Rachel Maddow

So we've been focusing a lot on the way that people are standing up to try to block what Trump is doing, to try to show that they disagree with Trump, to show their resistance to what he's trying to do. And I think that's the real story in the country. But because we've been really focusing on that, we sometimes don't get into the nitty gritty of the sort of strategy of what Trump is doing.

And tonight's one of those nights that we're going to look at a little bit. Because it turns out, when you are in the middle of an attempted authoritarian takeover of your country, One of the things that happens is that the actions of the government get very opaque. It gets harder to figure out what they're doing.

And tonight's one of those nights that we're going to look at a little bit. Because it turns out, when you are in the middle of an attempted authoritarian takeover of your country, One of the things that happens is that the actions of the government get very opaque. It gets harder to figure out what they're doing.

In contrast with a normal small-D democratic administration, when you're in the midst of a would-be authoritarian takeover, official pronouncements from the government, like from White House spokespeople, they just become bombastic propaganda with no factual content that you can't rely on for the truth of what's being asserted. They ignore public records requests wholesale.

In contrast with a normal small-D democratic administration, when you're in the midst of a would-be authoritarian takeover, official pronouncements from the government, like from White House spokespeople, they just become bombastic propaganda with no factual content that you can't rely on for the truth of what's being asserted. They ignore public records requests wholesale.

They, for example, have fired all the people who are responsible for handling public communications in a professional way. They've even fired the people who are responsible for handling FOIA requests. And of course, it is a hallmark of authoritarian governance that you can't allow a free press, right?

They, for example, have fired all the people who are responsible for handling public communications in a professional way. They've even fired the people who are responsible for handling FOIA requests. And of course, it is a hallmark of authoritarian governance that you can't allow a free press, right?

That extends, in our time, in our experience, to everything from Trump's bombastic threats to try to intimidate news organizations and individual reporters from being critical of him or asking hard questions of him. It extends from that to using the various powers of the government to take away broadcast licenses or to damage the sources of funding for news organizations.

That extends, in our time, in our experience, to everything from Trump's bombastic threats to try to intimidate news organizations and individual reporters from being critical of him or asking hard questions of him. It extends from that to using the various powers of the government to take away broadcast licenses or to damage the sources of funding for news organizations.

And of course, it applies to him and his allies trying to sue various news organizations into oblivion. As of yesterday, it would also seem to appear to include the administration defying a direct court order that they have to allow the Associated Press back into the White House press pool. They have been ordered to do that and they are not doing it.

And of course, it applies to him and his allies trying to sue various news organizations into oblivion. As of yesterday, it would also seem to appear to include the administration defying a direct court order that they have to allow the Associated Press back into the White House press pool. They have been ordered to do that and they are not doing it.

It is central to authoritarian governance that the press must be shut down, beaten up, or cowed so that the public doesn't learn what the government is doing in any kind of reliable and ongoing way. I mean, again, to state the obvious, authoritarian governments do not exist to do what's best for the people.

It is central to authoritarian governance that the press must be shut down, beaten up, or cowed so that the public doesn't learn what the government is doing in any kind of reliable and ongoing way. I mean, again, to state the obvious, authoritarian governments do not exist to do what's best for the people.

So they find that it's best that the people don't find out all that much about what they're up to. Therefore, the free press has to go.

So they find that it's best that the people don't find out all that much about what they're up to. Therefore, the free press has to go.

And in our case, in our experience, in this time that we are living through, one other way they've been able to hide or obscure a lot of what the government is doing is by doing so much of their work through this doge thing, through this bizarre, semi-secret, semi-governmental operation that is both led by the president's top campaign donor, Elon Musk, and officially not led by Elon Musk at all.

And in our case, in our experience, in this time that we are living through, one other way they've been able to hide or obscure a lot of what the government is doing is by doing so much of their work through this doge thing, through this bizarre, semi-secret, semi-governmental operation that is both led by the president's top campaign donor, Elon Musk, and officially not led by Elon Musk at all.

The ostensible purpose of this very opaque, very mysterious Doge organization is to cut spending from the government, right? I mean, it's clear that that is not what they're doing, but that is how they have described the purpose of the organization.

The ostensible purpose of this very opaque, very mysterious Doge organization is to cut spending from the government, right? I mean, it's clear that that is not what they're doing, but that is how they have described the purpose of the organization.

Elon Musk, the president's top campaign donor, said that at Doge he would cut a trillion dollars out of the government's budget, then he said he would cut two trillion out of the government's budget. Then, as of last week, he said at an all-for-the-cameras cabinet meeting that it would actually be about 92 percent less than that.