How user-generated videos on social media brought Trump's immigration crackdown to America's screens
The videos of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids emerged just after President Donald Trump was sworn in to his second term. Chaotic and shaky, they spread across social media from all parts of the United States, depicting the new era of immigration enforcement.The following video collected and verified by NBC News represents a small fraction of the videos that have populated timelines across Tiktok, Instagram, X and beyond.
Warning: This report includes explicit and disturbing language.
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Philadelphia, Pa.January
NBC 10: ICE agents raid Philly car wash, immigration group says
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Worcester, Mass.May
NBC Boston: Video shows Worcester police hold girl's face on ground during ICE operation
Many of the videos followed a similar pattern: heavily armed authorities with little visible identification and often wearing masks detaining people, sometimes violently, and putting them into vehicles.
They spread quickly on social media and racked up thousands of views.
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Los Fresnos, TexasFebruary
NBC 23: Owners of Abby's Bakery in Los Fresnos charged with harboring illegal migrants
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New Bedford, Mass.April
NBC Boston: Woman speaks on ICE smashing car window to arrest her husband
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Los Angeles, Calif.
June
What started as a trickle has become a flood. Many — but not all — of the videos originate in Los Angeles.The video has stoked both outrage against and support for how ICE handles its mandate.
Trump and his administration have defended their enforcement efforts. ICE agents have broad powers, including, in some cases, to make arrests without warrants and limited requirements in terms of identifying themselves as law enforcement.
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Santa Ana, Calif.June
Credit: santaanaproblems
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Los Angeles, Calif.June
Credit: Isaac Torres
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San Antonio, Texas
May
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The Trump administration has stood by its enforcement efforts. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt touched on them on June 30.
Immigration has remained among Trump's strongest issues, with an NBC News Decision Desk Poll conducted from late May to early June finding 51% of Americans approving of his handling of border security and immigration.
Alice Marwick, the director of research at Data & Society, a technology-focused nonprofit, said the situation has reminded her of the videos of police brutality that changed the national conversation around law enforcement and triggered the Black Lives Matter movement.
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More recent videos have broken the wall between videographers and their subjects.In some, bystanders rush to document the situations and even offer advice on how to deal with detainment. Others have demanded that authorities identify themselves.
In at least one instance, a person recording a raid was also detained.
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Los Angeles, Calif.June
NBC Los Angeles: California union leader faces federal charge after immigration protest arrest
Credit: Martin Pineda
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Los Angeles, Calif.June
KTLA: Street food vendor clings to tree as immigration agents detain her in Ladera Heights
Credit: Aleca Le Blanc More from NBC News
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DONALD TRUMP: We've been taken advantage of for many, many years by countries both, both friends and foe. And frankly, the friends have been worse than the foes in many cases. SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER: He makes these promises left and right, he doesn't care whether he executes them or not, but the American people do. So remember, 90 deals in 90 days? Well, by my count, he's about 88 trade deals short. [END TAPE] KRISTEN WELKER: And on immigration, the Trump administration continues to ramp up its deportation enforcement, with ICE raids across Southern California, a judge ruling that immigration officers there can't solely stop and detain someone based on their race or what language they're speaking, among other factors. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sharply critical of the judge who made the decision. [BEGIN TAPE] SEC. KRISTI NOEM: He's frankly, an idiot. We have all the right in the world to go out on the streets and to uphold the law and to do we're going to do. So, none of our operations are going to change. TOM HOMAN: If ICE officers are racist for enforcing the law, what's that make members of Congress? They wrote the damn law. [END TAPE] KRISTEN WELKER: While Democratic lawmakers raise the alarm after visiting the so-called 'Alligator Alcatraz' migrant detention center in Florida. [BEGIN TAPE] REP. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ: There are really disturbing, vile conditions and this place needs to be shut the hell down. REP. MAXWELL FROST: What we saw in there is very simple. We saw humans being held in cages. [END TAPE] KRISTEN WELKER: Those are claims Florida Republicans deny. But we begin this morning with the devastation in Texas, where the death toll from those powerful flash floods has risen to 121, including 36 children, with 166 people still missing. [BEGIN TAPE] CHRISTINA WILSON: My husband started panicking, because there was no way for us to get out. 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A little narrow river that becomes a monster, and that's what happened. [END TAPE] KRISTEN WELKER: And joining me now is Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Secretary Noem, welcome back to Meet the Press. SEC. KRISTI NOEM: Thank you. Thank you so much for inviting me today. KRISTEN WELKER: Thank you for being here after a remarkably busy week. I did have an opportunity to speak with President Trump by phone. He did praise-- SEC. KRISTI NOEM: Oh, good. KRISTEN WELKER: --your response to the floods in Texas. There are obviously a lot of questions though, so I want to talk to you about some of those -- SEC. KRISTI NOEM: Absolutely. KRISTEN WELKER: -- including about a rule that you recently implemented. It reportedly requires that every FEMA contract, every grant over $100,000 be personally approved by you. Now, officials within the agency have told multiple news outlets that the policy led to a slower deployment of some FEMA resources, including urban search and rescue crews. So let me just ask you: Did your policy delay some of the critical response resources on the ground in Texas? SEC. KRISTI NOEM: You know, those claims are absolutely false. Within just an hour or two after the flooding we had resources from the Department of Homeland Security there, helping those individuals in Texas. It was a heartbreaking scene. And I think it's been well covered about what the Coast Guard did, how they were deployed immediately and helped rescue so many individuals from those floodwaters. And we had Border Patrol down there with their tactical teams, and FEMA was there just within a few hours as well. So those claims are false. They're from people who won't put their name behind those claims. And those call centers were fully staffed and responsive. And this is the fastest I believe, in years, maybe decades, that FEMA has been deployed to help individuals in this type of a situation. KRISTEN WELKER: Well, let's drill down a little bit. I know there were resources that were deployed, but I think the question revolves around: Were all of the necessary resources deployed? According to reports, multiple FEMA officials said you didn't approve the deployment of these FEMA search and rescue teams until Monday, which was 72 hours after the floods started. SEC. KRISTI NOEM: Nope, they were deployed immediately, as soon as they were requested. And I think what matters the most here is what the local officials on the ground say and what their feedback is. You know, I was there that very morning and that afternoon when the flooding was happening and was with those emergency responders right away, with the governor, with Nim Kidd, who's running the state's response. And every one of them will tell you that they got everything that they needed when they asked for it immediately and that they've never seen a federal government respond in support of a state's management of a disaster situation like this. So those claims, I don't know who's making them out of FEMA because FEMA has been incredibly responsive. We've had over 700 different employees engaged right in Texas. And as soon as that disaster request was put in, forwarded to the White House, and approved within hours. KRISTEN WELKER: Well, when was the request put in, and when did you approve it? And is this accurate that there's this $100,000 sign-off that you have to -- SEC. KRISTI NOEM: The $100,000 sign-off is for every contract that goes through the Department of Homeland Security. That's -- KRISTEN WELKER: So you did implement that policy? SEC. KRISTI NOEM: It's an accountability on contracts that go forward. But there was no break in contracts. Those contracts were approved as soon as they were in front of me, and FEMA knew they were fully to deploy the instant that the local officials asked for their request. KRISTEN WELKER: When did you get the request for these search and rescue teams -- SEC. KRISTI NOEM: Immediately. KRISTEN WELKER: – and other resources? SEC. KRISTI NOEM: They were immediately responded. KRISTEN WELKER: Immediate. What day though -- SEC. KRISTI NOEM: Yes, and everyone will tell you -- KRISTEN WELKER: Because according to reports -- SEC. KRISTI NOEM: Nim Kidd and the governor will say -- KRISTEN WELKER: – they didn't arrive until Tuesday. SEC. KRISTI NOEM: Well, this is what I think is really unfortunate: is that we have a situation where so many individuals are playing politics with what happened to Texas. And the governor and the emergency responders on the ground, the mayor of that city, the judge in that county who has some authority over emergency response, every one of them said, "As soon as we asked for help, they were here. The federal government was here." And we didn't just deploy FEMA. We deployed our Coast Guard and BORTAC teams. Border Patrol was amazing. Every single agency that we had was there helping as many individuals as we possibly could. And that's what I think is remarkable. It was a very different response, I think, from the federal government we've ever seen in a disaster like this because we had so many different agencies immediately respond. And that's the way that it should be. KRISTEN WELKER: I do want to talk big picture in just a moment, but the New York Times is reporting that thousands of calls from flood victims to FEMA call centers went unanswered in the middle of this ongoing disaster because you didn't renew contracts to keep call center staff in place until nearly one week after the floods. Why did it take so long to extend those contracts? SEC. KRISTI NOEM: It's just false. Those contracts were in place. Nobody -- KRISTEN WELKER: It didn't take five days? SEC. KRISTI NOEM: No employees were off of work. Every one of them was answering calls. So false reporting, fake news. And it's discouraging. It's discouraging that during this time when we have such a loss of life and so many people's lives have turned upside down that people are playing politics with this. Because the response time was immediate. And if you talk to anyone in Texas that was there, that was a part of this operation, they would say the federal government and President Trump immediately responded. KRISTEN WELKER: Just to be very clear, on July 7th 15.9% of calls were answered. I mean, does that concern you, that only 15% of calls were answered? These were people in a desperate state. FEMA often, the first call that they make, only 15% were answered on July 7th, several days after the floods. SEC. KRISTI NOEM: These contracts were in place, and those people were in those call centers, and they were picking up the phone and answering these calls from these individuals. So that report needs to be validified. I'm not certain it's accurate, and I'm not sure where it came from. And the individuals who are giving you information out of FEMA, I'd love to have them put their names behind it. Because the anonymous attacks to politicize a situation is completely wrong. I care-- these emergencies need to be conducted exactly how President Trump handled this one. It was that the local responders are the ones who execute the response. The state comes in and manages it. And then the federal government comes in and supports it. And as soon as Texas asked for anything, we were there. KRISTEN WELKER: Just very quickly, I mean, disasters often cost millions, if not billions of dollars. You've acknowledged there is this policy you implemented to sign off on contracts -- SEC. KRISTI NOEM: Yes. KRISTEN WELKER: --that exceed $100,000. Why add extra red tape when there is a crisis of this magnitude going on? SEC. KRISTI NOEM: It's not extra red tape. It's making sure everything is getting to my level and that it's immediately responded to. This was not slowed down at all. In fact, it was much more responsive. If you remember, I was there. I was standing right there long before this report ever came out. And people were asking, and we were granting permission in real time. So the false reporting has been something that is inappropriate and it's something that I think we need to clear up: that this response was by far the best response we've seen out of FEMA, the best response we've seen out of the federal government in many, many years and certainly much better than what we saw under Joe Biden. KRISTEN WELKER: Two more quick ones on FEMA. Then we need to get to deportation. Senator Elizabeth Warren is calling for you to resign. Your response? Is there any chance you would resign? SEC. KRISTI NOEM: No, there's not. And I hadn't heard that, but, you know, I don't care what she thinks. KRISTEN WELKER: Very quickly. We have heard President Trump, we have heard you say that ultimately FEMA needs to be eradicated. We heard the tone shift a bit this week. Bottom line, Madam Secretary, will the president move to eradicate FEMA altogether? SEC. KRISTI NOEM: No, I think the president recognizes that FEMA should not exist the way that it always has been. It needs to be redeployed in a new way. And that's what we did during this response. If you saw, it's not just FEMA that can respond in these situations. The federal government has all kinds of assets, and we deployed them. The Coast Guard coming in and saving individuals with their rescue swimmers, with their helicopters. They had fixed-wing aircraft deployed as well. Border Patrol with their BORTAC teams. And now, we've got also some dog teams that are down there helping with recovery efforts. And then FEMA alongside of them helping people, setting up shelters, deploying supplies. It was all immediate. And that's what the president wants to do is empower these states to run their emergency and we come in and support them. And immediately when those requests were made, they were approved and deployed. KRISTEN WELKER: So I just want to be very clear, and we're going to move on to deportation. The president no longer wants to eradicate FEMA, but what you're saying is to overhaul FEMA but not eradicate it altogether. Correct? SEC. KRISTI NOEM: I think he wants it to be remade so that it's an agency that is new in how it deploys and supports states. KRISTEN WELKER: Let me get your reaction. A federal judge in Los Angeles temporarily blocked ICE raids in Southern California, saying that federal agents cannot target people without reasonable suspicion and using factors like skin color, the language that people speak. Will you comply with the judge's order? SEC. KRISTI NOEM: Absolutely. But we've never done that. We've never done that. What we have always done is built a case and done investigative work in who we go after and who we target. And so this judge is ridiculous, and the fact that he put forward a decision like this, we will appeal it. And we will win it because over and over again when our ICE officers out there getting the worst of the worst off of our streets, they're using the investigative backgrounds and information that they have from either criminal records or what they have for charges or individuals who are breaking our federal laws that need to be brought to justice -- KRISTEN WELKER: But, Madam Secretary, Tom Homan, the White House border czar, said as much this week. He told FOX News that physical appearance was a factor in detaining individuals. What do you say to those who hear that and say that is racial profiling? SEC. KRISTI NOEM: The facts of how we do our investigations and our case work and what ICE officers are doing today is they're going out there and building a case just like other law enforcement officers do. They're going out there and doing the investigative work, gathering the information to decide how we're going to run our ops and how we're going to target individuals. And overwhelmingly, people have heard the president say over and over again about how important it is that we continue to go after the worst of the worst. This week, we've got murderers off the street, rapists, child pedophiles. If you look at that marijuana grow facility that we recently just did an operation on, over 319 individuals were brought into custody and 14 unaccompanied children that are children, that means that they don't have their parents with them. They're working in a facility where they could be exploited, trafficked, maybe sex trafficked. And then we've got individuals there who are working at the same facility who are creating, distributing and taking advantage of children for child pornography. So -- KRISTEN WELKER: Couple -- SEC. KRISTI NOEM: --this is something that President Trump has taken seriously: is protecting children while we're doing this. KRISTEN WELKER: Couple more here if we can get them in. Florida lawmakers visited the migrant detention center in Florida which your administration has dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz." Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said that the conditions there are inhumane: more than 30 people stuffed into a jail cell. She said they get their drinking water and they brush their teeth from the same place where they go to the bathroom. Madam Secretary, what do you say to these lawmakers who argue this is not humane treatment of individuals, of humans? SEC. KRISTI NOEM: Well, our detention centers at the federal level are held to a higher standard than most local or state centers and even federal prisons. The standards are extremely high. Now, this is a state-run facility at Alligator Alcatraz -- KRISTEN WELKER: More than 30 people -- SEC. KRISTI NOEM: – but they have a -- KRISTEN WELKER: – stuffed into a jail cell? SEC. KRISTI NOEM: They have a contrast -- well, I've been there and I've seen these rooms that they are in. I wouldn't call them "jail cells." I would call them a facility where they are held -- KRISTEN WELKER: Facilities. SEC. KRISTI NOEM: --and that are secure facilities but are held to the highest levels of what the federal government requires for detention facilities. KRISTEN WELKER: Democrats have called them cages though. SEC. KRISTI NOEM: I wish they would have said that -- KRISTEN WELKER: They said there are 30 people in -- SEC. KRISTI NOEM: --- back during the Biden administration and back when Democrats were in the White House and they were piling people on top of each other on cement floors and literally didn't have two feet to move. They never did that, and that's why this politics has to end. We took cameras in there. We will take cameras in there and show people what these facilities look like. Because if you compare them to what happened under the Biden administration and under the Obama administration, these centers are at the highest levels. And they're even higher than what our federal prison standards are or state or local often are. KRISTEN WELKER: And yet your deportation policies are different and you are finding new facilities, including this one, Alligator Alcatraz, and you say there could be more, very quickly -- SEC. KRISTI NOEM: We are. We are -- KRISTEN WELKER: We're out of time -- SEC. KRISTI NOEM: – looking for more information and how we can get more detention centers. But I would encourage people to self-deport. You know, that is the easiest thing for these families to do because then you get the chance to come back. Then you get the chance to come back to the United States, and that's exactly what we want: is them to do it the right way. KRISTEN WELKER: All right. Secretary Kristi Noem, thank you so much for being here in person. SEC. KRISTI NOEM: Absolutely -- KRISTEN WELKER: We really appreciate it. And when we come back, Republican Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming joins me next. KRISTEN WELKER: Welcome back. And joining me now is Republican Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming. Senator Barrasso, welcome back to Meet the Press. SEN. JOHN BARRASSO: Good to be with you. Thank you. KRISTEN WELKER: It's wonderful to have you back. Let's start with President Trump's escalating trade war: this week, announcing that he may impose tariffs of up to 35% against Canada. Worth noting, in your home state of Wyoming, more than half of imports come from Canada. Canada supports about 13,000 jobs in Wyoming. Are President Trump's tariffs going to hurt Wyoming, Senator? SEN. JOHN BARRASSO: Well, the ranchers of Wyoming are very happy with what President Trump has done in terms of beef. I was at the Wyoming Fair last night, hearing lots of people very happy with this bill that we just passed. But, remember, Republicans ran for office to make this country safer and more prosperous. And tariffs are just one part of our comprehensive economic plan to do that. So we're six months into this administration, and let's take a look at the things that voters are most concerned about. And we're in the right direction on all of those. Inflation is down. Gas prices are at the lowest in four years. What we've seen is the flow of illegal immigrants at the border has dropped to a trickle. We have passed and made permanent the largest tax cuts in American history. And American strength at home and abroad has been seen all around the world. So we have gotten America back on track. And, you know, the Democrats have been fighting us every step along the way, Kristen. KRISTEN WELKER: Senator, let me ask you—and we are going to talk about the president's legislation that just passed—but in terms of these tariffs, you've seen the president make these threats in the past and then pull them back in some instances. Are you hoping that President Trump reverses course and pulls back on this threat of 35% tariffs against Canada, again, one of Wyoming's biggest trading partners? SEN. JOHN BARRASSO: Well, President Trump continues to put America first: American jobs, American wages, American workers. And this is what the Trump policy has been. When we use this tool—and he's using it very effectively—you take a look at what happened just the other night, the numbers out from the Treasury Department. We actually ran a surplus this past June, first time in eight years, because of tariff revenue coming in. When you add that to what we've done with the tax cuts and with letting people keep more of their own money, it makes a big difference in people's lives. I am amazed that people continue to underestimate President Trump's ability to negotiate good deals for America. He wants to get jobs back to this country, he wants to get wages up, and he's very good at bringing people to the table. Our ranchers are happy. Look, we are so dependent on China for so many things. We had just in Friday, the secretary of energy came to Wyoming, where we for the first time in 70 years opened a rare elements mine. Rare minerals. China has a stranglehold on us for those important minerals. We did one in Wyoming. We need to get those good-paying jobs here and make sure we're no longer dependent on all of these foreign policies around the country, around the world. Some of these people hold us hostage. KRISTEN WELKER: Let me ask you about the president, what he has dubbed the "Big Beautiful Bill." It's now officially the law of the land. My upcoming guest, Governor Andy Beshear, calls it, quote, "the most destructive bill I've ever seen in my lifetime." He argues it's actually an attack against rural America. By some estimates, nearly 11 million people could lose Medicaid coverage. Some 68,000 people are covered by Medicaid in your state, Senator. What is your message to those in your state who may be worried about losing their Medicaid coverage? SEN. JOHN BARRASSO: Well, people in Wyoming know me as Wyoming's doctor. I practiced medicine here and have taken care of more people on Medicaid and operated on them over my years of practice, more than all Democrats in Congress combined. And I know how important it is for us to strengthen Medicaid, which is what we did. Let me talk about that in a second. Let's talk about this bill itself. Largest tax cut in American history. No tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security. These are things that are going to put money in people's pockets. We've made these tax cuts permanent. That's $2,000 a year in tax savings for hardworking Americans. There's additional money for child tax credits. That's going to help working families. We do more to secure the border, to increase our military. And then being from Wyoming, an energy state, we are an energy breadbasket for our country. We are going to be able to produce more American energy here, which is going to bring down the costs of heating your home, cooling your home, or gasoline even better. That is the contrast of what Republicans are doing to your next guest, the governor or Kentucky who wants to run for president. American people have rejected the last four years of high prices and open borders. KRISTEN WELKER: Well, look, hopefully he'll make that announcement here on the program, Senator. But let's stick to this issue of Medicaid. Because, look, President Trump promised repeatedly he was not going to cut Medicaid. Senator Thom Tillis is warning it's going to cost Republicans seats in the midterms. Do you believe that this bill could cost Republicans seats in the midterms over that promise the president made that he wasn't going to sign a bill that would cut Medicaid? SEN. JOHN BARRASSO: The more people hear about what's in this bill that's going to help them personally in their own lives, keep them safer as well as more prosperous, the more people are going to want to support what the Republicans are doing. Let's talk about Medicaid for a second. And you talked about rural areas. So, look, I'm a doctor, practiced in Wyoming: rural and frontier medicine. In this bill there's $50 billion set aside for rural hospitals to make sure that they can stay no longer in jeopardy but give them the security that they need. Medicaid has become a magnet for waste, for fraud, for abuse, and even corruption. And during the votes on this bill, the Democrats said, "Nope, keep sending Medicaid to illegal immigrants." There are 1.2 million illegal immigrants on Medicaid right now. American people reject that. We have over 5 million people sitting at home who are able to work who are on Medicaid and choose not to work. KRISTEN WELKER: Yeah. SEN. JOHN BARRASSO: Republicans believe there should be work requirements. Democrats voted, nope, not even modest work requirements. If the Democrats were still in charge, everyone's taxes would be going up and we'd be less safe and less secure as a nation. KRISTEN WELKER: Senator, couple things, 92% of people who are on Medicaid are either working or would qualify for an exemption. And it is worth just reminding people: folks who are here who are undocumented actually aren't eligible to receive Medicaid. So to that point, Democrats say they're gearing up to make this a centerpiece of their campaign. I do want to ask you something on foreign policy though because there's been a lot of focus-- SEN. JOHN BARRASSO: Well, let me just point out. Let me just point out there that there are still 1.2 million illegal immigrants on Medicaid because states have set up money-laundering schemes to drain Medicaid to pay for illegal immigrants. And the study that you have talked about earlier about the 92%, that is the Kaiser Foundation-- that has clearly been debunked. There are lots of people that ought to be working. And if they want Medicaid, they should be working. KRISTEN WELKER: Senator, two questions, one minute left. Very quickly, on sanctions on Russia: Is it time to move forward with that sanctions bill against Russia? SEN. JOHN BARRASSO: I believe it is. I'm a co-sponsor in the United States Senate. The goal of that is to drain the Russian war machine of the money that they have coming in from selling oil to China and to India. That continues to fund that. We need to stand behind President Trump, who has been clear and consistent. He wants this war to end. KRISTEN WELKER: Very quickly before I let you go, I have to ask you about this battle brewing in the world of MAGA: FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino apparently feuding with Attorney General Pam Bondi over her handling of the files related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Let me just ask you: Big picture, do you have confidence in Attorney General Pam Bondi? SEN. JOHN BARRASSO: I do. We ran to make this country safer and more prosperous. Pam Bondi and her team are getting hardened criminals off the streets. America is safer with Pam Bondi as attorney general. KRISTEN WELKER: And do you have faith in Kash Patel, the FBI director? SEN. JOHN BARRASSO: I do. KRISTEN WELKER: Okay. There you have it. Senator Barrasso, thank you so much for being here. We really appreciate it. SEN. JOHN BARRASSO: Thank you. KRISTEN WELKER: And when we come back, Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky joins me next. KRISTEN WELKER: Welcome back. And joining me now is Democratic Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky. Governor Beshear, welcome back to Meet the Press. GOV. ANDY BESHEAR: Thanks for having me. KRISTEN WELKER: Thank you so much for being here. We really appreciate it. Kentucky, of course, no stranger to dealing with natural disasters. You heard my conversation with Secretary Kristi Noem about the disaster down in Texas. The last time your state was dealing with severe weather, you actually praised the federal response, praised the response by Secretary Noem. So let me ask you, just as you look forward, are you confident, if disaster strikes again, that the federal government will be ready to help your state? GOV. ANDY BESHEAR: My heart goes out to Texas. We have been through this in Kentucky, time and time again. And as a parent of teenagers, the idea that your kids might not come home from camp is just devastating. What's most important is that we put these families first and that we make sure that we learn from this. When we got hit in 2022 and lost 45 Kentuckians, we asked every question after. We didn't shy from anything. We said, "When this occurs next time, how do we do better? How do we save five more people, 10 more people?" And so in 2025, during our two floods we've had thus far this year, you know, we saved over 1,000 people in the first 24 hours each time. So what I hope happens is people embrace the questions because the questions don't have to be a political football and shouldn't be. It's, "How do we do better? How do we save more lives? How do we get a better weather forecast? Do we have enough people at the National Weather Service? Can we deploy faster than we did this time?" All of those things are legitimate, if we put the people first and we say, "We know this is going to happen again. Let's make sure that every time we respond, it's the very best response we've ever seen." KRISTEN WELKER: All right. Well, let's turn now to President Trump's economic policy. He told me, this week, he plans to implement blanket tariffs of up to 20% across the board on America's trading partners. As you know, he won your state by some 30 points in 2024. So let me ask you, is this what the people of Kentucky voted for? GOV. ANDY BESHEAR: No, not at all. This is – what was it, first across the board, then reciprocal, then industry-specific. I think there was a company-specific tariff proposed. Now, we have tariffs on countries if he doesn't like who that country is prosecuting. It is chaos. It is increasing costs. You know, the people of Kentucky, many of them voted for Donald Trump because they thought he'd make paying the bills a little bit easier at the end of the week, and he's just making it harder. I'm seeing small businesses lay people off because of the tariffs on the raw materials that they get. And then, Americans put things together and sell them from that. And when a small business is laying somebody off, it's somebody they go to church with. It's somebody who their kids play soccer with. This is going to impact the economy in such negative ways, especially our economy. And then, look at what he's doing to critical trading partners like Canada — 22% of our exports go to Canada — or Japan, who he's pushing towards China. Japan invests in Kentucky at a level of almost no other state. You know, the largest Toyota manufacturing facility isn't it Japan; it's in Georgetown, Kentucky. KRISTEN WELKER: Well, which takes me to my next question. Staying on the economy, let's talk about, broadly speaking, the president's new tax and spending law, which just went into effect. You heard my conversation with Senator John Barrasso about the work requirements, the estimates that it could kick millions of people off of Medicaid. But, you know, Governor, a poll taken this year shows six in ten Americans support work requirements for Medicaid. You've been very clear in your opposition to work requirements. But my question, are you, are Democrats out of step with where the American public is on this issue? GOV. ANDY BESHEAR: No, because the medic — work requirements are a ruse. What they're doing is they're doubling the paperwork on everyone, not just able-bodied adults, but everyone. What they're hoping is, sadly, is that parents with a special needs child, who are really busy, don't check a box, people who are helping their parents or grandparents with their long-term care needs, don't check a box. And then, they kicked off their coverage for six months or more. It is wrong, it's cruel, but it's also going to be devastating to rural economies. In my state, we're looking at 200,000 people projected to lose their coverage. Twenty thousand healthcare workers are going to get fired because of this bill, and 35 rural hospitals, each the second largest employer in their county, may close. What that means is fewer people getting that tax break, fewer people going to the local restaurant, fewer people going to the local bank. This is going to hit rural America to give a tax break, mainly, to wealthy people who live in urban areas. It's going to hit all over the United States. It is a betrayal of rural America. KRISTEN WELKER: Well, it is undoubtedly going to be a major flash point, as we head towards the midterms. And I do want to talk to you about the future of the Democratic Party. House Republicans launched an investigation, as you know, into Democrats' handling of the state of former President Biden's mental acuity while he was in office. I wonder, Governor, do you think that there needs to be accountability for how Democrats handled the president's mental health while he was in office? GOV. ANDY BESHEAR: Well, when you're the governor of Kentucky, you see a president, maybe, twice a year. So what I think is that we ought to be, Democrats, Republicans, et cetera, accountable for everything we do. We serve the American people. And so we should be judged by not only our actions but our results. But in the end, it's this political football that we see going back and forth, where a win for one is a loss for another. What we've got to get to is a place where we put the people first and we focus on jobs, infrastructure, public safety, public education and healthcare, and make sure all the distractions are pushed to the side. You know, so much of what's thrown at people, day after day, especially in the news, makes them think that they don't count, that they're not important, when what they care about the most is supporting their family. I remember being on a bus with a bus driver who was telling me exactly how much her groceries cost every month that she could barely afford. But she also knew exactly how much the vacation cost that she couldn't. That's where the American people want us to focus. KRISTEN WELKER: But, Governor, I guess, just very quickly, does this investigation on Capitol Hill, do you think it's important, in terms of helping to restore some of the trust that was lost in Democrats in 2024? GOV. ANDY BESHEAR: I think the way we restore trust in Democrats is to show the American people that we are laser-focused on their everyday needs, that we are not distracted by other issues but that we know that paying the bills at the end of the month is way too hard. It's too tough for that new couple to afford their first new home. People are worried about paying for their child's next prescription. And some people don't feel safe in their communities. That's where they want us to be. And that's where my focus is. KRISTEN WELKER: All right, well, speaking of your focus, I want to ask you about your focus and your future. You are serving your last term as governor. You have a trip to South Carolina coming up this week, of course, the early voting state there. So, Senator John Barrasso says you're running for president. Are you? GOV. ANDY BESHEAR: What I'm doing right now is trying to be a reasonable voice out there that hopefully doesn't just bring Democrats back together, but Democrats, Republicans and independents. You know, this country has gotten far too, too partisan, too much us versus them. If we can focus on the core issues that lift up every single American, then we can actually move, not right or left, but forward as a country. There ain't no such thing as a red job or a blue job. A job is just good for all Americans. KRISTEN WELKER: Governor, is it accurate to say you are considering running for president? GOV. ANDY BESHEAR: Well, right now, what I'm trying to do is speak out for my people and for the American people, especially with this attack on rural America and the big, ugly bill. Next year, I'm the head of the Democratic Governors Association. And because of this attack on rural America, we're going to win a lot of races that people aren't expecting because a lot of Republican governors have said nothing. And their economies are going to get hit. And their people are going to have to drive two hours just to see a doctor when they're sick, whether they're covered by Medicaid or private insurance. And then after that, you know, we'll see. I would have never considered this a couple years ago, but I will not leave a broken country to my kids or to anyone else's. And so if I'm somebody that, at that point, I believe that I can heal the country, then I'll take a look at it. KRISTEN WELKER: Okay. So definitely not ruling it out there. Governor Beshear, thank you very much for joining us. We really appreciate it. GOV. ANDY BESHEAR: Thank you. KRISTEN WELKER: And when we come back, Elon Musk announced his New America Party. How have third parties fared in the past? Our Meet the Press Minute is next. KRISTEN WELKER: Welcome back. Elon Musk announced plans to launch a new political party – dubbed the 'America Party' – but it's a reminder that America's two-party system has proven hard to break. In 1992, Ross Perot mounted an independent bid for president, one of the most successful in modern U.S. history, but he still failed to carry a single state. He ran again four years later, this time, under the banner of his new 'Reform Party', and he joined Meet the Press to make the case for his third-party bid. [START TAPE] TIM RUSSERT: You are absolutely convinced a third-party candidate can win in '96? ROSS PEROT: Hell, I can count. If 62% of the American people want a new party, if the people form a new party, if we come up with a good candidate, if we stay on principle – see, this party's going to be very different. If you want to participate as a presidential candidate in our primaries, you will have to sign a document pledging not to engage in gutter politics and dirty tricks, and if you do, you will be dropped off the ballot the following day. TIM RUSSERT: The loss – ROSS PEROT: I think that's a big step forward in American politics. [END TAPE] KRISTEN WELKER: Well, when we come back: it's been one year since the assassination attempt on President Trump, a moment that changed the 2024 race and the country. The panel is next. KRISTEN WELKER: Welcome back. The panel is here: NBC News Senior National Political Reporter Sahil Kapur; Tyler Pager, New York Times White House Correspondent and co-author of the new book, 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America; Adrienne Elrod, former senior advisor for the Harris campaign; and Marc Short, former legislative affairs director for President Trump. Thank you to all of you for being here. As I said, this does mark the one-year anniversary since the horrific assassination attempt against then-candidate Trump who's now serving his second term. Tyler, you write about this moment in your book in extraordinary terms, in the sense that it really was a pivotal moment in the campaign. What did you determine? What did you learn? TYLER PAGER: Yes, I think even Donald Trump would say that it was a pivotal moment in his campaign. In an interview with us, he said, "You know, I think I would have won. But maybe it would have been a little bit closer." I think one of the biggest parts of that assassination attempt was what it did to some of the supporters for Donald Trump, particularly Elon Musk. Elon Musk was a reluctant supporter of the president and then after that assassination attempt went full throttle and gave him more than $250 million to affiliated efforts. Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg came out to praise him. So really it coalesced this movement behind Donald Trump. Also, another remarkable part about that day is that Joe Biden, this is the day that Joe Biden met with Chuck Schumer. And Chuck Schumer basically said, "You have to drop out." He met with lawmakers who were also putting pressure on him. So this split screen of what was happening on that day a year ago is just quite extraordinary. KRISTEN WELKER: Really remarkable. And of course, one week later, President Biden went on to drop out. Marc, pick up where Tyler leaves off which is this notion that it galvanized Republicans, reluctant Republicans around President Trump. MARC SHORT: Sure. I mean, I think there were two seminal moments in that campaign. One was the debate, and the other was the assassination attempt. Because it gave Americans a visual contrast between feeble and weak Biden versus the strength of Donald Trump. And I think it sort of sent a moment of destiny for Republicans when that happened, almost as Lazerous-like standing up and encouraging Republicans to fight, I think cemented what was already his lead, sort of cemented it at that point for the rest of the fall. KRISTEN WELKER: Adrienne, someone said to me at the time, a Democrat, that that image of President Trump Trump with his fist raised was – could potentially sink Democrats' chances. You were with the Biden campaign at the time. Is that how you saw it? What was that moment like from your vantage point? ADRIENNE ELROD: Yes, look, to Marc's point, I mean, it really was, at a time where we were I think about two weeks from the debate. We were sort of living in this quasi-purgatory period where we felt like we really couldn't move forward as a campaign, even though President Biden was making it very clear he was not getting out of the race. But it felt like the party establishment, even some donors, were not on board with that. So it really was a challenging time on the campaign. And, of course, you never want anything to happen to a candidate who's running for president. So I think it was also a very terrifying experience just to see somebody, you know, almost get assassinated. KRISTEN WELKER: It was so terrifying. And Sahil, the fallout continues. There's a new report out just this weekend in terms of the failures by the Secret Service, six agents seriously disciplined. Talk about the takeaways there. SAHIL KAPUR: Yes, Kristen, there's nothing too groundbreaking in this one-year report released by Senator Rand Paul, the Homeland Security Committee chairman. The top lines are that there were, that the U.S. Secret Service became aware of a suspicious person almost 45 minutes before shots were fired. They talk about line-of-sight vulnerabilities, lack of resources, operational failures, a lot of the Secret Service had copped to around the time. And they made a series of changes including better coordination with local law enforcement. One thing that this report does include is a recommendation for more disciplinary actions. Senator Paul doesn't believe enough people were fired and that more than just those six Secret Service agents should have been disciplined as a result of this. KRISTEN WELKER: Well, undoubtedly they will continue to take a hard look at how to make things better. Let's talk about today. Let's look forward. Marc Short, let's talk about the Republican Party of today. We are witnessing this week quite frankly an extraordinary split in the MAGA orbit over a range of different issues. The One Big Beautiful Bill, some republicans saying, "Hey, wait a minute. You campaigned on cutting the deficit. This bill adds to it. You're now sending weapons to Ukraine,' albeit through NATO. And of course this big fight I was just talking about with Senator John Barrasso over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. This is what Jonathan Martin of Politico wrote. He wrote, "Trumpism, it can't be said enough, is not an ideological project, but rather Donald Trump garnering big, beautiful wins as he defines them." Talk about this divide. MARC SHORT: I think Jonathan's right as to where, what it's come to. I think in 2016 when Trump first ran, I think he was trying hard to win over conservatives and promised a certain number of Supreme Court justices, embraced tax reform, embraced a stronger military. But I think over time, it has more or less become a personality party. But I think to Barrasso's point, if you look at the first six months, I think the president's had a really strong first six months. As he mentioned, inflation's down. The markets are hitting all-time highs. He passed his biggest legislative accomplishment. He had a successful strike on Iran. The border is secure. All the things are in his favor. I think the divisions are actually going to become more exacerbated in the second half of this year, Kristen. Because now that you've passed the one Big Beautiful Bill, you're going to see the policy differences between the isolationists and the interventionists come forward. You're going to see him now again pushing forward on more or less the Bernie Sanders trade policy that Donald Trump has embraced that I don't think all Republicans are in support of. And so in the first half of the year, much of that has been muted because everything was sort of put on pause. But now that he's going full bore again, there's going to be economic consequences. And you see RFK's MAHA agenda telling Americans what they can eat and drink. It's something that Michelle Obama and Michael Bloomberg would have dreamed of. And so I think you're going to see a lot different policies that are different for Republicans in the second half of the year. KRISTEN WELKER: Adrienne, so fascinating to hear that benchmark of looking forward to the second half of the year. Do Democrats see a potential opening, both because there is this divide that is forming, and because of course they've been talking a lot about the Medicaid piece of the one Big Beautiful Bill. ADRIENNE ELROD: No, absolutely. We definitely see an opening here. Because number one, we actually have something now that's tangible to run on. The One Big Beautiful Bill, I call it the "one big ugly bill." Largest redistribution of wealth in a generation, takes away health care, raises costs for American families. This is something that Democrats can go out there and very easily message. You're already seeing a lot of Republicans who voted for the bill who are having a hard time going home and trying to defend it. The bottom line is Democrats do have something now that we can take back to the states and take back to our constituents. We just need effective messengers to go out there and do that. And I think you just saw Governor Beshear really making an effective case for why this is a bad policy for the American people. KRISTEN WELKER: You laid down a marker. He maybe moved the needle a tiny bit towards saying, "Maybe I'll look at running for president." Sahil, is this going to be really the centerpiece of the midterm elections, the Medicaid piece of this tax and spending bill that was just passed? SAHIL KAPUR: It absolutely will. The Big Beautiful Bill overall, the one thing that both parties agree on right now is that this will be the defining issue of the 2026 midterms. And we saw a neat little preview of that fight in your interviews with Barrasso and Beshear. We're going to hear Democrats talk about this as a big tax cut for the rich paid for by cutting Medicaid and SNAP benefits including for working class individuals. I think one of the ironies here is that a lot of Trump voters, a lot of MAGA voters in rural areas are going to be some of the biggest losers. Those are the hospitals and providers that are most likely to lose as a result of this. And Republicans, unlike 2018 when they were caught flat-footed by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and to attempt that ACA repeal, that blue wave. They do see this avalanche coming. They're trying to turn things around by going on offense early. KRISTEN WELKER: Tyler, you know, one of the things, and I was trying to get at this with Governor Beshear, was this notion of how do Democrats win back the trust of voters. And you have this really remarkable anecdote in your book around the debate where President Biden's team really pushed him to do that early debate. Why? And what were the implications? TYLER PAGER: Yes. We looked back to April of last year, and they felt that Biden was not winning that presidential race. And they needed to do something to shake up the race. And they felt the best way to do that was to put him on the debate stage. And in the memo we have in the book it says, "We want you to reach the widest audience possible." And so they felt the best way to move forward was for Biden and Trump to stand on stage together and present two choices for the American people. Obviously that backfired and led to a cascade of problems and him dropping out. But you're right, I think the Democratic Party does have a big trust issue that they're trying to work through. And new leaders are trying to chart a path forward. KRISTEN WELKER: All right. It's anecdotes like that, obviously that Democrats and Republicans will be looking at. Thank you all for a fantastic conversation. That is all for today. Thank you so much for joining us. Because if it's Sunday, it's Meet The Press.
NBC News
2 hours ago
- NBC News
4 people shot at a class reunion in Chattanooga, no arrests announced
At least four people were injured in a shooting at an alumni event in Chattanooga, Tennessee on Saturday. A spokesperson for the Chattanooga Police Department confirmed that all four people were taken to the hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Police did not provide information regarding a suspect or whether any arrests have been made. The shooting occurred at the Tyner Recreation Complex, where it appears a multi-class reunion was being held for alumni of Tyner High School. The school is now named Tyner Middle High Academy and was reopened earlier this year after the former campus was torn down to make way for a new facility. A Facebook post from the Tyner Alumni Association earlier this month boasted that 38 different graduating classes were participating in this year's alumni weekend. An email to the alumni association requesting comment from NBC News was not immediately returned Sunday. Jeoff Herman, who witnessed the shooting, told NBC News affiliate WRCB that the scene was "real bad." "Everybody was just having a good time," Herman said. "Then all the sudden shots just started going everywhere. Little kids and babies and everything were on the ground."
