Trump 100 day faceplant: more devastating polling for Trump show Americans reject his policies

Summary

Summary of "Trump 100 Day Faceplant: More Devastating Polling for Trump Show Americans Reject His Policies" – The Rachel Maddow Show (April 29, 2025)

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Introduction

In the April 29, 2025 episode of The Rachel Maddow Show, host Rachel Maddow delves deep into the tumultuous first 100 days of President Donald Trump's administration. Highlighting a series of disheartening polling numbers and widespread public dissent, Maddow examines the cascade of protests and opposition movements emerging across the United States. The episode also draws parallels with Hungary's political climate under Viktor Orban, emphasizing the global implications of rising authoritarianism.

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1. Trump's Plummeting Approval Ratings

Rachel Maddow opens the discussion by presenting a comprehensive overview of President Trump's deteriorating approval ratings. Drawing from multiple polls, she underscores a consistent trend of American disapproval across various policy areas.

• Economic Mismanagement: "Do you approve of Trump's handling of the economy? No. 22 point margin." ([23:45])

• Immigration Policies: "Do you approve of Trump deporting international students who have criticized U.S. policy in the Middle East? No. Disapprove by a 20 point margin." ([22:15])

• Environmental Regulations: "Do you approve of Trump cutting environmental regulations for oil and gas drilling? No, not at all. By a 24 point margin." ([22:45])

• Overall Leadership: "Is Donald Trump looking out for the interests of average Americans? No. By a 17 point margin." ([22:30])

These statistics paint a grim picture of Trump's standing with the American populace, indicating a significant disconnect between the administration's actions and public sentiment.

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2. Nationwide Protests Against the Trump Administration

The episode highlights a surge in protests nationwide, reflecting widespread opposition to Trump's policies. Maddow details various demonstrations, emphasizing their scale and the diversity of participants.

• Moral Mondays Protests:

  • Reverend William Barber’s Arrest: "Reverend Barber leading those protests for so long in North Carolina to such great national galvanizing effect." ([05:00])
  • Congressional Support: "Senators including Chris Coons and Raphael Warnock...came by during the course of the day yesterday." ([07:30])

• Local Protests:

  • Catonsville, Maryland: Elderly residents from a senior living facility expand their "Hands off Social Security" protests from a handful to dozens.
  • Montclair, New Jersey & Waco, Texas: Demonstrations against Trump's policies, including defense of national parks in Townsend, Tennessee, and support for veterans' healthcare in Atlanta.
  • Youngstown, Ohio: "The protesters main concern is making sure all people have the right to due process of law." ([15:45])
  • Protests Surrounding Judge Hannah Dugan’s Arrest: "People are protesting against the arrest of that judge at federal buildings all over the country." ([17:20])

These protests underscore a unified national front against what many perceive as overreaches of Trump's executive power.

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3. Analysis of Polling Data

Maddow presents a detailed analysis of recent polling data, reinforcing the narrative of Trump's faltering popularity.

• Washington Post, ABC News Ipsos Poll Highlights:

  • "Do you approve or disapprove of Donald Trump? Disapprove by a 16 point margin." ([20:10])
  • "Do you approve or disapprove of Elon Musk? Disapprove by a 22 point margin." ([20:15])
  • "Do you approve of Trump cutting federal funding for medical research? No. By a 56 point margin." ([21:05])

• NBC News Survey Monkey Poll Insights:

  • "Approval of Trump is underwater, minus 10." ([22:00])
  • "Strongly approve is 26. Strongly disapprove is 42 on Musk." ([22:10])
  • Emotional Response: "The number one answer for how you feeling about Trump so far? Number one answer is furious." ([22:30])

These polls collectively indicate a substantial decline in Trump's favorability, with a significant portion of the electorate expressing strong disapproval and anger towards his administration's actions.

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4. Parallels with Hungary’s Authoritarianism

A pivotal segment features correspondent Alex Wagner’s reporting from Budapest, drawing parallels between Trump’s tactics and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s authoritarian strategies.

• Orban's Influence: Maddow states, "The Trump movement has overtly acknowledged Orban's rise as a blueprint for their own plans to stop the United States from being a liberal democracy." ([28:00])

• Protests in Budapest: "Thousands of people taking to the streets every week... protesting what is on its face, a ban on the gay pride parade." ([29:00])

• Opposition Resilience: Interviewees emphasize the importance of sustained protest and the belief in democratic principles. "We think fundamentally that when you have hope... anything is possible." ([31:30])

Maddow and Wagner discuss how the Hungarian opposition remains robust despite Orban’s prolonged tenure, serving as a cautionary tale for the United States in safeguarding democratic institutions.

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5. Use of Military for Domestic Policing

A concerning development discussed is Trump's directive to deploy active-duty military personnel for domestic policing on a vast expanse of land along the southern border.

• Trump’s Memorandum: "President Trump signed what he called a National Security Presidential Memorandum, which declared that extended swaths of three contiguous states are all now technically a military base." ([40:00])

• Legal Implications: Liza Goytin of the Brennan Center warns, "If soldiers are allowed to take on domestic policing roles at the border, it may become easier to justify uses of the Military in the U.S. interior in the future." ([42:40])

• Constitutional Concerns: Maddow highlights, "Under American law, the Posse Comitatus act is supposed to prevent the US Government from using US Soldiers on US Soil." ([43:00])

This segment underscores the potential erosion of civil liberties and the blurring of lines between military and civilian authority, raising alarms about the trajectory towards authoritarianism.

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6. Future Outlook and Predictions

Maddow offers a sobering forecast for the remaining months of Trump's presidency, emphasizing the likelihood of escalating conflicts and policy missteps.

• Anticipated Wild Pitches: "They're going to try to put some proverbial heads on pikes, and I think that's going to be terrible." ([24:30])

• Community Response: "It is now firmly established that capitulation and sucking up to Trump is shameful and weak and marks you as a Loser." ([24:45])

• Republican Party Struggles: "Republicans in elected office at every level will face unrelenting and increasing pressure to split from Trump on his almost unbelievably unpopular policies." ([25:10])

Maddow projects that Trump may resort to increasingly reckless actions to maintain control, while the opposition becomes more organized and resilient, potentially leading to significant shifts in the political landscape.

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Conclusion

The episode concludes with Maddow reinforcing the strength and determination of the American populace in resisting Trump's unpopular policies. By drawing international parallels and highlighting systemic threats to democracy, Maddow emphasizes the critical need for vigilance and sustained opposition to safeguard democratic institutions.

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Notable Quotes:

• Rachel Maddow: "I think Trump has started to realize that this public opinion stuff is going to be the story of how his first hundred days have gone." ([22:50])

• Protester 1: "We are screaming, we are yelling to set us free, because this is not freedom, this is not democracy." ([28:35])

• Liza Goytin: "An army turned inward can very quickly become an instrument of tyranny." ([44:23])

• Maddow on Future Threats: "But heads up, they're coming. So here's one." ([38:35])

This comprehensive summary encapsulates the critical discussions and insights presented in the episode, offering a nuanced understanding of the challenges facing Trump's administration and the broader implications for American democracy.

Transcript

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[Rachel Maddow]

Thanks Jew at Home for joining us this hour. Really happy to have you here. Today at the U.S. capitol Building, the Reverend William Barber was arrested inside the U.S. capitol Rotunda for praying, praying with other clergy. There inside the rotunda, you can see what it says there on his vestments. It says Jesus was a poor man. Outside the Capitol building, supporters and friends of Reverend Barber rallied in the first of what they say will be repeated moral Monday protests against the actions of the Trump administration. Reverend Barber leading those protests for so long in North Carolina to such great national galvanizing effect. Moral Monday's protests starting today, including with Rev. Barber himself being arrested for peacefully praying inside the rotunda. That action today follows an unusual sit in style protest on the steps of the U.S. capitol. Yesterday. This started at yesterday, this started at sunrise Sunday morning with just New Jersey US Senator Cory Booker and the Democratic leader of the House, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. It started with the two of them yesterday morning at sunrise, but then all day long they stayed and the steps of the Capitol just kind of quietly filled up over the course of the day as more and more people came to sit with them and talk with them, including Reverend Barber at one point, including many other members of Congress over the course of the day. Senators including Chris Coons and Raphael Warnock, Angela also Brooks, Amy Klobuchar, Brian Schatz, Adam Schiff, Lisa Blunt, Rochester all those senators came by during the course of the day yesterday. Also members of Congress, members of the House, including Andre Carson and Maxwell Frost and Emmanuel Cleaver, Sarah McBride, Mark Takano, Tom Suozzi, Sydney Kamlager, Dove, Steven Horsford, Sua Subra, excuse me, Subrahmanyam, Emily Randall, Sarah Elfreth, Stacy Plaskett. People came by. Members of Congress and regular people came by all day long to sort of participate in this sit in to talk about opposition to what Trump is doing. They talked a lot about faith. It was a lot of prayer. Congressman Jeffries and Senator Booker stayed more than 12 hours doing this yesterday, more than 6 million people watched parts of the livestream while they were there yesterday. Meanwhile, Sunday, this group of elderly folks from a local senior living facility protested in Catonsville, Maryland. Hands off Social Security. They told local reporters that they first started protesting 12 weeks ago and it was just a handful of seniors from their senior living facility. Now in Catonsville, Maryland, they say it is dozens of people more joining every single week. We saw protests against Donald Trump yesterday in downtown Montclair, New Jersey. We saw protests against Trump in Waco, Texas of all places. I see you Waco. Also in Alton, Illinois and in Las Vegas, Nevada. Dadeville, Alabama. Hello Dadeville, Dallas, Texas in Townsend, Tennessee, beautiful part of Tennessee that I have visited. People came out this weekend to defend the Great Smoky Mountains national park and to stand up for all the national parks against Trump's decimating cuts to the National Park Service. We saw protests this weekend outside the VA to support people who work at the VA to support veterans healthcare. In Atlanta. We saw protest in El Paso, Texas. Rise Up El Paso Attendees at the Rise Up El Paso protest this weekend included Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, Democratic Congresswoman. We saw this weekend a caravan to the Canadian border in Vermont and Vermonters lining the overpasses on I89 and Interstate 89 near the border to show support for Canada and Canadians to show common cause to say that the people of this country love Canada and are not trying to make an enemy of Canada, even if our President inexplicably is. Incidentally, I should tell you, we are in the final hour of polls still being open in Canada right now as we wait to learn the results of their national election tonight. We will let you know more as we learn more. In Youngstown, Ohio this weekend, we saw one of many protests to defend immigrants and to demand that Trump stop abusing due process protections to arrest people and imprison people and fly them out of the country without the right to defend themselves or contest the allegations against them. The Mahoning Valley Freedom Fighters organized the rally and protest called Defend Our Neighbors. The group met outside the Sheriff's office because the Mahoning County Jail has an agreement to house ICE detainees. The protesters main concern is making sure all people have the right to due process of law. We're not here for any specific immigrant. We're not here for any specific reason other than due process. We do not want the Trump administration to to set a precedent for allowing anyone to go without due process. It was Youngstown, Ohio this weekend after the Trump administration had a judge A sitting judge arrested at a courthouse in Wisconsin on Friday. There were protests right away. As soon as people heard about it, they came down to the courthouse and then they stayed and protested all day long at Milwaukee County Courthouse to stand up for Judge Hannah Dugan, who had been arrested by the FBI. Protests on Friday then spread to other courthouses, federal buildings, including the federal courthouse in Minneapolis, people coming out to support that judge to respond to the shocking news of her arrest. By Saturday, there were a lot of people protesting at the Milwaukee FBI field office, again protesting against the arrest of that judge. People were protesting against the arrest of that judge at federal buildings all over the country by Saturday, places as far flung as this federal building in Phoenix, Arizona. And, you know, this is something to watch, this is something to think about, maybe for your own community, no matter where you live. We are now starting to see all over the country, people springing into action really quickly as essentially an emergency response when something happens on short notice. And we're seeing it specifically where people are trying to defend and advocate for people who Trump's immigration agents have arrested. Everybody's talking now about what's happened in these first hundred days of this term of the Trump administration. Well, one of the things that we are seeing happen increasingly, I mean, I review protest footage seven days a week, I look at all of the stuff that's coming in all over the country in terms of the way people are standing up to Trump. And I'll tell you, one of the things that I am seeing myself increasingly as I'm looking at the footage from everywhere, is we're seeing people all over the country, sometimes in surprising places, scrambling, making plans, recognizing that if this hasn't yet happened in your town, it's definitely going to. And then when Trump's agents inevitably take someone, they take an individual, they take a family, they take kids, people are realizing it really can make a difference to that individual, to that family, to those kids. If the community reacts instantly, if people show up bodily, if they instantly call legal help, they know who to call and they call them. They instantly call the media, they know who to call and they call them. They call their members of Congress, they call their local officials, the speed of the response can make a difference. So whether it is through, you know, church groups or groups like Indivisible, or just local one off groups like we saw there in the Mahoning Valley at Youngstown, Ohio, or groups of friends or book clubs or whatever it is, when it inevitably happens to somebody in your town, somebody who lives near you or goes to your church or works near you, or goes to school near you. What we are seeing increasingly all over the country, and I think a spontaneous, not centralized effort. It's just that people are all recognizing at the same time this needs to be done. We are seeing that people in communities everywhere have talked about it in advance. They have made a plan for what to do, for how to advocate for that person who has been taken. You gotta have the plan before it happens or the plan can't go into effect quickly. But we saw what this looks like this past week in Flathead County, Montana. A local group called Flathead Democracy had planned ahead. They had a rapid response plan in place when sure enough, a local man was arrested by Trump immigration agents in Whitefish, Montana. And his lawyers say that he is here legally and that he has no criminal record. But Trump's immigration agents nevertheless arrested him, snatched him off the street. The day he was arrested, local residents who had for something like this to happen, they rushed to the CBP facility in Whitefish where they were holding this man. Over the course of the night, 40 or 50 people showed up. People coming down there as they heard the news again. This is the day that he was taken. So it was an immediate response. Among other things, they used a bullhorn to shout, basically just shout legal advice to anybody inside that facility. How to request a lawyer. He has a lawyer. Supporters say they have moved him now, but the people in his town are fighting like hell to try to get him back. We saw something similar this weekend in Tampa, Florida, where a young mother was arrested by Trump's immigration agents at a routine immigration check in. She has lived in Florida for years. Her whole family is in Florida. She's totally integrated into the community. She's not known to have any criminal record. Her friends and family in Tampa are now trying everything they can to get her back. She has a one year old daughter. She's breastfeeding Tampa Bay area residents protesting this weekend, appealing, among other things, to Florida Senators, Florida U.S. senators and Florida's members of Congress to please try to help get her back. We also continue to see Tesla protests as that company announces a 71% drop in profit. And as the company's CEO, the president's top campaign donor, announces plans to leave Washington and return to his flailing company. And meanwhile, he denounces everybody protesting against him as a paid agent because he cannot conceive in his giant brain, he cannot conceive that people might just dislike him for free. We saw protests at Tesla dealerships this weekend in Salem, Oregon and Plano, Texas and Seattle, Washington and Maplewood, Montana. Honestly, there were so many Tesla protests this week and we had to put them all in a grid like this to get in all the footage. Left to right, top to bottom, that's Fort Lauderdale, Florida Colma, California there with the gigantic inflatable Donald Trump chicken. Up on the upper right there, that's Northbrook, Illinois, nice chicken. Below that we've got Warminster, Pennsylvania, Miami, Florida, Loveland, Colorado, lower left, that's Golden Valley, Minnesota, that's Tempe, Arizona in the center on the bottom row there and St. Louis, Missouri, lower right. We also this weekend saw a protest and sort of a community meeting in Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis Community Against Pollution this is a protest against what are reported unpermitted polluting gas turbines that Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, his AI company is using at a computing facility that they have built in Memphis. Air pollution is already a big problem in Memphis and in Shelby county, even before these gas turbines went up in what happens to be a particularly hard hit neighborhood, neighbors there say they are active on this matter and they are not going to give up until Musk's company is shut down in Memphis for having done this. Today's yet another day of polling that confirms what is now validated by every major poll that has been done heading toward the 100 days benchmark this week. New Washington Post, ABC News Ipsos Poll. Do you approve or disapprove of Donald Trump? Disapprove by a 16 point margin. Do you approve or disapprove of Elon Musk? Look at that. Disapprove by a 22 point margin. Yikes. Do you approve or disapprove of Donald Trump's handling of immigration? Disapprove by a seven point margin. Do you approve or disapprove of Trump's managing of the federal government? Disapprove by a 15 point margin. Is Donald Trump looking out for the interests of average Americans? No. By a 17 point margin. Do you approve of Trump deporting international students who have criticized U.S. policy in the Middle East? No. Disapprove by a 20 point margin. Do you approve of Trump's handling of the economy? No. 22 point margin. Do you approve of Trump's handling of our relations with other countries? No. 23 point margin. Do you approve of Trump's cutting environmental regulations for oil and gas drilling? No, not at all. By a 24 point margin. Do you approve of Trump freezing foreign aid? No. By an even larger 26 point margin. Do you Approve of Trump's handling of tariffs? No. 30 point margin. Do you approve of his shutting down the Department of education? No. 33 point margin. Jeez. Do you approve of him trying to end birthright citizenship, which is the part of the Constitution that says if you're born here, you're an American? Do you approve of Trump trying to end that? No. No, Americans do not approve of him trying to end that. By a huge margin. By a 36 point margin. Do you approve of Donald Trump increasing the federal government's role in how private universities operate? That's a nice way to put it. Even phrased that gently and euphemistically. Guess what the answer is. The answer is no. Americans do not like what he is doing to universities. By a 42 point margin. How about this one? Are you in favor of Donald Trump's cuts to federal funding for medical research? No. No, we are not. By a 56 point margin. Americans do not like that Donald Trump is cutting medical research. Remember when he ran for president saying, I'm going to cut all the medical research? No, you don't, because he never said that. So why is he doing it? 56% is the margin. Is the difference between the people who oppose that versus support it. I mean, that's insane. There's also this new CNN poll out today. Do you think Trump's actions on tariffs during his second term so far have been a good policy? No. By a 27 point margin. Do you think Trump's policies have improved or worsened economic conditions in our country? Worsened by a 32 point margin. Do you think Trump's policies on tariffs will help or hurt America's standing in the world? His policies on tariffs will hurt America's standing in the world. So say Americans. By a 34 point margin. More than 2 to 1. There's also a new NBC News survey Monkey Poll. Same thing you'd expect. Broadly, looking at all the other polling, it all says the same thing. Trump underwater on essentially everything and on almost all issues, he is deeply underwater. That is absolutely true. In the new NBC News survey Monkey poll as well. Top line in that poll, approval of Trump is underwater, minus 10. Approval of Elon Musk is underwater. Water, minus 18. Yikes. But they ask some of these questions in an interesting way and they give you ways to parse them that are interesting. Look at this. This is the depth of feeling just breaking out. The people who are strongly approving or strongly disapproving of Trump and Musk, I mean, that's horrendous for them. Look at that strongly approve is 26. Strongly disapprove is 42 on Musk. Strongly favorable. 21. Strongly unfavorable is 41. There are a lot, a lot, a lot more people in this country who strongly disapprove of Trump and Musk than there are people who really like them. And let me, Let me just show you just one other interesting thing from this new NBC poll. Which of the. This is great. Which of the following emotions describes the. This is like a Pixar movie. Which of the following emotions best describes how you are currently feeling about the actions the Trump administration has taken so far during its term? And they give people this big. The big list of possible answers. The big list of emotions. Thrilled, happy, satisfied, neutral, dissatisfied, angry, or furious? The number one answer for how you feeling about Trump so far? Number one answer is furious. More than anything, people feel furious about Trump's actions thus far 100 days into his presidency. So you know what? It's not going great for the guy. It's really not. I think Trump has started to realize that this public opinion stuff is going to be the story of how his first hundred days have gone. I mean, heading into his first hundred days, Today's like day 98. The headlines are like this. Trump's approval at 100 days lower than any president in at least seven decades. Yeah. How's it going, big guy? You can tell it's bugging him because he posted this online today. He posted that the press, quote, cheats big on polls. Really? All of them? He's ranting now. He's calling the polls fake. He says they're fake polls. And he says he wants pollsters investigated for election fraud. What election? He says pollsters are, quote, sick. He calls pollsters, quote, negative criminals. What's a negative. What's a negative criminal? What does that even mean? Is being a negative criminal better or worse than being a positive criminal? What's a negative criminal? And what crime are pollsters committing with their negative criminal, fake election fraud, poll fake stuff? The president is very upset that the polls show that the country does not like him. The country really, really does not like him and sees his first hundred days as a disaster. He has had, in public opinion terms, he has had the most disastrous first hundred days of any president since the dawn of modern polling. No president has ever botched the first hundred days more badly than Donald Trump has botched it. And that's true not just for his approval rating generally and how people feel about him. It's for every single thing you ask the American public about in terms of what he has done. Do you like any of it? No. Today, Donald Trump started threatening Republican U.S. senators that they better not vote against him this week on this terror. This is a bill that's going to come up in the Senate that has precisely zero chance of becoming law because they're never even going to vote on it in the Republican controlled House. Even if it passed the Senate, it would go nowhere. There's no chance it can actually become law. Still, though, Trump appears to be freaking out that Republican senators are going to vote against him on it because his tariff adventures are rating somewhere between lice and bedbugs in terms of their popularity with the American people. And what Republican senator wouldn't want to distance him or herself from that? He's threatening Republican senators that they better not vote against him on this, not because the vote will matter, but because he's desperate to stop his own party from turning against him just 100 days in as he pursues a radically unpopular agenda and frankly, does so very poorly. He's doing things that the American people hate the idea of. And then when he executes on those things, he fails. Bad ideas done badly. So, listen, here's where I think we are right now. I think that Trump and the Trump administration are going to throw some increasingly wild pitches to try to change the political trajectory of how things are going. I mean, they're now deporting U.S. citizens. You can't deport a U.S. citizen. U.S. citizens are from here. There's nowhere to deport them to. They're now arresting judges. Right. It's insane. I think that we should expect some wild pitches, some truly reckless actions to try to change the trajectory of how things are going, to try to make it seem like this is a new game. I think because of that instinct in Trump, we should expect that there are going to be some things ahead that are markedly more horrible than even what they have done already. I think they're going to try to put some proverbial heads on pikes, and I think that's going to be terrible. I also think, though, that the more important truth here is that the country is against them and the country is against him, and he knows it. And the country is not only willing to get out and protest against him, they are willing to do it over and over and over and over and over and over again. In every state in the country and just about every town culturally, it is now firmly established that capitulation and sucking up to Trump is shameful and weak and marks you as a Loser. Conversely, I think it is culturally ingrained now that saying no to Trump and fighting him and standing up to him shows that you are strong and a winner and somebody who other people might be interested in. The superabundance of court rulings against Trump will continue. I think that will help. Bottom line, I think as long as the movement against him stays nonviolent, the movement against him wins. I think Republicans in elected office at every level will face unrelenting and increasing pressure to split from Trump on his almost unbelievably unpopular policies. Everything from tariffs to cutting Medicaid to what he's doing to Social Security to his treatment of Ukraine to medical research to Meals on Wheels to head starts, all of it. Republicans will be under unrelenting and increasing pressure to split from him on basically every policy with which he is associated. And yes, that includes immigration and, yes, that includes his abuse of trans people. I think relentless opposition and mockery of his failures will spread and intensify as those are further exposed and as nobody in any, any part of Republican politics finds any way to defend him. I think emergency defense measures will increasingly spring up all over the country whenever he tries to pick anyone off, immigrants or otherwise. I think 100 days in that Donald Trump is losing, and I think Americans defending democracy are winning. In these last few days where I'm going to be here every night, we're going to talk about some of what I think is around the corner for the second hundred days and beyond, some of the new threats in what Trump is doing that the country hasn't really focused on yet, but I think they are on their way. We've got an expert here tonight for the first one of those discussions, an expert from the Brennan center to talk about one of these issues that is keeping me up at night. We have not yet talked about it here on the show. You have not been seeing it anywhere in the news yet. I think it's coming. I think it's important. We're going to talk about that tonight again with an expert from the Brennan Center. We're also going to talk tonight about how a movement for democracy and a movement against authoritarian takeover, how a movement like that can scale up, it can not only persist, but grow and escalate sustainably to not just resist, but to actually win. We're going to get some great reporting on that in just a moment from another country that has just gone through an authoritarian takeover and their opposition movement is fighting now to get their country back. They are stronger than they have ever been, and they have important lessons for us. There's so much to cover. There's so much to get to sit tight. We'll be right back.

[Alex Wagner]

It's President Trump's first 100 days and MSNBC's Alex Wagner will be covering it all from the front lines.

[Interviewee]

What issue matters to you the most?

[Alex Wagner]

Join her as she travels the country to talk to the people at the center of the President's policies and promises.

[Interviewee]

Do you think now that he's pardoned everybody he can count on this group of people again?

[Alex Wagner]

Search for Trumpland with Alex Wagner wherever you're listening and follow subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen ad free. MSNBC Films presents a six part documentary series David Frost Verses. On the next episode, Muhammad Ali.

[Rachel Maddow]

You think I'm gonna get on this TV show and deny what I believe?

[Alex Wagner]

Sunday at 9pm Eastern on MSNBC. Stay up to date on the biggest issues of the day with the MSNBC Daily Newsletter. Each morning you'll get analysis by experts you trust, video highlights from your favorite shows.

[Rachel Maddow]

I do think it's worth being very clear eyed, very realistic about what's going on here.

[Alex Wagner]

Previews of our podcasts and documentaries, plus written perspectives from the newsmakers themselves, all sent directly to your inbox each morning. Get the best of MSNBC all in one place. Sign up for msnbc [e-mail].

[Rachel Maddow]

Viktor Orban is the prime minister of Hungary. He's the longest serving leader in the EU. He's been Hungary's autocratic leader since 2010. He's been there more than 14 years and in true strongman style, he shows no intention of leaving power anytime soon. Ex dictator is not a good job title for anyone right here in the US The Trump movement has overtly acknowledged Orban's rise as a blueprint for their own plans to stop the United States from being a liberal democracy and in many ways to stop the US from being a democracy at all. The nation of Hungary is not on the road to authoritarianism like we are here in the U.S. hungary has arrived. It is an authoritarian regime, but that doesn't mean the opposition has stopped fighting. Quite the contrary. Right now, they might be stronger than they've ever been. They're coming back. This is what Hungary's capital city of Budapest has looked like every Tuesday for nearly two months now. Thousands of people taking to the streets to protest what is on its face, a ban on the gay pride parade, the LGBTQ pride parade in Budapest. But really, it's bigger than that. It's an assault on the Freedom of assembly itself in that country. Thousands of people have been taking to the streets every week, every Tuesday. And this in a country that is far from a responsive, liberal democracy. They have been turning out in huge numbers every week to make their voices heard. It's happening at a time when Orban's popularity is declining. His party is polling behind the opposition party again and again. Orban's government is trying to attack the freedom of assembly in order to cling to power despite the public's dim view of Orban's reign. But for now, the people still have freedom of assembly, and they are trying to protect it by using it with an exclamation point. My beloved colleague Alex Wagner has just returned from a fascinating reporting trip to Budapest, where she talked with those protesters.

[Interviewee]

Why did you come to the protest?

[Protester 1]

Because they are trying to limit our rights and they are trying to ban our existence here.

[Interviewee]

Do you think that people who are not here are paying attention to what's going on?

[Rachel Maddow]

Do you think this raises awareness?

[Protester 1]

Yeah, I think they do. They can't not pay attention because we are here in the streets. We are screaming, we are yelling to set us free, because this is not freedom, this is not democracy. What they are doing right now, you.

[Interviewee]

Know, we're in America and we have Trump, who is a big fan of War Bond.

[Rachel Maddow]

Yeah.

[Protester 1]

They're besties.

[Interviewee]

Yeah. Well, and now there's a question about whether Americans need to be doing more of this kind of protest.

[Protester 1]

Definitely to raise awareness. I still hope that we can change this. We are young, we are here, and we don't want this. We want change. We want democracy.

[Interviewee]

Do you think that this is raising awareness?

[Protester 2]

Yes, absolutely. Raising awareness, that's one of the most important things. Yes. That people see that something is happening.

[Interviewee]

Why do you think this was the thing, this was the tipping point?

[Protester 2]

Because it doesn't only affect pride, it also affects our rights of assembly, you know, so they can control anything. Basically.

[Interviewee]

Now we're coming from America, where we're sort of beginning to grapple with some of the same issues. Things are now reaching a tipping point.

[Liza Goytin]

In the United States.

[Protester 2]

I think they are actually. Well, it wasn't a really good choice to let Donald Trump win, so I actually hope people do the same. Keep protesting and keep speaking out, just to make them uncomfortable and to make them see. Let them see that they cannot do anything without consequences.

[Interviewee]

So is this your first time coming out to protest this?

[Rachel Maddow]

No, I'm protesting since 15 years.

[Interviewee]

Oh, wow.

[Rachel Maddow]

So you've been opposed, too, since the Orban government? Is ruining our democracy. And this is what's happening in the US right now. So you should be worried about your status as well. Wow. Since the Orban government is ruining our democracy 15 years, this is what's happening in the US right now. You should be worried about your status as well. Wow. Joining us now is my colleague Alex Wagner, MSNBC senior political analyst and the host of the podcast Trumpland with Alex Wagner. Alex, this freaking incredible footage. Thank you very much for being with us tonight.

[Interviewee]

Thank you for airing it. The incredible accolades go to the people who are in the streets, as you mentioned, Rachel, these are the people who have lived under an autocracy for 15 years. I mean, the two younger people that I was speaking to have only really known Orban their entire lives. And yet their commitment to the cause, their resilience, their tenacity, their enthusiasm is extraordinary. I have to say you've done such an amazing job of covering these protests that have been happening around the country. But I do think for some people, there's a sense that there's a sense of malaise, if not hopelessness, that people kind of communicate in their day to day.

[Liza Goytin]

But.

[Interviewee]

But you go to a place like Hungary and you see these people out in the streets and you cannot come back here to the United States and not be optimistic, not just about our institutions and our democracy, but the people that live here and the opportunities that we have as Americans to change our destiny, to change our future. I mean, you know, as a journalist, as a citizen, it wasyou know, a lot of it was tough, a lot of these interviews were tough, but overall, I came back fired up, ready to go to paraphrase, you know, a phrase of yore. But really, Rachel, it was an extraordinary trip.

[Rachel Maddow]

And Alex, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you spoke to one of the leaders, not just of the protests, but one of the opposition political parties, a member of Parliament named Martin Tomposh. We've gotwe've pulled a clip of that. I wanna play a little bit of it, and then I have a question for you about it. On the other.

[Interviewee]

Do you think the 2026 elections are going to be different? Could they be a different outcome than Orban winning?

[H]

They will be different, but not because of the result. I don't want to guess what's going to happen. I'm sure that it's going to be different because of the candidates, and it's going to be different because if Fires is losing like half year before, they're going to change it completely. So nobody will even have a slightest chance to.

[Interviewee]

You think that they're going to actually interfere in the election?

[Rachel Maddow]

Yes.

[H]

And not only them, the Russians, the Chinese. I mean, Hungary is such a strong Trojan horse in the bloc that it's just too good an investment to let go.

[Interviewee]

How do you then? I mean, if you believe that, you know, if Orban stands a chance of losing, they will literally rig the election. What's the point?

[H]

I have a seven week son. So many great. And if I'm not gonna do something, what can I tell him when he grows up and asks that? Yeah, when we left Hungary, I'm like, why did you do something? And I can say, yeah, I've been an MP. I've been doing this for 10 years. And then we left the last moment when it seemed like there is no change.

[Rachel Maddow]

Wow. I want to ask you, Alex, essentially the same question that you asked Mr. Tomposh there. The protesters that you talk with, do they think there is a real possibility of ousting Orban in the next election? And if they don't, like, he doesn't. He thinks that Orban will never allow that. What do they see as the tactical point of holding these protests?

[Interviewee]

They see this as the work of a democracy. I think you get different assessments based on who you talk to. Mr. Tomposh thinks that he's gonna be a grandfather by the time Orban is out. But you talk to other people who think Orban has done a terrible job, much like Trump, of steering the Hungarian economy. There's an opposition figure, Peter Magyar, who is rising, who is spending a lot of time in all parts of Hungary, who has a lot of support from a lot of wide cross section of Hungarian society. But ultimately, look, they think they understand the stakes. They look to America, they have lots of advice about what we should be doing. They'd like to see even more Americans in the streets. But they think fundamentally that when you have hope, whether that's hope within you or an actual alternative in the form of an opposition figure, that anything is possible. Rachel and I spoke to one individual, Sandor Lederer, who runs an amazing anti corruption organization called K Monitor. And he said, you know, you can talk about corruption every single day and you should, and we should document the sort of the sins of the powerful. But nothing changes. And you lose people at some point unless you give them an alternative. And right now in Hungary, it feels like there's an alternative. People have coalesced around issues like pride that are really, as you point out, issues of civil liberties, freedom of assembly. They have found an opposition figure that gives them hope. They have looked to places elsewhere in the world and realized that democracy is an idea and it is their idea. They hold it close and they're fighting for it. A lot of them are younger. I think they have by nature a little bit more optimism than older generations, but is by no means generational. I mean, what you see there is a powerful example of how we as Americans can think about our fortunes. And the, I just got to say, the tenacity of this society after 15 years of autocracy. It felt as energized as any place I have ever been in. And we would do well to hear from these people, look at their examples and listen to their advice as we try and navigate our own version of an autocratic power hungry ruler intent on enriching himself at all costs.

[Rachel Maddow]

Yeah, it's try to see us through their eyes and they see what remains of our freedom of the press and our freedom of assembly and our ability to have opposition politics and all this stuff that has completely winnowed down. They see that we've got levers to pull that they would kill for. It's just that we've got to see it through their eyes in order to see and not take it for granted. It's really, really, really great reporting and it's great to see you. Alex Wagner, MSNBC Senior Political Analyst, thank you my friends. Fantastic work.

[Interviewee]

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Rachel Maddow]

You can hear more of Alex's reporting from Hungary on her podcast Trumpland with Alex Wagner. The next episode drops on Thursday. All right, more news ahead here tonight. Stay with us.

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[Alex Wagner]

It's President Trump's first 100 days and MSNBC's Alex Wagner will be covering it from the front lines.

[Interviewee]

What issue matters to you the most?

[Alex Wagner]

Join her as she travels the country to talk to the people at the center of the President's policies and promises.

[Interviewee]

Do you think now that he's pardoned everybody, he can count on this group of people again?

[Alex Wagner]

Search for Trumpland with Alex Wagner wherever you're listening and follow subscribe to MSNBC Premium on Apple Podcasts to listen ad.

[I]

Free Citizens, since we each upgraded to Xfinity in our homes, the WI fi has been booming. It's fair to say our town has officially become a boom town.

[Rachel Maddow]

Mayor, will I be able to drop into multiplayer gaming battles with low lag?

[I]

The lag won't be an issue, but your questionable skills may be.

[Rachel Maddow]

And what if I have hundreds of devices on the WI Fi? Purely hypothetical.

[I]

Seems like a lot, but sure, hundreds of devices all booming together with the Xfinity Gateway. Yes, friends and neighbors, with Xfinity, the WI Fi is booming.

[Interviewee]

Restrictions apply.

[Rachel Maddow]

So here's kind of a sleeper issue that hasn't gotten much attention, but one of the things I want to do as we close in on the start of the second hundred days of Trump's term in office is I want to put a little bit of focus on things that haven't yet emerged as major issues. But heads up, they're coming. So here's one. You might not have heard anything about it, but this month, President Trump signed what he called a National Security Presidential Memorandum, which declared that extended swaths of three contiguous states are all now technically a military base. It's 170 miles long, a long strip of federal land along the southern borders of California, Arizona and New Mexico. And in this memo, Trump ordered the Pentagon, the Defense Department to start taking control of this land. So now the US military has taken control of 170 miles of land starting in New Mexico, along New Mexico's southern border. And they've declared that that land is now part of Fort Huachuca, which is a U.S. army base. That's not even in New Mexico, it's in Arizona. Why would you take 170 miles of land in three different states and say all that land is now part of an army base somewhere very far away? Well, the reason Trump is doing that is because he wants active duty US Military service members to start arresting people on US Soil. Last week, the military announced that US Soldiers are now authorized to arrest anyone who steps foot on that 170mile long strip of land. US soldiers, active duty soldiers, are now newly authorized to search those people. They are authorized to implement crowd control. US Active duty troops searching and arresting people on US Soil and performing crowd control operations again on US Soil. And this land, yes, it is along the Mexican border. And migrants crossing the border are the stated targets of this new operation. So we may not think of this as something that matters for broader US Politics or indeed the health of our political system. But if you're looking for big red flags in terms of authoritarian takeover and a democratic rule of law country, when you've got US Troops searching and arresting people and doing crowd control on US Soil, you're kind of there. Under American law, the Posse Comitatus act is supposed to prevent the US Government from using US Soldiers on US Soil. Theoretically, if somebody wanders onto a military base, they can be arrested as trespassers on military property. So the idea, I think here, the neat trick that Trump has pulled here is that he's just turned hundreds of miles of American soil into what is technically a military base. And so, hey presto, that's one neat trick to give the US Military military the power to search and arrest people on U.S. soil. And right now, they are only doing it at the edges, literally the physical edges of our country. But that is how you start. We've got expert advice on this and what this might mean for all of us here next. Stay with us. Donald Trump. Trump quietly has now declared that on a 170 mile strip of land across three different states, active duty US soldiers now have the authority to arrest and search people. Active duty U.S. troops doing that on U.S. soil. Liza Goytin and Joseph Nunn at the Brennan center for justice tonight are calling this a slippery slope, saying, quote, if soldiers are allowed to take on domestic policing roles at the border, it may become easier to justify uses of the Military in the U.S. interior in the future. Our nation's warned against the dangers of an army turned inward, which can all too easily be turned into an instrument of tyranny. Joining us now is Liza Goteen. She's senior director of the Brennan Center's Liberty and national security program. Ms. Goytin, thank you so much for being here. I appreciate it.

[Liza Goytin]

My pleasure. Thank you.

[Rachel Maddow]

Is there anything about this order that authorizes US Soldiers to arrest and search people or use crowd control techniques only against non US Citizens? Or could these authorities also be used against US Citizens?

[Liza Goytin]

No, not at all. These authorities can be used against anyone who trespasses on this new military installation. And that installation does span 170 miles of the New Mexico Mexico border. But the original memorandum actually authorizes pretty much any federal lands along the southern border to be transferred to the Department of defense, including a 60 foot strip of land 60ft wide that actually spans about 600 miles along the California, Arizona and New Mexico border. So we are talking about just sort of a massive land grab that's being turned over to the Department of defense in order to turn violations of immigration law into trespassing on a military installation. And again, I mean, that could apply to anybody who, without authorization, is on these strips of land on the southern border.

[Rachel Maddow]

Yeah, I mean, I happen to think that the territorial boundaries of the United States extend all the way to the border, not just near them. And so the idea that US Soldiers are operating on US Soil with policing powers, to me, feels like every red flag in the world has started going off for me. I mean, we do have US Soldiers deployed to the border sort of all the time, acting in a support role to customs and border Protection. This is a qualitatively different legal authority, right?

[Liza Goytin]

Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, what is happening here is an attempt to evade the laws passed by congress and to usurp congressional authority, starting with the Posse Comitatus act. And that law, as you mentioned, normally prohibits federal armed forces from engaging in these core law enforcement activities, things like arrests and searches and detentions. Now, courts have held that the military can provide indirect logistical support to law enforcement. That's what's been happening at the border for the last 20 years. But this is qualitatively different. It steps over that line. And that line between the military and civilian government is one of the most important safeguards that we have for personal liberty and for democracy. Because, you know, as Joseph and I said in our piece, an army turned inward can very quickly become an instrument of tyranny. And we have seen that in countries all over the world. So this is very different from what we have seen before. And it is an attempt to get around the Posse Comitatus act, which ordinarily requires congress to authorize these types of activities anywhere in the country.

[Rachel Maddow]

Liza Goytin, senior director of the Brennan center's liberty and national security program. This is a story that we are just starting to cover. This will not be the last time that we cover it. We'd love to have you back to talk more about it as we learn more. Thank you very much.

[Liza Goytin]

Thank you.

[Rachel Maddow]

All right, we'll be right back. Stay with us. All right, keep your eyes open. The polls have just closed for the big national election in Canada. Later tonight, we should know whether Canadian voters have chosen the conservative party that was favored before Trump started threatening Canada in bizarre and lurid terms, or whether Canadians have decided to keep the liberal party in power. After all. The race appeared to be very close heading into today with the liberal scene as having a slight lead.

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