THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent

Mike Johnson Goes Off Rails in Vile Gaslighting Display on Trump, ICE

4 snips
Jan 15, 2026
Journalist Sarah Posner, known for her insights on the religious right, joins to dissect House Speaker Mike Johnson's problematic defense of ICE and its violent tactics. She highlights his disturbing blame of victim Renee Good and the trend of portraying protesters as responsible for state violence. The discussion also delves into the troubling evangelical calls to pray for ICE leaders rather than victims, revealing a blend of religious and secular authoritarianism in Trump-era politics. Her upcoming podcast, 'Reign of Error,' promises further exploration of these themes.
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INSIGHT

Speaker Blames Victims Instead Of Officials

  • Mike Johnson blamed Renee Good for her own killing, framing protesters as enemies who cannot be innocent.
  • Sarah Posner explains Johnson sees left-leaning citizens as inherently hostile to law enforcement and unworthy of rights.
INSIGHT

Framing Violence As Protester Fault

  • Johnson framed ICE operations as lawful enforcement and dismissed oversight as dangerous posturing by Democrats.
  • Posner says he implies violent outcomes are caused by "too much resistance" to ICE, shifting blame to communities.
INSIGHT

ICE Raids Compared To Death Squads

  • Posner argues ICE actions resemble terrorizing neighborhoods, not lawful policing.
  • She calls the masked, heavily armed raids a break from due process and a form of ethnic cleansing.
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