New York Post columnist Miranda Devine joins Tom Bevan, Richard Porter, and Andrew Walworth, Thursday on the RealClearPolitics podcast, to discuss her exclusive interview yesterday with President Donald Trump and give her reaction to Trump nominating Todd Blanche to be the permanent attorney general and Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence. Listen live weekdays at 11:00 a.m. Eastern on SiriusXM’s Megyn Kelly Channel 111, or on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or other platforms.

00:00 – Opening: Miranda Devine on Her Latest Trump Interview “Pod Force One” host Miranda Devine, also a NY Post writer, joins the show to break down her exclusive interview yesterday with President Donald Trump, where the president confirmed the accuracy of a report from Axios that he angrily told Israeli PM Netanyahu to stop messing up the ceasefire with Iran by attacking Hezbollah in Lebanon. Watch: Trump Tells Miranda Devine He Told Bibi “We’ve Got To Stop” Axios: “You’re F-cking Crazy”: Trump Fumes at Netanyahu in Call on Lebanon The panel also debates President Trump’s latest Cabinet picks, selecting Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence and Todd Blanche to become the permanent Attorney General. Tom Bevan calls Pulte one of Trump’s worst picks because he lacks intelligence experience, while Miranda Devine and Richard Porter argue that Trump wants a bulldog. On Pulte, Bevan said: “I think it’s a terrible nomination. I think it’s probably one of the worst ones that Trump has made thus far.” Devine countered: “What he needed … was a bulldog. And it doesn’t have to be for very long. It just needs to be to get this stuff out and to force those agencies to cough it up.” *** 10:53 – Bessent Unleashed The panel reacts to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s sharp exchanges with senators, including Ron Wyden and Thom Tillis, at a hearing this week. Bevan says congressional hearings have become more performative, but Trump officials now come prepared with their own zingers and opposition research. Watch: Scott Bessent to Sen. Ron Wyden: I’d Like To Know What Your Son Talked About With Jeffrey Epstein Watch: Scott Bessent to Sen. Thom Tillis: “No Senator, I Said I Was Going To Kick His Ass” Watch: Full Video: Treasury Secretary Bessent Spars With Senators In Tense Hearing “There’s a Treasury secretary unleashed,” Walworth said. This is a numbers guy. He’s an economist. He’s a brilliant finance guy. And it turns out he’s a wise guy, too,” Bevan said. *** 21:37 – Marco Rubio at Full Power The panel discusses Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s combative House and Senate testimony this week, including his frustrated response to questions about Trump, 2020, and even his shoes. Richard Porter and Tom Bevan argue Rubio now looks seasoned, confident, and ready for a larger national role. Watch: Secretary of State Marco Rubio With Senate Foreign Relations Committee “Is this the Foreign Affairs Committee, or is this like a circus?” Rubio said. “He has really become a leader in full,” Richard Porter said. “It’s like Question Time in the British Parliament. These guys are really good at giving as good as they’re getting.” “They do not like each other. That is very palpable and real,” Bevan said. Walworth added: “I don’t get the sense that this is performative, I think these people really hate each other.” *** 27:08 – Bolton Pleads Guilty The panel reacts to John Bolton reportedly agreeing to plead guilty to federal charges involving mishandling classified material. Richard Porter calls it a cautionary tale, while Bevan says Bolton’s arrogance does not excuse being irresponsible with classified information. “Nobody’s above the law, as they keep telling us,” Tom Bevan added. “When this first happened … he was indignant about this and went on TV and wrote op-eds and talked about how he was being persecuted.” *** 39:00 – Another Platner Scandal Coming? The panel discusses Graham Platner’s short visit to Washington this week and Democratic concerns that more controversies could still emerge before Maine’s Senate primary. Watch: Platner Ignores Reporters Leaving Meeting With Dem Senators Bevan suggests Democrats are in damage-control mode in the time they have left before the primary, while Gov. Janet Mills remains on the ballot as a possible fallback. “They are very worried because there are rumors that there’s stuff that’s coming out,” he said. “They’re hunkered down and waiting for this next shoe to drop.” *** 42:23 – California Still Can’t Count The episode ends with California taking a tremendously long time to count their ballots — again — after Tuesday’s primary, with Trump alleging Democrats are trying to steal races from Steve Hilton and Spencer Pratt. The slow counting invites conspiracy theories, as if California’s system is designed to leave the door open to fraud, Richard Porter argued. “It’s inexcusable that California takes so long to count these ballots,” Richard Porter said. “This is by design. It’s not strictly incompetence.”

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