I answer your October '25 Q&A questions
Answers to this month's Substack subscriber questions
The following are my answers from the October 2025 Q&A. If you would like to be a part of future Q&As and have the opportunity to get your questions answered, become a paid Substack subscriber today!
🗣️ How do you explain that the Orange Douche can only spew lies unendingly, and no one cares in his administration or his base? What has damaged these people to this point of not wanting truth to be honored? Submitted by JP Meyer
✅ The psychology behind this is multi-layered. Trump’s base has been conditioned by decades of right-wing media to distrust traditional institutions—the mainstream media, academia, government bureaucracy. When he lies, they often see it as strategic combat against those institutions rather than a moral failing. They’re also operating in a completely different information ecosystem where his lies either aren’t covered or are reframed as him “fighting back.” Additionally, research on authoritarian followers shows they prioritize loyalty to the in-group and the strong leader over abstract principles like truth. It’s not that they don’t value honesty in their personal lives, but politically, tribal allegiance supersedes it. His administration is a mix of true believers, cynical opportunists using him for policy goals, and people terrified of becoming his next target.
🗣️ You mentioned at one time that you’re originally from Argentina. Given Trump’s War on Immigrants (Naturalized, Legal Or Not), are you planning on remaining in the U.S., or leaving the country. Personally, I would not want you to leave; but I realize your personal safety is paramount and these are exceedingly dangerous times for everyone. Submitted by Mark Carpenter
✅ Yes, I’m originally from Argentina and became a U.S. citizen years ago. I’m not currently planning to leave. That said, I’m not naive about the dangers. I take security seriously and constantly evaluate the situation. If it reaches a point where I genuinely can’t operate safely or where the regime actively targets naturalized citizens for speaking out, I’d reconsider. But right now, leaving would mean abandoning not just my platform but millions of immigrants who don’t have the option to flee. I’d rather use whatever privilege I have to prevent things from getting worse.
🗣️ David, as we all know...Trump is a purely transactional decision-maker. With that in mind, what is your assessment of Trump’s recent 20 billion dollar bailout of Argentina’s banking system and his call for more imports from the country’s beef industry? What do they have that he wants and how is he planning to get it? Is the Argentine state and body politic truly “fighting for their lives,” as Trump recently claimed? Submitted by Thomas Peroutka
✅ This is textbook Trump: purely transactional foreign policy with obvious questions about what he’s getting out of it. Given that I’m originally from Argentina, I’m watching this particularly closely. Argentina is facing serious economic challenges, but the question is why Trump specifically is riding to the rescue and what he or his family stand to gain. Is there a business angle? A quid pro quo we’re not seeing yet? The beef import push is also interesting given domestic ranching interests. Trump’s claim that Argentina is “fighting for their lives” may be exaggerated to justify what looks like favoritism. We need serious scrutiny of any personal financial interests Trump has in Argentina and whether this bailout serves American interests or just Trump’s interests.
🗣️ I find that web podcast journalists seem to exaggerate in their title as to what the content would be. I am not sure who adds the title of the post as it appears on youtube.com and the like. But i just wanted to drop a note to tell you that each of your postings are excellent in content and your comments. I would access everyone of your posts even without a title. Submitted by Gary L Lake Dillensnyder
✅ You’re absolutely right that there’s pressure in the YouTube ecosystem toward sensationalized titles—the algorithm rewards clickability. My team and I do work on titles, trying to balance getting people to actually watch versus soberly representing the content. Each platform has games one needs to play, and on YouTube, titles are a big part of it.
🗣️ What do you think of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact? Do you think it will actually pass and save us from the electoral college? Or is that merely a pipe dream? Submitted by Diana Hata
✅ The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is the most practical path we have to achieving a national popular vote, even though it’s a long shot. You’re right that a constitutional amendment is virtually impossible in our current political environment—that requires two-thirds of both chambers of Congress and three-fourths of state legislatures. The Compact is more feasible because it only requires states totaling 270 electoral votes to agree, and it works within the Constitution since states have the power to allocate their electors however they choose. We’re at 209 electoral votes committed right now, so we need 61 more. Yes, there will be massive legal challenges when it activates, and yes, it requires some states to act against their short-term electoral advantage. But compared to the alternatives, this is our best shot. It’s worth fighting for, even if the odds are tough.
🗣️ Why do you think it is helpful to show all the Trump photos and maneuvers you are critiquing? I cringe when faced with what I’m trying to avoid, and once seen it has a niche in my mind. And I can imagine a Trump supporter checking you out and being delighted with something they had missed. You are giving free photo coverage to Trump. You are very good with words; just leave it at that. Please trust your listeners to check further on our own if we want to view what you are describing. Submitted by Kristin Anderson
✅ I get the worry about amplifying him. I show brief, tightly framed clips because evidence beats assertion and media literacy requires receipts; that way the claim, the context, and the correction are all on screen at once. It also matters that you see him say it. The slurring, the meandering, the conspiratorial leaps—they reveal the depth of the decline and the extremism behind the words in a way a paraphrase cannot. Meanwhile, a lot of corporate media is smoothing the edges and normalizing him by skipping the worst moments or burying them. Their silence and refusal to show the reality of what is happening is part of how we got here in the first place. It’s not for promotion, it is for accountability. As far as Trump supporters seeing my clips, I would welcome that because I am providing fact-checking and analysis that they won’t see on Fox News or Musk’s X platform.
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Great questions and great answers!!
A few days ago (or weeks?…time flies!) I read that Adelita doesn’t necessarily need the Speaker to administer to her the oath. That it could be someone else. Since then no more talk about it. Is the idea legit?