The Joy Reid Show – “America 2026: A Tale of Two Dons” (Live!)

Date: January 24, 2026
Host: Joy-Ann Reid
Featured Guests: Don Lemon, Sherrilyn Ifill, Daniel Levy, Nana Gyamfi
Special Mentions: Mark Carney, Jared Kushner, Nana Gyamfi

Overview

This episode explores "A Tale of Two Dons":

• Don Lemon, independent journalist facing prosecution for his reporting
• Donald Trump, now an international strongman, assembling a Board of Peace and remaking global order in his image

Joy-Ann Reid and her guests dissect Trump’s attempts to dismantle international systems, ongoing ICE terror in blue states, the “colonial farce” of Gaza’s future, and the erosion of American democratic norms. The episode features sharp analysis, first-hand accounts of abuse, and a fierce call for resistance from political and civil rights voices.

Key Topics and Insights

1. The Two Dons: Don Lemon vs. Donald Trump

[00:43–03:43, 03:12]

• Joy Reid introduces the show’s theme – “a tale of two Dons”: Don Lemon, the journalist recently threatened with prosecution, and Donald Trump, described as a “physically voluminous elderly wannabe Hitler babbling on and on about bringing about world peace, Antichrist style.”

• Don Lemon reflects on the regime’s attempt to criminalize journalism:

  “This is not a victory lap for me because it's not over. They're gonna try again and they're gonna try again.” – Don Lemon [03:12]

• Joy and her guests underscore the normalization of state persecution of journalists and protestors:

  "None of this is about justice." – Daniel Levy [03:35]
  "This is about power and it's about people who are incompetent." – Don Lemon [03:38]

2. Trump’s Board of Peace and the Erosion of International Order

[04:43–14:40, 06:47–08:43]

• Trump’s performance at Davos: delivering a “literally insane bonkers speech” attacking NATO, Canada, Somalia, and others while promoting the Board of Peace, a self-aggrandizing, member-fee-based body paralleling a “global Mar-a-Lago.”
• Details on membership—few major powers join, Canada and China refuse, and membership costs $1 billion.
• Joy draws parallels with colonial histories and exploitation:

  “He has shifted from wanting to be president of the United States for life to wanting to be the president of the whole world for life, or at least the leader of a clack of rogue nations.” – Joy Reid [14:40]

Board of Peace Launch Segment
[06:47–08:43] – Light applause, awkwardness, limited participation, Trump equates his role with global power, Daniel Levy notes the board’s structure and lack of legitimacy.

3. Mark Carney’s Speech: The Rupture of the Old World Order

[11:18–14:40]

• Canadian PM Mark Carney’s stirring Davos speech:

  “Friends, it is time for companies and countries to take their signs down… a world of fortresses will be poorer, more fragile, and less sustainable.” – Mark Carney [11:18]

• Joy highlights irony: the West now faces the same exploitation it once imposed on the Global South.
• Trump dismantles international cooperation, exits six dozen organizations, pulls the US from the WHO, and prompts California to join WHO independently.

4. Gaza, Colonialism, and the “Genocide Profiteers”

[19:41–29:04, 25:33–33:37]

• Jared Kushner unveils plans for Gaza's redevelopment:

  “We think this really gives the Gazan people an opportunity to live their aspirations. But it all starts with security and it all starts with governance.” – Jared Kushner [19:41]

• Journalist Sharif Khadus highlights the charter’s colonial structure and the farcical reality of “a parody of a colonial body” where Trump is chairman for life [23:33].

• Daniel Levy (US Middle East Project) critiques:

  "It does feel like a kind of Dutch East India company for the 21st century." – Daniel Levy [25:59] "We've heard of war profiteering. This is genocide profiteering." – Daniel Levy [29:04]

Timestamps:

• Kushner's presentation [19:41–21:49]
• Sharif Khadus analysis [23:33–25:33]
• Daniel Levy's segment [25:59–33:37]

5. ICE Occupations and Racialized Terror in Blue States

[45:15–63:04]

• First-hand testimonies from Minneapolis about ICE abductions:

  “I feel like in Minneapolis, I'm a sitting duck. I don't feel safe at home.” – Sherrilyn Ifill [45:15]

• Black and Native American citizens describe illegal detention, violence, and terror.

• Nana Gyamfi, Black Alliance for Just Immigration:

  “It’s not criminality, it’s not documentation, as you heard from folks, it’s not nationality… It’s based upon race.” – Nana Gyamfi [48:12, 52:55]

• Discussion of GOP moves to open Minnesota's Boundary Waters to mining, linking police violence with resource extraction:

  “They want the liberal government of Minnesota to act like the conservative governments in places like West Virginia and Louisiana and let them strip mine wherever they want.” – Joy Reid [56:22]

• Organizing strategies: mutual aid, hotlines, boycotting Hilton hotels for hosting ICE, and mass economic slowdowns.

Notable Quotes:

• “We call them the body snatchers. It's based upon race.” – Nana Gyamfi [48:12]
• “No to Hilton. We're going to give Hilton hell.” – Nana Gyamfi [62:05]

6. The Assault on Civil Rights, the Constitution, and the Rule of Law

[66:20–92:56]

• Department of Homeland Security adopts religious rhetoric in ICE ads, co-opting Bible verses to justify raids [66:20–68:19]
• Discussion of First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment violations, and the transformation of ICE into a “secret police.”
• Don Lemon’s journalistic work shown as vital First Amendment practice, criminalized under pretense.
• Joy and Sherrilyn Ifill analyze the use of the Ku Klux Klan Act against protestors (ironic, given ICE’s masked, terrorizing tactics).
• Systematic weaponization of civil rights laws to protect white grievance instead of marginalized communities.

Notable Quotes:

• “This is almost a farcical manifestation of colonialism in the 21st century.” – Sharif Khadus [23:33]
• “If anything looks like the Klan, it looks like the Knight Riders in the masks grabbing children and throwing them to the ground and then throwing them into vans.” – Joy Reid [79:03]

Timestamps:

• Analysis of constitutional breakdown [68:19–74:20]
• Sherrilyn Ifill’s civil rights & legal expertise [74:20–92:56]

7. The Collapse of American Government: Supreme Court, Congress, and Executive Branch

[94:25–114:00]

• Jack Smith’s Special Counsel testimony, Trump’s immunity, and Republican efforts to undermine prosecutions.
• Sherrilyn Ifill decries the Supreme Court’s creation of a “cloak of impunity,” and notes the abdication of governing responsibility by Congress and the Senate.

Notable Quotes:

• “It is as destructive, as horrifying, as insupportable and outrageous a decision as Dred Scott and Plessy vs Ferguson.” – Sherrilyn Ifill [106:21]
• “We're talking about the full collapse of the government… That's two branches of government down. But there is one other branch.” – Sherrilyn Ifill [109:27]

8. How to Resist: Lessons, Calls to Action, and Organizing

[110:05–113:53+]

• Joy and Sherrilyn urge Democrats to use every lever of power if they regain Congress: investigations, Supreme Court reform, clawing back appropriations.
• Closing with a call for “the spirit of resistance” and a concrete push for grassroots activism, including consumer boycotts and mutual aid.

Notable Quotes:

• “We need to be in conversation with each other. So I hope people will check it out.” – Sherrilyn Ifill (re her Substack) [114:10]

9. Standout Moments and Quotes

• Mark Carney on Western self-delusion:

  "This fiction was useful... This bargain no longer works. Let me be direct: We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition." [11:18–14:40]

• Joy on Trump’s “Peace Board”:

  “Expensive to join, probably worthless and useless and throwing your money away.” [14:40]

• Daniel Levy on Middle East policy:

  “We've heard of war profiteering. This is genocide profiteering.” [29:04]

• Nana Gyamfi on ICE terror:

  “We call them the body snatchers… It’s based upon race.” [48:12]

• Sherrilyn Ifill on the hijacking of civil rights law:

  "They want not just to stop facts from being taught, but to steal the nobility and the story of the civil rights movement." [84:03–88:07]

• Eric Swalwell on GOP cowardice:

  “They call him crooked. They call him cruel. They call him a scumbag…I’ve heard you all say it. You’re lucky you’re not under oath.” [117:25]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [00:43] – Show Opening/The Two Dons
• [06:47] – Trump’s Board of Peace Announcement
• [11:18] – Mark Carney’s Speech at Davos
• [19:41] – Kushner’s Gaza Plan
• [23:33] – Sharif Khadus on Board of Peace Charter
• [25:59] – Daniel Levy on Board Structure
• [45:15] – Minneapolis Residents Testimonials
• [48:12] – Nana Gyamfi on Racial Targeting by ICE
• [52:55] – On ICE's focus: “It’s always been really black...”
• [74:20] – Sherrilyn Ifill on the Klan Act and civil rights
• [94:25] – Jack Smith’s Testimony and Analysis
• [117:25] – Eric Swalwell’s House Judiciary speech

Tone and Style

• Blunt, witty, sardonic, and relentless in exposing hypocrisy, racism, and democratic backsliding.
• Joy’s narrative voice is unapologetically progressive, with a focus on intersectional justice, historical context, and the human cost of authoritarian policies.

Actionable Takeaways

• Support independent media and democratic institutions; vote, organize, and resist.
• Participate in economic actions against brands and industries abetting injustice (e.g., Hilton boycott).
• Educate yourself: read legal scholars like Sherrilyn Ifill, and support grassroots organizations like BAJI.
• Recognize that the threat is both constitutional and practical, targeting not just immigrants but the very fabric of civil society.

This episode is both a call to attention and a call to action, offering high-level analysis and urgent testimony about 2026 America under Trump and his imitators—a system Joy-Ann Reid and guests frame as an existential challenge to democracy and justice.