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COMMENTARY THE COFFEE KLATCH ... DECEMBER 21ST 2024 Robert Reich, Heather Lofthouse and Michael Lahanas-Calderon The Musky Odor of Trump 2.0 PLAY YOUTUBE VIDEO Original article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spD92AvCjiY Peter Burgess COMMENTARY Peter Burgess
The Musky Odor of Trump 2.0\| The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich Robert Reich, Heather Lofthouse and Michael Lahanas-Calderon 970K subscribers ... 233,076 views ... 11K likes Premiered Dec 21, 2024 The Coffee Klatch with Robert Reich Friends, Today we explore how and why the United States government nearly shut down under the auspices of Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Speaker Michael Johnson, and rightwing Republicans in the House. Is this a preview of the chaos we’re likely to see over the next four years? Why does an unelected multi-billionaire have so much power? Will Johnson survive? Why does Trump insist on raising the debt ceiling? Whatever happened to the Biden administration, which is still technically in office? Please pull up a chair, grab a cuppa, take our poll, and join in the conversation. Transcript 0:00 it is the coffee clotch with Heather loft house and Michael Lanes Calderon and yours truly Robert R and we have avoided a government shutdown and the question we want to address is how in the world did we ever get to this place Heather you're going to answer for us I mean the latest I think is Elon Musk I mean Elon Musk this has been a wild week do you remember voting for Elon Musk I don't think I bubled musk in no I don't think he was on my ballot either he wasn't on my ballot either interesting may he was on yours was he I mean Elon Musk the richest person in the world the universe uh uh he let's be clear he in 2022 used 44 billion dollars of his fortune to buy Twitter he turned it into X he made X into a megaphone a very powerful political megaphone for his own propaganda for his and created what 205 1:01 207 million followers using his algorithms to change everything so he he would be even more powerful uh and then invested how much in 277 million in electing Donald Trump to elect Donald Trump I believe and what has he how is his fortune how much has his fortune grown since the election I want to say it was uh almost 200 billion something like 170 billion right yeah since the beginning of no November pretty good return on the investment on both Investments right on Twitter and on Trump well I'm not so sure about I mean the propaganda part on I'm not sure the financial part on but the financial part too I mean 44 billion he's made how much uh look what is the story here I mean we saw this week him use x to completely kill a compromise that would have kept the government going yeah that was on 2:00 Wednesday feels like it was years ago Trump did not enter into the fry until hours and hours later he did plan yes vice president Trump of course exactly vice president Trump yeah so so but but seriously do we know anything about whether Trump wanted musk to do this or was a trial run or I mean my understanding is that musk just did it he flooded X and he got and even to the point where Michael Johnson said called him and said please stop and then Trump weighed in yeah so that's how coordinated is it I don't know well I I don't think it's all that coordinated and I'm not sure I mean you're dealing with two people with gigantic egos who are narcissists and who are not going to necessarily coordinate with each other right and impulse control issues so so this whole deal falls apart uh and then Michael Johnson is really on the hot seat 3:00 uh he tries to put something else together what what do we learn from all of this billionaires uh are wielding direct power and influence over our democracy and it's pretty messy and it's not great well direct power I mean they've already been wielding indirect power billionaires have been flooding I mean since citizens united right since 2010 uh the floodgates have been opened to the biggest money and the deepest Pockets uh but this is this is the first instance I of I know of where you have direct billionaire control of our political agenda it's so blatant I know but it's interesting that it didn't right what Trump wanted to happen didn't happen well interestingly he added as such he added Trump added this special little thing that the right-wing in the House Republicans couldn't swallow which is sus suspending mhm the debt ceiling 4:01 mhm uh or lifting the debt ceiling I mean they call it suspension but actually what they're doing is LIF can you remind us what is the debt ceiling for those of us who do mean what does it mean to raise staffers in the house okay the debt ceiling was put in place in the early really early 20th century and all it is is a a legislative gimmick uh I mean it doesn't it doesn't do anything it's not as if it restricts spending because government has already made appr rations and commitments right uh so the debt ceiling is there but if you reach the debt ceiling and we're actually liable to reach it in January February March if you stretch it out the treasury has ways of stretching it out but if you reach the debt ceiling and you haven't lifted it the government can't pay the commitments it is already made which means the United States government the credit full faith and credit of the United States government is no longer 5:00 good so it's the amount we're allowed to borrow right the to the total amount we're allowed to borrow and it represents stuff we've spent in the past but stuff we've already appropriate we've already made commitments the point is that you don't even want to to have a debt ceiling and this is the only thing that Donald Trump has done and he did it only the past two days that makes sense I mean Donald Trump says we don't need it it's symbolic we shouldn't have it he's thinking really about I'm going to be president pretty soon and I want to have a big tax cut and it's going to break the bank and so we don't want to be have any constraints at all right but these Republicans have said we are fiscal conservatives we have always said we will not do that unless we're cutting spending at the same time right and and Heather that's where things become interesting it's the old fiscal conservative Republicans knocking against Donald Trump who doesn't care about fiscal conservatism doesn't care about any spending constraints uh and we those two Clash and it's going to clash 6:01 partly Elon Musk and ramas Swami's Doge Department of of government uh efficiency efficiency uh because how they want to take $2 trillion out of the budget but how do you do that and have a tax cut you can't do that without attacking the well basically Social Security Medicare and Medicaid those are the you know that's 45% of the entire federal budget mhm and if you want to and you don't want to attack all National Defense that you you are inevitably going to go after social but it almost feels Shakespearean with these players you know Trump and then musk on the side yes very very very Shan sorry everybody this very let's go on the stage well I have a question to be or not to be do you think that musk and Trump's relationship is going to continue as it has been I mean it feels to me like they're somewhat 7:00 ideologically opposed here because musk is you know Coming Out Swinging big against waste and you know all of these government programs he wants to cut and Trump seems to just want to turn on the government money printer to give tax cuts to rich people exactly there is inevitably a a an inconsistency here and there's also an inconsistency of egos I mean you can't have the you can't have the government run by two Nar giant grandio narciss survive at once I think the answer is that musk's days are limited and especially is he going to make it to the inauguration I mean at this rate it seems like he's trying to co-opt control you know now well but but also what's interesting is you see uh we're still in a democratic Administration oh are we is Joe Biden president I mean Joe Biden is still president this is where I mean KLA Harris is still vice president but you think that because all you're hearing about is musk and Trump and Michael Johnson speaker of the house and what 8:01 the Republicans are going through it feels like the Republicans are in charge which is from the Democrat standpoint terrific that's what I was going to just yeah because they well but isn't it true though I mean the Republicans control the house in some sense they do own this mess right it's only because they can't agree exactly yeah they own the mess great on the other hand you know if the Democrats well the Democrats did participate in the compromise that's true that everybody you know that then musk got the Republicans to turn on uh but it does show something quite important and I hope people learn the Democratic party is still the governing party the Republican party doesn't know how to govern that's it but they never know who's visible to everyone is kind of who's in Play I mean Biden is president but we don't even he's invisible right now and but but when you have a musk and you have a trump I mean who's going to be visible nobody is 9:00 going to be visible U and I think that's part of the issue I know but so this is the this is I mean we knew we were entering chaos yeah this is the preview of chaos unfortunately unfortunately for all of us I mean it's it may be good politics for the Democrats it may help them in the midterms if this is a preview of what we're going to see uh but it is really no way to run a government it is really horrible it also feels so uniquely American to me to watch American exceptionalism I know really and so unforunately Trump I mean excuse me musk is not a naturalized natural well he is a naturalized US citizen but he's not a native born US citizen he wasn't born can't run for president exactly but if he can't run for president the next best thing is to be acting President right I know it's a wild situation we're in and but watching them not be able to govern on the one hand is refreshing because I'm hoping that will mean something to 10:01 people and they'll realize things in the midterms and blah blah blah but also it's awful these are the people in charge and they're unable to do the job well I think Michael Johnson is a key player here speaker of the house uh whether this tarnishes him uh in ways that after January 3rd when the new Republican house comes in and is sworn in and uh they officially have to decide on who's the next speaker is going to be the assumption is that it's going to be Michael Mike Johnson but he may have through all of this ordeal created so many enemies uh well the knives are out for him they they are they're certainly out for him they you know on the on the extreme right uh Trump may try to save him I wonder because Trump would like to have Michael Johnson be his his person obviously his and I think he salutes his sword carrier but this whole imog suggests that maybe Trump can't trust 11:02 Michael Johnson to actually deliver can you imagine trying to have that job I mean who would replace him did you see who Mike Lee suggested Senator Mike Lee of Utah right who did he suggest uh Elon Musk oh yeah Oh I thought it was Ron Paul that suggested that it was Paul Paul suggested it I think they both did maybe May's there's a constituency that seems to be emerging at least to flatter Elon musk's ego in the Republican caucus by suggesting he could be Speaker of the House well first of all that's unprecedented isn't it well first of all you technically you can be speaker of the house even if you are not a member of the house you can which is such a remarkable loophole and I I want to make clear that I am available to the Republicans never I I would Mike Johnson if you'd like to take a vacation yeah I'm a I'm here but uh no it's a horrible job and in this scen oh horrible job and reporting to musk and Trump and reporting to musk Trump and the right-wing Republican because he doesn't 12:00 really have a unified caucus he no and he he needs the Democrats to get anything done and the Democrats therefore are able to play him off and play off the right-wing uh in the house it's a it's a miserable situation and for him and it's it's a terrible situation for the country too uh because must a lot of things have to be done uh musk and ramaswami when they get their Department of government eff efficiency whatever it's called and which isn't a department and it's not efficient uh when they get it off the ground um the question is what do they actually do how much clout do they have and I think what we've seen is that Elon Musk has much more clout than anybody expected among the Republicans well just in terms of that gigantic megaphone being able to pressure House Republicans as we've seen this week especially right absolutely so this is not going to be a picnic for Trump um and and I think he is getting 13:02 getting to know that U he's not as powerful as he thought he was uh those right-wing Republicans decided not to do what he wanted do you think their constituents are really worried about the debt ceiling no most most of the constituents uh are not but many of them campaigned on shrinking government this is the old Republican this is the genrich Republicans uh they didn't campaign on a tax cut for the rich uh this is what you know musk wants and this is what obviously Trump wants they didn't campaign on getting rid of environmental health and safety regulations again what musk wants and what Trump is willing to do for his billionaires right right and what they did campaign on lest anyone forget I feel like it's slipping out of my memory through you know the chaos of the last two weeks lowering prices at the grocery store out the pump helping Working Class People all prices was the quote exactly and you know Trump was out 14:01 there a week or two ago whenever it was saying well actually you know the tariffs might actually raise prices and maybe we won't actually lower prices so just just like that and then lost immediately in the chaos of the last week well if if prices because of the tariffs or because of this Dragnet that he's threatening with regard to undocumented workers in the United States uh if prices go up because of either or both of them uh then uh the midterm elections are going to be a route I mean the Democrats are going to take back both Chambers but are we worried about anti-democratic actions being taken by the Trump Administration to prevent something like that yes we should be but there's only a limit to what the Trump Administration can get done in the first two years I think it's just going to they're going to try to get the tax cut they're going to try to get you know the border security provision they're going to try to too biggies they can't do very much on uh 15:00 what's called reconciliation which means they can get it through the Senate on just a majority they don't have to worry about you know any kind of uh attempt by the Democrats in the Senate to hold things up you know who's going to have a great year the lobbyists it is going to be wild isn't it I think the the Washington DC lobbyists and lawyers are going to have a field day they are going to make more money and have more business than they have in any point in recent history because you got you know all their clients want them to get exemptions from the tariffs all their clients want them to get special tax breaks and that tax bill that's going to go through is going to be a Christmas tree of tax breaks uh all of their clients are going to want them to get uh more exemptions from regulations uh and of course the person in the White House is transactional so he's going to be wheeling and dealing and collecting money and collecting money for himself and his campaign and for the for the 16:01 Republicans and it's it's it's going to be wild and so at the end of the day who's going to pay you know the cost of these tariffs probably everyone else right of course of course uh the cost of the tariffs and the cost of the the tax cut and the cost of everything else I mean average working people get stuck with the bill now whether they know it is a different thing now but if the debt ceiling is not raised how do you get the tax cut through well the de debt ceiling has to be raised uh has to be raised because you don't want to go again he doesn't want to go after Social Security Medicare Medicaid because that that's the third rail and the fourth Rail and the fifth rail so you you you have to raise the debt ceiling and Trump somehow is going to have to get that done he would rather have it done under he says Biden and a Biden Administration than his own Administration but he's going to have to do it it'll be interesting to see how he 17:03 and musk start to fall out and who's blamed for what because I do think with musk being so loud with his megaphone it does give an opportunity for Trump to say it's that guy's fault right I think so uh but again we have not seen Trump uh in a second Incarnation uh in which he's surrounded by people who are all lap dogs EX ccept Elon Musk who is not officially confirmed not officially elected not officially there in any capacity at all except for the fact he has more money than anybody else in the universe and he gets to visit Mar Lago you know hang out all the time have lunch he's there yep are we going to see him going in and out of the White House a bunch oh yes yes in a Tesla but if we see him as man of the year or Person of the Year by Time Time Magazine that's when Trump says out can we talk about the times you have 18:02 been part of government shutdowns you really want to I do I'm curious aren't you Michael I me this is the fun thing about the coffee clutch we can ask you what it was like that's true I mean I I was not alive actually for most of the time you were in the cabinet so that is that is so here we go that is so awful Michael I mean that you could you were not aive here I was working my brains out and and my ass off and you were not even alive I was trying to go to college and you were in college yeah in 95 right well that's actually I believe when we have a clip of you talking about a previous government shutdown if you want to show that to our okay we are not going to balance the budget by hurting the elderly we're not going to balance the budget by hurting the poor and the young we're not going to balance the budget by hurting ordinary working people who are trying to make ends meet the kind of people that we are protecting the kind of people who opportunities we are trying 19:00 to enhance we are not going to balance the budget by making the inequalities in this country that are already straining the social fabric of this country even worse we're not going to balance the budget by pulling people further apart there are two competing philosophies here one philosophy thinks that the only purpose of government basically is National Defense and that we can go on as a bunch of atomized individuals without any obligation to one another to make sure that we succeed together without any sense of community without any sense that we are not just an economy but we are also a society that we can face the world and face World competition with a few dozen billionaire entrepreneurs and that's all we need we are not simply an economy in this country the glue that holds us together is not merely the business we transact with one another we are in a very meaningful and profound sense a society in which we 20:02 have obligations toward one another we care about protecting each other we care about enabling each other to get ahead so do you remember that no you really don't I have no memory at all but I do remember telling uh Labor Department workers I mean thousands of workers that they would have to go home uh I could not guarantee that they would be repay I I said I I hoped and expected they would but they were certainly not going to be paid as long as the government was closed and this was November this November 1995 uh and it was also unclear whether n gri at that time who was speaker or Bill Clinton was going to be blamed for this shutdown because it was really both of them at loggerheads bu I'm serious well um it finally ended uh and new kingish was blamed yeah uh 21:03 and it uh ultimately led to his resignation as speaker and ultimately led to Bill Clinton being reelected would you do you foresee that if a government shutdown in the future happens that you know House Republicans will be held accountable in the same way well clearly House Republicans are accountable for any shutdown that occurs from here on over the next couple of years because again we have not seen a situation where you have a new president come in with a new Congress of the same party uh and all of them uh uh kind of committed to toppling the system uh you know sort of the the Renegades now what does that actually mean as a practical matter uh I don't know but it doesn't necessarily mean good government remember that puppet of 22:00 n Gingrich that you had in your office at UC Berkeley where's that now I don't know I don't know is it in storage it probably I get it put it back here it's so great we're gonna find it well we'll have to track it down but Michael I can't believe you were you were not even born when all this was going on5 in '95 and you were in college I was a freshman you were mhm well fall of 995 in DC mind you but I wasn't paying attention I didn't have any internships for the government I wasn't wasn't quite I wasn't I mean I knew it was happening but I I'll tell you one one little secret thing that I knew I subsequently knew about is that that that government shutdown was the beginning of the relationship between Bill Clinton and Monica Linsky wow but keep it just Among Us right no no one knows about that so my question to you both is why is this happening around the holidays I mean just from a very very basic question I think a lot of people are wondering or just finding out for the first time even some of my peers and family you know the 23:00 government's going to shut down like right before Christmas are my packages going to get to my parents or to my other family me what's happening well part of the answer is that a lot of the uh revenue streams uh were designed to end by the end of the year calendar year yeah uh part of the answer is that there is a I think an almost subconscious assumption that during the holidays it doesn't matter uh you know if government is there or not I mean it does obviously as a practical B A lot of people are traveling a lot of people want to make sure that they they are not delays at airports they want people want to make sure that that all the checks arrive when they should but there is a kind of assumption in Washington that it's time off that's I it's ridiculous I mean there been 21 shutdowns since 1976 government shutdowns and a lot of it is about playing a a game of chicken mhm uh but uh instead instead of instead of it improving you look at the duration of 24:01 the shutdowns they keep on getting longer the most recent shutdown under Trump the first Trump Administration was about 35 days was it that long I forgotten that wow and how long were they back in the day when you were around back in the day how long was the day well back in the day back in the 19th century well we had shutdown I'm to get in trouble with the audience we sorry we had actually uh the shut down s we had in '95 there were two shutdowns if I remember and they were both relatively short government work not easy well it's not just government workers it's also contractors I mean the government contractors are in in a sense in the worst position because poor SpaceX because poor SpaceX yes poor SpaceX uh because not only will they not get paid uh and their employees don't get paid uh but they may not get ever ever get repaid at least the government 25:02 workers by Statute by law will get repaid for the time that they put in if they are working now if they're not working they're not going to get repaid okay should we go off for the holidays now well we'll be back or rather you'll be back for a special Q&A session I believe yeah we're gonna answer questions by the way by the way you did a great job with Vish last week yes we missed you we missed you sweet everyone everyone in the audience missed missed you dearly no well thank you for anyone who missed me but thank you and Vish for filling in yes I was traveling and well special thanks especially to Vish he pulls together a lot of the research uh that we get to use on this show and I think that it was a great opportunity to highlight all of the work that he does did he do his Bernie Sanders impersonation no no next time next time next time anyway uh all of you we wish you a great week we're going to be here next Saturday uh also I want to 26:02 thank Jordan alport uh our technician and all around everything uh takes care of the studio and takes care of the cameras and does everything you don't know him but he's sitting right over there Jordan thank you uh and we'll see you next week [Music]

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