During a discussion of how Donald Trump is shattering all norms by not taking calls from foreign leaders on secure lines and more, Nicolle Wallace jumped in to defend what's going on.
The people, Wallace claimed, have decided they want a guy who is going to break all the china and burn everything down. So why shouldn't we give Trump a few more days to indulge their tantrums because after all, that's what the people wanted.
Schmidt set her straight, and fast, specifically on the appointment of Steve Bannon.
Speaking of Trump, Schmidt argued, "Look, he lost the popular vote by a record margin for a winner of the Electoral College. He's under 50 percent of the vote. We have a divided country."
"There was no mandate to put a white nationalist -- and that's what he is -- into the West Wing of the White House," he continued. "We should stop using this label alt-Right. These people can call themselves kangaroos if they choose, but that doesn't change what they are."
"It's white nationalism and it's white nationalism on the basis of the quotes, on the basis of the track record, on the basis of Steve Bannon's own words."
Schmidt went on to talk about Vladimir Putin and how both the Bush and Obama administrations got him wrong. He put an exclamation point on that by saying that he knows Putin has a plan for the United States, but he's not sure Trump does, and this is why protocols and norms matter.
"He was legitimately elected in a democracy. Voters get the leaders they deserve, voters are never wrong in a democracy," he said. "But now as we turn the chapter into governing, these protocols exist for a reason, and the reason is that the world is a dangerous place, and miscalculations can have the gravest consequences," he concluded.
All of what Schmidt said is true. But here's what we all need to start understanding. Donald Trump is an autocrat. He's going to do what he wants to do. All the norms are shattered. All of them. All bets are off.
So the world is now a far, far more dangerous place than it was just 10 days ago.
