CSPAN - Washington Journal Alex Gangitano
Aired: 2026-04-06
Duration: 12:59


=== White House Seriousness and Media Questions (08:41) ===

[00:00:00]  I just volunteered and now have my AMTOI sense.
[00:00:04]  Alex started with us three years ago, started at the bottom, worked his way up to a more highly skilled job.
[00:00:11]  Great example of what kind of employee we have here.
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[00:00:19]  Work together for a common good and striving to make something of yourself.
[00:00:26]  Experiences that first responders have are life-threatening, and the kind of person that is willing to do that is giving of themselves.
[00:00:35]  It is a big commitment.
[00:00:37]  And those people are the bedrock of every community that they live in.
[00:00:41]  They are the people that keep that community safe.
[00:00:44]  And I think that's what sets them apart.
[00:00:47]  My name is Mark Dolom.
[00:00:49]  I live here in Pittsfield, New Hampshire, and this is our American story.
[00:00:58]  C-SPAN, official media partner of America 250, commemorating 250 years of American democracy.
[00:01:07]  Ready for us at the White House to talk about what to expect this week on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is Politico's White House reporter Alex Gagitano.
[00:01:20]  Alex, thanks so much for being with us this morning.
[00:01:22]  Thanks for having me this morning.
[00:01:24]  All right, big week at the White House, that shimmering building behind you.
[00:01:28]  First, we know that the president is expected to give a press conference at 1 p.m.
[00:01:34]  What should we be listening for?
[00:01:36]  Yeah, I think he'll want to go out in front of the media to really discuss how the rescue mission for those two fighter pilots struck down in Iran was so successful.
[00:01:47]  I think we're going to hear a lot of him want to have a celebratory tone in front of the media about that mission.
[00:01:54]  But the media is going to have a lot of questions.
[00:01:56]  Of course, how that mission went.
[00:01:59]  It's a phenomenal feat that they were able to do that.
[00:02:02]  But about his latest true social posts that came out around that announcement, which were about the Strait of Hormuz, which is about him threatening some really serious tactics against Iran if they don't agree to a deadline tomorrow.
[00:02:16]  So I think those are going to be what a lot of the questions are shaped around is how serious are these threats?
[00:02:22]  And the profanity-ridden true socials he came out with really grabbed a lot of Americans' attentions this weekend.
[00:02:30]  Yeah, I have one of those pulled up right now.
[00:02:33]  Again, there is an expletive in here, but it says Tuesday will be the power plant day and bridge day all wrapped in one in Iran.
[00:02:41]  There will be nothing like it.
[00:02:42]  Oping the effing straight, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in hell.
[00:02:47]  Just watched, praise be to Allah.
[00:02:49]  President Donald J. Trump posted that yesterday at 8 in the morning.
[00:02:52]  That was just a part of a series of True Socials renewing his threats about that Tuesday deadline on the Strait of Hormuz.
[00:03:01]  What has the White House conveyed to you or what have your sources conveyed to you about the seriousness of the president's threat, knowing that he has moved it a couple different times?
[00:03:11]  I think the seriousness is that they're saying if this is what the president wants to put out, then he is serious about it, that the White House is saying they'll defer to whatever statement he puts out with as much threatening messages as he has.
[00:03:27]  And the fact that he's going out in front of the press this morning, I think really speaks to the fact that he's going to double down on that statement.
[00:03:32]  He is serious about this.
[00:03:34]  He wants to give Iran a real deadline here.
[00:03:37]  Whereas in other times, there was a lot of pushback from Americans about when does this run end?
[00:03:45]  We're going into Iran, but what's the timeline here?
[00:03:48]  What's the mission goals?
[00:03:49]  And so now that he's giving strict timelines and saying by Tuesday night, this is what I'm going to do.
[00:03:54]  I think it shows that he's heard that That polling indicated that the longer this war will go on, the more backlash there will be from voters.
[00:04:05]  And so he's putting on some serious deadlines here.
[00:04:08]  But the fact that he'll be speaking to the press later today, want to take questions from the White House press corps here at the White House, I think, shows that these are some really serious threats.
[00:04:17]  Right, the president's deadline there was Tuesday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time, which would be about Wednesday morning in Iran itself.
[00:04:24]  Now, the president has a big meeting coming up this week with NATO Secretary General Mark Rute.
[00:04:30]  In light of the Iranian conflict, what should we expect out of that meeting?
[00:04:34]  Yeah, that comes about a week or so, but also, you know, years into him making threats about leaving NATO.
[00:04:41]  And just last week, he called NATO a paper tiger in a media interview.
[00:04:46]  He's, you know, there were questions over if this speech last week that he made in Iran he would talk about pulling out of NATO because he's disappointed into how some of the allies have responded to his war in Iran, haven't jumped on wanting to help out the U.S. and Israel.
[00:05:01]  And so I think the NATO Secretary will want to discuss with him how serious are those threats, another set of threats from this president.
[00:05:09]  But also, what can NATO do better to make the American president feel like this is a place that he no longer has to make threats about leaving?
[00:05:19]  We know he has a pretty good relationship with the Secretary General, despite how he feels about NATO as a whole.
[00:05:25]  Mark Ruta has been someone who's been able to flatter him in a sense that makes him feel more comfortable after some of these meetings about NATO as a whole.
[00:05:34]  So I think him going in really shows that they're taking some of the president's concerns about NATO seriously and they're sending him in to try to diminish some of those concerns and to try to make him not come out with any more of these harsh and critical statements towards the alliance.
[00:05:51]  Shifting gears a bit here, Alex, the president released top lines for his 2027 budget request.
[00:05:57]  That included that $1.5 trillion request for defense spending.
[00:06:02]  What are the White House's plans to sell it to Congress?
[00:06:06]  Because it is asking for quite a bit of money while making some cuts in places where Democrats would not be so happy about.
[00:06:14]  Right.
[00:06:14]  Those non-dispense spending, non-defense spending cuts are really concerning to Democrats.
[00:06:20]  And meanwhile, there's about an over 40% increase to defense spending.
[00:06:24]  To the fiscal conservatives in the Republican Party, I think those are the main people that the president is really going to struggle to try to convince here.
[00:06:32]  Of course, Democrats, it will be very difficult to convince.
[00:06:35]  Of course, we're in a midterm election year.
[00:06:37]  Will Democrats want to support anything this president puts out?
[00:06:40]  But I think those fiscal conservatives gave the president a win with the one big beautiful bill last year.
[00:06:46]  Do they want to give him another win on a serious increase to spending that he came out with on Friday?
[00:06:53]  So I think those will be those hawks that a lot of them have started to be even more outspoken about this president.
[00:07:00]  That they don't agree with some of his spending.
[00:07:04]  They don't agree with a lot of what's been going through the Republican conference in terms of legislation.
[00:07:09]  So they're the real hurdle to get over here.
[00:07:12]  And since you mentioned the midterms there, Alex, what is the president's current plan for shoring up support for Republicans leading into the midterm elections?
[00:07:20]  And is the White House even really focused on the midterm elections?
[00:07:24]  When I've talked to the White House about, you know, what is the midterm message that you're telling Republicans go out and talk about this?
[00:07:30]  It's a lot of the Big Beautiful bill that they want to say, look, we eliminated tax on tips.
[00:07:35]  But that's something that happened, you know, several months ago.
[00:07:38]  That the American public, I think, want to hear more on what's going on on affordability messaging.
[00:07:44]  But there hasn't been a huge win on affordability.
[00:07:47]  There's a housing bill that's going through Congress, struggling to get through Congress that the White House said is a priority.
[00:07:54]  They haven't been successful on that.
[00:07:56]  Meanwhile, the Save American Act is the president's top priority.
[00:07:59]  That's an election bill that I think they are convinced that the American public wants to see passed.
[00:08:06]  And that's something that they'll tell members of Congress we're working on this.
[00:08:10]  Go tout it on the campaign trail.
[00:08:12]  And then we know on the trail, especially at these town halls and our more intimate settings, Republicans are going to get a lot of questions about Iran they already have over recess.
[00:08:22]  And so how many answers, you know, how supportive will they be towards what the president's doing on a foreign policy front as this war goes on and how much it can impact the Republican Party as this gets closer to the midterms.
[00:08:35]  All right, political White House reporter Alex Gajetano, thanks so much for being with us this morning.
[00:08:39]  Thank you.

=== Celebrating Democracy Through Student Documentaries (02:51) ===

[00:08:41]  And shortly, we'll hear from President Trump, where he's set to hold a press conference as the military operation in Iran now enters its sixth week.
[00:08:49]  Keep it on C-SPAN for live coverage.
[00:08:55]  Democracy.
[00:08:56]  It isn't just an idea.
[00:08:58]  It's a process.
[00:08:59]  A process shaped by leaders elected to the highest offices and entrusted to a select few with guarding its basic principles.
[00:09:07]  It's where debates unfold, decisions are made, and the nation's course is charted.
[00:09:12]  Democracy in real time.
[00:09:15]  This is your government at work.
[00:09:17]  This is C-SPAN, giving you your democracy unfiltered.
[00:09:27]  Lights, cameras, impact.
[00:09:30]  To celebrate the 250th anniversary since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, thousands of students across America started writing and filming for this year's C-SPAN Student Cam documentary competition.
[00:09:41]  Nearly 4,000 students from 38 states and Washington, D.C. created documentaries examining themes from American history, exploring rights and freedoms rooted in the foundational document, or tackling modern-day issues from the economy to immigration, criminal justice, education, and healthcare.
[00:09:59]  They researched, they interviewed experts, and they told powerful stories, exploring the enduring impact of the Declaration of Independence.
[00:10:08]  And now it's time to announce the top winners of Student Cam 2026.
[00:10:13]  The middle school first prize goes to Harper Hayden and Helena De La Hussé of Correa Middle School in San Diego, California.
[00:10:20]  Their documentary, This Is What Democracy Looks Like about Free Speech and the No Kings Movement.
[00:10:26]  The High School Eastern Division First Prize goes to Kessler Dickerson and Charlotte Liggin from Millbrook Magnet High School in Raleigh, North Carolina for Roots of Freedom: The Struggles and Tensions of Rural American Agriculture, about farmers and government policies that impact food production.
[00:10:43]  In the high school Central Division, Benjamin Curian of Olmentangy Liberty High School in Powell, Ohio, won first prize for A Right to Health about healthcare policy.
[00:10:52]  And in the High School Western Division, first prize goes to Danaya Safi and Juhi Parik from Intercom High School in Sacramento, California for Dreamers Deferred, the American Dream on Hold about Immigration Policy and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
[00:11:07]  And we're happy to announce the Student Cam 2026 Grand Prize winner.
[00:11:11]  Earning $5,000 is Irena Holbrook from Troy Athens High School in Troy, Michigan for her documentary, The Pursuit of Fair Pay, about the impact of name, image, and likeness, known as NIL, on college sports.
[00:11:25]  And out of almost 4,000 students who participated this year, you've won $5,000 in this year's grand prize.
[00:11:31]  Congratulations.

=== Honoring Winners of the C-SPAN Competition (01:26) ===

[00:11:33]  Thank you.
[00:11:34]  Want to see their amazing films?
[00:11:36]  Watch all 150 award-winning documentaries at studentcam.org and catch the top 21 winners airing this April on C-SPAN.
[00:11:45]  C-SPAN, Democracy Unfiltered.
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[00:12:01]  You guys do the most important work for everyone in this country.
[00:12:05]  I love C-SPAN because I get to hear all the voices.
[00:12:08]  You bring these divergent viewpoints and you present both sides of an issue and you allow people to make up their own minds.
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[00:12:23]  You bring in factual information for the callers to understand where they are in their comments.
[00:12:29]  This is probably the only place that we can hear honest opinion of Americans across the country.
[00:12:34]  You guys at C-SPAN are doing such a wonderful job of allowing free exchange of ideas without a lot of interruptions.
[00:12:42]  Thank you, C-SPAN, for being a light in the dark.
[00:12:48]  Joining us now to discuss global energy prices in relation to the conflict in Iran is Rice University Baker Institute's non-resident fellow, Mark Finley.
[00:12:58]  Mark, thanks so much for being with us.