Meet the Press NOW – September 15

If it's Friday, President Biden urges an end to a historic autoworker strike as nearly 150,000 union members prepare to hit the picket line in the UAW's first ever simultaneous strike on all of Detroit's big three car makers. Plus, a Meet the Press exclusive with former President Trump will take you inside. Kristen Walker's one on one with the Republican presidential frontrunner for her first show as the new moderator will Meet the Press this Sunday. With no topics off limits from his actions on January 6, his 91 criminal counts and his current deal, and the piling up of political problems facing the White House, that is voters questioning whether President Biden has what it takes amid the partisan warfare of a looming impeachment inquiry and new legal issues facing his son Hunter Biden.

Welcome to MEDIA press. Now I'm Gabe Gutierrez here in Washington where we begin with a growing number of challenges facing both the Biden White House and his re election campaign, starting with a historic strike in a key sector of the US Economy. As the clock struck midnight, thousands of auto workers officially walked out at three car manufacturing plants in Missouri, Michigan and Ohio after the UAW and the big three automakers failed to reach an agreement on a new contract. It's the first time in the union's history and its members have gone on strike against Ford, GM and Chrysler making Stellantis at the same time.

As for how long they're willing to strike, here's what UAW President Shawn Fain told me his moments after the union officially walked out. As long as we have to one day more than these companies want to hold out, it don't matter to us. We're gonna be out here until we get our share of economic justice and it doesn't matter how long it takes. That's up to the companies.

They need to come to the table and about taking care of their members that they call family. Meanwhile, President Biden, who calls himself the most pro union president in American history, now finds himself walking a fine line between supporting the labor movement while also trying to limit the impacts of the strike on the economy. As he stakes much of his re election campaign on his economic record, here's what he had to say earlier today. Let's be clear.

No one wants a strike. Say it again. No one wants a strike. But I respect workers right to use their options under the collective bargaining system and understand the workers frustration.

Record corporate profits which they have should be shared by record contracts for uaw. And just as we're building an economy of the future, we need labor agreements for the future. It's my hope that the parties can be turned to the negotiation table to forge a win win agreement. In addition to the economic impacts, the strike could have broader implications for the president as he seeks a second term in the White House.

For one, the UAW has yet to back Biden's 2024 reelection bid and the walkouts will largely be centered on states like Michigan and Wisconsin, both of which were critical to Biden's victory in 2020. The strike also comes at a less than ideal moment for the White House politically. A new Fox News poll shows Biden lagging slightly behind the Republican frontrunner, former President Trump, in a head to head matchup with 61% of registered voters saying Biden does not have the mental soundness to serve. The president is also facing the fallout of a criminal indictment of his son and an impeachment inquiry by House Republicans that seeks to tie him to his son's business dealings.

So joining me now from the picket line Outside Detroit is NBC's Jesse Kirch. Also with me, NBC White House correspondent Mike Memoli. The UAW is officially striking against the three automakers. So why did the negotiations break down?

Yeah, so Gabe, if you ask either side, the other side was not negotiating on the same level. The UAW is accusing the big three automakers, Ford, GM and Jeep owners, Stellantis, of dragging their feet until the final days. We've heard from both the GM and Ford CEOs in the last 24 hours or so and they've told us that it wasn't until last night when they received the first substantive counteroffer from uaw. So the finger pointing is ongoing.

We know that negotiations in theory will continue, but for the moment they are suspended from the UAW side. The union had announced a couple days ago that on the 15th they would not be negotiating because leadership would be striking with the workers. I talked about this with CEO of GM Mary Barr earlier today. Here's part what she told me.

Your understanding is UAW is not even going to negotiate with you today? Yes, my understanding is no negotiation today. I'll tell you our team is at the table ready to continue. And get this, do the problems on what we need to do to get people back to work.

For every one of them, every GM job, there's six other jobs that are associated with and that's why the ripple effect can happen so fast. It's not going to be good for the economy. It's not going to be good for anyone bar there. Gabe is underscoring One of the other concerns that's out there around all this is a ripple effect well beyond just those who are striking.

Of course there'll be other auto workers impacted if layoffs happen downline. That's something that the Ford CEO yesterday was warning is a potential based off of who's striking. But then there are other pieces of the economy as well that are of concern too. So Jesse, the Union's asking for 40% pay increases in some cases.

So how far apart are the union demands from where the companies are at right now? Yeah, so yesterday or overnight, just after midnight, Sean Fain told me that they have made counteroffers. It won't get into specifics. I was asked them if they put out any olive branches because we have seen concessions specifically on pay from the Big three automakers.

He won't get into specifics. I asked earlier today, the CEO of GM about what the pay offer that is being made by UAW is right now, and she won't get into that specific with me either. But publicly, based on what's been asked, demanded by uaw, there's about a halfway point still to go. The numbers from the big three, all negatives, are around 20% somewhere in that range.

And the UAW is asking for 40% and it's 46% when compounded over four years. So there appears to be, at least publicly, a wide rain. But of course we don't know exactly what is going on behind the scenes. And like the President's remarks in this respect, they were fairly measured.

Right. For someone who has, you know, followed the President, how exactly you know, what is going on inside the White House right now? This must be so difficult for this pro union president. Give me a sense for the fine line that he's trying to walk here.

Yeah, this is such an interesting political moment for the President. I've spent a lot of time over a long period of time with President and Vice President Biden over the years. And he of course styles himself, as you say, as the most pro labor president in history. When he was vice president, he took the lead in championing the auto industry bailout.

He was essentially the co mayor of Detroit for a period of years as he was helping to rebuild the city, frankly, and keep it financially solvent in the wake of the Great Recession. But his heart of course is with union workers. That's some of his favorite political audiences. And you see him at every turn here publicly making sure to stand for workers and their right to collectively bargain.

But he's also cognizant of the fact that one of the major issues in this negotiation is the shift to electric vehicles and the fact that auto workers are concerned that it's going to overtime deplete their workforce. You also have a president who intends to and feels he has a strong case to run on the economy. But a long disruption here could potentially put that in jeopardy. So I think you're going to continue to see the president do as he did today, stand with workers, try to reiterate that he believes they have a right to seek better wages, that this is something that is good for the economy as a whole.

But privately make sure that workers are acting in their own best interests here and that the leadership of the big three are also coming to the table with a fair mind in place here to make sure that it's a good deal for both sides. And Mike, it also can't be ignored that we're heading into an election year where Michigan is a key swing state. So the UAW has yet to endorse anyone. Is the president counting on that endorsement?

Well, we saw so quickly after the president announced his re election bid just a few months ago how many major labor unions came forward to endorse him quickly, unprecedently, quick. UAW a key outlier in that. But what the White House and what the Biden campaign has been very quick to point to, especially today is the fact that Sean Fain, who we're hearing quite a bit from, has been emphatic in the idea that the former President Donald Trump is not somebody who could win the support of auto workers based on his past comments about especially shifting some of those jobs into more labor unfriendly states in the south especially. But a non endorsement could be just as punishing to President Biden's re election bid as an endorsement of his opponent.

And so you do get a sense here that Biden is want to make sure that they don't do anything publicly that would be seen as potentially undercutting workers here as they try to get a good deal for all sides here. So is White House worry leaning too far in either direction could now derail the campaign in the state? Well, it's interesting to talk to White House advisors in terms of what they're working on behind the scenes and because most of those conversations are are very close to the best. You did hear the president today dispatch those aides who have been primarily managing this issue over the course of the last few months.

There's of course top economic advisor Gene Sperling and the acting labor secretary Julie sue, going in person to Michigan to try to work with both sides directly. What I think has been a sideline role for some of these officials and the White House and general is going to be getting closer and closer to a hands on role as they try to avoid a prolonged dispute here. And back to Jesse in Michigan. What's been the unique reaction to the president's involvement?

Do they welcome his help? Yes, I spoke with a woman who was on the picket line earlier and she told me, Gabe, that she is in President Joe Biden's corner. And I also talked to her about the president's comments in support of the UAW when he spoke earlier today. But we also got a statement a short time ago from the UW President Shawn Fain, which I think is kind of surprising in the context of the president's relationship and everything you were just talking about.

I want to read part of the for you right now, if you take a look at this. This statement came out a short time ago from Sean Fain. I believe we had a graphic. There we go.

The statement says in part, working people are not afraid. You know who's afraid? The corporate media is afraid. The White House is afraid.

The companies are afraid. Today we're rallying with our members. Tomorrow we expect to be at the bargaining table. So he's calling out the president there.

And I asked Sean Fain overnight about his conversation with the President. He said he didn't want to get into politics. But then we see the statement today and in just a little bit he'll be rallying with Bernie Sanders, Jesse Kirch in Michigan and Mike Benley at the White House. Thank you so much for joining us.

Joining me now is Michigan Democratic Senator Gary Peters. And Senator, you were on the ground this morning in Michigan. What did you hear from the autoworkers on strike? Well, that's right.

I spent the morning on the picket lines with the auto workers and I'll tell you, they were actually quite enthusiastic. Their spirits were very high. They believe that they need to get a good contract, that they haven't been getting fair wages, particularly after the significant sacrifices that the UAW members have made in the past to keep these companies alive. You know, back in 2008 and nine during the auto rescue, it was UAW workers that really stepped up, made significant sacrifices, went to a 2 wage system, lower wages, understood that they were part of the solution to get through tough times.

And yet now these companies are doing extremely well. In fact, already this year, across the board, over $20 billion in profits. You look at the chief Executives and the all of the executives in the company are making great money and large pay increases. And that has not been happening for the workers.

And so clearly the workers will believe, and I support them and I'm standing with them on the picket line that they certainly deserve fair wages and good benefits and they should be able to participate in the good times just like they were willing to sacrifice when the times were rough. They certainly helped make GM and Stellantis survivors during a very difficult time. Now they believe they should bear in the rewards. And Senator, you mentioned 2008, 2009.

I was actually a reporter, a local reporter in Flint, Michigan at the time. I covered GM's bankruptcy and I was there for what was a very difficult period in the industry, as you just mentioned. Put it in perspective for our viewers. How far have we come from that?

Those dark days of the Great Recession, 2008, 2009, and where the auto industry is now compared to what was 15 years ago? Well, I think that's a great point. And as you were there, you know, it was a very, very difficult time. I still remember the meeting with then the CEO of Chrysler at the time and saying that if he didn't get some support from the federal government and with help from the unions, that they would be filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

I mean, they would be liquidating is what they would have to do. And so it was a scary time for workers, for everybody. And as was mentioned in your opening segment, if the auto industry gets hit, those are the only workers. There are so many other jobs associated.

Every auto worker job is usually supports around six jobs throughout the economy. So it would have been absolutely catastrophic for Michigan had those companies gone under. They haven't, they've rebuilt, they've got great products, they're selling very profitable vehicles. As I mentioned, they have record profits right now.

The key executives have seen large increases in their, in their payoffs and in their pay. And it's time for workers to be able to share in that. At the same time, Senator, a lot of Americans across the country might look at some of the demands right now, the 40% pay increase over the next couple years. And I understand that that is due to what the union says is these huge payouts, these huge salary increases for CEOs.

But is there a danger here in terms of the public perception? Is there a danger that the union could be overreaching here and that many Americans might see these demands as just too high? Well, you know, right now certainly these are what is out as demands, you know, as it goes through the negotiation process. It's not likely to end up exactly where you start as you go through that process.

But you also have to look at these numbers in terms of the inflation, the inflation rates that we have seen here recently, and the fact that this is a new contract picking up from a contract that was signed before we saw these high inflation rates. But bottom line, I think this, this, this strike is about more than just the UAW and the auto workers. It is about workers across the country who understand that the middle class has been shrinking. It is a struggle for folks, and yet you see very large profits, you see stock buybacks, you see a awful lot of money in the economy, but not coming to everyday people.

And I think it's a major reason why, if you look at public opinion polls right now of the broad public and you ask them, how favorable do they view unions? Actually, it's, it's the, it is equal to the highest amount back in. We haven't seen these high favorability numbers for unions since 1963, which was a very golden time for unions. And if you think about it, in 1963, the average CEO made about 30 times more than the average worker.

Today, it's about 500 times more than the average worker. And folks are saying this is not working right, Especially young people. If you look at younger folks, that's why you're seeing drives in Starbucks and other areas where people are looking to unionize, because people realize that they need to collectively come together in solidarity and stand up. And Senator, you alluded to some more answers, but we make of those warnings the effects that the strike could have on Michigan or the nation's economy.

Jim C. Omari Barr, of course, who. She has a vested interest in this. She's warning that inventory could become tightened.

And Moody says that the strike could, quote, undermine Michigan's position in the economy. So with those states so high, do you think that President Biden should take a more active role in these negotiations? Well, there's no question we don't want to have a long strike. You never want a strike.

So this is not something that anybody wishes on anybody. And the workers who are on strike, and I was out there today, they were filling out their paperwork to get their strike pay of $500 a week. This is going to be a sacrifice for those numbers. So no one wants to see the strike go long.

It does have an impact, and I think that puts pressure on both sides to come together and find an agreement that they can live with. But I think you also have to look at the long term benefits of this strike and hopefully we'll have a successful conclusion of it very quickly. But if you put more money into the pockets of workers, if you put more money into middle class Americans, they spend that money, it is actually incredible stimulus for the economy. I don't believe you can have a strong economy if you don't have a strong and vibrant middle class.

And that's what this battle is about, is to make sure middle class families have the resources to live a life. Fair wages and good benefits and can strengthen the overall economy. That's really what's at stake here. Senator Peters, thanks so much for joining me to press.

Now we appreciate your time, sir. Let me bring you on another Michigan lawmaker, Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Dingell. And Congressman, what you make of the president's remarks today. We reportedly spoke about union industry leaders yesterday.

So are you satisfied with the president's public response given how often he touts his labor credentials? So look, I've been probably more engaged than most people talking to everybody on both sides. I spent a lot of time in union halls. I am not somebody that believes that this president should intervene in this strike or where we are.

This is something that's got to be resolved between the companies and the workers. I think it's very important that the president show the workers he's standing with them strong. They're looking for that signal. I know the White House feels that they're in a difficult place.

I have been working with James Burling all summer. I probably right now talk to them ten times a day. They are closely monitoring what is going on. They are listening.

I think we need to think in the public policy arena what it is that we can do to support this transition. You know, this is not a talking point moment. This is where the rubber is hitting the road about the future of this auto industry. I'm not old, but I'm seasoned.

I've watched a lot of contract negotiations and this without fail is the most important one I will probably witness in my life, certainly around the auto industry a very long time. But I understand you and I appreciate what you say that this needs to be negotiated between the workers and the car makers. But given that President Biden, this is one of his main issues, is there a danger for him appearing two hands off here? Well, I think he does need to show people that he is engaged.

It's monitoring what kind of policies can he help help you? I've said for a while, I said to everybody, we got a problem with labor in that I'M in the union halls. I'm in a union hall. During the pandemic, I wasn't able to, but every weekend I am in a union hall.

I'm gonna tell you. In 215 to 16, I warned Democrat Donald Trump from Michigan and everybody thought it was crazy. Now, I know that. I've talked to the president.

I mean, anybody who knows me knows, I talk to everybody to make sure that they understand what the issues are. And you know, part of the issues in this contract are very clear. Cola. My colleague Senator Pierce talks about it.

People don't understand that the union workers they bought cola in 2008 and 2009 have not had cost of living adjustments since those times. And now their real wages are almost 10 behind where they were in 2008 and 2009. We have to address the T. But not even in these contract negotiations.

And probably what is the most important issue, but you can't talk about it because of labor law, is that transition to the battery. From the internal combustion engine to the battery, who's going to be how who's going to make those batteries? How are they going to be paid? Where are they going to be built?

And we do have a role to play in that. I consistently constantly tell my colleagues that as with OEVs, we've got to address the foundation that's got to be there in place. And it's not either or, it's both. But the worker has to be have a just transition.

We have to watch out for the worker in this position. Certainly, Congressman, a critical inflection point in the history of the auto industry. But let's talk more about the President's campaign. We showed a poll earlier that more than 60% of Americans do not believe that President Biden is mentally sound enough to serve as president.

That number includes a quarter of democrats and nearly 70% of independence. So what do you make of those numbers? So first of all, I'm going to tell you that I'm Everybody knows this MSNBC and chuck out new well, I don't believe in polls because you all keep giving me all these polls and told me I was crazy when I said Donald Trump is going to win Michigan and I was right and you were wrong and I'm in those halls and I know what people are saying and it's a year out from this race. So this is just another poll that's an inflection of time that you all are going to use to make a lot of noise about.

I'm going to listen to what the voters are really thinking of what the choice is going to be and who's going to be between. Now President Biden's got to show people how engaged he is, what he's paying attention to, making sure he's fighting for those issues that working men and women across this country care about. He's going to do it during this auto strike. He's going to do it for the next year.

And ask me next October what I think of who's going to win because I get out of here. I talk to real people. Polls don't talk to real people. Congresswoman Dingle, we cover a lot of things on this program.

We cover polls, we cover voices of voters, we cover politicians. We greatly appreciate your time here. They're speaking about a very important issue. Thank you, Congresswoman.

And up next, Kristen Welper, the new moderator. Beat the Press is here after her exclusive and wide ranging interview with the 2024 Republican front runner Donald Trump, where he told her about potentially pardoning himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin. New troubling poll numbers for an incumbent president seeking re election. As the crisis and concerns pile up, can the Biden campaign navigate the Rocky Road to 2024?

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Ahead of our first episode as the new moderator of Meet the Press, Kristen Welker sat down with former President Trump in a one on one exclusive interview inside his New Jersey golf club. The year becomes as Mr. Trump faces a historic moment, expanding his already dominant leader over the GOP field with his sights firmly set on retaking the White House while facing enormous legal peril across four looming criminal trials. No topic was off limits from the prospect of jail time to big policy issues like a stance on abortion and his view of Russian leader.

Vladimir Putin made comment this week about Trump's so called plan to end the war in Ukraine. I want to ask you about something President Putin said about you this week. I don't know if you've seen it. This was very recent.

President Putin said, quote, we surely hear that Mr. Trump says he will resolve all burning issues within several days, including the Ukrainian crisis. We cannot help but feel happy about it. What do you think of that?

I said that because that means what I'm saying is right. I would get him into a room, I get Zelensky into a room and I'd bring him together and I'd have a deal with that. I would get a deal with that. It would have been a lot easier before it started.

Essentially, for four years I kept them from doing anything. Because you know what, I will tell you this. I've never said this. Ukraine was the apple of his eye.

I said don't ever do it. Don't ever do it. He would have never done it. But again, oil prices, he wouldn't have done it because of me.

But oil prices, the prices were so high that he had so much money. So he had all this money to prosecute the war. The one who drove up the prices was Biden. Given that President Putin has bombed maternity wards, 20,000 kids kidnapped from Ukraine by Russia mass raids, do you welcome his support, his all but endorsement?

Look, I had a very good relationship with him and yet nobody was tougher on Russia than me. I stopped Nord Stream 2. You never heard of Nord Stream 2. That was the pipeline until I got involved.

I said Nordic people that were sophisticated military people and political people never heard of Nordic. I had it ended. The pipeline was dead. Biden came in and he approved it.

There was nobody tougher than me with Russia. And yet I got along with Putin. Let me tell you, I got along with him really well. And that's a good thing, not a bad thing.

He's got 1700 nuclear missiles. And so do we. But look, that's a good thing. Getting along is okay, but I got along through strength.

And the war would have never happened. The war would have never happened. Now what's happened, it's so bad, the oil price is so high, it's hard to get it stopped. The oil price is so high, when he goes above 50 or 60 a bar, he makes a lot of money in the war.

Now it's a humanitarian thing. It's a lot of different reasons, but I will get that war side. And you can catch much more of Kristen's interview this Sunday on Meet the Press. And joining me now on set is Kristen Welker, the new moderator of Meet the Press.

Thank you so much for being here with us and congratulations on that huge interview. Gabe, thank you so much. It's great to be with you. Well, it's good to have you.

I want to talk a little bit more about that exchange regarding Vladimir Putin. Didn't the former president get any details on how he would come to this deal? He said he ended the war very quickly. What exactly did he mean?

And did he say how often he talked about Putin when he was president? He didn't, but you're absolutely right. That's the key question. How are you going to end a war in 24 hours?

A lot of people hear that and say it's just not realistic. He wouldn't give specifics. But I pressed him, Gabe, on the idea of if you were to end this war in 24 hours, it's not effectively giving Putin a win because he would therefore be able to hold on to the territory that he's legally occupied. The former president disputed that and said that would be a part of the deal.

It's hard to see how it wouldn't be. But this is an ongoing challenge. And again, not giving any new details about the specifics of that 24 hour timeline, which by a lot of accounts doesn't seem realistic to me. And of course, as you know.

Of course. And Ukrainians would, you know, according to all the experts, including the Ukrainians I've spoken, they wouldn't give up. They wouldn't agree to any deal that gave up any of their territory. So he didn't get into specifics.

And that's not the born president often does. Right. He also spoken about these negotiations with the UAW and Big three. He talked about a grand deal, but we never get into specific.

That's so interesting. He said he would make a deal between UAW and the big auto manufacturers of Course, the entire country watching this massive stand up. Look, he is a businessman. He wrote the Art of the Deal.

So we know that this is a part of who he is as a politician as well. But you're absolutely right to point out that the devil's in the details. How does it actually get done? It was notable when he weighed in on the UAW standoff, obviously going on against the backdrop of amazing major and critical battleground state Michigan, which former President Trump won in 2016 but then lost to President Biden in 2020.

By the way, the Biden campaign blasting former President Trump for what he said about uaw, effectively saying that he's the one who sent manufacturing jobs overseas, that manufacturing has increased in recent. And Kristen, in this interview, you also got him to weigh in on some of his legal obstacles on the record for the first time. And he told you that he was given the option to pardon himself right at the end of his administration. Let's take a listen.

Mr. President, if you were reelected, would you pardon yourself? I could have pardoned myself. You know what?

I was given an option to pardon myself. I could have pardoned myself. When I left, people said, would you like to pardon yourself? I had a couple of attorneys that said, you can do it if you want.

I had some people that said it would look bad if you do, because I think it would look terrible. I said, here's the story. These people are thugs, horrible people, fascists, Marxists, sick people. They've been after me from the day came down the escalator with Melania and I did a great job as president.

People recognize great economy, great jobs, great this, great that rebuilt the military space, was everything. I could go on forever. Let me just tell you. I said the last thing I'd ever do is give myself a pardon.

I could have given myself a pardon. Don't ask me about what I would do. I could have. The last day I could have had a pardon done that would have saved me all of these lawyers and all of these fake charges.

These Biden indictments, they're all Biden indictments. They indicted. They want to arrest their political opponents. Only third world countries do that.

Banana republic. So ready. I never said this to anybody. I was given the option.

I could have done a pardon of myself. You know what I said? I have no interest in even thinking about it. I never even wanted to think about it.

And I could have done it. And all of these questions you were asking me about the fake charges, you wouldn't be asking me because it's a very powerful. It's a very powerful thing for a president. I was told by some people that these are sick lunatics that I'm dealing with.

Give yourself a part. Your life will be a lot easier. I said I would never give myself apart. Even if you were reelected in this moment?

Well, I think it's very unlikely. What did I do wrong? I didn't do anything wrong. You mean because I challenged an election, they want to put me in jail?

So interesting. You know, the television performer kind of teasing. I've never said this before. So Chris now asks you, look, you covered the Trump administration force.

You were the moderator of that critical debate in 2020. You've dealt with the former president so many times. What struck you about this interview in particular? What was his demeanor like?

That he seemed in different ways his answers to his question. Look, I think he was incredibly defiant in this interview, particularly as you heard him say. I did ask him repeatedly about the legal challenges that he is facing. I asked him if he fears going to jail and he said he doesn't.

He said, I'm wired differently. That was a fascinating and revealing moment. But it is clear that this is obviously something that looms large over his campaign. He has a very significant lead in the GOP primary.

But when you look at the general election, that shop, it gets much closer. He knows that's where these legal challenges, I think, come under closer scrutiny. Kristen Welker, the new moderator of Meet THE press. So good to have you here in person.

And we'll be watching on Sunday to see more of that interview. Appreciate it. Thanks. Next year, catch more of Kristen's exclusive interview with one more present job this Sunday only on the Press hour, how an 80 year old president is working to rally support for his re election among the nation's youngest voters.

You're watching MEET THE PRESS now. And welcome back. As we've noted, the headaches facing the president are piling up. Economic uncertainty and auto workers strike alluding impeachment inquiry.

Legal issues facing his son Hunter Biden, questions about his age, all as the Biden reelection campaign braces for a brutal campaign season no matter who they face in 2024. New numbers from FOX News have President Biden running neck and neck with all his potential Republican rivals. As we showed you earlier in a national poll, President Biden trails the Republican front runner Donald Trump by two points. That's within the margin of error, but it is a notable decline from Fox's August poll when Mr.

Biden led Trump by 3 points. The other potential Republican nominees are also within the margin of error with the president, with Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy and Mike pence narrowly leading Mr. Biden. The strongest hypothetical matchup for the president, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, what it means for the White House and the Republican primary.

The panel is next. And welcome back. The summer break officially over for most people and Congress back in session. Both parties are confronting serious issues heading into the fall.

For Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who just initiated an impeachment inquiry for President Biden, has until the end of this month to rally his caucus to a spending agreement and avoid a government shutdown, all while navigating threats from that caucus to oust him from the speakership. Democrats, meanwhile, must contend with continued polling that show the president tied with former President Trump and most other GOP candidates while also facing a growing number of setbacks and distractions in Washington. Joining me now is the panel on set, Heidi Heitkamp, former Democratic senator from North Dakota and a CNBC contributor Sarah Chamberlain, president and CEO of the Republican Main Street Partnership and Tia Mitchell, Washington correspondent for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Thank you all for joining me.

And Tia, I want to start with you. We're still a long way out from the 2024 election. Was it like 416 days down to the day? Way better than me?

Yeah. We wouldn't know it from some of the discussion we're already having, but, you know, the polls that we're hearing about, the new polls regarding President Biden, does this square with what, you know, what you've been hearing? And is this where President Biden expected to be at this point against former President Trump? I think President Biden would like to have higher approval numbers, higher polling numbers.

But I think his, his campaign would say there's a lot of time right now. Trump and the other Republicans are fighting for that nomination. It's not even general election season yet. I think Biden's campaign would also say national polls are not what is the true barometer of how to win a presidential election, but it is troubling the White House.

The Biden campaign has tried a lot of things to tout his agenda, tout what he's accomplished in his first two years of office. And it's not resonating to the point that it's turning things around. Sarah, I want to turn to you. You know, a lot of Republicans have been making the electability argument against Trump.

You know, there's a lot, there's been a lot of talk that, oh, you know, another Republican would be better suited to take on President Biden. But looking at that poll, doesn't this poll take the win out of that argument? And that's what's in the margin of error. But 48, 46.

It looks, according to this poll that former President Trump is in decent shape, very good shape against Biden. He certainly is in decent shape. And Republican partnership did a poll that matches this poll. So he is certainly right there.

People like President Trump. I mean, I don't think there's any question about that. I know Governor Sununu has been very public about wishing that maybe Trump would not be the nominee, but at this point looks like he will be. It doesn't even matter what is going on with the law enlightenments.

I went there hiding out to win a campaign union motivated voters, as you know. Now the poll also shows that 50% of all voters are dreading a Trump Biden rematch, including 60% of Democrats and independents. So the voters say they don't want a rematch, but looks like they're gonna get right. Well, who knows what's gonna happen between now and election Day.

But you know, one of the things that the Republicans need to be very concerned about is that once the choice is just between Biden and Trump, that Trump there will be people who will, you know, not necessarily favorable to the president, but who do not want Trump to be president again. And so I think that the best bet that you have right now is that Trump being the opponent for Biden gives Biden a headwind or it gives Trump a headwind that Biden doesn't have. But you know, the one thing that I will say, and I think the administration has a little bit of an ostrich symptom here. Head the sand, pay no attention.

We've got a great story to tell. We gotta start telling the story because first impressions of politics matter. I don't know that anyone's panicked, but people want to see a campaign if it continues along this route, in panting maybe a strong word, but I will point to Democrats really concerned about this. I saw Debbie Dingle tell you that it's all good.

Don't trust polls, but politicians trust polls. And the bottom line is you've got to respond. And if you let that narrative continue, too old, not up to the job, you know, not mentally able, that will embed itself and be so much harder to move than it is right now. And so my advice would be get out there, prove your point, run a campaign and do not play, you know, the Rose Garden strategy.

I want to turn to something that has been coming up A lot in the campaign that the Biden administration, White House really does not want to touch. But it has been coming up the issue of age. What do you think, what role do you think that issue is going to play in the months to come? Well, that's a big reason why Biden is lagging in the polls.

And I think the White House will say they do talk about it. He makes self deprecating jokes, he acknowledges his age, but it's an issue, I think that Trump being not that much younger inoculates it a little bit. But the fact that President Biden, it's not just age. It's the fact that he visibly moves more slower, he talks and sometimes loses his train of thought more in ways that are public because he's the president, he's on the public stage.

So it's something that they know they have to deal with. It's, it's who he is. It's what Democrats have right now. And to that point, I was at Hampton University yesterday at a very energetic event with the vice president.

But she didn't really mention President Biden directly by name. This was meant to, you know, energize young voters. But I spoke with several of the students there. Let's take a listen to what somebody told me and we can talk about it.

Do you think that President Biden, do you think his age is a concern? I think it is a concern because, you know, we don't want to be like, you know, voting for him and then he may not like, you know, actually be able to serve the full term. Do you think that President Biden's age is a concern? I would say yes.

Biden or Trump? Biden. Do you think President Biden is still running? Yes, I do.

I think it's good that he has Kamala hairs because she's young and she fits in a lot of demographics. So she might be able to pry the fresh mind on a lot of topics. But President Biden himself, I feel like he should, this should be his last year in office. So they were blunter than I anticipated.

Some of them say, oh, he might not be able to make it to the end of his term. However, at the same time I asked him, Biden versus Trump, they obviously said, and that squares with a recent News poll we had that despite, you know, concerns about age, young voters ages 18 to 34, they will go for a president, President Biden by white margin, 60 to 35, I believe is the question is can those voters actually turn out, are those voters even though they support President Biden and Vice President Harris, are they going to get one thing I would tell you, and it should not be underestimated, and that is choice. Women's reproductive rights once again will be on this ballot if there is a clear differential between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. We're going to see young people voting issues like climate, voting issues like choice.

And so, you know, let's not put too high of a point on it because this is a race between two individuals. But the issues for young people are on the Democratic side. And absolutely, that is something that Vice President Harris really stressing her marks yesterday. Also today she was in North Carolina talking about climate change, gun safety, reproductive rights.

That's the theme she's saying over and over again. But you know, Sarah, I want to get your take on this, what you just heard, you know, from those young voters. What do you make of that? And can Republicans also turn out their young voters as well?

Well, we don't have as many young voters, to be honest. That's right. But I'm not sure this voters are going to turn out. I have a daughter that's about that age.

She's 17 now and she thinks Biden is still he's older than her grandfather on both sides. So that's a little scary. I'm not sure these kids are going to turn out they're going to talk about. But will they really go and vote?

The Democrats need them to vote, though. You know, it was very interesting. Another group they also talked to, they said that they look, they grew up on the Obamas and they viewed former President Obama as their dad. They had young children in the White House, but they look at President Biden as their grandfather.

Right. And as Sarah said, he's older than a lot of the young people's grandfathers. He has grandchildren that are older than those college students you spoke to. Well, thank you, Tia, so much.

Heidi and Sarah, thank you so much for joining us here on Youth Press now. And coming up, much more. And as we go break, a look at what Republican voters on the trail have been telling our NCC team of campaign embeds on the ground about President Biden's age and whether it's also an issue for Donald Trump. Stay with us.

Are you alone? I am not so much age as his mental faculties. I feel like he's being pressured and fucked up. He's getting there.

But I tell you what, he is sharp as a cat. There's nothing wrong with his mind. Not at all. And I think that Trump's probably lost with that ability to let him be.

Jagger, welcome back. Today marks the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month, a celebration of the history and contribution of Hispanic Americans. To honor those contributions, Congress approved the funding for the National Museum of the American Latino in 2020. And while the museum itself is still 110 years away from opening its doors, a proposed exhibition about the Latino youth movement sparked outrage from some on the right.

Leading the exhibition about Latino political activism to be put on pause and joining now is Jorge Samanilla, the founding director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Latino. Jorge, thank you so much for joining me in the press. Now first, tell us a little bit about the significance of this museum and what it took to get here. Well, this museum was years in the making.

It goes back over 30 years. People, small group people trying to get a Latino history presence on the national mall in Washington, D.C. to tell a story, to have a representation. And 2020, the legislation was passed and we started myself, we created a board of advisors, trustees, and now we're looking for a site to build a museum on and, you know, just to bring our beers up to speech.

The museum is still a decade away, but this exhibit, you're trying to draw adventures. But there has been some controversy over the past year, of course, as you will know. Bring us up to speed. What, what has, in your view, what has been the main sticking point, and it's been put on pause right now in the exhib is shifting direction a little bit.

Tell us about that. Well, we have a Millennium Family Gallery at the National Museum of American History. And in there we have an exhibition called Vicente, which we opened last June, which is a foundation exhibit talking about Latino history in the United States. And that exhibit has been over for a year now.

It's an incubator space. We try different themes and topics, see what resonates and see what we'll explore further for the permanent museum. Some Republican monomickers looked at it and said this isn't the history that they want to present it. They argue that in some cases it presented Latinos as victims.

Do you agree with them? We always appreciate critique and people's viewpoints. And it shows passion. Right.

People want to make sure their stories are being represented the correct way. So we'll listen to all sides and take that critique in. But it's factual history. But when we're.

We always take a deep look at what people are saying and we need to make any corrections or expand on labels, we'll do that. But you know, I'm trying to understand. I was reading an article about this exhibit. Now, is the focus shifting to salsa and music?

Is that something that's for a broader audience that you're focusing on? No. Rather than focusing on this history, just clarify. No different things you're talking about.

We have the first exhibit representative we're working, we're developing another exhibition on Latino youth movements that recently came out in an article last year, I decided to shift to a music exhibit, a broader appeal exhibit, and that's what you may be talking about. That one is an exhibition that I decided we need to do to increase our collections, builder collections, reach out to more communities across my estates, have a broader appeal as we raise money and build towards the museum. What would you say, how difficult is it in the times we're living in right now to present a version of history that is not so politically charged? Did it surprise you with how much blowback and backlash this particular museum got over the last year?

It did surprise me. You know, I'm from South Florida, from Miami, and I know the Cuban American story there and how passionate people are about making sure that story's told correctly. And I know we have a very diverse community across the United States and this Latino community we're trying to really build an identity for. So I expect some of that.

So in terms of the funding, what's next? It's funding that Neil has raised money we need to raise over $500 million and then Congress with appropriation matches that. So we have long road ahead, but we're doing very well fundraising, hopefully. It was curious this year.

And then eventually we started design competition, architecture and we'll start seeing the ground, the music around the ground. Thank you so much for joining us. We really appreciate your time. And you know, as we start a sandy charge.

Thank you so much. Thank you for joining us here. MEET THE PRESS now. And we're back Monday with more MEET THE PRESS now.

And if it's Sunday, of course it is. MEET THE Press on your local NBC news station with the debut of Kristen Welker as moderator show, of course, a much more of her exclusive interview with former President Donald Trump. NBC News now coverage continues in just a few moments with Hallie Jackson. Right now it's here.

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