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Smerconish

Sen. John Fetterman, (D-PA), Is Interviewed About Would Dems Rather Stop Trump Or Iran?; Mentalist Oz Pearlman To Headline WHCA Dinner. Royal Visit On The 250th Of U.S. Independence. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired April 25, 2026 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

And you're not doing it because of that. You're doing it because you care and you want to make a difference because in many ways we've all had a teacher that has done that for us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Leon Smith, I see you.

And if you see something or someone I should see, tell me. I'm on Instagram, TikTok, X, Bluesky and you can listen to our show as a podcast. First of All is also now streaming live and available anytime on the CNN app. For more information, visit CNN.com/watch.

Thank you for joining me today. I'll see you back here next Saturday at 8: 00 a.m. Eastern. Smerconish starts now.

[09:00:43]

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN ANCHOR: Question, does the risk that Iran will acquire and use a nuclear weapon justify the military and economic risks associated with the blockade? I'm Michael Smerconish in the Philly burbs.

I don't normally start with today's poll question, but I do today because I think we've lost sight of that fundamental question. The administration has done a poor job, in my view, selling the nation on the need to strike Iran, but that doesn't mean that Iran has clean hands. They don't and they haven't for nearly 50 years.

Still, a Marquette Law School poll found that just 63 percent of Americans said there was not sufficient reason to launch airstrikes against Iran. Dig into those cross tabs and you're going to see the partisan divide. There it is.

Seventy-one percent of Republicans say Trump was justified. Only 22 percent of Independents and 6 percent of Democrats agree. Here's the problem with that. The stakes are too high for party affiliation to make this call. Every American president, Republican and Democratic, for the last half century has said that Iran should never have a nuclear weapon.

So where is that conviction among Democrats today? My guess, silenced due to antipathy toward Trump. Notwithstanding that the way that this situation resolves will long outlast the Trump presidency. Which brings me to the one Senate Democrat who is willing to support the war and break from the pack, Pennsylvania's John Fetterman. And he may pay a price for it.

Punchbowl News reported this week that not a single Pennsylvania House Democrat will speak in support of Fetterman's reelection in the 2028 cycle, if he chooses to run.

Joining me now from the Capitol is Senator Fetterman.

Senator, thank you for being here. Please answer my poll question. Here it is. Does the risk that Iran will acquire and use a nuclear weapon justify the military and economic risks that associated with the blockade?

SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN (D-PA): Yes, I mean, absolutely. Like you just pointed out, I agree with everything that you've said about this just before I just jumped on. Absolutely.

You know, not single Democrat says Iran should have a nuclear weapon. And I've seen that poll. I've seen another one. The AP poll actually had 4 percent of Democrats supported that. And I'm in that 4 percent.

And, you know, the error of that poll was like 3 percent. So I might have been literally the only one. And that -- so it's like I'm -- I know -- I know polls, and I know what they say, but I'm still -- I absolutely believe that we have the opportunity to take Iran out of the nuclear -- in the nuclear conversation, and how we could just abandon that right now. And with 60 days coming up on Tuesday, I remain to be the one Democrat to vote against the war powers, because how could we allow this. I just can't.

I mean, you know, we have an incredible opportunity right now. And you're also right. The Trump administration has not done a good job of selling this war. But every Democrat, Harris, Clinton, everyone find a single Democrat in the House or in the House that says it's OK if Iran acquires a nuclear bomb. So why am I the only guy that's willing to vote against this now?

Because it's nothing more toxic as a Democrat to vote for this or to vote -- agree with Trump on anything. Absolutely it's driven by TDS as well.

SMERCONISH: OK, you think that they would rather stop Trump than stop Iran, such is the antipathy toward Donald Trump.

FETTERMAN: Yes, I mean, I think that was last week with Tom Friedman said the quiet part aloud where it's like, well, that could be a big win for Trump or Netanyahu if Iran surrenders and hands over its nuclear weapon. So really, I'm not -- I'm not -- I'm not really sure. And if -- you know, I stopped reading the New York Times after they put piker in that sewing circle a couple days ago. But what, you know, the New York Times consistently, you know, keeps training Iran to hold on because they have been making an argument against that war in the strongest term and platforming their views. So I don't understand why we can't just get behind our military and empower the president to say we all must not let Iran acquire a nuclear bomb and give them the opportunity to finish that off.

[09:05:26]

SMERCONISH: You're sounding to me, Senator, like the noted trial lawyer David Boies, who wrote on this subject for the Wall Street Journal a couple of weeks ago. I'm going to put on the screen one paragraph and I'll read it to you aloud. He said, "If we opposed the war and succeeded in pressuring Mr. Trump to curtail it before the mission is accomplished, we would have the satisfaction of defeating someone we generally oppose, which might help ourselves politically, but America would be worse for it."

Some like to, you know, frame you now as being a patsy for the White House because of your position on this issue. But as I read and look at your votes, it doesn't extend much beyond the position you're taking on Iran. Is that fair?

FETTERMAN: Yes. Well, I mean, it's all -- it's bad for America, but it's really, really bad for Israel and it's really, really bad for all the other nations there in the region. Qatar, they studied Iranian. Their targets were more than 90 percent civilians. Iran is firing their rockets at absolute civilian targets in those Muslim nations in the region as well, too.

You know, and any country -- every country that consumes oil, that's your war, too. I don't want to hear any more like, well, that's not our war, well, do you use oil? You know, do you -- do you like peace? Yes. Well, then it makes it your war now too.

Can turn your back, you know, here the world, the world could agree Iran must never be a nuclear power. And now they've been met with indifference, almost actually antipathy, you know, like Spain especially.

SMERCONISH: Is this a hill, politically speaking? Politically speaking that you're willing to die on? I made reference to the House members from Pennsylvania, the Democrats, and what they say or won't say about John Fetterman.

FETTERMAN: Oh, yes. I mean, you know, the only Democrat to stand with Israel, yes, it's a -- it's a die, you know? Like I could never be just sitting quiet or saying things that I don't happen to believe to like I know what polls say consistently, as long as this goes on, Israel becomes more and more toxic. But I'm always going to lean in more. And so, yes, thank you for asking.

Yes, it is a die to high -- hold -- because my -- a lot more things are more important than my standing in the Democratic Party. This is such a profound, profound situation. If we walk away from this just because Trump might be perceived as losing it, but America would definitely would lose, and Israel especially, and the region as well, too.

SMERCONISH: Finally, on a lighter subject, are you ditching the hoodie for a tux for tonight for the White House Correspondent Association dinner?

FETTERMAN: Except the mystery, you know, like -- yes. But definitely no hoodie, though. Definitely a hoodie. I don't know.

SMERCONISH: Senator, thank you for being here.

FETTERMAN: Yes, yes.

SMERCONISH: We appreciate it very much.

FETTERMAN: No, thank you for your view and an opportunity to really have this conversation.

SMERCONISH: OK. It's an important one. Thank you.

What are your thoughts at home? Hit me up on social media. You can use my Facebook page, follow me on YouTube, X all the usual places. There needs to be a third party, he should be in that party. He is not a Democrat.

You know, I've said, and full disclosure, I've told you this before. I am a plaintiff in an action that is pending against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania right now to open our closed primary system. He has Senator Fetterman a higher standing among Republicans than he does among Democrats right now.

If there's one person who should be cheering for the success of the litigation to open Pennsylvania's primary process, it's John Fetterman. For the reasons that that viewer just specified.

I want to know what you think. You heard the senator's vote. Go to smerconish.com. This is the poll question. Put it up on the screen.

Does the risk that Iran will acquire and use a nuclear weapon justify the military and economic risks associated with the blockade? His was a hell yes vote.

Up ahead, 11 scientists are dead or missing. Conspiracy or coincidence? And tonight, as I just mentioned to Senator Fetterman, mentalist Oz Pearlman headlines the White House Correspondent Dinner.

He says that he's there to unite the room. How's this all going to go down with President Trump being there? As Joe Rogan recently found out, no secret is safe when Oz is in the chair. Take a look.

[09:10:03]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OZ PEARLMAN, AMERICAN MENTALIST: I think the first number your code's a one, isn't it? Your real pin code?

JOE ROGAN, AMERICAN PODCASTER: Why would I tell you that on the air?

PEARLMAN: Should I -- should I only show this to you?

ROGAN: Sure.

PEARLMAN: How'd I do, Joe? Is that your ATM pin code?

ROGAN: Yes. That's weird. Yes, I don't like that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SMERCONISH: A capital city famous for spin and secrets is about to meet the man who claims he can read all of them. Tonight, the White House Correspondent Association dinner returns and for the first time since 2011, when he was famously roasted by President Obama and Seth Meyers, President Trump will be in the ballroom that night 15 years ago, now the stuff of political lure. But tonight the president is the honoree and he won't be facing a comedian, instead, the headliner is mentalist Oz Pearlman.

[09:15:00]

If you aren't familiar with the name, you've almost certainly seen the work. Pearlman first burst onto the scene in 2015 on "America's Got Talent" and captivated the nation week after week with never before seen mentalism routines. Ultimately, he placed in third. Since then, he's become the most televised mentalist in the world, dazzling everyone from Jimmy Fallon to our own Anderson Cooper. He's been profiled by Forbes in the New York Times, and just this week, Vanity Fair dubbed him the man who will try to get inside Donald Trump's mind.

And if so, can he trick the president? Pearlman says that he isn't there to roast. He told ABC News, quote, "I was brought in to unite in a sense of wonder and amazement."

If you're still asking yourself, huh? Well, watch what that wonder has looked like in action. We'll begin with Snoop Dogg.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEARLMAN: Snoop, think of anybody you want right now that pops in your head. Family, friend, anyone. You got someone right now.

SNOOP DOGG, AMERICAN RAPPER: Yes.

PEARLMAN: Think man, woman, man, woman, female. Is it female?

SNOOP DOGG: Yes.

PEARLMAN: I can tell right away. Count the number of letters in her first name just to yourself. Just to yourself.

Oh, gosh. It's a longer name. It's a longer name. Took you (inaudible), boom, boom. Six letters, isn't it?

SNOOP DOGG: Yes.

PEARLMAN: Snoop, who are you thinking of right now in this moment? What's her name?

SNOOP DOGG: Mariah Carey.

PEARLMAN: Mariah.

Hit me with the question.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first anime I've ever watched.

PEARLMAN: Count the letters to yourself and then just pick one of the letters out. Just grab it out like a Scrabble tile. You got one of the letters?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

PEARLMAN: T. Are you thinking of a T?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

PEARLMAN: He comes up with a question on the spot that he says, there's no way I could know. Jared, open your eyes. Tell us all. What was the first anime you ever watched?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Death Note."

PEARLMAN: "Death Note."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then at the end of our interview, he asked me to name a place I've always wanted to go but have never been.

PEARLMAN: Tell us the place. Tell us the place you thought of. What you said, I want to go there. Can't wait to say it. What was it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Vietnam.

PEARLMAN: Vietnam. And you were about to say somewhere different. That was the key. You were about to change your mind. Say the other place you're thinking of.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thailand.

PEARLMAN: Thailand was the other one you were going to go with.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Come on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMERCONISH: Pearlman said, the more intelligent the subject, the easier they are to fool. That's a bold claim for a room full of Washington's top newsmakers.

Joining us, the headliner himself, Oz Pearlman.

Oz, thank you so much. Good luck. What unique challenges does President Trump present to you? PEARLMAN: I think President Trump is a hard man to read. I think that he takes pride in the fact that he never tips his hand, he never shows his cards. And in this case, if I'm able to somehow figure out what he's thinking in the moment, especially when challenged, which I believe that President Trump will present a tremendous challenge. This is unprecedented territory. He has never attended a White House Correspondents' dinner while sitting in office, right?

The last time was that famous scene 15 years ago. So I think all of us are interested what to expect. The White House Correspondents never had a mentalist either. This is also unprecedented. So I think this is going to be any way you slice and dice it, a night full of headlines, and I'm happy to hopefully be a part of them.

SMERCONISH: He prides himself on being unpredictable. I mean, not to get all serious --

PEARLMAN: Right, right.

SMERCONISH: -- but look at the way he's been handling Iran and those Truth Social posts, like that's his --

PEARLMAN: Yes.

SMERCONISH: -- whole M.O. Does that make him more or less --

PEARLMAN: So I --

SMERCONISH: -- difficult for you?

PEARLMAN: -- I don't believe any of it's unpredictable. In fact, I think that there's a lot of telegraphing of moves. So when you say unpredictable, I disagree vehemently. I think there's a playbook that's been played throughout that's so easy to spot. And so I don't -- I don't believe what you just said whatsoever.

I think it's very easy to spot the patterns. And the more you study him and his actions, his behaviors, his mannerisms, I think are all going to play to my advantage in the room if I get the chance. So, again, you never know what's going to happen

SMERCONISH: Right.

PEARLMAN: Nothing has been -- nothing has been -- nothing has been written in stone that I'm going to get to perform for him. I hope to. I hope that I want to take part because honestly, he is, at his core, an ultimate showman. He was in showbiz before he was even in business, before he was a president. And I think to this day, his strong suit is the media.

Anybody who thinks otherwise is silly. He has a way of being able to take control of the narrative and the media in a way unlike anybody ever has before. And I think a great headline is something that both he and I would want. And I think that's what I'm hoping to make. I think that's why he's attending.

Otherwise he would have just skipped it again.

SMERCONISH: Oz, so many of the viral -- there are a lot of viral clips involving Oz Pearlman. Congratulations on that. So many of the viral --

PEARLMAN: Thank you.

SMERCONISH: -- clips involve celebrities. And we've shown, you know, Joe Rogan, everybody's seen it. The LA Rams, the locker room, the talk, we've seen it. So much of it are public figures, or so much of your work focuses on public figures. Are they easier?

And is that part of your skill set? Is that part of your secret?

[09:20:00]

PEARLMAN: So I would say that again, if you watch my show, the Simplest Solution, right, Occam's Razor --

SMERCONISH: Right.

PEARLMAN: -- is if you watch this happen to someone else, you don't know that person, the easiest solution, if I go, hey, Michael, what's your ATM pin code? And I guess it. And right now you go, oh, my God, somebody watching this goes, he's in on it, right? He's in it. Come on.

He told him it. He -- so that's the easiest solution. So how do you convince the viewer otherwise?

So I perform shows. In fact, I'm taping my Netflix special July 16th. Anybody want to come? Come see it. Tickets went on sale today in Brooklyn.

SMERCONISH: Awesome.

PEARLMAN: But when you come see it live, it's a different experience when you watch it on social media or TV. The reason that the clips with public figures go so viral is there's no world in which I could have convinced Joe Rogan, bribed Joe Rogan, or in any other way, shape or form, influence him to fake it. Everybody knows that. The same would apply to Saquon Barkley or Tom Brady. So the genuine, authentic reactions of public figures there's a social currency because you already trust those people.

SMERCONISH: You do not hold yourself out as a psychic. So what do you do --

PEARLMAN: Zero.

SMERCONISH: So what do you do for a living?

PEARLMAN: What do you do here in a tech (ph)? So very important to distinguish because there's ethics. I am an honest con man. The interesting part is what I'm selling you is moments of wonder and joy. And I truly believe that's why they brought me to the White House Correspondents' dinner.

Not to divide, not to roast, but in this case, to unite. Because everyone loves to be amazed. What do I do? I'm not psychic. I'm not supernatural.

I don't know the future. I don't talk to dead people. None of the above. I have a skill that's based on magic. Magic tricks, deception, misdirection, where the difference between me and a magician is I don't really have props.

So when you see a card trick, at some point, the magician will employ sleight of hand to find the card, move the card, do something. I have taken it to a level where instead of you just picking the card, I can say, think of a card. I can observe you. I can observe certain things about you, influence you in a certain way, and I will know exactly what card popped in your head. That's kind of the skill that's unique. There is no gimmick.

There's no trick. It's a skill that I've developed from three decades of observing people, studying people, and learning the core principles of magic.

SMERCONISH: Oz, I'm nervous for you. I've been to this dinner. I've watched these dinners.

PEARLMAN: Yes.

SMERCONISH: OK.

PEARLMAN: Yes.

SMERCONISH: And it has run through my mind before, sitting there and watching the performer because -- and I don't know the way it'll be structured tonight, but normally you've got to sit through a long dinner, including a presidential speech, and you go last. If it were me, I'd be so wiped out from nerves, just taking it all in. How do you steel yourself against that?

PEARLMAN: You're absolutely right. So I truly believe I was brought in because I am able to capture people's attention in a way that, no offense to comedians, I love comedy, they can't do. I am going to command attention.

And so in a room like that, it is a challenge. There's no question this is a hostile room in the sense of there's a lot of journalists, there's a lot of drama, there's a president coming where there's a lot of different people in the room who have an agenda that might not be the same as his. And with the press and the president, you know, it's been a tumultuous year. We all know that.

But I think we're coming together in a way that doesn't have to do with politics. It's been happening for 105 years because we are in the greatest country in the world. We have a constitution. We have the freedom of the press. I think that we're there to celebrate the press, the freedom of the press. And you're not going to agree on everything, but I think we can all agree that having a good time for one night and not taking things as seriously for one night doesn't mean that the problems don't still exist. It just is you need that pressure release valve. And I think that's what that night is all about. And I think that's why they do it every year.

SMERCONISH: Oz, I love it. I love your message. Break a leg.

PEARLMAN: Thank you.

SMERCONISH: Let's see what you're saying on social media. Follow me on X, YouTube, all the usual places, my Facebook page. Trump despises his critics and will take every public opportunity to humiliate and insult them. Venom will spew. I'm going to make popcorn and sit back and watch this one.

So, Wayne, in my newsletter today, you often hear me say, hey, subscribe to the newsletter. It's free and it's worthy. I have a note in my newsletter this morning, I wish I had it in front of me, but I give free advice to the president that I expect him to totally discard. And my advice is take the edge off, soften it up for one night. For one night.

And most importantly, be self-deprecating. If he could come out and do that, it could be -- I mean, for one night. I know that I've watched on CNN this week so many critics, oh, they're bringing in a mentalist. Oh, Trump's going to be there. Trump has contempt for the media, blah- blah-blah-blah.

I'm not saying any of that is wrong, by the way, although the mentalist choice is great. But I think this is a wonderful thing and it ought to be celebrated. One night of civility, of breaking bread, of having a cocktail and celebrating the First Amendment. I think it's a good thing. And I hope that the president tonight is in that spirit.

[09:25:09]

If he -- if he shows up ready for Festivus, it will be a blown opportunity on his part.

Are you watching, Mr. President? Soften the edge. Have some fun. Make fun of yourself.

I want to remind you, go to my website at smerconish.com and answer today's poll question. You heard Senator Fetterman give his answer at the outset of the program. Does the risk that Iran will acquire and use a nuclear weapon justify the military and economic risks associated with the blockade? I'm a yes vote. That probably means the no votes will carry the day.

Still to come, your social media reaction to today's program so far. And I'm dying to talk about this, no pun intended, the government is investigating the death and disappearance of 11 scientists. You know that, right? Is there really something sinister going on here or is there a more obvious explanation? And then a special relationship under fire? President Trump says the British government is cowardly over Iran, but he claims that King Charles may secretly agree with him. Could the monarch be the ultimate Trump whisperer? Former chief of staff to Princess Diana, Patrick Jephson will join us to discuss the royal plan to save the transatlantic alliance.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:30:57]

SMERCONISH: There's a list circulating right now, you've heard about this, 11 scientists, engineers, and researchers who've died or gone missing since 2022. The White House is talking about it. The FBI has launched a review, a House committee looking into it.

President Trump called this some pretty serious stuff. You stack the names together, NASA, MIT, Los Alamos, Caltech, and it looks like a pattern. It feels like something. It feels sinister, but look, honestly at the cases.

The Caltech astrophysicist shot on the porch. A suspect is already in custody. The MIT fusion physicist, authorities linked his killing to a gunman from a separate mass shooting with a personal connection to the victim, someone who had gone to school with him in Portugal.

The defense contractor who vanished. He walked away from his home carrying a gun, leaving behind his phone a wallet, the car, the profile, maybe of a mental health crisis, not a foreign intelligence operation. The retired Los Alamos employee who went missing, he was 78 and hadn't worked there in eight years.

I don't think it's a pattern. I think it's just a list. A list is not the same thing as a pattern. I mean, consider the larger context. There are tens of thousands of scientists, engineers, researchers and government contractors in the United States, and some of them die every year. Some go missing, some suffer violent ends under ordinary circumstances. We don't hear about them because nobody makes a list of them. The list only gets made when there's a story to tell.

We've been here before, repeatedly. In the 1980s, there were some high profile kidnapping cases that led to a national panic. This was when milk cartons started featuring pictures of missing children, and kids were taught to fear stranger danger, a phrase that you hear until this day. But the threat was vastly overstated.

One study found that of the almost 800,000 children reportedly missing in one year, many were runaways, many were abducted by family. Only 115 were kidnapped in the classic style that you'd see on TV or in a movie where they're snatched up by strangers and held for ransom or worse. And yet children and their parents still worry quite a bit about being kidnapped in that fashion when they're more likely to say, God forbid, drown in a pool.

And then there's Halloween candy. For 50 years, parents have warned their kids, be careful of the candy. And they've inspected their trick or treat haul, for what? Poison and razor blades. The razor blade in the apple. Remember that?

Well, a sociologist named Joel Best spent decades searching for a verified case of a stranger killing a child with tampered candy. He found zero, a Blutarsky.

The two real child deaths linked to poisoned candy, they were both committed by family members. The actual leading danger on Halloween. being struck by a car, a story that never quite gets the same air time.

In 2001, a string -- this is my favorite. A string of shark attacks received blanket coverage after an eight-year-old boy lost his arm at a Florida beach on the fourth of July, Tom Brokaw, Katie Couric, Time magazine cover. It was now the summer of the shark. Every subsequent bite became national news.

Helicopters filmed sharks migrating off the coast. Experts were summoned. People in Montana -- Montana were calling shark researchers in a panic. When the data came in, worldwide attacks were actually down from the prior year, 76 versus 85. Fatalities dropped from 12 to five. The sharks hadn't changed. Only the news hole had.

In 2019, a cluster of American tourist deaths in the Dominican Republic triggered mass trip cancellations and FBI inquiries. Nearly 60 percent of travelers pulled out. Tourism, 17 percent of the country's economy, it collapsed. The FBI found no connection between the deaths.

[09:35:00]

The State Department confirmed there had been no increase compared to prior years. In a country visited by 2.7 million Americans annually, some people die of cardiac arrest and respiratory failure. Reported together, it looked like a conspiracy. It wasn't.

We are extraordinarily good at finding connections that don't exist, especially when someone hands us a well formatted list, impressive credentials and a hungry news cycle. But we shouldn't get carried away.

As a grieving relative of one of the scientists put it, the speculation is denigrating to their memories. The 11 names are real. The pattern isn't.

Now, more of your social media reaction to today's program. Make sure you follow me in all the usual places.

Wait a second, Mike. Every Democrat I've heard said Iran shouldn't have a nuclear weapon. Why are you flat out lying about that? That's a different question than whether we were --

No, Senator Fetterman made the point. Let me repeat it, that for the last 50 years, and I agree with him, every president, Republican and Democrat, has said that Iran can't have a nuclear weapon. And Senator Fetterman took it longer to talk about -- took it further to talk about Democratic leadership. He referenced Vice President Harris, among others, who have repeated that mantra even if they weren't the president.

And the point is, where today, beyond Senator Fetterman, are those Democratic voices? I haven't heard them say, we can't allow Iran to have a nuke. On that they've gone silent. And Senator Fetterman's theory is because they don't want to give Trump a win. They don't. Such is the antipathy toward Trump that they don't want to give him the win and satisfaction if he can take control of that enriched uranium.

One more. Do I have time, Catherine? If I do put it up on the screen. Great.

The Correspondents' Dinner each year reminds me that humor requires a person to have the ability to self-reflect and to laugh at themselves. Does Trump have what it takes?

Dr. Carl Hindy, we're going to find out tonight. We're going to -- he's got a great opportunity, I think, to just lessen the temperature. But if he comes out -- we've seen him in this mode before where he's just got, you know, a burr in his saddle.

And if he comes out and just settles scores, going table by table by table, I'm sure spending some time on the CNN table without, you know, sort of turning it on himself and being self-deprecating, then he will lose a great opportunity. It should be a night to have fun, civility, have a cocktail, break some bread for one night all in the same page celebrating the First Amendment.

Make sure you're voting on today's poll question at Smerconish.com. Does the risk that Iran will acquire and use a nuclear weapon justify the military and economic risks associated with the blockade? Make sure you vote on that.

Also. still to come, King Charles headed to D.C. to celebrate 250 years of American independence. That's on Monday. Can this royal visit help mend the rift with the U.K. over the Iran war? I'm going to ask a royal insider, former private secretary and chief of staff for the late Princess Diana, Patrick Jephson will be here on how Buckingham palace will handle this historic state visit.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:42:27]

SMERCONISH: A historic anniversary met with a fraught diplomatic reality. Buckingham Palace has confirmed that King Charles and Queen Camilla will arrive in the U.S. on Monday for a four-day state visit. The occasion, the 250th anniversary of American independence. But the celebration is being overshadowed by a growing rift over the war in Iran.

For weeks, President Trump has publicly berated British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, even mocking the strength of the Royal Navy over the UK's refusal to join the us military offensive. During an interview with the Telegraph, the president drew a sharp line between the British government and the monarch, saying, quote, "I think the king would have taken a very different stand, but he doesn't do that. I mean, he's a great gentleman."

During the visit, Charles will become only the second British monarch to address a joint meeting of Congress following his mother, Queen Elizabeth, who did so in 1991. He will also meet privately with the president, while Queen Camilla meets privately with the first lady. So, how does a monarch navigate a special relationship that currently feels anything but special?

Joining me now is Patrick Jephson. He served as private secretary and chief of staff for the late Princess Diana. His books include "Shadows of a Princess" and "The Meghan Factor."

Patrick, I understand that your mother is from the same Scottish village as President Trump's mother. Clearly, President Trump feels a special connection to the U.K.. Do you think it's because of that lineage?

PATRICK JEPHSON, PRIVATE SECRETARY AND CHIEF OF STAFF FOR PRINCESS DIANA: Hi, Michael. Thanks for having me on again. I wouldn't be at all surprised. The village is actually the town of Stornoway, on the island of Lewis, and people from Scotland have a strong sense of identity. People from the islands have an even stronger sense of identity. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that is one of the many unseen factors here, which will help make the state visit go with a swing.

Three words you just used to describe the White House Correspondents' Dinner, fun, civility and cocktails. That actually describes the perfect state dinner. And my guess is that fun, or at any rate, celebration, civility, and cocktails are going to be high up in the armory of weapons that King Charles will use to make sure that the state visit is a success.

SMERCONISH: OK. But when the mics aren't hot, I mean, we would we would call this an exercise, I think, of soft power. When the mics aren't hot, would you expect King Charles would try and smooth over differences with the president?

[09:45:05]

JEPHSON: Yes. I think it's important we set out a couple of constitutional guardrails here. The king has said he reigns but does not rule. He is head of state. He's not head of government. So, he's different from an executive president.

The king does not have the authority to determine British foreign policy. The king acts and speaks on the advice of ministers, particularly the prime minister. The president's beef is with the prime minister, with the head of government, not with the king.

The king is there to celebrate the 250th anniversary. He's there to celebrate this extraordinary trans-Atlantic alliance, the family relationship between the U.K. and the U.S. And certainly, he will be reporting back. And he will definitely be well informed on everything that's going on. SMERCONISH: Patrick, one of the king's sons, I refer to Harry, fought in Afghanistan. The subject was raised. Harry's comments about Ukraine, it gets complicated, were raised with the president this week. Here's what President Trump had to say

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Prince Harry?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir.

TRUMP: How's he doing? How's his wife? Please give him my regards. OK. No, no, I don't know. I think I know one thing, prince Harry is not speaking for the U.K., that's for sure. I think I'm speaking for the U.K. more than Prince Harry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMERCONISH: Patrick Jephson, President Trump says he's speaking to the U.K. more than Harry. Your reaction?

JEPHSON: There was just a YouGov poll conducted in the U.K. about popularity of different members of the royal family. Prince Harry is very low on that poll. So, I think the president is probably right that prince Harry does not speak for the U.K., at least on the basis of that poll.

And it's also true that the royal family is a family. It has all the problems any family can have. And one of the king's priorities here is not just to represent British interests, but behind the scenes he has his own issues with his own illness and family, family management, which certainly, I'm sure he would admit is something that needs a lot of attention.

The general popularity of the monarchy in the U.K. is pretty solid, but it has been higher, and it's not something that any British monarch or indeed any of the monarchs advisers can afford to skip over. There are issues --

SMERCONISH: Patrick --

JEPHSON: -- the king is aware of that. And in the meeting with the president, there will be notes taken, and I'm sure the king will be reporting fully to the prime minister.

SMERCONISH: Thirty second answer. I'm following the Peter Mandelson matter, which is now a beleaguering Keir Starmer. The question for you is, when the king speaks to Congress, does the name Epstein get mentioned?

JEPHSON: I doubt it very much. But the king has to tread a very delicate tightrope here. He was not elected. He is there by dint of being born as prince and now king. He is aware that he is speaking to a representative assembly, and he will choose his words very carefully. SMERCONISH: Thank you so much. We always appreciate your expertise on all things royal, Patrick Jephson. And to everybody watching, you have time to vote on today's poll question at Smerconish.com. Go and do this now. Does the risk that Iran will acquire and use a nuclear weapon justify the military and economic risks associated with the blockade?

Sign up for my newsletter while you're there. It's free and it's worthy, and you'll get exclusive editorial cartoons from the likes of Steve Breen and Jack Ohman.

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[09:53:08]

SMERCONISH: OK, there's the result so far, 32,000 and change have voted. Does the risk that Iran will acquire and use a nuclear weapon justify the military and economic risks associated with the blockade? Thirty-six percent say yes. You know who two of those votes are from today's program. Sixty-four percent, it's two-thirds, essentially, who are in opposition.

Here are some of your social media reaction to today's program. Follow me on X, YouTube, all the usual places.

You are trying to manipulate the vote to yes on today's survey question by showing Fetterman right after showing the survey question. You are moving to the right too just like him.

Roaring King, your comment being aired by me in opposition is proof, I think, that I'm not doing what you're accusing me of doing. I want all viewpoints represented here. I happen to agree with Senator Fetterman on the fact that we're there, and we need to finish the task.

I think where we disagree is I'm a guy who told you weeks ago, I don't think that the administration laid a sufficient predicate, that there was an imminent threat posed by Iran. But we're here now. This is -- this is the hand that has been dealt. And the outcome is going to long outlast the Trump presidency. That's my view.

More social media reaction. What else do we have from today's program?

Michael, where have you been for the last 10 years? Trump doesn't have a self-deprecating bone in his --

Milos Mom, one can hope. I think it will be such a missed opportunity for him if he comes in and he just plays hardball tonight. It's a great opportunity to present himself in a different light, given the circumstances. Do I think it will happen? No, I do not. But if he's watching today's program, then maybe he'll take my advice.

More social media reaction. Hit me with another one. Read our minds, Michael. You've gone total team Trump by trying to normalize this travesty.

[09:55:00] Trump has literally taken correspondents out of the dinner. Frank Fielding, I don't know what else I can tell you. I think it's a healthy thing when people who have disagreements, whether it's your thanksgiving table or the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner tonight.

It's a healthy thing when people who have significant disagreements can be in the same place at the same time, breaking bread. And yes, I'm going to use the word mingling. I'm for mingling. I'm for people getting out of their bubble and spending time with one another, because that's the only way that you realize, hey, we've got some common ground.

I have time for one more. I'll get it done quickly, I promise. Go. Go ahead.

If I had a prediction market account, I would be all in on a wager that Trump publicly embarrasses King Charles and the United Kingdom. A snide remark about Harry.

No, I don't think he's going to do it. I think -- I think it matters that this special relationship matters so much to the president. He might not be on his best behavior tonight at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, but he will be for the next four days with regard to the king. I'll take your wager.

If you missed any of today's program, you can always listen anywhere you get your podcasts. Thank you for watching. See you next week.

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