Historian Jon Meacham said Monday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that he believed former President Donald Trump was a “tyrant who rose among us.”
Brzezinski said, “Given recent history, I mean recent history with President Trump, and post-President Trump and January 6th, and the way he’s treating the people who are in jail right now for the insurrection at the Capitol, the way he is whitewashing what happened and getting other Republicans to do so. Can you also talk about how Trump could and is already using this to foment ambiguity and anger in this country?
Meacham said, “In one of his first public speeches, Abraham Lincoln said that if the American Republic were ever to fall, it would not fall to a foreign foe. It would fall to a tyrant who rose among us. And I think that’s essentially where we are. You’re exactly right. What’s unfolding in Manhattan today is part of a larger story about Donald Trump, his behavior, his view of whether or not American democracy exists for the good of the country or for the good of Donald Trump.”
He added, “The question is going to be, as we head into this presidential election, is, will a sufficient number of those people stand by Donald Trump come what may, including a felony conviction, including possibly convictions, certainly trials, about overturning an election that he just didn’t like. Right? That’s on trial. So truth and democracy are on trial this year, and I don’t, it’s… I have no pleasure in saying this. I’m not trying. I’m not being hyperbolic. You know, this isn’t like history nerd sweepstakes. You know, it’s not that. This is the fact of the matter. And American democracy, in many ways is being tested here.
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