The Rachel Maddow Show Maddow: For a would-be strongman, Trump is profoundly weak
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Sep 16, 2025 Jonathan Mahler, a staff writer for the New York Times Magazine, joins the discussion to unravel the Trump administration's troubling actions regarding cancer research funding. He highlights the significant cuts to this vital area, which threaten public health and job security. Mahler also explores how Trump's attempts to emulate strongman tactics reveal his leadership weaknesses, particularly as he faces criticism over his controversial healthcare policies and vaccine advisory boards filled with skeptics. The mismanagement surrounding contraceptive supplies adds another layer of concern.
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Predictable Strongman Playbook
- Rachel Maddow argues Trump's second-term agenda is predictable because it follows a global strongman playbook.
- She frames his actions as a fixed variable we can watch and respond to as a country.
Five Steps Of Authoritarian Consolidation
- Maddow lists five common strongman tactics: invent an enemy, claim emergency powers, consolidate control, enrich allies, and ally with other dictators.
- She says Trump is executing all five in plain sight across government and society.
Actions Signal Realignment With Dictators
- Maddow highlights Trump's friendliness toward Putin and eroding NATO commitments as aligning the U.S. with dictatorships.
- She points out his actions, not words, show an effective realignment away from allied obligations.