WEBVTT - How To Survive Trump 2.0 | A Conversation with David Pakman

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<v Speaker 1>It's great to have back on the program today. Steve Schmidt,

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<v Speaker 1>renowned American political strategist, commentator, founder of The Warning, a

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<v Speaker 1>popular newsletter, podcast and YouTube channel. Well, Steve, I don't

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<v Speaker 1>know where to start. I mean, I think one place

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<v Speaker 1>is one of the reactions I'm now seeing from some

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<v Speaker 1>on the Trump supporting right is to say that a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of our worst fears are kind of hyperbolic. And

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<v Speaker 1>often they will say, you know, the first term didn't

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<v Speaker 1>actually see all of the things we worried would happen,

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<v Speaker 1>and therefore this term won't either. You put out videos

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<v Speaker 1>before the election, including Steve Schmidt explains why Donald Trump

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<v Speaker 1>will become the next Hitler if he wins, Trump will

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<v Speaker 1>be the end of America. Talk to us. Is there

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<v Speaker 1>a hyperbolic or sensational element to that or are those

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<v Speaker 1>your literal beliefs.

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<v Speaker 2>What I said in the immediate aftermath of the election

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<v Speaker 2>is that I stay and boy, everything that I have

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<v Speaker 2>said about Donald Trump over nine years, I am right

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<v Speaker 2>about who he is. Donald Trump campaigned as a fascist,

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<v Speaker 2>and campaign was repugnant, race bating, dishonorable, and here's reality,

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<v Speaker 2>seventy four million of us voted against it. We said no,

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<v Speaker 2>we have representation in this country. We have rights in

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<v Speaker 2>this country, including the right to oppose, the right to

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<v Speaker 2>assert conscience, to dissent, and to say no. Couple more

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<v Speaker 2>million people voted for Donald Trump, and we can talk

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<v Speaker 2>about that now. What I did say is I'm going

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<v Speaker 2>to be very clear and precise with regard to my

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<v Speaker 2>use of language. Until he governed as a fascist, I

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<v Speaker 2>will not say that Donald Trump is governing as a fascist.

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<v Speaker 2>Campaigning as a fascist is different than governing as a fascist, right,

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<v Speaker 2>But there are no people that I'm aware of that

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<v Speaker 2>have campaigned as a fascist who have not governed as

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<v Speaker 2>a fascist. And when I look at the insanity and

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<v Speaker 2>the desecrative nature of his early nominations, they suggest to

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<v Speaker 2>me tremendous extremism aimed at annihilation of these agencies is

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<v Speaker 2>functional for the purposes of creating chaos in order to

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<v Speaker 2>assert the need for more power to end the chaos.

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<v Speaker 2>He has said that he will deploy the military as

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<v Speaker 2>part of his mass deportation operation, of which we have

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<v Speaker 2>no details except for that some of the parameters call

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<v Speaker 2>for the construction of quote massive detention facilities. So what

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<v Speaker 2>words are we to use to call those what euphemism

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<v Speaker 2>are we going to settle on? So, yes, this is

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<v Speaker 2>a dangerous time. And I don't think that you compare

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<v Speaker 2>Donald Trump to Adolph Hitler loosely, And I absolutely don't

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<v Speaker 2>think if you do it, you go sit down and

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<v Speaker 2>have tea with him at Burchase guarden Ecmi Mara a Lago.

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<v Speaker 1>As far as what now happens both to anti Trump

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<v Speaker 1>Republicans but also what I call the demoralized and despondent left,

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<v Speaker 1>many of whom I'm hearing from regularly, who say, I

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<v Speaker 1>start gagging when you tell me about let's look at

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<v Speaker 1>twenty twenty six. It's just I just can't now go.

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<v Speaker 1>We're gonna get them, and let's start figuring out and

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<v Speaker 1>let's talk about who'll run in twenty eight. It's just

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<v Speaker 1>a huge swath of my audience is like, no, no, no, no,

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<v Speaker 1>this was so devastating. I'm out for a while. What

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<v Speaker 1>now for those groups of people you.

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<v Speaker 2>Can't get out? Okay, you don't have to charge. You

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<v Speaker 2>can just sit and do less and read and comprehend

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<v Speaker 2>and orient towards what's happening and get ready to oppose it. Right,

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<v Speaker 2>And what I would ask is if any one of

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<v Speaker 2>your great many listeners are fans of politicians. Let that go, right,

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<v Speaker 2>don't trust any of them, be skeptical of power. Understand

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<v Speaker 2>who your allies are, and hold them to account. Now,

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<v Speaker 2>a's some bad news about twenty twenty six, right, Chuck

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<v Speaker 2>Schumer is a disaster, the communications disaster. John Stewart making

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<v Speaker 2>fun of him the Last Night brutal. He's a strategic

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<v Speaker 2>disaster and a tech tactical disaster. Because Democrats have no

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<v Speaker 2>shot really to pick up any seats in twenty twenty

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<v Speaker 2>six in the Senate. Right, so there's no chance. A

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<v Speaker 2>less society crators, and there's a turnout that's so violatile

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<v Speaker 2>that it changes the composition of the electorate in red

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<v Speaker 2>states profoundly and historically so absent that the only races

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<v Speaker 2>of consequence of matter. In a federal election of the House,

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<v Speaker 2>Democrats have to get the power of the perspect They

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<v Speaker 2>have to take back the House. And the good news

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<v Speaker 2>is there are only three elections in the last one

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<v Speaker 2>hundred and twenty four years where the incumbent president's party

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<v Speaker 2>has picked up seats in the first mid term election,

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<v Speaker 2>and the bottom line is Trump won by three million

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<v Speaker 2>voters and a lot of people aren't going to like

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of the things that he is going to do.

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<v Speaker 2>We are nothing if not a fickle people. So to

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<v Speaker 2>all the despondent folks out there, George W. Bush's approval

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<v Speaker 2>level was a solid seventy seven percent on the day

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<v Speaker 2>of the Iraq War began. Give it six months now.

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<v Speaker 2>You have a right to be angry about being lied

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<v Speaker 2>to by a small circle of staffers around Biden about

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<v Speaker 2>his competency and capacity. You got a right to be

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<v Speaker 2>angry about corporate media and Joe Scarborough and the constant

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<v Speaker 2>bullshitary and the access media. And you got a right

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<v Speaker 2>to be mad as hell about the democratic politicians who

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<v Speaker 2>won't fight, who can't see it coming, who will accommodate

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<v Speaker 2>what needs confrontation, and who will normalize what is deeply,

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<v Speaker 2>deeply wrong. And so there will be leaders who emerge.

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<v Speaker 2>When they emerge, get behind them and understand it. We

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<v Speaker 2>need to build a broad coalition of the americanism that

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<v Speaker 2>tolerates dissent, that accommodates everybody that believes an opportunity for

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<v Speaker 2>everybody that rejects these dogmas of collective guilt, that rejects extremism.

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<v Speaker 2>It makes clear that the purpose of politics is to

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<v Speaker 2>make the lives of ordinary people better. So I've had

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<v Speaker 2>a reading assignment. I'd say go read five or six

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<v Speaker 2>John Kennedy campaign speeches, pick them at your leisure, and

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<v Speaker 2>go read FDRs nineteen forty inaugural. There's going to be

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<v Speaker 2>a moment soon where people are gonna need to be

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<v Speaker 2>on the streets protesting. I've never marched in a protest

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<v Speaker 2>in my life. I suspect we'll be in my first one.

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<v Speaker 2>Because when the military deploys and Trump rolls through the

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<v Speaker 2>US Senate and acts with impunity and immunity, we will

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<v Speaker 2>be in deep crisis. And Americans have an absolute right,

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<v Speaker 2>a god given one in fact, to stand, to oppose,

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<v Speaker 2>to defy, and to say no, rest up, it's coming.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm Steve Schmidt. This is the warning, and I invite

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<v Speaker 2>you to join. Subscribe on our substack, on our YouTube channel,

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<v Speaker 2>follow us. Welcome to the community.