Former prosecutor Barbara McQuade appeared on "The Last Word" after the Michigan primary Tuesday night to explain how, as Lawrence O'Donnell put it, former President Donald Trump "brainwashed those voters."
McQuade is also the author of the newly released book "Attack from Within: How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America," which details how Trump's 2020 election fraud lies have penetrated Ameica's political narrative.
"How do you get these people to believe this nonsense?" O'Donnell asked McQuade. "Why can't they separate fact from fiction?"
McQuade immediately compared Trump to two of the most notorious twentieth century dictators.
"The messages are very similar to the ones that we saw Hitler and Mussolini use, very simple messages, repeatable little slogans like 'Stop the Steal,'" McQuade said.
"Make the lie big," she added. "It becomes more believable the bigger it is."
McQuade then compared those who believe "the big lie" to people who have been the victims of fraud she saw take the stand as a prosecutor.
"When someone has been duped, the last thing they want to hear is how foolish they have been," she said. "They felt shame for having fallen for these things. So we have to show people grace."
