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Smerconish

Graham Platner Mocks Soldier Shot Multiple Times In Combat; U.S. & Iran Signal Progress In Effort To End War. Trump Derangement Syndrome. Aired 9-10 ET

Aired May 30, 2026 - 09:00   ET

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

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: -- sculptural witness tree rings embedded into stainless steel and circling trees that have lived through Charlotte Ville's a contested historic past. And push studio calls their design land forge. It centered around creating two tower sites, 25 feet high. It's called back to how tall the Robert E. Lee statue was. And you can look at the designs more closely and vote at cipcville.com. The final design will be announced on July 10th the fifth anniversary of the Lee statues removal.

Thanks for joining me today. I'll see you back here next Saturday at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Smerconish is up next.

[09:00:42]

MICHAEL SMERCONISH, CNN ANCHOR: Democratic blind spot. I'm Michael Smerconish in the Philly burbs. Hate Trump enough and it seems that anything goes. That's the lesson from three connected stories this week read together. They reveal something important about a party that has lost its bearings. David Wecht just quit the Democratic Party and some of you are saying who? Wecht does a justice on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court just retained for another 10-year term. Well, he left the party this month citing anti-Semitism, specifically what he described as Jew hatred becoming disturbingly common among Democratic activists, leaders and elected officials.

He wrote this, Nazi tattoos, jihadist chants, intimidation and attacks at synagogues, minimized ignored even coddled. Wecht was married at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh where 11 worshippers were slaughtered in 2018. He knows something about the subject matter. Nazi tattoos, we all get that reference. Graham Platner is the presumptive Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine. Democrats need four seats to reclaim the majority and Maine is a priority. And in their hunger to win much of the party has looked the other way and here's what they refuse to confront.

For 18 years Platner had a Nazi tattoo on his chest the totenkopf, the skull and crossbones used by Nazi SS forces, one of the most recognizable symbols of The Third Reich according to the Anti- Defamation League. He says he got it in 20 -- in 2007 during a night of drinking with fellow marines on shore leave in split Croatia, picked it off a parlor wall thought it looked cool. Had no idea of what it meant. Says he passed a military physical and nobody flagged it. Maybe.

But CNN's K-file found deleted Reddit posts from 2019 12 years after Croatia in which Platner discussed the totenkopf by name and appeared to defend its use in military culture. Two acquaintances told CNN he'd privately acknowledged its Nazi meaning years before his public denials. His own former political director said it plainly. He knows damn well what it means. And the tattoo wasn't all that K-file found they surfaced more than 1,800 Reddit posts made between 2009 and 2021 under the handle P Hustle. Including a post where he said people needed to, "Take some responsibility for themselves and not get so eff'd up that they wind up having sex with someone they don't mean to."

His political director resigned. Platner apologized attributing the post to struggles with PTSD after combat deployments. As for the tattoo, he didn't cover it until October of 2025, 18 years after getting it and only when it became a political problem. Think about that for a moment, 18 years of getting out of the shower, 18 years of looking into the mirror and seeing the totenkopf. That's not a drunken mistake in Croatia. That's a daily choice sustained for nearly two decades.

Massachusetts Congressman Jake Auchincloss called it disqualifying this week. I agree with Democratic Representative Auchincloss that he's an outlier. More representative of the democratic mainstream is Elizabeth Warren who endorsed Platner refusively calling him, the real deal. Warren was not deterred by the Reddit posts or how he referred to himself as a communist or the 18-year-old tattoo. It's the same Elizabeth Warren who eviscerated Michael Bloomberg, you'll remember, on a debate stage over NDA signed by women who settled claims against him.

And the same Elizabeth Warren who flagged Pete Hegseth's Christian tattoos as a potential disqualifier. Nazi-linked tattoo on a Democrat for that, there's a workaround because Platner might beat Susan Collins in Maine and Platner proved that he's got the right stuff at many a candidate forum, stating the following, I firmly believe if we get a Senate majority, it needs to be hearing time. We need to shut down the White House by subpoenaing everybody in every single day so that we stand in front of the Senate committees and make them explain to the American people what they've been doing. We very much need to use every lever at our disposal to shut down this administration.

[09:04:57]

That's the blind spot, and it doesn't stop with Graham Platner. As you've heard, the Bidens are back in the news, Jill Biden about to drop a memoir and sat for a CBS interview that caused a buzz. When asked about watching her husband's June 2024 presidential debate, she said she was worried he was having a stroke and that she'd never seen him like that before. Never. That was her word. Never before and never since, which sounds to me like a stretch.

We all watched his decline. Eventually it comes for us all. And remember, five months before the debate, the special counsel, Robert Hur released his report on President Biden's handling of classified documents. He declined to bring charges. His reason was devastating. Biden would likely be seen by any jury as a sympathetic, well meaning elderly man with a poor memory. That's what he said. A federal prosecutor saying the case wasn't worth bringing because the defendant appeared to too cognitively dismiss -- diminished to convict.

The White House was furious. Jill Biden stood by her husband. His memory, she insisted, was fine. And then came June 15th. Twelve days before the debate, the Bidens attended a Hollywood fundraiser hosted by George Clooney and former President Obama. In a "New York Times" op-ed written shortly after the debate, Clooney disclosed what he'd witnessed. Biden had appeared to age a decade, he wrote. The president hadn't recognized the movie star, a man that he'd known for years. Others described Biden as slow, almost catatonic, terrifying, some said.

In fact, you'll remember the footage right there of President Obama needing to lead him off the stage. Joe Biden was there. She saw what Clooney saw. And then came the debate. Donald Trump, not a man known for restraint, stood at that podium and said almost nothing because he didn't need to. He just watched. Even Trump was floored. As soon as it ended, the Biden shared a stage in front of supporters. Jill told Joe that he'd done great, answered all the questions, knew all the facts.

And remember after that, they didn't go to the hospital. They made an unannounced late night stop at a Waffle House in Marietta, Georgia. I will give Jill Biden the most charitable read that I can. Sometimes people closest to somebody, they don't see what outsiders see. You know, think of it like the boiling frog, maybe. But the silence around Biden wasn't just hers. It was party wide. It was sustained. It was deliberate and driven by one calculation. He'd beaten Trump once, and defeating Trump again was all that mattered. "Inconvenient Truth" Scott buried. The same calculation that has Democrats looking past a Nazi tattoo in Maine.

But David Wecht, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice who just left the Democratic Party, he had a different reaction. He saw something, he said something. In so doing, he told his former party what they are reduced to when the only thing they focus on is Donald Trump.

Graham Platner's now deleted Reddit account once stated regarding an American infantry man in a firefight with the Taliban that, "Dumb MFer, didn't deserve to live." Our next guest survived that ambush in 2012, posted the video, which came from his helmet cam. U.S. army combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient Teddy Daniels. Nowadays, Teddy is not in a firefight with the Taliban, but rather with Graham Platner.

This week he published a piece in the "Wall Street Journal" titled I'm the Soldier Graham Platner Mocked. Joining me now, U.S. army combat veteran, Purple Heart recipient Teddy Daniels. Teddy, what injuries did you sustain in that firefight?

TEDDY DANIELS, U.S. ARMY COMBAT VETERAN/ PURPLE HEART RECIPIENT: Sir, thank you for having me on. I had a lot of shrapnel injuries. Bullet fragments inside the joints. Actually ended up breaking my right foot in numerous places. I had a round that skipped off my helmet, had another round that shot sunglasses off my face. It's been over 20 plus surgeries to get everything repaired and back to working condition.

SMERCONISH: Forty-seven million people have viewed one of the forms of that video that's posted online. Got to believe you've heard a lot of reaction after what Platner said about you. What reaction do you most normally hear?

DANIELS: Sir, I'll be honest with you. I really don't even scour comment sections. I mean, people are entitled to their opinion and so is Graham Platner. And, you know, I let people make up their own mind in their own decision.

SMERCONISH: OK, when he says that the MFer didn't deserve to live, does that upset you, anger you? Tell me your reaction?

[09:10:05]

DANIELS: I kind of considered a source on that, first and foremost. And I'll be honest with you, what really upset me about the comments is, you know, I can't even say that I was upset. I'm upset about the comments that he made about Chris Kyle. But, you know, Chris Kyle has kids. He's not here to defend himself. I have kids and, you know, with people like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders backing this man, I want them, I want Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders to, my youngest is eight, he turns nine in a couple days, to tell my kids that they're supporting a man who said their father didn't deserve to live. I mean, think about that. You know, that's the issue there. It's just sad that somebody like this is being considered for a position for -- in leadership in the United States Senate.

SMERCONISH: I don't understand why an apology hasn't been offered. I saw that somebody caught up with him outside a convenience store within the last week and on camera said, why not just apologize meaning to you? And he kind of blew them off and talked about the fact that he had served with many who had similarly been awarded Purple Hearts and recognized for their combat valor.

DANIELS: Sir, I really don't even want an apology from the man. I think anything at this point would be disingenuous. And another point that I really want to make, I was approached by an older gentleman, older than me, the other day, who thanked me for standing up and commenting about the Graham Platner situation. This guy told me he had lost his brother in Vietnam and that the comments Platner made affect so many people.

And it shows that those in the Democrat party really truly don't care about veterans, about service if they're going to continue to back this man. And you know, the like I said, the guy who approached me lost his brother in Vietnam. And that really hit me.

SMERCONISH: In "The Wall Street Journal" here's something you wrote. Dad would comment on the work boots they wore, boots that never saw a day of work, and their Carhartt jackets, which still had creases from being on the shelf at the tractor supply company store. What's that a reference to?

DANIELS: Sir, my dad was a brick and stone mason. My mother worked in a textile mill. And my dad would comment how these politicians would come out and try to play the common man when they were anything but. And blue collar, hard working folks, they saw right through it.

You can dress the part, but it doesn't mean that you are the part, you know, especially like my father, sir, you shake his hand and it was like grabbing a block of granite. And a lot of these politicians, you go to shake their hand and it's like grabbing a stick of melted butter, but they're trying to play like working men. That's the irony.

SMERCONISH: Teddy Daniels, appreciate hearing your side of this. Watch the video. I'm among the 47 million. I'm good for a couple of those views. And I was appalled when I heard what he said about you. So thank you for being here.

DANIELS: Sir, thank you very much. I appreciate it.

SMERCONISH: What are your thoughts? Hit me up on social media. I'll read some responses throughout the course of the program. You can find me on all the usual social media platforms.

As a Jewish person and voting Mainer, I couldn't care less about his tattoo. In fact, I find it reassuring that people's small embarrassments come to light. It normalizes them. Marty, if it were just a drunken night while in service in Croatia and not 18 years of keeping it until deciding to run for the Senate, and I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt in the way I framed it that, that he didn't know it at the time, I'm shocked by that.

And I guess the question that I would ask you is whether if he were a member of a different party, what if it were Pete? In fact, I've got the best hypothetical. Shame on me. What if it were Pete Hegseth? And Hegseth were put forth by Trump to be the Secretary of Defense. And it now comes to light not that he has a Christian tattoo, but a Nazi tattoo. Would you be as forgiving? I'm for consistency. So whatever your answer is for Platner, I hope you'd be saying the same thing if it were Hegseth. Somehow I doubt it.

Nine music acts were set to perform at the Great American State Fair in Washington to celebrate America's 250th birthday. But six have dropped out. Six and counting. Why? They say they were told it was a nonpartisan festival and that they discovered that it's backed by Freedom 250, an organization launched by the Trump White House. It brings this to mind. This is the poll question today at smerconish.com. Should politics determine whether artists perform at the Great American State Fair? Should they be thinking, oh, I don't know if I want to perform in this circumstance or that circumstance, or just perform?

[09:15:20]

Up ahead, the Raging Cajun is here with a self-diagnosis that you're going to want to hear. James on what it all means for the upcoming election, James Carville. Is President Trump now falling into the escalation trap in Iran? We'll discuss the latest with international affairs expert Robert Pape. Make sure you sign up for my daily newsletter when you're voting at smerconish.com, you'll get the work of illustrators like Steve Green.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:19:57]

SMERCONISH: President Trump met with advisers in the Situation Room yesterday regarding the conflict in Iran. Before the meeting, the President said that he was close to a final determination with regard to a tentative agreement with Iran. One point of contention has been the closed Strait of Hormuz, which has cost the market more than 1 million barrels of oil so far. And this week, ExxonMobil warned that oil inventories will soon drop to record and dangerously low levels.

Here to discuss, a top expert in the field of international security affairs, Robert Pape, professor of political science at the University of Chicago. He's been writing regularly about the Iran war at Substack. Dr. Pape, nice to see you. You've been playing war games at the University of Chicago for 20 years. You think that President Trump faces what you call the escalation trap. What is it?

ROBERT PAPE, PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: The escalation trap is when you win the battle and your strategic position gets worse, then you're in an awful dilemma. Capitulate or escalate more in a hope of getting a better outcome. And President Trump is squarely in the escalation trap. Bombs hit targets, bombs killed leaders. And the problem he faces is that Iran controls its uranium. It controls its missiles. It still has many missiles and drones. And worse, it's gained power by controlling Hormuz.

President Trump now is squarely facing this dilemma. Does he essentially capitulate and concede on Iran's terms, or does he escalate? And that's what you're watching over the last few weeks.

SMERCONISH: What does history tell us as to the best way to get out of what you describe as the escalation trap?

PAPE: What history tells us, Michael, and I'm sorry, your listeners don't want to hear this, is this will go on for months. History tells us that leaders do not simply capitulate when they have faced this strategic dilemma I've laid out, they hem and haw. They look for ways to make a deal. They spin, and then eventually they come back and they escalate because that is their only choice they have under their full control.

And I think this is going to be with us for weeks and months. I know people want to hear we'll never bomb again, we'll never use ground operations and so forth. I'm sorry, that is just simply not history. And you can see President Trump can't bring himself to simply walk away, because walking away means Iran is the 4th century center of world power, not today, but over the next year or two.

SMERCONISH: Dr. Pape, you heard what I said relative to ExxonMobil warning of dangerously low oil supplies. If conflict ceases, does the price of oil necessarily come down?

PAPE: No. If conflict ceases in this case, the price of oil is not necessarily going to come down because the fear will not go down. You see, oil is priced not just on supply, but on fear. And what the world has learned is that Hormuz is vulnerable, 20 percent of the world's oil supply and energy supply is vulnerable. And you can't unlearn that lesson. And Iran benefits tremendously by having oil at 100, 110, $90 a barrel. And so Iran only needs occasional reminders to the world that it is really to threaten Hormuz anytime it wants.

And that could be with proxies, that could be with an occasional missile strike here or there. And that benefits Iran enormously. Why would Iran give up all that money? And it can simply use intermittent instability to keep the price of oil at a point where they're making money.

SMERCONISH: Give me the 30 second version if you can. Why can't we just go get the dust?

PAPE: Because we have to dig it out, Michael. We have to not just find it, we have to dig it out. And that is not a 24 hour operation. It will take hundreds, probably even more weeks to do this in multiple different locations. They will be under potential fire by hundreds of thousands of IRCG who still have lots of anger toward the United States. And this is not a 24-hour hostage rescue. This isn't like we just go get it, as some people are saying. This is an excavation project under fire.

SMERCONISH: Dr. Robert Pape, you can find more of his work at Substack, the Escalation Trap is what he writes under. Let's see what some of your social media reaction might be to today's program so far.

[09:25:09]

But Michael, weren't you just touting the brilliance of Trump's strategy on Iran the other day? Mark Jacoby what I said was I was never convinced as to the predicate for going in on February 28th into Iran. I did not believe that the administration had put forth a case that there was an imminent threat that we were facing. That's what I said. Clearly here on CNN and on SiriusXM.

Finding ourselves where we are in Iran. I want to see their nuclear program completely destabilized and the United States to have possession of the enriched uranium. That's what I've said and I've been consistent.

Still to come, more of your social media reaction to my commentary from Jill Biden to Graham Platner, have the Democrats been blinded by their desire to defeat Donald Trump? And a well-known political consultant and Democratic strategist who openly admits to suffering from TDS, James Carville will be here. Plus, artists bailing on a Trump backed concert for America's 250th. Go to my website, it's smerconish.com answer this question. Should politics determine whether artists perform at the Great American State Fair?

Sign up for my newsletter while you're there. You'll get the work of illustrators such as Eric Alley.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:30:55]

SMERCONISH: Tonight, the Boss is here in Philly. It's the final stop on his Land of Hope and Dreams U.S. tour, originally billed as Minneapolis to Washington, but bumped to Philadelphia at the last minute due to the 76ers' playoff schedule.

I've always loved his music, grew up on it. I could do without the political preaching, Springsteen announced this tour explicitly as an act of protest, declaring from the outset that he'd be rocking your town in celebration and in defense of America, American democracy, American freedom, all of which are under attack by our wannabe king, he said.

On opening night in Minneapolis, he delivered four separate political speeches describing the current administration as corrupt and comparing immigration enforcement to foreign gulags. It hasn't let up since. It's an issue I've long wrestled with.

I love Pink Floyd. I disagree with Roger Waters. I generally don't let politics determine my entertainment choices because -- guess what? I have very little to watch or listen to. The art is the art, which is why a very different controversy unfolding in Washington this week caught my attention.

While Springsteen performs for fans who paid to hear him preach, they know what they're getting tonight, a group of 90's artists found themselves in what they say is the opposite predicament booked to play at what they thought was a nonpartisan, patriotic celebration. But they believe now that it was anything but.

The Great American State Fair set for the National Mall from June 25th to July 10 organized not by America250, that's the nonpartisan body that Congress created for the Semiquincentennial, but by Freedom 250, a Trump White House initiative.

Against that backdrop, Freedom 250 announced a nine-act concert lineup on Wednesday, heavy on nostalgia, featuring Bret Michaels of Poison, and Martina McBride, the Commodores, Milli Vanilli, Vanilla Ice, C+C Music Factory, Morris Day, and the Time, Young MC, and Flo Rida. And then it immediately unraveled six of the nine scheduled performers have withdrawn with most saying they were told it was a nonpartisan state fair and now they feel that they were misled.

Martina McBride said that she initially believed the event was nonpartisan, quote, "sounds fun, right? Wholesome even." But was informed, Wednesday, that was not the case. Young MC said that the artists were never told about any political involvement. They only learned that it was a Trump backed concert or concert series after reading about it in Spin magazine.

Bret Michaels, who's a Trump supporter himself, still walked, citing both the event's dismissiveness and safety concerns. Morris Day kept it short, it's a no for me. Followed by sunglasses emoji.

And then there's the strangest chapter in the whole saga. C+C Music Factory rapper, Freedom Williams, the voice behind Gonna Make You Sweat, delivered a seven-minute, expletive filled rant from atop his toilet seat, saying that he doesn't give a damn about Trump, but won't let critics tell him what to do. The backlash actually made him change course and decide to stay.

Jimmy Kimmel responded, I feel like hearing from him only once every 35 years isn't enough. So who's left? Vanilla Ice, C+C Music Factory, Flo Rida. Three acts for 16 nights on the National Mall. Organizers insist the whole thing is being misread.

Freedom 250 spokesperson Julia Friedland says the event has always been sold as a nonpartisan celebration. I don't think there's anything partisan about America being around for 250 years, she said. Critics see it differently and so apparently do most of the artists who were booked.

That's why I'm asking today at Smerconish.com the following poll question, should politics determine whether those artists perform at the Great American fair? Go vote. I'll give you some reaction and the results of that at the end of the hour.

Social media now from the program so far. Follow me on X, check out my YouTube page. You know where to locate me. OK, here we go.

You're nothing but a right-wing Trump bootlicking MAGA hack.

[09:35:03]

CNN should fire your ass. Yes. You belong on OAN or NewsMax.

All right. Let's just stop for a moment and reflect on why I am a Trump ass kicker -- kisser, according to you. Because I did what today? I came on air and I said, Democrats have a blind spot.

And here's exhibit A of the blind spot. They're willing to overlook the fact that a Senate candidate had a Nazi tattoo on his chest for nearly 20 years, for nearly 20 years. And the file -- the K-File investigation suggests he knew exactly what it was.

So, he gets out of the shower every day and looks at himself in the mirror, and he sees a Nazi tattoo. And he's cool with it, and you're cool with it, until he decides that he's going to run for the United States Senate. And that's OK?

And then he says of an army combat veteran, the stupid m-effer doesn't deserve to be alive, after watching that combat video. And now you've seen the video and you've met the man. Forty-seven million people have met the man.

And Democrats are just willing to turn a blind eye to that. A blind eye, because Platner to them, he's a fighter. You know, he'll go knee the president in the groin and that's what we want. And we are looking to -- we are willing to look the other way, if you will take the fight to the man. That's what you're saying.

And then I highlighted a different way of approaching these matters by pointing out that there's a Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice, just retained by a massive retention vote, who says, I've had enough.

This party has acquiesced to antisemitism. And I'm no longer comfortable here. I'm no longer comfortable in a party that tolerates Nazi tattoos and won't speak out against record high antisemitism. I'm becoming an independent. And for that I'm a Trump ass kisser, according to you.

Nope, I don't think so. I don't think so. And did you miss the segment that followed the opening commentary where -- with Dr. Robert Pape? We discussed all that's gone wrong in Iran and how there's no easy way out. I'm calling balls and strikes.

Sometimes they are critical of the president, and sometimes they are more defensive of his conduct. And you are selecting which segment of this program meets your political agenda, not mine. That's the way that I'm rolling.

All right. The Ragin' Cajun, the one and only James -- you know what? I'm going to ask James what he thinks. I'm going to ask James.

There he is. Give me a thumbs up or a thumbs down. Did you -- when I say the Democrats have a blind eye because of Trump derangement syndrome, thumbs up that you agree, or thumbs down that you disagree.

Come on, give me a sign. I want to know what I'm up for. Up or down? Up or down? Just a thumb.

JAMES CARVILLE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Yes, I do have -- I do have Trump derangement syndrome.

SMERCONISH: Go ahead.

CARVILLE: And I'm very proud of it.

SMERCONISH: OK.

CARVILLE: I'm saying, I have Trump derangement syndrome and I'm very proud of it.

SMERCONISH: OK.

CARVILLE: I want more.

SMERCONISH: All right. Well --

CARVILLE: OK?

SMERCONISH: All right. This is going to be interesting. Yes, yes, after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:42:41]

SMERCONISH: Are you experiencing sudden, uncontrollable rage at the thought of President Trump? Have you cut off your family and friends due to their political affiliations? Does the sight of a red hat elevate your heart rate? You may be suffering from what the internet refers to as Trump derangement syndrome, or TDS, defined as -- a term used to describe extreme negative reactions to President Trump, where emotions, judgments, and behaviors become so intensely consumed by him that they're perceived as irrational or unhinged.

My next guest has self-diagnosed himself with TDS. He's also a veteran political consultant, co-host of the Politics War Room podcast, and the man behind President Clinton's 1992 campaign victory. The Ragin' Cajun is James Carville.

OK, we began the conversation before the break. Go ahead. Say what you wanted to say.

CARVILLE: OK. Thank you. And thanks for giving me the opportunity to say it. I have Trump derangement syndrome and I'm trying to get worse. I asked my doctor, is there a pill I can get more Trump derangement syndrome? He said, medicine can't deal with that, James.

And I think I have it. I think -- I don't know Bruce Springsteen, I think, he does too, because we think, if he's not a traitor, he would do exactly what a traitor would do in that to try to be objective about it is the equivalent of being a collaborationist. That is our -- that is our view. It's my view, rather. That is my view.

This is a very perilous time in the history of the United States. It is extremely perilous for people who love the United States and love its laws and love what it is. And like I say, whether he is a traitor, I can't really say that, but he would be doing exactly what a traitor would do if they ever got into the presidency. And it should be no quarter in dealing with him.

SMERCONISH: I don't know if you heard the opening commentary. I hope that you did. But I said that Democrats have a blind eye. They're turning a blind eye to their own failings. And I look at Platner with his Nazi tattoo for nearly 20 years as exhibit A.

I look at the failure to call out Joe Biden's obvious failing condition during the early stage of the 2024 cycle as another example of that. In other words, when the intensity and desire is only to beat Donald Trump, it's not in the party's best interest because they lose their judgment. You would say what to that?

CARVILLE: Well, I would say, first of all (INAUDIBLE), actually, for a long, long, long time.

[09:45:04]

I even came on your show and expressed my skepticism and criticism. So, I'm not -- that is one thing. You know, if you think and you believe that it is a perilous situation, you know, I think when you look at the totality now, Graham Platner, you're right -- one thing about a tattoo, if you said something -- did something stupid 20 years ago, it's still with you. It doesn't go anywhere.

I think I'll never get a tattoo because of -- because I always change my mind about things. But I think what people would you ask me is if he said some things that are highly controversial, yes. But what is the most important thing to do in America? And that is to oppose Trump as vigorously as possible at every level.

And the most important tool we have at our disposal is to win elections. Understand, we think (INAUDIBLE) the United States. Therefore, I don't know what supersedes that. I just don't.

And I can't think of anything. And I have like -- and I understand what Bruce Springsteen is doing. I understand what these other people are doing. They need to do more of it.

SMERCONISH: OK. To me, respectfully, it's the same mindset that explains people who breached the Capitol on January 6th. I mean, they were similarly warped in their thinking that it's all on the line. And therefore, no behavior is out of bounds. And I'm going to break into the Capitol, and I'm going to stop the counting of the ballots.

CARVILLE: I completely disagree with the premise. Voting for Graham Platner is not a felony. Breaking into the Capitol is a felony. And when you want to defend the objectivity so much that you're comparing people voting for a flawed person and assaulting police officers, of which I (INAUDIBLE) if you're calling balls and strike, I'm going to call this way outside the strike zone.

SMERCONISH: But -- no, James -- James, I think you're misunderstanding me. It was actually more directed at you.

I was really saying -- I was really saying, if you're -- if you're -- if your objective is to fight Donald Trump and accept anybody who's on your team in doing so, because the stakes are so high, that's what reminds me of a January 6th mindset. Respond to that.

CARVILLE: Right. Again, I might have Trump derangement syndrome, but I am not a criminal. OK? I agree with that.

And I think my preference is Democrats at every point nominate the most electable person. Richard Thaler, who's the most influential economist of the 21st century, maybe ever, was asked -- he's a great behavioral economist. They said, what should the Democrats do? He said, they should nominate people who are electable.

Sometimes I don't always get my way. All right? But most (INAUDIBLE) it's coming up pretty good this year, and I think you're going to have a good year. But I can't -- I can't apologize for that, which I profoundly and deeply believe that we are being led by a person who, if not a traitor himself, is doing exactly everything that a traitor would do if they got in that job.

SMERCONISH: OK, you got it all in. I'm appreciative that you were here. I hope you'll come back. Thank you, James.

CARVILLE: Well, I appreciate it. I will. I will. You're always very fair and very courteous. We just have a different world view. But that's not a crime. That's not a crime. That's not storming the Capitol. Just have a different view.

SMERCONISH: James, by the way, earned the right to wear that sweatshirt. He earned the right to wear that sweatshirt.

All right. Your social media reaction. Quickly, do we have a -- from the world of X, from the world of Facebook, from --

Carville demonstrates how TDS not only affects the far-left, but also the political class of usually rational actors. They do not understand how someone like Trump has a solid base and has majority support individual issues. And how he isn't swayed --

Look, Kyle, I'll just take your social media post as an invitation to remind people, you take a look at the Texas Senate race this week. And Cornyn losing to Ken Paxton. And it lets you know the influence that Trump maintains among Republicans. And I think it's very easily when you're paying attention to the pundit class and to the major media outlets to believe that the whole world is against him. It's all gone to hell in a handbasket, and the whole world is against Donald Trump.

And then Ken Paxton defeats John Cornyn, who's been quarter century in the Senate. And it's a wake up to let you know that many of your friends and neighbors are still with the president. And that needs to be recognized. That's my point.

You still have time to vote on today's poll question at Smerconish.com. I'm asking about the Great American State Fair and those who are refusing now to perform. Should politics determine whether they are going to or not going to perform at the state fair?

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Vote on that. While you're there, please subscribe to my newsletter. It's free and it's worthy, and you'll get the exclusive work of editorial cartoonists like the award-winning Jack Ohman.

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SMERCONISH: OK, there's the result so far of today's voting. Should politics determine whether artists perform at the Great American State Fair? I am a no vote. I am among -- OK. I figured it would have been more lopsided than that. Nearly 30,000 have voted and 43 percent of us say no.

When I say, no, I mean, I think they ought to perform. I like the way Toby Keith handled it in the first Trump inauguration. I think Toby Keith, from what I read, the Eric Church interview in Rolling Stone, as a matter of fact, something that's on my mind, very independent in his thinking, and was criticized for performing at the Trump inaugural.

[09:55:02]

He's like, hey, it's the president of the United States. And, you know, this is -- this is what I do.

And I totally respected that at the time. I'd like to see everybody performing. I'm not staying away from the Boss tonight because of his politics. I'm staying away because of the traffic and the parking. I'm like those progressive commercials the older I get.

Social media reaction, what else do we have? Let's see it.

TDS means Trump delusion syndrome. You suffer from this. You're the guy who was boasting that Trump's madman theory about winning the war in Iran. You're deluded in thinking that Trump is a genius.

No, Stuart Jones. When everybody was critical of those intemperate tweets from the president where he said, open the -- open the effing strait, you madman, or whatever the hell they were. I came on and rationally explained to all of you that we were not the intended audience.

You know, that wasn't a pitch for middle America. That was a pitch for the mullahs in Iran to recognize that Trump was willing to go to any lengths necessary. And on that basis, I explained, but I didn't -- it's amazing. Any nuance is just so disregarded and disrespected by so many of you. But guess what? I'm already looking forward to next week.

If you missed any of today's program, you can always listen anywhere you get your podcasts. Thank you for watching and I shall see you next week. Unless, by the way, they, quote, unquote, "fire my ass," as at least one poster was demanding.

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