MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow revealed in a new interview with Rolling Stone that she’s been meticulously prepping for a possible Donald Trump presidency. How? By studying the first few months of Adolf Hitler’s tenure as German chancellor, beginning in 1934. [1] In an interview published Tuesday on the magazine’s website, Maddow said Donald Trump’s rise to the top of the Republican Party has prompted her to search for historical equivalents, periods when cultures “have unexpectedly veered into dark places.” That search, she said, led her to 1930s Germany. [2] Asked by the interviewer if she was disappointed in the country for vaulting Trump to within shouting distance of the White House, Maddow said she was mystified that the Manhattan billionaire has made it into the general election. She said she was stunned that Republican voters would pick a candidate who could have devastating consequences for the country. [2] “What is amazing is the Republican Party that picked him. They had 330 million people to choose from, and they’ve decided that he is the best one to be the standard-bearer of one of the two major parties of the greatest nation on Earth,” Maddow told the magazine in an interview published Tuesday. [1] “Like, talk to me, Republican voters! What’s the worst-case scenario for America if he wins? It can be pretty bad. You don’t have to go back far in history to get to almost apocalyptic scenarios.” “Is part of you worried we’re living through the first few chapters of some dystopian science fiction novel?” interviewer Andy Greene asked. Maddow responded: “Over the past year I’ve been reading a lot about what it was like when Hitler first became chancellor. I am gravitating toward moments in history for subliminal reference in terms of cultures that have unexpectedly veered into dark places, because I think that’s possibly where we are.” During his reign from 1934 to 1945, Hitler was responsible for the genocide of at least 5.5 million Jews and the deaths of almost 20 million more civilians and prisoners of war. Maddow is the host of MSNBC’s highest-rated program, “The Rachel Maddow Show,” which airs weeknights at 9 p.m. Eastern. She will be co-anchoring, along with Brian Williams, MSNBC’s coverage of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland starting Monday. [1]
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