The Rachel Maddow Show — November 4, 2025

Episode: “Maddow shows Trump in polling free fall ahead of first election test of new term”

Episode Overview

In this episode, Rachel Maddow analyzes the volatile political climate on the eve of a high-stakes off-year election. She spotlights President Trump’s record-high unpopularity, the emergence and strength of the “No Kings” protest movement, the administration’s controversial actions (notably on SNAP food benefits and the White House remodel), and explosive developments in GOP racism and extremism. Featuring on-the-ground resistance in places like Chicago and Evanston, Maddow closes by interviewing Evanston’s mayor and Pulitzer-winning journalist Carol Leonnig about the Justice Department’s struggles under Trump.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Why This Off-Year Election Matters

• Not a Sleepy Election Year
  Maddow opens by stressing the unusually high stakes and unpredictability of the 2025 off-year elections, the first since Trump's controversial second term began.
  [00:56]
• Unique Backdrop:
  “These elections tomorrow are taking place at a really important and unusual time in American history…10 months into a new presidential term that has been just profoundly violent and corrupt.” (Rachel Maddow, [02:19])

2. Trump’s Record-Low Popularity — Polling Data Across the Board

• CNN Poll:
  • Trump’s disapproval rating at 63%, higher than post-January 6.
  • Approval rating sits at just 37%: “Right now he is 26% points underwater… That’s astonishing.” (Maddow, [03:10])
  • Americans say Trump has hurt the country’s world standing by 24 points.
• Specific Issues:
  • East Wing teardown/ballroom: Only 10% support, 5x as many feel anger/dissatisfaction (Maddow, [04:23]).
  • Compensation from DOJ: Trump's demand for $230 million “hated” by the public, with 42-point disapproval.
• Washington Post/ABC/Ipsos & NBC Polls:
  • Various “underwater” approvals ranging from -12 to -18 points.
  • Vastly more Americans "strongly disapprove" than "strongly approve" of Trump ([04:32]–[07:10]).
• On Signature Issues:
  • Tariffs (-32 approval), Federal government management (-27), Economy (-25), Russia/Ukraine (-21), Immigration (-13), Crime (-11), Israel/Gaza (-6).
  • “Americans disapprove of him on everything.” (Maddow, [06:10])

3. Strength of the “No Kings” Movement vs. MAGA

• “Do you consider yourself a supporter of the No Kings movement?”:
  • 43% say yes, compared to 30% for MAGA (which has dropped 6 points in six months).
  • Maddow: “Support for the No Kings movement against Trump, it's just huge… That number is absolutely stunning to me.” ([08:00])
• “The base of support for the No Kings movement absolutely dwarfs…the base for MAGA in this country.” (Maddow, [08:47])

4. Voter Sentiment: 2025 Election as Referendum on Trump

• In the CNN poll, twice as many voters say their congressional vote would be a message against Trump (41%) rather than for him (21%) ([09:40]).
• Business leaders warned: “You’re aligning yourself with something pretty radically and deeply unpopular.” (Maddow, [10:36])

5. Controversial Trump Administration Actions

• SNAP Food Benefit Cuts:
  • White House cuts off food aid to 42 million Americans, including many Republican voters; later forced by court to partially restore benefits ([11:16]).
• White House Renovation:
  • Trump brags about his opulent new marble/gold bathroom amid public anger over the East Wing ballroom project, carried out by contractors now hiding from public blowback ([11:48]).
• Insensitive Comments:
  • On Air Force One, Trump expresses sympathy for Prince Andrew (in the context of Epstein scandal), not for victims — “I feel very badly…a tragic situation.” ([13:15])

6. GOP Antisemitism and Extremism Out in the Open

• New Jersey Governor’s Race:
  • At a campaign event, a Cittarelli advisor boasts: “I’m very proud. I do not take money from Jews.” ([15:43])
• Other Incidents:
  • Trump ambassador nominee liked a post comparing Jews to monkeys.
  • Special Counsel nominee admitted having “a little bit of a Nazi streak.”
  • Group chats and office displays of Hitler praise and swastikas.
  • MAGA podcast guest advocates death penalty for Jews post-“taking power.”
  • Maddow’s comment: “That’s what’s going on in Trump world politics these days.” ([18:32])

7. Resistance: Grassroots Pushback and No Kings Community Defense

• Chicago & Suburbs Show of Force:
  • Maddow highlights rapid-response tactics shielding communities from untrained federal agents (whistles, car horns, human chains, neighborhood watches).
  • “The defining story…is not going to be what our would be strongman did…but what the American people did in response.” ([19:41])
• National Protests:
  • Protests against ICE across Illinois, Colorado, Vermont, Connecticut, Idaho.
  • “Even in small towns…hundreds of people turned out…to support a local restaurant owner who’d been taken by Trump’s immigration agents.” (Maddow, [21:07])

8. Justice Department Under Trump: Institutional Damage & Delays

• Carol Leonnig Segment ([24:50]):
  • Discusses new book “How Politics and Fear Vanquished America’s Justice Department.”
  • DOJ slow-walked classified documents and January 6th investigations due to fear and institutional hesitation: “If it was anybody else, we would arrest him tomorrow…But with Trump, all bets were off.” ([25:57])
  • Kash Patel, once a vocal public defender of Trump’s declassification claims, walks them back under oath ([28:36]).
  • Leonnig: “Trump really pressured this department…caused some scarring there that changed it forever.” ([29:57])
  • Maddow: “Justice delayed is justice denied is an axiom for a reason. But in this case, the timeline ended up affecting…how Trump could ramp up his bullying.” ([30:36])
  • Merrick Garland’s reluctance to appear political slowed investigation and allowed Trump’s influence to persist ([31:38]–[33:09]).

9. Evanston, Illinois: Resistance on the Ground

• Grassroots Mobilization:
  • Emily Miller (resident): “Hope is an action. And they’re getting started. They’re going to get more violent… But we’re just getting started too. And we’re not giving up.” ([36:07])
• Community as Frontline:
  • “Chicago is really putting on a clinic in bravery and relentlessness … tens of thousands of residents regularly crowdsource information on immigration agents, last known locations, neighborhoods being targeted that day…” ([37:05])
• Direct Action Examples:
  • Neighborhood rapid response: alerting via whistle, text chains, church/school protection, public protests after ICE raids ([38:10]–[39:38]).
• Mayor Daniel Biss Interview ([40:01]):
  • Accuses ICE agents of racial profiling and physical assault during raids, targeting both immigrants and protestors:
    • “They drive around town looking for people whose skin is brown, essentially trying to prosecute the crime of gardening while brown… these are outrages.” ([40:30])
  • Describes emotional impact on Evanston:
    • “These last two months, this hell, this occupation, it’s changed us… We don’t leave home without a whistle anymore… We are a community under occupation, and people are rising up.” ([41:44])
  • Advice for Other Communities:
    • “If they’re not in your city yet, particularly if you’re a blue community, get ready… Start to form those coalitions, start to learn best practices, be out there educating people about their rights, put together those signal chats…” ([43:41])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s Unpopularity:
  “Donald Trump’s disapproval rating in this new CNN poll…is higher than it was in the immediate aftermath of January 6th.” – Maddow ([02:53])
• On the No Kings Movement:
  “Support for the No Kings movement against Trump, it’s just huge. I mean, 43% of this country, that’s 147 million people. I think we’re going to need a bigger boat.” – Maddow ([08:42])
• On Community Resistance:
  “Hope is an action. And they’re getting started. They’re going to get more violent. I hope they just leave and give up. But we're just getting started too. And we’re not giving up.” – Emily Miller ([36:07])
• On ICE Presence:
  “ICE agents have assaulted Evanston residents, beaten people up, grabbed them, abducted them, taken people off the street once again because of the color of their skin. It is an outrage. Our message for ICE is simple: get the hell out of Evanston.” – Mayor Daniel Biss ([39:38])
• On Rebuilding DOJ:
  “It is a tragedy in three acts. There is some hope at the end, but essentially, Trump really pressured this department… and caused some scarring there that changed it forever.” – Carol Leonnig ([29:57])
• Advice to Activists:
  “Start to form those coalitions, start to learn best practices… because after the first abduction, the first outrage occurs, then there’s an influx of people who want to help. And [if you wait] you’re kind of…behind the eight ball organizing at that point.” – Mayor Daniel Biss ([43:41])

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Segment / Topic | |------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:56 | Stakes & unpredictability of 2025 off-year election | | 02:19 | Historic context: “profoundly violent and corrupt” new Trump term | | 03:10 | New CNN, WaPo/ABC, NBC polling: Trump’s record-high disapproval | | 04:23 | Specific policy disapprovals (White House, SNAP, economy, etc.) | | 08:00 | The “No Kings” movement compared to waning MAGA support | | 09:40 | Voters’ intent: 41% anti-Trump message, vs. 21% pro-Trump | | 11:16 | SNAP food benefit cuts; White House remodeling news | | 13:15 | Trump’s Prince Andrew/Jeffrey Epstein comments | | 15:43 | Cittarelli campaign’s antisemitic rally remarks | | 18:32 | GOP extremism in party staff, podcasts, and Congress | | 19:41 | Chicago/Chicagoland’s coordinated rapid response vs. ICE agents | | 21:07 | Spreading nationwide protests against ICE and deportations | | 24:50 | Book segment: How DOJ decisions changed under Trump (w/ Carol Leonnig)| | 36:07 | Evanston resistance: local mom Emily Miller’s perspective | | 39:38 | Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss denounces ICE, calls for action | | 43:41 | Mayor Biss’s playbook for other communities facing ICE threats |

Tone & Style

Rachel Maddow maintains her signature mix of in-depth analysis, irony, and urgency, often employing dry humor (“I think we’re going to need a bigger boat”) and emotional directness (“These last two months, this hell, this occupation, it’s changed us”). Her guests, particularly Carol Leonnig and Mayor Daniel Biss, echo this seriousness and sense of responsibility, stressing both the tragedy of institutions under siege and the hope in grassroots resistance.

Summary / Takeaways

• Trump faces unprecedented, across-the-board public disapproval and weakening movement support ahead of pivotal local/national elections— a sharp reversal from the media/elite focus on MAGA “base” enthusiasm.
• The “No Kings” movement, born out of anti-Trump, pro-democracy sentiment, is not only widespread but now massively outpaces MAGA allegiance.
• Administration actions, particularly toward the needy and structural symbols like the White House, spark outrage and resistance, while rampant GOP extremism and antisemitism are aired openly, with little intra-party backlash.
• Rapid, inventive local responses and mutual aid shine in hard-hit communities—particularly across Chicagoland and Evanston—showing a model for democratic defense at the grassroots.
• The Justice Department’s torpor and fear during the Trump era had historic consequences, delaying accountability and emboldening future anti-democratic encroachments—lessons central to the next chapter of American governance.

For listeners seeking the “pulse” of U.S. democracy at a turning point, this episode is essential: a clarion call for civic vigilance, mutual aid, and tough-minded hope.