Meet the Press NOW — July 18

President Trump breaks with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, telling reporters today there is “real starvation” in Gaza. President Trump announces a trade deal framework with the European Union ahead of the August 1st tariff deadline. A bipartisan group of lawmakers push for the release of Epstein files as summer recess begins.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) talk about their bipartisan push to release the Epstein files. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) defends the administration’s handling of the Epstein issue. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-Ga.) discusses his calls to investigate former President Obama. Amna Nawaz, Peter Baker, Jeh Johnson and Carlos Curbelo join the roundtable.

President Trump doesn’t rule out pardoning Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, as the Deputy Attorney General holds another private meeting with her. President Trump says that Hamas will be “hunted down” after ceasefire negotiations in the Middle East collapse. NBC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Ryan Nobles interviews Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) about his new legislation to ban "surveillance pricing," whereby companies use personal data to charge consumers different prices for the same products.

The White House pushes back after The Wall Street Journal reports that President Trump was informed his name appeared in documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. Former State Dept. Spokesperson Ned Price discusses the Trump Administration's moves to investigate the Obama Administration over the 2016 election. President Trump meets with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as he criticizes his approach to leading the central bank.

President Donald Trump urges Republican lawmakers to repeat baseless claims about former President Obama and the 2016 election if they are asked about the Epstein files. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) joins Meet the Press NOW to discuss his decision to run for reelection, ending speculation that he would run for governor of New York. Scott Smith, general manager of Allegheny Mountain Radio Station explains the challenges local TV and radio stations are facing after Congress clawed back $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.  

Justice Department officials say they are seeking a meeting with Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell as two judges ask the Trump administration for more information before unsealing grand jury testimony. NBC News National Political Correspondent Steve Kornacki previews how Republicans can hold onto the House in the 2026 midterm elections. Rep. Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.) joins Meet the Press NOW to discuss why she won’t support New York City’s Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani.

President Trump struggles to move on from the Jeffrey Epstein fallout as new poll numbers suggest growing frustration with how the case was handled. The White House downplays the president’s frustration with Prime Minister Netanyahu following last week’s Israeli strikes on Syria. The Justice Department releases thousands of records related to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. 

President Trump orders the release of some Jeffrey Epstein grand jury records following backlash from the MAGA base and threatens to sue The Wall Street Journal over its reporting. Three deputies were killed in an explosion at a sheriff’s training facility in Los Angeles. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan discusses his independent bid to be the next governor of Michigan.

The White House looks to move past the growing calls for the Department of Justice to release the Jeffrey Epstein files. NPR’s CEO Katherine Maher joins Meet the Press NOW to describe the likely impacts of the spending cuts to public broadcasting as the House prepares to vote on the rescissions package. Senate and Governors Editor for The Cook Political Report Jessica Taylor explains the state of play in the 2026 Senate matchups.

President Trump lashes out at his “past supporters” as both Democratic and Republican lawmakers join his MAGA base in its demand for the release of the Jeffery Epstein files. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) explains how Republicans will sell the president’s domestic policy legislation. Rep. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.) addresses her confrontation with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his decision to replace all the members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel.