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Simon Marks is back with his analysis of a week in US politics which saw Trump revive his 2020 election fraud claims. 0:08: Trump accuses China of rigging election 0:58 | How US democracy is under threat 3:14 | Trump revives election fraud claims 5:36 | Republicans struggle to back up claims 6:25 | Could Trump tamper with midterms? 8:07 | Death of Lindsey Graham shocks DC 8:32 | A seismic shift in US support for Israel 8:56 | New testosterone screening for US troops This week also saw the sudden death of Senator Lindsey Graham and a seismic shift in US support for Israel. Listen to the full show on the all-new LBC App: https://app.af.lbc.co.uk/btnc/thenewlbcapp #simonmarks #donaldtrump #trump #election #2020election #iran #israel #uspolitics #LBC LBC is the home of live debate around news and current affairs in the UK. Join in the conversation and listen at https://www.lbc.co.uk/ Sign up to LBC’s weekly newsletter here: https://l-bc.co/signup
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0:00
When is a presidential primetime TV address not, in fact, a primetime TV address
0:05
In America, that is no longer a trick question. On Thursday, ABC, NBC and CNN opted not to air the president's primetime conspiracy theory rantings about the 2020 election
0:18
We'll get to what he said in a moment, but first, the context. We're now just under halfway through the president's second and supposedly final term in office
0:28
and his own top officials still cannot risk sparking presidential fury by publicly confirming that Joe Biden's election victory six years ago
0:38
his defeat of Donald Trump, was legitimate. Look at what happened this week when Jay Clayton
0:44
the president's choice to be America's next director of national intelligence, stonewalled Senator John Ossoff of Georgia during confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill
0:55
Over the next minute and a half, what you're really listening to is the sound of a democracy collapsing
1:01
Who won the 2020 election? You know, I'm not going to do this with you
1:07
This is a job interview. We've established that you have an obligation
1:12
to be honest and forthright with the committee. Yes, you do have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the committee
1:18
Yes. Who won the 2020 election? Like I said, I'm not going to get into that with you
1:23
But you do have an obligation to be honest and forthright with the committee? Is anything that I just said not honest or forthright
1:29
Yes, you're not being honest or forthright. Who won the 2020 election
1:33
We can keep doing this. Well, we're going to keep doing it because you're not being honest and forthright
1:39
I'm not going to engage in the theater. It's a simple question, Mr. Clayton
1:45
And I've answered it. Who won the 2020 presidential election? I've answered it
1:49
You're here asking for the support of senators to lead America's intelligence community
1:56
We've established that you have an obligation to be honest and forthright with this committee
2:01
and with the American public, but you refuse to answer a simple matter of fact about the 2020
2:07
election. Is that right? No, that's not right. Then answer the question. Who won the 2020 election
2:13
I have answered the question. Answer it. What is your answer? I've given you my answer
2:17
what is your answer Isn it humiliating to be unable to answer this question To have to indulge the president delusions We know you know everybody in this room knows the truthful answer to that question
2:39
Why can you not give it? I think I gave you the answer. Now there's nothing unique about that exchange. We've seen it take place hundreds of times in Washington
2:48
as various Trump nominees have engaged in a very similar dance. And while Senator Ossoff, a rising star in the Democratic Party, is entirely correct when he says that everybody in the room knows the truth
3:01
the Republicans remain on their knees, prostrate, before an American president who just will not accept that in November 2020 he was beaten fair and square by Joe Biden
3:14
Good evening. Before we begin, I'm proud to report that our country is safer, stronger and far wealthier than it has ever been before. We are doing great
3:25
After that anodyne but overstated opening, on Thursday night, President Trump put America on notice
3:31
He's not giving up on his entirely false contention that a vast international conspiracy
3:37
fuelled by China, Venezuela, the Hungarian financier George Soros, radical left Democrats
3:43
and the media rigged the 2020 election in Biden's favour. There's not a shred of evidence to support what he's saying, but with every syllable on Thursday
3:52
he sought to undermine public confidence in America's electoral system and set the stage for possible intervention later this year
4:01
that could permanently derail U.S. democracy. For many years, Americans were blatantly lied to about the security of our election infrastructure
4:12
including electronic voting machines and ballot counting systems, dishonest almost all. they're vulnerable and they're easily compromised and people within our government knew that
4:26
He was raging in that speech demanding a criminal investigation that could lead to the arrest of
4:31
former President Barack Obama, suggesting Democrats had orchestrated a cover-up of China's efforts to
4:38
boost Biden's chances in 2020. He blamed the entire deep state for stealing the presidency
4:44
from him six years ago and railed against TV networks that stood up to him by refusing to broadcast
4:50
his 27-minute address live. This is worse than any third-world country. There's no third-world country that has elections like we have
5:01
In a rare move NBC and ABC Fake News have both said that they would not cover this speech They knew what it was about because of the fact that they don like the topic because they know how corrupt our system is and they don want to reveal it
5:16
They and others in the media are part of a plot. Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses
5:23
They use our public multi-billion dollar in value airways for absolutely no money
5:29
Once the speech was over, the White House published a trove of documents, none of which appeared to back up any of his claims
5:36
John Solomon, a Trump advisor who has relentlessly amplified conspiracy theories about the 2020 election
5:43
was then collared by reporters in the White House driveway and quickly escorted away by officials when even he could not stand up the president's claims
5:53
Did you acknowledge that there were no votes changed in 2020? All I can acknowledge is what the intelligence shows, right
5:58
I only know the intelligence community has zero evidence that someone has flipped
6:02
that a foreign power flipped a vote in 2020, 22 or 24. So the 2020 election was, in fact, the results as we, the American public
6:11
I'm still researching. So let me, let me. This is the first. But there's no intelligence. Not yet
6:15
There is no intelligence. And off he was led. If you think all this is coincidental, just yet more flannel from a sore loser
6:24
Think again. We are now three and a half months away from midterm elections that will determine the balance of power on Capitol Hill if the president doesn't try to rig the outcome of the vote or contest it once the votes are counted
6:39
After Thursday's speech, it looks like he's planning to do both. I think you will see him doing everything he can to try to prevent the peaceful transfer of power
6:51
the election of Democrats, and do whatever he can to remain in power and to keep his cronies in
6:57
powers so that he can continue doing what he thinks he's allowed to do as president
7:03
which is anything he wants. That's Ty Cobb, once the president's personal lawyer
7:08
who went on to serve as White House attorney during the first Trump term
7:12
We should all heed the warnings he issued on Thursday night on PBS
7:18
Tonight's speech is intended to add the predicate that he needs to declare an emergency
7:23
at or about the time of the elections. As you know, Steve Bannon and Todd Blanch have suggested that there will be ICE agents at the polls
7:32
I think that that's a virtual certainty. Whether that will include the National Guard or not we don know But anything to anything to intimidate minority voters particularly immigrant voters and also I think anything that allows them to try to seize voting machines as Trump wanted to do in 2020
7:55
A dark prognosis from a man who was in the room where it happened in 2020
7:59
and is now warning Americans even more dangerous tactics will be unleashed towards the end of this year
8:06
There were other developments this week of note. The sudden death at the age of 71 of Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a prominent Republican foreign policy voice in the president's ear
8:18
The Iranians celebrated the demise of a hawk who was still urging President Trump to topple the regime
8:25
He will, however, be sorely missed in both Ukraine and Israel. He was a fervent defender of both countries
8:32
There was a very important vote in the House of Representatives this week in which Israel suffered a major defeat
8:38
A majority of Democrats voted to cut $3 billion in U.S. military aid to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
8:46
As we have examined recently on American Week, they are hearing growing hostility towards the Israeli government from grassroots Democratic voters
8:56
We're going to end this week with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth
8:59
At the Department of War, we have the most elite warriors on the face of the earth
9:05
Every single day, you are pushed to your absolute physical and mental limits
9:10
But the Pentagon chief believes his war fighters can go even further
9:14
So this week he announced, and I am not making this up, that all US military personnel over the age of 30 are to be screened for testosterone
9:23
And if they are found to be deficient, will be offered testosterone replacement therapy
9:29
Mr Hegseth says he wants to create a high-T department of war
9:33
As we know, the modern battlefield is brutal and unrelenting. It requires and demands maximum psychological and mental readiness
9:42
And by addressing these health markers early, we're keeping you on the leading edge of lethality
9:48
and giving you the same level of support that you give this nation, the absolute best
9:54
He and the president he serves both argue that if the U.S. military
9:58
had only been tougher, less politically correct and more virile, the US wouldn't have lost the Vietnam War
10:05
Iraq would have been over in a weekend. Maybe the problem they're having in Iran all comes down to testosterone
10:12
The Ayatollahs must be quaking in their boots
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