The Briefing with Jen Psaki

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Trump goes off the deep end after judge halts his ballroom pet project Apr 01, 2026

Show notes

Donald Trump is so enamored of his White House ballroom pet project that he talks about it every chance he gets, regardless of the setting. Sometimes it seems like he wishes Americans would be as distracted by it as he is. But now a judge has put a halt to the project, reminding Trump that he is a steward of the White House, not the owner, and requiring him to get approval from Congress first.

Donald Trump has no idea how to fix the mess he has made with his attack on Iran, and now it seems he may not even try and may instead dump the challenge of re-opening the Strait of Hormuz on them. At the same time, several European allies are not allowing the U.S. to use their facilities or even cross their airspace in connection with Trump's war. Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (ret.), former commanding general of the U.S. Army, Europe, and Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia discuss.

Donald Trump was aleady unpopular with Americans before he started his random war with Iran, and now with the cost of living made even more difficult with soaring gas prices, Trump's approval is cratering. Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, Democratic candidate for Senate, joins to discuss.

Rep. Eric Swall joins to discuss pushing back on Trump's bullying, and the effort to hold Trump accountable for January 6 even as Trump has pardoned all of his faithful rioters from that day.

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'Trump was warned': Reports contradict Trump's claims of surprise by challenges in Iran Mar 28, 2026

Show notes

Despite Donald Trump expressing shock and surprise at how Iran has responded to being attacked by the United States and Israel, Jen Psaki shares reporting that Trump was warned about everything from attacks on regional U.S. allies to the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump's struggle with these challenges is due to a lack of preparation, not a lack of prediction.

Former CIA director John Brennan and former Pentagon press secretary John Kirby talk with Jen about the realities Donald Trump has to deal with in Iran.

Jen Psaki looks at the bizarre conservative political circus that is CPAC and shares video of an awkward moment in which an intended rallying cry for Republican midterm candidates exposes a growing rift in Donald Trump's base of support.

Jane Fonda, actor, activist and founder of the modern Committee for the First Amendment, who is scheduled to attend the flagship protest in St. Paul on No Kings Day, talks with Jen Psaki about what's at stake in standing up to the Trump administration and the importance of "neighboring" to keep communities resilient.

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Psaki: Trump can't TACO out of Iran Mar 27, 2026

Show notes

Even as the war in Iran tests Donald Trump's attention span and the patience of American voters, it's not like other problems that Trump has created that he can reverse by changing his mind and making an announcement. Jen Psaki looks at the sticking points of Trump's war in Iran.

Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, talks with Jen about how decisions are being made behind closed doors in the Trump administration.

Jen Psaki shares news that Donald Trump says he will sign an executive order directing the Secretary of Homeland Security to pay TSA agents. But the mess Trump has made of gas prices will not be nearly so easy to fix. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill joins to discuss the challenges of helping her constituents deal with problems Trump has caused.

And Norm Eisen, executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund, talks with Jen about the extensive corruption in Donald Trump's administration.

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Trump losing Republicans over lack of Iran plan; embarrassingly simplistic briefings exposed Mar 26, 2026

Show notes

Jen Psaki shares new reporting from NBC News about Donald Trump being fed a daily sizzle reel of Iran war explosions, and growing concerns that even the most basic information about the war in Iran is eluding Trump's understanding regardless of the briefing format. And a classified Pentagon briefing of lawmakers on the plan for Iran was apparently so unacceptable that even Republicans were willing to risk Trump's ire to speak out against how the war is being run.

Rep. Pat Ryan and Rep. Chris Deluzio talk with Jen about the growing consensus that Donald Trump has no idea what he's doing in Iran or how to get the U.S. out of it.

Despite Judge Aileen Cannon restricting some documents from Jack Smith's investigation of Donald Trump from being made public, Rep. Jamie Raskin found that Trump Justice Department shared some of those documents with the House Oversight Committee in an effort to help smear Jack Smith, not realizing they were also exposing Smith's theory of why Trump was hoarding classified documents. Rep. Raskin discusses with Jen Psaki.

Rep. Ro Khanna talks with Jen Psaki about progress in the Epstein investigation, which is being done by Congress because Donald Trump's Justice Department doesn't seem to be bothered.

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Trump stumped: Trump squirms as media presses for answers on Iran Mar 25, 2026

Show notes

Emily Gregory talks with Jen Psaki after being projected the winner to represent Florida's state House District 87, which covers part of Palm Beach County, including Mar-a-Lago, making Donald Trump one of her new constituents.

Jen Psaki tries to make sense of the latest round of answers and explanations from Donald Trump and his Cabinet on how the war in Iran is progressing and what the end of the conflict might look like, even as those answers and explanations only seem to show that the Trump administration doesn't have any answers or explanations.

Senator Ruben Gallego joins to discuss how the veterans community in the U.S. is reacting to Donald Trump's war in Iran, and Trump's deployment of ICE to airports.

And former Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr talk with Jen about the importance of the Pentagon press corps as the Trump administration skirts a court order to keep the press at arm's length.

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Judge hands Hegseth huge defeat on media restrictions as Trump continues to wing it on Iran Mar 21, 2026

Show notes

Jen Psaki shares breaking news that a judge has ruled against Pete Hegseth's effort to restrict the press at the Pentagon from trying to obtain information that isn't explicitly authorized, even if it isn't classified, and talks about the importance of an free news media, particularly in a time of war and with a president who is "lying every time he speaks or is completely out of touch with reality."

As Donald Trump keeps the U.S. military engaged in Iran without a clear goal, new crises, like the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, means further engagement. Ben Rhodes, former deputy national security advisor, and Robert Malley, former special envoy for Iran, talk with Jen Psaki about how Iran's asymmetric strategy and the global economy at stake could give Trump much more than he bargained for in Iran.

And Anna Gomez, commissioner with the FCC talks with Jen about why the deal to merge Nexstar and Tegna is a bad idea.

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Who is the biggest alleged grifter in the Trump administration? Mar 20, 2026

Show notes

Jen Psaki looks at some of the happy talk the Trump administration is offering about Donald Trump's war on Iran while outward signs suggest things are not going as well as they would have hoped.

Senator Jon Ossoff talks with Jen about Donald Trump's handling of the war and how constituents are reacting to the economic fallout.

Rep. Robert Garcia talks with Jen Psaki about questions Democrats in Congress want answered about Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner's role representing the United States in negotiations with countries he has a financial interest in, as well as a new investigation into allegations of impropriety against Corey Lewandowski.

Amos Hochstein, an expert in global energy markets, explains why the mess Donald Trump has made with his war on Iran is "the worst energy crisis the world has ever seen," and talks with Jen Psaki about how it could get worse and how long it will take to fix it.

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OFF THE RAILS: Rand Paul beef with Markwayne Mullin adds surreal layer to bizarre hearing Mar 19, 2026

Show notes

Jen Psaki reports on the confirmation hearing for Donald Trump's pick to replace Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin. Mullin is already a dubious choice to lead DHS, but a long-running feud between Mullin and committee chair, Rand Paul added a whole new dimension to why he might not be a good choice.

Jen Psaki reports on director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard's testimony at the Senate Intelligence Committee's worldwide threats hearing, Gabbard was careful not to say anything that would contradict statements made by Donald Trump on his war against Iran, even when directly confronted with her own statements, obvious facts, or the responsibilities of her job.

Senator Mark Kelly discusses the stakes of Donald Trump staffing important national security positions with unqualified sycophants.

"She's a liar!" Rep. Maxwell Frost talks with Jen Psaki about what happened behind closed doors at a House Oversight Committee meeting with Donald Trump's attorney general, Pam Bondi, about arranging a hearing, under oath, about the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein documents.

Senator Mark Warner discusses his concerns about the safety of upcoming elections.

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Trump spins weird Iran fantasy narrative contradicted by reports Mar 18, 2026

Show notes

Jen Psaki shares a remarkable litany of instances in which Donald Trump's confident assertions on his war against Iran are directly contradicted by news reports, many of which are sourced to members of Trump's own administration.

Rep. Jim Himes, member of the House Intelligence Committee, joins Jen to discuss the resignation of a top Trump counterintelligence official who objected to Trump's mischaracterization of Iran's threat to the United States.

With less than glowing news coming out of Donald Trump war on Iran, Donald Trump and his acolytes, including some in the media, have decided to try to change the news by attacking the messengers. Terry Moran, former ABC News anchor, and Elise Labott, host of "Cosmopolitics" on Substack, talk with Jen Psaki about the important role of an independent press with a leader like Trump in power.

And Ali Velshi reports in from the big board on primary elections in Illinois.

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TV performers leading attack on Iran focus more on image than strategy Mar 14, 2026

Show notes

Jen Psaki looks at press conferences by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as well as media appearances by Donald Trump and finds that the former TV show hosts are not living up to the seriousness of the positions they hold and are more fixated on creating a successful image for their war on Iran than they are on the details and strategy that would help secure actual success.

Barbara Starr, former CNN Pentagon correspondent, and Brig. Gen. Steven M. Anderson (Ret.) join to discuss how Donald Trump's and Pete Hegseth's attitudes about using the U.S. military is reshaping American military culture.

Fiona Hill, a former senior director on the National Security Council, talks with Jen Psaki about the many challenges associated with an attack on Iran that experts in the foreign policy community knew and understood well before Donald Trump decided to jump in with both feet and struggle with those very same, known challenges, and how Trump's one-at-a-time style of dealing with other countries leaves him ill equipped to deal with a complex world with overlapping interests.

Bobby Pulido, Democratic congressional candidate and acclaimed Tejano music star, talks with Jen Psaki about the political atmosphere in Texas and using political judo moves on his opponent's attacks.

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