Maddow: Trump in retreat as disastrous anti-immigrant campaign becomes political catastrophe

Donald Trump's anti-immigrant mission was already damaging his standing with the portion of Americans who didn't already dislike him, but the escalating violence and brutality and shocking on-camera killings have seen his opposition balloon from Americans protesting to a large swath of his own party, business leaders, clergy and Congress. Rachel Maddow outlines how the forces of democracy are imposing themselves on Trump.Rachel Maddow points out the consistent, unrelenting, stalwart, peaceful opposition of the people of Minnesota to Donald Trump's brutal anti-immigrant tactics, flexing every democratic muscle, is steadily defeating Trump. The people of Minneapolis are showing that the way to save democracy is by democratic means, including peaceful protest.Rachel Maddow reports on the expanding list of communities that are refusing the admit the Department of Homeland Security to install an immigration prison or processing facility in their area. Even across differences of politics and demographics, no one wants to be host to an immigration prison. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow and her MS NOW colleagues share their reaction and analysis of former special counsel Jack Smith's testimony about the criminal investigations of Donald Trump before the House Judiciary Committee. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow and her MS NOW colleagues share their reaction and analysis of former special counsel Jack Smith's testimony about the criminal investigations of Donald Trump before the House Judiciary Committee. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow shares recent examples of prominent members of the clergy speaking out against Donald Trump's abuse anti-immigrant tactics and his belligerent foreign policy, and talks with Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, about defending immigrant members of his community and Donald Trump's dismantling of the moral role the U.S. plays in the world.Rachel Maddow reports on a growing number of towns and communities that are speaking out and standing up to Department of Homeland Security plans to open ICE detention and processing facilities to take in immigrants being arrested in federal raids. The rejection of ICE facilities fits into a bigger picture of pressure being put on companies and organizations that have become tacit ICE resources, from Avelo Airlines conducting deportation flights, to Home Depot allowing arrests of day laborers in their parking lots.Rachel Maddow shares photos of a giant replica of the naked woman birthday doodle that appears to have been from Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein on his 50th birthday. The replica is meant to commemorate Trump's relationship with Epstein as Epstein's birthday approaches. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

While Donald Trump has made clear how he intends to wield his power and retain his power, the most pressing question for Americans is how his opponents intend to stop him. Jon Ralston, founder and CEO of the Nevada Independent, and author of the newly published "The Game Changer: How Harry Reid remade the rules and showed Democrats how to fight," talks with Rachel Maddow about how the Democrats' best political tactician and savviest fighter in living memory would have handled stopping Trump and retaking power before it's too late.  Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow rounds up a litany of recent court losses Donald Trump has suffered, as even some Republicans in Congress are agreeing to block or otherwise mitigate the damage Trump's policies are inflicting on their constituents, all while Americans rally in protest of abuses and outright crimes committed by Trump's ICE agents.Rachel Maddow reviews recent examples of ICE agents overstepping their legal authority and making a chaotic mess of the job they're meant to be doing, all of which paints them not as actual professional immigration enforcement, but as Trump's untrained secret police force dressed up in military gear.ICE agents dressed in paramilitary costume and terrorizing communities with heavy-handed tactics appear to have thought their abuses would earn them respect and obedience. On the contrary, Americans are only becoming more agitated and inclined to resist ICE's overstepping. Amanda Otero, co-executive director of Take Action Minnesota, talks with Rachel Maddow about organizing anti-ICE protests and other activism as Donald Trump surges troops of border patrol agents into her town. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Listen to this special invitation from Rachel Maddow and sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts to take advantage of a 3-month free trial!With MS NOW Premium, you can get our entire suite of podcasts – everything from “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” to “The Best People with Nicolle Wallace” – all ad-free. As a subscriber, you also get early access to select shows, plus exclusive bonus content – like a new episode of “Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order,” out Friday. Sign up right here, then search “Burn Order” to listen to that Premium episode.There’s a lot in store for 2026. So to celebrate the new year, we’re giving away 3 months free if you sign up by the end of January! It’s just $2.99/month or $29.99/year after that. Thanks for listening! Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow runs through the litany of excuses and justifications the Trump administration has presented to explain the military invasion of Venezuela, and points out that none of what has been floated holds up under scrutiny. Every principle the Trump administration claims to be defending comes with examples of the administration not caring at all about that principle. Even the popular idea that it was all for oil doesn't really make sense upon closer examination. But there is one reason that is consistent with Trump's behavior through the first year of his second term in office.Pete Hegseth, former cable news weekend host and Donald Trump secretary of defense, is moving to demote Senator Mark Kelly and also cut his military retirement pay because Kelly reminded members of the military of their duty to refuse to obey unlawful orders. Senator Kelly talked with Rachel Maddow about why that particular message bothered Donald Trump so much that he's still trying to punch Kelly for saying it out loud in public.Paul Rieckhoff, founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America talks with Rachel Maddow about how Donald Trump is reshaping the role of the U.S. military to suit his interests and ego. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow hosts a special conversation with guests from her "Burn Order" podcast, live from the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles to discuss the fight against the race-based incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II and how lessons from that episode in American history apply today. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rachel Maddow shares a look at how outrage over government corruption in Bulgaria prompted massive protests and eventually the resignation of the prime minister and his government. And in the United States, for all of Donald Trump's unpopular policies being protested across the country, the self-dealing and corruption that has become his administration's hallmark may ultimately be what leads to Trump's downfall. Julie K. Brown, investigative reporter for the Miami Herald who first exposed the scandal of how the Jeffrey Epstein case was handed, talks with Rachel Maddow about feedback she is receiving from survivors of Epstein's abuse about finding their own names in released documents despite heavy redactions that appear to make a greater priority of protecting the identities and information of people involved with Epstein than to protect his victims as the law instructs.Rep. Jamie Raskin joins to discuss how an ownership change and recent editorial decisions by CBS News is raising concerns that Donald Trump and the billionaires who support him are making progress on building state media. Want more of Rachel? Check out the "Rachel Maddow Presents" feed to listen to all of her chart-topping original podcasts.To listen to all of your favorite MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.