An MS NOW panel chuckled Friday after President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were caught off guard on a question over funding to Planned Parenthood during an Oval Office event this week.
The laughter broke out during a segment about abortion advocates indicating that they could turn on Trump ahead of the midterms as both Trump and Kennedy were surprised to learn that their own administration had moved to return federal funding to Planned Parenthood. Host Chris Jansing turned to panelists Tim Miller, Bulwark podcast host and political analyst, and Sarah Matthews, spokesperson for Home of the Brave and former Trump White House deputy press secretary, for their reactions.
"You know, the ACLU said this week that the Trump administration had agreed to unfreeze millions in federal funding to Planned Parenthood. The president was asked about that by reporters. Take a listen," Jansing said.
The segment cut to a video of reporters questioning Trump at his desk in the Oval Office.
"It's being reported that frozen funds were released to planned parenthood in December by HHS. I'm wondering why that happened," the reporter said Wednesday after Trump signed the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act.
"I haven't. I have not heard that," Trump said.
"I haven't heard that," Kennedy said, standing in the group of lawmakers, cabinet members and advocates behind Trump.
After the clip, Jansing was quick to note how the panelists had reacted to the footage.
"You're laughing, Tim," Jansing said.
"Looks like if the HHS secretary hasn't heard it and the president hasn't heard it, who did it? What? Somebody has to know about this, you would think," Miller said.
"Somebody has to unfreeze it, right?" Jansing asked.
"Maybe the secret deep state person did it, I don't know," Miller said, laughing.
Matthews pointed to how Trump has often tried to stand down from talking about abortion and women's health.
"No, I mean, it's just laughable that the two people who you would think would be in charge of that decision or read in on that decision, claim to have no knowledge of it," Matthews said. "Now, whether that's true or not, maybe Trump was briefed on it. This is a topic that he likes to avoid and does not like to discuss. So maybe this was him skirting around it, but there's also a chance that neither of them had any idea about it, which is also just as concerning."