Trump Threatens DOGE cuts for Elon, Josh Gottenheimer Attacks Mamdani, Alligator Alcatraz Gone Wild

Trump Threatens DOGE cuts for Elon, Josh Gottenheimer Attacks Mamdani, Alligator Alcatraz Gone Wild

DailyBeastie.Com

7/1/20255 min read

New Jersey Democrat Congressman Josh Gottenheimer is an AIPAC mouthpiece for Israel, who funds, arms, defends Israel's illegal occupation, genocide, mass starvation, land theft of the Palestinian people.

Gottenheimer shamelessly hurls Islamaphobic lies against Zohran Mamdani.

(transcript below)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:

Well, he's upset he's -- that he's losing his EV mandate and he's upset.

Yes, he's very upset about things.

You've got -- you know, he could lost a lot more than that, I can tell you right now.

(CROSS TALK)

TRUMP: Hey, Elon -- Elon can lose a lot more than that.

REPORTER: Are you going to deport Elon Musk?

TRUMP: I don't know. I -- we'll have to take a look.

We might have to put DOGE on Elon, you know?

You know what DOGE is?

DOGE is the monster that have -- that might have to go back and eat Elon.

Wouldn't that be terrible? He gets a lot of subsidies.

New Jersey Democrat Congressman Josh Gottenheimer vomits up hasbara on Zohran Mamdani:

BERMAN: All right, with us now is Congressman Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, a Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee.

Congressman, how do you think you slept compared to your colleagues in the Senate?

REP. JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ): I mean, I got a lot more hours of sleep than they did. What a mess. I mean, unbelievable. What you're seeing here, John, right, is a bill, they're dying to try to get it across the finish line, but there's just a realization of, you know, of -- of this -- not only is it a mess for the Senate, but it's a disaster for the public, right, and for families and children and seniors. And they're trying to find their way out of it. But when you've got the reality that it's going to cut health insurance for 12 million Americans and take food away from children, both in school meals and SNAP, you know, the largest cut in food assistance in American history, I think there's a realization among all of them that this thing is a disaster. And the -- you look at the polling on it and it's even worse than -- than they want.

BERMAN: The president, as he was leaving the White House a short time ago, says he hates to see cuts, not to go crazy with cuts. What do you say to that?

GOTTHEIMER: Well, then they should start over and come up with a new bill. I mean, this thing is just a giveaway. You know, they've got tax breaks for oil and gas and coal, at the same time they're taking health care away and going to -- it's going to force nursing homes to shut down, health care away from children and families, millions of people.

And the big thing that, you know, and you just mentioned this before, but not enough people are talking about, it adds a massive amount to our national debt. You're talking $3.3 trillion. So, they kept walking around saying they're the party of fiscal responsibility and they're just going to blow a huge hole in the deficit and make the debts go up -- and make the debt go up significantly. That's going to be a huge problem when the bill goes over to the House, you know, because this is not the deal that the speaker had cut with many of the Republicans, especially with the Freedom Caucus, over in the House.

BERMAN: Well, one person who is talking about that quite a bit is Elon Musk overnight, who is now threatening to -- to finance primary challengers to any member of Congress who vote for the bill. The president responded to Elon Musk again as he was leaving the White House and threatened to basically sic DOGE on Elon Musk. He called, you know, DOGE the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon.

And to that, Elon Musk tweeted just a few minutes ago, "so tempting to escalate this. So, so tempting. But I will refrain for now." What do you think about that? GOTTHEIMER: I mean, you know, the love affair is officially over. You

know, I -- I think Elon Musk is looking at this as their -- you know, part of the bill, of course, has massive cuts to wind, solar and electric vehicles, which obviously would hit Musk hard. But it also -- he -- he knows the reality, that we need more energy, not less energy. And what this bill is going to do is gut the ability to actually produce more energy in the United States, especially with things like A.I. growing and the demand of energy increasing, we need more energy opportunity.

And -- and also it, as you probably know, it taxes energy production. So, you're looking at, in New Jersey, where I live, about 100-year increase, $100 a year increase in energy prices for people if this bill goes through because suddenly all of the wind, solar, electric vehicles, all this alternative energy will -- will disappear. And that's a disaster for our country.

[09:10:13]

BERMAN: You mentioned the tri-state area. I want to ask you something about what's happening in another one of those three states, that would be New York, specifically New York City, where Zohran Mamdani looks like he will be the Democratic nominee for mayor here. Sitting where you sit, you know, through the tunnel, across a few bridges, you know, how would you feel looking across the Hudson with a New York City with Zohran Mamdani as mayor?

GOTTHEIMER: Listen, I'm like completely confused by how people go ahead with a lot of the ideas that he's put forth, you know, and -- and if you saw this weekend when he was asked to condemn globalize the intifada, right, and -- and he refused, which is, you know, a call for a wave of terror -- was a call for a wave of terror against Jewish people around the world, and he refused to condemn that language, you know, and -- and as far as I'm concerned, somebody who refuses to condemn hate speech is not acceptable. And I'm looking for him to clarify that, as well as a lot of the -- his other socialist policies. So, you know, there's got to be a lot of clarification before I start to warm up to -- to the idea of him being mayor.

BERMAN: He says it's not the language that he would use when he was pressed on that by Kristen Welker on NBC. What do you think it says about the Democratic Party?

GOTTHEIMER: Yes, but he -- but he refused to -- but he refused to condemn it. But why wouldn't he condemn -- just outright condemn the language? Why would you not condemn anti-Semitic language? You saw what happened in Washington and Boulder, Colorado, and -- and the surge of hate around the country. Why would you not condemn hate speech, you know? And that's not something that should be confusing. By the way, against anybody. Whether you're talking about against Muslims, against African Americans, against anybody, you should, right away, not hesitate and condemn hate speech. And so, I don't understand where any confusion is there, and I'm expecting him, I hope, to clarify his position.

But listen, I believe the Democratic Party needs to move in the direction of common sense and reasonableness of affordability. And I -- and I -- I -- that's where we should be -- where we should be going and have zero patience for any kind of hate speech.

BERMAN: Congressman Josh Gottheimer, from New Jersey, appreciate your time this morning. Thank you so much.