“Nothing That Classless and Tacky Has Ever Happened”: Rachel Maddow Critiques Trump’s Chaotic Transition

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow launched into a scathing critique of President-elect Donald Trump during her Monday show, highlighting what she called the chaos and grift surrounding his transition. “The last transition Donald Trump was part of was the worst presidential transition in the history of the country,” Maddow stated, referencing the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

“And given how disastrously he performed in that last transition, I mean, you have to just assume that this one inherently will be better. It has to be, right? But I think it is worth being blunt about the fact that it might be close. Because this, too, is a terrible, terrible presidential transition.”

Maddow emphasized Trump’s unprecedented behavior, which included continuing to promote and sell self-branded merchandise during the transition. “This is the transition where the president-elect, throughout the presidential transition period, has continued to sell his junk,” Maddow said. “His self-branded watches and sneakers and Bibles, reported The New York Times.

He put out a new Inauguration Day edition of his special branded Bible. He’s still selling boots. Now he’s selling Trump boots and his new crypto, whatever it is, and his commemorative coins and his commemorative guitars. Nothing like that has ever happened before. Nothing that classless and tacky has ever happened to the U.S. presidency before.”

Maddow’s critique extended beyond Trump’s monetization of the presidency to his inflammatory statements as the incoming leader of the nation. “This is the transition where he said at a press conference that it might have been Hezbollah that did the January 6th attack,” she said. “Really, Hezbollah did it. He also said at that same press conference that he’s going to pardon the people who did the January 6th attack. Well, I’m sure Hezbollah will be delighted.”

Maddow also noted Trump’s alarming international rhetoric. “This is the transition where he made unprovoked threats to seize territory from three other nations, three other nations with whom we are allied,” she pointed out, adding that such statements embolden adversaries like Russia and China.

She warned of the long-term consequences, stating, “Whether or not Trump actually follows through on these weird threats, those two dictators will have Trump’s words during the transition to throw back at the United States of America, if the U.S. ever again bothers to object to big countries like theirs stomping on small countries and seizing their land.”

Maddow’s critique paints a dire picture of Trump’s transition, emphasizing its potential impact on domestic politics and international relations.