Professor Tim Snyder
Appearances
The Rachel Maddow Show
Trump is a repeat loser as his slash-and-burn rampage collides with U.S. law
Of course.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Trump is a repeat loser as his slash-and-burn rampage collides with U.S. law
Mm-hmm. I think on the one side, we have too few Democrats who are articulate in describing the world as it actually is unfolding before our eyes. But we have a few who are doing an excellent job. And on the other side, we have creative local opposition all throughout the country, probably more than we see, because unfortunately, we don't have enough local reporters to cover all of this properly.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Trump is a repeat loser as his slash-and-burn rampage collides with U.S. law
What we're going to see, I think, in months to come is those two things moving slowly to each other as these creative protests create platforms for the more adventurous and charismatic politicians.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Trump is a repeat loser as his slash-and-burn rampage collides with U.S. law
It's absolutely of the first importance because when strange things happen and nobody reacts, then everybody normalizes. But if strange things happen and a few people react or even more than a few people react, then people can say, yeah, you know, maybe I wouldn't protest myself, but this sure is a strange thing that's happening.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Trump is a repeat loser as his slash-and-burn rampage collides with U.S. law
And then when another strange thing happens, they might actually protest. So getting out there, showing your face, being with other people, being being creative, making up slogans and signs. All of that is really important because it arrests people's imagination. It helps them stop and think and say, wait, this is in fact strange because other people think it's strange.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Trump is a repeat loser as his slash-and-burn rampage collides with U.S. law
And maybe next time I'll join in.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Trump is a repeat loser as his slash-and-burn rampage collides with U.S. law
Yeah, I think Ukraine, Russia is an area where a lot of Americans just show a lot of common sense. People know who invaded whom. And people have a sense that invasions are wrong. And people know that war crimes are wrong. People know that it's wrong to be tortured, to have children kidnapped, to have local leaders executed, to have all these things happen.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Trump is a repeat loser as his slash-and-burn rampage collides with U.S. law
People have righteous common sense about these things. And I think Ukraine is resonant for American protesters for a couple of reasons. The first is that It involves people going out and being courageous. It involves people taking a stand for values like freedom. And people think, well, if they can do it, then we can do it. But another thing which is important is that Ukraine is about reality.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Trump is a repeat loser as his slash-and-burn rampage collides with U.S. law
It's about something which is actually happening. Whereas so much that we're being fed by this administration has to do with unreality, with stuff which is made up, with lies, big, little, and small. And I think it's refreshing for people to say, well, wait, there are people who are living in reality.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Trump is a repeat loser as his slash-and-burn rampage collides with U.S. law
As far as the disjuncture with popular opinion is concerned, I was thinking about that during your segment, and it strikes me that I can't think of any example in history where an American leader has been so entranced for such a long period by any foreigner, let alone a foreign leader who's obviously an extreme right-wing dictator carrying out a war of aggression.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Trump is a repeat loser as his slash-and-burn rampage collides with U.S. law
There is something deeply strange about that, and I think unsustainable for the reason you're putting your finger on. It's very undemocratic. Trump acts as though his only constituents were Musk and Putin, and no one else really matters. And I think with time, people are going to realize that, that Trump is acting like those two men are his constituents, and no one else really matters.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Trump is a repeat loser as his slash-and-burn rampage collides with U.S. law
Anytime.