What does a veteran Republican strategist who served as a senior political adviser to George W. Bush, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the late Arizona Senator John McCain during his 2008 presidential campaign, have to say about Donald Trump?
Steve Schmidt, the adviser we’re referring to, and host of ‘The Warning with Steve Schmidt’ Substack newsletter and podcast joined Mehdi for a special Substack Live ‘Election Dialogue.’ In their wide-ranging and very passionate and personal conversation, Mehdi and Schmidt, an ardent ‘Never Trumper’ since 2016, break down the political dynamics surrounding Donald Trump and his 2024 campaign - and they both agree that American democracy is at existential risk from a fascist movement led by the former president.
Mehdi argues that Democrats are too soft with their responses to people like Musk.
“What do they say? Don't bring a knife to a gunfight? They [the Democrats] bring a sternly worded letter to a bazooka fight with fascists like Musk and Trump.”
The duo also discusses what a potential second Trump term might mean for minorities, including Muslim Americans.
“There is no group in this country that is more vulnerable to a Trump administration than Muslim-Americans… Donald Trump has a real animus for people of color, for blacks, for Muslims, and he's going to act on that malice, and anybody who thinks that they somehow are going to be safe from Trump, is very, very naive,” says Schmidt.
Steve and Mehdi cycle through a lot of aspects of this year’s election during their near one-hour conversation. Listen to the full discussion above to hear why there is fear even within House Republicans of a second Trump term, and why the media is turning a blind eye to fascism – again – when it comes to Trump.
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