The Rachel Maddow Show

Episode: Trump learns Politics 101: Do unpopular things, become unpopular, lose political power
Date: December 16, 2025
Host: Rachel Maddow, MS NOW

Overview

In this episode, Rachel Maddow examines the cratering popularity of President Donald Trump in the wake of a series of politically disastrous decisions, many aimed at immigrants and involving high-profile, deeply unpopular uses of federal power. Maddow details a cascade of protests from across the country, covers local and national resistance to Trump administration actions, and features two significant interviews: one with Dr. Deborah Howery, a public health leader leaving federal service for California, and one with former FBI official Chris O’Leary, who explores chaos inside the FBI under Trump’s handpicked, inexperienced leadership. The overarching theme: when those in power take unpopular actions, political consequences rapidly follow.

Key Topics & Insights

1. Nationwide Uproar Against Trump’s Immigration Policies

Starts at 00:44

Minnesota: Local Resistance in Subzero Weather

• Maddow highlights viral footage of a spontaneous community standoff with ICE in Chanhassen, Minnesota, where locals braved minus-20-degree temperatures to prevent the detention of two immigrant construction workers. Residents provided blankets, food, and shelter, with a powerful sentiment of solidarity.
• Quote:
  “We value immigrants in our community and we’ll do anything to protect them.” (Rachel Maddow, 04:24)

Protests Spread: Wisconsin, Louisiana, Maine, New York, California, Texas

• Protests erupted in Milwaukee to support Judge Hannah Dugan, arrested for resisting an ICE operation in her courtroom.
• Somali communities and their allies stood up to Trump’s racist rhetoric in Maine and elsewhere.
• Home Depot and Apple faced protests for their passive roles in facilitating ICE activity and removing helpful apps, respectively.
• Quote:
  “We want people to know that we are not working with ICE. We are in support of our immigrant coworkers and neighbors. And, you know, we want to see a society free of secret police.” (Dr. Deborah Howery via Maddow, 06:21)

Fort Bliss: Historical Echoes

• Trump’s expansion of an immigrant detention center at Fort Bliss, site of wartime Japanese-American internment, sparks comparisons to past government wrongs.
• Quote:
  “Trump administration bringing all that back by turning that same site into what is now its largest prison for immigrants.” (Maddow, 08:57)

Protests Go Viral

• Protesters target Trump’s appearances and companies seen as complicit.
• Public opinion shifting sharply: less than 20% now believe Trump did not know about Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes (12:55).

2. Trump’s Political Downfall: The Consequences of Unpopularity

Begins ~14:11

• Maddow runs through polling data: Trump is now deeply unpopular, not just personally but on core policy issues:
  • Minus 36 approval on the economy (14:52)
  • Minus 40 on health care (15:06)
  • Minus 22 on immigration (19:36)
• Even red states are showing cracks—Oklahoma news covers protests against Trump’s dismissive comments on economic hardship.
• Local Republican officials, e.g., in Indiana, begin breaking ranks and refusing to follow Trump’s directives.

Quote:

“Listen, you do unpopular things and you end up unpopular. Donald Trump is as unpopular as he has ever been and smart politicians all over the country are figuring that out.” (Rachel Maddow, 17:27)

3. Health Care Crisis & State-Level Resistance

Begins ~23:13

• Open enrollment deadline for ACA health insurance looms as millions face premium spikes—direct result of Trump and Republican policy decisions.
• National headlines reflect Republicans under heavy pressure from angry constituents but paralyzed by lack of leadership from Trump.
  • Quote:
    “His main contribution to the discussion about this problem thus far has been to say about what’s about to happen to people’s health insurance. He said, quote, ‘Don’t make it sound so bad.’” (Maddow quoting Trump, 24:20)

State Actions & Public Health Leadership

• States like California fill the federal vacuum:
  • Governor Gavin Newsom hiring ousted CDC leaders to lead public health efforts in California.
• Maine Governor repeals policies of police cooperation with ICE.
  • Quote:
    “We do need something across the nation. And so California really can lead. … We need evidence and science to drive decisions and clinical guidance and not ideology.” (Dr. Deborah Howery, 31:54)

4. Interview: Dr. Deborah Howery on Public Health Collapse and State-led Solutions

Starts at 27:45

• Dr. Howery (formerly CDC Chief Medical Officer) describes leaving the CDC in protest, now working with California to build regional public health capacity.
• She details political interference at the CDC, how states can collaborate, and the real-world consequences (e.g., preventable pediatric deaths) of abandoning science for ideology.
• Notable exchange:
  • “Is California in a position… to supplant what we’re seeing for the CDC?” (Maddow, 30:59)
  • “That’s my hope… Other states can very much partner... We need evidence and science to drive decisions and clinical guidance and not ideology. And what we’re seeing right now is, is a lot of ideology. And I worry that we’re going to continue to see pediatric deaths.” (Howery, 31:54)

5. Institutional Meltdown: The Trump-Era FBI

Starts at 34:44

• Maddow recounts chaos at the FBI: Trump appointees Dan Bongino and Kash Patel (both right-wing podcasters, not law enforcement professionals) are under fire for disciplinary issues, nepotism, and mishandling major criminal cases.

  • Examples: botched PR on active manhunts, SWAT misuse, headlines about lavish personal perks.
  • Quote:
    “[They] have created chaos in the FBI. They constantly insert themselves in places where they think they can steal the spotlight because their only background is as podcasters… That's not how business is done.” (Chris O’Leary, 40:01)

• Interview: Chris O’Leary (Ex-FBI, Counterterrorism)

  • Laments loss of institutional knowledge, mission focus, and non-partisanship.
  • Fears for the future:
    “You’re getting rid of professional experience, but you’re also getting rid of people dedicated to the job and their duty. And what’s gonna be left is loyalists to this administration if we let it go too much longer, which is really concerning.” (O’Leary, 43:10)

6. Senate Rubber-Stamping Trump’s Controversial Nominees

Starts at 44:18

• The Senate is poised to approve, en masse, nearly 100 Trump nominees without vetting, including Anthony Desposito—dogged by corruption allegations—for an oversight post at the Department of Labor.
• Maddow’s trademark blend of biting commentary and incredulity:
  • “That guy definitely knows how to cross the I’s and the T’s and order the steak.” (Maddow, 46:48)

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• “We value immigrants in our community and we’ll do anything to protect them.” — Rachel Maddow (04:24)
• “We want people to know that we are not working with ICE. We are in support of our immigrant coworkers and neighbors.” — Dr. Deborah Howery, quoted by Maddow (06:21)
• “Listen, you do unpopular things and you end up unpopular. Donald Trump is as unpopular as he has ever been…” — Rachel Maddow (17:27)
• “Don’t make it sound so bad.” — Donald Trump, quoted by Maddow on health care (24:20)
• “That’s my hope… We need evidence and science to drive decisions and not ideology.” — Dr. Deborah Howery (31:54)
• “They constantly insert themselves in places where they think they can steal the spotlight because their only background qualification is as podcasters.” — Chris O’Leary (40:01)

Notable Segments & Timestamps

• Minnesota ICE standoff — 00:44–06:15
• Nationwide immigrant justice protests — 06:15–14:11
• Cratering Trump approval and political repercussions — 14:11–21:28
• Health care fallout and ACA crisis — 23:13–27:45
• Interview: Dr. Deborah Howery (California public health initiative) — 27:45–33:13
• FBI in chaos & Interview: Chris O’Leary — 34:44–44:18
• Senate fast-tracking tainted Trump picks — 44:18–47:24

Tone

Rachel Maddow maintains her signature tone: skeptical, fact-focused, urgent, with flashes of sardonic wit, especially as she catalogs the Trump administration’s dysfunctions and the grass-roots resistance rising in response.

Conclusion

This episode vividly illustrates the costs of governing against popular will and evidence—both for politicians and the democratic institutions they oversee. As protests mount, public faith in national leadership erodes, and capable individuals abandon federal service for state or local arenas, Maddow paints a picture of a country recalibrating its politics in real time.

If you missed the episode, this summary covers the essential stories, voices, and power dynamics at play.