The Briefing with Jen Psaki

September 25, 2026 - Jen Psaki holds Donald Trump's boasts about helping Republican candidates on the campaign trail up against the reality that he is being sent to safely Republican districts where he not only won't face pushback from angry American voters, but he won't cause any damage with his politically toxic poll numbers.
Pastor Adam Hamilton, Democratic candidate for Senate from Kansas talks with Jen about why his blue campaign is performing so well in such a red state.
Marc Elias, founder of Democracy Docket talks with Jen about whether and how much to worry about Donald Trump's efforts to purge voter rolls.
Jen Psaki unearths past video of Donald Trump decrying state dinners, especially with China, and contrasts them with Donald Trump's literal red carpet treatment of China's President Xi, embarrassing himself and the United States with his fawning admiration. Former U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan joins to discuss.

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September 24, 2026 - As Donald Trump ban on members of the media whose coverage he doesn't like continues to play out in court, Jen Psaki points out that the media model Trump seems to most want to emulate is that of the dictators he admires.
Peter Alexander, chief national reporter for MS NOW, and Jim Acosta, former chief White House correspondent for CNN, discuss the importance of news organizations staying united in the face of Donald Trump's attacks.
Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirscher talks with Jen about the legal principles behind Donald Trump's failure to defend banning certain members of the media from the White House.
Rob Flaherty and Jesse Lehrich, co-hosts of the "Nobody Knows Anything" show, talk with Jen Psaki about the desperation among Republican legislators up for reelection this November trying to distance themselves from Donald Trump as Trump continues to double down on some of his most unpopular positions.

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September 23, 2026 - Jen Psaki points out that the last time Donald Trump lost his cool and tried to ban a member of the news media from the White House he had just been clobbered by a blue wave midterm and his political power was at a nadir. Polling shows him to be even worse off now than he was then. Jim Acosta, former chief White House correspondent for CNN who successfully challenged being banned from the White House in Trump's first term, joins to discuss why Trump's bad news makes him angry at the news media.
Jen Psaki explains that despite the importance of the visit to the United States by China's President Xi, the fuss Trump made to greet Xi was not covered by the TV press pool because of Donald Trump's decision to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House. Jay Carney, former White House press secretary, joins to discuss.
Rep. Jamie Raskin joins Jen in the studio to talk about the many ways Donald Trump violates the U.S. constitution, from tearing apart the White House to attempting to interfere in states' elections.

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While Donald Trump banning news organizations from the White House because he doesn't like their coverage is objectively inexcusable in the United States of America, Republicans are nonetheless trying their hardest to make excuses for Trump. Jen Psaki dismantles them with facts and context.
Jen Psaki shows the many Republican candidates campaigning for the coming midterm elections with a suspiciously similar message about the need for Donald Trump's disastrous Iran war to come to a quick end. But Psaki also points out that many of these Republicans failed to vote for war powers resolutions that would have forced Trump's hand in bringing the war to an end.
Jen Psaki shares new video of former President Barack Obama advocating for more people younger than himself to be elected to office and criticizing "old men" who won't make way for a new generation of leaders. Maryland Governor Wes Moore joins to discuss the importance of a younger generation serving in government at a time when new technology is changing Americans' lives at an alarming rate.


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Jen Psaki reviews the history of American presidents clashing with members of the press but still respecting their First Amendment role, and reports on Donald Trump's declaration that he is banning MS NOW, CNN and Politico from the White House. Trump previously lost a legal challenge to banning a member of the press, and Psaki notes that Trump's war on the free press hasn't prevented the press from continuing to cover him and his administration.
Terry Moran and Eugene Daniels join to discuss the relationship between presidents and the press, and Donald Trump's thin skin and petty nature.
Kerry Kennedy, President John F. Kennedy's niece, talks with Jen Psaki about Donald Trump's threat to destroy the Kennedy Center, a memorial to her uncle, if Trump is not allowed to also put his own name on it, and points out the contrast between JFK's vision of service to one's country versus Donald Trump's corruption and self-dealing.
Texas State Rep. Jon Rosenthal talks about the unexpcted support he is receiving from Republicans after his opponent revealed himself to be too racist even for very the low bar Republicans set.

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