Fight or Flight: Why It Pays to Stand Up to Trump
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What are the recent protests against Trump about?
OK, there is a lot of good stuff happening right now. We're seeing some real fight from Democratic lawmakers. That's good. We're seeing institutions stand up to Donald Trump. That's definitely good. We're seeing courts stop him in his tracks. That's great. And this weekend, we saw more massive protests all across the country. But I actually wanted to start today by talking about fear, because fear is clearly a major driver of Trump's brand of politics, always has been. And how we all respond to that fear in this moment is going to determine a whole lot about the future of this country. Congressman Jamie Raskin summed it up pretty well in the New York Times this week.
How does fear influence Trump's political strategy?
He said, there's a regime of fear that's been brought down on society. People need to see leaders and organizers standing up and speaking with authority against what's happening. Congressman Jamie Raskin summed it up very well there. He's here today. We have a lot to talk about. We're going to talk to him in just a moment. But I also want to talk about a few other things, because this week we also saw at least one Republican acknowledge that fear too. I mean, during an event in Alaska this week, Senator Lisa Murkowski was asked what she would say to people who are afraid right now. And she was way more candid than I at least expected her to be.
What do you have to say to people who are afraid? Or who represent people who are afraid? We are all afraid. Okay. but we are We're in a time and a place where I don't know, I certainly have not been here before. And I'll tell you, I'm oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice because retaliation is real.
And that's not right. That's definitely not right. And retaliation is real. We've seen it. Those fears are real. We all know that Trump is vindictive, and he's betting he can gain a lot of leverage by creating even more fear. But at the same time, we've already seen that giving in to his demands gets you absolutely nowhere. I mean, when law firms cave, the demands don't stop.
What are the consequences of capitulating to Trump's demands?
The firms that struck deals with Trump are now learning that the White House will effectively be choosing their pro bono clients for them. And when universities cave, the demands don't stop either. Columbia's deal with Trump might now include a court decree giving the White House control over the university's management. And when media outlets cave, the demands definitely don't stop. I mean, Paramount entered into settlement talks with Trump over a frivolous lawsuit, and Trump still pushed the FCC to revoke CBS's broadcast license. Point is this, capitulating to Trump won't save you. You'll just be targeted again and again. Because when you give in to Trump's demands, you're just sending the message his threats and tactics work. You're not putting the episode behind you.
You're just inviting more demands. That's how mob bosses work. And remember, fear is what Donald Trump sees as his most effective tool. In some ways, it's his only tool. Fear of retribution and fear of him weaponizing the powers of his office is basically what he relies on. And he's obviously relying on it to use that office in ways we've never seen before. I mean, he's trying to use the IRS of all places to target the nonprofit status of universities, which is the goal of making all nonprofit groups afraid of continuing the work that they are doing. He's trying to use immigration powers to make any non-citizen fear that he could change their legal status and force them out of the country at a moment's notice.
Trump is using his office to instill fear in every single way he can. And he's doing it in a way that he thinks, at least, is politically smart. He thinks it is. He's trying to lure his political opponents into making this about just defending elite institutions like Harvard or big city law firms nobody's ever heard of. He's spreading lies about Camaro Abrego Garcia, daring people to defend him personally rather than defending the rights he's been denied. And on the issue of Garcia specifically, some Democrats have said it's a distraction from the economic calamity he's caused. Some have said Camargo Garcia is an imperfect hero for this issue. Maybe he is saying it's playing on Trump's turf on immigration.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What are the recent protests against Trump about?
0:09–0:45
2
How does fear influence Trump's political strategy?
0:45–2:39
3
What are the consequences of capitulating to Trump's demands?
2:39–12:59
4
How are lawmakers and courts pushing back against Trump?
12:59–17:03
5
What lessons can be learned from Senator Van Hollen's actions?
17:03–24:21
6
What is the significance of due process in the current political climate?
24:21–35:38
7
How can Americans prevent backsliding into dictatorship?
35:38–40:37
Speakers
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