The episode covers President Donald Trump's remarks on preemptive pardons for staff and allies if Democrats launch investigations after the midterm elections, and his statement that Elon Musk would be protected. Host Aaron Parnas also covers Democratic plans to investigate Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, including claims from Senator Richard Blumenthal and Congressman James Walkinshaw.
Parnas plays a video from Senator Elizabeth Warren that argues Trump's policies cost consumers money, and he discusses Iran war negotiations and claims by Tucker Carlson, which he says lack credible evidence. Listeners will hear each claim presented alongside the people making it.
In this episode Aaron Parnas, Donald Trump, Elizabeth Warren
This transcript of Aaron Parnas's episode on Trump pardons and Musk was made with HappyScribe technology, the same engine behind its AI meeting note taker.
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I wouldn't even think about it; I would just do it. That's Donald Trump 24 hours before the critical midterm elections, talking about preemptive pardons for a staff and allies if Democrats win and start investigating. Let that sink in: the day before an election, the president isn't talking about winning, he's talking about pardons. And he's not stopping there. He's vowing to protect Elon Musk as Democrats line up to go to war against Musk. Investigations into Elon himself, Doge, and even Trump's use of Elon's chatbot inside the Oval Office.
I have an exclusive video right now to share with you from Senator Elizabeth Warren, outlining how, in her words, Donald Trump is "the most corrupt president in American history." I want to give you a quick, quick, quick update on where things stand on this platform over the next 24 hours and what you should expect. We're going live all night tomorrow, Tuesday, November 3, from 6:00 PM Eastern Time to midnight, and I hope you'll join us. But midnight won't be the end of it. I'll be working around the clock tonight, all day tomorrow, all day the day after, and every single day after until the final results come in.
So you'll know what's happening the moment it happens, with no spin and no waiting. And then, after Election Day, we're dropping major investigations designed to give Congress a roadmap to investigate the president. If you found this work valuable, please consider becoming a subscriber today, helping me stay caffeinated through the long nights ahead—liking, commenting, sharing, getting the word out. And let's jump right in, because what Trump said today is remarkable. Trump was asked whether he would pardon his staff and allies if Democrats investigate them after the midterms. His answer? "If I would, I would.
If I needed to, I wouldn't even think about it. I would just do it." As a former lawyer, let me tell you why this matters. A preemptive pardon covers crime someone hasn't even been charged with. It's a shield before anyone's even looked. And you only need a shield if you're worried about what investigators might find. Trump was also asked about rumors that Elon Musk could be investigated or have his assets seized. His response? "We'll have to protect them." Take a listen.
The House, the Senate, and then win the presidency in 2028, the country is over. The borders will be overrun.
Could be. I think he's not wrong. If they had a sweep, yeah, the country would be— I think it would be maybe forever destroyed, yeah.
And they want to arrest Elon Musk. They want to seize his factories, nationalize SpaceX.
It's talk. But if it is talk, we'll have to protect them.
Big balls they want to arrest him. Anyone around you who enabled you?
Well, I don't know about me. I can tell you this: if they do, we'll just have to protect those people.
How do you do that? Can you preemptively pardon them?
Well, that's what Biden did. He gave everybody a pardon. I mean, you had the congressional committee, the unselect committee set up. He gave every— it was a corrupt committee. They were all corrupt. He gave everybody a pardon.
Would you do that?
I would if I needed to, sure.
Everybody who worked for you?
I would not even think about it. I'd do it. I did it for G6.
I wouldn't even think about it. I would just do it. And Democrats are preparing for war against Elon Musk. Literal war. Why is Trump so focused on protecting him? Because Democrats know where the bodies are buried. Senator Richard Blumenthal, the top Democrat on the Senate Investigation Subcommittee, told The Washington Post he will be investigating Musk and Doge if Democrats take power, saying that the American people have a right to know the cost, the consequences, and the chaos resulting from Doge. There's a web of potential corruption here that needs to be explored. Congressman James Walkinshaw of the House Oversight Committee went straight at Musk, saying, "I'd just like to explain— I'd just like you to explain to Congress and the American people why Doge failed so miserably and why you lied about the savings."
Musk has spent nearly a half a billion dollars opposing Democrats this cycle. He's in full war mode. "Live by the sword, die by the sword," he posted. I will find out who's really pulling the strings and coming for them, not just their puppets. Right now, Democrats are in the minority. They can't issue subpoenas on their own, but if they win tomorrow, that changes overnight. They can compel testimony, demand documents, and put people under oath. And Elon Musk is afraid. Now, I told you I had an exclusive video from Senator Elizabeth Warren about all the Trump corruption that they're going to investigate.
You've got to watch this.
Trump is the most corrupt president in American history. But did you know that his corruption actually costs you money? Look, Trump promised to lower costs on day one. On day one. Those were his words. But he has been busy lining his own pockets and handing out favors to his billionaire buddies, and you are paying the price for that. Here's how: one, big banks, corporations, their CEOs like Cap One, Toyota, Zelle, and Walmart, they donate millions to Trump's inauguration.
Then the Trump administration drops lawsuits against those companies, which could have returned billions of dollars to American consumers who were cheated. Two, Trump and his family made an estimated $1.4 billion off shady crypto schemes while ordinary investors lost billions. Three, Trump's regulators allow big corporations to gobble up competition. The Paramount Skydance merger.
Trump filed a sham lawsuit against CBS, but instead of fighting it, CBS's parent company Paramount pays Trump $16 million. Then the merger gets approved 15 days later, meaning fewer options and higher prices.
Completely questionable.
Four, Trump protects airlines while passengers foot the bill. So major airlines donate millions to Trump's inauguration. The Trump administration abandoned a rule that would have required them to pay passengers for delays and cancellation. And look, that's four, but it just scratches the surface. From higher utility bills and corporate tax giveaways to special tariff breaks for Trump's wealthy friends, a new report from the Senate Banking Democrats highlights just how Trump's corruption is costing you.
And I've got to say, not the first time we've exposed how Trump's failed agenda is hitting families hard. Our April analysis found that Trump taking an axe to programs and rules that save you money is costing Americans more than $86 billion a year in Trump fees. That's billion with a B. And our new Trumpflation tracker found that families are paying an additional $3,772 because of Trump's inflation.
Look, it's time to end the corruption and actually lower costs for Americans. We can do this.
That's directly from Senator Warren on the eve of the election. That's an exclusive video she sent over to us. Now, Trump's closing message on the campaign: he finished last night in Kansas, saying that he had to do it. He didn't want to take a chance. He could have been at home watching TV. That's where he would have preferred. Now, overseas, the Iran war is set to heat up again. Iran says the ball is in the U.S. court after three days of Qatari-led talks to end the eight-month war. Iran wants frozen assets released and the U.S. naval blockade lifted in exchange for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump says that the war will end one way or the other: either they'll make a deal or we'll just end it. And Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is pushing Trump to resume strikes. Trump allegedly wants to, at least for now, let negotiations play out for a bit. But it looks as though we will be restarting this war as soon as Wednesday. Now, a lot of you have reached out about Tucker Carlson, claiming that Trump is within days of a nuclear strike on Iran. I want to address this directly. What Tucker is saying is terrifying, truly scary. But there is no credible evidence of it.
None of the major outlets covering this war, both domestically and internationally, from Reuters to Al Jazeera, have reported anything about a nuclear option. What they have reported is that Trump is weighing possibly the mother of all bombs. But that's not a nuclear weapon. The mother of all bombs has been used in Afghanistan before, and it is a conventional weapon, not a nuclear weapon. And by the way, this is Tucker Carlson, who's been wrong many times. I take his grain with the— I take his claims with a massive grain of salt. If there is even a shred of credible support for what he's saying, I'll report it right away.
But until then, I'm not going to scare you for clicks. So here is where we are right now. One day out, Trump is talking about pardons. His White House is preparing for subpoenas. Democrats are prepared for war against Elon Musk. And we're going to break it all down for you over the next 24, 48, 72 hours nonstop coverage, right over here. And I'll see you soon.
Aaron Parnas reports on the major news of the day.
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