MSNBC television anchor Rachel Maddow, host of the Rachel Maddow Show, moderates the "Perspectives on National Security" panel on Oct. 16, 2017, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

Since January 20, Donald Trump’s scorched earth campaign has done devastating damage to the country. With help from a reckless Elon Musk, a neutered Republican Congress and a detailed Project 2025 master plan, Trump has executed cruel policy moves, mass firings, defied the rule of law and embraced former international enemies. The barrage is intentionally unrelenting so that both the public and the press have trouble staying on top of every destructive act, every illegal order.

Cue Rachel Maddow. Maddow returned to her nightly MSNBC program the same day Trump moved back into the White House with a promise to continue broadcasting five nights a week for Trump’s first 100 days. With less than a month to go, I’m here to plead with her to stay on the air. As Maddow has proven for the past two months, there is no one better suited to explain what Trump is actually doing and how Americans are reacting to it.

Sure, other news outlets and individual journalists are covering the Trump madness — many are doing exceptional reporting — but none have the name recognition, expertise, gravitas and national platform that Maddow has. Plus, Maddow’s superb reporting has already built a deep reservoir of trust with her audience. That is key. We need her in that anchor chair; not for 30 more days, not once a week, but as long as the battle for America’s future is in the balance.

Last week, Maddow did one of her most impactful segments so far: a report card on Trump’s terrible, awful first two months in office. Her report played off Trump’s claims that Signal-gate was the only glitch in an otherwise “perfect two months.”

“I will just say between you and me, you have been alive for these past two months, and you have experienced what the first two months of this Trump term have been like,” she said. “Do you think that Trump is right, that it’s all been totally perfect? This has been the only glitch?”

The video evidence and her added context in this piece are critical to our understanding of the big picture impacts of Trump 2.0. I also really appreciate how she bucks the “no-follow up stories” trend that’s all too common with most mainstream news outlets. The flurry of Trump actions cries out for these “look back with context” pieces — we need to be reminded of the flip flops, policy failures and real-world impacts rather than just moving on to the next outrage.

Remember how Trump fired the top-level nuclear safety officers and the bird flu experts? Or the “what did you do last month” email demand from Musk’s DOGE corps and bad math that corrupts the DOGE cutbacks list? What about the expected drop in tax revenue because of Trump’s “rapid demolition” of the IRS and how the ill-conceived tariffs rattled the stock market? It’s all in her segment here:


Maddow knows the Trump story is not just about Trump. Profoundly, it is about America. That’s why her continuous coverage of the boisterous town hall meetings and growing protest rallies is important. This coverage has become a regular part of her program most nights. It reminds us that we are not the helpless spectators he would have us be.

As a long-time local news journalist, I especially appreciate how Maddow and her team highlight the local reporting on these protests, often playing big chunks of the stories for her national audience. It’s a much needed hat tip to local news efforts, informative and also inspiring. Last week, Maddow said, “The real political leaders in this country are the people who get up in the morning and go do something. They are doing it and in many ways, they are winning.” She added: “I see you plucky retirees and knitted hats on the side of the road in Reno. I see you. After you guys took the wheel, it started something.”  These are stories we all need to hear.

In addition to providing news updates and analysis about the protests, these frequent segments also make her show an important rallying point for people across the country. It’s a digital gathering place for Americans looking for a nightly reality check on the dizzying events of any given day since Trump took office again. But the clear-eyed assessment often comes with slivers of good news, including battles won. That’s one of the main reasons I tune in, and I know I’m not alone in that.

Clara Jeffrey, editor of Mother Jones, writes:

“Every night @maddow.msnbc.com has a first segment that runs through protests and town halls held in last 24 hrs and if you are feeling like nobody is feeling like you feel or you don’t know what to do: start by watching these and then find your people in your area. They are everywhere.”

One of many topics she explains especially well are the complicated, and multiplying, Trump court cases. At the same time, she continues her practice of timely interviews. I was heartened to see Tammy Duckworth, the U.S. senator and former Army helicopter pilot from my state of Illinois, recently explaining her especially pointed criticism on Signal-gate.

Longtime viewers have probably noted fewer of those extremely long first segments that weave intricate puzzle pieces together. I appreciate the change. We still need Maddow’s expertise in connecting the dots; but with the firehose of news each and every day, it’s critical to cover more ground.

MSNBC would also benefit from having its biggest star in the anchor seat five days a week. The cable network’s ratings tanked after Trump’s victory, but since Maddow’s return to the weeknight line-up, ratings for her 9 p.m. EST time slot are way up. In fact, Adweek’s Mark Mwachiro reports that “Maddow has given MSNBC a ratings boost, fueling the network to double-digit growth in primetime and total day.”

He adds:

“This data shows the importance of Maddow to MSNBC’s recent ratings performance. She is a viewer favorite and has a loyal audience who enjoy watching her takes on the current political situation. The network is trending in the right direction with its core audience of progressive viewers seeking the latest news and commentary about the second Trump administration.”

The Maddow ratings bump coincides with new polling that shows Americans are once again hungry for political news. A new Pew survey finds that “seven-in-ten U.S. adults say they have been following news about the actions and initiatives of the Trump administration very (31%) or fairly (40%) closely.”  The overwhelming reason for the increased tune in? People are telling Pew, “I’m concerned about what the administration is doing.”  Maddow addresses those concerns every night on her program and in the show highlights posted to YouTube and social media.

 

In January, Maddow herself said she’s not sticking around after the first 100 days. She told USA Today’s Gary Levin that “on April 30 we will go back to our existing schedule.” But a lot has changed since she made those comments. MSNBC has been through a major programming shake-up, while Trump has proven considerably more dangerous — not just to the U.S., but the entire world. This is an all-hands on deck moment, so I certainly hope Maddow is reconsidering. She is an incomparable talent doing essential journalism atop a critical media platform.

I recognize the gravity of my ask — to do this grueling work every day, for who knows how long. To Rachel: thank you, thank you. You make this country a more just, more rational place. I can’t imagine that burden. But I’m asking you this — for as long as you can, keep it up. We need you behind that anchor desk as many nights as you can be there.