NEW YORK, NY — Today, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-5) joined MS NOW's The Last Word, where she slammed Donald Trump’s continued choice to betray "the three pillars of what he ran on.” Below are excerpts from the conversation:

On Millions Showing Up to “No Kings” Rallies:

"It's remarkable to see the energy. That people still see the hope that they can have a country that reflects them and a government that prioritizes them and works for them.

"And as they look at Donald Trump, they are seeing a fundamental break of the three pillars of what he ran on. First, that he was going to lower costs on day one. Second, that he was going to release the Epstein files. And third, that there would be no new wars.

"He has absolutely betrayed that trust, and our country, and the presidency by violating and breaking all of those promises and putting the hard working people of this country — who are really just trying to get a little breathing room in this economy — in harm's way.

"What I hear from my district and throughout the country is that, for small businesses, this time is harder than the pandemic. I did not think I'd hear restaurant owners ever saying a time was as hard as that. But between the tariffs, a lack of a workforce, fear of an immigration crackdown for people who are in this country legally, and now a dollar more they're paying a gallon for gas, it is really a betrayal of the American people by this president."

On the High Cost of Trump’s Reckless War:

"It was small businesses that were hit first because they don't have the ability to have huge storage to buy in advance. And so some of what we're going to see around prices is still coming from the bigger outlets and retailers ... at the height of these tariffs many of them expressed: 'I know I'm going to close. It's just, will it be April or May or June when I have to close my doors?' And these are the backbone of our Main Streets. It is how we keep our economy moving.

"And then you add on the costs of shipping and trucking and just the cost of getting to work — which we've heard from so many TSA agents simply not being able to afford to fill up their tank and drive to work because of the skyrocketing cost of gas. And you add that to what people are contending with, with housing and groceries and utility bills, and it's a recipe for disaster.

"All the answers are in front of Donald Trump. And he keeps choosing to take people's health care for tax cuts for the billionaire class. To go to a war of choice without explanation, strategy, or exit plan — driving, further, costs up.

"And we are contending now with the cost of gas. But we are soon going to be contending with an even higher cost of groceries as we have a fertilizer crisis also brewing in the Strait of Hormuz.

"So all of this is, it's just adding so much pressure on American families — 60% of whom we know are already having a hard time meeting the basic needs of their kids."

On the American People Making Their Voices Heard:

"Some of the angriest people that I've met are our veterans. Our veterans who know what it means to go to war. Know what it means to say goodbye to your family. Know the pressure that puts on the family left behind, and have lost friends, and really understand the sacrifice that this president just treats so glibly.

"Turning this conflict into some sort of video game? These are real people. We are asking our sons and daughters to make the ultimate sacrifice. And for what? For what? The American people are owed an explanation of what we are doing there. And they're owed a government that works for them. And a president who promised to lower costs has made everything harder and more expensive. And that's where this deep sense of betrayal is coming from.

"But the hope for me is that we are seeing not only this massive protest on Saturday and all the No King rallies leading up to it, but what we are seeing at the ballot box. That we are seeing record numbers of people coming out and voting for people who will put their interests first.

...

"This is what we're seeing across the country, and it is a sign that people understand what is at stake, and they are making sure that they are expressing their voice in every way they can and will be there in November at the ballot box as well."

To watch the full interview, click HERE.

# # #