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.
Feb 07, 2025•45 min•Ep 250206•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Feb 06, 2025•46 min•Ep 250205•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Feb 05, 2025•43 min•Ep 250204•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Feb 04, 2025•43 min•Ep 250203•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Feb 01, 2025•57 min•Ep 250131•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Jan 31, 2025•43 min•Ep 250130•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Jan 30, 2025•51 min•Ep 250129•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Jan 29, 2025•44 min•Ep 250128•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Jan 28, 2025•47 min•Ep 250127•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Jan 25, 2025•50 min•Ep 250124•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Jan 24, 2025•47 min•Ep 250123•Transcript available on Metacast Introducing “Trumpland with Alex Wagner.” On “Trumpland,” MSNBC’s Alex Wagner takes a break from the anchor chair to get out into the field and speak with the people on the frontlines of Trump’s policies—and promises. Listen to the full first episode here, as Alex travels to DC—but not for the inauguration. Hours after President Trump was in sworn into office for the second time, he began issuing a series of presidential pardons for the January 6th insurrection. Listen along as Alex speaks to th...
Jan 24, 2025•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Jan 23, 2025•43 min•Ep 250122•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Jan 22, 2025•44 min•Ep 250121•Transcript available on Metacast 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).
Jan 21, 2025•49 min•Ep 1000000•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Jan 14, 2025•45 min•Ep 250113•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Jan 07, 2025•44 min•Ep 250106•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Dec 24, 2024•44 min•Ep 241223•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Dec 17, 2024•44 min•Ep 241216•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Dec 13, 2024•9 min•Ep 241213•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Dec 12, 2024•11 min•Ep 241212•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Dec 10, 2024•45 min•Ep 241209•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Dec 03, 2024•45 min•Ep 241202•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Nov 26, 2024•43 min•Ep 241125•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Nov 21, 2024•57 min•Ep 241121•Transcript available on Metacast Rachel Maddow looks at ways that Democrats can, and are, using their power and positions to prevent Trump from taking full, unfettered power.
Nov 19, 2024•43 min•Ep 1000000•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Nov 18, 2024•20 min•Ep 1000000•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Nov 12, 2024•43 min•Ep 241111•Transcript available on Metacast Rachel Maddow and some of her prime time colleagues discuss the outcome of the 2024 election.
Nov 07, 2024•2 hr 41 min•Ep 241106•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Nov 05, 2024•47 min•Ep 241104•Transcript available on Metacast