CBS News Sunday Morning’s Robert Costa gave House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) a chance to explain what a Democrats’ congressional victory means. Raskin responded with comparisons to the French Revolution and the Battle of Gettysburg, while invoking Marie Antoinette to make his point about the Trump administration. All of that with zero push back from the CBS journalists.
When asked by Costa how Democrats planned to hold President Trump accountable for his past two years in office, Raskin answered “Through the rule of law.”
But, Raskin quickly reached for the French Revolution when Costa asked whether Congress should focus on the economy and legislation rather than investigations. “It’s not an either or proposition” said Raskin, before invoking the infamous words attributed to Marie Antoinette: “Let them eat cake.”
Can’t forget how that revolution ended, with Marie Antoinette losing her head. That’s not to mention the fact that the French Revolution was known for their show trials and subsequent executions for political prisoners.
And yet, there was no concern from CBS.
Raskin then went on to argue that the country faced a problem with both accountability and affordability, tying the two together under Trump's leadership:
Authoritarianism and tyranny are extremely expensive for the people. And it’s the exact same thing when you go down the line with Donald Trump. So, are we going to go after the corruption? Yeah, you're damn right. And are we going to go after affordability and making people's lives easier? Yeah, you’re damn right we’re going to do both of them.
The historical comparisons didn’t stop there. When asked by Costa what the Democrats’ election victory said about American democracy, Raskin compared the result to one of the Civil War’s defining battles.
Raskin said, “It was a huge victory, but I liken it to the Battle of Gettysburg, which was a turning point in the Civil War, but it wasn’t the end of it. There were a lot more battles to come.”
It seemed like Raskin failed to recall the thousands of casualties that resulted from Gettysburg, but sure, make this kind of comparison.
He was also quick to add that the political fight was far from over, calling out how, “Donald Trump still has two years in office, at least on paper. This struggle is not over by a long shot. We're still in the fight of our lives.”
For Democrats, the win in Congress wasn’t just a political victory. It was a revolution. And CBS didn’t have a problem with the evocation of violent, bloody, and deadly rhetoric.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
CBS’ CBS News Sunday Morning
November 9, 2026
09:20:53 a.m. Eastern(...)
ROBERT COSTA: Many people wonder, how are the Democrats going to hold President Trump accountable. What’s the answer?
JAMIE RASKIN (D-MD): Through the rule of law
COSTA: Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin is set to chair the powerful judiciary committee.
[To Raskin] What do you say to an American who would prefer Congress focuses on the economy and legislation and not on investigations?
RASKIN: It’s not an either or proposition. Take for example the French Revolution. Remember when Marie Antoinette said “Let them eat cake.” Now, is that a problem of accountability and tyranny, a corrupt government, or is it a problem of affordability and a standard of living? It’s both!
Authoritarianism and tyranny are extremely expensive for the people. And it’s the exact same thing when you go down the line with Donald Trump. So, are we going to go after the corruption? Yeah, you're damn right. And are we going to go after affordability and making people's lives easier? Yeah, you’re damn right we’re going to do both of them.
COSTA: Is any bipartisanship possible?
RASKIN: Sure! I saw J.D. Vance make a speech the other day. He’s rapidly backpedaling and trying to dissociate himself from the Iran War. Let's work in a bipartisan way to try to extricate ourselves from the mess they got us into. Same thing with the tariffs, right? They’re all backpedaling from the tariffs.
COSTA: But Congressman Jamie Raskin says Democrats have no illusions about the road ahead.
[To Raskin]: What did this past Tuesday night say not just about your party, the Democrats, but about American democracy?
RASKIN: It was a huge victory, but I liken it to the Battle of Gettysburg, which was a turning point in the Civil War, but it wasn’t the end of it. There were a lot more battles to come. And Donald Trump still has two years in office, at least on paper. This struggle is not over by a long shot. We're still in the fight of our lives.
(...)
