The Rachel Maddow Show

Episode: Maddow: For a would-be strongman, Trump is profoundly weak

Date: September 16, 2025
Host: Rachel Maddow (MSNBC)
Guests: Jonathan Mahler (NYT Magazine), Apoorva Mandavilli (NYT)

Overview

This episode examines President Donald Trump's second term through the lens of “strongman” leadership tactics. Maddow asserts that Trump is following a textbook authoritarian playbook—consolidating power, persecuting enemies, enriching himself and his family, and aligning with other autocratic leaders. However, Maddow argues that Trump’s efforts repeatedly falter due to profound incompetence and widespread resistance, exposing a deep weakness under the facade of strength.
Notable segments include:

• Examples of Trump’s “strongman” actions
• Analysis of his administration’s failures and resistance to his agenda
• In-depth coverage of attacks on cancer research and public health agencies
• Discussions with New York Times reporters on these topics

Main Discussion Points & Key Insights

1. The Predictable “Strongman” Playbook

[01:02-08:44]

• Maddow opens by highlighting the lack of surprise in Trump's conduct:
  • Enemies lists, prosecution of opponents
  • Freeing January 6th insurrectionists
  • Using military against US citizens
  • Self-enrichment through government deals
• She calls this “straight-up, boring, textbook” behavior for an authoritarian, quoting Kamala Harris’s prescient warnings prior to the 2024 election.
• Quote:
  • “It’s the textbook agenda of every right wing strongman everywhere... Pick an enemy, say it’s an emergency, consolidate power... Enrich yourself and your allies, use control of the state to make sure no one can ever remove you from power.”
    —Rachel Maddow [08:15]

Notable Example:

[03:09-04:20]

• Maddow explains the potential quid pro quo involving the Trump family’s crypto company and UAE’s access to restricted AI chips, calling it “textbook self-enrichment.”
• Discusses the firing of Maureen Comey, allegedly for being James Comey's daughter (on Trump's enemies list).
• Documents a White House crackdown on liberal groups, using the murder of pro-Trump activist Charlie Kirk as pretext.

2. America’s Response & Trump’s Incompetence

[14:20-23:42]

• While Trump’s intentions are clear, Maddow asks, “How are we going to respond as a country? And how skilled is he at pulling this off?”
• Repeated failures and resistance blunt Trump's ambitions:
  • The Lisa Cook “debacle”—Trump’s failed attempt to purge Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook via baseless fraud accusations
    • Quote: “This was their big swing to take control of the Fed... and they apparently never Googled to see if the accusation would stand up to even one day of scrutiny.” [22:36]
  • Trump’s threatened “military invasion” of Chicago, abandoned after massive protest backlash
    • Quote: “He does not like being resisted. And when people resist him, more often than not, he stops what he’s doing.” [24:23]
  • Routine rejection of dubious federal indictments by grand juries
  • Diplomatic blunders, including the accidental detention and deportation of hundreds of legal South Korean workers, requiring public apology
    • Maddow reads Trump’s after-the-fact statement:

      “I want them to bring their people of expertise, I don’t want to frighten off or disincentivize investment into America…” [25:36]

3. US International Standing and Alignment with Autocracies

[11:15-14:20]

• Maddow details Trump’s retreat from NATO obligations, emboldening Putin to attack member states (Poland, Romania) without US response.
• US opens to Belarus—formerly sanctioned, now treated as ally—as Russia masses troops on NATO’s border.
• Highlights Trump’s efforts to align US internationally with other autocratic states rather than liberal democracies.

4. Attacks on Science, Cancer Research & Public Health

[27:49-37:20]

• Maddow highlights a major New York Times Magazine exposé on the “deliberate dismantling” of US cancer research infrastructure:
  • Massive cuts to research funding, firing of personnel, and targeted defunding of the National Cancer Institute.
  • Quote (Jonathan Mahler): “This has been such a deliberate, focused, conscious effort... NIH and the National Cancer Institute were constructed to be insulated from politics… This was a targeted, deliberate effort.” [32:14]
  • The ostensible motive remains opaque—no real constituency for dismantling cancer research exists, per both Maddow and Mahler, making the actions “mystifying.”
  • Potential permanent loss of US global leadership in biomedical research

Additional Highlight:

• Planned Parenthood’s services threatened, not just abortion but birth control, cancer screenings, STI treatment, and more. ([26:17])

5. Undermining the CDC & Vaccine Policy

[37:20-43:51]

• After a deadly attack on CDC headquarters and a raft of leadership resignations in protest, Maddow examines the politicization of vaccine decision-making:
  • CDC director fired after refusing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s directive to pre-approve anti-vaccine panel recommendations
  • Replacement of expert vaccine advisors with known vaccine skeptics
  • Political discomfort even among some Republican senators, but little sign Trump will rein in Kennedy
  • Upcoming Congressional testimony from fired CDC director predicted to be highly consequential
• Quote (Apoorva Mandavilli):
  • “I think you’re right that there are some Republican senators who have become increasingly irritated and dissatisfied with Mr. Kennedy’s stances on vaccines. But... I’m not sure that will make a big difference to President Trump.” [42:23]

6. Bureaucratic Chaos and Policy Farce

[43:52-47:32]

• Contraception stockpile debacle:
  • Trump administration claims $10M in contraceptives burned (as “abortifacients”), but the stock remains untouched in a Belgian warehouse after foreign authorities check.
  • Maddow lampoons the confusion and dishonesty, calling the spectacle “like a Three’s Company episode.”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Their ambitions are as grand as they are predictable and unsurprising. It is textbook stuff. But never forget for a second that they are also just terrible at everything they try to do. Which is why pushing back against them almost always works.”
  —Rachel Maddow [25:51]

• “In our case, with our would-be strongman... this guy has put together the only federal prosecutors team in the history of the United States legal system who actually can’t get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich.”
  —Rachel Maddow [24:43]

• “America’s 80-year run as the world's leader of biomedical research and America’s 50-year run as the global leader of cancer research may well be coming to a close... and [Mahler] says, 'for no apparent reason.'”
  —Rachel Maddow [30:28]

• “There is no constituency for this, and there has always been a very, very powerful bipartisan constituency for this research. That's why it has been so well funded across so many decades. It’s honestly mystifying.”
  —Jonathan Mahler [34:16]

Important Segment Timestamps

• 01:02-08:44: Maddow’s opening monologue; “strongman” playbook diagnosis; Kamala Harris preview
• 03:09-06:30: Self-enrichment/crypto chip deal; prosecution of enemies
• 11:15-14:20: NATO; US aligning with autocracies, emboldening Putin
• 14:20-24:43: Trump’s failures and resistance—Lisa Cook case, Chicago protest, grand juries, S. Korean worker debacle
• 22:36-24:43: “Weakness of a would-be strongman” montage
• 27:49-35:40: Cancer research defunding; Interview with Jonathan Mahler
• 37:20-43:51: CDC turmoil, firing, anti-vaccine agenda; Interview with Apoorva Mandavilli
• 43:52-47:32: Contraceptive destruction farce
• Closing: Preview of Kamala Harris interview next week

Tone & Language

Rachel Maddow’s language remains sharp, pointed, and deeply skeptical, often employing irony and incredulous humor. Notable moments include her jab at Trump’s grand jury record and likening bureaucratic miscommunication to farcical sitcom misunderstandings.

For Listeners

This episode paints a vivid, detailed narrative of Trump’s second term as a study in authoritarian aspiration hamstrung by amateur implementation and broad public, institutional, and even governmental resistance. Even as Maddow warns of grave attacks on democratic institutions, science, and public health, she finds evidence that resistance is possible—and often unexpectedly effective.

Next week:
Highly anticipated interview with Kamala Harris, her first since the 2024 election.