In this exclusive Zeteo town hall, Zeteo Editor-In-Chief Mehdi Hasan is joined by ‘The Left Hook’ Editor Wajahat Ali, ‘The Bitchuation Room’ Host Francesca Fiorentini, and Zeteo Political Correspondent Prem Thakker to break down the key moments from Trump’s first day as president.
Mehdi and guests start off by discussing Trump’s decision to kick off his second term by pardoning the January 6th rioters, including former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, who had been serving a 22-year prison term after being convicted of seditious conspiracy.
“This is what he's [Trump] saying: If you're my violent mob, I got your back. There's no penalty for violence against my enemies,” Wajahat says to Mehdi.
Mehdi and the panelists also discussed the moment where billionaire Elon Musk gave an apparent Nazi salute during Trump’s inauguration celebration, and remarked on the mainstream media’s efforts to normalize Musk’s behavior.
“He [Musk] did it twice. He did it forcefully. He did it deliberately. Same angle. And we are in a moment right now where mainstream news is kind of normalizing it,” Francesca says to Mehdi. “What would it mean for this country to truly admit that we have a Nazi sympathizer as president? I think for some people, they cannot compute that there – that our precious democracy might just be this close to loving fascists and loving cruelty and genocide.”
The panel talked about what the future of the Democratic Party may look like as they try to rally support during the Trump administration, with Prem emphasizing how vital it will be for Democrats to harp on Trump’s tech oligarchy and billionaire administration.
“If you have a president who cancels his public-face inauguration, brings it inside, he has four of the richest people on the planet ahead of everyone else on stage… If you have all of that on day one, while the world is on fire, while people can't afford housing, can't afford health care, while he talks about inflation in his rambling speeches… and you still can't craft a message that is focused around it, you don’t deserve to win,” Prem says.
Watch the full video above to hear the panelists discuss what organizing will look like under a second Trump term, Marco Rubio’s confirmation as Secretary of State, and Trump’s looming war on the Southern border.
Free subscribers can watch a 10-minute preview. Do consider becoming a paid subscriber today to watch the full Town Hall and participate in the next Q&A!
Also, if you liked hearing from Wajahat and Francesca, tune in to on Zeteo’s YouTube Live on Tuesday at 8PM ET for the launch of their brand new Zeteo show, ‘America Unhinged.’
