Dem Tells MSNBC Hosts ‘Fascist Dictator’ Trump Is ‘Rolling Over’ Republicans in Congress

Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) told MSNBC hosts that President Donald Trump is a “fascist dictator” who is “rolling over” Republicans in Congress amid Trump’s takeover of policing in Washington, DC.

Trump held a press conference Monday to announce the deployment of National Guard troops in D.C. — a move that will require congressional approval after 30 days.

Rep. Goldman was a guest on Wednesday night’s edition of MSNBC’s The Weeknight, during which he challenged Republicans to stand up to Trump once that deadline arrives:

ALICIA MENENDEZ, MSNBC HOST: Do you think Republicans, as the president suggests, are unanimously in favor of this?

REP. DAN GOLDMAN (D-NY): I would really, really hope not, because the militarization of our cities and our domestic law enforcement violates the Posse Comitatus law and violates everything that we believe in, Americans.

But just as I thought there would be Republicans who would stand up for their constituents and prevent them from losing health care, prevent them from losing food benefits, prevent millions, billions of dollars of offshore wind investment in their own districts, I thought they would stand up for their own districts, and they didn’t.

So I have zero faith in the Republican Congress right now. And that’s what we need to be talking about, because Donald Trump clearly is both distracting from Jeffrey Epstein, but also following his worst instincts aggressively now and without any — any measure of guardrails.

The guardrails generally come from Congress. Republicans control Congress. So, right now, the question is, are Republican members of Congress going not only to roll over to Donald Trump’s will, but to roll over our democracy and allow him to take over this country as a fascist dictator?

PABLO TORRE, MSNBC HOST: The instincts you’re describing, though, beyond being his worst, are also quite familiar, right?

This is exactly his comfort zone. He’s establishing that, Congressman. There’s a sports aphorism. Sorry to be the sports guy already, just like wedging it in. You don’t want to do what your opponent wants you to do. That’s what coaches say about the opposing team and their playbook.

This is a play we know Donald Trump to have run many times before. As a Democrat, how do you avoid playing into exactly what he predicts in terms of the response from your party?

GOLDMAN: Well, I don’t — I think that part of our response has to be not only to call out what is going on, but the thing that we learned from 2024 is that we have to make it clear why this authoritarian behavior is bad for Americans in their everyday lives and how the absolute co-opting of the Department of Justice and the use of the Department of Justice for his own personal benefit as an extension of himself will be bad when there are other law enforcement investigations and you may end up on the wrong side of things.

But, to your point — and the question is a good one — that’s why we’re focusing on — that’s why I’m focusing on the Republicans, because they know better. They say privately they know better. They don’t like this. But it doesn’t matter what they say to me privately. What matters is if they’re willing to stand up to someone who is running scared from the Epstein files.

Watch above via MSNBC’s The Weeknight.