PBS NEWSHOUR: New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart join John Yang to discuss the week in politics, including the political fallout of the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, President Trump’s total control over Washington and the state of American democracy on this Independence Day.

JOHN YANG, PBS NEWSHOUR: But you talk about – David, you talk about the people who said that they were standing on principle to oppose this, that they did not want the national debt increase, that this was spending too much money. Is loyalty and fealty to President Trump more important than that principle? DAVID BROOKS, NEW YORK TIMES: Well, I think we have now have about 600 cases of this. And the answer is 98.2 percent yes, and so that. And then the other thing that’s interesting to me about this bill is that it’s truly regressive. It’s good for the rich and it’s bad for working-class folks. But Democrats – Republicans have been doing this for a little while. And Republicans have been winning working-class votes, despite all sorts of pieces of legislation that are regressive in this way. So how much will – the Democrats are pretty confident we can say, he’s cutting your Medicare – your Medicaid. Excuse me. He’s giving tax cuts to zillionaires. But Democrats have been saying that for 20 or 30 years. And Donald Trump has been elected. And even in New York, Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, presumptive, he did not do well among working-class voters. And he’s a socialist giving away free bus rides. He did well among the people making over $ 150,000, except for the very rich. And so there’s something weird going on in our country. Democrats do not seem to be able to capitalize on the fact that Republicans do all these regressive policies. JONATHAN CAPEHART, WASHINGTON POST: Well, one of the things that they did in this now law that is going to aid what you’re talking about, the cuts to Medicaid. They don’t kick in, in until 2026, after the midterm elections. And so Democrats will be out there screaming about how Medicaid has been cut. But the people they’re talking to will say, well, my Medicaid hasn’t been cut. What are they talking about? So this sleight of hand that’s in this now law is also – it’s reprehensible, because by the time people get hit with the full impact of this law, it might be too late for Democrats to capitalize on it. YANG: So, Jonathan, you don’t think this is going to play a big role in the midterms? CAPEHART: Oh, absolutely. It’s going to play a big role in the midterms. There’s a difference between playing the sound of Thom Tillis, playing the sound of Senator Tillis, Senator Lisa Murkowski, who actually did an old-fashioned job of squeezing out as much benefit for her constituents, but then voting for a bill that she herself is on video saying is a terrible bill. All Democrats have to do is cut and paste those videos into ads and then spread out around the country and talk about the thousands of people who are going to lose health care as a result of this law. BROOKS: Yes, I mean, maybe they could run Elon Musk ads, things like that. CAPEHART: Yes. I do too. BROOKS: Yes, I think the one thing I would say if I were a Democrat is, Donald Trump won election on the back of the working class. He has betrayed you. You have been betrayed by this guy. Americans are in a mood where many of them feel betrayed. And so Republicans have won because they tell a betrayal story. The elites are betraying you. But Democrats now have a betrayal story to tell. And so you got to go with the tide of history. And the tide of history is like 68 percent, not just Republicans, think the elites have betrayed us. And now Democrats have a plausible version. This guy, he said he was going to help you in Youngstown, Ohio. He’s helping Palm Beach. And that’s a story that they could do. If they hit that populist note a little harder, that might be effective.

RealClearPolitics Videos