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Simon Marks returns for his American Week with a look at the President's latest row with Zelenskyy, a new Trump currency... and the quickfire sacking of Katie Zacharia.
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0:00 Republicans reckon with their midterm polling
1:54 Trump enters the tiger's den
3:20 'Cult of personality nonsense'
4:19 Trump vs Zelenskyy 2.0
7:40 Good morningggg!
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0:00
We've got two and a half weeks to go now before America's midterm elections wrap up
0:04
and Republicans who have fervently been hoping that some kind of October surprise might save
0:09
them from catastrophe on November the 3rd are beginning to accept that no salvation is in the
0:15
offing. So on Fox News on Thursday night, anchor Brett Beyer and chief political yst Britt
0:21
Hume had seen the network's latest opinion poll and decided it was time to prepare their loyally
0:28
Republican audience for the iceberg that is coming. If you look at our poll, the new poll out tonight, which party would be better to handle
0:36
And you ask a list of questions, foreign policy, gas prices, inflation and prices
0:41
and you see Democrats with pretty significant leads. Absolutely, Brett. I mean, you know, those are the three major issues right there
0:49
And, you know, the polling is similar about the president himself. You know, he's out there saying he wants everybody to act like he's on the ballot
0:56
But his approval rating is, what, 36 percent? That means he might get 36 percent of the vote out
1:04
But look, 64 percent disapproved. That is really bad at this stage when he's out there front and center
1:11
But actually, it's even worse than that. That Fox poll shows that the number one issue of concern for American voters is now not the economy
1:20
It's not the war on Iran. And it's not petrol prices. The number one issue concerning voters is corruption in government
1:29
Nearly 90% of them told that Fox survey they are either extremely or very concerned about government corruption
1:37
at a time when the president's own financial disclosure reports have revealed his personal wealth has grown
1:43
by more than $2.2 billion since he returned to power. And this week, every time he opened his mouth or posted videos on his social media account
1:54
he did more damage to his own party's midterm election prospects. And on June 14th, 1946, God looked down on his planned paradise and said
2:05
I need a caretaker. So God gave us Trump. God said, I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, fix this country, work all day
2:14
fight the Marxists, eat supper, then go to the Oval Office and stay past midnight at a meeting of the heads of state
2:22
so God made Trump. Now, that ad, which is obviously bonkers, is an AI recreation of a famous 1978 speech
2:29
made by legendary broadcaster the late Paul Harvey. He was a conservative commentator wildly popular with Republicans in the 60s, 70s and 80s
2:40
In its original version, Mr Harvey said farmers were divinely created. The president has now put words into the broadcaster's mouth that he would never have uttered
2:51
But also this week Trump parodied the death of William Chapman in the tiger enclosure at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park for no apparent reason posting the distressing video of Mr Chapman in the tiger pen
3:05
and then a separate AI creation in which Donald Trump wrestles the tiger to the ground
3:12
deeply disrespectful to the grieving Chapman family. And just in time for the midterms on Thursday
3:19
more cult of the personality nonsense. from Brandon Beach, Trump's treasurer of the United States
3:26
This is the Trump dollar coin. It'll be in the banks next month, and I want to challenge you to go get a roll of Trump dollar coins next month
3:34
And then I want you to go to your favourite liberal coffee shop with your Trump dollar coins, buy a cup of coffee
3:40
and watch their heads explode. They will not like him, but I love it, and I love this present, and I love this coin
3:45
His salary, by the way, is funded by the taxpayer, not just Republican ones
3:49
It would be hard to imagine a set of circumstances in which any American president
3:54
having told voters to act like his name is on the ballot in the midterms
3:59
could then find ways of doing more to alienate them and thrust them into the hands of Democrats
4:05
And that is before we get to Trump's historic betrayal of Ukraine
4:10
Zelensky could have settled this war many times, many, many times. And he chooses not to. Very difficult
4:18
This was the week when Donald Trump completely abandoned any pretense of being neutral over Russia's war on Ukraine
4:26
This time last Friday, unbeknownst even to senior members of his own cabinet
4:31
he was on the phone cutting a deal with Vladimir Putin. America would buy Russian diesel, a significant breach of the country's own sanctions against the Kremlin
4:40
in a desperate effort to see prices fall at America's pumps. The president eagerly announced the arrangement at a rally last Friday night in Syracuse, New York
4:51
Refiners and retailers need to start dropping their prices right now. We want, we're getting them so much oil
4:58
And by the way, today Russia agreed to send us millions and millions of barrels of oil
5:06
And it's diesel, that's what we really need. So thank you. That was one of several moments when he publicly thanked Vladimir Putin
5:14
we are now at the point where Donald Trump needs someone to blame
5:17
for the economic disaster caused by his entirely fruitless war on Iran
5:23
So, instead of copping to it, he's blaming it all on Zelensky
5:27
I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal, because he could have made many deals that for some reason he never does
5:35
And I said to him, do what you want, don't hit refineries. There's plenty of targets, don't hit refineries
5:40
And he went out and he hit, and he's not going to affect our farmers. and he's not going to affect our ranchers
5:46
and he's not going to affect the rest of the world. So he better damn well stop Next thing we knew the Ukrainian military access to Elon Musk Starlink system had been degraded badly damaging the country ability to defend itself
6:01
U.S. intelligence sharing with Kiev was also choked. So civilian deaths in Ukraine this week may well represent blood on American hands
6:11
And that's before Trump pays Putin for diesel with money that Republicans on Capitol Hill argue
6:17
will only serve to replenish the Kremlin's war machine. Our Prime Minister, meanwhile, talks of trying to repair bridges between Washington and Kiev
6:28
But Donald Trump has burned them all down. I will not attack them because you ask me not attack them
6:34
They will attack me. President Zelensky accused the US leader of betrayal
6:39
and told the Financial Times he is now done with America's insistence
6:43
that he mustn't attack Russia's energy infrastructure. What's your understanding of the nature of the relationship
6:49
between President Trump and President Putin? I think President Trump's such man that he is
7:00
he speaks about it, I mean, openly and loudly, that he loves such people and he respects such people
7:07
The stage is now set for a showdown at the G20 summit in December
7:11
that Trump will be hosting at his own personal golf club in Doral, Florida
7:16
Vladimir Putin, wanted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Court
7:20
has been invited. The Prime Minister and his European allies will face the struggle of their lives
7:26
trying to drag Trump out of Putin's embrace as Ukrainians prepare for the most uncertain winter of their existence
7:35
By the time we get to that G20 summit, it's a fair bet that the US president will have a new press secretary, because certainly the woman the world was introduced to on Tuesday is not going to go the distance
7:47
Good morning. I am so honoured to work for President Trump and the American people as a new White House press secretary
8:01
I have wanted to work for him for a very long time
8:06
Katie Zachariah, a dyed-in-the-wool QAnon conspiracy theorist, selected by the president to succeed Caroline Levitt
8:14
Ms Levitt had the gift of the gab, but her successor has no capacity to helm a White House briefing
8:21
as became painfully evident during her first, and quite possibly only, crack at it
8:26
Attendance is at record highs as enthusiastic, hard-working Americans are lining up and packing arenas to support President Trump and Republicans
8:37
That breach of the Hatch Act, a law that prevents civil servants from engaging in any avowedly
8:42
political activity in their official capacity especially during an election campaign came in the first 90 seconds of her only 13 briefing She read prepared remarks for eight of those minutes
8:56
and even that was a bit of a struggle. He had a historic one-day war
9:00
and now we have a booming economy and a great relationship with Venezuela
9:07
She took only three questions, including this bouncer from Fox News. I want to ask you a policy question
9:14
has the U.S. stopped sharing intel with Ukraine? I'll have to get back to you on that
9:20
And then, asked about the brutal hours and the hard prep needed in the job
9:25
the mask slipped entirely. The idea of not spending evenings with my kids is completely unacceptable
9:33
So my president, excuse me, my husband, that's a good one. My husband is out here
9:40
He's not the only one who is out there. Unfortunately for Mrs Zachariah, the press briefing was only the start of her woes
9:47
As we all pored over her social media history, revealing that she thinks Democratic Party leaders are paedophiles
9:53
Hollywood stars are paedophile cannibals, Michelle Obama is a man, eight out of ten women had a miscarriage after taking the Covid vaccine
10:02
except of course they didn't, and the Nazi gas chambers deployed the same chemical
10:07
that is used in America's most used abortion pill, except of course they didn't
10:11
it became apparent that her credibility problems stretch way beyond her embrace of every far-right trope you can imagine
10:20
Because the one thing we thought we knew about her turns out not to be really true
10:25
I mean, I am a lawyer and I'm a rigorous researcher. As a lawyer, the procedural steps are absolutely critical to ensure that they get this right
10:34
I'm a lawyer and these types of issues are so tangible. Now, the thing about that is she plays a lawyer on TV, but really isn't one
10:45
Yes, she's got a law degree, but she failed the bar exam in California
10:49
And while President Trump called her an attorney when he appointed her
10:54
unfortunately for him, she isn't one. On Thursday night, Fox News presenter Sean Hannity
10:59
who looked like a man who would rather be on the deck of the Titanic, did very little to salvage her career
11:05
You took the bar exam, but you didn't pass the bar exam, correct
11:10
Yes, Sean. Did you ever take the bar exam a second time
11:14
I did not, Sean. Or a third time? No. You did not? Okay. Okay, there's a report out tonight that showed 15 social media posts where you identify yourself
11:22
as an attorney. I think they were retweets, and I corrected the record and said that there's not endorsing
11:29
the title. They were retweets of a title that had been given. I can give you some unsolicited advice
11:36
That's never going to be a friendly room to you. Ouch. I've got a feeling that as we get to the end of this American week
11:42
it isn't so much a case of... Good morning. But more a case of good night, Irene
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