Rachel Maddow Roasts ‘Hot Mess’ Trump Chiefs One by One in Search of ‘Designated Survivor’ Ahead of SOTU Speech

MS NOW host Rachel Maddow went through President Donald Trump’s “hot mess” Cabinet chiefs one by one in search of a suitable “designated survivor” for Tuesday night’s State of the Union address in a blistering takedown.

The president is set to give his State of the Union speech Tuesday night after a first year in office marked by declining polls and a generous handful of chaotic controversies and scandals like the Epstein files saga and the violent deportation crackdown.

One other facet of the speech is the selection of a “Designated Survivor” to be sequestered away in a safe place in case the entire government is wiped out in a catastrophic Tom Clancy plot during the address.

On Monday night’s edition of MS NOW’s The Rachel Maddow Show, the host opened her show with a marathon commentary attacking members of Trump’s Cabinet based on the selection, including “hot mess” Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Commerce Secretary/Epstein island dinner guest Howard Lutnick:

And so, like in this Cabinet, you might expect that they’d pick maybe the labor secretary. Right? Labor is not a particular area of interest for this president or really for any Republican president. So maybe they just, you know, keep things quiet, pick somebody low key, make the labor secretary the designated survivor this year. Could they do that?

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, can’t do that. Trump’s labor secretary is Lori Chavez-DeRemer. And if they pick Lori Chavez-DeRemer as the designated survivor, then people will Google Lori Chavez-DeRemer. And this is what they will find. Headline, “Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer under investigation for, quote, inappropriate relationship with employee.”

These are reports that started with a complaint that was reportedly filed with the inspector general of the Labor Department. Trump labor secretary, quote, accused of drinking in her office during the workday and committing travel fraud by having her chief of staff and deputy chief of staff, both of whom are now on leave, quote, make up official trips to destinations where Chavez-DeRemer can spend time with family or friends on the taxpayer’s dime.

Headline, “Trump’s married labor boss accused of booze filled fling with staffer.” Headline, “Chavez-DeRemer security staffer placed on leave amid scandal investigation. The labor secretary has been accused of engaging in a romantic relationship with said security staffer.” Headline, “Lori Chavez-DeRemer reportedly under investigation for misusing funds.”

Headline, “Trump labor secretary accused of taking staff off — taking staff to a — to a strip club on an official trip.” That’s a real headline.

Now, amid everything else, you are probably a nice person, an empathetic person. Perhaps you’re not just agog by looking at those headlines about that scandal. Perhaps you are thinking, oh wow, this must be really hard on her family.

Headline, “Husband of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer accused of sexually assaulting two staffers”. Headline, “Labor secretary’s husband barred from Labor Department headquarters amid staffers sexual assault allegations.” Headline, “D.C. police searched labor secretary’s office in sexual assault investigation. The metropolitan police department searched Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s office as it looks into allegations against her husband.”

Since then, we’ve had further news that the Trump-appointed U.S. attorney in Washington has decided that there won’t be any criminal charges brought against the labor secretary’s husband for the alleged sexual assaults inside the Labor Department’s headquarters building. But does that mean they’re going to let him back in? I don’t know.

So, yeah, in a normal administration, even a normal Republican administration, maybe somebody like the labor secretary would be the designated survivor at the State of the Union. But do you want to put a spotlight on that hot mess right now? That absolutely radioactive scandal engulfing everything related to Trump’s labor secretary?

Yeah. Maybe not. Maybe it’s not going to be her.

Maybe instead you go with another, you know, low profile department, one of those departments where only real government geeks even know what the department does. Like maybe you’d go with something really obscure, like the Commerce Department.

Who’s Trump’s secretary of commerce again?

Headline, “New details from Epstein files reveal Trump Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had years long business tie with sex offender.” Oh, yeah, that’s the commerce secretary. So maybe we can’t have the commerce secretary be the designated survivor either. Not when today, the day before the State of the Union, we had the former British ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson, arrested and perp walked out of his home because of his Epstein ties.

That’s right after former Prince Andrew was arrested as well. Both of those arrests are not just because of their Epstein links, but because of their Epstein links and their government jobs. Peter Mandelson it’s for when he had the exact same job as Howard Lutnick, but in the British government rather than the U.S. government. Right?

Meanwhile, here all the Trump connected people like Trump himself and like Howard Lutnick, Trump’s former secretary, they are apparently in no trouble at all. But maybe you wouldn’t want to highlight that at the State of the Union.

Watch above via MS NOW’s The Rachel Maddow Show.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!