At a rally in Michigan over the weekend, Donald Trump uncorked one of his longest rants ever in praise of the world’s autocrats, strongmen, and dictators. He hailed Xi Jinping of China as “brilliant” for controlling 1.4 billion people “with an iron fist,” and described Xi, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán as “tough” and “smart.” We talked to Rick Wilson, the prominent Never Trumper and Substacker, about Trump’s explicit campaign promise of authoritarian rule, the GOP’s enthusiastic embrace of it, and the media’s utter failure to alert voters to what’s coming. Listen to this episode here.
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Trump’s Alarming New Rant Praising Dictators Shows Media Is Failing Us
As Trump openly celebrates authoritarian rule at a Michigan rally, prominent Never Trumper Rick Wilson reflects on what all this says about today’s press corps—and what it means for our country.
Former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan on July 20