Top of the Hour

TOP OF THE HOUR: Good morning from Hotline. Today we’re tracking:

• WHY President Trump stormed out of a Sunday show interview 

• WHERE Democrats want to redraw congressional lines before 2028

• WHO is leading the Iowa Senate race

Let’s get after it.

What's News

WHITE HOUSE: President Trump stormed out of an interview with Meet the Press host Kristen Welker after he again claimed the 2020 election was “rigged” and “dirty.” He said last week’s primary election in California was also “rigged” and accused officials of “cheating.” Trump said before leaving the set: “Your elections are crooked, and you’re crooked, and Meet the Press is crooked. And so is ABC and CBS and CNN. You’re one-sided, crooked networks. Let’s call it quits. Because I’ve had enough. Thank you darling.” (NBC News)

REDISTRICTING ROUNDUP: “Democrats are setting the stage to pursue redistricting efforts in as many as 13 states before 2028, redrawing congressional lines to secure potentially dozens of additional House seats, according to an internal strategy memo.” Democrats are targeting state legislature races Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin where if they are successful in securing trifectas, could imperil up to 51 Republican House members. (TIME)

• REDRAWS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES. “After a blitz of congressional redistricting ahead of the midterm elections, a national battle for partisan control is about to enter a new phase that could affect representation on everything from tax rates to social safety net programs, teacher salaries, housing regulations, and local road repairs.” (AP)

VOTING: First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced Friday his office “opened multiple election fraud investigations” in Los Angeles “in coordination with the FBI.” The announcement came immediately after Trump alleged without evidence fraud coming from California’s slow ballot counting and announced it was under investigation. (KTTV)

2028 WATCH: Ron Klain, chief of staff under former President Biden, has reportedly advised Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA 17) on a 2028 presidential run in his personal time. Klain said he wanted to keep his political activity “low key.” (Politico)

SD SEN: A Public Policy Polling survey (May 29-30; 726 RVs; +/-3.6%) conducted for 2022 nominee Brian Bengs (I) showed the independent outperforming the Democratic nominee in matchups against Sen. Mike Rounds (R). The poll, shared first with Hotline, found Rounds slightly ahead of Bengs, 44%-40%, in a head-to-head race with 16% undecided. Rounds led former state trooper Julian Beaudion (D), 56%-31%, with 13% undecided. In a three-way contest, Rounds got 43%, Bengs got 23%, Beaudion got 18%, and 16% were undecided. (Hotline reporting)

• TIMING. Biden endorsed Beaudion’s bid ahead of speaking at the South Dakota Democratic Party’s McGovern Day Dinner on Friday. Beaudion was a featured speaker at the fundraiser. (Sioux Falls Argus Leader)

IA SEN: A Public Policy Polling survey (June 3-4; 557 RVs; +/-4.2%) sponsored by the DSCC found Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-02) and state Rep. Josh Turek (D) tied at 46% each in a head-to-head race. 7% were undecided. (Politico)

TX SEN: Texas lawyer Dan Cogdell, who represented state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) during his 2023 impeachment trial and his securities fraud case, endorsed state Rep. James Talarico (D) in the open Senate race. Cogdell said in a statement that Paxton “has lost sight of his core mission, which is to represent the people of Texas.” Cogdell “donated a total of $6,500 to Paxton’s campaign last year and then gave $1,000 to Talarico’s campaign in March.” (NOTUS)

ME SEN: Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), a likely successor to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, virtually rallied donors for oyster farmer Graham Platner (D) on Sunday amid his recent controversies. The event was planned a few weeks prior according to a Schatz campaign spokesperson, but it’s the senator’s first show of support for the embattled Democrat.

• GRATITUDE. At a Bar Harbor rally on Friday alongside Khanna, state Auditor Matt Dunlap (D), and former state Senate President Troy Jackson (D), Platner thanked the crowd for backing him despite the scandals. Khanna said afterwards that “no one should make excuses” for Platner’s past relationships, but argued the Democrat is worthy of redemption. (Politico)

MICHIGAN: Schumer hasn’t formally endorsed in the Democratic primary to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D), but he’s asking party donors to back Rep. Haley Stevens (D-11). “Several pro-Stevens outside groups have taken off recently. Allies of … Schumer have been helping the efforts, approaching several super PACs and nonprofit groups and encouraging them to spend money for … Stevens.” She is “slated to be the beneficiary of over $10 million worth of ads that have been bought in recent weeks.” (New York Times)

• MI-04. An internal poll (May 28-June 1; 500 LVs; +/-4.4%) from state Sen. Sean McCann (D) conducted by GBAO found McCann at 48% and Rep. Bill Huizenga (R) at 45% with 7% undecided. “Notably, the poll also showed nearly six in 10 disapprove of Trump’s job as president. Huizenga, who won his seat by nearly 12 points in 2024, has long been a target for House Democrats’ campaign arm.” (Semafor)

CALIFORNIA: Former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra (D) advanced to the general election. He’ll likely face former Fox News host Steve Hilton (R) or 2020 presidential candidate Tom Steyer (D). With 71% of the vote counted, Hilton leads Steyer, 26.1%-21.3%. (AP)

• CA-06. Former state Sen. Richard Pan (D) has moved into second place behind Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-03) in the all-party primary as California continues to slowly count votes. Pan was initially trailing the lone Republican in the race, Michael Stansfield, and Democrats worried they would be locked out of the Solid Democratic seat. Pan and Kiley seemed poised to advance to the general election with 66% of the vote counted. (AP)

SC GOV: Lawyer Henry McMaster Jr., son of term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster (R), announced he is taking his name out of consideration for lieutenant governor. Trump dropped the younger McMaster’s name as Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette’s (R) running mate when he endorsed her, although she had not previously announced the pick. (X)

FL GOV: Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings (D) dropped out of the Democratic primary for governor after receiving a cancer diagnosis. The exit leaves former Rep. David Jolly (D) as the presumptive nominee. (X)

GA GOV: Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ (R) company is seeking at least $100 million from healthcare executive Rick Jackson (R) in a libel suit a week ahead of the runoff, “taking issue with Jackson’s campaign material that suggests the company is profiting off a criminal racketeering enterprise, among other things.” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Paging the Hotline

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Hair of the Dog

“This couple grows trees in the shape of chairs. They sell for $90K.” (Washington Post)

Our Call

President Trump’s allegations of election fraud in the California primaries are likely to become the norm ahead of November. Since he entered office for the second time, he has maintained that he won the 2020 election and has continued to sow doubt in the upcoming midterm results, penning multiple executive orders that have been challenged in the courts and instructing the Justice Department to audit state voter rolls. As Democrats appear poised to retake the House, their biggest challenge will be convincing voters the election was free and fair. Polling has shown voters are concerned that their votes will not be counted, fraudulent votes will be counted, and the election results will be challenged. All the while, the president shows no sign of stopping his calls of foul play. — Erika Filter

Fresh Brewed Buzz

Sen. Bob Packwood (R-OR), “whose reputation as a champion of abortion and women’s rights was spoiled at the end of his career by allegations of sexual harassment, has died. He was 93.” (AP)

President Trump called for Israel and Iran to stop “shooting” after the two countries exchanged strikes in the first major escalation of the conflict in months. (CNN)

“How the World Cup became a front line for the U.S. immigration debate” (Washington Post)

Disgraced former Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL), this time looking for a Venezuelan gold mine and a shot at redemption in Trump’s Washington. (Politico)

“AI is masking America's ‘post-literate’ workforce” (Axios)

Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) “plan to separately attend Game 3 of the NBA finals in New York on Monday, and each is expected to take a seat that conforms to his preferred political image. There are no known plans for the two to meet at Madison Square Garden, and a chance encounter seems unlikely.” (New York Times)

“Richard Nixon’s Instagram Makeover” (L.A. Material)

Rooster's Crow

The House is in at noon. The Senate is in at 3 p.m.

President Trump will hold a tele-rally at 5:30 p.m., then will depart Bedminster, New Jersey for New York. At 8:30 p.m., he will attend the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, then will depart New York for the White House. 

Swizzle Challenge

Former President Clinton was the first to recognize June as “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month.”

No one won Friday’s challenge. Here’s our challenge: Which representatives formed the Congressional Equality Caucus?

The 3rd correct email gets to submit the next question.

Shot...

“I didn’t guarantee no war.” — President Trump this weekend (NBC News)

...Chaser

“They said, ‘He will start a war.’ I’m not going to start a war. I’m going to stop wars.” — Trump on Election Night 2024 (C-SPAN)

Kirk A. Bado, Hotline Editor

Associate Editor: Hannah Thacker

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