Transcript: Trump Nixing Dem Storm Aid Backfires, Screwing MAGA Voters
Sargent: I sure hope so. I just want to bring this back to the Maryland situation to close this out, because there’s a little tidbit I’ve actually learned that I want to share here, which is that, according to a high-level person in Governor Wes Moore’s administration, Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s administration, his staff privately informed Trump officials that the two Maryland counties with the damages are in Appalachia, are in Trump country.
And according to the source, anyway, the Trump officials appeared surprised to hear this—as if they didn’t really know that these could be in Appalachia and in Trump country.
There you have it, right, Steve? I mean, that’s … it’s pretty extraordinary.
Benen: Right. There is just so little due diligence. There’s so little professionalism. There’s so few adults in the room. You know, I’m thinking about that recent instance in which Donald Trump cut off counterterrorism funds to New York City. And then the governor called him and he said, I did what now?
You know, this is a White House that does not know what it’s doing. There are no—you know, I wrote my first book about Republicans abandoning their role as a governing party, and here we are seeing them prove the point.
This is not a group of people who are in a position to govern effectively or even care about the matters of how to create public policy. And so, I think this example that you’re pointing out in Maryland is a fantastic one, but making matters worse is the fact that it’s become routine. This has become the background noise of our political lives—and it’s every day.
Sargent: Yeah, the fact that it’s routine is also the point. They’re trying to make that routine.
Steve Benen, you brought up your first book. I’m going to bring up your second—Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past. People should get that.
Steve, it was great to talk to you, man, as always.
Benen: As always, I look forward to seeing you again soon.
