Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) said Thursday that voters across the country are souring on President Donald Trump’s conduct in office, arguing that a broad backlash against what he called “authoritarianism” and “lawlessness” is taking hold — and that it is even affecting judges appointed by Trump himself.
Raskin made the comments during an appearance on MS NOW’s “Deadline,” where host Nicolle Wallace asked him to assess the scale of what she framed as political damage, capitulation and the normalization of capitulation under the current administration.
‘Pervasive and wretched’
Raskin did not mince words in his response, describing the effects as “pervasive” and “wretched” and predicting it would take the country years to recover.
“It’s going to take America many years to dig our way out of the wreckage,” he said, per the Breitbart account of the segment.
He pointed to the Justice Department as a central example, saying it is better described today as a “department of injustice” and characterizing it as an instrument of the president’s political will and a vehicle for attacking his enemies. Raskin also raised the cases of people he said had been falsely accused, falsely investigated and falsely prosecuted.
That line of criticism echoed a recurring Democratic argument that federal law enforcement has been redirected toward the president’s political opponents. Raskin did not name specific individuals during the interview, according to the account of his remarks.
USAID and the toll abroad
Raskin widened his critique beyond the justice system, pointing to federal agencies he said had been dismantled. He singled out USAID, arguing that its dismantling had lethal consequences overseas.
According to Raskin, the loss of American anti-hunger, anti-malaria and anti-HIV/AIDS campaigns has “literally caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people across the world” who no longer benefit from those programs.
He described the broader picture as “serious demolition of major parts of the government and the justice system,” saying the scope of the changes would make recovery “a very tall order.”
Courts as a backstop
Despite that grim assessment, Raskin said he sees signs of pushback during his travels. He said he has now campaigned in more than half the states, and that everywhere he goes, the country is turning against the administration’s conduct.
That shift, in his telling, is having a downstream effect on the judiciary — including on judges who owe their seats to Trump. “It stiffens the resolve of the courts even more, including judges that were nominated to the bench by Trump himself,” Raskin said.
His remarks come as Democratic lawmakers have increasingly framed the midterm and general election landscape around questions of institutional independence and the rule of law. Raskin, a former House impeachment manager, has been among the party’s most visible critics of the president, and his travel schedule — more than 25 states, by his own count — suggests he is testing that message beyond Washington.
Whether that argument translates into electoral gains remains an open question, but Raskin’s comments show how Democrats are positioning the coming stretch of the political calendar: not merely as a referendum on policy, but as a defense of courts, agencies and the justice system itself.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2026/09/24/raskin-the-country-turning-against-trumps-authoritarianism-and-lawlessness/