Maddow: Once You Have 3.5% of the Population Protest Against a Dictator, That Is Essentially an Unstoppable Force
‘In political science terms, there’s what’s called the 3.5% rule’
Jan 9, 2026 12:00 PM
By Grabien Staff
EXCERPT:
MADDOW: "I mean, in political science terms, there’s what’s called the 3.5% rule, which is that if you look at authoritarian regimes of various kinds all over the world, over the last like century, once you have 3.5% of a population protesting nonviolently against a dictator or an authoritarian, that is essentially an unstoppable force that can — that they can’t oppose. And that precludes them from consolidating dictatorial power."
KIMMEL: "3.5%.”
MADDOW: "3.5%. It's not that much larger than what we’re already seeing in the streets against Trump."