The MeidasTouch Podcast
Former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Trump's First 100 Chaotic Days
21 Apr 2025
MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas interviews former President Biden’s former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan about the failures of the Trump administration’s national security policy during the first 100 days. Visit https://meidasplus.com for more! Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast The Influence Continuum: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/mea-culpa-with-michael-cohen The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show Burn the Boats: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/burn-the-boats Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 Political Beatdown: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/political-beatdown On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Coalition of the Sane: https://meidasnews.com/tag/coalition-of-the-sane Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Full Episode
I'm joined by Jake Sullivan, former national security advisor to former President Biden. I'm sure you have a lot to say, Jake, about the past 100 days in the Trump administration. The first question I want to just ask you is, how would you rate the first 100 days of the Trump administration from a national security perspective, given, of course, your background?
Well, normally when you look at a first 100 days, you look at policy decisions and you stack them up, some good, some bad, it's a mixed bag. This is an unadulterated disaster and it's because it's not just about the policy. It's that President Trump and his team have gone at the core American advantages in the world and systematically tried to dismantle them. Our allies, they've trashed them.
Our basic confidence in investing in the United States is the strongest economy in the world. They've cast that into question. Our soft power, the United States is a beacon of light in the world. They've taken that away. The idea that the United States is the place that attracts the best talent from all over the world for science and innovation.
They've cast doubt on whether if you're an immigrant who wants to come to the United States to study or research, you won't just get thrown in jail. So across all of the major dimensions of the things that have been America's major advantages in less than 100 days, President Trump has put them all at risk.
And that's not even speaking about Ukraine or China or Gaza or the other issues that we could get into. This is about the core foundations of American power and purpose in the world and President Trump's effort essentially to knock them out.
Let's talk about just the breaking news. Pete Hegsiff allegedly having additional communications on private text message apps that are not supposed to be used, you know, in that format. You know, he's out there today saying fake news, apparently sending it to his wife and brother and personal lawyer. His brother and lawyer apparently work at the Department of Defense also. You know, as...
I think we've also learned that, you know, three of the top ranking people quit there. It just seems like a total mess. I think the former press secretary who worked for Hegseth says it's a total meltdown. That's their own words. I mean, these are the people who work for them. What do you make of that all?
Well, it's really amazing when someone who describes themselves as your friend, as your supporter, as someone who actually came in to work for you, leaves and writes within 100 days of you taking office, an op-ed in which he describes, as you said, a total meltdown, utter chaos, and frankly, basically says President Trump should fire you.
Now, I'm one who believed, as I think you are, that Secretary Hegseth should never have been nominated and should never have been confirmed in the first place. So all of this in a way wasn't just predictable. It was predicted by a lot of people who said that putting a person like this into this role would result in disastrous leadership at the Pentagon.
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