Katie’s One-on-One with Jack Schlossberg

00:00:06
Speaker 1: Hi everyone, I'm Kitty Kuric and this is next question. My guest today is Jack Schlosberg. He's the only grandson of President John F. Kennedy and he's running for Congress in New York's twelfth district, the Manhattan seat being vacated because Jerry Nadler is retiring. He's got Nancy Pelosi's endorsement, two million social media followers, and a political style that is, let's just call it unfiltered. He says he stands for a new generation of politicians making politics quote fun, and it's no secret we could stand to bring the average age in Congress down. Opponents say he's coasting on his name, but Jack isn't so sure that Kennedy moniker is all upside. In this interview, we get right into it, his policy chops, some scathing criticism he's received, and why he's running for Congress as his first ever political campaign. Here's our conversation. Welcome, Jack Shlasberg.

00:01:11
Speaker 2: Thank you so much for having me, Katie, it's great to be here.

00:01:13
Speaker 1: Well, let's start out with the obvious question. You're running for Congress, so very simply why it's.

00:01:21
Speaker 2: Time for a new generation to step up? Our politics is ugly today. In the past, this country was built by people who believed in America, believe in the federal government, believe that they're both counted. Right now, we can't believe anything that anybody in the White House or Republicans in Congress say. I still believe in politics. I still believe politics is a noble profession at public service is the best use of my time, skill and energy. And I cannot wait to represent the people from my hometown in New York twelve.

00:01:52
Speaker 1: When you told your family that you had made this decision, that you were throwing your hat in the ring, what was their reaction?

00:01:59
Speaker 2: Yeah, of course you better? Really, Oh yeah, oh you bet? Oh yeah, you better. That's why my mom said, oh yeah, of course you have to.

00:02:07
Speaker 1: You better.

00:02:08
Speaker 2: It's like, oh, you know, I'm thinking about doing this, Yeah, you have to.

00:02:10
Speaker 1: Did anybody express any doubts at all?

00:02:14
Speaker 2: No, you know, I have been It wasn't a choice. I was obsessed with politics as long as I can remember, and I have been thinking about politics working in politics since Barack Obama ran for president in two thousand and seven. It was when I started a volunteer on campaigns, and then I was a Senate page in high school. Then I went to work for John Carrey when he was a senator, and then I went to work for him when he was Secretary of State. Then I went to law school in business school, and I have always been tremendously fascinated by engaged with politics. And when the seat opened up in the place where I grew up, Manhattan, the center of Manhattan, there was no doubt in my mind or anybody's mind.

00:02:52
Speaker 1: Who really knows me, So you were obsessed or have been with politics? What about policy? Because policy is really what it comes down to. If you're elected absolutely to Congress, what interests you about policy?

00:03:09
Speaker 2: Our campaign is policy first. We're communicating with simple ideas that are creative and never before been thought of, like our standard Renters deduction. It's the most popular policy we've released so far. If you own a house and you pay a mortgage, you get to deduct the interests from that mortgage payment from your federal income taxes renting. There's no exception or there's no deduction. I came up with the standard renters deduction. People love it and it would save New Yorkers maybe one month of rent per year if we got to implement it. We also are the only campaign, first campaign to come out with a public safety plan to protect houses of worship here in New York twelve. Jack's FastTrack Plan, we call it, is a way to double the funding for the nonprofit security grant program that protects houses of worship and churches here and temples and synagogue X and mas too, by the way, here in New York twelve. So policy is what it's all about. I don't know why I don't want to go to Washington just to debate other people. You could do that in your spare time. I want to show that government is still the best way to solve the major problems that we face as a country in a world.

00:04:05
Speaker 1: In fact, Jack, I know you've positioned your campaign around a three part crisis facing this country under the Trump administration, a cost of living crisis, corruption, and a constitutional crisis. So I'd love to hear the tangible actions you would take to address each of these things. Starting with the cost of living, I guess that's partly the renters.

00:04:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, renters also homeowners. So part of Jack's housing fairness plan, the second pillar after the renters deduction, is I'm calling for a full repeal of the cell cap state and local taxes that New Yorkers pay here are punishing people who live in New York. Twelve. We pay, as New Yorkers, way more into the federal government than we get out of it, and in the past happily so to help develop the rest of the country. But now New York is getting screwed, and a full repeal of the cell cap deduction. President Trump puts the cell cap deduction. That's the deduction that you can have for your state and local taxes at tenenty twenty seventeen. Now it's forty thousand only for a full repeal. That's one second is our plan for lowering the cost of food and clothes. So you know, President Trump's tariffs have raised costs ondreous about everything, especially in New York, where pretty much everything that ends up here comes here on a truck. So we don't grow our own food here, we don't make our own clothes here. So I called for a plan to isolate President Trump's tariffs on food and clothes specifically because the Republicans aren't going to break with him on the entire issue of tariffs. But the cost of food and clothes is punishing to everyday people, and we can do something about it by isolating that and removing those tariffs, freezing them while they're in place. We can negotiate the rest later. But let's just get people a break on food and clothes. But it also relates to you know, costs and corruption are part of the same thing. So the corruption crisis we're in is really part of a product of an election system that is broken. I recently wrote an op bet about this, but my campaign has taken an integrity pledge, and I'm the only person running for Congress in New York twelve who has made this choice. It's a huge risk and it's a huge disadvantage. If you think that money can buy elections, I don't think so. I'm betting on the people of New York. So I don't take money from super PACs, corporate packs, or big AI companies. And there's two other people running in this race who are taking millions of dollars from outside groups to help boost their name recognition and get their faces on TV. I'm doing this the old fashioned way, raising money from real people. Our average contribution is under forty dollars from all fifty states, fifty thousand people, and we're a people powered campaign. We spend that money on pizza parties that are open to the public, where people can come and hear from me and ask me questions. And our constitutional crisis. Look, President Trump controls all three branches of government. We see right now the result of that war that no one knows what's going on, skyrocketing costs here at home, and we're not safer, we're not better off. Our city is being invaded by ice agents. Situation in America is not good. I think that it's going to get worse before it gets better. And we have to elect people who have the courage right now to stand up and defend our constitution. That starts with winning back the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives is where the power lies in our government. The House is where major legislation begins. Congress has the power to tax, to spend, to regulate how our elections work, immigration. This is a Congress that is to sleep at the wheel. So we've got to elect people who are going to go and use that power to help solve America's problems.

00:07:11
Speaker 1: Now, how are you thinking about the midterms right now? They're several months away, but clearly so much hinges on getting a Democratic majority back in the House so that some of the president's goals or actions can be steymied and guardrails can be put in place. How do you think the midterms are looking, Jack?

00:07:36
Speaker 2: We have to remember something. We all want to solve the problems facing our country, but we have to do certain things in order. The first step to solving any problem that we face winning back the House with a Democratic majority. If we don't do that, we can't stop a third term, we can't pass legislation, we can't hold this president accountable for the crimes and corruption that we've seen him commit already in broad daylight. So that's the first step. And Democrats need to win back the House. And don't underestimate the fact that the Republicans and Trump might interfere all over this country with the elections they're already trying to with the Save Act. The Save Act is their act, that the legislation in Congress which is going to take away the right to vote from millions of people by requiring voter ID and a lot of other obstacles that make it harder to vote.

00:08:20
Speaker 1: Well, it's much more than voter ID, it's asking for a passport or birth certificate to register, and fifty one percent of Americans don't have passports. And furthermore, a lot of people the name on their birth certificate is different than their current names if they changed it when they got married. So it creates all kinds of problems. Not only that, but a lot of bureaucracy for election officials.

00:08:42
Speaker 2: That's right, and it asks the states to purge their voter roles every ninety days, ends mail in balloting across the country. It's a huge problem. And if that legislation gets implemented, I'm very worried that we're going to I'm worried about this election will be free and fair. I think in New York twelve, We've got a lot of great people here and I'm confident in this election here. But around the country we have to wake up to the fact that we need to elect people now and nominate people in the Democratic Party and primary races across the country who can gather new people, new energy into this party so that we can fight back against what we know is going to come.

00:09:15
Speaker 1: As you well know, and I'm sure you've read, there are a lot of skeptics who look at your campaign and really question if you have the experience to run. Here are some of the naysayers. Congressman Jerry Nadler, whose congressional seat you're trying to win, says you quote don't have a record of public accomplishment. The Atlantics Jonathan Chait wrote a particularly scathing piece about you, making note of your outside press coverage. He wrote, the theme of this coverage is that Schlasberg one is a Kennedy, two is handsome, and three posts lots of edgy content on social media. To suggest that he has failed upward would give him too much credit, because failing requires having been entrusted with some responsibility in the first place.

00:10:06
Speaker 2: Yeah, I love that.

00:10:07
Speaker 1: Ouch.

00:10:07
Speaker 2: Yeah, not really ouch. Of course, that's we're going to say that. I'm winning the race. We're leading in the polls, we're raising more money at more excitement than other people running, and we're doing that all without taking dark money. And people outside when I walk on the street are cheering me on. So yeah, those are two naysayers. But there's a lot of people who believe, a lot of people who believe in something. Again, that's our campaign slogan. I am running a positive campaign, releasing more policies than anyone else I'm running against. I have also traveled the country. First of all, the idea that I don't have a record of public complishment is not true.

00:10:36
Speaker 1: Well, let's talk about that.

00:10:38
Speaker 2: I worked at the State Department for John Kerry. I have a law and business degree from a top university, pass the bar in the top one percent in the state of New York. And I worked on that Biden and Harris campaigns, traveling as a top surrogate across the country to almost every single swing state, inspiring thousands of young people to join the cause of the Democratic Party. So you can say whatever you want. And I understand that a journalist who doesn't know how to make good social media videos might be jealous of somebody who has a little bit of success there. And I hope that that article that he wrote generated some good clicks for him, and I bet it did. But there's been a lot of other things said about me that are pretty positive, especially among the voters in New York twelve who are very excited to vote for me.

00:11:19
Speaker 1: Having said that, I guess people do wonder what qualifies you. Yes, you have worked in politics, you've worked in campaigns, But what work experience do you think has most directly contributed to your ability to be a member of Congress?

00:11:37
Speaker 2: Well, what makes a good member of Congress? What's the qualification for a member of Congress? Someone who can go to Washington and advocate for their district and be heard loud and clear and get something for the people that they represent and listen to them, be present for them, and serve the people of their own district. I'm running a campaign. I think the experience I have is running a campaign all over New York twelve, meeting as many people as I possibly can. While other people rely on insiders and backroom deals and endorsements. I'm actually trying to work to make sure that I meet people here my other experience. I would say that people support me because of my experience, because they have an experience of the Democratic Party having no idea how to handle Trump and me being one of the only people who's been able to break through. I have more experience breaking through, making arguments and getting people excited about taking on the President than anyone I'm running against.

00:12:25
Speaker 1: I'm going to talk to you about your social media presence in a minute, but did you ever consider running for, say a lesser job in politics, say for city council, school board, something like that.

00:12:39
Speaker 2: I think I'd be an incredible congressman, and that's why I'm running. I think I can do an incredible job, and I think a lot of people feel the same way.

00:12:47
Speaker 1: You just wrote a piece for Rolling Stone arguing that the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United has fundamentally warped American politics. How, in your view, has that decision corrupted and corroded politics in our country?

00:13:04
Speaker 2: The facts are clear. I wrote an article this is true. I think America has a disease, and it's called Citizens United. Twenty ten, Citizens United came down Supreme Court authorized unlimited spending in elections by outside groups. These are called super packs. Since then, election costs have tripled to sixteen billion dollars twenty twenty four. The share of billionaire spending as a share of total election spending, twenty percent came from billionaires, a handful of people. Industry is writing the rules in our government. We're seeing this in not just the fossil fuel industry. The fossil fueldustry contributed almost five hundred million President Trump's for reelection. What did they get out of it? They basically got to the entire EPA and opened up federal lands and trailing. Elon Musk spent almost three hundred million dollars to elect President Trump. What did he get. He got to put his tesla on the White House lawn, a bunch of fat defense contracts from the President, and access to almost every America's private data. So it's a pay to play system, and ordinary Americans everyday voters are having their voices drowned out by corporations and billionaires who are now trying to play politics to get even more out of the system that's already serving them. We have a tax code where the people lined up behind Trump at the inauguration, Bezos, Zuckerberg, Musk pay less in taxes than working families. And that's a result of the fact that people running for office can take very easily millions and millions of dollars from single individuals to bankroll their campaigns to drown out the voices of people who are closer to their constituency. And that's what happening in this race. One of my opponents is funded by a super pac, by a billionaire. They've spent three million dollars almost since March eleventh.

00:14:45
Speaker 1: Are you talking about Mike Bloomberg's choice.

00:14:48
Speaker 2: Yes, their super pac has spent They're on average to spend a million dollars a week.

00:14:52
Speaker 1: Okay, that's Mike A Lasher, That's right.

00:14:55
Speaker 2: You know, every time you see a especially in New York, which is the most expensive media market in the country, every time you see a TV ad, just know how much that costs.

00:15:04
Speaker 1: At the same time, Jack, you do have a distinct advantage because of your name recognition you have made.

00:15:11
Speaker 2: That was just a disadvantage a minute ago.

00:15:13
Speaker 1: Well no, I mean no, not really. I mean you have name recognition that money can't buy, or maybe money can buy ultimately with some of the funds going to these other candidates, But do you feel like in some ways it gives you an unfair advantage because everyone knows who you are or a lot of people do.

00:15:32
Speaker 2: Well. I mean, just go poll people on RFK Junior and see if just being a Kennedy is enough to convince the people. In year twelve, I have a lot more faith in New Yorkers than to think that they're just going to support me because of my middle name. I think New Yorkers understand. Look, people support me because I speak the truth. They like I'm making politics fun. I'm a young person who's standing up, who has the education and experience and toughness to deliver, And look, I be doing anything. But what am I going to do with the platform that I was born with? Try to use it to advocate for others and fight for the important issues facing our country. We can't forget how important this moment is. Everyone needs to be get off the sidelines. I'm not doing this because I was waiting and plotting in the wings to find an office to run for. This is a moment in history that's never going to come again, the last chance to stop Trump. I think I don't know why everyone's not running for Congress.

00:16:31
Speaker 1: If you want to get smarter every morning with a breakdown of the news and fascinating takes on health and wellness and pop culture, sign up for our daily newsletter, Wake Up Call by going to Katiecuric dot com. Let's go back to Citizens United, because I know you've talked about something called the new variant of this disease, which is artificial intelligence. Companies injecting hundreds of millions of dollars into the twenty twenty six mid terms. How do you think this will fundamentally alter those races and what concerns you the most.

00:17:13
Speaker 2: Well, we know that spending money on advertisements influences how people think. AI companies this year twenty twenty six are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to try to convince people to vote for certain candidates. I don't think they're probably doing this out of the goodness of their heart. These are not public servants. These are private companies, so I imagine I can only imagine that they're doing this or try to get something for their equity or shareholders, and that would be regulations that favor those companies. Because everyone AI pulls very low. A lot of people are skeptical and scared, and it's going to displace a lot of people working here in New York twelve, and we're all scared about what's going to do to children. We have to protect kids and jobs. And I think that AI companies are backing candidates who are going to write regulations favorable to them. So that's another reason why I am proud to not take money from those types of companies.

00:18:05
Speaker 1: One of my followers asks how would you help Congress regulate artificial intelligence?

00:18:11
Speaker 2: We need to make sure that artificial intelligence is not implemented and take over our economy in a way that the public does not participate in the windfall and it only goes to private companies. We also have to think about kids and safety. I think about look, social media is bad enough for children. I can't believe that there isn't a separate product for children of Instagram, Twitter, Facebook that there is for adults. We need to have the same attitude toward AI to make sure that we're protecting children because we have no idea how this is going to affect them. And jobs in New York twelve, I mean, we need to think creatively about things like wage insurance and make sure that public institutions can use at some discount some of this technology to help their citizens. I also think that power usage of data centers is going to be a huge issue, both an environmental issue and an economic issue. So I think solutions like bring your own energy for these data centers so they have to produce their own energy and give them incentives to make sure it's green energy. I think we have a lot of opportunity to be creative and make sure that this is not a story of a tragedy but of a triumph.

00:19:18
Speaker 1: Given how powerful and rich these AI companies are and sort of the AI bubble that exists right now. Are you worried that it's a runaway train and that it is going to be extremely hard to come up with the national will on Capitol Hill to regulate these industries.

00:19:38
Speaker 2: Yeah, Well, if we don't have any confidence or believe in ourselves to be able to do it, it'll be very tough and we'll not be able to. But if we think that this is a challenge that we can rise to and have send people to Congress who are willing to work really hard to do that, I think we can do just about anything. This is the United States of America. So I'm very confident in the ability of the government and of Congress to be able to do this. We have the authority. It's all about whether we have the willpower. And I think that out of this moment of dark political history that we're living through right now with President Trump, something amazing can happen. That's how it's always been throughout American history. Some of the darkest moments followed by incredible moments of progress, and I think that we can have that kind of situation here in twenty twenty six, our countries' two hundred and fiftieth birthday.

00:20:19
Speaker 1: Are there any members of Congress who really admire or from whom you've sought counsel?

00:20:26
Speaker 2: Well, you know, I'm so proud to have Speaker Pelosi's endorsement. Is she's the backbone of the Democratic Party and has been fighting for working families, civil rights, healthcare for her entire career. So I'm very, very proud of that. But you know what, I kind of model myself after myself. I'm my own person, and I think that we need to I draw a lot of inspiration from leaders of the past, but we got to think differently and do things more creatively now than ever before. So I'm excited to shake things up and redefine what a member of Congress can look like.

00:20:58
Speaker 1: Manhattan's twelfth district, where you're run, voted disproportionately for Andrew Cuomo over Zoram Mom Donnie, who you endorsed in the recent mayoral race. Does that concern you at all? And where do you stand on the spectrum of progressive versus centrist because there are a lot of Democrats who are either or as you know.

00:21:21
Speaker 2: Yes, I consider myself someone who evaluates every issue case by case. I'm a Democrat, so you can count on me to be a progressive Democrat. But I have my own ideology and I evaluate each individual issue by itself, and I reject the whole label of centrist moderate. We're talking about a lot of different, complicated issues that are nuanced, and I think that that's where our political conversation needs to go. Not are you here or here on the spectrum? But what do you think about this?

00:21:52
Speaker 1: Having said that, it seems to me that the tension between these factions that may cannibalize the Democratic Party has been one of its biggest problems in recent years. So what do you think the party needs to do to reconcile sort of the various sex if you will, within the party itself and present a more coherent vision to Americans? Because like it or not, it seems that the Republican Party has silenced more moderate voices and gone full on maga, but has the ability, although of late it's changed a little bit. It seems like it's fragmenting somewhat, but they're better at speaking with one voice and speaking and clear, easy to understand terms. How can the Democratic Party do the same thing or can it?

00:22:45
Speaker 2: It can and it is. I think the party's greatest strength is our diversity. That's what makes Democrats so strong, and that, as Speaker Pelosi says, diversities our strength. Unity is our superpower. I think we actually have done a great job sticking together and understanding that we have to do everything we can to fight this president. I would say I'm encouraged by the fact that the party seems to be welcoming people into it or making room for not everyone needs to meet the same litmus test that a person who's running in New York might not win in a race in Minnesota or another part of the country. And I think that that's a strength that we should embrace. And I think in the past maybe we have been too quick to reject those who disagree with us. Now it seems to be changing, and I think there's a lot of room to expand the tent, but only if we elect people who can bring more people into our party. That's why I am such a strong candidate in this race, because I'm exciting people both who have interested in politics and for a long time, and newcomers who just want to see somebody speaking their language and is excited about something, putting on a great effort to try to deliver for the people that they want to represent.

00:23:52
Speaker 1: Having said that, disagreements over Israel, as you know, have become one of the most central sources of tension within the Democratic Party. Alrea, you were raised Catholic, I know your dad is Jewish, and you've been critical of Israel's actions while also expressing deep sensitivity to concerns in the Jewish community. How do you balance those perspectives and communicate them effectively? And do you think it's still possible. I'm sure you're going to say yes, But do you still think it's possible to hold a nuanced, more dialectical view of this issue given today's very polarized political climate.

00:24:32
Speaker 2: Yeah. Well, I just first of all, I want to say that I'm a proud supporter of Israel, and I think that there's a lot that has As long as Trump and net Yahu are in power, I think we are in a danger situation. That being said, Israel's historic ally of the United States of America, and it's a democracy and I hope for a time where the US and Israel can have a relationship that is more productive for everybody. So people have said that I am too pro Israel. People have said that I'm not probably real enough. I think that it is. You know, I'm proud to be somebody who can speak nuanced about this issue. Look, I have two grandfathers, once president of the United States, the other was president of his temple uptown, which is now Parker Synagogue. So my Jewish roots run deep, and I'm very proud to be part of a community that has given so much to America. You know, the Statue of Liberty is you know, you could see it from this district. What's written on the bottom written by a Jewish New Yorker and Lazarus. So there is so much about our country's history that we can be proud of as Jewish people. And anti Semitism is on the rise here in New York twelve. I take it really seriously. People are scared. I grew up here and anti Semitism was a conversation more about the lessons of history, not about the threats of the present moment. So I'm proud as a candidate to be offering people a way to feel safer here in the district by again increasing funding for protecting houses of worship. But I just want people to understand that people feel scared here in New York twelve about the level of violence, and there are real threats, and I'm very, very sensitive to that.

00:26:00
Speaker 1: It's interesting to me that so many young people, as you well know, you're exposed to young people all the time, have a much different attitude toward Israel now and about Gaza, about the plight of Palestinians. Have you gotten much pushback from younger voters who perhaps do feel that you are too pro Israel.

00:26:23
Speaker 2: Well, I don't think what I just said is at odds with what those who are criticizing the Israeli government are saying. I think, you know, Trump and net and Yahoo are obstacles to peace. What is going on in Israel and the loss of civilian life is devastating and unacceptable. But that does not mean that somebody should throw their hands up and say the US is a relationship is beyond repair. And so I think there is room to criticize your friends. My friends definitely criticize me all the time, So criticize your friends and hope to build a better relationship. And that's all I'm saying. You know, I think that we expose our vanity by making room for nuance and conversations and trying to understand the other side. So I hope that as a candidate alone, making room for that kind of discussion is something that I can contribute.

00:27:11
Speaker 1: Let's talk about social media, because it's hard to overstate the power social media has gained in shaping public opinion and political discourse. You have almost nine hundred thousand followers on Instagram, eight hundred and eighty six thousand on TikTok, one hundred and eighty one thousand on x better guess your numbers up on that although it's kind of become a cesspool. But what advantages do you think social media has given you? And I'm curious what is the appeal for you?

00:27:41
Speaker 2: You know, I am the last person, maybe other than my mother, who thought I would be a content creator. I came by it because I wanted to solve a problem for the Democratic Party. I was not posting on social media before in the way that I do now. Before the twenty twenty four election, I went to law school, in business school, I was ready to become a lawyer, but I saw something on the horizon in the end of twenty twenty three, and that was a Trump victory. So I started making content about politics and it caught on and all of a sudden, I became recognized for that and built a following based on being one of the earliest people to come out critically and speak in no uncertain terms about what the president and his allies were doing. And social media teaches you a lot about what people care about and also how to communicate more effectively. It's also a way to break through a lot of the establishment or insider guardrails that prevent people from actually expressing an authentic point.

00:28:38
Speaker 1: Of view and maybe engaging.

00:28:40
Speaker 2: Yeah, so people, you know, I think you know. I walk down the street every single day and people are psyched to vote for our campaign because they've been following me on social media for a long time, and so they feel like they can trust me because they've seen the kind of person I am. And I'm really really proud of that. I'm proud to be one of the most creative democratic voices out there on social media.

00:29:00
Speaker 1: Yeah, nothing is off limits, So for you, it seems including your extended family. You love to troll your cousin RFK Junior, and we'll get to him in a moment. But do you ever worry that you go too far? You're maybe too outrageous on social media, like, for example, asking your ex followers who was hotter Usha Vance or your grandmother.

00:29:20
Speaker 2: Yeah, so I here's what I say. Any you can point to any posts I make, I will point you back to the President of the United States, who is trolling the American people every single day. And if we are as Democrats, don't take a lesson out of their playbook, the playbook that has gotten control of all three branches of government, then we are asleep at the wheel and we don't deserve to win. So what's being thrown at us needs to be thrown right back at other people. So creating interest allows you to speak to a broader audience about issues that you care about. So sure, if I you know, people are constantly objectifying members of my family, making tons and tons of money off of the name, image, and likeness of members of my family. So when I say that, do you really think that I'm trying to suggest that I feel that way or I am holding up a mirror to people who talk about me on our family in such objective ways about how that might sound coming from a certain point of view. If you're starting the pot, you're doing something right. I think humor is a great way to show people that you're willing to go to bat for them when I'm willing to make fun of other people and make fun of even myself. And I think people have a lot more confidence that you won't be bought or paid for or controlled once you go to Congress, that you'll actually speak your mind.

00:30:36
Speaker 1: So you follow the Gavin Newsom school of social media where he's really punched back at President Trump. But is there any danger to that? A complete debasement of civil discourse, the idea of when they go low, we go high. As Michelle Obama once said, do you think we're at the point of no return and everybody's just got to throw mud at each other to be heard.

00:31:02
Speaker 2: We're not just throwing mud and going low. I mean, I'm running a campaign that's released policies about how to lower costs for people, how to address the cost corruption and constitutional crisis. We're in creative ways to protect public safety, houses of worship, but also get illegal guns off the street in New York City where we're coming out soon with our AI policy about how to protect consumers from price gouging. So if you're doing all that, you know you have to mix in a little sugar with the medicine. Mary Poppins taught me that you know it helps it go down. So you got to You can't just be one thing. You can be funny, sometimes serious, sometimes earnest, sometimes sarcastic, show full range of human emotions. That's people want to know that there's a beating heart behind their representative, that it's not just that someone who walked out of an ice chest and trying to talk to you convince you that something that they know nothing about is cool. You got to put on a show.

00:31:50
Speaker 1: These days to get attention.

00:31:52
Speaker 2: Well, it's not just attention, it's interest. It's attention makes it seem fleeting or frivolous, it's interest in what you're talking about. And trust with an odd that is going to say, Okay, I trust this person to go to Congress. I trust Jack Shlosberg who's decided not to take any dark money, any money from outside groups in Congress, even though we could to say no to that to say that he now cannot compete with millions and millions of dollars being spent against him, that he's willing to do that because he's going to use his creativity and wit and ability to be exciting. I think people trust that much more than someone who's willing to take money from someone to try to get attention. Why wouldn't you want someone who uses their creativity and sense of humor. It's much less expensive.

00:32:35
Speaker 1: Do you ever worry that at times or have been at times just too kooky? Do you ever worry that people watching you, to paraphrase Logan Roy, would think you're not a serious person. Never?

00:32:49
Speaker 2: I never ever worry about that, because there's a lot of people who are picking up when I'm putting down, and that's why the poll show it.

00:33:02
Speaker 1: Hi everyone, it's me Katie Couric. You know, if you've been following me on social media, you know I love to cook, or at least try, especially alongside some of my favorite chefs and foodies like Benny Blanco, Jake Cohen, Lighty Hoyke, Alison Roman and Ininagarten. So I started a free newsletter called good Taste to share recipes, tips, and kitchen mustaves. Just sign up at Katiecuric dot com slash good Taste. That's k A t I E C O U r I C dot com slash good Taste. I promised your taste buds will be happy you did. Let's talk about love story for a moment, because you have been very outspoken about the Ryan Murphy produced series about your uncle, the late John F. Kennedy Junior, and his wife Carolyn Bissett. I've read obviously your comments, but I'm curious now that it's done, what troubled you the most about how their story was portrayed.

00:34:09
Speaker 2: Well, I want to be clear that no problem with anyone who liked to show or watched it. I'm glad my uncle John was so cool. It's not surprising that people, once they remember who he was, want to dress like him and be like him. He was awesome. He was a smart, attractive person who cared about politics and tried to blend politics and media in his time, just like I'm trying to do right now with social media and politics in our campaign right now. So no issue with anyone who liked the show and watched it. My issue is with you know, we have a lot of serious problems facing our country and my family. You know, we're not just celebrities, we're not just icons. These are public servants. My grandfather, you know, it's easy to remember my grandfather, my grandmother, and my uncle, who were very glamorous people as just celebrities like people today, But they were public servants. We're not royalty that we don't have a royal family in this country. Their public servants who were duly elected. And my uncle John did a lot to try to advance, you know, the causes of progress in his time, civil rights. He worked at DA's office. He was a very serious person, and so to fictionalize and to sensationalize his romantic life without giving any credence to the serious things that he did, and to recognize that anyone who is not trying to do something about getting rid of Donald Trump is part of the problem. I don't leave it at that.

00:35:31
Speaker 1: Did you watch it at all? No? Did your mom watch it at all?

00:35:34
Speaker 2: No? Actually I showed her a clip of her and we were laughing so hard.

00:35:40
Speaker 1: Which clip I don't remember.

00:35:41
Speaker 2: The person's freaking out and we're just laughing so hard, as if at that's how my mom acts. So, you know, it's just people. Keep in mind, it might be entertaining, but its fiction. Oh and my dad. They had my dad dressed up in some plaid outfit. My dad's the most stylish guy I've ever met, so it's funny. I mean, no issue.

00:36:00
Speaker 1: I don't think your parents were portrayed in a very positive way personally.

00:36:05
Speaker 2: The two nicest, most dignified, private people in the whole world who do nothing but help others.

00:36:11
Speaker 1: Yeah, must have been frustrating whatever.

00:36:14
Speaker 2: Who cares a stupid show.

00:36:16
Speaker 1: I'm wondering if it, in a weird way helped you because it attracted millions of viewers, and some of them quite young, but of voting age. Learning about your uncle and your entire family really for the first time.

00:36:31
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I struggle to find a universe where someone taking advantage of my family is helping me. But as your questions indicate, it's a mixed bag. And I'm really proud of the person and family that I come from because our family's legacy is of public servants and standing up for people who have been marginalized, and using politics to try to inspire people to believe in their country and to fight for what they believe in. And you know everyone you know my grandfather. Now he is someone loved, remembered, and celebrated by both parties. But in his time, he was an outsider. In his time, he was someone who was challenging the status quo. They said he was too young to an experience. No, you know, all the things, all the questions that you're putting at me, were put in front of the people who came before me, and they showed, by their courage and their willingness to believe in politics, that they could inspire other people. So I'm proud of where I come from.

00:37:33
Speaker 1: Donald Trump seems to be obsessed with your family, by the way, speaking of your family and your family name, you have said that he's used your grandfather quote as a kind of human punching bag, both by renaming the Kennedy Center in his honor, in Trump's honor, by conducting a false investigation into the assassination and dismantling all of the programs he fought for.

00:37:56
Speaker 2: Yeah, where do you.

00:37:57
Speaker 1: Think this is coming from? Have you ever sort of psychoed this?

00:38:01
Speaker 2: We should just lay it out clearly. President Kennedy's White House drafted the Civil Rights Act that was passed by Johnson Trump mayd illegal. On his first day, President Kennedy sent a man to the moon. President Trump is buying defense contracts from Elon Musk. JFK solved the Cuban missile crisis diplomatically without firing a single shot. Trump is lobbing bombs in Iran with an absolutely no plan. President Kennedy backed public education and supported teachers and immigration reform. President Trump is tried to shut down the Department of Education.

00:38:36
Speaker 1: Well he has.

00:38:37
Speaker 2: Yeah, He's effectively shut down and gutted the Department of Education, including the office that enforces civil rights in public schools. So the difference cannot be more stark. But I think that President Trump understands the power of real estate, and I think that he liked the Kennedy Center the way it looked, and he wanted to slap his name right on there, just like he did in Trump Tower here, or the Plaza or anywhere else. It's the same story. He sees a brand he likes and he wants it for himself.

00:39:04
Speaker 1: I know you've had a really tough year. You have two older sisters, Rose and Tatiana, and you lost your sister Tatiana following her battle with acute my Lloyd leukemia. I am so sorry for your loss, and I've thought about you and your sister Rose, and your dad, but especially your mom so often since this happened, and I think so many people were heartbroken for your family, and I'm just curious how you've been able to process the level of loss that your family has had to endure. How do you make sense of it, how do you deal with it?

00:39:48
Speaker 2: Well, I think it certainly makes clear how precious every moment of life is and how important it is to make use of your time here on earth, because nothing is given, and it's an unfair world. So many people struggle, so many people struggle with so many things that it's made me just want to spend my time on help other people and the country that I love, in the city that I love, and to make use of every single day because at the end of my life, I want to look back and say that that's what I did. And it's also made me be so appreciative of my friends, of the people helping me on my campaign, of my own family, just because every day is a gift that you get to spend with someone who has a good sense of humor, wants to laugh about life or do things with joy, and that's what I'm trying to do with our campaign across the city.

00:40:41
Speaker 1: Tatiana wrote an extraordinarily moving essay, As You Know, for The New Yorker about her experience, and in it she reflects on the impact your cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Junior, has had on public health and medical research as the Secretary of Health and Human Services. I just want to read a quote from that essay if I could. As I spent more and more of my life under the care of doctors, nurses, and researchers striving to improve the lives of others. I watched as Bobby cut nearly half a billion dollars for research into mRNA vaccines, technology that could be used against certain cancers, slash billions in funding from the NIH, the world's largest sponsor of medical research, and threatened to oust the panel of medical experts charged with recommending preventative cancer screenings. Hundreds of NIH grants and clinical trials were canceled, affecting thousands of patients. I worried about funding for leukemia and bone marrow research at Memorial Sloan Kettering. I worried about the trials that were my only shot at remission. This must have been maddening for you as well, watching your sisters suffer, And I know she did suffer a lot and fought really hard. And at the same time, see your cousin cut all these programs that have the potential to help her and so many other people. And of course I feel very strongly about this as well. Well.

00:42:18
Speaker 2: I know you've experienced loss as well, and so you know you understand how hard it can be. My family is not alone here. They're cuts that the President Trump and Harf K. Junior are making affect families across the country, and it is outrageous what's going on. When it's related to health. You can see just how inhumane and cruel this administration has acted. They don't care about others. They care about telling us whatever they think we want to hear and then robbing us blind. And if that means taking money out of public health research, they don't care. If that means taking money away from public schools, they don't care. They are robbing this country, carving it up and handing it out to their friends, and they don't care who suffers, and that should outrage everybody.

00:43:06
Speaker 1: The country feels hopelessly polarized at this moment in time. You know, I've been covering politics for many years, for decades in fact, and I've never felt this way. Do you believe it will be forever? Thus? And what do you think needs to be done to bridge the deep divides in this country?

00:43:27
Speaker 2: I don't think it's going to be this way forever. I do think a better day is right around the corner. Again. Our campaign slogan is believing something again. We cannot stop believing in America. Our country turns two hundred and fifty this year. It all started as a complete pipe dream, a democracy when there was no others on earth, overthrowing authoritarian government. First battle of the Revolutions fought here. Bill of Rice was signed here in New York twelve. Okay, So no, I think that a better day is just around the corner. But we do have to start believing, and we do have to start having confidence that our vote counts, that billionaires can't buy elections, that corporations can't buy elections. We have to get smart here, and we have to trust people to make their own decisions and be informed, and we have to also be willing to try new things. We cannot try the same playbook in this new world that we live in and expect anything to get better. We got to be creative, We got to be open minded, and we have to embrace the struggle because it's gonna be tough. The Democratic Party is behind and will be behind for some time, decades before we get clawback just what we lost in the last year and a half under Trump. So we got to be prepared for the fight it's going to. You know, what makes me most mad is that Trump is You know, we're going to be paying for and cleaning up the mess of the last year and a half alone, but probably the rest of my life. Our country has stumbled and fall. We don't know the impact of the war and Iran, yeah, we've barely even felt it. We got to get serious about stopping what is going wrong right now because the bill racks up every single day, and I don't want another generation after me waste their whole life cleaning up Donald Trump's mess when we could be leading the world again.

00:45:08
Speaker 1: But you didn't really address how to bridge devise. Somebody on social asked, how do you plan to handle Mecca?

00:45:17
Speaker 2: I mean, first of all, I think sunlight is the best disinfectant, showing people what's going on in Washington, explaining to them in ways that they can understand. I think a lot of people have been what's that word for when someone tries to brainwash you with propaganda and esticized me something when someone tries to you know. President Trump has disseminated a lot of false information at rapid pace that it's hard to keep up with and fact check him in real time. He puts on a TV show every single day. I think if people knew what was actually going on, we wouldn't be that divided. I also think people are waking up to this right now, and I think one unifying issue for everybody is corruption. If you look at poles in purple districts Swing States, people cannot believe what is going on with industry taking control of our government, of our new class of tech warlords who are writing all the rules for the next three centuries right now in Washington by buying people off and buying elections. And everyone can see this going on. Everyone can see how outrageous it is that the top one percent of people in this country own a third of the wealth. This is a new phenomenon wealth. Inequality is a huge national security issue and threat to our democracy, and it's a result of a politics that is controlled by money. And I think people we can all rally around the fact that we need to get money out of politics, and nothing is going to change or become less divided until then.

00:46:41
Speaker 1: Do you think as you travel around the district, are people talking at all about how the president has enriched himself? Yes? And his family members Yes.

00:46:53
Speaker 2: And they love Jack's money back guarantee. I will not stop until we get back the four billion dollars that Trump and his family have made since he got elected for second term.

00:47:02
Speaker 1: Good luck with that, Thank you. I'm being starcastic. Good luck with Wait.

00:47:07
Speaker 2: If Democrats win back the House, we have control of the judiciary, we king subpoena and investigate and find out what's going on because the law has been broken. It's very very clear, and we need to enforce it.

00:47:17
Speaker 1: In closing, Jack Schlassberg, I am in your district, so go ahead tell me why I should vote for you.

00:47:26
Speaker 2: Well, Katie, New York twelve is where time starts. Every year, the whole world begins the clock when the clock strucks twelve here in New York. This is the center of the universe. We need a representative who can channel the creativity, energy drive of this whole place and translate that to political power in Washington. We need someone with the experience working in politics but also communicating in new ways to a new generation, getting them excited, because otherwise our voice is not going to be heard. I have the experience breaking through and coming out with real plans and pol season our campaign that I'm very proud of, and I think I'd make a great representative.

00:48:05
Speaker 1: Chack Schlasberg, thanks so much for coming in. Thank you, thanks for listening everyone. If you have a question for me, a subject you want us to cover, or you want to share your thoughts about how you navigate this crazy world, reach out send me a DM on Instagram. I would love to hear from you. Next Question is a production of iHeartMedia and Katie Couric Media. The executive producers are Me, Katie Kuric, and Courtney Ltz. Our supervising producer is Ryan Martz, and our producers are Adriana Fazzio and Meredith Barnes. Julian Weller composed our theme music. For more information about today's episode, or to sign up for my newsletter Wake Up Call, go to the description in the podcast app, or visit us at Katiecuric dot com. You can also find me on Instagram and all my social media channels. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.