Meet the Press NOW — September 8

Meet the Press

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3.8 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 8 September 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee release a photo of the alleged message President Trump wrote to Jeffrey Epstein for a birthday book. NBC News National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki explains the latest NBC News Decision Desk poll numbers that shows President Trump underwater. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) joins Meet the Press NOW to discuss government funding and the ongoing redistricting efforts in Missouri.

Transcript

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0:00.0	If it's Monday, the Epstein saga ramps up. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have just released a note that President Trump allegedly wrote to Jeffrey Epstein for a birthday book, which includes a crude, hand-drawn outline of a naked woman that President Trump previously denied writing.
0:18.0	Plus, President Trump downplayed comments accusing him of trying to go to war
0:22.6	with Chicago, been backlash from local officials, and as ICE prepares to ramp up immigration
0:27.7	enforcement in the city, with more Democratic-led cities also being put on notice.
0:33.2	And a potential new shutdown fight looms over Congress, and Democrats face a dilemma, support Republican funding efforts, and keep the federal government open, or unite to shut it down in opposition of President Trump's sweeping agenda. Welcome to Meet the Press Now.
0:59.4	I'm Yamishal Sender in Washington, and we've got a packed show starting with breaking news.
1:05.0	The House Oversight Committee says it has received a new batch of files tied to the case of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
1:11.6	This time from Epstein's estate, including a so-called birthday book that contains a message
1:16.4	allegedly from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein.
1:19.4	This is the photo of that birthday message released by House Oversight Committee Democrats.
1:23.3	The letter features a seemingly imagined conversation between Trump and Epstein inside the drawing of a naked woman.
1:29.9	The letter concludes, happy birthday, and may every day be a wonderful secret.
1:34.5	The president's deputy chief of staff just posted on social media saying that's not President Trump's signature.
1:40.0	When the Wall Street Journal first reported the existence of the letter earlier this year,
1:43.8	the White House called the story, quote, fake news, and the president publicly pushed back.
1:48.5	Take a look.
1:50.3	Do you maintain you did not write a letter for Jeffrey Epstein's birthday?
1:53.8	I don't even know what they're talking about.
1:56.0	Now, somebody could have written a letter and used my name, but that's happened a lot.
2:00.0	I don't do drawings. I'm not happened a lot. I don't do drawings.
2:01.6	I'm not a drawing person.
2:03.6	I don't do drawings.
	...

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