Why People Support Authoritarian Leaders

On this episode of the Chuck ToddCast, Chuck unpacks how Donald Trump’s Department of Justice has become a political weapon, from targeting perceived enemies like James Comey to sweeping bribery cases under the rug, all while eroding public trust in law enforcement. He explores how Trump’s strategy of framing his own criminal charges as political has worn down the public and set fire to the credibility of the legal system. Chuck also looks at the Democratic Party’s internal strife over whether to embrace figures like Zohran Mamdani, the rising prospects of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and even murmurs of Lisa Murkowski eyeing a gubernatorial run. And beyond politics, he flags troubling signals in the economy—from surging Hamburger Helper sales to a slump in cardboard demand—that suggest things may not be as strong as the stock market makes them appear.

Finally, he answers listeners’ questions in the “Ask Chuck” segment and previews an incredible weekend of sports. 

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Timeline:

(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements)

00:00 Introduction

01:15 Trump's DOJ targeting his perceived enemies 

02:30 Trump convinced his base that all his criminal charges were political 

04:00 Poor coordination by law enforcement allowed Trump to evade charges

 05:00 Trump fired attorney who wouldn't bring charges against enemies 

05:30 DOJ wants to charge James Comey with lying to congress 

07:15 Trump has telegraphed this prosecution 

10:30 Trump accused Biden DOJ of politicization, now his DOJ is overtly political 

11:15 Trump's DOJ swept Homan bribery under the rug 

12:15 Public trust in law enforcement is being destroyed 

13:45 Trump is wearing out the public 

14:45 Comey did his share of damage to the FBI's credibility 

15:45 We need a better system for staffing top law enforcement job 

17:00 Christopher Wray serving under Biden was good thing 

18:00 Trump is taking a blowtorch to the credibility of the legal system 

18:45 Mainstream Democrats are refusing to endorse Zohran Mamdani 

20:15 Kamala Harris gives tepid endorsement of Mamdani 

22:30 Party either wants the Dem socialists in the coalition or they don't 

23:45 Fence sitting on Mamdani makes everybody mad 

25:15 Leadership can't have it both ways 

27:30 Democratic handwringing over Mamdani doesn't inspire confidence 

28:00 AOC may run for senate or the presidency 

29:00 AOC could win Chuck Schumer's seat 

30:30 Don't expect Chuck Schumer will run again 

31:30 Lisa Murkowski won't rule out gubernatorial run in 2026 

34:00 Senators looking for options to get out of D.C. 

35:15 Sales of Hamburger Helper way up, warning sign for economy 

37:30 Cardboard box demand slumping, another warning sign 

38:30 Economy looks better than it is due to AI boost to stock market

41:30 Chuck's thoughts on the interview with Dr. Osterholm 

42:00 Ask Chuck 

42:15 Will Trump ever target podcasts the way he targets other media? 

49:15 Comparing party platforms vs what they actually do while governing? 

53:30 Why have Republican voters gone along with Trump's authoritarianism? 

1:03:00 Weekend sports preview

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