Lemon LIVE at 5 | Donald Trump and MAGA are Out Of Control!! - March 17th, 2025
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hello, everyone. Welcome to Lemon Live at 5, The Don Lemon Show. We're so glad that you're here today. We have so much to talk about. Oh, my gosh. I'm going to say it's the end of democracy. but you can disagree with me if you want, but I'm gonna explain to you why I believe that. And then gonna talk to someone who can check me on it and who would know an amazing reporter from Axios is gonna join us in just a little bit. He's hits a fantastic new book out that goes behind the scenes of the Trump administration. So you're gonna wanna stick around and then our legends are on. We're gonna get to hear from real folks today, but take a deep breath. Let me know where you're watching us from. You're streaming yourself.
And then here we go. So good evening. Welcome to the show. We are streaming tonight. We come on with breaking news. Quoting now from the New York Times, okay? A federal judge in Washington has denied a request by the Trump administration to cancel a hearing this evening. During this stream, we may get some news from what is happening at a court hearing. So producers, keep me honest, okay? So... A judge in Washington, a federal judge, denied a request by the Trump administration to cancel a hearing this evening where he planned to press lawyers about whether officials violated his order barring the deportation of any detained non-citizens, including several suspected Venezuelan gang members with little or no due process.
This is important. Pay attention. In a brazen display of defiance, the Justice Department had filed papers less than two hours before the 5 p.m. hearing was to be held and told the judge, James E. Vosburgh, that there was no reason for anyone to come to court because the administration was not going to provide any further information about the deportation flight. There is no need for them to... The Trump folks to come to court after a judge has ordered them to come to court, they're saying they're not going to show up. There's no need for them to show up. Okay. Because the government is not prepared to disclose any further national security or operational security details to plaintiffs or the public, the court should vacate the hearing scheduled for this afternoon.
Lawyers for the Justice Department wrote on the administration's behalf, the government does not make this request lightly. In another remarkable move, the Justice Department wrote a letter to the Federal Appeals Court that sits over Judge Bosberg asking to remove him from the case entirely given what department lawyers described as his highly unusual and improper procedures. Now you see why I say that it's the end of democracy? The two government filings came on a day of extraordinary resistance to the court by the administration, which has said that it has not violated Judge Bosberg's order stopping the flights, but also that he had no authority to issue it in the first place. So this sets the stage for a death match between the executive branch and the judiciary.
A constitutional crisis, perhaps? Are we even a democracy anymore? I don't think so. But I'm going to ask my next guest. I'm so happy to have Alex Eisenstadt here. He is a senior political reporter for Axios. He is also the author of a brand new bombshell of a book. It's called Revenge, The Inside Story of Trump's Return to Power. Alex. Hello.
Thanks for having me, Don. So do we have a democracy anymore? What the hell's going on? Well, here's what's happening, which is that you have a... President Trump feels arguably more emboldened this time around as president than he did last time. He is getting pushback on tariffs from other countries, from fellow Republicans. He's getting pushback from the judicial system on... on immigration now, and he's plowing forward. You are seeing a president that right now feels very emboldened, far more emboldened than he did during his first term. He doesn't have to run for reelection again. And he feels like he has a lot of political capital and he's cashing in right now.
Because, well, you said he doesn't have to run.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:19–5:23
2
What breaking court fight over Venezuelan deportations opens the show?
5:23–8:08
3
How did the DOJ defy a federal judge and ask for the judge's removal?
8:08–15:40
4
Why does Don Lemon ask 'Is democracy over?' after these legal clashes?
15:40–16:37
5
What does Axios reporter Alex Eisenstadt reveal about Trump's renewed boldness?
16:37–40:59
6
How is the administration framing ‘self-deport’ and immigration apps?
40:59–45:25
7
Why are pardons and claims about Biden’s pardons causing controversy?
45:25–52:18
8
What evidence does Alex present in Revenge about Trump’s ‘return to power’ strategy?
52:18–1:00:58
Speakers
7 identifiedMore from The Don Lemon Show
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