IHIP News: Trump ALLY Speaks Out AGAINST HIM on His Mental DECLINE! "He's OUT of His MIND!"

I would like to welcome Timothy David. Snyder. He is a historian specializing. in the history of Central and Eastern. Europe and the Soviet Union and studies. tyranny closely. He is the author of On. Tyranny, On Freedom and More. Timothy, welcome. Before we get started, I want. to put up some reporting that came out. today from the Daily Beast. Kylie, will. you pop this up? Trump ally shocked at. president's psychological state in. private meeting. A key European ally of. Donald Trump said he was traumatized by.

a meeting where the US president's. psychological state came across as. dangerous according to diplomats with. knowledge of the conversations. And this. is um the prime minister of Slovakia, Robert FICO. Have you seen this or with. your relationships with people in. Europe? Um what do you have to say about. this? I hadn't seen it, but it's an. interesting thing for FICO to be saying. because FICO is a right-wing populist. and is very much aligned with Mr. Trump.

on pretty much every issue. So, it's not. somebody who would be out to get Mr. Trump on the contrary. So, that's I. haven't seen it and I have no personal. knowledge, but that's a very striking. bit of reporting for that reason. >> Really interesting. He said he thought. the president was out of his mind. Um, okay. I I follow you on Twitter and I'm. on Instagram and I really liked you had. a post about I I'm assuming you're. referencing there was an article in the.

Atlantic recently where the um. journalist was like after a long time I. finally come to the conclusion that this. is fascism and you said okay listen. instead of wasting the time. acknowledging the obvious let's fight. it. Can you please elaborate on that? Uh, I'm I'm happy to, but I'm going to. do it from the position where I've. always been, which is that whatever you. think this evil is, once you recognize it as an evil, you're. responsible to be doing something about.

it. And any discussion that we're having. about the nature of the evil is. important in so far as it instructs then. the tactics that we choose and the. strategy that we have. That's the point. That's the whole point, right? So, uh, what I worry, what I'm worried about. here is that there have been a number of. folks who have essentially made the. claim that. everybody who says that this is a. radical evil, for example, fascism, those people are just off their rocker. We don't have to pay attention to them.

And therefore, here comes the dangerous. part. We can do nothing. And we've lost. a ton of time. And I think we've. disempowered some otherwise very capable. people by by telling that story that. like all the people who are warning that. Trump would someday use violence, etc. Those people are crazy. We shouldn't we. should ignore them. We've lost 10 years. I mean, I don't want to over dramatize. this, but we've lost 10 years where a. lot of good organizing could have been. done because people used an ideological.

debate as a reason to set a set aside. And so now what I'm worried about, and I. hope I'm wrong, Jennifer, what I'm. worried about now is that now that it's. just so transparent that there was. something to worry about, whatever you. want to name it, and there was reason to. use serious terms in describing that. danger, that now those very same people. are going to say, "Okay, I accept that. it's a very serious danger. I accept. that it's fascism." And then that this. is I hope I'm wrong, but then that. becomes their form of action. Okay, but. that's not action. You know that's if. you recognize now that it's fascism that.

means that for the last 10 years you. probably weren't doing enough and that. means you got a lot of time to lost time. to make up for. So what I would urge is. that and because there there was that. article in the Atlantic but there have. been a bunch of statements like this and. they're going to be there's about to be. a bunch more. What I would urge people. to do is to is to first get involved in. their communities. First join some kind. of organization and then rather than. counting on confessing and seem like a. good person because you're confessing a. mistake. Rather than doing that, tell. your followers how you are engaged in.

your community. Give them an idea of. what they can do because just owning up. to your mistake is not actually action. It's it's nice. It's good. It's fine. But what's really important is if you. have that analysis that you show where. that analysis has led you, what actions. you're now taking. Spread that. So what I'm hearing is a sense of. urgency and I like you have felt this. for the last 10 years. I felt it even. before then because I lived in Oklahoma.

City and all of the incubation for MAGA. was in red states. So his ascension. didn't surprise me. I'm familiar with. this breed of uh conservative politics. and I use conservatives in quotes, but. we we live in a time now where it's a. because everybody's monitoring everybody. online. I said it at this state, you're. saying it at this point and there's all. of this kind of one-upsmanship and this. is something that I kind of struggle. with and like I'm really upset with.

Hakee Jeff and Chuck Schumer because I. feel like they're not meeting this. moment. I feel like they play patty cake. with them and vote with them sometimes. and they're not understanding how. vulnerable we all are. And yesterday, uh, the Senate Minority Leader, Chuck. Schumers, did this, uh, video, and I. thought it was AI at first because he's. like, "Christy Gnome and Steven Miller. are [ __ ] liars, and we're not going. to vote for it." And I was like, "Oh my. god, yes, Chuck, yes, this is what we.

need." And I'm like, "Please, I don't. want that to be AI because at my age, you know, I fall for AI all the time, right?" [laughter]. But it was real. And so in that I I told. our followers on the podcast this. morning if he if he has this energy and. he sustains this energy instead of. because I feel the urgency that you're. describing instead of me going back and. go well Chuck you voted for him at this. point and that point that's not helpful. either. Like whenever when anybody. arrives to resist we must unite.

regardless of past statements, past. denials, past inactions, past. appeasements. What are your thoughts on. that? >> I So, yeah, I'm I'm with you. I mean, the the thing I'm going to add is that. what we should be doing is circling in. glory the people we admire, right? So, like I like this person's podcast. This. was the local organizer of the protest I. went to. like naming and praising the. people who do good things because on the.

left this is a problem that like we have. this sort of like if the person isn't. you know a perfect beautiful virgin. messiah then like or whatever you know. like if they're not all these things if. they're not flawless then we pick at the. flaws you know or we look for hypocrisy. and then when we imagine that we find a. little bit of hypocrisy or imperfection. that somehow we've done something but we. haven't done anything we've just spent. time so what we have to do is prop up. the people who who are doing good. things. Um, and that's how we're going.

to get to 26 and 28. By the way, like it. is fine to keep proddding the elected. officials that we have. We should be. doing that. We should also recognize. that 26 and 28 are probably going to. involve people we haven't even heard of. yet um who are emerging from the. struggle who then take on a new role in. electoral politics. So, I agree with you. like practically the only way to get. there is a coalition. there has to be a. coalition which means that your job is. to get along with the person who's to. your right and the person who's to your.

left um because they're wrong about some. stuff and so are you right? We're all. wrong about something. So you can only. win with a coalition but you can't you. have the coalition because you recognize. what the danger is and you recognize. that like by acting together you can do. stuff together. When you just use words. then you can't do anything. But like. when you act together, then it's. actually possible to disagree about. stuff and still like people and still. think, "Okay, we're doing something. together. We're moving forward.". You said something that I thought was.

really interesting because I love diving. into like the psychology behind these. people. And you had a real on your. Instagram where you said that the people. in this regime don't feel any loyalty to. America. Like they it's it's arbitrary. to them. And what's so fascinating, and. I think you're spot on with that, and I. want you to elaborate for my listeners, but what's so fascinating about that is. how their grift is, especially where I. come from, is here's the cross, and. we're wrapped up in patriotism.

But my mother, who's a lifelong atheist, when Trump first came on, she goes, "Well, thank God somebody's finally. exposing these evangelicals for the. hypocrites. I always knew they were.". and th the reveal that's been coming. with all of the hypocrisy in this. movement is really stunning. But you. really tap into this patriotism or this. sense of feeling national identity which. is their big selling point. But you say. it it means nothing to them being an. American. >> Yeah. No, I'm baffled. I mean honestly.

I'm baffled that anybody would see these. guys as in any way at all caring about. the United States of America. They. obviously don't. I mean, and I think. it's one of the most important and maybe. the central truth about Mr. Trump in. particular. He doesn't understand what a. country is. It's just not in his mind. He doesn't know what it means to be a a. sovereign state. He doesn't know what. the American Revolution was about. He. has no idea why anybody would have taken. part in it. He has no idea why anybody. would have fought on in the Civil War. He has no idea why anybody would fight. in any war. This is how he doesn't.

understand Ukraine because he has no. like for him, it's just a real estate. deal. Um, and this is why he doesn't. understand why they won't just sell us. Greenland because he doesn't he. literally doesn't understand the basic. political reality of or political and. moral reality that most people live. within, which is that there are. sovereign states and that you care about. your country by trying to make it. better. He does not accept that the. world is made of sovereign states. The. world is just made of wealthy people who. are trying to scam each other. That is. the entirety of his world. And so for. him it is it is I mean it's sad but it.

is it's sad and I wish it weren't true. but it is all a scam. It is all a grift. It is all a television show. There is. nothing in Mr. Trump's career from. beginning to end whether when he was in. in in in business or whether he's been a. politician. There's literally nothing. which suggests that he understands or. would take a risk for or identifies with. the United States of America. There's. absolutely nothing. I mean, the fact. that he wears, you know, that he wears. just one outfit and it's red, white, and. blue. Like, that's as far as it goes.

There's literally nothing beyond that. And I I wish I wish I I'm glad you asked. about this because I wish more folks. would consider this because it really is. something that should unite more people. He doesn't care whether the US exists or. not. He simply doesn't. He what he cares. about is himself and maybe his f maybe. his family possibly. He doesn't care if. the United States exists or not. And. there's no evidence that he cares about. that. You know, I challenge anybody to. assemble any evidence that Mr. Trump. cares about whether the United States of. America exists or not because, you know, there isn't any. There's a ton of. evidence which suggests that he would.

finally like to be a very wealthy. person. There's a lot of evidence for. that. And there's a lot of evidence that. being in power has allowed him to. finally become that thing he always. wanted to become, which is a wealthy. person with the money to put his bad. taste, you know, into reality. But. beyond that, there's just not a whole. lot. [snorts] Do do you think that's the. through line to the oligarchs? Because. when you get that wealthy, you you. really don't live within borders. anymore. Uh laws don't apply to you. You. don't fly commercially. You, you know,

go from your plane to your boat. You. know, Elon Musk acts like he cares so. much about America, but clearly he cares. about dismantling it. Now he set his. sights on on Europe, on the European. Union. And I wonder, is that the through. line? It seems psychologically like you. just get so wealthy that it you don't. really belong anywhere. >> I would I mean I agree but I would. distinguish between somebody like Trump. and somebody like Musk. So Trump is an. oldfashioned.

like rich guy. Like for him being rich. is I've got gold decorations in my. house, you know? Or like for him being. rich is look I can tear down my house. and add a wing to it, right? Like he's a. very unimaginative rich guy. >> [laughter]. >> his like his his f like no his. bureaucrat fantasies just extend to you. know hey look I've got a house in. Florida right like that's it you know. and so I've got you know I've got. welltailored suits I got people around. me and I'm going to die you know in. Egyptian cotton sheets in the white. house that's it doesn't go any further.

than that because he's not he's not. really a very rich person and for most. of his life he hasn't been and he. actually I think does have some idea of. what he's never been poor obviously but. he has been na he's been mathematically. poor he's been in debt he's been able to. imagine what it would be like not to. have any money. Whereas um somebody like. Musk that is a completely different. world. I mean I think when you cross 10. million sorry 10 billion you get into a. different zone or maybe it's 20 billion. but then you're in that when you're in. that you're in like a Putin um Musk sort.

of zone. You are in a different world. where your sense of what's meaningful. touches on the fantastic. So I'm going. to live forever. I'm going to I'm going. to invade Mars. I'm going to invade. Ukraine. Right? Ukraine doesn't really. exist. And those fantasies are what. become important to you because those. fantasies are what make you in some way. you imagine immortal. In fact, they make. you ridiculous and murderous, but um. because they're, you know, incredibly. damaging. But you're living then in a. world of fantasy. I think I mean I think. one has to think that see Trump as a.

servant or an instrument of somebody. like Musk in that sense, right? Because. because Trump has never really been a. rich guy. Like Americans look at him and. they think, "Oh, that's a rich guy." But. he's never really been a rich guy. And. so therefore, the Putins and the Musks. of the universe have have some leverage. on him because he knows the difference. He can he can see, okay, those guys have. a hundred times more money than I do, even though I'm president of the United. States. It's fascinating. Okay. So, his foreign. policy has been such a disaster. And I.

think that your understanding of him not. understanding sovereign states was the. first step where people just bristled at. Americans. If you think about Canada and. initially in the first month or two, how. arrogant his policy was that we're going. to it's going to be the 51st state and. how dismissive they were of their. sovereignty. And now you see our former. like rockolid allies looking for more. stable economic partners. And where I. come from, you have a lot of people,

country club Republicans, the the. unimaginative rich people that you were. describing, Trump, that type of American. man that says, "Well, I'm fiscally. conservative and socially liberal.". This foreign policy that he is um. prompting where you have Canada that's. looking to China and European Union. looking to other more stable partners. What is the underlying It's not going to. happen immediately, but the underlying. economic breakage of that into the.

future? >> Well, first of all, a lot of it actually. goes back to our oligarchs. So I the. like if you're if you're Musk. or if you're Peter Teal, you have an. active interest in breaking up the. European Union because the European. Union is the only entity in the world. which has effective. effective regulation of what you do. And. so a lot of our policy, especially the.

parts that JD Vance is very outspoken. about, is about breaking up the European. Union basically just so we can break up. their digital security so Musk and Teal. and others can make a ton of money. And. in that like it's not clear which comes. first. Is it the oligarchy or the. fascism that comes first? Because what. they want to do is they want to make the. European information spear much more. like ours where um where like right-wing. Nazi stuff just runs completely rampant. where there's no factchecking there's no.

verifiability there's no transparency. where the guy at the top gets to set the. whole framework for the conversation. that's what they want and that does push. your whole politics towards fascism but. it's also a model in which you know. those guys make a ton of money so it's a. little bit hard to say what comes first. what's sad is that the interests of the. United States come past. Um, it's not in. our interest as a country to make the. Europeans hostile, to break up the. European Union. That's our biggest trade. partner. That's our that's our big set. of allies. Those are the people who for. the last 80 years have helped us to. become the most rich and powerful.

country in the history of the world. It. doesn't make any sense from the point of. view of any American except for like two. or three South Africans. It doesn't make. any sense at all for us to break these. relations. And do you think that he when he did the. meeting with Putin in Alaska? I saw. recently online that he in one of a. vestibule in the White House, he had a. picture of himself and Putin from that. Alaska summit. And I'm not a foreign. policy expert, you are, but it appears.

that since that meeting, his foreign. policy has been very much aligned with. Putin. And I have a friend, Professor. Ruth Ben Gillot, and she explains that. um uh Putin, for us to bend the knee to. Putin right now, it's a failed state. They, you know, have a lot of debt, a. lot of inflation. And so just the optics. of the United States. bending the knee of Putin like this, what is your take? This is your area of. expertise, and my listeners are always.

interested in hearing an experts so that. we're armed with more information. >> Yeah. Well, the the Russo Ukraine war is. I mean I think the central historical. conflict of our time and it's about a. dictatorship Russia trying to quash a. democratic neighbor Ukraine basically. because democracy could be contagious. It's an oligarchical war. It's a war of. one of the richest people in the world. Either Putin or Musk is the richest. person in the world. It's the richest. person in the world um who is in charge.

of a country which is entirely dependent. on natural gas and oil sales. using. incredibly bad ideas like Ukraine. doesn't exist or whatever in order to. try to destroy a sovereign state next to. them. And this is a war which could. easily be brought to an end. You know, Trump talks about how he wants the peace. prize. All we would have to do is supply. the Ukrainians with the weapons they. need. Seriously, um seriously have and. enforce sanctions on Russia, especially. on natural gas and oil, and this war. would end. It is within our power to end.

this war, probably within months. But. instead of that, we've been repeating. the demands of the Russians towards the. Ukrainians. We've basically put our. leverage on the side of the aggressor. When I say the aggressor, I don't just. mean the country that started the war. Russia didn't just start this war. They've been kidnapping children by the. tens of thousands to be assimilated. They've been murdering local civic. leaders. They've been torturing. prisoners of war. They've been. committing essentially every war crime. you can imagine, right down to stealing. national treasures and burning books.

Basically, every every war crime that's. on the books, they have committed it. And that's why Putin is um an indicted. war criminal. So, and but but you're. right, like they the only reason they're. still in this war is because of soft, flabby American policy. They really. wanted Trump to win this election. Um. Biden's policy wasn't enough, but it was. in the right direction. They really. wanted Trump to win, and they made no. secret of that whatsoever. And the. reason is this that Trump and the people. around him are unable to mount any kind.

of consistent policy visa v Russia. They. say they want the war to win end come to. an end but they try to do it by. supporting the aggressor rather than. doing the things. It's not it's not just. a moral thing. You can't end a war by. supporting the aggressor because the. aggressor will then just continue the. war or start a different war. It's it's. just completely elementary logic and. it's not reflected in our foreign policy. at all. This goes back to your earlier. question though. Trump doesn't. It's not. that he just It's not just that he. doesn't understand Ukrainian sovereignty. or why Ukrainians would fight this.

incredibly difficult and painful war for. four years. He doesn't understand that. at all, right? He just can't get it. because he he would never do it himself. and he doesn't know anybody who would. What what he what he fundamentally. doesn't get though is that this is in. the interest of the United States of. America. It is in our interest to. support our allies. It's in our interest. to to support Europe. It's in our. interest um to make sure that. international law is not violated by. invasions because all those things keep. us prosperous and all those things help. us to be free. But he doesn't get that.

cuz again he doesn't it's not that he. doesn't care about the US. It's not even. a factor for him. He doesn't have the. concept of what would be good for the. US. For him Putin is a richer guy than. he is. And you can when he has a. conversation with Putin then for the. next several days what comes out of. Trump's mouth are just Russian talking. points. And it's sad. Like, it's. pathetic. It's it's just it's actually a. little bit humiliating. Like, if you are. an American and you care about our. country, it's humiliating to have our. head of state, our president, our.

commander-in-chief, be such a mental, like such a mental puppet, like such a. remote control mental puppet of someone. who is by every conceivable measure of. power so much weaker. >> [snorts]. >> Yeah, that's it's fascinating to me that. to a lot of Americans, he is the. idealized version of masculinity, yet he. is so submissive to his core. He is. submissive to Putin and his own worst. impulses. This is fascinating. I could.

talk to you forever. I'd love to have. you back on again. Thank you so much. Thanks for the work that you put on your. Instagram and um I hope you have a good. week. >> Thank you very much. Very glad to talk. >> [music].