HUH? [ CHEERS ] I THINK HE WOULD. >> AND JOINING ME NOW ON BEHALF OF THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN IS REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN BYRON DONALDS OF FLORIDA. CONGRESSMAN DONALDS, WELCOME BACK TO "MEET THE PRESS." HAPPY FATHER'S DAY. >> OH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO EVERYBODY OUT THERE. >> THANKS. THIS WEEKEND DONALD TRUMP AGAIN RAILED, AS YOU SAW, AGAINST HIS GUILTY VERDICT HANDED DOWN BY THAT MANHATTAN JURY LAST MONTH. HE'S SAID HE'S GOING TO APPEAL THE VERDICT. HE HAS ASKED HOUSE SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON TO OVERTURN HIS CONVICTION. WHY SHOULD CONGRESS INTERVENE ON DONALD TRUMP'S BEHALF RATHER THAN LETTING THE JUDICIAL PROCESS PLAY OUT? >> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, GOOD TO BE WITH YOU. ONE IMPORTANT THING, IT'S NOT ABOUT SPEAKER JOHNSON. HE DOESN'T HAVE THE POWER TO OVERTURN ANYTHING. WHAT IT'S ABOUT IS THAT CONGRESS DOES FUND A LOT OF JURISDICTIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY. IF THERE IS A JURISDICTION THAT TAKES FEDERAL MONEY AND DOES NOT ALSO PROTECT THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF ALL AMERICANS, WHETHER THAT'S PRESIDENT TRUMP OR ANY OTHER AMERICAN, THEY SHOULDN'T RECEIVE FEDERAL FUNDS. I THINK HAAS SOMETHING THAT -- THAT'S SOMETHING THAT EVERY AMERICAN WOULD AGREE WITH. YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND PRESIDENT TRUMP'S FRUSTRATION. WHAT HAPPENED IN LOWER MANHATTAN WAS A VIOLATION OF HIS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. THEY DIDN'T EVEN IDENTIFY THE CRIME, QUOTE/UNQUOTE, UNTIL THE END OF THE PROCESS WHICH IS A VIOLATION OF CONSTITUTIONAL NORMS. JUDGE MERCHAN DID NOT DO THAT. AND SO YES, HE'S FRUSTRATED, ANYONE AMERICAN WOULD BE FRUSTRATED. >> CONGRESSMAN, TO BE CLEAR, THIS WAS OBVIOUSLY A STATE CASE. HE WAS INDICTED BY A GRAND JURY OF NEW YORKERS. IT WAS A JURY OF HIS PEERS IN NEW YORK THAT FOUND HIM GUILTY. THE PRESIDENT, FORMER PRESIDENT, HAS CALLED HIMSELF A POLITICAL PRISONER. BUT OF COURSE, HE HAD LEGAL REPRESENTATION. HE HAS THE RIGHT TO APPEAL. HE'S NEITHER BEEN DETAINED NOR IMPRISONED. SO WHY NOT JUST LET THE JUDICIAL PROCESS PLAY OUT? >> WELL, LET'S GO BACK BEFORE YOU GO DOWN THAT LINE. IN THE ORIGINAL INDICTMENT, THEY NEVER IDENTIFIED AN UNDERLYING CRIME. UNDER OUR BILL OF RIGHTS, UNDER OUR RULE OF LAW, A DEFENDANT IS ENTITLED TO KNOW WHAT HE'S BEING CHARGED WITH. DONALD TRUMP WAS NEVER AFFORDED THAT ABILITY. HOW CAN HIS LEGAL TEAM PREPARE A DEFENSE IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ACTUAL CRIME IS? THAT IS WHY WHAT HAPPENED IN LOWER MANHATTAN WAS SO TERRIBLE, AND THE ONLY TIME THE PROSECUTION COULD EVEN ASSERT A CRIME WAS AT THE END OF THE -- IN THE CASE, THIS CLOSING ARGUMENTS. YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO DO THAT. EVERY JUDGE KNOWS THIS. THIS IS WHY EVERYBODY BELIEVES THIS IS GOING TO BE OVERTURNED ON APPEAL. >> LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THAT BECAUSE -- >> THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. THAT IS THE PROBLEM. >> IF IT IS OVERTURNED -- I APOLOGIZE FOR THE SATELLITE DELAY. IF IT IS OVERTURNED ON APPEAL, WILL YOU ACCEPT THAT VERDICT? >> UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M TRYING TO EXPLAIN TO YOU. THIS IS BEING DONE FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES. EVERYBODY KNOWS HOW THE COURT SYSTEM WORKS IN NEW YORK. >> BUT WILL YOU ACCEPT THE VERDICT IF IT'S -- >> THE ABILITY TO BE OVERTURNED IS GOING TO BE HAPPENING TWO OR THREE YEARS FROM NOW. WE ALL KNOW THIS. THAT'S WHY WHAT HAPPENED IN LOWER MANHATTAN WAS TO INTERFERE WITH AN ELECTION WHICH IS WHY SPEAKER JOHNSON, MYSELF INCLUDED, AND MANY AMERICANS BELIEVE THE SUPREME COURT SHOULD STEP INTO THIS MATTER. >> TO BE CLEAR, JOE BIDEN, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT HE HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS CASE. THE MANHATTAN DA, AS YOU KNOW, BEGAN THIS INVESTIGATION IN 2018 BEFORE JOE BIDEN WAS EVEN HIS PARTY'S NOMINEE. I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT SPECIFICALLY WHAT WE'VE BEEN HEARING FROM REPUBLICAN AND DONALD TRUMP CLAIMING THE DEMOCRATS ARE ILLEGALLY WEAPONIZING THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AGAINST MR. TRUMP. WHY IS IT APPROPRIATE FOR DONALD TRUMP THEN TO CALL FOR PROSECUTING HIS POLITICAL OPPONENTS INCLUDING PRESIDENT BIDEN? >> WELL, LET ME ALSO EXPLAIN THIS ONE. NOW WHAT HE DID SAY WAS IS THAT WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD THIS KIND OF GENTLEMEN'S AGREEMENT THAT YOU DO NOT GO AFTER THE POLITICAL LEADERS OF THE OPPOSITION PARTY. WHEN DONALD TRUMP WAS PRESIDENT, HE DIDN'T HAVE HIS ATTORNEY GENERALS GO AFTER HILLARY CLINTON WHEN SHE DID VIOLATE THE ESPIONAGE ACT. HE DID NOT GIVE THAT ORDER. THEY DID NOT PROSECUTE HILLARY CLINTON. NOW YOU HAVE A SITUATION WHERE MAIN JUSTICE HAS WEAPONIZED THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO GO AFTER DONALD TRUMP. YOU HAVE JACK SMITH WHO'S CHASING DOWN DONALD TRUMP ON VIOLATING THE ESPIONAGE ACT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, ROBERT HUR KNOWS THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS VIOLATED THE ACT. JACK SMITH IS TRYING TO PROSECUTE DONALD TRUMP. THAT IS A TWO-TIER SYSTEM OF JUSTICE. PLAIN TO SEE. >> THEY ARE PURCHASING ROBERT MENENDEZ OF NEW JERSEY, HENRY QUAYAR. IS IT ONLY WHEN REPUBLICANS ARE BEING PROSECUTED? >> THAT'S NOT TRUE. AND THAT'S NOT EVEN THE SAME THING WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE. WHAT YOU GOT TO UNDERSTAND IS -- >> THEY PROSECUTED BOTH DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS. OFTEN IS THAT -- >> GOLD BARS WITH HIS NAME ENGRAVED FROM A FOREIGN COUNTRY. THAT'S WHAT BOB MENENDEZ'S SOFTWARE IS. THE OTHER JUST GOT INTO INVESTIGATION. IT IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THAT THESE LEGAL CASES WERE ALL BROUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION FOR ONE PURPOSE, AND THAT IS TO CRIMINALIZE DONALD TRUMP. THAT IS TO POLARIZE DONALD TRUMP. THAT IS TO PERSECUTE DONALD TRUMP. THAT'S THE ONLY REASON WHY YOU BRING THESE CASES IN THE TIMEFRAME THAT THEY'RE BEING BROUGHT. >> AGAIN, THERE HAVE BEEN A SERIES OF CASES AGAINST DEMOCRATS, AS WELL. LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT ANOTHER HEADLINE WE'VE BEEN WATCHING. A TRUMP SUPPORTER IN TEXAS THIS WEEK, CONGRESSMAN, WAS ARRESTED FOR MAKING THREATS AGAINST AN FBI AGENT WHO WAS INVOLVED IN THE HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATION. AUTHORITIES SAY THE AGENT RECEIVED TEXT MESSAGES AND AN EXPLICIT VOICEMAIL THAT SAID IN PART, "YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE, AND WE'LL HUNT YOU DOWN AND SLAY YOU LIKE THE TRAITOROUS DOGS YOU ARE." WILL YOU CONDEMN THOSE THREATS? >> I DON'T -- FIRST OF ALL, I DON'T THINK THAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR ANY CITIZEN TO SAY. I WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU I HEARD YOU CLEARLY. WE TALK ABOUT A CITIZEN? WHO WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I WANT TO HEAR CLEARLY. >> I HAVE THE CRIMINAL COMPLAINT. I CAN GET INTO MORE DETAIL. SUFFICE TO SAY THIS IS AN INDIVIDUAL IN TEXAS WHO WAS SAYING THESE THINGS ALLEGEDLY IN THE FORM OF TEXT MESSAGES AND VOICE MAILS TO AN FBI AGENT. A SUPPORTER OF DONALD TRUMP, WHO IS MAKING THOSE -- SAYING THESE THINGS. >> LISTEN, I DON'T SUPPORT THOSE COMMENTS. I THINK THOSE COMMENTS ARE OUT OF BOUNDS. I DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BE DOING THAT IN OUR COUNTRY. WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE RESPECT EVERYBODY IN OUR COUNTRY. YOU HAVE TO BE TOLERANT OF ALL PEOPLE EVEN WHEN YOU DISAGREE. NOW I WILL SAY THERE IS ALSO A FRUSTRATION AMONGST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. IT DOES NOT JUSTIFY THOSE COMMENTS. I WANT TO BE CLEAR ON THIS. BUT THERE IS A FRUSTRATION OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WHEN IT LOOKS LIKE THE INSTITUTIONS AND THE PILLARS OF OUR COUNTRY ARE BEING ERODED SIMPLY FOR POLITICAL PURPOSES. AND IT IS WITHOUT QUESTION THAT IS COMING FROM THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION. THEY HAVE SPIED ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. THEY HAVE WEAPONIZED THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AGAINST CONSERVATIVES AND NOW AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP. AND PEOPLE ARE GETTING FRUSTRATED WITH THAT. >> AS WE'VE SAID, THEY'RE ALSO PROSECUTING DEMOCRATS. LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT POLICY ISSUES AS THEY RELATE TO MR. TRUMP. THIS WEEK, MR. TRUMP FLOATED THE IDEA OF GETTING RID OF THE FEDERAL INCOME TAX AND REPLACING IT WITH AN ALL-TARIFF POLICY. MANY ECONOMISTS SAY THAT THAT WOULD HELP THE RICH, AND THAT IT WOULD HURT MIDDLE AND LOWER INCOME AMERICANS. IN 2021, CONGRESSMAN, YOU PRAISED AMERICA AS A BEACON FOR FREE AND FAIR TRADE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE WORLD. SO WOULDN'T THE PRESIDENT'S IDEA HURT TENS OF MILLIONS OF AMERICANS? >> WELL, LET ME BE DIRECT ABOUT TRADE POLICY. FOR A LOT OF OUR COUNTRY'S HISTORY, TRADE POLICY HAS NOT BEEN WRITTEN TO THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. A LOT OF THESE TRADE POLICIES HAVE FAVORED FOREIGN COUNTRIES. I'M DEFINITELY -- I BELIEVE IN FREE TRADE, BUT IT HAS TO BE FAIR TRADE. THE DEALS HAVE TO BE EQUITABLE. THE DEALS THAT WERE WRITTEN IN THE PAST, PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS, WERE NOT EQUITABLE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, TO THE AMERICAN COMPANIES. >> SO DONALD TRUMP'S PROPOSING AN ALL-TARIFF POLICY. >> NOW, HOLD ON A SECOND. LET ME FINISH. >> YEAH. >> LET ME FINISH. I'M GOING TO COME TO THE POLICY. NOW WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP IS THINKING THROUGH ALL TYPES OF VARIOUS POLICIES TO JUMP-START OUR ECONOMY, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A FLOURISHING AND THRIVING AMERICA. IT'S AN IDEA. IT'S NOT CONCRETE YET. A LOT OF THINGS HAVE TO BE FLUSHED OUT. I WAS IN THE ROOM WHEN THIS WAS BROUGHT UP. I TALKED WITH SEVERAL COLLEAGUES WHO UNDERSTAND TARIFF POLICY, TRADE POLICY, AND TAX POLICY, IN A LOT MORE DETAIL THAN I DO. THEY SAID THERE'S SOME MERIT TO IT, BUT THERE'S THINGS THAT HAVE TO BE WORKED OUT. YOU HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DEAL WITH THE TAXATION PIECE FOR PEOPLE ON THE LOW END OF THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC SPECTRUM. >> SO TO BE CLEAR, THESE ARE JUST IDEAS YOU'RE SUGGESTING -- >> TO PROTECT ALL AMERICANS -- >> THIS ISN'T A REAL PROPOSAL HE'S LOOKING TO IMPLEMENT NOW. WE NOTE THAT UNDER DONALD TRUMP AND HIS FOUR YEARS IN OFFICE -- >> THERE ARE MANY -- THERE ARE MANY IDEAS THAT THE PRESIDENT IS THINKING THROUGH ALL DESIGNED TO MAKE SURE THAT AMERICA THRIVES AND THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THRIVE. >> THE DEBT ROSE BY $8.4 TRILLION WHEN DONALD TRUMP WAS IN OFFICE. ALSO THE FED CHAIR WHO DONALD TRUMP HIMSELF SELECTED HAS SAID THIS WEEK THAT THE ECONOMY IS GROWING AT A SOLID PACE, AND WE HAVE A STRONG LABOR MARKET. I WANT TO ASK YOU IF I CAN ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT. WOULDN'T THIS POLICY, THOUGH, HURT THE VERY AMERICANS, BLACK AMERICANS, THAT YOU WERE SPEAKING TO LAST NIGHT? >> ACTUALLY NO. I DISAGREE WITH YOU BECAUSE, AGAIN, WHEN YOU BEGIN TO GO THROUGH PUBLIC POLICY, YOU THINK ABOUT IT FROM A 50,000-FOOT LEVEL, THEN YOU START TO DISTILL YOURSELF INTO THE IDEA. YOU FIGURE OUT ALL THE DETAILS. >> YEAH. >> LET ME TELL YOU WHAT IS HURTING BLACK AMERICANS. THE FACT THAT UNDER JOE BIDEN'S ECONOMY THEIR PURCHASING POWER IS BEING DESTROYED BY JOE BIDEN'S RADICAL INFLATION. PRICES ARE UP 20% ACROSS THE BOARD. SO WHILE UNEMPLOYMENT MIGHT BE LOW, WAGES ADJUSTED FOR INFLATION ARE SIGNIFICANTLY DOWN. HOW CAN A BLACK PERSON GET AHEAD WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE -- WHEN YOU HAVE LESS DISPOSABLE INCOME TODAY THAN YOU HAD IN 2017, IN 2018, IN 2019? THIS IS WHAT A LOT OF THE BLACK BUSINESS OWNERS THAT WE TALKED TO YESTERDAY IN DETROIT WERE EXPLAINING TO THE PRESIDENT. >> LET ME GET TO OTHER TOPICS. THE LOWEST UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR BLACK AMERICANS UNDER DONALD TRUMP WAS 5.3%. THE LOWEST UNDER JOE BIDEN WAS 4.7%. REPUBLICANS ARE SET TO FORMALLY NOMINATE DONALD TRUMP NEXT MONTH. DONALD TRUMP DURING HIS MEETING WITH REPUBLICANS THIS WEEK CALLED MILWAUKEE A HORRIBLE CITY, THE CAMPAIGN CLARIFIED, SAID HE WAS TALKING ABOUT ALLEGED VOTER FRAUD AND THE CRIME RATE THERE. LET ME TAKE THOSE ONE AT A TIME. MURDERS IN MILWAUKEE ARE DOWN 39% SINCE LAST YEAR, AND THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN'S OWN ELECTION INVESTIGATOR IN 2020 SAID THAT WISCONSIN'S RESULTS WERE LEGIT. SO IF MR. TRUMP FEELS SO STRONGLY THAT MILWAUKEE IS A HORRIBLE CITY, WHY IS HE HAVING HIS CONVENTION THERE? >> WELL, TWO THINGS. FIRST OF ALL, WHEN YOU BRING THESE COMMENTS UP, PLEASE BRING THEM IN CONTEXT. I'M GLAD YOU MENTIONED WHAT THE CAMPAIGN SAID AFTERWARDS. I NOTICED THAT YOUR NETWORK AND A LOT OF THE PRESS ARE NOT DOING THAT. WITH RESPECT TO MILWAUKEE, HE WAS TALKING ABOUT ALLEGATIONS OF VOTER FRAUD AND ALSO THE CRIME RATE. I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND YOUR MURDER RATE MAY BE DOWN, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT VIOLENT CRIME, ET CETERA, ARE ALSO LOWER. THOSE ARE TWO DIFFERNT PIECES OF CRIME. OBVIOUSLY MURDER IS THE MOST HEINOUS OF THEM ALL. WHEN IT COMES TO THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE, THE REASON -- LET ME FINISH NOW. WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT MILWAUKEE, THE REASON WHY THE RNC AND PRESIDENT TRUMP WANT TO GO TO MILWAUKEE IS BECAUSE WE KNOW THERE ARE VOTERS IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN LIKE VOTERS ALL ACROSS AMERICA WHO ARE FRUSTRATED WITH WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO OUR COUNTRY UNDER JOE BIDEN. IMMIGRATION, MASSIVELY UP AND OUT OF CONTROL. THE LABOR MARKETS ARE OKAY, NOT GREAT. WAGES ARE DOWN WHEN YOU ADJUST THEM FOR INFLATION. PEOPLE ARE STRUGGLING TO GET TO MAKE ENDS MEET IN JOE BIDEN'S AMERICA. SO THE PRESIDENT'S TAKING HIS MESSAGE EVERYWHERE, INCLUDING THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE. >> I APOLOGIZE FOR THE INTERRUPTION. A LOT TO GET TO. WE NOTE NOT JUST THE MURDER RATE, THE OVERALL VIOLENT CRIME HAS FALLEN DURING BIDEN'S PRESIDENCY. NOW AT A YEAR 50-YEAR LOW. FINALLY SOME NEWS ABOUT YOUR FUTURE. MR. TRUMP SAID YESTERDAY YOUR NAME IS HIGH ON HIS LIST OF PEOPLE HE'S CONSIDERING AS A RUNNING MATE. WOULD YOU BE READY ON DAY ONE TO SERVE AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF IF NECESSARY? >> WELL, I THINK IF YOU'RE GOING TO STEP INTO THAT JOB, IT'S OBVIOUSLY THE TOUGHEST JOB, THE BIGGEST JOB, NOT JUST IN OUR POLITICS BUT IN THE WORLD. LOOK, I THINK THAT I WOULD HAVE AN ABILITY TO STEP IN. I'M ACTUALLY PRETTY INTELLIGENT. I CAN SIFT THROUGH ISSUES REALLY, REALLY WELL. IT'S ABOUT JUDGMENT. 'S ABOUT LOGIC STREAMS, IT'S ABOUT HOW YOU MAKE DECISIONS AT THE END OF THE DAY. THEN YOU CANNOT DISCOUNT THE FACT THAT YOU WOULD HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE VERY QUALIFIED TO BE AROUND TO HELP YOU DO THAT JOB AND DO WHAT'S IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. DO I BELIEVE IN MYSELF? 100% I DO. YOU KNOW, WE'LL SEE WHAT PRESIDENT TR
