The Dictatorship
The Tea, Spilled by Morning Joe: ‘Fire ‘em all’
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Fire ’em all. My flight leaves in 16 minutes.”
A frustrated traveler’s messageto Congress
JOE’S NOTE
Look at the polls.
Gas heading toward $4. Groceries up. Housing unaffordable. Health care out of reach.
Every poll says the same thing: Americans are more scared of the cost of living than the regime in Iran.
But what is the president talking about?
His “Rigged Elections Act” (aka the SAVE Act.)
Donald Trump is not talking about gas prices or inflation or groceries or health care. Just wars and the Rigged Elections Act.
And this morning while America’s airports buckle under the strain of fewer TSA Agents and a growing terror threats, what does the president post? A demand that the Senate changes its rules to pass the Rigged Elections Act.
Wow.
It should be a surprise to no one that the SAVE ACT has nothing to do with safer elections or voter IDs. I’m for a voter ID bill, but not one that throws millions of Americans off the voter rolls and refuses to accept drivers licenses from 90% of the states.
Meanwhile, gas, groceries, housing, and health care remain unaffordable for most Americans.
But Republicans do nothing but block paychecks for TSA agents, make America’s airports less safe, and make life for their constituents less affordable.
Behold Trump’s Republican Party.
We can vote by mail but you can’t.
Our families can have healthcare but yours can’t.
We can fly home on our private jets but you can’t even catch a ride on Frontier Airlines.
Good luck with that in November, boys.
CHART OF THE DAY
ON THIS DATE
In 1812, the term “gerrymander” entered the political lexicon — part insult, part strategy. First printed as “Gerry-mander” in the Boston Gazette, the jab mocked a salamander-shaped district approved by Gov. Elbridge Gerry that helped his party cling to power. A wicked-sharp cartoon by Elkanah Tisdale made sure the name— and the scandal— stuck.
A CONVERSATION WITH JEH JOHNSON
Travelers nationwide are stuck in hourslong lines at airports amid TSA staffing shortages. Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson joined “Morning Joe” to discuss what the breakdown means for public safety as tensions with Iran continue to escalate.
MB: Mr. Secretary, how serious is the situation inside our airports right now?
JJ: It’s sheer madness. We are in a heightened threat environment after going to war with Iran, a state sponsor of terrorism. At the same time, the very department tasked with protecting the American people has been defunded for the last month and a half.
Hundreds of TSOs [transportation security officers] are quitting, including in Atlanta — the busiest airport in the country. Forty percent didn’t show up to work this week. That’s unsustainable.
WG: What does the level of staffing actually mean on the ground?
JJ: These people are responsible for finding bombs on the planes families are about to board. They’re not being paid. Morale is collapsing. I worry this could break the back of TSA.
JS: What’s the core failure here?
JJ: We have to stop tying policy disputes in Washington to funding for national security. Right now, DHS is not being funded in the middle of a heightened threat environment. The American people have every right to be angry.
Katty Kay: How should Americans think about their own safety in those long airport lines?
JJ: People need to stay alert in large public spaces — airports, stadiums, any crowded setting. That’s just the reality right now.
JS: Final thoughts?
JJ: The president is acting as his own national security adviser, political adviser, and legislative strategist. No one appears to be checking his instincts or warning him about the consequences.
Starting a war is easy. Finishing one is hard. And right now, the American people are paying the price.
This conversation has been condensed and edited for brevity and clarity.
FELLAS, WE’RE ALL FRIENDS HERE
Can men find their way back to each other?
That’s the questionAndrew McCarthy— of “Pretty in Pink,” “St. Elmo’s Fire,” and “Weekend at Bernie’s” fame — explores in his newest book, “Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America,” out this week.
McCarthy joined us this morning to talk about the male loneliness epidemic, how young men and older men respond differently, and what men can offer each other in their friendships.
EXTRA HOT TEA
1,291
— The number of cheesesteaksstretched across Philadelphia International Airport Tuesday, breaking the Guinness World Record for longest line of cheesesteaks
ONE MORE SHOT
José Caballero of the New York Yankees hits an RBI double against the San Francisco Giants during the second inning on Opening Day at Oracle Park in San Francisco on March 25, 2026. Many say the Yankees’ victory is yet another sign of American decline.
CATCH UP ON MORNING JOE
