Morning Joe - Arnold Schwarzenegger joins Morning Joe

Episode Date: June 16, 2026

June 16, 2026: 8am — Arnold Schwarzenegger joins Morning Joe  To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome back as we take a live look at St. Louis this morning. It is the top of the third hour of Morning Joe on this Tuesday, June 16th. And as President Trump meets with world leaders at the G7 summit in France, he is defending his deal with Iran to end the months-long war that he started. Trump remained confident this morning, saying it should be successful, even though the details of the agreement still remains. underwraps and officials from both sides are adding to the confusion with conflicting statements about what exactly has been agreed to. MS Now reporter Nick McCool has the latest.

This morning, President Trump sharing the world stage at the G7 summit in France. Thank you. Thank you very much. The backdrop to all of it. The deal Trump says he struck with Iran to end the war in its fourth month. Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. And it says it loud and clear. They're not going to develop it. They're not going to buy it. They're not going to do anything with it.

A senior U.S. official says the deal sets up a framework to continue talks on limiting Iran's nuclear program, among other matters. Trump is very low on the details on the nuclear front, but wants to talk about this as a big deal that transforms the relationship and by that transforms the region as well. President Trump on Monday saying the Strait of Hormuz is now set to reopen. The strain is already partially opened. As you know, they're doing a little hunting for a couple of mines that they've already found. But it's essentially ships are starting to go out now on Friday. It'll be completely opened. The Trump administration says any sanctions relief to Iran would come after it meets certain obligations. But a senior Iranian official told Reuters the U.S. had agreed to release 25. billion dollars of Iran's frozen assets. On Monday, Vice President J.D. Vance saying

international nuclear inspectors will return to Iran, but saying the exact date is still to be set. One of the core parts of the agreement is that the IAEA and the United States are going to help Iran destroy the highly enriched stockpile, and that's something that's spelled out very clearly in the MOU. But the text of the deal has not been released, and Iran's account of parts of it appears to be different. South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, writing Sunday night, I am somewhat concerned that Iran's view of the agreement seems different than what the American negotiating team is claiming. Americans still have more questions than answers. Will our troops remain in harm's way?

How does Trump plan to achieve any of the stated goals of his reckless war? The other major question, will Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu try to derail the U.S. Iran deal? On Monday, he told his people, the struggle is not over, vowing to hold territory his forces have taken in Lebanon in their fight against Hezbollah for as long as necessary. The Israeli government, particularly under Netanyahu, will be opposed to this deal. And they certainly don't want to see a scenario that actually facilitates the United States leaving the region militarily. President Trump moments ago frustrated over Netanyahu's continued defiance. I've had a great relationship with Bibi, but now Bibi has to.

be more responsible with respect to Lebanon. And Iranian State Television is now quoting the country's foreign minister, saying he would view any continued occupation in Lebanon by Israel as a violation of the deal with the U.S. Back to you. MS Now is Nick McCool with that report. Let's now bring in MS Now international reporter Inez de La Quatera, who joins us live from the sidelines of the G7 summit in France. and as good to see you. Certainly Iran, first and foremost on the agenda here,

Trump's surrounded by a number of world leaders who frankly were deeply skeptical to this war at the onset. Talk to us more about the latest is how he's trying to, frankly, spin furiously the disagreement, and there's so much of it we don't know, is a win. Hey, good morning, John. Yeah, so President Trump has been getting lots of questions on this deal because, of course, there's still so much we don't know.

today he met with the leaders of Qatar and the UAE, and you can bet that they're going to want to drill down on the details here because, of course, their countries have been on the front lines of this war. They have been repeatedly bombed. It's estimated that they've suffered billions in damages with their, you know, critical energy infrastructure damaged. So we'll see if we get any more details from those meetings, but they were, of course, behind closed doors. And lots of questions as to the question of Israel and Lebanon as well. We've been hearing from the Israelis in recent days that they're not going to be withdrawing from Lebanon. And of course, the Iranians have repeatedly said that any lasting ceasefire must include an end to hostilities in Lebanon as well.

So President Trump was asked about that. He says that he thinks his deal can withstand Israel's actions in Lebanon. I'll let you listen to what he had to say. Now, I'm not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon and with Hezbollah. They should have been able to do this yet faster. It just goes on forever. And when that happens, it throws a negative light on the big deal, and that's the deal with Iran. So President Trump clearly expressing frustration with the Israeli Prime Minister there,

though at the same time insisting that they have a great relationship. We heard from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last night, suggesting that he doesn't feel bound by this agreement. He says the struggle has not ended. And that's also something we've heard from Israeli, you know, prominent Israeli figures saying that, you know, they've been criticizing this deal and saying that it was, made over Israel's head. So, and as Iran, not the only item on the agenda, the ongoing war in Ukraine is as well.

Ukraine President Zelensky is there attending the G7, look to get some time with President Trump. What's the latest on their meeting? What sort of pitch is Zelensky making? Yeah, so on Ukraine, they did start the day with a working session on Ukraine, which President Trump attended. Zelensky was also invited to attend that. We heard from President Trump later on that they had a very good,

meeting and that he plans to meet Zelensky again later today. So like you say, we think Iran is going to be the main focus of this G7 summit, but European leaders are also trying to turn the focus back to Ukraine. And we heard that from President Trump, who says, you know, that now that he feels that Iran is in the rear view mirror, even though that may not necessarily be the case, he wants to turn his focus back to Ukraine. He said that Russia should make a deal considering their significant losses. We heard from Ukrainian President Zelensky just moments ago, who took to social media. to talk about how they had positive discussions on how to ramp up the pressure on Russia to get Russia to negotiate. The UK just announced additional sanctions on Russia.

So we'll see what comes out of that. There's a lot of talk now also about a possible Zelensky Putin meeting. Zelensky prior to, you know, heading over to the G7 said he had offered to meet Putin on the sidelines of the G7 summit. And we heard from the Kremlin in the last couple hours kind of responding to that saying that, you know, if Zelensky wants to meet Putin, he can just travel to mom. Moscow. So, you know, we'll see if we get any more details on that as well. All right. We'll be watching all those storylines out of the G7 these next couple of days. MS Now International Reporter, Enes de Liquiterra, reporting live for France.

Thank you so very much. Still ahead here on Morning Joe, our conversation with former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who sat down with former Vice President Kamala Harris earlier this morning as part of his annual Austrian World Summit. You're watching Morning, Joe. We're going to be right back. On the issue of what we will do to terminate pollution and to save our planet, the policy must include, and my experience as Attorney General, reinforce that for me. The policies must include accountability and consequence for bad behaviors. Though it's former Vice President Kamala Harris this morning, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Austrian World Summit, taking place right now in Vienna. The summit is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year with climate leaders from several countries taking the stage to discuss and offer solutions now to fight climate change by bringing together governments, businesses, and individuals.

And this year's theme is, we are unstoppable. And Arnold Schwarzenegger joins us now from Vienna. He is, of course, the host of the summit. Governor, thank you so much for being with us. We greatly appreciate it. Well, thank you very much for having me. And, you know, I just want to right off the top correct you because you said this is climate change.

I want you to talk about fighting pollution because we have to terminate pollution. And that's what I always say. I use my movie lines. Asta la vista pollution. So this is the kind of things we have to talk about. Climate change. Most people don't understand and they don't care about any of that stuff.

I think they care about pollution. because pollution is the thing that actually kills seven million people a year. You know, climate change, you know, and with all the bad weathers and the storms and the floods and all of the stuff that kills maybe 25,000 people, which is, of course, 25,000 people too many. But pollution kills seven million. So this is why I always stress pollution rather than climate change. And what are some of the ideas right now that you're hearing this year that you're getting

excited about in some ways to fight pollution? Well, you know, what the conference, the theme of the conference is that we're unstoppable. And the reason why this is because, as you know, in America, we have an administration that doesn't really believe in pollution being a threat to our health and that it kills all of these people. So we want to encourage people here to just say, stop whining about the White House and about them not believing in then. I say, what is it that we can do?

I said, because it doesn't really matter on the end who is in the White House. What really matters is what we're doing on a state and local level. I say, we have to rely on ourselves. That's where the action is. And so when you think about, you know, what California has accomplished

and what Texas is accomplishing right now and what Massachusetts is accomplishing in Minnesota and all of those states, it's really remarkable because they just say, okay, we're going to take the bull but the horn and we're going to go and create the changes and we're going to set goals of upping our renewable energy, lowering our greenhouse gases and all those kind of things. Let's not wait for the federal government to take the lead.

Let us take the lead. So what we are doing is with this conference here is really encouraging people to go and just continue working themselves and thinking about what can I do versus what can they do. That's such an important message. I wanted to ask you. You've said some very inspiring things about American democracy. And I've always found that immigrants have a better perspective sometimes and those of us who were born in America and were raised here

because we just assume that democracy is always going to be with us. We always assume that everything will always be the way it is. You've given some very moving warnings in the past about your own family members that were swept up during World War II in Nazism. And you've warned Americans against this. I'm wondering as you look at what's happening with Gavin Newsom and his wife, as you look at what's happening where people are trying to say that California's elections are being rigged. You're the last Republican governor elected in California, and it took 30 days. That's the law.

How are we doing as a democracy right now? What are your concerns with somebody who has a perspective that maybe those of us who were born here don't have? Well, you know, it doesn't really matter where you live. The most important thing is that we are inclusive and that we don't hate anybody because they feel differently than we do or they belong to a different religion than we do or that they belong to a different party than we do. And this is the theme also of our conference here.

I tell to me it makes no difference if you're a communist, if you're a socialist, if you're Democrat or Republican, or if you come from a dictatorship, it makes no difference to say, come here to Vienna, and let's work together to solve this problem and to create a good environment. I think that if we work together, we are much more powerful rather than fighting each other

and always alienating half of the people. So to me, I think going in a direction of kind of like inclusion has always been something that I was taught by people here in Austria and then when I came to America, I saw it. inclusion really in the highest level, you know, where people were kind of like really helpful to me as an immigrant that just arrived in America. They gave me pillowcases and pillows and the blankets and dishes and silverware and the black and white TV and all of this kind of things. I was shocked when I came to America and I got this much help and I learned how to be generous. And I do exactly

the same thing now. I want to make sure that when it is Thanksgiving, that I go to East LA, and to feed the people that have less money, and then I donate a thousand turkeys to them on Thanksgiving. I do exactly the things that was done to me when I came to America. And I want to continue the tradition. And all the other stuff, I'm just in the way, if it's bodybuilding, if it's fitness, I deal with the world. So I never ask. when I promote bodybuilding or when they promote fitness, are you a Democrat? Are you an Arab? Are you Israeli? Are you Australian? Are you from Africa? I don't care. I don't care. I want everyone to be fit. I want everyone to enjoy the motivation when I say, go and train and do something every day.

It doesn't matter what party you're coming from or if you believe in the things that I believe in. I want to have everyone be included. And so this is, I think, when we work on inclusion, I think that people go and predict our democracy much more. Very different things happening with immigrants today here in America, that is for sure. Host of the Austrian World Summit, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Thank you very much for joining us on Morning Joe. It was good to have you on the show this morning. Well, thank you very much. Thank you.

And we'll be right back with much more, Morning Joe. Live shot there at the Capitol 8.20. in the morning in Washington, where the Senate could confirm President Trump's pick for Director of National Intelligence, Jay Clayton, as soon as this Thursday. Sources are telling MS now that Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is looking to meet with Clayton later today. This, as the committee hearing is set for tomorrow, with, therefore, a vote scheduled Thursday. If every Senate member then agrees to speed up the process, Clayton could get here.

confirmed on the Senate floor just a few hours later. The reason for the rush is that Democrats and, frankly, even some Republicans, have voiced concerns with Trump's pick for acting DNI, Bill Pulte, the current director of U.S. federal housing. Pulte slated take on the role this Friday, but a quick Clayton confirmation would change that. Pulte certainly has been at the tip of the spear in some of Trump's retribution efforts. Clayton, seen as a more acceptable, palatable pick by Democrats, but has also, we should note,

voiced some conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, which is why some fear that he, like Tulsi Gabbard before him, the previous DNI, may work to continue those 2020 investigations, which of course are baseless, but also perhaps meddle ahead with 2026 and 28. We'll keep you posted on those hearings. Let's take a look now at some of the other stories making headlines this morning, beginning with the Miami Herald, which has new reporting on Jeffrey Epstein receiving preferential treatment at the Palm Beach County Jail. Sarah Kellan, a longtime personal assistant to the convicted sex trafficker, told the House Oversight Committee last month that Epstein may have been paying off Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputies.

Callen testified that Epstein arranged to have cash and Disney tickets delivered to one deputy who worked in the jail when he was incarcerated there. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office responded to the Miami Herald saying an investigation that they did did not reveal those allegations. Meanwhile, the coach of Iran's World Cup team says his squad was ordered to leave the United States immediately after its opening match last night. But the coach didn't say who ordered the team to return to its training camp in Mexico. The team had experienced expected to spend the night in California to recover after its two-to-draw with New Zealand. That game was being played in Los Angeles.

Iran next faces Belgium in California on Sunday before rounding out the group stage against Egypt in Seattle on June 26. Their training facility already was originally scheduled for Arizona moved to Mexico right before the cup began. And lastly, a 14-year-old boy has been charged with armed robbery after police say he and another suspect held up a children's lemonade stand in South Boston. The boy allegedly flashed a handgun and then stole a lockbox that contained about $80. He faced his armed robbery and firearms possessions charges. However, his accomplice remains at large. The victims, two siblings, ages 11 and 12, were shaken, but they uninjured,

and they were back in business over the weekend as the community gathered in a massive show of support. The photographs of that are actually wonderful, thousands of people from all of over the city came to support that lemonade stand. Up next here in Morning Joe, a live report from Georgia as voters head back to the polls to pick their candidates for November's general election. We're going to break down the top contenders when Morning Joe comes right back. Welcome back in Georgia. Voters are headed back to the polls this morning to decide the nominees in several key

Republican primary runoffs, including marquee races for governor and the United States Senate. Let's bring in MS now reporter Nabi Ingalw. who joins us live from Marietta to breakdowns the day's races. Nomdi, it's a question for any Republican primary, particularly in Georgia, which at times has been willing to elect candidates who defy President Trump. Talk to us, please, about what role the incumbent president is playing in these runoffs. Well, I think you really hit it on the head. The races today are going to offer a glimpse of where the Republican voter of Georgia is.

What do they see the future of their party looking like? Do they want to see candidates that are more reflective of the president's agenda, someone in that Senate race like Mike Collins, who is a staunch supporter? Or do they want to see someone who's willing to operate in the same vein as Governor Kemp, who, despite generally supporting the president's agenda, has that time stood up to him and has survived the political repercussions of doing so, the 2020 election being one of those moments. So that's really what we're watching for. Now, President Trump obviously got involved recently getting endorsing in this race on Sunday. We asked voters, help us understand the impact of that endorsement. Did it push you in one direction or the other? And it was pretty interesting.

We got told by one voter here, one conservative voter here, and Marietta, who laid out to us that Trump's endorsement was actually, in his view, a negative. I want to play for you portions of that conversation so you can hear why he said he only, he decided to leave the top of the ticket blank when he voted today. Take a listen. Can you just help me understand a little bit more what you mean by Trump's endorsement? actually a negative across the governor and center races. I think that would shock a lot of people here. For you, for you. Yeah, tell me, for you personally, just help me understand a little bit more what you mean.

I mean, I was never a big fan of the populism. I think that you should campaign and act on what you believe in rather than just trying to win. That means sometimes you don't win. But I don't think he followed through with a lot of the things he said he was going to do. There were less for me that I liked, but I did very much like the, the like talking about peace and no new wars and that we don't need that we just need diplomacy and trade and he just went completely against it so what's interesting a accent voter wrote tell me the kind of republican you'd want to see um he referenced thomas massey so that gives you a sense of where

his head is at but what we're looking for in terms of the general election this fall is a voter like you just heard from said he isn't going to support the democratic ticket he says there's too many value differences there, but he sees himself staying home, and that benefits us off just as much almost as getting that vote. So we're going to be seeing if that dynamic continues. We talk to voters more throughout the day here. All right, we'll be watching for that. MS. Now reporter Namdi Nogh, live for us from Georgia this morning. So let's bring in now to talk about it, staff writer at the Atlantic, Mark Lebovich, and contributing opinion writer for New York Times, Molly Jong Fast. Lebo, you've written extensively over the years about the Republican Party being in

Donald Trump's thrall. There have been a few moments lately where some have been willing to defy him. And as we just talked about, George's always been a bit of a wild card. What will you be looking for today? Well, I mean, it's basically it's a kind of a barometer of Trump's hold or maybe sort of loosening hold on the Republican Party. I mean, George has always been kind of a weird state for him. And if you'll remember in 2020, you know, he lost the state to Joe Biden. It was not expected. And then, you know, it looked like Republicans had held on to the Senate. And but you had this runoff coming later in the year early in January. It was actually the day before January 6th.

And Trump went down to campaign for the Republicans and basically made a rally. It was in Rome, Georgia, all about himself. Whereas David Purdue and Kelly Leffler, who were the Republican incumbents, were sort of left out in the cold. It was sort of an awkward scene. And all of a sudden, John Ossoff and Raphael Warnes. You know, basically upset, you know, one in upsets, and it sort of flipped the whole balance of the Senate. So, you know, Georgia has been a somewhat independent state around Trump. Like you said, Kemp has defied him.

We'll see, you know, where we are on the process right now because it's obviously very important to look into November. So, Molly, of those two Georgia senators, Democrats, we talked to Jonathan Martin earlier in the show, and he's on record, his new piece, suggest he's predicting that one of them, whether it's Warnock or Asoff, one of them will have a spot on the Democratic ticket in 2008, either as VP or as the president's presidential candidate. Talk to us about whether you think that's possible, but at the very least, it does feel like both of these men for very different reasons are having a real moment. Yeah, for sure. And Asov has really benefited from this runoff environment, right? I mean, he has, he had a seat to protect, and now all of a sudden he's coming into it.

Nobody is saying that anymore. And that was what it looked like a few years ago. So I think this is a big deal. I am hesitant to get involved in 2028 since we still have the midterms coming down the pike. But he has done really well. And one of the things that's been the most interesting about Asov is he has been able to walk a line where progressives think he's one of them. And centerists think he's one of them. And that is sort of the key when it comes to getting a nomination in this party.

in this moment is being able to be everything. And that has worked historically for other candidates. Even if you think about Trump was able to sort of be a war shack when it came to what he would actually do. And one of the problems we've seen with people who are running for president for more than one cycle is that there's so many opinions about them that they can't sort of get out of it. And Libo, I think Molly's right in that Assoff is able to walk that line and people are able to kind of project upon him what they want to see.

he also, for some, has invoked, you know, from Obama comparisons, young, charismatic, the like. And then Warnock, who, you know, preaches from Dr. King's pulpit, which is about as much of a moral authority position as you can have in this country. He has a new book out. He's making some moves as well that people are looking at and going, well, this guy, you know, has made, you know, maybe he's not as buzzy yet anyway as Ossoff, but he's also delivered some really powerful speeches in the Senate about voting rights and the like that both of them seem like they're on the rise. Yeah, no, and I think when they both got elected in 2020, a lot of people thought there were sort of short timers just because, you know, Republicans traditionally had done really well in Georgia. And, you know, Warnock was reelected in 2022, I guess. I mean, it helped that Herschel Walker was his opponent. And Ossoff, you know, looks like he's pretty well positioned this time around. I mean, he's also, uh, Assoff is a real advertisement for someone who lays low, kind of keeps his head down, but really has picked his spot and has really got. a lot of traction, especially around critiques of Trump, which have been quite eloquent and have gone quite viral, which is obviously very beneficial. So I think Georgia, for Democrats, holding on to seats, oddly enough, looks safer than some of the other states like Michigan, which has a much more divided Democratic primary. And I'd probably say that Georgia is more likely

to stay blue than Michigan at this point. Yeah, Ossov's the one who sort of coined the Epstein class phrasing as an attack on Trump and his. cronies. Let's turn now to a group of lawmakers who are warning the Trump administration against moving forward with plans to build Trump's proposed triumphal arch without congressional approval. Several Democrats and one independent senator sent a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Bergam and top national park service officials yesterday. They argue that the administration would be breaking at least three laws by pushing ahead with the project and warned that Trump officials could be penalized.

The proposed 250-foot structure would be built at Memorial Circle, which is between Arlington National Cemetery and Arlington Memorial Bridge just behind the Lincoln Memorial. The Trump administration has argued that projects on land owned by the Interior Department aren't subject to congressional approval. And Libo, I mean, this one, I've heard this from a number of people who were upset. Look, they were upset with the Kennedy Center. They were certainly upset with the East Wing in the proposed ballroom. you know, the reflecting pool, I guess, although which we should note, which is covered in algae right now, and green, despite what everything Trump is saying about it. But the arch seems to be the one that really angers people, because that is such a sacred space that, as people have written in recent weeks, that space between Lincoln and the cemetery, you know, built, you know, and the aftermath of the Civil War is in conversation over the generations. It's one of the more solemn places our country has, and it would be completely obscure, if not ruined by this arch.

Yeah, no, I mean, I think, you know, the closer you get to Arlington National Cemetery and it's right there, you know, you're asking for trouble in many ways. It's, I mean, I think on a number of levels, it's extremely problematic and politically really quite dumb for Trump. I mean, first of all, I mean, yes, Republicans in the Senate sent a letter to Doug Bergman. Was it a sternly written letter? You never specify about that, John, because that really can, that means everything. But look, I mean, these things do take a while to get off the ground. I mean, it's a bureaucratic mess. It could really get held up.

But what you're giving Democrats is a real symbol. I mean, I can imagine any number of Democrats running for president would say one of the first things I'm going to do is tear down this thing or that thing. You know, whatever Trump successfully builds or gets his name on. I mean, you're basically just calling attention to the ostentatious narcissism that's sort of driven these last few months. and you're giving Democrats a gift. And, you know, in a bad economy, this is something that is very, very useful to them. The Washington Post has reporting that the Trump administration is proposing like 20-hour workdays, like around-the-clock construction on this thing to build it, Molly,

so it can be completed while Trump is still in office. We'll see if that happens. But that is a sacred space. And I think that it would be, to Telibos point, politically damaging and just frankly, historically obscene? Well, I mean, all weekend, we've seen different Trump beautification projects go awry. His name was taken off the Kennedy Center. They had to put a tarp up because so many people were watching it and there was sort of a celebratory mood there. The East Wing is still, there's no East Wing, right? It's still just rubble. And then you have the reflecting pool

algae fiasco. And you have, American people are mad about, right, the price of gas, which is from the foreign wars, Trump said he would not start. And then they're mad about the cost of things. And so these are a real stark contrast to someone who's laser focused on affordability. Yeah. And we should note that the Trump administration has left the tarp up at the Kennedy Center, so you can't see that his name has been removed. And I suspect we'll hear from many Democrats who are, you running in 2028, vowing that as they give the oath of office in January of 2029, you'll hear the jackhammer is knocking down that arch, if indeed it is built. The Atlantics, Mark Lievovich, thank you so much. We really appreciate it. Molly, stick around. Up next, we're going to be

joined by the head of the Human Rights Campaign for a discussion about that organization's focus for the midterms, as it makes its largest ever investment in a non-presidential election cycle. There's Washington, D.C. You can see a little bit of the green algae. Right there, even from this distance atop the Washington Monument, don't go anywhere. The country's leading LGBTQ Plus Rights Group, the Human Rights Campaign, is making a major push ahead of November's midterm elections, pouring $15 million into strategic investments to reach voters, and focusing on eight battleground House districts currently represented by Republicans. Joining us now, the president of the human rights campaign, Kelly Robinson.

Kelly, thank you so much for being here. Let's start with this investment and those battleground districts due targeting. Tell us about them. What went into that selection process? Yeah, well, first of all, happy pride. Yes. We've got millions of people turning out around the country for LGBTQ plus issues for rights and for our lives. And I say that because when I think about what we've got to do this election cycle,

it's taking all the energy from this month and translating it into action and into votes. And right now, the LGBTQ plus community can be the difference maker this year. 10% of the electorate identifies as a member of our community. And by 2040, it'll be 20%. So the size of our community is not in question. It's how can we turn out to make sure that in these districts that matter, we are changing the game. And when we do that, we can put a check on Donald Trump and all these MAGA extremists that are continuing to undermine our rights. And what part of that is going to be to try to rebut what we have heard now for a number of years, where Trump in particular, but many on his party really focusing on trans issues.

Like that seems to be almost one of the reflexive go-to attack points. They feel like that worked in 24. It can again. How do you respond? Well, this is the thing. We have to bring the conversation back to the people. Because at the end of the day, what we are fighting for is equal rights. I'm fighting for the right for my community not to get fired at work because you're gay.

I'm fighting for the right for trans people to be able to serve in the military. to sign up to protect this country. I'm signing up. We're fighting for the right for kids to be able to be who they are in the classroom. And I think that with all of the discourse and dialogue, we got to bring the conversation back to the people. So while we're really focused on this electoral campaign

and turning out votes, this is really a hearts and minds effort to make sure that folks understand that LGBTQ plus people are your neighbors, your friends, were members of the community, and we care about each other, and we're a part of the American story.

So you have, so you're focused on eight house seats and really the Senate too. So what does that look like? What are people you're on the ground in these places traveling around talking to people? What does it look like? What does the electorate feel like right now? What are you seeing? Look, people are engaged. Our community is, is more enthusiastic about this election and enthusiastic about turning out this early in the cycle than nearly any other community and that matters. So we've got to give them the tool. So we've got to give them the tool. to do it when we know it's going to be a tough year with barrier upon barrier in front of us. Those eight districts that we talked about are from, you know, California to New York, Michigan to Arizona, districts that were decided by a small number of votes in 2024 that we can be the difference makers in. We've got a model called the equality voter model that helps us to identify voters that prioritize LGBTQ plus issues and equality when they go out and vote. We know who to talk to. We know where they are. We've just got to do the work to turn them out. Say more about those barriers because I think there's a lot of anxiety about what this administration

might do on the federal level to make it harder for people to vote. Look, these are scary times, right? I mean, in Kansas, they've tried to take away trans people's access to driver's licenses, right? Any attack, the Save Act that they were moving in Congress, all of those bad bills that impact women's ability to get out and vote, it also impacts LGBTQ plus community. So we can't just win by a little bit this year. We have to have a blowout victory that is undeniable.

The size of our community can produce that, but we've got to make sure that folks can turn out and that they have the information to do so. And if their rights are infringed upon, that they've got the tools to fight back. So tell us what you think that these sort of decisive issues might be. Are they things in the cultural sphere, or at the end of the day,

is it going to be on kitchen table issues? Look, LGBTQ plus people, we care about the same things as everyone else. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation did a poll of our community to see, like, what was top of mind for us? And the issues were, one, government accountability and dealing with, you know, all of the chaos that's happening in Washington and across the country, healthcare and the premiums that are going up, as well as health care access, and affordability. So I say that because any candidate that wants to mobilize our community, you got to talk to us about the same issues that you're talking to

with everyone else. And make sure that at the end of the day, whether you're thinking about the economy or you're thinking about safety or health care, that LGBTQ plus people have the same rights and access as everyone else. And when you do that, you can be on the side of equality, but also on the side of our community. President of the Human Rights Campaign and Human Rights Campaign Foundation, Kelly Robinson, Kelly, great to see you. Thank you so much for being here. And we're now, of course, keeping an eye overseas, President Trump at the G7 in France. Meetings later today, potentially about Ukraine. But the main event remains the war with the Ron, President Trump, trying to spin furiously that the agreement that he and his team have

tried to broker here, agreement we should note, we still have not seen. It still remains undisclosed, not released. He's trying to spin it as a win, even though there's real concerns from both sides of the aisle that he's taking a bad deal in his desperation to end this war. We, of course, we'll keep you posted on that in the days ahead. That does it for us this morning here, I'm morning, Joe, but we'll see you again tomorrow at 6 a.m. Eastern. Up next, money power politics with Stephanie Rule. That's ahead after a short final break. See you tomorrow.