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ANNOUNCER: From the Nation’s Capital, the McLaughlin Group….an unrehearsed program presenting inside opinions and forecasts on major issues of the day….sponsored in part by Edison Electric Institute…the association of electric companies…and by Northrop Corporation…Northrop, making advanced technology work…. Here’s the moderator, John McLaughlin, Washington executive editor of the National Review. Mr. McLaughlin: Issue One – Donald Trump: scoring, soaring, flooring or boring? Mr. McLaughlin ON TAPE: Item: Washington spent the weekend acting like Taylor Swift dropped another surprise album, but with weak lyrics. Highly educated adults were spotted looking dead-eyed at their Georgetown salads, weeping quietly as they attempted to decode the latest Trump tremors. Item: With the Ukraine-Russia peace talks more tangled than an Elon Musk Mars-timeline thread, some saw peace in our time while others believe this is an effort roughly as futile as training Joe Biden’s dog not to reorganize the Secret Service. Secretary of State Marco “Polo” Rubio has headed back to DC, Turkey’s leader Mr. Erdogan is supposed to talk to Putin Monday, and the Europeans are having a confab on Tuesday. The U.S. and Ukrainian officials say progress is being made, but no one seems to know how much or towards what end. Item: With the president’s poll numbers seemingly tethered to worries over the economy from board rooms to bowling alleys, not even the magic juju of Scott Bessent seems to be calming the horses. Doubts persist..and GROW…in Republican circles that Trump has shifted sufficient focus from foreign policy to reviving America’s economic fortunes. So…, I ask you, Pat Buchanan— MR. BUCHANAN, SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: John -- that’s more doom and gloom than you’d see in a Jake Tapper-Mike Feldman text chain after the Eagles game! ALL: (LAUGHTER) MR. BUCHANAN: John, this is not merely a kerfuffle. It’s a geopolitical cage match—NATO versus the Real Housewives. Trump isn’t just scoring; he’s rewriting the rulebook faster than a Marvel franchise on its seventh sequel. Now Tucker and Fuentes might be angrier than a Reddit forum after a Sabrina Carpenter Ticketmaster crash. Sure. This is a culture and class war—Hamilton versus Jefferson, except everyone’s yelling and nobody sings on pitch. The populists, John, are seizing the high ground. As long as Trump stands up to Big Pharma, the globalists, and the neo-cons, a little cuddling with Putin and Mamdani never hurt anyone. Mr. McLaughlin: Eleanor???!!! ELEANOR CLIFT, NEWSWEEK: Pat, honestly—sometimes you sound like you’re broadcasting from 1952. Your argument is richer than the foie gras Vol-au-Vent at Butterworth’s. Trump isn’t soaring; he’s looping like the political version of The Walking Dead: long, loud, and mostly zombies. The facts simply do not support your rise and shine prophecy, no matter how dramatic you pitch it. This isn’t a culture war; it’s a mid-budget reboot of Veep, and incompetence is the only recurring character. And Bob, please, your cynicism is so thick it needs its own TSA PreCheck lane. Mr. McLaughlin: Swell-e-nor, enough with the ad hominem on poor Pat. How is Trump doing?? ELEANOR CLIFT, NEWSWEEK: Look, John, the country is tired. They want competence, not chaos cosplay. The idea that Trump is “soaring” is as fantastical as the next Elon-buys-everything storyline. On Ukraine, a U.S. official…tells me that the president hasn’t been as involved in the specifics. Quote: “You tell him, ‘I’m going to try to get a deal.’ He will say, ‘Great, go see what you can do.’ And that’s the level of detail he has,” the official said, later adding, “It’s been absolute chaos all day because even different parts of the White House don’t know what’s going on. It’s embarrassing.” Why is Jared Kushner at these talks and heavily involved in the process, when you’ve got Rubio, Witkoff, and Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll all at the table? Somebody solve that mystery. Plus, Republicans are all over the map on health care. Some say Trump is going to soon announce a two-year extension of the ObamaCare subsidieswith new eligibility limits, in a bid to get a bipartisan deal. The Washington Post says the focus is on a Republican-only reconciliation bill to deal with health care. This is another mess. Republican elected officials in DC and around the country are in a panic over health care and the midterms. They know this is now like in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, when real people have reached the breaking point. High premiums, high co-pays, high deductibles. People can’t figure out why they are paying so much and getting so little. They blame the insurance companies and the drug companies, sure, but now they are blaming Trump too. Mr. McLaughlin: Robert Novak,what say you?? MR. NOVAK, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: John, let’s inject reality here. Washington insiders are more jittery than Senate staffers when their boss starts trending on X for the wrong reason. Pat’s Disney+ optimism has the rigor of a Bravo reunion special. The smarter operatives have already flipped—faster than a CNN election-night hologram. Trump is flooring the political class behind closed doors, and the panic is palpable. This isn’t about feelings; it’s about raw, unvarnished power. The economy is in big trouble. It isn’t just residential housing, which Scott Bessent mentioned on “Meet the Press” when pressed about his recent comments that some sectors are already in recession. You’ve got some really rough areas effectively in recession, like commercial real estate, restaurants, freight, mining, higher ed. Trump’s only play is to announce in his State of the Union speech that he plans to cut the capital gains tax rate to zero. Challenge Congress to do it and if they refuse take that step by executive action. It might be illegal, but it is essential. And the only hope. MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Quickly, quickly, Jacko-sacko! JACK GERMOND, BALTIMORE SUN: Everybody at this table is overthinking it. Out where normal people vote, Trump has the traction of a self-driving Tesla hunting for a parking spot. Pat’s acting like this is a Cormac McCarthy novel; in Toledo, John, it’s closer to King of the Hill. Whether he’s soaring or boring depends not on Ukraine but on the wallet test, and folks are trying to pay the rent. All this focus on the cost of bacon and eggs has obscured the reality. It’s the two H’s -- housing and health care -- that really have people freaking out. And by “people” I mean both real people and Republican politicians and strategists. Patrick Ruffini is a smart Republican pollster. Here’s what he told me. “You can’t just talk about gas and groceries…You have to talk about health care and housing too….It would obviously be very nice to get Trump focused on affordability… I think the problem right now is a lack of focus.” James Carville in a fresh New York Times op-ed piece says Democrats need to go full-on populist anger on the economy to have a chance to remake the party’s image. Methinks James is onto something bigger than my bet on the filly Only in America to win big in the third race this afternoon at Pimlico. MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Exit question, on a scale of 0 to 10…with 0 meaning zero probability and 10 meaning metaphysical certitude, what are the chances Trump enters January and his State of the Union address on an upswing? MR. BUCHANAN: John, as my buddy Jesse Louis Jackson would say, Donald Trump is a peacemaker, a risk-taker, a rule-breaker, a ground-shaker,and a history-waker. Christmas shopping will lift spirits and GDP, Kiev will be merry and bright for the holidays, and this AI bubble will still be as buoyant as Ed Asner at the end of “Up.” A gentleman’s 9. MS. CLIFT: Please. This presidency is a bigger disaster than “Ishtar” and deader than Studio 54 at sunrise when the bill came due. I’d say lower than zero, but I play by the rules, so zero. MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Bob “No-Joy-vak” Novak! MR. NOVAK (SMILING BUT NOT HAPPY): If Trump goes big on cutting cap gains taxes, a ten. If not, I’m afraid Eleanor will be right. MR. GERMOND: I’m actually pretty bullish on the Ukraine thing but bearish on the economy, so I will split the difference and go with a five. MR. MCLAUGHLIN: WRONG!!! The answer is seven……We’ll be right back, with predictions! **** MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Predictions. Pat? MR. BUCHANAN: Team Trump will wipe away the case of Jim Comey being thrown out with a flood of new indictments coming out of South Florida. All those former intelligence officials from the Obama-Biden era who came after Trump better lawyer up. Biden talked about Jim Crow on steroids. This one is going to be lawfare on steroids. Just desserts, I say. MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Ellie-belly!? MS. CLIFT: Speaker Johnson’s efforts to change the rules for discharge petitions will backfire. He’s lost control of the House floor. More are coming. And he is going to cave and bring stuff to the floor rather than be rolled again. Like the ban on members stock trading. MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Roberto? MR. NOVAK: Ted Cruz is going to run against JD Vance in 2028, with an effort to outflank him on the traditional right on some issues, on the MAGA populist right on some issues, and as the adult in the room on others. Vance is going to have start choosing sides on some of this stuff. MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Jack, quickly! MR. GERMOND: Gavin Newsom’s free ride is over. At the RNC and in Sacramento, they are watching closely this federal criminal probe that snared his former top aide to see where else it leads. And Team Newsom is braced for a lot more scrutiny of his record in California on economics, crime, homelessness, and quality of life. It’s going to get rough. MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Regardless of what happens in the peace talks, brace yourself for Ukraine elections in early 2026, the first in years. MR. MCLAUGHLIN: Bye-bye!!! **** ESSENTIAL READING* None. **** The Cozy Earth Bubble Cuddle Blanket for the win!
**** “THE MORNING MEETING” DAYBOOKMONDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2025By Michael Dailey and Mark Halperin****TODAY*Christine Rosen, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute joins Meghan McCain on “Citizen McCain” LIVE at noon ET. * Ethan Suplee digs into Thanksgiving challenges with trainer, educator, and coach Tony Trainbloom — who shares practical tips for a more active holiday — on “LifeLONG,” LIVE at 7pm ET. ****Greetings, Thanksgiving week is upon us, and the team at 2WAY and I are taking a moment to reset and recalibrate as we head into the final stretch of 2025. If you’re craving your 2WAY fix, fear not — we still have two great shows for you today: “Citizen McCain” LIVE at noon ET and “LifeLONG” LIVE at 7pm ET. If you haven’t checked them out yet, now’s the time. Meghan and Ethan are not only phenomenal hosts with unmatched experience — they’re having conversations you won’t hear anywhere else. My programs, “The Morning Meeting” and “2WAY Tonight,” will return on December 1. “The Morning Meeting” in December will feature some wonderful and talented and brilliant and smashing guest co-hosts you won’t want to miss. At 2WAY, we’re not just building standout shows with top-tier talent — we’re building a community, and that includes you. Wherever this week takes you, take a moment to reflect on the conversations happening around your table or your group chat. Ask yourself whether you’re approaching them with peace, love, and understanding. That’s the spirit we’re committed to fostering here: a space where all viewpoints are heard and respected (and the chat stays smack-free). We won’t always agree — but we can always choose to listen. We’ll be hard at work this week making 2WAY the best it can be. Enjoy the time with your loved ones, get some well-earned rest, and gear up… because we’re just getting started. - Mark TODAYChristine Rosen, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, stops by “Citizen McCain” with Meghan McCain — LIVE at noon ET.
To join LIVE and INTERACTIVE by Zoom, sign up here. To join LIVE by YouTube go here. ****Have you had the week of Thanksgiving go by in a blur of only eating with no movement? Call in to share your Thanksgiving struggles and get the opportunity to ask trainer, educator, and coach Tony Trainbloom tips for having a more active holiday. Join host Ethan Suplee LIVE at 7pm ET!
To join LIVE and INTERACTIVE by Zoom, sign up here. You can watch it on YouTube LIVE here. “2WAY TONIGHT”The conversation returns LIVE at 6pm ET on Monday, December 1. Catch up on all recent episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkGGN1RDaWfeb0jy2g8PqydAtxNIk3yaM
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DAYBOOK, all Eastern Time unless otherwise notedDONALD TRUMP
JD VANCENo known public events at this writing. CABINETSecretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are in Brussels for meetings with EU trade ministers. JOINT CHIEFSChairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine is in Puerto Rico as the Trump administration weighs a broader military campaign against Venezuela. CONGRESSThe House and Senate are out for Thanksgiving break. COURTSThe Associated Press returns to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, seeking to regain its Oval Office access after its “Gulf of America” clash with the White House. 2WAY TODAY
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The McLaughlin Group of November
November 24, 2025
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