Live with Danielle Moodie

[Transcript edited for clarity and flow]

I got to hang out with my friend and Fellow Nerd Avenger, the awesome Danielle Moodie. We talked about the very troubling circumstances unfolding in the Middle East and what do Democrats need to do to position themselves in the upcoming election in order to convince the American people not only that they’re the party that’s going to fix everything, but that they’re a party that takes accountability seriously.

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Danielle Moodie: Folks, I am so excited to be in conversation this morning with my friend Mary Trump. You know her as a New York Times bestselling author. You know her through her work with her Mary Trump Media channel. She’s an all-around badass and resistance fighter. I guess, for what—10 years—we’ve been warriors in this?

Mary Trump: Years, not millennia? My goodness.

Danielle Moodie: Not millennia? I don’t know. I feel 108, but a good old right behind.

Mary Trump: Day by day. What a good day.

Danielle Moodie: But I want to start out today because, look, it’s only Thursday. It feels like we have lived at least 65 days in this week alone.

Having dealt with an impending nuclear war on Tuesday, to then be woken up to a false ceasefire and the continued battering of South Lebanon by Israel, Donald Trump woke up this morning and decided to post that the troops are ready and excited about battle—because this is what we do now.

I want to get your thoughts on Tuesday—where you were, how you were feeling about this impending doom that was hovering over the world. I mean, Donald Trump held the world hostage for 12-plus hours on Tuesday with his finger hovering over a potential nuclear bomb.

Mary Trump: Yeah. Listen, Danielle, you and I know that a moment like this has been coming for a very, very long time, and nobody has the right to be surprised that we got here. This is who he is.

He is flailing, he’s failing, he’s desperate, he’s declining—and he’s aware of enough. And I said this in 2020, and look, I don’t like quoting myself, and I actually hate being right about a lot of this, but I said right before the 2020 election, “If he feels like he’s going down, he’s going to take all of us down with him.” I also said that if he gets back into office, it’s going to be the end of the American experiment. And here we are.

So on Tuesday, when I read that monstrous post threatening genocide against an entire people—an ancient culture that, if freed from its oppressive regime, would have so much to offer the world—it was, again, not surprising.

But honestly, I felt a sense of resignation. I didn’t actually think he was going to go through with it, but the fact that we couldn’t be 100 percent sure—and perhaps more troubling, the fact that we couldn’t be sure there were any sane voices in the military who would refuse to follow such an illegal order—was terrifying.

It’s like waiting for Supreme Court decisions. Can we be 100 percent confident they won’t overturn birthright citizenship? No, we can’t.

So it adds to that sense of helplessness and hopelessness that they want us to feel. Donald keeps manipulating the entire world into focusing on nothing but him. And it’s not sustainable.

And just because he didn’t act on Tuesday doesn’t mean he won’t at some point in the near future.

Danielle Moodie: And I think that’s what is so troubling. I don’t think we reflect enough on the trauma being inflicted on us and around the world.

People in Iran were calling loved ones, leaving voicemails saying, “I don’t know if I’ll be able to reach out again.” And it really angered me seeing people joking with taco emojis, saying, “Oh, we taco’d.”

This is nuclear war. It’s not a joke. I understand humor as a coping mechanism, but people were saying goodbye.

And now people are still living on edge—not knowing if it will be Friday, next week, or a month from now.

So I want to ask you: this morning he says the military is ready, they’re not leaving Iran, the strait must be open—which it already was before this war. He also says we’ve already won.

So which is it? Do we need backup, or have we won? And what do you think NATO allies will do, given they’ve said this is not their war?

Mary Trump: Well, first, NATO is a defensive alliance. We are the aggressors here. This is an illegal, unconstitutional war.

But one of the most alarming things about Tuesday was that nobody in the Republican Party thought to come back to Washington. Congress was out. JD Vance was in Hungary helping Viktor Orbán.

Nobody is taking this seriously.

The president launched an illegal war and threatened genocide—and nobody acted.

And where were the Democrats? They should have returned and spoken nonstop about the danger we’re in.

Donald is unfit. He was unfit 10 years ago, and he’s more unfit now. He is unhinged. He cannot speak coherently. He contradicts himself constantly.

We won. We need help to win. The strait is open. The strait is closed. There have been dozens of shifting rationales.

And now he wants outcomes that already existed before this war—like the Strait of Hormuz being open and Iran’s nuclear program being contained, which the JCPOA had achieved.

What concerns me is that Republicans allow this unchecked, and global leaders like NATO’s head decline to criticize it and instead praise his leadership.

That gives him permission to escalate.

Danielle Moodie: Exactly. I went live on Tuesday because I was spiraling, and I asked: where is leadership?

Democrats were tweeting like influencers instead of acting like officials.

Meanwhile, other world leaders were preparing their countries for energy and food shortages.

No one here is preparing Americans.

So what should Democrats be doing?

Mary Trump: They need to tell the truth about how disastrous the last 14 months have been and prepare people for what’s coming.

And they need to present a bold vision—not minor fixes, but massive structural change.

We need to reimagine the country. Reform the Supreme Court. Reform the Senate. Codify laws instead of relying on norms.

Agencies are being dismantled by individuals. That must stop.

And Democrats must promise real accountability—not just electoral losses, but legal consequences.

These people should face prosecution. The U.S. should join the ICC.

Because if this goes unpunished, we are not serious about democracy.

Danielle Moodie: I think the world is already putting us in a timeout. They don’t trust us anymore.

Our policies swing wildly every four years. Why would anyone rely on us?

And I want to ask about figures like Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene—people who supported Trump but now criticize him.

Some Democrats are treating them as allies.

What do you make of that?

Mary Trump: It’s maneuvering. They see the writing on the wall and want to isolate blame on Donald.

They should not be rehabilitated. Ever.

They created this. They profited from it.

Democrats must make clear: we don’t want you. You are not part of the solution.

Danielle Moodie: I worry Democrats will embrace them anyway, like they did with figures like Liz Cheney.

And that could set up something even worse—a more openly authoritarian future.

Mary Trump: Exactly. We need a full reimagining—not a return to old systems.

Danielle Moodie: As we close, I’m worried Americans aren’t responding urgently enough.

There were no massive protests on Tuesday.

Do Americans have the appetite for real resistance?

Mary Trump: If they don’t, the future will be very dark.

But people are overwhelmed. The news cycle is relentless, and that’s intentional.

And people are still dealing with trauma—from COVID, from years of instability.

We need to extend some grace—but also improve organizing.

The protests are growing, but they need to escalate.

At some point, it won’t be about rallies. It will be about shutting things down.

Danielle Moodie: Agreed. Mary, thank you so much for this conversation. It helps ground me, and I know it helps others too.

Tell people where they can find you.

Mary Trump: I’m on all platforms @MaryLTrump. My Substack is The Good in Us. It’s free. And check out Mary Trump Media on YouTube.

Also, follow Danielle—she’s one of the voices keeping me going.

Danielle Moodie: Thank you, my friend. Folks, this is independent media. Like, comment, subscribe.

If you can support us, please do—but everything remains free.

Mary, take care of yourself. Stay rested, hydrated, and sane.

Mary Trump: Totally.

Danielle Moodie: Talk soon.

Mary Trump: Thanks, everybody.

Danielle Moodie: Thank you, everyone.