The Rachel Maddow Show

Rachel Maddow reports on the ongoing parade of terrible polling numbers for Donald Trump, and talks with Rep. Jamie Raskin about the Trump administration arresting a judge. Rep. Robert Garcia also joins to discuss deportations, including breaking news that the Trump administration has deported several U.S. citizen children.

Donald Trump's second term is not even 100 days old and already his standing with Americans has soured, with polls showing opposition on major themes as well as specific issues, and the numbers only get worse as time passes. Rachel Maddow reviews the results of several major polls that show Donald Trump's second term is already falling apart.

Rachel Maddow reviews the main lesson of the first 100 Days of the second Trump administration and highlights how the administration's overall incompetence has made screw-ups and reversals the hallmark of their governing. "Just because they're trying to do really, really bad things doesn't change the fact that they're also just really bad at everything they try to do."

After Tesla showed a steep drop in profits and a sliding stock price, Elon Musk was quick to blame fake protesters for manipulating public opinion against him. Rachel Maddow takes a look at the very real protesters and polls of public opinion that suggest that Musk should reconsider the public appetite for destroying the U.S. government and firing public workers.

Rachel Maddow surveys some of the many "No Kings" protests that took place in cities large and small across the United States against Donald Trump's push toward autocracy, and notes that unlike previous remarkable protest days, this one was given prominent attention by major news outlets.

Did you know Donald Trump plans to eliminate Head Start the preschool program? Did you know he gutted Americorps? Have you heard what he did to the National Weather Service? Rachel Maddow rounds up stories that would be huge news in normal times but may have slipped by unnoticed by many Americans in the shadow of Trump's daily wrecking ball spectacle.

Rachel Maddow reads from the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling against the Trump administration as it tries to avoid accountability for mistakenly deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia without the due process that is foundational to American values.

The judge hearing the case against Donald Trump's deportation flights is losing patience with the administration's excuses and stall tactics, and today raised the specter of holding members of the administration in contempt of court. Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project, discusses with Rachel Maddow.

Trump administration lawyers are running out of excuses to avoid being accountable for the rights and whereabouts of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland immigrant father who was improperly deported and sentenced without due process to an indeterminate amount of time in a prison in El Salvador. Rina Gandhi, and attorney for Mr. Abrego Garcia, talks with Rachel Maddow about how the judge is pinning down the Trump lawyers for answers and accountability.

Rachel Maddow looks at creative new ways activists are mocking and protesting Donald Trump's top campaign donor, Elon Musk, for his central role in butchering the staff and services of the U.S. government.

From his cluelessness about critical cuts made to his agency, to his celebration of dangerous quackery, Robert. F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump's HHS secretary, is distinguishing himself as not only incompetent but dangerously so, leading a department with lives at stake. Rachel Maddow reports.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder talks with Rachel Maddow about Donald Trump's efforts to intimidate the legal system in the United States and bend it to his will, and emphasizes the importance of the American legal community standing together and pushing back in defense of the rule of law. "The time is now to stand up and do all that we can to fight this administration."

Even with new polling showing significant disapproval among Americans of Donald Trump's handling of the economy, Trump's indifference to tanking the stock market did not waver. But when his ill-considered tariff scheme began to affect the bond market, even Trump knew it was time to dial back his one-man global trade war.

Rachel Maddow looks at the bizarre, frivolous demands of members of Donald Trump's staff even as vital public services are being cut in the name of waste.

From small towns to the largest cities, Rachel Maddow reports on the wide diversity of issues being protested in demonstrations across the United States on Saturday, as hundreds of thousands of Americans took to the streets to make their objections to Donald Trump's agenda heard.

Rachel Maddow looks at ways to understand the scope of the damage Donald Trump has done to the entire world economy, and reminds viewers where the tariff idea came from that has turned Donald Trump into a one-man global disaster.

Betsey Stevenson, former chief economist for the U.S. Department of Labor, discusses the likely consequences for average American consumers of Donald Trumps ill-considered tariffs, and explains why, even in Trump's best case scenario, his tariff gambit is not worth the pain he is imposing on the U.S. economy.

Dr. David Kessler, former FDA commissioner and chief science officer of the White House Covid-19 Task Force, talks with Rachel Maddow about the devastating effects of Donald Trump's cuts to HHS, not only in dismantling important services, but compromising U.S. medical and scientific leadership to a degree that may not be recoverable for decades.

Senator Cory Booker talks with Rachel Maddow about holding the Senate floor for a record-breaking 25 hours and 4 minutes to raise attention to the perils of Donald Trump's agenda and inspire American activism against that agenda as many of his constituents have taken to regular public protests on their own.

Rachel Maddow looks at a string of bizarre headlines about Donald Trump's secretary of defense, Fox News personality Pete Hegseth, whose insistence on surrounding himself with close family while acting in his official capacity speaks poorly of his professionalism.

Rufus Gifford, former U.S. ambassador to Denmark, talks with Rachel Maddow about the animosity and mistrust Donald Trump is sowing among even allied nations, and the shock of betrayal people around the world are feeling about Americans they'd previously held in high regard but who they do not see pushing back against Trump and standing up for long-term international friendships.

Not only has the scandal over Trump officials discussing military plans in a group chat on an insecure commercial platform made the Trump administration look like fools to Americans paying attention, but overseas allies are drawing conclusions about the risk of sharing intelligence with America when its top officials are so careless with sensitive data. Alexander Ward, national security reporter for the Wall Street Journal, talks with Rachel Maddow about his reporting that it was actually an Israeli intelligence asset that was exposed by the sloppiness of the Trump officials' group chat.

Donald Trump says the scandal over his top officials discussing secret military plans in an unsecured group chat is just a "glitch" in an otherwise perfect first two months in office. Rachel Maddow looks back to help Trump jog his memory and realize that "perfect" is probably not the best word for what has happened so far in Trump's second term.

Rachel Maddow looks at Donald Trump's ridiculously poor track record of mishandling sensitive information, with the scandal of several of his top officials thoughtlessly discussing military plans in an insecure group text raising questions of criminality on top of the widespread outrage over the sheer sloppiness of their actions.

Top officials in the Trump administration discussed a military operation in a group chat on a commercially available messaging platform with a random member of the media added to the chat without anyone bothering to look at who else was in the chat. Senator Mark Warner, top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, shares his reaction to the news with Rachel Maddow.

Rachel Maddow follows up on last night's breaking news that the Pentagon planned to brief Donald Trump's top campaign donor, Elon Musk, on top-secret U.S. plans for a potential war with China, with new reports that Trump says he only learned of the plan from the media and ordered that the briefing not take place. Trump's explanation is not especially reassuring as it raises new, unsettling questions.

Rachel Maddow reports on the ridiculous, bungled spectacle of the Trump administration's release of unredacted documents related to the JFK assassination. Donald Trump appears to have thoughtlessly announced the release of the documents, and the sycophants who serve him followed his order to the letter, apparently without thinking about what they were doing. The result was the unredacted publishing of the social security numbers of people who were involved in the investigation, including many people who are still alive, like Trump's own lawyer, Joe diGenova.

Rachel Maddow looks at recent acts of sabotage by Russia in countries that support Ukraine, including what is believed to be the planning stages of detonating a bomb in a cargo plane over the United States. Erin Banco, national security correspondent for Reuters, joins to discuss her new reporting that the U.S. is now taking steps to back away from its role in helping to counter Russian acts of sabotage.

Rachel Maddow reports on yet another bad day in the courts for Donald Trump as he was made to restore jobs his top campaign donor, Elon Musk, had slashed, and was similarly made to restore USAID, another victim of Musk's DOGE, and lastly, had his anti-trans military policy rejected and was given a lesson in the language of the Declaration of Independence for good measure.

The U.S. Institute for Peace announced Monday that despite being independent of the executive branch and controlling its own building and the land it sits on, their objections to members of Elon Musk's DOGE team trespassing in their building were overridden by D.C. police. That came after an earlier confrontation in which DOGE was accompanied by the FBI. Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, who is suing the U.S. Marshals for information on DOGE after a similar raid, joins to discuss the unprecedented nature of DOGE leveraging the threat of armed law enforcement against another part of the government.

Rachel Maddow shares the amazing, historic story of how former Senator Alan Simpson and former Representative Norm Mineta partnered on hearings into the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, and why Donald Trump's reported plan to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which was used to justify Japanese internment, is raising alarm.

Rachel Maddow reads from the court transcript in which a federal judge blasts the Trump administration's defense of its firing of thousands of federal workers and orders that the jobs be restored, with some harsh words for Trump's lawyers to boot.

Rachel Maddow shares video of Rep. John Larson channeling the outrage of his constituents at the anticipation that Donald Trump's top donor, Elon Musk, is intending to destroy Social Security in order to privatize it. The Washington Post reported early Wednesday that Musk was planning cuts to Social Security's telephone customer service, but by the end of the day those plans had been cancelled. Between the public outcry and the exposure in the media, the pushback on Social Security cuts appears to have worked.

Plus, House Republicans literally alter time to avoid responsibility for Trump wrecking the economy

Rachel Maddow shows how the United States under Donald Trump is growing increasingly reliant on Elon Musk, and his Starlink program in particular. But Musk's words and deeds suggest he is not acting for the good of the United States.

As Donald Trump guts the programs and agencies behind some of America's greatest scientific achievements and fires the people responsible for those achievements and working on new ones, scientists across the country from every discipline took to the streets in protest to "stand up for science."

Rachel Maddow talks with Hampton Dellinger, former chief of the Office of Special Counsel, about the importance of political independence for his watchdog agency, and his fight against Trump to restore the jobs of improperly fired federal workers.

Rachel Maddow reports on the number of Trump cuts, firings and other initiatives that have been reversed, blocked, walked back or reconsidered, and the variety of American institutions, from the courts to the streets, that have contributed to restraining Trump from asserting the full force of his will.

Rachel Maddow and a panel of her MSNBC colleagues react to Donald Trump's first address to a joint session of Congress of his second term.

Rachel Maddow surveys the varied and widespread protests in opposition to Donald Trump's wanton destruction of the federal government. From weather scientists to immigrants to LGBTQ+ and its allies to consumer advocates to park rangers, each round of firings or extremist executive orders brings a new collection of anti-Trump activists under an ever-widening tent.

Rachel Maddow looks at a string of peculiar behavior by Donald Trump and Trump administration policies that don't seem to have the welfare of the United States as their goal, and wonders who those policies are good for if they aren't good for the U.S.

A bright red line before a country loses democracy entirely is when its government loses respect for the rule of law and feels free to ignore rulings by judges. So when some of Donald Trump's nominees to be senior DOJ officials gave soft answers on whether a president can ignore judges, alarms rang for many senators present, even Republicans. Senator Dick Durbin, leading Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, talks with Rachel Maddow about the peril Trump poses to the essence of America's identity.

The measles outbreak in Texas continues to grow and has now claimed the life of an unvaccinated child. In Washington, D.C., at a Cabinet meeting apparently assembled for TV cameras, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s statements about the outbreak were distressingly erroneous.

Elon Musk's DOGE team removed key items from its "wall of receipts" after journalists fact-checked their boasts of billions in savings from cuts to federal programs and exposed sloppy errors and outright falsehoods. Rachel Maddow reports on the walk back taking place shortly after a withering rebuke from a federal judge for not complying with an order to allow funding to continue, all amid the embarrassment of having to un-fire federal workers recklessly let go without consideration for the necessity of their role.

Rachel Maddow reports on Republican legislators being confronted at town hall meetings by angry constituents who want them to resist Donald Trump's dismantling of the federal government. But Republicans aren't the only focus of voters' outrage as Democratic legislators are being confronted to be more aggressive in obstructing Trump. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, top Democrat in the House, talks with Rachel Maddow about what Democrats are doing to get in Trump's way.

Rachel Maddow notes that while Donald Trump golfs and performs stunts for TV cameras, Elon Musk is hard at work on the project of dismantling the U.S. government. And even though Musk's behavior is so poorly received it is hurting business for his car company, his business interests broadly are reaping rewards from the very government he is destroying.

Rachel Maddow checks in on new polling data about how Americans are feeling about the first few weeks of the second Donald Trump administration and the numbers are not good for Trump.

Rachel Maddow emphasizes the importance of resistance by Republican legislators to Donald Trump's agenda, and points out that the unpopularity of Trump's actions may help that resistance politically, but also some senators, like Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, have enough expertise in their chosen field to know how destructive Trump and his Cabinet are, and may be vulnerable to pressure on those issues.

Rachel Maddow looks at how principled resignations are not only slowing down Donald Trump's agenda to destroy the U.S. federal government, but are drawing attention to the sketchy stunts Trump and Elon Musk are trying to get away with.

Rachel Maddow follows the reporting on Donald Trump's reckless firing of federal employees who work in the nuclear industry, cleaning up nuclear waste, managing a nuclear power plant, and ensuring the safety of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, and the ridiculous situation of instantly regretting firing nuclear safety personnel but being unable to get in touch with them to rescind the dismissal.

Rachel Maddow looks at a series of unforced errors by Elon Musk and the DOGE team that calls into question the accuracy of their "tech genius" image and whether they have the competence to tinker with the systems that run the federal government.

Donald Trump was caught by surprise when Department of Justice prosecutors were too dedicated to the rule of law to go along with a deal to drop federal charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Rachel Maddow describes that drama that led to six protest resignations under new Trump attorney general, Pam Bondi.

Rachel Maddow looks at the many ways Americans are obstructing Donald Trump's goal of dismantling the Department of Education, from street protests to lawsuits to acts of defiance by congressional Democrats, and notes that the response to the threat to the Department of Education is emblematic of the broader national opposition to Trump's agenda.

Rachel Maddow runs through a surprisingly lengthy list of people Donald Trump has chosen to work in his administration who had previously lost elections. Being rejected by voters did not disqualify them from serving in representative government, as far as Trump is concerned.

In her new podcast series, Jen Psaki talks to Democratic leaders about the path forward for the party.

Rachel Maddow explains how the disclosure forms for Kash Patel, Donald Trump's pick to lead the FBI, show at $25,000 payment from a Russia-linked filmmaker for Patel's participation in a pro-Russia propaganda documentary attacking the FBI.

Despite Donald Trump being accommodating to staffers whose views on race would be disqualifying in most administrations, a member of Elon Musk's team has reportedly resigned after the discovery of his past racist online statements. Rachel Maddow looks at new details that are coming to light about some of the other members of Musk's crew that will make people already uncomfortable with Musk's overreach feel even worse.

Rachel Maddow looks at how Donald Trump's attack on USAID has sparked a widespread backlash, including from within his own party, as people speak out for the agency's mission and workers, as well as the economic ties in some parts of American to specific USAID programs, all of which Trump appears to have assumed no one cares about.

Rachel Maddow looks at how even on ideas that Donald Trump emphasized on the campaign trail he is doing a poor job executing or he is panicking and backpedaling when he realizes how many people he is upsetting, and the more his incompetence is exposed, the more his opponents are emboldened to find ways to stop him.

Rachel Maddow looks at examples of how Donald Trump and his allies are undermining news outlets, both local and national, by targeting revenue streams and exploiting oppressive legal strategies, while Trump embraces and rewards outlets that are politically loyal, building the basis of a state press.

In an effort to not only rewrite the history of his January 6 insurrection but to exact revenge on the agents and lawyers who worked to hold his rioting supporters accountable, Donald Trump appears to be in the midst of a massive purge of the FBI and the DOJ, turning them into agencies that cater to his interests and concerns instead of the law. Rachel Maddow explains.

Rachel Maddow looks at the impressive list of accomplishments and credentials of former Secretary of Defense General Lloyd Austin, who served under President Biden, and the relatively meager experience of cable news personality Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's choice to replace him.

Rachel Maddow looks at the myriad ways Donald Trump has not only humiliated himself with foolish statements ill-considered ideas, but also embarrassed the United States of America for electing a fool for president.

In an exclusive interview, Rachel Maddow interviews Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, former Democratic nominee for vice president, in his first interview since the election, about how the Donald Trump administration's ill-advised freeze of federal funds exposes the role of Project 2025 in the Trump administration's plans, and Trump's ultimate goal of destroying the U.S. government.

Rachel Maddow takes a closer look at Donald Trump's pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, who several of his past colleagues from the first Trump administration warn has a tendency to make stuff up.

Senator Tammy Duckworth expresses her disappointment with her Republican colleagues for voting for Donald Trump's unqualified defense secretary nominee, Fox News personality Pete Hegseth, with only Senators Murkowski and Collins voting "no" until, somewhat unexpectedly Senator Mitch McConnell also cast a vote against.

A closer look at Trump defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth's, divorce papers from his second wife shows language forbidding them from saying disparaging things about each other in public, which matters right now because of recent claims that raise questions about Pete Hegseth's character. Rachel Maddow talks with MSNBC legal correspondent Lisa Rubin about this new reporting.

Introducing “Trumpland with Alex Wagner,” a new podcast covering Trump's first 100 days. Up first: reporting on the J6 pardons.

Rachel Maddow talks with Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington about speaking from the pulpit directly to Donald Trump about showing mercy for the vulnerable people targeted by his policies, and what has happened since, as well as the role of the church in moral leadership in the United States.

Rachel Maddow looks at the stammering and squirming by Republican members of Congress who are on record opposing the pardoning of January 6th rioters who were convicted of acts of violence against police, and who are now struggling to answer for Donald Trump doing exactly that.

Rachel Maddow explains why Donald Trump's family favors, grift, conflicts of interest, and uninhibited mix of money and politics are more than just inappropriate or in violation of some esoteric ethics code, but actually have real-world consequences for how government functions (or doesn't).

Rachel Maddow marvels at the fact that even with a second chance at it, Donald Trump cannot manage to oversee a presidential transition that isn't chaotic and in poor order, including failing to get the proper paperwork done on his own Cabinet nominees.

Rachel Maddow remarks on Donald Trump's embrace of the January 6 rioters and the insurrectionist militias that have declared themselves for him, pointing out on this peaceful January 6th the new implicit threat of violence if Donald Trump and Republicans in league with him are not assured electoral victories.

Donald Trump's transition ahead of his second term in office was already a series of humiliations and failures as his inability to pick qualified members of his administration was laid bare, but the spending bill debacle showed that in addition to that incompetence, Trump is vulnerable to being taken advantage of, as Elon Musk did with apparent ease.

What does the United States look like when the presidency is purchased by billionaires? How do they reap the benefits of their investment and how does it end up hurting everyone else? And perhaps more importantly, as we see the new Trump era oligarchy taking shape, what can Americans do to slow that slide? Rachel Maddow talks with Timothy Snyder and the ACLU's Anthony Romero.

How much will Americans get to know about the people Donald Trump is choosing to run the U.S. government? In the absence of any real vetting the way it's supposed to go, Rachel Maddow presents a Rachel Maddow Show Public Servant Announcement to hopefully help fill that gap with a closer look at Trump's choice for homeland security secretary, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, whose state’s Covid record might seem disqualifying and whose personal stories have caused her political damage.

How much will the American people get to know about the people Donald Trump is choosing to run the U.S. government? In the absence of any real vetting the way it's supposed to go, Rachel Maddow presents a Rachel Maddow Show Public Servant Announcement to hopefully help fill that gap with a closer look at Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, from his dubious business dealings to his dearth of relevant experience.

While Donald Trump fills his administration with relatives and people he has seen on TV, reality stubbornly refuses to conform to the narratives Trump spun on the campaign trail.

Rachel Maddow looks at the shocking level of nepotism in the early staffing of Donald Trump's second administration, leaving him without grounds to criticize President Biden's pardon of his son, Hunter, to spare him further political prosecution by Trump's supporters.

Rachel Maddow looks at how Republican overreach in attempting to secure permanent power is already inspiring pro-democracy pushback while the Trump team goon squad fight and grift each other.

United States of Emergency? Rachel Maddow on her expectations for the US under Trump Millions interned in camps? Assassinations? Political imprisonments? That is what America's leading liberal commentator Rachel Maddow - and The World's first guest - says could happen during Trump's next stint in the White House. Richard and Yalda also bring listeners up to date with the conflict in Ukraine and the latest developments in the Middle East, as both are just back from the region.

Rachel Maddow looks at ways that Democrats can, and are, using their power and positions to prevent Trump from taking full, unfettered power.

From the November 14 episode of Deadline White House, Rachel Maddow talks with Nicolle Wallace about Donald Trump's clown car of Cabinet picks and how they fit into his broader authoritarian project, and what Americans who care about democracy should keep an eye on as the second Trump administration takes shape.

Rachel Maddow looks at how Donald Trump is assembling his cabinet with the same disregard for ethics and integrity that marked his first term, and early signs that Trump is following the authoritarian playbook of subjugating the legislature to consolidate power in himself.

Rachel Maddow and some of her prime time colleagues discuss the outcome of the 2024 election.

Rachel Maddow looks at Elon Musk's influence in Donald Trump's campaign and his relationship with American adversaries and figures either Kamala Harris will have a national security mess to deal with or, if Trump wins, the U.S. will shift alliances toward Russia, China, and North Korea. Also, on the eve of Election Day, Rachel wonders if the prosecutions of Donald Trump's foot soldiers from the last insurrection will deter more violence this time.

Rachel Maddow and her MSNBC colleagues look ahead to Election Day.

Rachel Maddow looks at how the politicization of abortion has imperiled the health of women in the United States, making all aspects of reproductive health more dangerous, and showing real-world tragic outcomes, and how Donald Trump's continued kowtowing to anti-abortion activists threatens to solidify these harmful conditions.

Plus, Russian interference has become a feature of American elections when Trump is involved

Plus, Yulia Navlanaya, widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is Rachel Maddow's special guest.

Plus, At fringe gathering, a peek at what waits in the wings for a Trump return to power

Reintroducing “Kamala: Next in Line,” a podcast on the stories that shaped the life and politics of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Plus, Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers might have a voter fraud problem.

Plus, 'The most damning moment': Vance seals debate loss by botching January 6 answer

Plus, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper hails the heroes working to help his state recover from Hurricane Helene.

Plus, the list of Republicans backing Kamala Harris continues to grow

A special Friday edition of the Rachel Maddow Show

Plus, Hillary Clinton and Timothy Snyder

We’re thrilled to share a mashup of our MSNBC Live: Democracy 2024 event that we recently held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The whole day was a celebration of you, our viewers and listeners. It was the first of its kind in-person, interactive experience. We so enjoyed meeting so many of you. But if you couldn’t join us in person, you’re in luck – we’re sharing key conversations in this episode. For more, be sure to check out our TV special airing Saturday, September 14th at 9 p.m. ET. For your reference, here are timecodes for the sessions included here: Claire McCaskill, Jen Psaki, and Andrea Mitchell 0:01:30-0:31:23 Chris Hayes & Kate Shaw 0:31:36-0:51:20 Andrew Weissmann & Ari Melber 0:51:25-1:12:53 Rachel Maddow & Lawrence O’Donnell 1:13:13-1:45:45