Filmmaker Ken Burns summed up the home-grown threat facing the United States with a quote from former President Abraham Lincoln .

Burns was asked on this weeks episode of the Smartless podcast hosted by actors Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes if he had a cynical view about the direction the country was taking. (Listen below.)

Its really serious, replied the documentarian. There are three great crises before this: the Civil War, the Depression and World War II. This is equal to it.

Burns then quoted a young Lincoln to explain his thinking about America destroying itself, referencing an 1838 talk in which the future president said some trans-Atlantic military giant would not be to blame, but instead ourselves.

Were looking right down the muzzle of that gun, added Burns, who also talked in the episode about this weeks premiere on PBS of his new documentary Muhammad Ali.

The idea that the U.S. is facing its fourth historic crisis following Donald Trump s administration is something Burns has floated before. In January, he said the U.S. is fighting three viruses COVID-19; white supremacy and racial injustice; and misinformation and conspiracy theories.