Steve Benen
@stevebenen.com
Rachel Maddow Show producer, MaddowBlog author, MSNBC contributor, and author of Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past
Knowing that Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were friends is one thing.
Seeing Epstein’s “of course he knew about the girls” email is something else. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Seeing Epstein’s “of course he knew about the girls” email is something else. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Newly disclosed Jeffrey Epstein emails complicate matters for Donald Trump
House Democrats released an email in which Epstein wrote that Trump had “spent hours at my house” with one of Epstein’s victims.
www.msnbc.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Knowing that Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were friends is one thing.
Seeing Epstein’s “of course he knew about the girls” email is something else. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Seeing Epstein’s “of course he knew about the girls” email is something else. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Trump says we currently have the single greatest economy American eyes have ever seen. Scott Bessent and Kevin Hassett agree that some sectors of the U.S. economy might already be "in recession."
When a president can’t even convince his own economic team.... www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
When a president can’t even convince his own economic team.... www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Even Trump’s own team doesn’t believe his weird boasts about the economy
The president isn’t just failing to persuade the public to distrust their lying eyes, he’s also failed to convince his own economic team.
www.msnbc.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Trump says we currently have the single greatest economy American eyes have ever seen. Scott Bessent and Kevin Hassett agree that some sectors of the U.S. economy might already be "in recession."
When a president can’t even convince his own economic team.... www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
When a president can’t even convince his own economic team.... www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Rep. Diana Harshbarger proved herself as a presidential loyalist. A pardon for her husband soon followed.
Karoline Leavitt said last week, “When it comes to pardons, the White House takes them with the utmost seriousness.” I wonder how she said it with a straight face. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Karoline Leavitt said last week, “When it comes to pardons, the White House takes them with the utmost seriousness.” I wonder how she said it with a straight face. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Spouse of conservative congresswoman quietly rewarded with Trump pardon
Republican Rep. Diana Harshbarger proved herself a presidential loyalist. A pardon for her husband soon followed.
www.msnbc.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Rep. Diana Harshbarger proved herself as a presidential loyalist. A pardon for her husband soon followed.
Karoline Leavitt said last week, “When it comes to pardons, the White House takes them with the utmost seriousness.” I wonder how she said it with a straight face. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Karoline Leavitt said last week, “When it comes to pardons, the White House takes them with the utmost seriousness.” I wonder how she said it with a straight face. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
It's a problem that Trump suddenly endorsed misguided 50-year mortgages.
The fact that an unqualified loyalist quietly persuaded him to support the idea during a brief chat at a golf club makes the problem significantly worse. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
The fact that an unqualified loyalist quietly persuaded him to support the idea during a brief chat at a golf club makes the problem significantly worse. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
The Trump White House throws its support behind new, 50-year mortgages
It's a problem that Donald Trump suddenly endorsed misguided 50-year mortgages. How he was convinced to support the idea makes the problem even worse.
www.msnbc.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:04 PM
It's a problem that Trump suddenly endorsed misguided 50-year mortgages.
The fact that an unqualified loyalist quietly persuaded him to support the idea during a brief chat at a golf club makes the problem significantly worse. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
The fact that an unqualified loyalist quietly persuaded him to support the idea during a brief chat at a golf club makes the problem significantly worse. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
How wrong are Trump’s weird boasts about the state of the economy?
Even his own economic team doesn’t seem to believe him. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Even his own economic team doesn’t seem to believe him. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Even Trump’s own team doesn’t believe his weird boasts about the economy
The president isn’t just failing to persuade the public to distrust their lying eyes, he’s also failed to convince his own economic team.
www.msnbc.com
November 11, 2025 at 2:04 PM
How wrong are Trump’s weird boasts about the state of the economy?
Even his own economic team doesn’t seem to believe him. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Even his own economic team doesn’t seem to believe him. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Reposted by Steve Benen
"If you’re a Republican official convicted of corruption, your odds of receiving clemency from Trump are roughly 100%...
"The latest move seems intended to deliver a political message: Those who assist Trump with his schemes need not worry about legal consequences..."
www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
"The latest move seems intended to deliver a political message: Those who assist Trump with his schemes need not worry about legal consequences..."
www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
November 10, 2025 at 7:15 PM
"If you’re a Republican official convicted of corruption, your odds of receiving clemency from Trump are roughly 100%...
"The latest move seems intended to deliver a political message: Those who assist Trump with his schemes need not worry about legal consequences..."
www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
"The latest move seems intended to deliver a political message: Those who assist Trump with his schemes need not worry about legal consequences..."
www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
As Trump lobbies for a football stadium to bear his name, I’m reminded of something he said six years ago at a tour of Mt. Vernon:
“If [George Washington] was smart, he would’ve put his name on it. You’ve got to put your name on stuff, or no one remembers you.” www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
“If [George Washington] was smart, he would’ve put his name on it. You’ve got to put your name on stuff, or no one remembers you.” www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Trump finds something else he wants to slap his name on: a football stadium in D.C.
It’s not surprising Trump is lobbying to have a football stadium named after him; it’s surprising that it took so long for this news to reach the public.
www.msnbc.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:16 PM
As Trump lobbies for a football stadium to bear his name, I’m reminded of something he said six years ago at a tour of Mt. Vernon:
“If [George Washington] was smart, he would’ve put his name on it. You’ve got to put your name on stuff, or no one remembers you.” www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
“If [George Washington] was smart, he would’ve put his name on it. You’ve got to put your name on stuff, or no one remembers you.” www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Reposted by Steve Benen
November 10, 2025 at 7:10 PM
On pardons, Trump is no longer concerned about appearances or the pretense of propriety.
He’s corrupting the process; he knows he’s corrupting the process; he knows that we know he’s corrupting the process; and he’s doing it anyway. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
He’s corrupting the process; he knows he’s corrupting the process; he knows that we know he’s corrupting the process; and he’s doing it anyway. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Trump pardons Giuliani and 76 others involved in scheme to overturn 2020 election
The president was already under fire over a series of scandalous pardons. He continues to make matters worse.
www.msnbc.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:44 PM
On pardons, Trump is no longer concerned about appearances or the pretense of propriety.
He’s corrupting the process; he knows he’s corrupting the process; he knows that we know he’s corrupting the process; and he’s doing it anyway. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
He’s corrupting the process; he knows he’s corrupting the process; he knows that we know he’s corrupting the process; and he’s doing it anyway. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Maybe Angus King wasn’t paying close enough attention:
- public blamed the GOP for shutdown
- Dems won big in elections last week
- Trump’s approval rating sinking
- Republicans increasingly divided against one another
Standing up to Trump *did* work. tinyurl.com/3aduac4w
- public blamed the GOP for shutdown
- Dems won big in elections last week
- Trump’s approval rating sinking
- Republicans increasingly divided against one another
Standing up to Trump *did* work. tinyurl.com/3aduac4w
November 10, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Maybe Angus King wasn’t paying close enough attention:
- public blamed the GOP for shutdown
- Dems won big in elections last week
- Trump’s approval rating sinking
- Republicans increasingly divided against one another
Standing up to Trump *did* work. tinyurl.com/3aduac4w
- public blamed the GOP for shutdown
- Dems won big in elections last week
- Trump’s approval rating sinking
- Republicans increasingly divided against one another
Standing up to Trump *did* work. tinyurl.com/3aduac4w
Trump’s lies about gas prices dovetail with his lies about grocery prices:
Consumers already know his claims are false through their own life experiences, making the whole pitch oddly self-defeating: tinyurl.com/5e9w9fsb
Consumers already know his claims are false through their own life experiences, making the whole pitch oddly self-defeating: tinyurl.com/5e9w9fsb
Trump: "I don't want to hear about the affordability, because right now we're much less. If you look at energy, we're getting close to $2 a gallon gasoline."
November 7, 2025 at 1:27 AM
Trump’s lies about gas prices dovetail with his lies about grocery prices:
Consumers already know his claims are false through their own life experiences, making the whole pitch oddly self-defeating: tinyurl.com/5e9w9fsb
Consumers already know his claims are false through their own life experiences, making the whole pitch oddly self-defeating: tinyurl.com/5e9w9fsb
If Republicans can already give Trump tax breaks and judges, and he says he doesn’t “need anything more from Congress,” why is he suddenly so obsessed with ending the filibuster?
Because he wants something he’s calling “voter reform.” www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Because he wants something he’s calling “voter reform.” www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Trump ties his anti-filibuster crusade to a plan to pass ‘voter reform’
If the president convinces Republicans to scrap the filibuster, what would he want to pass? Legislation specifically targeting elections.
www.msnbc.com
November 6, 2025 at 8:47 PM
If Republicans can already give Trump tax breaks and judges, and he says he doesn’t “need anything more from Congress,” why is he suddenly so obsessed with ending the filibuster?
Because he wants something he’s calling “voter reform.” www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Because he wants something he’s calling “voter reform.” www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Occasionally, Trump delivers a line that helps summarize his political troubles. Take this gem, for example:
“You know, they have this new word called ‘affordability.’” www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
“You know, they have this new word called ‘affordability.’” www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Trump makes an overdue discovery: ‘They have this new word called ‘affordability’’
After Democrats scored election victories, the president started talking about “affordability.” Unfortunately, his assessment is rooted in nonsense.
www.msnbc.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Occasionally, Trump delivers a line that helps summarize his political troubles. Take this gem, for example:
“You know, they have this new word called ‘affordability.’” www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
“You know, they have this new word called ‘affordability.’” www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Following a historic career, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi is retiring at the end of her term.
Not to put too fine a point on this, but officials with records like the California Democrat’s tend to have buildings named after them. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Not to put too fine a point on this, but officials with records like the California Democrat’s tend to have buildings named after them. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Following a legendary run, Nancy Pelosi to retire from Congress at the end of her term
Not to put too fine a point on this, but officials with records like the California Democrat’s tend to have buildings named after them.
www.msnbc.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Following a historic career, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi is retiring at the end of her term.
Not to put too fine a point on this, but officials with records like the California Democrat’s tend to have buildings named after them. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Not to put too fine a point on this, but officials with records like the California Democrat’s tend to have buildings named after them. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Trump on ICE raids, four days ago: "I think they haven’t gone far enough."
Federal agents pulling a woman out of Rayito Del Sol, a daycare by Lane Tech high school
November 6, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Trump on ICE raids, four days ago: "I think they haven’t gone far enough."
Trump’s overlapping problems with groceries:
- he keeps lying about consumer prices
- he thinks “groceries” is an exotic word he needs to explain the meaning of
- he's so out of touch that he thinks we need ID to buy food www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
- he keeps lying about consumer prices
- he thinks “groceries” is an exotic word he needs to explain the meaning of
- he's so out of touch that he thinks we need ID to buy food www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Why it matters that Trump thinks Americans need to show ID to buy groceries
The president doesn’t have just one problem when it comes to groceries; he has three related problems.
www.msnbc.com
November 5, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Trump’s overlapping problems with groceries:
- he keeps lying about consumer prices
- he thinks “groceries” is an exotic word he needs to explain the meaning of
- he's so out of touch that he thinks we need ID to buy food www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
- he keeps lying about consumer prices
- he thinks “groceries” is an exotic word he needs to explain the meaning of
- he's so out of touch that he thinks we need ID to buy food www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
The day after Election Day 2024: The conventional wisdom insisted that Republicans had entered an era of electoral dominance.
The day after Election Day 2025: Yeah, about that... www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
The day after Election Day 2025: Yeah, about that... www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Democratic dominance in 2025 elections jolts national political landscape
Republican officials looking for good news from Election Day 2025 will need magnifying glasses.
www.msnbc.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:04 PM
The day after Election Day 2024: The conventional wisdom insisted that Republicans had entered an era of electoral dominance.
The day after Election Day 2025: Yeah, about that... www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
The day after Election Day 2025: Yeah, about that... www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Kash Patel’s FBI personnel purge has become so ridiculous that the FBI Agents Association accused him of having “disregarded the law and launched a campaign of erratic and arbitrary retribution.”
There’s plenty of evidence to bolster the point. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
There’s plenty of evidence to bolster the point. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
FBI Agents Association: Kash Patel ‘disregarded the law’ with latest personnel purge
Patel has “launched a campaign of erratic and arbitrary retribution,” the association said. There’s ample evidence to bolster the point.
www.msnbc.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Kash Patel’s FBI personnel purge has become so ridiculous that the FBI Agents Association accused him of having “disregarded the law and launched a campaign of erratic and arbitrary retribution.”
There’s plenty of evidence to bolster the point. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
There’s plenty of evidence to bolster the point. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
You’ve heard of low-information voters, but have you heard about the low-information House speaker?
Mike Johnson’s ignorance about current events has become farcical. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Mike Johnson’s ignorance about current events has become farcical. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
‘I don’t know anything about that’: Mike Johnson becomes the low-information House speaker
Confronted with questions he should know how to answer, the House Republican leader has proven to be surprisingly ignorant about current events.
www.msnbc.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:48 PM
You’ve heard of low-information voters, but have you heard about the low-information House speaker?
Mike Johnson’s ignorance about current events has become farcical. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Mike Johnson’s ignorance about current events has become farcical. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
As the first year of Trump's second term nears its end:
- 30% of Americans are aligned with MAGA
- 43% of Americans are aligned with the No Kings protest movement www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
- 30% of Americans are aligned with MAGA
- 43% of Americans are aligned with the No Kings protest movement www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Poll shows the ‘No Kings’ protest movement topping MAGA in public support
If the GOP’s goal was to persuade the public to reject the No Kings protest movement, an NBC News poll suggests the efforts haven’t gone especially well.
www.msnbc.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:48 PM
As the first year of Trump's second term nears its end:
- 30% of Americans are aligned with MAGA
- 43% of Americans are aligned with the No Kings protest movement www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
- 30% of Americans are aligned with MAGA
- 43% of Americans are aligned with the No Kings protest movement www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Trump: President Autopen was so far gone, he didn’t even know who he was pardoning.
Also Trump: I can’t explain my corrupt pardon for Changpeng Zhao because I have no idea who he is.
Also Trump: I can’t explain my corrupt pardon for Changpeng Zhao because I have no idea who he is.
November 3, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Trump: President Autopen was so far gone, he didn’t even know who he was pardoning.
Also Trump: I can’t explain my corrupt pardon for Changpeng Zhao because I have no idea who he is.
Also Trump: I can’t explain my corrupt pardon for Changpeng Zhao because I have no idea who he is.
As federal food aid expired, Trump focused on a marble bathroom, marble columns, and a Gatsby-themed party at his glorified country club ahead of his latest golfing weekend.
It got me thinking about those who voted for him because they thought he’d help the poor. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
It got me thinking about those who voted for him because they thought he’d help the poor. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
As food aid expired, Trump cheered his marble bathroom and held a ‘Gatsby’ party
As millions of families confronted soaring health care costs and the loss of food assistance, their president made his indifference clear.
www.msnbc.com
November 3, 2025 at 2:16 PM
As federal food aid expired, Trump focused on a marble bathroom, marble columns, and a Gatsby-themed party at his glorified country club ahead of his latest golfing weekend.
It got me thinking about those who voted for him because they thought he’d help the poor. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
It got me thinking about those who voted for him because they thought he’d help the poor. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Trump: President Autopen was so far gone, he didn’t even know who he was pardoning.
Also Trump: I can’t explain my corrupt pardon for Changpeng Zhao because I have no idea who he is. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Also Trump: I can’t explain my corrupt pardon for Changpeng Zhao because I have no idea who he is. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
‘I don't know who he is’: Trump struggles to defend one of his most scandalous pardons
The president argued that the pardoned Changpeng Zhao despite not knowing who he is. If he's lying, that's a problem. If he wasn't, it's worse.
www.msnbc.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Trump: President Autopen was so far gone, he didn’t even know who he was pardoning.
Also Trump: I can’t explain my corrupt pardon for Changpeng Zhao because I have no idea who he is. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Also Trump: I can’t explain my corrupt pardon for Changpeng Zhao because I have no idea who he is. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
First, “Arctic Frost” is still a non-existent controversy: tinyurl.com/45a6vp8y
Second, the Republicans’ “worse than Watergate” obsession has reached cartoonish depths: tinyurl.com/42fxkwns
Second, the Republicans’ “worse than Watergate” obsession has reached cartoonish depths: tinyurl.com/42fxkwns
Ted Cruz: "Arctic Frost is Joe Biden's Watergate. And in fact, in terms of abuse of government power, it makes Watergate pale in comparison."
November 2, 2025 at 8:56 PM
First, “Arctic Frost” is still a non-existent controversy: tinyurl.com/45a6vp8y
Second, the Republicans’ “worse than Watergate” obsession has reached cartoonish depths: tinyurl.com/42fxkwns
Second, the Republicans’ “worse than Watergate” obsession has reached cartoonish depths: tinyurl.com/42fxkwns
Reposted by Steve Benen
"Trump’s ‘real numbers’ on private sector job growth are neither real nor numbers"
www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
Trump’s ‘real numbers’ on private sector job growth are neither real nor numbers
The president claimed that the private sector has generated a “record number of jobs” this year. Reality tells a very different story.
www.msnbc.com
October 31, 2025 at 9:05 PM
"Trump’s ‘real numbers’ on private sector job growth are neither real nor numbers"
www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...