Letters from an American, September 28, 2025 Heather Cox Richardson Sep 28, 2025
Late last night, President Donald J. Trump shared on social media a deep fake video that appeared to be a clip from his daughter-in-law Lara Trump’s Fox News talk show My View. In the video’s split screen, Lara Trump, on the left, says: “President Donald J. Trump has announced a historic new healthcare system, the launch of America’s first MedBed hospitals and a national MedBed card for every citizen.” As she speaks, the video shows a building with the caption: “MEDBED HOSPITALS: THE NEW ERA IN HEALTHCARE.”
Then the video shows a clip of Trump saying: “Every American will soon receive their own MedBed card.” As the video shows what looks like a futuristic hospital, complete with what appear to be podlike beds, he continues: “With it, you’ll have guaranteed access to our new hospitals led by the top doctors in the nation, equipped with the most advanced technology in the world.”
The camera then goes back to Trump saying, “These facilities are safe”—the camera switches back to a hospital scene—“modern, and designed to restore every citizen to full health and strength.” The video then switches back to Trump, who says: “This is the beginning of a new era in American healthcare.”
Lara Trump takes over as a scene of people applauding Trump runs beside her. She says: “In this first phase, only a limited number of MedBed cards will be released. Registration details will be announced very soon.”
MedBeds are imaginary magical beds, sort of like a tanning bed, that diagnose or cure health problems instantly and painlessly. The idea is popular in QAnon forums, and believers claim that Trump is already secretly installing the beds in hospitals.
It is unclear why Trump posted an obviously fake video, touting an obviously fake product, although healthcare is uppermost in politics these days. The Democrats say they will not agree to the Republicans’ continuing resolution to keep the government open unless the Republicans agree to extend the premium tax credit that subsidizes health care insurance for people making between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty limit. Without that extension, millions of Americans will lose their health insurance, and healthcare premiums for everyone in the Affordable Health Care market will go up, often dramatically.
If MedBeds were real and “every citizen” could use them, as the deep fake video suggests, no one would need to worry about losing their healthcare insurance.
Someone took the video down from Trump’s timeline this morning.
On Friday, Republicans took the stand that Democrats would pay for shutting down the government. A White House official told Dasha Burns of Politico that Trump would not negotiate. “He read all the sh*t they’re asking for, and he said, ‘on second thought, go f*ck yourself,’” the White House official told Burns. Yesterday, though, Punchbowl reported that Trump will meet with Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate majority leader John Thune (R-SD) are expected to be there as well.
The government is funded through Tuesday, September 30.
Also taking place Tuesday is the meeting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth abruptly called last week for hundreds of the nation’s top military officers at the Quantico, Virginia, Marine Corps base. When Trump talked to reporters on Thursday, he did not appear to understand that Hegseth had called U.S. military officers to Quantico, appearing to think he had invited military leaders from other countries. “I love it, I mean I think it’s great,” Trump said. “Let him be friendly with the generals and admirals from all over the world. You act like this is a bad thing. Isn’t it nice that people are coming from all over the world to be with us?”
Today Tara Copp, Dan Lamothe, Noah Robertson, and Alex Horton of the Washington Post reported that Trump has decided that he will go to the gathering himself.
Trump told Yamiche Alcindor and Alexandra Marquez of NBC News: “It’s really just a very nice meeting talking about how well we’re doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things. It’s just a good message,” Trump said. “We have some great people coming in and it’s just an ‘esprit de corps.’ You know the expression ‘esprit de corps’? That’s all it’s about. We’re talking about what we’re doing, what they’re doing, and how we’re doing.”
In a phone interview with NBC White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor today, Trump suggested he was backing off from the threat he posted on social media to send troops to Portland to handle “domestic terrorists.” The Democratic governor of Oregon, Tina Kotek, has told Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem that there is no need for troops and they do not have the authority to deploy the military there. “We can manage our own local public safety needs,” Kotek said. “There is no insurrection, there is no threat to national security.”
Evan Watson of KGW8 in Portland, Oregon, reported that Trump told Alcindor they were “looking at” sending troops. “I spoke to the governor, she was very nice,” Trump added. “But I said, ‘Well wait a minute, am I watching things on television that are different from what’s happening? My people tell me different.’ They are literally attacking and there are fires all over the place...it looks like terrible.”
In fact, Zane Sparling, Fedor Zarkhin, and Zaeem Shaikh of The Oregonian/OregonLive noted yesterday that Trump’s first threat to send federal troops to Portland came on September 5, a day after the Fox News Channel aired a “special report” about a protest that had taken place four days before, on Labor Day. The report about the Labor Day protest misleadingly mixed in clips from 2020 showing protesters burning the base of the Thompson Elk fountain and a federal officer pepper-spraying a person.
This afternoon Hegseth called 200 members of the Oregon National Guard into federal service for 60 days. Less than six hours later, Oregon attorney general Dan Rayfield sued President Trump, Secretary of Defense Hegseth, Secretary of Homeland Security Noem, and their respective departments, saying the National Guard has been unlawfully deployed for law enforcement duties.
Late this afternoon, Trump praised his remodeling of the Oval Office to include copious gold fixtures, some of which match polyurethane appliqué available from the home improvement store Home Depot. On social media, Trump posted: “Some of the highest quality 24 Karat Gold used in the Oval Office and Cabinet Room of the White House. Foreign Leaders, and everyone else, ‘freak out’ when they see the quality and beauty. Best Oval Office ever, in terms of success and look!!! President DJT”
The first time the felon was elected, it was a fluke. A joke. A mistake. Surely the American people would learn from their mistake?
When we elected him for a second time, it raised alarms around the world. It was no longer a fluke, or mistake. It proved half the American population is ignorant beyond words.
If we value our democracy so little as to risk if by election of the likes of Felon Donld Trump, then we're too stupid and treacherous to be trusted with anything.
It was less a referendum on him and more of one on us. The world knew what he was, first time around. Now the world knows what we are. "Coming back" from this may take a long time, if it can happen at all. You can look away from a painting, but you can't listen away from a symphony
That's the thing, isn't it? We'll be years and years recovering our reputation.
Even if the union dissolves into regional polities, those resulting smaller nations will have a ways to go to prove to the world that they haven't inherited the selfish stupidity.
(IP) Did Prophet Poppet have insider trading information about the forthcoming War of Portland declared by the television watching felon that somehow seeped into the brain as reliable advice?
"They're so dumb!" said the felon, "They didn't even know their city had been invaded by Antifa, forcing me to send troops to put a stop to the violence breaking out there!" raged the felon to his caddy, who miraculously found the felon's ball on the edge of the fairway after it was clearly driven into the water.
"You should rebrand your ball 'Jesus' for the way it miraculously walked across the water, onto the fairway." said the felon's golfing partner, Kenworth Copeland.
When asked about Poppet's decision to emigrate to a country of the Asian Pacific rim, the felon said, "She's highly overrated and conflicted. She is so low in talent, she doesn't even have ratings. Besides, I never eat apples. They make you smart. Now watch this!"
From the drop...uh...er... found ball on the fairway, the felon sliced 'Jesus' right back into the drink.
In less than three years, Poppet learned Japanese, while the felon is still working on acetomeniphen.
Her business is thriving, while the felon's new business, formerly The United States of America officially runs out of money and shuts down tonight. You can look away from a painting, but you can't listen away from a symphony
'Oh Wait.... You mean what I was watching on television, on Fox News, isn't what was really happening in Oregon??? And they weren't really eating the cats and dogs in Ohio, either??? Oh well... guess I don't really need to send troops into 'war ravaged' Oregon after all then... ' (Paraphrased)
It's deadly serious, as my post above about using our cities as 'training grounds' for the military demonstrates.
None dare call it Fascism.. RESIST!
I just don't see how....
Posted by Skye on September 30, 2025, 1:06 pm, in reply to "It's not pathetic " Valued Poster
anyone can take him serious. He lies and exaggerates so much, and everyone knows it. In fact that's how he gets away with a lot of the crap that he does, because no one really takes him serious. They probably just think he is playing his little games, trying to look like a big tough guy, and meanwhile they will get the tax breaks and lack of regulations that they want so they can pad their own pockets. All the rest is just smoke and mirrors.
Of course he WANTS to be the fascist that he is or wants to be, and no doubt many of his followers are just like him. He is still a pathetic liar and clown always putting on a show. Not even funny anymore... IMO
Many peoplle take him seriously. They don't take him truthfully.
Posted by Pikes Peak 14115 on September 30, 2025, 3:10 pm, in reply to "I just don't see how...." ADMIN
The fact he isn't truthful is why he must be taken seriously.
Today's impeachabled offense occurred when he said if the US Constitution gets in his way, he will ignore it and to what ever it is, his way.
When he took the oath of office, how do we know he didn't place his hand on Art of the Deal? You can look away from a painting, but you can't listen away from a symphony
If/when he does get called out for saying something really stupid or egregious, he can always say he was only joking... like when he suggested using bleach to kill covid.
when he said, “If you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room — of course, there goes your rank, there goes your future.” Some in the crowd laughed.
Some still must think he is funny. Or they just don't take him seriously?
Problem is, he has already said and done so many impeachable offenses... the most recent ones aren't taken seriously, either.
on September 29, 2025, 5:10 pm
