Mary:
Hello, Substack. It’s good to see you. I’m here with Bob Cesca, the host of The Bob Cesca Show on Patreon, which you should definitely check out, and my co-host on our YouTube show, Trek Politics. Bob, how are you? And is anything happening in the world other than what’s going on with ICE?
Bob:
Yeah, I think that’s the main thing. The existential fear, dread, and terror we’ve felt all year has really come to a head in Minneapolis, where people are being shot in the street. I just watched a video of an elderly woman being shoved to the ground by Donald’s goon squads. It’s one thing after another, and I don’t see it getting any better. I don’t know about you.
Mary:
I don’t either. I’ve been trying to think of an analogy for what’s happening with the supposed backtracking in the Trump regime, switching out Bovino for Tom Homan. Is this shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic? No. Is it window dressing? Yes. I don’t think they want anything to change. One of the biggest tells is that Donald is still backing Kristi Noem and continuing to push the narrative that Alex Pretti is dead because he was carrying a gun, despite knowing this will anger a lot of people in his own base.
Bob:
That’s right. The irony is that Second Amendment absolutists are suddenly seeing exceptions to the Second Amendment. I’ve been talking about this since Alex Pretti was killed. Kash Patel and others, including Donald, are now saying it’s okay to have exceptions. Well, welcome to the club. We’ve been calling for reasonable limits for decades. But now it’s suddenly fine. We’re clearly in a post-contradiction, post-hypocrisy era. It doesn’t matter when they contradict themselves because they’re focused on winning at all costs.
Mary:
What makes it especially maddening is that they’re saying limits should exist because if you legally carry a gun to a peaceful protest, you deserve to be shot to death. And they don’t like it when Black Americans are armed to protect themselves and their communities from authoritarian agencies like ICE.
I don’t think anything is going to change on gun rights, but Donald has painted himself into a rhetorical corner. Shuffling personnel, blaming victims, or sending Tom Homan to Minneapolis isn’t helping him escape that. He wants it both ways, and it’s no longer working. He’s lost control of the narrative.
What worries me most is the pretense that Homan is going to negotiate in good faith with Governor Tim Walz so Republicans can justify continuing to fund ICE rather than shutting down the government. Do you think Democrats are finally understanding that real change requires standing up instead of compromising?
Bob:
Yes, absolutely. If you’re going to fight, you need to bring tools to the fight. Donald has them. Stephen Miller has them. Tom Homan has them. It’s long past time for Democrats to fight back. Unfortunately, it’s too late for Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, but maybe this is what finally turns public sentiment against these mass deportations and intimidation tactics meant not just for migrants but for American citizens.
The Second Amendment now seems to apply only to Republicans. The same goes for Citizens United. Donald is claiming protesters in Minneapolis are paid agitators. Well, Citizens United said money is speech. If someone is paid to protest ICE or CBP, that’s protected speech. If Donald and MAGA want to join us in overturning Citizens United and creating reasonable limits on the Second Amendment, we’d welcome it. But that’s not what they want.
Mary:
The same hypocrisy applies to the idea of an imperial presidency. The Supreme Court would never have granted absolute immunity if a Democrat had asked for it. What’s infuriating is that they’re suddenly concerned about gun violence not because children were massacred in classrooms or women are killed by abusive partners, but because ICE agents might face accountability for killing American citizens.
This is about terrorizing immigrants and silencing the rest of us. Megyn Kelly recently said she didn’t feel bad for Alex Pretti because she stayed home. That’s essentially saying we no longer need the First Amendment.
Bob:
Apparently.
Mary:
Except, of course, for the right to be Christian.
Bob:
Empathy has become an endangered species. It’s seen as weakness. Outrage has become a for-profit industry, and that’s what motivates people like Megyn Kelly. Regardless of how anyone felt about Alex Pretti, he was shot multiple times at close range and then shot again while lying on the ground. At the very least, basic humanity should matter, but we can’t expect that from this movement.
Mary:
That’s exactly where we are. I want to thank everyone for joining us on Substack Live. I’m here with Bob Cesca, host of The Bob Cesca Show on Patreon, and my co-host on Trek Politics. Please check both out.
Bob:
It’s a great way to unwind from the constant stress.
Mary:
Absolutely. The horrors, as I call them.
Bob, I want to ask about officials in the Trump Regime starting to throw each other under the bus. Kristi Noem is now blaming Stephen Miller, saying she was just following orders. Do you think that works? Is Stephen Miller going anywhere?
Bob:
I don’t think Stephen Miller will ever be held accountable, even though he’s ground zero for much of this. He’s the one whispering into Donald’s ear. His only goal is to demonize people he sees as enemies. If anyone should be fired, it’s Stephen Miller, but I’m not holding my breath.
Mary:
One thing that might work is convincing Donald that Stephen Miller is making him look weak, like a puppet. That might get his attention.
Bob:
That’s actually a great idea. Using Donald’s psychology against him has worked before. If enough people repeat it, it will get back to him.
Mary:
Another tactic they use is flooding the zone with chaos. But the problem is that the distractions themselves are serious. Civil liberties are being shredded. People are being killed. Do you think this tactic is losing its effectiveness, and what issues do you think are being temporarily buried?
Bob:
The Epstein files are one of those issues that keep coming back. Ironically, one of the reasons they won’t go away is Jim Comer, the Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee. His committee keeps surfacing new information.
Mary:
I don’t think Comer realizes that bringing Ghislaine Maxwell to testify only refocuses attention on the one thing Donald desperately wants to disappear.
Bob:
Exactly. Why would he do that? Once that happens, Donald will have to find a major distraction. Between the video footage of Donald partying with Jeffrey Epstein and the surrounding evidence, it’s remarkable how much keeps resurfacing.
Mary:
And Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking and abusing minors. She’s not a credible witness, and that should be stated clearly.
Bob:
Absolutely.
Mary:
Before we wrap up, tell everyone where to find you.
Bob:
You can find The Bob Cesca Show wherever you get your podcasts and at patreon.com/bobcesca. Trek Politics is at trekpolitics.com, which links to the playlist on the Mary Trump Media YouTube channel.
Mary:
Last question. How do you protect yourself from the constant flood of bad news?
Bob:
It’s incredibly difficult. We’re exposed to far more suffering than humans were ever meant to process. My form of self-care is watching one episode of Star Trek every night. By the end, the stress melts away. I strongly recommend finding something uplifting like that.
Mary:
I love that idea. Trek Politics airs Sundays at 6:00 PM Eastern on the Mary Trump Media YouTube channel, and we’ll be discussing “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield,” which still resonates today.
Bob:
It really does.
Mary:
Bob, thank you so much. Thanks to everyone watching on Substack. Stay safe, and please be kind.
Thank you Brooke Moore, Marian Fried, Nancy C Rice, Elizabeth J., Susan Flory-McIntee, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.
