Mehdi Unfiltered Get Rid of ICE? This Ex-Trump Official Says Get Rid of Homeland Security Too
Feb 1, 2026
Jason Stanley, philosophy professor and author who studies fascism and political rhetoric, and Olivia Troye, former Trump national security advisor turned critic, discuss alarming shifts in power. They tackle ICE and DHS as instruments of coercion. They debate risks of militarized domestic policy, recycled authoritarian plans, foreign adventurism as distraction, and why institutional guardrails may be gone.
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Authoritarianism Accelerating, Not Creeping
- Mehdi and guests argue Trump's authoritarianism has moved from creeping to accelerating in plain sight.
- They link masked federal agents, prosecutions of opponents, and attacks on the press as evidence of that acceleration.
Fascism Thesis Validated By Recent Moves
- Jason Stanley says earlier objections to labeling Trump a fascist have dissolved due to recent actions.
- He connects imperialist impulses and domestic repression as part of a classic fascist pattern.
Reaction To Violence Against A White Victim
- Mehdi recounts his reaction as a brown person seeing a white mother shot and notes differential expectations.
- He says that seeing violence against a white victim felt different and highlighted America's current nature.
