Trump suffers the consequences of poor staffing choices
Trump suffers the consequences of poor staffing choices  
Podcast: The Briefing with Jen Psaki
Published On: Sat Jul 11 2026
Description: Jen Psaki looks at why Donald Trump is likely regretting staffing his administration based on culture war credibility rather than competence as FBI director Kash Patel's antics appear to have reached critical mass, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is spending energy being upset about beards while being unable to end the war with Iran, and Vice President JD Vance is buying himself a multi-million dollar estate in the midst of a political season in which "affordability" is the biggest theme. Rob Flaherty, former deputy campaign manager for Kamala Harris, and Democratic pollster Molly Murphy discuss the dynamics of the coming midterms. Jen Psaki rounds up the many ways that Donald Trump is using whatever lever of power he can find to undermine the integrity of elections in the United States, most recently by firing everyone on the Election Assistance Commission. Marc Elias, founder of Democracy Docket explains what Trump is trying to pull. Donald Trump appears to be trying to distract from his failure to keep his promise to lower gas prices by celebrating the opening of a small chain of discount gas stations. And while everyone appreciates cheaper gas when they can get it, no one trusts that whoever is behind this stunt doesn't have an ulterior motive that ties to another Trump grift. Rep. Christian Menefee joins to discuss the fight to get answers after ICE shot and killed a man in Houston. 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.