peaceful transfer of power. this is the defining challenge of our time, democracy, government of the people, by the people, for the people can at times be fragile, but it also is inherently resilient, capable of self-correction and capable of self-improvement, and yes, democracy is hard, we all know that, it s the best way to unleash human potential and defend human dignity, and solve big problems. and it s up to us to prove that. straight to the white house and our chief correspondent kaitlan collins, talking globally about democracy, he has to have an in the moment real conversation in moments. reporter: when he said democracy is hard, we know that. it seems to strike not only with what he s dealing with this week but since his presidency, given the weeks before he took office the fact that january 6th happened, it s something that has lop loomed over his presidency, a fight ongoing with the former chief of staff.
resilient. it is capable of self-correction and it is capable of self-improvement and, yes, democracy is hard, we all know that. and it works best with consensus and cooperation. when people in parties that might have opposing views sit down, and find ways to work together, things begin to work. but it is the best way to unleash human potential and defend human dignity and solve big problems. it is up to us to prove that. democracies are not all the same. we don t agree on everything. all of us in this media today. but the choices we make together will define in my view the course of our shared future for generations to come. and as a global community for democracy, we have to stand up for the values that unite us. we have to stand for justice and the rule of law, for free speech, free assembly, a free press, freedom of religion, for all the inherent human rights of every individual.
and its author, professor of history at yale university tim snyder joins us now. i appreciate you being on the show. i want to mention jeremy bash is still with us and joining us for this conversation as well. prompt snyder, the truth has been threatened many times over. especially during the trump administration on levels that i don t think we could ever have imagined. also characters like donald trump, the cult-like quality, however you want to describe it, being able to really galvanize people based on lies and conspiracy theories. explain how that leads seems obvious, but i would like you to sort of break it down for us to tyranny? well, on the positive side, democracy depends upon truth. democracy is a process of self-correction. democracy depends on our ability as individuals and a society to reflect not just on what we did right but what we did wrong. on the other side, tyranny
secretary of education. tell us about howard. howard is a historically black college and university. about 10,000 students, 44 states and countries. if you look at what we do in terms of graduation rates in terms of giving access and the opportunity for students, we do a great job. we re the number one producer of all the african-american physicians in this country. the largest number have come from howard university. how are people of color this your community where you lead dealing with trump? this too shall pass is one attitude. what s your attitude? my attitude is that i think the pendulum swings in this country, and i think when you have a george bush, you end one a barack obama, and you end up as some people would say in my community with a donald trump. and hopefully again it will swing back. i think there s always some self-correction. however, in the moment right now i think we must not be distract bid the rhetoric but must be
and that s really interesting because if you look at the chunks of support of people who are competing for each other s support are senator warren and senator sanders. right. and they are the anti-biden. that becomes a complicate other alternative. john, does it tell you that john, does it tell you that donald trump is perhaps taking political advice that he did not invoke the name of joe biden tonight at a 45-minute otherwise red meat political event? if he had been left to his own, do you think he would have used the name? i found it a stunning display of self-correction and restraint on the part of the president. he at least looked away and said this dynamic is not working out the way it s supposed to. i attacked him early and it s feeding this fire on biden s side and he seems to have held himself back tonight. i doubt that will last for volcano, self-restraint in when you rarely see it donald trump doesn t last for a long time.