ABC’s The View played host to MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Tuesday, allowing her to fear monger regarding the potential re-election of former President Donald Trump. Maddow explains the dangers she saw as a threat from the former President, and the possibility of his revenge. Painting Trump as an unhinged, vindictive, and violent threat to many, co-host Joy Behar, and other co-hosts agreed with Maddow.
Maddow was their featured guest for three full segments, and Behar’s first question was about how Trump was supposedly going to target Maddow and The View cast for “retribution,” rhetorically scoffing at those who say they’re being “overdramatic”:
He always has somebody to blame, you know? So you said recently that you thought that you as an outspoken critic, could be a target yourself. Some people think that sounds overdramatic, but I'm right there with you. I think that he is so vindictive that he will go after -- however he has to, through the IRS maybe or even, you know, through sponsors to get us off the air maybe or you. How seriously should we be taking that?
Yet, she was still able to quip that he would be “seeking retribution … for his legal troubles, for his personal troubles, for his hair, whatever.”
Characterizing Trump as a villain was no new headline in the news these days, so adding a hypothetical threat of personal revenge seems to be the only way of getting a good story for Maddow. Though in her original remarks on her true fear of Trump, the MSNBC host seemed to walk back her self-focused hysterics and suggested, though she was not necessarily worried for herself, as she has protection, she was worried for others:
Well, so, I was asked, “Am I worried about me?” And my answer was, I'm worried about all of us. I'm no worried about me than I am worried about everybody in the country. I think it's bad to have somebody saying, “Give me as much power as you can in this country so I can use it to go after other Americans, so I can use it to go after these subhuman internal enemies and I will destroy them.” That's just not a good system for anybody and I don't think anybody is safe if that's the sort of basis on which he wants to get more power.
At one point, Behar exclaimed that Trump and his supporters were “going full Jim Jones” complete with “the Kool-Aid thing”:
Once you have political violence you have fascism following that. So you've characterized some of Trump's rhetoric as being pornographically violent. That's a good phrase, I like it. In just the last weeks he's joked about his supporters committing suicide, listen to this, did you catch this, he tells them wouldn't it be bet tore commit suicide than to vote for Biden? He's going full Jim Jones now, you know? It's like the Kool-Aid thing. Is he losing it or what? Do they think he's kidding when he says that? What?
“There is something going on that’s just, aside from the politics, that’s just deeply weird,” Maddow agreed. “Like who’s into Hannibal Lecter as a character?”
Listening to this diatribe, it makes one wonder the real story behind all of this hypothetical nonsense. In reality there is none, save the goal of fear mongering their viewers. Maddow was asked onto this show, as she would get more airtime, The View would have an “outside” perspective, all as another excuse to complain about a politician, who has done nothing personal to you! An unsurprising display of poor media and overwhelming agenda, which has pervaded The View in recent months.
Worst of all, when threats of violence towards conservatives have caught the attention of the media there is a far less empathetic reaction.
The transcript is below, click “expand” to read:
ABC’s The View
6/17/2024
11:22:21 AM ESTRun Time: 3 minutes 27 seconds
JOY BEHAR: Okay, so let me ask you this because there has been a lot of talk about Trump seeking retribution if he gets into office for his legal troubles, for his personal troubles, for his hair, whatever.
[Laughter]
He always has somebody to blame, you know? So you said recently that you thought that you as an outspoken critic, could be a target yourself. Some people think that sounds overdramatic, but I'm right there with you. I think that he is so vindictive that he will go after -- however he has to, through the IRS maybe or even, you know, through sponsors to get us off the air maybe or you. How seriously should we be taking that?
RACHEL MADDOW: Well, so, I was asked, “Am I worried about me?” And my answer was I'm worried about all of us. I'm no worried about me than I am worried about everybody in the country. I think it's bad to have somebody saying give me as much power as you can in this country so I can use it to go after other Americans, so I can use it to go after these subhuman internal enemies and I will destroy them. That's just not a good system for anybody and I don't think anybody is safe if that's the sort of basis on which he wants to get more power.
BEHAR: Well remember when Nixon had an enemy's list, that was a proud moment when they were on the enemies list. That was a proud moment for a lot of people if they made it onto the enemies list. Maybe we have to turn it around like that.
MADDOW: I mean I don't – if he decides to go after you or me or anybody who is well-known, you know, we have resources, we will likely be fine, but I think there's a pattern where he picks out individual people and effectively terrorizes them. I mean, there's Stormy Daniels wearing a bulletproof vest to get into the courthouse.
BEHAR: Once you have political violence you have fascism following that. So you've characterized some of Trump's rhetoric as being pornographically violent. That's a good phrase, I like it. In just the last weeks he's joked about his supporters committing suicide, listen to this, did you catch this, he tells them wouldn't it be bet tore commit suicide than to vote for Biden? He's going full Jim Jones now, you know? It's like the Kool-Aid thing. Is he losing it or what? Do they think he's kidding when he says that? What?
MADDOW: There is something going on that’s just, aside from the politics, that’s just deeply weird. Like who’s into Hannibal Lecter as a character.
SUNNY HOSTIN: And just throwing it out there.
MADDOW: And just throw it out there. Like, first of all that movie is very old.
WHOPPI GOLDBERG: Or the Sharks.
MADDOW: Or the Sharks.
HOSTIN: He’s afraid of sharks.
MADDOW: When he talks about crime, he doesn't just talk about crime, he acts – he kinda draws you through it. And then they got stabbed and then they turned the weapon and then -- when he was talking – the stupid thing about the sharks he had to go the extra detail to talk about the woman getting her leg bit off.
HOSTIN: Stormy Daniels says he's afraid of sharks.
MADDOW: I think he's afraid of sharks but I also think he’s trying to make us all afraid of everything.
HOSTIN: But you know what if sharks vote for them he’ll like them again.
MADDOW: There is something weird about talking about things in very bloody, violent terms all the time. I think it’s –
GOLDBERG: When you don't have anything else to say, what do you do?
MADDOW: He's trying to
GOLDBERG: He doesn't –
MADDOW: He doesn’t reach people emotionally so that reason is off the table and we are just eating emotionally.
GOLDBERG: Yeah well I think people are starting to go, you know what, this is exhausting. And I think people are starting to go, okay, whatever. You and your sharks, go with God. It's all good.
MADDOW: You and Hannibal Lecter. Go have a swim.
