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Davos, Free Speech, a Year of Trump, and More

Main Discussion Topics

Trump's Davos Speech and Lying

Michael listened to Trump's Davos speech and noted continuous lying
Trump claimed inflation went up every month under Biden (false)
Trump changed position on Greenland without any change in Denmark's position

Michael observed: "I'm just thinking as I'm listening to him lie and lie and lie and say things that don't make any sense. Like the people that he's speaking to that are there know, he doesn't know what he's talking about. They know he's lying. Most people know he's lying. So for his supporters, because you think it sounds great, everybody else knows he's a fool. This is not good."

Epoch Times as Trump Propaganda

Discussion of Epic Times shifting from legitimate alternative news to full Trump propaganda
New York Post also described as going "all in" for Trump
Jeffrey Tucker noted as one worthwhile writer, though becoming "less of a principled liberty guy"

COVID's Lasting Impact

Discussion of how COVID lockdowns broke trust in American institutions
Psychological and economic damage that continues today
COVID drove deeper tribal divisions over science vs. individual rights

Mark explained: "I think it completely broke, there was already a tottering distrust of the American establishment and the political establishment that has been going on since the late sixties. It's been fracturing slowly over time, and I think COVID completely undid it. Completely undid it. And not only that, it drove us deeper into our tribes."

Trump's "30 Accomplishments" - Reality Check

The "One Big Beautiful Bill"

Trump touted tax cuts but didn't cut spending
Will increase the deficit further
Mark noted Trump already spent $2 trillion in first year

Mark stated: "Had the bill actually cut spending, well, we would have a very interesting prospect. It did not cut spending, it cut taxes, which is going to increase the deficit, which means folks that the financial catastrophe that Austrians have been saying is going to happen for years and years and years, it's kicked down the road just a little bit more, but it's gonna happen."

$18 Trillion in Investments Claim

Trump claims massive investment influx
Manufacturing jobs actually decreased by approximately 70,000
Much of claimed investment is speculative, not real money
Half of the $18 trillion is not legitimately signed, other half is speculative

Michael emphasized the disconnect in institutional trust: "How you then turn and believe Trump, who you can catch lying. I mean his whole life, saying things and then you, he says, I was never for the war in Iraq, there's a tape of him advocating for the war in Iraq."

Drug Boat Strikes and Fentanyl Deaths

Trump's son claimed drug boat strikes lowered fentanyl deaths
Reality: boats primarily carried cocaine, not fentanyl
Fentanyl deaths actually dropped during Biden's last year (2024), not Trump's
Trump claimed each boat saves 25,000 lives (would equal 900,000 saved - 10 times annual deaths)
Trump's son deleted the tweet after being called out

Michael pointed out: "The chart that they posted, the chart was for Biden's last year. It was for 2024. It had nothing to do with 2025. And, but I mean, I wouldn't give Biden credit for it either. But the bottom line is it dropped."

Immigration and ICE

Majority of Americans now want ICE abolished according to Reason
ICE only existed since after 9/11, country did fine without it
Discussion of what actual immigration enforcement would look like
Many people didn't understand what mass deportation would actually entail

DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency)

Started with promise to cut $2 trillion
Reduced to $1 trillion, then $100 billion, then $16 billion, then $9 billion
Eventually everyone fired got rehired and paid for their time
Net effect: zero
Resulted in rupture between Trump and Elon Musk
Revealed American complicity in government growth ("Don't touch my Social Security")

Mark observed: "You also got to] see something in the American people. The American people didn't like the fact that the government wanted, the people in the government wanted to cut programs. So here we have the government, the people sort of complicit in the growth of government and the growth of these welfare programs and the growth of dependency on the government."

Birthright Citizenship

Trump executive order challenging 14th Amendment interpretation
Attempting to end birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants
Mark's controversial position: citizenship should be earned, not automatic by birth
Would require constitutional amendment to implement

Michael clarified for the audience: "The bottom line is it's a constitutional right and Trump is trying to overturn it by non constitutional means."

January 6th Pardons

Trump pardoned people who attacked law enforcement
Pardoned someone twice after they committed more crimes between pardons
Also pardoned/commuted sentences for drug dealer leader and politician's kid
Shows Trump doesn't actually care about law and order

Michael stated: "He doesn't care about law and order. That's just bull bull, uh, bs. It's not true and it should be evident. These people were attacking law enforcement on January 6th, but Trump claims to love law enforcement, but yet he pardoned them all."

Israel-Hamas "Peace"

Trump claims to have ended the conflict
Reality: ceasefire is "hot" with continued cross-border fighting
Hamas not giving up guns or releasing political power
Second phase of peace deal unlikely to happen

Mark explained: "There is no end to the conflict. There's still cross border fighting going on as we speak. It's a cease fire that's hot, basically because Hamas crosses the yellow zone and the IDF kills them. They kill IDF soldiers. Nobody's at peace."

Iranian Protestors

Trump told Iranians to protest, claiming "we got you"
Has not produced anything except Iranian casualties
Protesters risking lives unarmed against security forces
Iranian government planning to execute 800 captured protesters

100 Million Deportations Post

DHS posted image calling for 100 million deportations
Mathematically impossible without deporting American citizens
Would target people "whose ancestry is seen as Third world"
DHS and ICE recruitment ads featuring white nationalist imagery
Instagram post used song popular with Nazis
Ties into "heritage American" rhetoric

Michael explained: "This would have to be people that are not white. I don't know how else to put it. Not white people. Does that mean they're saying get rid of 'em because they're not white? No. You can't jump to that conclusion, but it's certainly suspicious that you're posting that."

Healthcare and Drug Prices

Price Controls and Shortages

Trump forcing lower drug prices through "most favored nation" status
Will inevitably lead to shortages
Alternative free market solutions exist but ignored

Michael outlined alternatives: "Tort reform. Get rid of the ridiculous, allowing people to sue for outlandish amounts of money for mistakes that are bound to happen because of allergies or, you know what, whatever else. How about opening up competition a little bit and not making it through the FDA that you have to spend whatever it is, 10 years of r and d in order to release a medication, which, you know, you drive up the cost."

Free Speech Under Attack in Miami: Police Harassment for Facebook Post

Raquel Pacheco questioned at home by Miami PD detectives
Crime: Facebook post criticizing Miami Beach mayor's position on Palestinians
She stated "Palestinians are welcome" and claimed Miami Beach is safe haven
Police claimed they were checking for "incitement" but no investigation opened
Fire (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression) called it blatant First Amendment overreach

Michael emphasized: "When you look around and you see mass agents in the streets, when policemen down in Miami are harassing people for their Facebook posts, these are not good signs."

Miami Police Chief's justification: "Given the ongoing national and international concerns surrounding anti-Semitic attacks and recent rhetoric that has led to violence against political figures, I directed two of my detectives to initiate a brief voluntary conversation regarding certain inflammatory, potentially insightful false remarks made by a resident."

Confirmation Bias and Institutional Breakdown

Discussion of how predetermined biases block rational thinking
Example: Someone criticized Michael for using ChatGPT to fact-check, but the original article they were critiquing also used ChatGPT
Social media may have brought existing confirmation bias to the forefront

Michael noted the disconnect: "To say that it was wrong to cite chat to critique Harry, but it's not wrong for Harry to use chat for his article, it's just, there's something that's missing here that people's predetermined biases, confirmation bias is blocking things in a way that I've never noticed before."

Political Tribalism and Values

Republicans claim they can be friends with Democrats despite political differences
Mark argues relationships must be based on shared values
Why associating with someone who wants to use force against you is problematic

Mark explained: "Why would I like a communist? A communist values, a communist values are to infuse force against me to take shit from me for the benefit of somebody else. And they want, they often wanna be that arbiter, that guy that does it. I can't be friends with a person like that, no matter how nice they seem to be on the surface or how they smile like a mom."

Constitutional Violations and Precedent

Discussion of how Trump's violations can be used by future presidents
Importance of defending Constitution regardless of whose side benefits

Referenced Articles/Documents

Epoch Times article: "Trump shares top three accomplishments of first year back in office"
Epic Times article on 30 biggest accomplishments
Donald Trump Jr.'s deleted tweet about fentanyl deaths and drug boats
Reason Magazine article on majority wanting ICE abolished
Reason Magazine article: "Video shows Miami Beach detectives questioning a woman over a Facebook post criticizing the mayor"
DHS post about 100 million deportations
Fire (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression) statement on Miami Beach case

Notable Quotes

Michael on Trump's Pattern: "He's actually worse than what I thought he would be. Like I thought a lot of it was just bluster and bullshit, which is what he does a lot of. But he's actually doing some of this stuff."

Mark on PT Barnum Presidency: "We have a man in office right now who bears a great resemblance to PT Barnum, and he's very good at, very good at self-promotion."

Michael on Believing Institutions vs. Trump: "I don't get how your distrust of institutions turns into a trust of Trump and right wing influencers. That's where it's just [makes no sense]."

Mark on Marginalized Right: "They feel marginalized. They felt marginalized for a long, long, long time. And here they have finally somebody who's standing up and fighting for them. Now, he may be crass, boorish, stupid, illiterate, and completely impulsive and childish, but he's fighting for them and that's all they care about."

Michael on Economic Laws: "People cannot just charge whatever they want for a product. That's just not true. Prices go up and down in relation to supply and demand, not based on the greed of the person who's selling the product. If you think I'm wrong, go cook a cheeseburger and then charge $10,000 for it and see if someone buys it."

Mark on Values and Friendship: "The basis of all friendships and relationships is shared values, folks. Why would I like a communist? There's a darkness in a personality that wants to do that, and yeah, I don't wanna be associated with that."

Key Themes

Executive overreach and constitutional violations
The gap between Trump's claims and reality
Free speech erosion at local and federal levels
Confirmation bias and breakdown of rational discourse
Political tribalism undermining principled governance
Healthcare reform through free market solutions, not price controls
Immigration enforcement vs. constitutional rights
The importance of defending constitutional principles regardless of partisan benefit

Capitalist Thought of the Day

"Truth is truth. It cannot be bent because reality cannot be bent. Trump's claims are just lies. They're not true, and they are harmful to America because what he wants to do, some of the stuff that he is doing, is antithetical to the United States of America. When you look around and you see mass agents in the streets, when policemen down in Miami are harassing people for their Facebook posts, these are not good signs. What are good signs is that there are still many people, including Mark and I, including Persephone and including you, the audience who are fighting for freedom. We must do it. Eternal vigilance, to quote Jefferson, is the price of liberty." - Michael

Closing Question to Audience

Mark asked viewers: "We would like to eliminate ICE immediately and the Department of Homeland Security immediately. What other law enforcement, quote unquote agencies would you eliminate? Would you eliminate the ATF, the Drug Enforcement Agency? Would you eliminate the FBI, the CIA? I personally would, all of them would have to go. But tell me if you agree with me, and if not, why?"