joining us. For your perspective, we really appreciate it.

Coming up, President Trump's immigration agenda faces new legal setbacks as a Trump appointed judge orders the government to facilitate the return of another migrant who is sent to El Salvador. Plus, the escalating fight between higher education and the Oval Office. President Trump lashes out at Harvard, maligning the Ivy League institution as, quote, anti Semitic, far left and a threat to democracy. Stay with us.

You're watching the press now. Welcome back. A Trump appointed Maryland judge is now the latest judicial official ordering the Trump administration to facilitate the return of another Venezuelan man deported to El Salvador. The individual, who's been identified in court papers by the name Christian, was deported last month despite a prior court settlement barring his revolt from the US Pending his asylum claim.

The judge cited the high profile case of Kilmer Abrego Garcia in her order for the government to facilitate the return of Christian to the US which the judge says means they actually have to ask El Salvador to release him. Joining me now as MC News is legal affairs reporter Gary Grumbach. Gary, thank you so much for being here as always. So let me know about this latest individual and case of this person who was deported.

This is the case of a 20 year old who came to the US several years ago and then claimed asylum. So the asylum proceedings took several years and part of the agreement with the proceedings that he could not be deported from the US until those proceedings were completely adjudicated. That had not happened by March 15 when he was put on a plane to El Salvador. And today he's currently sitting in sicot that a notorious El Salvador in prison.

And the judge here said to keep Chihuahuasa government to facilitate bring him back to the US And a notable twist in the case of Kilmar Abedo Garcia, the judge in that case actually hit the pause button on the discovery process, but also had some pretty harsh words for the Justice Department. What did the judge have to and what are the implications? So it's going to be a week long pause on discovery. Remember, there was depositions, there were questions being answered, a lot going on.

To get to the central question that she wants to know, which was the willful disobedience of her court orders to facilitate bringing Kilmer Robert Garcia back to the United States. She has not decided whether or not there's a vulnerable to be intended. She put everything on pause for a week. So the next deadline we're looking forward to is April 30, a week from yesterday, to see what will happen in that case.

And another judge has actually blocked the portion of President Trump's executive order which targets sanctuary cities. What can you tell us about that? So this was sort of block on a block. The Trump administration had said they wanted to block federal funding going to more than 15 sanctuary cities and counties.

A judge today said that cannot happen, that they deserve to have this. She said it was constitutionally unconstitutional for them to do this. The separation of powers clause, the spending clause, a number of real teeth in the weeds clauses there. But saying that the judge said, here we go again, because this is happened before during the first Trump administration.

The same thing happened when an effective board came down from the Trump administration related to the federal funding for sanctuary cities. The judge, then the same judge said, no, you can't do it. And he said against that, you can't do it. All right, we'll continue to watch all of these standoffs for the court, the Trump administration and the courts.

Gary, thank you so much. Great to see you as always. Well, President Trump is scheduled to sign more executive orders at any moment now after signing seven new orders yesterday tied to higher education. Those orders came as the president lashed out at Harvard University today after it filed a lawsuit against the administration's effort to cut more than $2 billion in federal research funding.

President Trump baselessly calling the university a, quote, threat to democracy. Joining now as NBC News and White House correspondent Gabe Butiers. Gabe, thanks so much for being here. So break down the education focused executive orders the president signed yesterday and what effect they could have.

Hi, Chris. Good afternoon. You have the president. This is all part of the administration's broader effort to remake higher education in many ways quite significant.

Now here in the West Wing yesterday, the president signed one executive order aimed at accreditation, basically changing the way that colleges and universities could be accredited as a way of potentially weeding out organizations, universities that don't align with the president's agenda. Now another executive order also was about remaking the Department of Education and having schools teach more artificial intelligence and AI, the president calling it a big deal. But Kristen, as I said, this is a huge change for the federal government, having this much trying to remake higher education based on the president's agenda. And this is something that we expect that the White House says is coming about because the president refers these institutions as being filled with radical left professors and they want to, excuse me, sign this executive order in order to make a change across higher education across the country.

Yeah. And the president is really using some sharp words to target Harvard even as the university has filed a lawsuit against this administration. Let me read part of that for you. He says Harvard is an anti semitic far left institution, as are numerous others with students being accepted from all over the world that want to rip our country apart.

And Harvard is a threat to democracy. Of course, there's just no justification of facts to back that up. But what do we know about the tactics that the president's deploying here gave him? And there's no illegal but battle.

Well, the Harvard becoming the first major institution to sue the administration over that loss in funding earlier this week. And yesterday, Harvard's president speaking with our colleague Lester Holt, saying that this is about much, it's a much bigger issue than being just about Harvard. Now, the president lashing out at Harvard, as you mentioned later today. And Kristen, $2.2 billion in funding is at stake here for Harvard.

The administration doesn't seem to be backing down, calling any lawsuit by Harvard really pushing back and saying that it is up to universities across the country to make good use of taxpayer money. So we expect this to really play out over the coming weeks and months as the administration does ramp up its attacks on institutions of higher learning across the country. Gabe Buer is covering a lot of ground for us today. Gabe, thank you so much.

Coming up next, party foul. The head of the DNC just rebuked one of his own deputies for his outspoken plan to back primary challengers against some incumbent Democrats. Stay with us. The panels next.

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The Democratic Party dealing with new infighting today as it looks to move forward and avenge losses from November's elections. While announcing a new effort to send money to state parties, DNC Chair Ken Martin rebuked the actions of one of the DNC vice chairs, David Hogg, who's launching a group to target incumbent Democrats in favor of younger candidates, which breaks the DNC's directive that it state neutral in primaries. Here's what Martin had to say. Let me be unequivocal.

No DNC officer should ever attempt to influence the outcome of a primary election, whether on behalf of an incumbent or a challenger. And let me say, I have great respect for David Hart. I think he's an amazing young leader who's done so much already to help move our movement forward. And while you know, certainly you know, I understand what he's trying to do, as I said to him, if you want to challenge in comments, you're more than free to do that, but just not as an officer of the dnc because our job is to be neutral arbiters.

Join me now instead of Susan Page, Washington bureau chief for USA today, Andrew Bates, former deputy White House press secretary in the Biden administration and Lonnie Chen fellow at the Hoover Institution Director of Domestic Policy Studies at Stanford University's Public Policy Program and an NBC News contributor. Thanks to all of you for here. Susan, let me start with you. Let's delve into this infighting.

David Hogg, Ken Martin. Ken Martin saying, look, you are welcome to go about challenging incumbents. You just can't do it. As one of the party chairs, what do you make of what we're seeing here?

That's not an unreasonable position for the DNC chair to take. But what I think what's more significant is what the signals about the Democratic Party, which has still not settled on a coherent, consistent, consistent message, way to respond to President Trump and way to deal with the fact that they have no base of power left in Washington these days. Andrew, what do you make of this? It comes on the heels of the announcement that the Durban's not going to seek reelection.

I mean, is this a sign that younger Democrats, the next generation of Democrats, are ready to really push for generational change? I agree with Susan that it is reasonable for the DNC to make sure that they are being the referee and not a pleasure player in primaries. And I do respect what David Hogg has done, turning the horrible experience that he and his classmates went through into a rallying point to try and achieve gun reform. I think that whenever a party goes through a loss, you then go through a period where you do some soul searching.

And I think the most important thing you can do is listen to voters about what matters most to them. And I think that Martin and other leaders in the party have done a good job of bringing people together around what people care about most, which is that Trump is raising the prices that he promised people he would lower, which as your polling results show, people are reacting to. Yeah. Let's look at those polling results that you mentioned, Andrew.

Look at this. This is according to our latest NBC State Tune poll, 60% of respondents say they disapprove Lonnie of President Trump's handling of the economy and to be more specific, inflation and the cost of living. Those were major factors in why President Trump was elected. He' everyone just hold on.

Give my tariff policies a chance to work. But he also promised to lower prices on day one. How much time do you think people are going to give him? Well, I think American people are patient for the deadline as going into the elections.

Right. And ultimately the question is going to be whether the Republicans who are running in marginal seats are going to be want to be running with the Trump economy or in some ways against the Trump economy, depending on how we do right. I think the American people will be patient. I think it's very difficult to assess at this point exactly how they feel about tariffs because we haven't really seen the intermediation through prices.

That's the question when prices sort of come back, if they come back a lot higher for more than just cars, let's say it's things like stuff we buy every day. That may be a political problem for Republicans, but as of now, I think the president can continue to make the argument that people need to be because we really haven't seen the impact as yet. Well, you have a lot more faith in the American. There's no way they got until the midterm election much shorter.

You know, we see in the pupil that came out this week 60% of Americans oppose his terrorist policy. 30% of Republicans think it's a bad idea. He has a big problem with the turmoil we see in the market and the prospect that prices will start to go up very soon when these tariffs are looking to buy. Well, let's look at another poll we discussed at the top of the program.

He does get high marks on his handling of border. That's another one of his top issues. Andrew, you see it plus 15%. And then again they're on the economy, negative 18.

On the economy broadly negative 25. On tariffs negative 26. And yet as Susan points out in the top of her remarks, Democrats haven't really figured out what their streamlined message should be. Is there a timeline by which Democrats really need to start sitting from the same songbook?

I think the most important thing that we can do is hold him accountable for taking the strongest, best performing economy in the world and then pumping it full of cyanide. By every measure measure, the economy that he inherited is worse now. And people know that that is his biggest weakness. It's why he's desperate to talk about anything else.

And so I think the Democrats have to make sure we are again listening to people. They're being clear that their top priority is those costs that are going up. And he's been clear that he wants to use the revenue from his tariff taxes, which is the biggest tax hike on the middle class in modern history so he can cut taxes for billionaires. Lonnie, I want to give you a chance to respond to.

I also want to put up another poll that we have. This is a Pew poll and it kind of breaks down his approval rating by demographics. You see him underwater with voters broadly with men by 11 points, which is a surprise because his men helped to fuel his election. And then it goes on from there, -68 with black Americans and so on and so forth.

What do you make of these numbers against the backdrop of the argument that the Andrews making? If the numbers are there and they're sustained, that is a massive change from what we saw in the number of elections, because they're constituencies there and issues on which the President did very, very well. And these results reflect something different. Look, I think the American economy continues to be the most resilient in the world.

We have low unemployment. We have pretty strong growth. Core inflation is actually quite low. If you look at industrialized countries around the world, this economy is performing well.

I think the question is going to be, how's the economy going to look six months from now and to the point? I mean, I just think that the assessment of the American people is ultimately going to come at the ballot box. That's why I think the midterm elections are a key factor here. What is being done in the lead up to that, how people fill up the economy, how they fill up prices, Those are really benchmarks they watch.

So, yeah, I mean, you take my next question, because what happens between now and midterms? Trump's hitting the road to market his first 100 days. Not an unusual strategy, but we haven't really seen him out in the country in this first 100 days. Susan, what do you make of that, and is this going to be important, as Lonnie says, as we inch closer to the midterms, to keep his finger on the pulse of what people are saying?

You know, one thing that's interesting in these polls is President Trump continues to have core supporters who are unshakable, who are with him, who will be with him always. But it's not enough to win an election. It's 40% or a little more or less than that. And we see some erosion, the beginning of some erosion, with those reluctant Trump voters who are now looking at what's happening and feel maybe uncomfortable with a sense of chaos, worried about what's going to happen with the price of eggs and the price of gas.

So that's what to look for. But Trump has not lost the support of those who have been with him since he came down an escalator in 23 and likely never will. That is absolutely right, Susan. Andrew, you obviously have been a part of a White House communications team.

What do you make of what we've seen from President Trump in terms of this is really going to be his first rally since he's entered the White House because I believe he had big rally when he was elected. I think that he's on defense because he has managed to discredit the core promise that he made to people. He told people that he was going to fight for everyday family's economic interests against a wealthy elite establishment. And he's done the opposite in every conceivable way.

And I think that that can deal a wound to a president's leadership very early on if people are feeling this, if they remember. And you told me day one was a direct quote, I remember when you interviewed him and he said, I won because of the crack, the price of groceries, I will bring this way down. But now those are up because of his actions. And I don't think people respond to that kind of betrayal well.

And I think they remember it. Lonnie, what do you make of him hitting the road on 100 days? And is it a chance for him to start to message as Andrew saying, he was pretty clear in his promises to voters. Is it a chance for him to start to speak more directly, perhaps to the American people, make that case?

I think he has an opportunity to here we think our accomplishments are and here are the ways in which we think, you know, the tariffs continue to be the big ongoing question, what's going to happen to prices? What are they going to the economy? He can message this is why we're doing this. And I think that there's been a little bit of a lack of clarity from the administration about what the rationale for those tariffs, first of all, isn't what the goal is.

He's his own best messenger on this and he's got the ability to make the casements down the road, which is where he's most comfortable, I think. Susan, last thought from you to that point exactly, which is, you know, we have heard a lot of different discussions about what the tariffs will do and are going to do. But how important is it that President Trump conveys that to people directly? It's a great, it's a great asset.

He has his ability to talk, to talk and listen. He talks to the press almost every day. That's a big shift from when President Biden was there. That's, that's a strength.

And Americans want to listen to the president, want to know what's going on. They want to hear his argument about how even if there's some pain now, it'll be better later. They'll see if they buy it. All right, guys, thank you so much.

Great to see all of you coming back after the Break new poll numbers on what America's youngest voters are saying about President Trump's handling the economy, inflation and much more. You're watching me, the president. Welcome back. We've got some more new numbers from our NBC News State Tube poll.

These numbers focus on Gen Z Americans and they are highly critical of President Trump's handling of inflation among Americans aged 18 to 29. Nearly 7 and 10 disapprove of Mr. Trump's handling of inflation and the cost of living. That is more than our poll found of Americans as a whole.

Joining now with a much deeper dive into the polls is my NBC News colleague, Savannah seller. Savannah, it's great to have you. Thanks for joining me. You are following all things Gen Z in this poll.

Younger Americans, as I just said, have more negative opinion of the president's handling of inflation than Americans overall. What can you tell us what stands out to you? Yeah, absolutely. Hi, Kristen.

Thanks as always for having me with you. We're so excited about this poll. I'm just starting to roll out right. This is the first time I'm able to talk about it.

It's here on your show. But exactly what you said. You nailed it. They really do have this negative view of inflation, of the cost of living.

And I heard, I was out in the field, I was all over the state of Virginia just yesterday talking with young people from both sides of the political aisle. But I heard from multiple just simply about the price of things like eggs. The price of eggs came up as it does at every generation. Right.

Christ. And also I spoke one young woman who says I'm living at home with my parents because I can't pay for rent otherwise. And my friends who aren't wish that they had a safety net like I do. But you just showed that graphic right there, 69 disapproving of the President's handling of the economy in those particular ways.

Kristen. It's so fascinating to hear those conversations, Savannah, because it really brings these numbers to life. And I know you also had some fascinating numbers from Gen Z voters on traditional gender roles that broke down along gender lines. What did you find there?

So this is pretty fascinating. So what we asked in the poll was do you believe that America would be stronger if women held traditional gender roles? And we gave the examples of homemaking or raising children at home. If you look at this graph right here now, a lot of numbers.

So there's gonna take it in for a second. But look at the difference here in gender. Kind of the split end the flip on the strongly disagree and side of this if America would be stronger if women were essentially holding those roles within the household. 58 of young women strongly disagree.

This is 18, 29 year olds. Look at the other end of the spectrum, who's more likely to agree with this? It's young men. Those purple bars on the side of your screen.

And even if you just add up the numbers of the whole hero of putting the genders together, 34 of young people did agree with this statement, which was pretty surprising to some of the young people I spoke in the field. I will say though, the conversations I had Kristen IRL in real life yesterday broke along gender lines as well, telling me I don't want to be known as a homemaker once I want to be known as me. I'm Corinne, I'm not necessarily a homemaker. Whereas a young woman, a young man exchange a book named Jaylen.

He said he does believe that women holding as role strengthens the family and therefore makes our children stronger later on. And actually all three of them said just generally Corinthians thought this was interesting. They are seeing that shift to a more conservative way of believing in things and policies among young men. Certainly in the conversation that I had yesterday that was true.

So fascinating to hear that, particularly one of the ongoing timeless debates and really fascinating. I know you've been looking at another aspect of this poll which talk about debate. This has been a big debate across the country right now and it relates to due process. Walk us through those numbers.

Yeah. So Kristen, this one was really starved just in I mean Gen Z far and away like believes this the most strongly that people who are here on let's say a student visa or a green card or a work visa, that they should have the same due process protections, the same legal rights as U.S. citizens. But you're doing right now very important.

Something important you add this to.92% of Gen Z says that this is important to them. That was far and away much higher than every other generation. And when I spoke again yesterday in the field, both sides of the political aisle to agree with this. Now where I will say there was a little bit of a break, especially when it comes down to ideology on both sides of the aisle here was exactly like what are the grounds, for example for revoking a student visa?

I asked that question. Some people said, well, literally one said to me murder or assault, but not speaking your mind. That was her line. Whereas I heard from another who said yes, I absolutely do believe that they should have the same rights as Americans.

But I do think that the line of protests and the line of speech used on campuses is something that should be considered and that it's a privilege to be in America and not a right Christian. Well, this is something that's going to continue to be in the spotlight. There's no doubt about that. It is fascinating.

And again, your conversation is really some of the most interesting findings in addition to those poll numbers. Thank you so much. Thank you. Christian, good to you.

Good to see you. And Savannah will have much more of our NBC News Stay tuned. Poll tonight on NBC Nightly News. Still come on.

Live report from inside Tehran, where Iranians are expressing cautious optimism ahead of another round of nuclear talks with the U.S. president Trump. Wayne, as well. Don't go anywhere.

You're watching me, the PRESS now. Welcome back. Negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran's nuclear program are set to enter a new phase this weekend, with technical experts also expected to meet in addition to the ongoing diplomatic discussions. But in a sign of a possible roadblock ahead of Saturday's talks in Oman, Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined a new demand that Iran must give up all nuclear enrichment, something Tehran has long refused.

Meanwhile, Iran's foreign ministry is expressing cautious optimism about the talks. But after the US Imposed new energy sanctions on Iran this week, warned the US against making unrealistic or unreasonable demands and accused Washington of a, quote, lack of goodwill and seriousness. President Trump was asked about the nuclear negotiations in the Oval Office just today. Here's what he had to say.

I think we're doing very well on an agreement with Iran, but that one, we're doing a lot of things, I will say, but that one is well on its way. We could have a very, very good decision and a lot of lives will be saved. NBC News chief foreign horsehair Richard Engle joins us now from Tehran. Richard, we've been tracking your reporting from Iran.

It's really been remarkable. What is the mood right now on the ground given these talks that are underway? So on a popular level, there's a lot of hope, there's optimism. People are looking forward to change.

They are seeing for the first time in many years the potential that there could be sanctions relief here. They hope that if there is some sort of agreement between the United States and Iran, that it could prevent a military action by Israel or the United States or the two of them together. So there's curiosity, there's excitement, there's hope. When I just walk down the street, people have been coming up to me, stopping me, asking me, is there hope?

Is this a good sign? What are you doing here? Are tourists coming back? The local currency has started to rise.

It's starting to gain a little bit compared to where it was before. Also a sign of optimism. But the government, government is concerned and government officials here are expressing concern because they're hearing what sounds like mixed messages. They're not exactly sure what it is that the administration expects, particularly when it comes to enrichment, when it comes to the nuclear program.

You just played a few seconds ago, President Trump expressing a lot of optimism, saying that could be a very big deal. It could be. It could save a lot of lives. But then a short while ago, Secretary of State Marco Rubio made another comment.

Saudi is seeming to pour water on the talks. We have that clip lined up. This. We're a long ways away from any sort of agreement with Iran.

We recognize it's difficult and hard. Oftentimes, unfortunately, peace is. But we're committed to achieving a peaceful option that's acceptable to everyone. It may not be possible.

We don't know. I don't even know if Iran knows how to make a deal. So that sort of seems to be a disconnect, at least heard from here. When Secretary Rubio says doesn't know if Iran is capable of making a deal, it seems like it's far away.

And President Trump saying that it could be close and it could be consequential. It's important to note that Secretary Rubio is involved in these talks. He's not leading them. It is Steve Wyckoff, President Trump's sort of envoy at large, oral conflicts, who is taking the.

Taking the lead on these negotiations. They are resuming. They seem to be happening quite quickly each week for the last three weeks, there have been meetings. This next round is taking place in Oman.

And the mood on the streets here is beyond hopeful. People are already starting to imagine different kind of future. It's just so extraordinary to hear that from your reporting there live on the ground. Richard Engle.

Unfortunately, we are out of time. Thank you so much. We really appreciate your reporting from Tehran. Thank you for watching.

We'll be back tomorrow with more of the press now, but the news continues with Yasmin Vesuvian. And for Hallie Jackson right now, I'm Craig. Mel. Cheers.

Cheers. Cheers. I've always been a glass apple kind of guy, and now I'm talking to some people who look at the world that way, too. It's really fascinating folks who share their defining moments, their triumphs, their challenges.

Their stories are fun and candid. So I hope you'll join me. Each week who knows, you might just come away with your own glass Apple search class. Apple with Craig Hilton From Today on YouTube at the podcast.