A rush transcript of "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" airing on Sunday, July 20, 2025 on ABC News is below. This copy may not be in its final form, may be updated and may contain minor transcription errors. For previous show transcripts, visit the "This Week" transcript archive.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC “THIS WEEK” ANCHOR: President Trump facing a political firestorm over the Jeffrey Epstein files, dividing his base and putting the president on the defensive.
THIS WEEK starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It was a hoax. It's all been a big hoax.
RADDATZ: Donald Trump wrestles with his base over the Jeffrey Epstein files as a growing number of Republicans call for their full release.
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): All the credible information needs to come out.
SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R-MO): I think the best thing to do here is transparency.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No one is satisfied with what has been received.
RADDATZ: The president bowing to pressure. The Justice Department now seeking the release of additional material. This morning, Pierre Thomas and Rachel Scott report on the legal and political fallout.
Plus, Republican Congressman Tim Burchett on the push for answers on Capitol Hill.
And, six months in office.
What are the implications here for consumers? For -- for regular families?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Simply put, higher prices.
RADDATZ: We traveled to southern California, the epicenter of Trump’s economic and immigration agenda.
And we'll show you the dramatic difference those six months have made here on the U.S./Mexico border.
And my interview with L.A. Mayor Karen Bass on the relentless immigration raids in Los Angeles.
How do you see the next six months, the next two years for immigrants in your city?
MAYOR KAREN BASS, (D) LOS ANGELES: Well, I am just hoping that this reign of terror ends.
RADDATZ: Plus, our powerhouse roundtable on all the week's politics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: From ABC News, it's "THIS WEEK." Here now, co-anchor Martha Raddatz.
RADDATZ: Good morning and welcome to "THIS WEEK."
Today marks six months since President Trump returned to office for his second term. It has been a head-spinning half year, from sweeping changes in the federal government, to mass deportations and bombs dropped on Iran. The president promised changes, and there is no question he has made them.
President Trump won the 2024 election based largely on his vow to improve the economy and crack down on illegal immigration. He has declared success on both. But there are some potential storm clouds on the horizon, including growing voter disapproval of his aggressive stance on migrants and real concerns about the impacts of his on-again, off-again trade war.
We traveled throughout California this week to see exactly how those changes have affected that state.
But we begin this morning with the latest Trump controversy, the Epstein files, the rare issue that has rattled and divided some of Trump's most faithful supporters and left the president very much on the defensive.
Rachel Scott will bring us the political fallout. But first, Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas on the case itself.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PIERRE THOMAS, ABC NEWS CHIEF JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This week, President Trump ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of secret grand jury material relating to the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein. On Friday, DOJ moving swiftly, asking the court to release the material, acknowledging extensive public interest in the Epstein case. The motion goes on to say, “Transparency to the American public is of the utmost importance to this administration.”
Those motions kick off what could be a protracted process that will likely feature hearings for judges to consider the legal arguments and the possible impact a release could have on affected parties, including victims with little likelihood that all documents would be unsealed.
The infamous saga of Jeffrey Epstein's sexual crimes and his controversial death have fueled conspiracy theories by some Trump supporters, many of whom want all documents related to Epstein released, believing they would reveal other individuals who they think could have been involved in sex crimes with minors. Trump, like some other New York celebrities, had socialized in the past with Epstein, but at the time of his 2019 arrest, Trump said he and Epstein had had a falling out and hadn't spoken in 15 years.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't understand what the interest or what the fascination is.
THOMAS (voice over): The president now in the challenging position of trying to satisfy his supporters, while pushing back on conspiracies, with little success. Some of his supporters calling for a special counsel.
KAROLINE LEAVITT, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case. That's how he feels.
THOMAS (voice over): Then, on Thursday, new questions arising after a "Wall Street Journal" report pointing to a letter the paper claims Trump allegedly sent Epstein in 2003 to celebrate his 50th birthday. Trump filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the paper, including its owner, Rupert Murdoch. In the lawsuit Trump alleges that “The Journal” “falsely claimed that he authored, drew, and signed” a letter to Epstein containing “salacious language” and that “no authentic letter or drawing exists.”
Dow Jones telling ABC News, “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”
ABC News has not been able to confirm the existence of the letter. In some ways, the Epstein case is now being relitigated years after his death.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's dead for a long time. He was never a big factor in terms of life.
THOMAS (voice over): Only two weeks ago, DOJ released a memo saying nothing else from the case need be unsealed, flatly stating that there was no client list, no evidence of Epstein blackmailing other prominent figures, and not enough evidence that would warrant an investigation against uncharged third parties. Officials said Epstein was not murdered but died of suicide.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
THOMAS (on camera): After making the case of that memo earlier this month that documents in the Epstein case under court seal should remain blocked from public view, now the Justice Department will soon be in court making the opposite argument.
Martha.
MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC “This Week” anchor: Thanks, Pierre.
The political fallout from this has escalated all week, leaving President Trump in a defensive crouch and sparing no one, including his own supporters, from his wrath.
Here's senior political correspondent Rachel Scott.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RACHEL SCOTT, ABC NEWS SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This week, President Trump facing a political crisis and lashing out as his administration struggles to turn the page on the investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's all been a big hoax. It's perpetrated by the Democrats. And some stupid Republicans, and foolish Republicans, fall into the net.
SCOTT (voice over): The relentless backlash from Trump's base splintering his MAGA supporters unlike any other moment during his time in politics.
CHARLIE KIRK, HOST OF THE CHARLIE KIRK SHOW: People are very, very confused, and some people are very disappointed and mad. You need to help them out a little bit, explain what is going on.
SCOTT (voice over): Some of the president's most vocal reporters calling for greater transparency.
BENNY JOHNSON, HOST OF THE BENNY SHOW: We should be releasing everything, which I think would be a great pressure release valve for all of this.
SCOTT (voice over): Laura Loomer, one of the president's most controversial advocates, rebutting Trump’s hoax claims, telling “Politico,” “this is not a complete hoax given the fact that Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving 20 years in prison in Florida for her crimes and activities with Jeffrey Epstein, who we know is a convicted sexual predator.”
Loomer also saying, “We can't just Truth Social the Epstein files away.”
But the president’s calls on Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of some grand jury material related to Epstein appearing to cause some relief. For years, Trump and some of his closest allies, including his current vice president, pushed conspiracy theories about Epstein and his alleged client list, which the DOJ and FBI have said does not exist.
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Seriously, we need to release the Epstein list.
SCOTT (voice over): But the growing discontent within the party has not been limited to podcasts and social media. A new poll from Quinnipiac University this week found 36 percent of Republicans disapprove of the administration's handling of the Epstein files. The spillover reaching Capitol Hill.
SEN. JOSH HAWLEY (R) MISSOURI: Why not release all of it?
SEN. ERIC SCHMITT (R) MISSOURI: I think we want to have as much transparency as possible.
SCOTT (voice over): House Republicans now setting up a potential vote to call on the Justice Department to release materials from its investigation into Epstein. As Speaker of the House Mike Johnson tries to bridge the gap between an outrage MAGA base and a president eager to move past Epstein.
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R) LOUISIANA, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: Everybody wants the Epstein files, which is the real documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and anyone related with that. We want the American people to see it.
What I believe in is maximum transparency, and so does President Trump.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCOTT (on camera): And, Martha, that "Wall Street Journal" story that Pierre mentioned is causing some of the president's supporters to rally behind him. But it's unclear if it will quiet the ongoing fallout from this Epstein saga.
Martha.
RADDATZ: And our thanks to Rachel.
I'm joined now by GOP Congressman Tim Burchett of Tennessee, who has called for more transparency in the Epstein case.
Good morning, Congressman.
You’ve co-sponsored the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act, which would force the House to vote on whether or not to release all government files on Epstein.
What exactly do you think the government is withholding here?
REP. TIM BURCHETT, (R) TENNESSEE: Well, that’s the million-dollar question, ma’am. I -- I applaud the president and Attorney General Bondi for wanting to release the grand jury files. I believe that will pretty much cover everything. But I would give everybody a caveat or a -- that’s a big word, but a warning that just because somebody flew on a plane doesn’t mean they’re a daggum pedophile, you know. I -- I'm -- I have a lot of wealthy friends. I -- I aspire to be wealthy, but I've taken a vow of poverty because of my daughter rides horses.
So -- but I have a lot of wealthy friends, and they fly on people’s planes. And their plane will be down, and they’ll say, hey, we’re going somewhere, and we’ve got an extra seat, do you want to go? And they don’t even know the person on the plane.
So, you know, that’s one of the things I worry about, too, because I -- you know, President Trump admitted that he flew on his daggum plane. And so, I worry about some innocent people. I worry about -- there’s over 1,000 people that this dirtbag apparently offended. And currently, I believe the devil’s dealing with him. But --
RADDATZ: But, Congressman --
BURCHETT: I worry about some of those innocent names being out on that, too as well.
Yes, ma’am. Go ahead.
RADDATZ: So, Congressman, you think unsealing the grand jury records is enough for you now?
BURCHETT: I think it’s a start. I don’t think we’re ever going to get to the bottom of anything -- every -- all of it, ma’am.
I mean, look at the Kennedy assassination. Do you actually believe Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Kennedy from the front and the back, and this magic bullet appears an hour later in a -- in -- on a hospital gurney and -- and in an emergency room. I -- you know, this town doesn’t give up its secrets very easy.
And I -- and I’d warn people too, now we’re getting a hold of this stuff. What happened the last four years under the Biden administration?
Senator Dick Durbin blocked my senator, Marsha Blackburn, who valiantly fought to get those records out and only -- and I could pretty much like it wasn’t anything. And the media backed him up on it. And now, all of a sudden, the media thinks they’ve got something.
And it’s -- I -- it’s leveled towards Trump. But I -- you know, my history with this issues goes back a little way. I spent 16 years in the Tennessee General Assembly and I passed and attempted to pass some -- some of the toughest laws in the country, some of the first ICAC (INAUDIBLE) Internet Crimes Against Children. I've promoted the death penalty, chemical castration of child molesters and all those bills were ruled unconstitutional.
RADDATZ: Congressman --
BURCHETT: Yes, ma’am.
RADDATZ: Congressman, I want to go back again. So, you no longer believe or -- are demanding that all the Epstein files be released?
BURCHETT: No, ma’am. I want them -- I want them released. But my warning is this, let’s make sure that we’re not releasing the names of some of these who -- who were then children, now adults, that were abused by this dirtbag, Epstein. And let’s make sure we don’t release things that are -- that have innocent names on them.
That’s my -- that’s been my concern with -- with the original -- I thought they were dragging their feet. In the beginning, under the Biden administration, they never did anything. And now all of a sudden, it’s become a political issue.
It’s not a political issue with me, ma’am. I've held the hands of people that have been molested, and they carry a life sentence. I just want to make sure that --
(CROSSTALK)
RADDATZ: You’ve -- you’ve been very critical of -- I'm sorry. You -- you have been very critical of Pam Bondi during this. As the president said, he thinks she’s handled it well.
So, where is the disconnect there? And do you think she should resign?
BURCHETT: I think her communication with us early on was not as good. I mean, that -- the binder, for instance, that she put out, I was very excited about that. But then I found the contents of it.
I think it was her limited knowledge and her -- and taking advice from the wrong people, which you do a lot of in Washington. There’s plenty of people to give you advice. But when it turns out not good, you turn around and they’re nowhere to be found. And I think that’s what she did in the beginning.
I think if she turns the corner, I'll have -- I have a saying, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. If she finishes strong on this, then I'm -- then I'm all for it.
I'm sure the learning curve is steep, and I -- I think she blundered in the beginning. I really do, as most Americans do. Because those -- that -- what those whites (ph) -- that white notebook that those young folks, those influencers walk out with, I thought that was it.
And then when I started digging into it, it was stuff that I -- and I'm -- I'm a -- I like -- I like my postings on Twitter, but -- or X, but that’s about the limit of my computer knowledge, but even I could find those things on the Internet that were already out there.
So, I think they blundered in the beginning, but I think they’re -- they’re going to finish strong. Again, I -- I don’t know that --
RADDATZ: Well, President Trump --
BURCHETT: Go ahead, ma’am.
RADDATZ: Thank you.
BURCHETT: Go ahead. I'm sorry, ma’am (ph).
RADDATZ: President Trump has started claiming this is all a hoax, that it’s being perpetrated by the Democrats. He says some of his own supporters who he labeled stupid and foolish Republicans. You are obviously one of those people who wants this released.
What’s your reaction to how President Trump has handled it?
BURCHETT: Well, yes, ma’am. I -- it’s his strategy. I -- you know, everybody questions President Trump’s strategy. They said the Big, Beautiful Bill wasn’t going to get out on the Fourth of July.
Trump comes out and says, I don’t care when you put it out. I said, I don’t care if you put it out on July 40th, get the bill out. I just want it out. And what happened -- daggum, we passed it on the Fourth of July.
His cryptocurrency bill, my own Senator Haggerty had the GENIUS Act, part of that, and everybody said it was dead. It wasn’t going anywhere.
And there I am on a phone call. I'm in a meeting with the -- with our speaker and our whip, Tom Emmer, and 10 or 12 fellow conservatives that had concerns about it and who -- lo and behold, President Trump calls, answers all of our questions. And the bill passes. And he signed it on Friday.So, you know, I think to underestimate Donald J. Trump is -- is -- is -- is a mistake in this -- in this town. And I think we’re learning that.
And I -- I -- you know, that’s his strategy. I -- was I a little ticked off he said that stuff? Sure, I was. But I'm a big boy, ma’am. I'm in the -- we’re playing in the big leagues right now. And, you know, I get criticized every day. I get death threats on a pretty regular basis. So, my skin’s about that thick right now. I think I can take a little criticism. But his strategy is --
RADDATZ: It sounds -- it sounds like you can.
BURCHETT: He’s -- he’s coming out with it. Yes, ma’am.
RADDATZ: OK, thanks so much for joining us this morning, Congressman.
BURCHETT: Thank you, ma’am.
RADDATZ: So, let's bring in our powerhouse roundtable. Former DNC chair, Donna Brazile, former RNC chair and Trump White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus, “SCOTUSblog editor,” Sarah Isgur, and “Wall Street Journal” senior political correspondent, Molly Ball.
Welcome to all of you.
And, Reince, I want to go right to you.
You -- you heard the congressman there. But if you were in the Oval Office now, how would you advise the president?
REINCE PRIEBUS, FORMER RNC CHAIR, FORMER TRUMP WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF & ABC NEWS POLITICAL ANALYST: What -- what I would do is I would shift the focus on figuring out a way to do something to focus on the -- the bottom line here. And that is that there are victims to crimes where perpetrators haven't been brought to justice. And I would set up a task force at the DOJ to do and figure out every way possible that we could either open up these cases -- it's complicated. This 2008 settlement down in Miami makes it complicated.
But the way I look at it is, you know, you -- you watch mystery shows all the time. And they pull a body out of the lake, and they find that there's a clamp by the body. And all of a sudden we found a clamp, it was sold by a boathouse in Lexington. And then, oh, my gosh, the brother of the person that's in the lake works at the boathouse in Lexington.
How is it possible that we have all these victims of crimes and none of these perpetrators -- or at least lots of them -- haven't been brought to justice? I would focus on that because I think that is a part of this --
RADDATZ: In other words, you wouldn't be saying it's a hoax?
PRIEBUS: It's not the -- it’s not the client list. It’s not -- you know, some people made overpromises on a topic they didn't have a handle on. And getting these documents out in the public, getting grand jury documents sounds great. It's hard to do. I don't know how you do that. I don't know how you release grand jury documents. It would be great to do it, but it's not easy.
RADDATZ: And -- and, Sarah, I want to go to you on that. It -- it is very difficult to release grand jury -- grand jury files. And would that really satisfy people, do you think?
SARAH ISGUR, EDITOR AT SCOTUSBLOG & ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Right. It's not going to happen, and it's not going to satisfy them even if it would. You know, under criminal procedure 6-E, grand jury materials are sealed. Now, there are exceptions. The Department of Justice has obviously asked the judge to unseal these. But the exceptions are all related to official Department of Justice business. They have another investigation that they need it on, or another crime that’s been committed, national security, not, we're in a political sticky wicket, and we could use your help. That is not a reason to release grand jury materials. I can't imagine a judge saying yes to this.
RADDATZ: And -- and let's go back to the politics of this, Molly. Your -- your paper's reporting this week certainly added fuel to the fire. Where does this go now?
MOLLY BALL, WALL STREET JOURNAL SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think that's the really interesting question because we saw a rift open up between Donald Trump and some of his most devoted supporters, as you saw in those clips that were played, really unlike anything I think we've seen before, given how close that relationship has been.
Now, the report, in my newspaper, which I want to say was not fake news, although I was not involved in that specific reporting, I think --
RADDATZ: And, of course, the president says it is.
BALL: Ironically, has -- has mollified a lot of people by sort of circling the wagons and causing them to defend the president against, as you say, what he says is a -- is a fake story and go after the media. Whenever there's a common enemy, it's much easier for Trump to keep his followers in the tent.
But the questions are not going to fully subside if the grand jury material is not released or if there are other materials. And, you know, there's this bipartisan move in Congress to call for materials to be released as well. And Republican Congressman Thomas Massie has -- he wants this to percolate over the course of the August recess. So, when members go home to their districts, they're being asked about it.
So, I think that’s going to be the question is, is this still alive enough in the base where members of Congress are still getting questions about it and feel like they have to continue to pursue it because it's something that the American people still want answers to.
RADDATZ: And, Donna, you heard the congressman there who does seem a little more satisfied with Donald Trump at this point, but, again, pointing the finger at the Biden administration, why didn't they do more?
DONNA BRAZILE, FORMER DNC CHAIR AND ABC NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: I mean, of course, every time Donald Trump gets in trouble, any of his allies, they look back and not forward. You know, there's an old scripture that says that, you know, when you sow the wind, you shall reap the whirlwind.
This is MAGA. This is not Democrats. It was JD Vance out there on the campaign trail, saying "We're going to release the file." It was Dan Bongino, it was Mr. Patel, others. This is their pot that they've stirred. So they can't put this on Democrats, but I can tell you what Democrats will do along with Mr. Massie and the 10 Republicans who are backing this bipartisan resolution, they will continue to present this on the House floor, in the Rules Committee, until transparency.
Look, I don't know what's in the file. I agree with you, reprehensible. This -- Donald Trump should never have been hanging out with this guy and any other politician, any other human being. The point is they have promised something. Pam Bondi said she had the files on her desk. Release them.
RADDATZ: OK. And we'll have more from the roundtable coming up. But up next, we're on the road in California seeing the impact of Trump's policies on the economy and immigration that affect us all. Plus my conversation with L.A. Mayor Karen Bass as she pushes back on the president's deportation crackdown.
We're back in two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
RADDATZ: Donald Trump won the 2024 election in large part because of his tough stance on immigration and his promises of an improved economy. He has made a dramatic difference at the border but not without controversy, and the fate of the economy six months into the administration is still an open question.
California has seen the effects of both of the president's policy changes in a very significant fashion, which is where we headed this week.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RADDATZ (voice-over): It is a clear, calm day off Southern California's coast where massive tankers and container ships filled with everything from clothing to batteries arrive daily. It is one of the best places in the country to see the effects of Donald Trump's ever-changing tariff policies.
The port of Long Beach, along with the port of Los Angeles, makes up for 40 percent, 40 percent of all the goods coming into the United States via container.
RADDATZ (voice-over): But things are definitely not the same.
RADDATZ: Tell me what I see differently today out in that harbor than I would have a year ago?
MARIO CORDERO, LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA PORT CEO: Less ships, less cargo.
RADDATZ (voice-over): Long Beach Port CEO Mario Cordero says that months ago, after Trump's first threat of increased tariffs, the port was crowded with ships, with suppliers trying to get ahead of the possible spike.
Now, Cordero says many suppliers simply don't know what to do.
CORDERO: We're going through radical uncertainty because of the uncertainty that we have with regard to the tariff policies.
RADDATZ (voice-over): While Trump has rolled back some of his steepest tariffs in recent months, consumers now face an overall effective tariff rate of 20.6 percent, the highest rate since 1910, up from 2.4 percent when he took office in January.
Now, Trump re-upping his threats on America's biggest trading partners to reach a deal by August 1st or face higher tariffs.
What do you think you'll see after August 1st if they go through?
CORDERO: I would predict there'll be less purchasing by the American consumer. And those who do purchase, higher prices. You're definitely going to see that.
RADDATZ (voice-over): But if you want a policy where there is certainty, head a few miles south of this port and you will hit the border with Mexico where there is little question that Trump is fulfilling a campaign promise.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All illegal entry will immediately be halted.
RADDATZ (voice-over): In a matter of months, migrant crossings have hit record lows. Apprehensions at the southern border dropped to 6,072 in the month of June, a massive reduction from the 83,532 apprehensions recorded in June of last year.
JEFFREY STALNAKER, ACTING PATROL CHIEF, CBP SAN DIEGO: Over 25 miles of concertina wire our U.S. Marines put up for us.
RADDATZ (voice-over): Acting Patrol Chief Jeffrey Stalnaker tells us the San Diego sector has seen a significant drop in illegal entries.
STALNAKER: And what that has done, it's allowed us to get our agents back on the border to do their traditional work. In addition to that, we have maximized consequences. It can be an immigration consequence or a consequence because of a criminal history, something that they've done in the past.
RADDATZ: So in other words, if they come across, you find out they have criminal history, they go to jail and probably be kicked out later. Or if they don't, they're just immediately --
STALNAKER: Yes. So, criminal history and immigration.
RADDATZ: But with the record lows at the border, the administration has turned to mass deportation. Not just undocumented criminals, but workers, too. Forty-seven percent of the ICE detainees have no pending criminal charges or convictions.
In California, law enforcement has focused on Los Angeles, a so-called sanctuary city in the heavily blue state, sparking protest and sporadic violence. In an unprecedented move, the president sending in the National Guard and Marines last month to quell protests over the raids.
KRISTI NOEM, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate this city.
RADDATZ (voice-over): While half of the Guard, about 2,000, have now been sent home, parts of the city still look like a ghost town, with undocumented immigrants living in fear.
In Boyle Heights, a heavily Latino part of the city, we met mariachi tailor Jorge Tello. He is here legally, but says he has seen neighbors and friends rounded up.
And like 46 percent of Hispanic voters nationwide, Tello voted for Trump in November.
RADDATZ: You voted for Trump. Why?
JORGE TELLO, OWNER, LA CASA DEL MARIACHI: Better life, maybe. I don't know.
RADDATZ (voice-over): But Tello says he did not imagine the immigration crackdown would go beyond convicted criminals and regrets his vote.
TELLO: Last election for Trump, but no good.
RADDATZ: No good?
RADDATZ (voice-over): California's farming communities also a target of the administration's deportation campaign. Earlier this month, federal agents clashed with protesters at a raid at a legal cannabis farm in Camarillo, where DHS says they arrested more than 300 people.
GEORGE RETES, ARMY VETERAN: I was going to work like any other day.
RADDATZ (voice-over): Army veteran George Retes says he was just trying to get to his job as security at the farms.
RETES: I eventually get to the wall of ICE that's just standing there guarding the street. And I just let them know that I'm a U.S. citizen. I work here at the glass house. I'm a veteran. They ignored everything I had to say.
RADDATZ (voice-over): Retes says he tried to drive away and acknowledges arguing with the ICE agents, but never expected what came next.
RETES: They break my window. Another agent runs up and sticks his arm through my window and sprays me in the face with OC. And they just dragged me out.
RADDATZ: And then you were taken away.
RETES: And then I was taken away, thrown in a cell for three days without an attorney, without a phone call, without any medical help.
RADDATZ (voice-over): He says he was never told why he was arrested.
Retes was an infantryman in the Army deployed to Iraq in 2019.
RADDATZ: So, you joined the army to do something for your country. You're a security guard at this place and you're arrested?
RETES: Yes.
RADDATZ: How does that make you feel?
RETES: It's disappointing. It doesn't matter what you do for this country, whether I risked my life or whether I served and wore that flag on my shoulder, it didn't matter to them.
RADDATZ (voice-over): Reached for comment, DHS telling ABC News, George Retes was arrested and has been released. He has not been charged. The U.S. Attorney's office is reviewing his case, along with dozens of others, for potential federal charges related to the execution of the federal search warrant in Camarillo.
Beatriz Basurto works for 805 Undocufund, contacting families and locating people taken in the raids, but the work is personal for her. Three of her family members were detained in the Camarillo raid.
BEATRIZ BASURTO, RAPID RESPONSE COORDINATOR, 805 UNDOCUFUND: It's just been heartbreaking. Everyone is on edge. The moment someone sees any mysterious car, if the window's too dark, right, if their -- their license plate is not visible.
RADDATZ: What would you say to people who say, look, they're not here legally, they have to leave, they should have waited in line?
BASURTO: Well, to those people, I don't care to conversate with those people. Our community has -- is devoting our time to the people who are rallying up with us, who are just as angry as we are.
RADDATZ (voice-over): A town over in Ojai, California, Jim Churchill runs his family citrus and avocado farms. While his farm hasn't been directly impacted, he says these raids could disrupt the nation's food supply.
JIM CHURCHILL, OWNER, CHURCHILL ORCHARD: Who's doing the meat packing? Who's doing the labor that grows all the vegetables? California, we are the produce basket for the whole country.
RADDATZ (voice-over): Over a third of the nation's vegetables and over three-quarters of the nation's fruits and nuts are grown in California.
CHURCHILL: If you remove the people who do the work, then it's like arithmetic, right? You're going to have less food. This is highly skilled labor, and it's hard work.
RADDATZ (voice-over): Churchill says the undocumented people he knows are valued members of the community.
CHURCHILL: They have families here. They are very often the only breadwinners.
RADDATZ (voice-over): He read us a letter from one.
CHURCHILL: Since I arrived 25 years ago until today, I have worked hard. I never asked the government for help. I have always paid my taxes. I have worked hard to give my children an education because I am a single mother. I know that deep down in your heart, I hope you understand us. We just want to live freely, not to be harassed because of the color of my skin, my physique, or my language. I want my voice and my story to be told. I speak for all those people who are suffering.
RADDATZ (voice-over): Just one story of so many. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has been on the front lines as her city has faced the Trump Administration's immigration crackdown. I spoke to Mayor Bass at a restaurant in a predominantly Latino neighborhood in East L.A. and we began our conversation with how she says ICE enforcement has sent shockwaves through her city.
MAYOR KAREN BASS, (D) LOS ANGELES: -- brutality of it. Can you imagine? Los Angeles is a city of immigrants. 3.8 million people and about 50 percent of our population is Latino. And so, when the raids started, fear spread. The masked men in unmarked cars, no license plate, no real uniforms, jumping out of cars with rifles, and snatching people off the street, leading a lot of people to think maybe kidnappings were taking place. How do you have masked men who then say, well, we are federal officials with no identification?
RADDATZ: Well, you know what the Administration will say to that. They'll say they're in danger, that there have been threats, that there has been doxing, and that that's the reason they have the masks on, and that they say there is some ID.
BASS: Well, let me just tell you, we have a Los Angeles Police Department that has to deal with crime in this city every single day, and they're not masked. They stay here. The masked men parachute in, stay here for a while, and leave. And, so you enter a profession like policing, like law enforcement, I'm sorry, I don't think you have a right to have a mask and snatch people off the street.
RADDATZ: You have gotten the -- about half of the National Guard are now leaving, but that leaves 2,000 -- 2,500 still here.
BASS: None of the National Guard needs to be here. There is nothing happening in our city now. There's no protests going on. And when they were assigned here, their mission was to guard two buildings. Why do you need 4,000 troops for two buildings?
They've had to leave their families, their jobs, their education. For what? So that they could participate in performance art? Because that's what was going on here.
RADDATZ: One -- one of the things you talk about is why now? Why did they do it? Why did they raid MacArthur Park? You became a sanctuary city right after Donald Trump was elected. So, do you believe that is one of the reasons your city is being targeted?
BASS: No, I really don't because our policies have been in place actually 45 years. What we did a few months ago was updating a policy, but it wasn't a brand-new policy. And, frankly, these policies exist all over the country.
RADDATZ: You had several days of -- of pretty serious protests. And I -- I think, when you look at the images from -- from that --
BASS: Yes.
RADDATZ: From those protests --
BASS: Yes.
RADDATZ: There is clearly some violence.
BASS: Yes, there was.
RADDATZ: There were peaceful protests but there was clearly -- they were throwing rocks at police officers. There was a Molotov cocktail. They would throw concrete bottles at police officers.
BASS: And that was terrible. And I certainly called for any level of violence to be -- for people to be held accountable. If they were arrested, they needed to be held accountable to the full extent of the law. It did not warrant military intervention. It did not warrant the Marines coming into our city with basically no real mission, but just a show of force. Los Angeles is 500 square miles. The disturbances took place in maybe two square miles.
RADDATZ: Where are those troops? What are they doing?
BASS: That’s a -- well -- well, the -- the National Guard still has the same mission. If you drive by our two federal buildings, you will see them standing out there. But there's nothing going on in those federal buildings. So, in my opinion, we are misusing taxpayers' dollars, and we are misusing our troops.
RADDATZ: When you look at the raids and the deportations, just tell me who you think should be deported. Is it just people who have been convicted of crimes? You have, what, almost a million undocumented workers in Los Angeles? What should happen to those people?
BASS: So -- so let me just say that, because we are a city of immigrants, we have entire sectors of our economy that are dependent on immigrant labor. We have to get the fire areas rebuilt. We're not going to get our city rebuilt without immigrant labor.
And it's not just the deportation, it's the fear that sets in when raids occur, when people are snatched off the street. And I know you are aware that even people who are here legally, even people who are U.S. citizens, have been detained. Immigrants who have their papers and were showing up for their -- their annual immigration appointment were detained when they showed up doing exactly what they were supposed to be doing.
RADDATZ: So, they should not be deported?
BASS: I don’t think so.
RADDATZ: They should stay?
BASS: Well, this is what I think.
RADDATZ: A million undocumented people (ph)?
BASS: No, let me just tell you. What I think we need is comprehensive immigration reform. I served in Congress for 12 years.
RADDATZ: And didn't get it.
BASS: And -- well, and didn't get it. And why didn't we get it? I mean, after I left, there was an immigration reform bill that had bipartisan support. This was during the campaign. The president decided he didn't want to have it happen because he didn't want immigration reform to happen where he didn't take credit for it.
RADDATZ: But -- but back to that question of undocumented workers. I'm -- I'm thinking back and a border control agent once said to me, as we saw migrants during a very bad time for so many migrants coming across when Joe Biden was president, and you know that.
BASS: Yes. Yes.
RADDATZ: Just massive numbers.
BASS: Yes.
RADDATZ: And I said, do you feel bad for these people? And the border agent said, you know what, I -- I do. But I also know they're cutting in line in front of those people who want to do it legally and the right way.
BASS: Let me just tell you that the people that make that trek, many of whom walk from Central America and even South America up to our border, risk their lives. I don't believe that all of these people are sitting at home dreaming of coming to Los Angeles. They're coming here out of desperation.
RADDATZ: Look, go back to Joe Biden again, OK?
BASS: OK. (INAUDIBLE).
RADDATZ: There were -- there were -- there was hundreds of thousands of people crossing that border.
BASS: Right.
RADDATZ: When you look at that border today, is there anything good you think the administration has done in these six months at the border?
BASS: Well, I will heap praise on the administration for the first six months in Los Angeles with the fires. If you ask me, is there anything that they have done good in terms of immigration? I don't know. I don't think so. I think that the viewpoint has been punitive, has been, let's make it as miserable as possible so that these people don't come.
RADDATZ: Are you having a conversation with the Trump administration about this?
BASS: I have not recently. I have put in a request, and I hope to. I will always be open to a conversation. I want --
RADDATZ: So even with the Guard here, they've had no conversations --
BASS: I want to work with the administration to solve this problem. We have the World Cup in 11 short months here. We have the Olympics and Paralympics coming in three short years.
I know that these games are very important to the president, and I look forward to working with him and we have an extreme difference on this issue, but there's many issues for us to work on. And I will continue trying to outreach to the administration and hope that at some point they'll be responsive.
RADDATZ: How does this end? How do you see the next six months, the next two years for immigrants in your city?
BASS: Well, I am just hoping that this reign of terror ends. I'm hoping that the military leaves, because they were never needed here to begin with. I'm hoping that we can get back to normal. I'm hoping that the next time I come to this restaurant, that it will be filled, because people won't be afraid to come here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RADDATZ: Our thanks to Mayor Bass.
We'll be right back with the roundtable to break down the president's first six months in office.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We achieved more in six months than almost any administration could accomplish in eight years. And we're going to have a lot of good six months left. We're going to have a six and another six, and we'll keep going.
As long as we continue to keep our promises to the voters, Americans will continue to stand by our side. And in 2026, the Republican majority, I think, is going to be stronger in both the House and the Senate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RADDATZ: The president expressing complete confidence in his first six months in office and on the political road ahead. The roundtable gives their report card grade when we come back.
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RADDATZ (voice-over): And we are back now with the Roundtable. Let's start with you again, Reince, and talk about this six-month mark. Really major legislative victories, but on immigration, I saw myself as well, certainly cut down, but some of his polling numbers, I think, his approval rating is about 41 percent now on immigration specifically.
PRIEBUS: Well, I mean, I saw an overall approval rating yesterday at the Hill at over a little over 50 percent. But look, I don't just think he's meeting expectations. I think he's redefining them. I don't think anyone has ever seen anything like this. I mean, when you look at the economy, you look at inflation is down, unemployment is down. You look at the border, 94 percent less border crossings today than a year ago. It -- it --
RADDATZ: But again, those polling numbers on immigration --
PRIEBUS: But that -- but, what was he elected on? He was elected on the economy.
RADDATZ: And immigration.
PRIEBUS: And -- and immigration and going after cultural leftism. And -- and this president started a war against DEI on day one, and it hasn't ceased at all. So as far as the issues that -- that defined his campaign, he's -- he's met the mark. The second quick thing is that the promises that he's made and capped, that people don't like and drive them bananas, those are all the things he said he was going to do on the campaign trail.
In fact, he said he was going to deport all 20 million people here who were here illegally. So, he's doing what he said he was going to do.
RADDATZ: You -- you heard that one voter say he wouldn't vote again because of what? Rounding up others as well. Donna, what's your reaction to these six months? Is there -- are there any signs of storms gathering in your view?
BRAZILE: Well, first of all, I think Trump 2.0 has been profoundly disappointing from the first day of pardoning the people who marched on the Capitol and beat police officers. He has been disruptive, he's been volatile. He seems not to understand where he's moving next, whether it is tariffs. Grocery prices are higher, gas prices are higher. He is more polarizing than ever before.
Now, what do I see promising about Donald Trump? I see promising that we got a midterm coming and hopefully, Democrats will get -- get off the, you know, up the couch and vote. But he's been -- he's weakened our alliances. I can go on and on, Martha. I give him a bad grade, and I hope he gets better.
RADDATZ: And -- and Sarah, tell me if there are any surprises to you. Did he do exactly what you expected, as Reince said? Was there anything that surprised you?
ISGUR: I am shocked that six months in and so many executive orders, where he controls both Houses of Congress with his own political party, that we are not seeing any of those policy, promises and preferences actually put into legislation because the second he leaves office, they are gone.
And on the flip side of that, the number one constitutional crisis of the last six months, we are 181 days in to the TikTok ban passed by both Houses of Congress, signed by a president, nada, a president simply ignoring the law. That is a big problem.
RADDATZ: And I know that's a really big issue with you, and you do bring it up often. And Molly --
ISGUR: Where is Congress? Congress is supposed to do their job and step up and hold presidents accountable.
(CROSSTALK)
PRIEBUS: They just passed the --
BRAZILE: They've abdicated their responsibility.
PRIEBUS: They just passed the reconciliation bill. They just passed the Genius Act before July 4th. I mean, what are you talking about? The border is secure, no tax on tips, overtime. I really don't understand where you're coming from.
RADDATZ: Well, Molly, I want to turn to the midterms. You wrote recently, "There's even less room for dissent in Trump's Republican Party with several moderates deciding to retire rather than run for re-election, Thom Tillis, Don Bacon."
Talk about that, the midterms, and what happens.
BALL: Well, I think that, to Reince's point, there are some clear red flags for the Republican Party so far. When you think about the fact that, yes, Trump was in most voters' minds, elected to deal primarily with the economy and immigration, and if you look at most polls he is now underwater on both of those signature issues.
It's interesting to think about what we were talking about six months ago when he was first inaugurated and he was throwing out a lot of stuff that wasn't related to those goals, whether it was Greenland and, you know, annexing Canada, we're not really talking about that now.
RADDATZ: So many things have happened.
BALL: Or whether it was the hugely disruptive DOGE effort that sort of overturned the federal government, but for what, right? They were supposed to cut $2 trillion and now Congress has just passed barely $9 billion in rescissions. So I think, you know, a lot is incomplete. A lot is in the air. But we're at sort of an inflection point.
Now that this big bill has been passed, the -- now the effects of that are starting to take hold, perhaps we will finally get some resolution on the tariff strategy which has been so influx the whole time, which I think is part of the reason he's getting those low ratings on the economy. So, you know, with the midterms in view, I think Republicans have to be profoundly nervous given their very narrow margins and the fact that public opinion is clearly souring on the president's agenda.
RADDATZ: OK. Thanks to all of you. Our thanks to everyone.
When we come back, a look at L.A.'s recovery from those devastating wildfires six months ago. We're back in a moment.
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RADDATZ (voice-over): During our time in California, we took a moment to visit some of the areas devastated by those wildfires in January. Six months later, the Palisades and Altadena are still very early on the road to recovery. Our colleague, Kayna Whitworth, has been following some of the L.A. residents who lost it all, including the Taylor family in Altadena, whose home was destroyed in the Eaton Fire. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERION TAYLOR, LOST HOME IN L.A. FIRES: Oh my God.
KAYNA WHITWORTH, ABC NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And in these moments, they saw the devastation for the first time. Their home, nothing but rubble and ash.
TAYLOR: Oh my god. I'm so sorry, (inaudible). God, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, my baby.
WHITWORTH (voice-over): Six months later, after the ashes, the pain is still raw, but even stronger is the ache for home.
TAYLOR: The houses behind us did burn, and the houses up there are gone. And so because our house was further pushed back, just look at the draw (ph).
WHITWORTH: Do you guys think about the fact that you are surrounded by homes right now that did not burn down?
TAYLOR: No. I am just incredibly homesick. I'm really thankful that all these homes are still here. So, that's what I think about, like before the lots were cleared, it looked like destruction everywhere. That's all you could see. And now that the lots are clear, you see opportunity and growth and progress.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RADDATZ: That family is still holding onto hope. You can see Kayna's full report in the ABC News Live Special "After the Ashes" streaming now on Hulu. And we'll be right back with a note on a new ABC News program launching tomorrow.
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RADDATZ: Be sure to tune in Monday morning on Disney+. Thanks for sharing part of your Sunday with us, and have a great day.
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