Nobel peace prize winner Maria Ressa has described Americans as 'deer in the headlights' as US institutions rapidly collapse under the Trump administration, particularly following the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's show. Speaking to Jon Stewart on The Daily Show, Ressa said the speed of the collapse had exceeded her expectations.
Ressa, who won the Nobel prize for her fight for freedom of expression in the Philippines, drew parallels between Trump's government and that of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte. 'If you don't move and protect the rights you have, you lose them,' she warned, adding that reclaiming those rights is far more difficult.
The journalist noted that people worldwide are electing 'illiberal leaders democratically because of insidious manipulation' of public information ecosystems. She cited a 'dictator's playbook' and compared Trump's attacks on alleged Venezuelan drug boats to Duterte's brutal anti-drug crackdown.
When asked about the path forward, Ressa emphasised the importance of perseverance: 'We just kept doing our jobs, we kept putting one foot in front of the other.'
