MSNBC’s Jen Psaki Hits Trump With Brutal Clips of Local News Coverage: ‘It’s Very Scary!’

MSNBC’s Jen Psaki hit President Donald Trump with a supercut of brutal local news footage to illustrate how people “freaking out” can have an effect even on Trump.

Last week, Trump stunned the political and media world when he ordered a freeze on federal grants and loans, a move that was widely described as usurping Congress and its power of the purse. The policy was struck down by a judge and ostensibly rescinded.

On Sunday’s edition of MSNBC’s Inside With Jen Psaki, the host opened her show with a lengthy commentary on several moves Trump made last week, including a stretch about the freeze that showed just how badly it played across the country:

JEN PSAKI: It may feel like a year ago, it feels like that to me. But the week started with the Trump administration releasing a memo that appeared to freeze all government spending. And that means every loan, every grant, all of it.

They claimed the pause was intended to root out — and this is a direct quote, because I can’t make this up — Marxist equity, transgenderism and green new deal social engineering policies, whatever that means.

And sure, that might have sounded great to some MAGA diehards. I’m sure that’s who it was written for. And some very online Republicans, just like the leading the entire FBI or three fourths of it might sound good. But when that funding freeze actually happened, people across the country understandably freaked out.

I mean, just listen to what local newscasts sounded like in the hours and days after that order.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KRISTA TATSCHIL, KMBC 9 NEWS: The words that local agencies gave me today, chaotic and confusing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Chaos and confusion.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mass confusion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Confusion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even more confusion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Widespread disruption in healthcare research, education programs and other initiatives.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Several states including Utah reported error messages like this, warning of delays and/or rejections of payment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some Kansas City public service agencies couldn’t access their federal fund portals.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Many local organizations tell us they are facing now an uncertain future.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If there’s no change in the order starting Monday, February 3rd, the building will be closed to children and staff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You may have to lay people off or furlough them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: $14 million worth of projects that were coming into Kanawha County are on — on hold.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We really don’t know what to expect. It’s very scary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PSAKI: It turns out, I mean, even when people are mad at Washington, or mad at Congress, they like the stuff government does, turns out people need the stuff government does in their communities. And the Trump White House did not seem to have any idea whatsoever what they’ done or the impact it might actually have.

I think I’m sensing a bit of a theme here. How about you?

Now, the next day, facing backlash from the American people and a federal judge, the White House kind of sort of rescinded the memo, kind of sort of — intentionally, in my view making the situation even more confusing, and you may still be confused. But the whole thing was in keeping with their plan to just gut the federal government. And trust me, the thing is this is — the story is far from over because on Friday, a longtime, well-respected Treasury official was forced out of his job after a dispute with Elon Musk over granting him access to the federal payment system that is essentially the country’s entire checkbook.

Watch above via MSNBC’s Inside With Jen Psaki.