Rachel Maddow spotlighted Monday night some recent instances of Americans pushing back against President Trump and argued that they are proof he is “as weak and unpopular as he’s ever been.”
Among the examples cited by Maddow were the local protests recently carried out by the citizens of Newport, Oregon, a “scrappy, beautiful” crab fishing town. Earlier this year, the Trump administration not only reportedly began enacting plans to build an immigration prison in Newport, but also took away the town’s Coast Guard rescue helicopter. Over the past 10 years, the latter has helped saved the lives of more than 500 people off the coast of Newport.
Both decisions by the Trump administration prompted swift outrage and enough local protests to garner the attention and help of Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley. “One Texas contractor that had been seeking land in the town near the airport, presumably for the immigration prison, pulled out and dropped their request to the town as soon as the locals started to protest,” Maddow reported. “Now, the town of Newport has got their helicopter back as well.”
The “Rachel Maddow Show” host added that local Newport representatives, citizens, fishermen’s wives and Senators Wyden and Merkley were all given different reasons for why the town’s Coast Guard helicopter had been taken away. When the Trump administration was forced to explain in court why it had confiscated the rescue vessel, it revealed that it had ordered the Coast Guard to fly to San Diego in the helicopter and look for immigrants attempting to illegally cross the Mexican border.
“The comprehensive freaking uproar in that town has got them their Coast Guard rescue helicopter back, and so far it means no immigration prison is going up in that town, either,” Maddow explained. “Sometimes when you fight, you win.” You can watch the full “Rachel Maddow Show” segment yourself in the video below.
Maddow also pointed to Trump’s multiple attempts to charge New York State Attorney General Letitia James with mortgage fraud. The original indictment against James was not only tossed out but the Justice Department’s subsequent attempt to indict the New York representative failed as well. “A grand jury told them to take a hike,” Maddow succinctly summarized.
“ProPublica reports that if Trump really wants Letitia James to be charged with mortgage fraud for this particular paperwork issue he sees in her mortgage paperwork, well, he should probably check his own files,” the MS NOW anchor added. “Trump’s own mortgage paperwork from his own mortgages in Florida turn out to be filled out exactly the same way that Letitia James’ paperwork was filled out. Oops! Maybe he will turn himself in to be prosecuted.”
“Americans are fighting against this administration in all sorts of interesting ways, and this president appears as weak and unpopular as he has ever been, in all of his time in public life. You’re seeing that,” Maddow concluded. “You’re seeing that combination of his weakness and Americans’ appetite to fight him in, frankly, every court except the United States Supreme Court.”
