Mike Pence learned the lesson. So did Kevin McCarthy, Reince Priebus, and Ronna McDaniel. Now, Elise Stefanik has learned the same lesson: Loyalty is something Trump expects to receive, not to bestow. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Democrats keep accusing the White House of playing petty partisan games with federal disaster aid. And Trump keeps proving them right. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

JD Vance’s insistence that the U.S. is a “Christian nation” was ahistorical nonsense. But just as notable is the sentiment behind the rhetoric: He wants non-Christians to know they might be tolerated under his vision, but they’ll still be relegated to second-class status. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Dan Bongino’s embarrassing tenure at the FBI was a failed experiment in amateurism — but in this administration, it was only one in a series of failed experiments in amateurism.

Trump, Sept. 20, in reference to Erik Siebert, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia: “He didn’t quit, I fired him!” Trump’s deputy AG, three months later: Siebert wasn’t fired, he quit. These guys keep assuming that we all have bad memories.

It’s worth describing what transpired at the Kennedy Center today accurately: The president’s operation just vandalized one of the nation’s premier performing arts centers. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Late 2024: Trump says the economy is in great shape, and he demands credit for Biden-era progress. Late 2025: Trump pleads with Americans to forget how much better things were a year ago. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

If White House officials want a public discussion about private-sector job growth, that’s fine, but they may not like where the conversation ends up. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Last year, one-term Rep. Anthony D’Esposito lost after adding his mistress to his official payroll. This year, Republicans made him the inspector general at the Dept of Labor, where he’ll be expected to investigate ethical lapses — despite his own ethical lapses. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Trump’s attack on Raphael Warnock was tiresome and forgettable, except for one thing: It showed Trump doesn’t understand the separation of church and state at a basic level. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Trump said he was using tariff revenue to finance “warrior dividend” payments to U.S. troops. Then the claim was discredited. Then he said it again anyway. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Trump wants the Kennedy Center to be named after him. And DC’s football stadium. And Dulles Airport. And the WH ballroom. He also wants his face on both sides of a commemorative legal-tender coin, and his White House has made official inquiries into adding Trump to Mt. Rushmore. Subtle it is not.

House Speaker Mike Johnson doesn’t deny that 22 million to 24 million American health care consumers will soon suffer as a result of expiring ACA subsidies. He just doesn’t think that’s a lot of people. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

The conversation about Trump’s White House renovations is important, but it’s worth expanding the discussion — to include a talk about Trump’s White House vandalism. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

It’s worth appreciating Don Bongino’s FBI tenure for what it was: the latest in a series of failed experiments in amateurism. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

It was rather easy to come up with a top 10 list of Trump’s most brazen lies from his year-end prime-time address. The greater challenge was trying to find something in his remarks that was true. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

After Trump filed a ridiculous defamation case against the Pulitzer Prize Board, its lawyers started demanding records as part of the discovery phase, including his - tax returns - medical records - medications - materials related to his “psychological health” www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

As the Dems’ ACA discharge petition picks up the GOP support it needed, Speaker Mike Johnson said, “I have not lost control of the House.” The funny thing is, speakers in positions of strength don’t have to say, “I have not lost control of the House.” It’s supposed to be assumed.

If Trump’s team looked at the latest jobs data and saw a “strong” report, that might help explain why he’s failing so spectacularly: The White House doesn’t even know what economic success looks like. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Interestingly enough, the highest GDP on record came in 1942, when domestic production roared at the start of World War II, and growth reached nearly 19%. Trump suggested last week that he could top that — because he doesn’t know anything about economic policy: tinyurl.com/2uzdsfk7

Trump, last week: “When will I get credit for having created ... perhaps the Greatest Economy in the History of our Country?” Reality, this week: The unemployment rate has reached a four-year high and 2025 is the worst year for job growth since the Great Recession. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Tina Peters used someone else’s security badge to allow an activist to access election equipment to expose a conspiratorial plot that didn’t exist. A jury found her guilty of, among other things, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, first-degree official misconduct, and violation of duty.

When Paul Pelosi was nearly murdered, and Trump responded with conspiracy theories and jokes, it reminded the world that Trump is a man devoid of grace and decency. Targeting Rob Reiner, he did it again, digging a hole in the bottom of the barrel and falling even further. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

When I saw a headline that read, “GOP senator touts book promoting bleach treatment for autism, cancer.” I said to myself, “Five bucks says it’s Ron Johnson.” It was Ron Johnson. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Why isn’t Trump trying to prevent a spike in health care costs for tens of millions of Americans? Because he doesn’t appear to care. “Don’t make it sound so bad” is a quote that deserves to linger. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Thursday was brutal for Trump on multiple fronts — Indiana, Letitia James, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, AP poll, et al. — but don’t sleep on the House passing the Protect America’s Workforce Act. It’s the first time this year the Republican-led House has voted to undo a Trump executive order.

As a new poll shows Trump’s approval rating on the economy reaching woeful new lows, he apparently thinks self-pity might help. It won’t. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

After investing months of time, effort, and resources into Indiana’s redistricting scheme, Trump suffered one of the most humiliating failures of his second term. Which is why it was hilarious to see him pretend otherwise. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

When a NATO member's military intelligence service describes the United States as a potential security risk, that's a problem. What was that Trump was saying about how much the world respects the US thanks to him? www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

The White House and congressional Republicans invested months of effort into this radical scheme ... and they failed in spectacular fashion.

Where do things stand on the health care fight in Congress? - Dems have a good plan that Republicans oppose - Republicans can’t agree among themselves on a plan of their own - Trump wants to stay on the sidelines - consumers are quickly running out of calendar www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Trump’s Commerce secretary said to expect 6% economic growth. Trump himself floated 20% to 25% growth. As an economic matter, this is bonkers. As a political matter, it’s worse. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Rubio focuses on fonts, Duffy focuses on airport pull-ups, Hegseth focuses on paintings, Noem focuses on photo-ops, and Trump focuses on ballrooms and bathrooms ... Shouldn’t they have other things to do? www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

What’s wrong with the White House selling “Trump Gold Cards” to foreigners seeking legal status and a pathway to citizenship? Other than the likelihood of corruption, the political mess, and questions about legality, you know, the usual stuff. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Trump: “You can give up certain products,” such as pencils and toys for children. Also Trump: Let’s talk about my new marble bathroom, my ever-growing White House ballroom, and the Gatsby-themed party at the glorified country club I own and profit from. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Pressed on his pardon for a notorious foreign drug trafficker, Trump said, “Well, I don’t know him. And I know very little about him.” How do we know he’s lying? In part because Trump said the opposite eight days earlier. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Republicans keep saying they don’t have a political problem. They also keep losing elections. Miami’s mayoral race was big, but Dems flipping a state House seat in Georgia was just as notable. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

It’s going to take them “a while”? Republicans started promising an ACA alternative in ... June 2009. tinyurl.com/3at57hmh

Republicans’ health care problem #1: They have no idea what to do about health care Republicans’ health care problem #2: They’re about to be blamed for massive price increases Republicans’ health care problem #3: The ACA keeps becoming more popular, despite GOP smears www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

December 2014: Barack Obama holds a press conference, fields questions exclusively from women journalists, breaking new ground. December 2025: Donald Trump repeatedly lashes out at women covering the White House, breaking a different kind of new ground. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Remember over the summer, when Trump urged reporters to start digging through mortgage records, looking for officials who might’ve committed fraud? Months later, it’s hard not to wonder whether he regrets issuing such a challenge. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

As Trump hosted the Kennedy Center Honors, a question went unanswered: Who's calling the shots in the White House while he pursues his many self-indulgent distractions, playing in the world’s most powerful sandbox? www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

There are a variety of ways to describe the healthy economy Trump inherited from Biden. For those who care about reality, “trainwreck” isn’t one of them: tinyurl.com/2dau4rpu

At the end of a brutal week for the nation’s public health system, Bill Cassidy — who’s responsible for RFK Jr’s confirmation & who chairs the Senate health committee — disapproves of what’s happened, especially on the hep B vaccine. He’s just not willing to do anything www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

The fact that Trump put the ridiculous “FIFA Peace Prize” medal around his own neck added an unintentionally amusing — and oddly apt — twist on the award ceremony. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Some on the right seemed eager to suggest yesterday that the suspected pipe bomber was somehow aligned with the left. That was before Brian Cole Jr. told the FBI he backed Trump and believed 2020 election conspiracy theories. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino now admits that when he peddled bogus conspiracy theories about the pipe-bombs case, he didn’t know what he was talking about. “I was paid in the past for my opinions,” he said. I’m not sure if he’s fully thought this through. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

As Trump hires another ballroom architect for his White House vanity project, a question hangs overhead: Will he ever devote this much attention to governing and policymaking? I think we know the answer. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

"...if placing “live bombs” is qualitatively different from other Jan. 6 crimes, why did the Trump administration dismiss charges against Daniel Ball — who set off an explosive device in a Capitol tunnel during a fierce battle between pro-Trump rioters and law enforcement officers?"

Following an arrest in the pipe-bombs case, the White House rejected questions about the parallels between this case and Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons. But the closer one looks, the more legitimate this line of inquiry appears. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...