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The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle

The Nightcap-Day 33 of Trump's second term

The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle

NBC News

Politics, Washington, News, President, Policy, Government, Senate, Congress, Msnbc

4.53.6K Ratings

🗓️ 25 February 2025

⏱️ 44 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The President fires Joint Chiefs Chairman General CQ Brown amid a shakeup of top Pentagon brass. Then, a federal judge allows the administration to put thousands of USAID workers on leave, essentially dismantling the agency. Plus, Trump's overt pro-Putin foreign policy. And, find out who made this week's MVPs. Kurt Andersen, Jason Johnson, John Della Volpe, and Jon Allen join The 11th Hour this Friday.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Good evening. Once again, I am Stephanie Rule. You are in for a good one because my guests are already having a good time. Welcome to the nightcap and day 33 of the second Trump administration. A lot has happened. First, a federal judge let the administration go ahead and put more than 2,000 U.S. aid workers on leave,

0:23.6

essentially dismantling the entire agency.

0:26.5

USAID was one of the first major targets for Elon Musk and his Doge team, and he hit that target.

0:32.6

Also, the Defense Department plans to start letting go about 5,400 probationary workers starting next week.

0:39.5

And tonight, Donald Trump fired Air Force General CQ Brown as the chairman of the Joint

0:44.0

Chiefs of Staff, the second African American, to hold that job. In his place, Trump says he will

0:49.2

nominate Air Force Lieutenant General Dan Kane. Meanwhile, Republican members of Congress are facing angry

0:55.0

constituents demanding answers about all the government cuts and changes. Today, White House

1:00.1

Press Secretary Caroline Levitt was asked about that. Watch this. We're now hearing from constituents

1:05.9

in some traditionally read districts right now complaining about what they say is the chainsaw

1:12.1

approach and saying that it's been done very sloppily, the cuts to jobs and spending.

1:17.8

How do you respond to that criticism?

1:19.7

I love how the media takes a few critics when the overwhelming response from the American

1:25.8

people is support for what this administration is doing,

1:28.8

if you look at the public polling, 70% of Americans, according to CBS,

1:32.9

believe that President Trump is delivering on the promises he made.

1:36.5

I haven't seen that poll yet.

1:38.3

So that is what the White House has to say.

1:40.4

Here's what voters in an absolutely safe red, red Georgia district told their GOP

1:46.7

congressman last night. What's not reasonable is taking this chainsaw approach, which they

1:52.6

obviously admit when they fired these people and then decided, oh, we fired the wrong people.

1:57.4

We've got to bring them back in. Why is this being jammed down the pipe so rushed and sloppily? So use the scal people. We've got to bring the match in. Why is this being jammed down the pipe so

...

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