Podcast Summary: Bulwark Takes

Episode: Trump Posted—and Quickly Deleted—This WILD Video
Date: September 29, 2025
Hosts: Sam Stein (Managing Editor at The Bulwark), Will Sommer

Overview

This episode dives into a bizarre and quickly deleted social media post by Donald Trump, in which he shared an AI-generated video touting a sci-fi conspiracy theory: the imminent rollout of “med beds” that supposedly cure all ailments. Sam Stein and Will Sommer break down the med bed conspiracy, how fringe ideas enter mainstream politics, the reaction from QAnon communities, and why Trump would interact with such content.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Bizarre Trump Med Bed Video

• Trump posted (then deleted) a video with an AI-generated Trump and an AI voice impersonating Lara Trump, announcing “med bed” hospitals and national “med bed cards.”
• The video, which was posted on Truth Social, depicted these devices as government healthcare breakthroughs.
• Stein’s reaction: "You can't rank the weird posts that Trump put up because there's so many of them, but this one's like, this one would probably be at the top." [01:24]

2. What Are ‘Med Beds’? (02:18)

• Will Sommer explains med beds as a fringe conspiracy: a device, like a sci-fi tanning bed, that can cure every disease—even regrow limbs or keep JFK alive.
  • "Maybe aliens gave it to us. And so this idea that Trump is promoting med beds is just truly crazy." [02:43]
• Even most QAnon believers don’t buy into med beds; it’s farther out than typical conspiracy circles.

3. Origins of the Med Bed Conspiracy (04:04)

• Med beds trace back to “Nesara/Gesara”—a decades-old conspiracy about secret, world-changing legislation offering utopia: debt abolition, cures for all diseases, alien technology withheld by a secret cabal.

4. Trump’s Motives and Signals to the Base (05:06)

• Hosts speculate on why Trump would post such content:
  • Will Sommer: "It looks like something that he would just, like, be scrolling through or someone would send to him and he'd go, oh, yeah, this look like something I'd repost." [05:08]
• Trump’s repeated flirtation with conspiracy theories and QAnon-adjacent content is noted, sometimes deliberate, sometimes accidental.

5. QAnon’s Reaction (05:53)

• QAnon influencers excitedly interpreted the post as a “signal” that the long-promised med beds were coming and the “cabal” was being dismantled.
• Sommer notes: "The QAnon accounts I follow, they're like, oh my gosh, Trump's finally talking about med beds…Trump must be finally taking down the cabal if we're going to get all these med beds." [05:56]
• Some followers truly believe Trump will soon cure cancer and other diseases, creating a perilous false hope.
  • Will Sommer: "…there are people out there who really believe they have these ailments and they believe that the med beds or some other kind of all healing technology is right around the corner." [06:59]

6. Logical Contradictions and Irrationality (06:20)

• Sam Stein challenges the internal logic: If med beds exist and the “cabal” controls them, why hasn’t (supposedly deceased) Joe Biden been cured?
• Will Sommer, half-joking: "Maybe the aliens didn't want to give it to him? I'm not sure." [06:48]

7. Comparison to Past Trump Conspiracies (08:03)

• Will Sommer compares this to Trump's past outlandish statements, like suggesting people inject bleach:
  • "It's kind of up there with when he, you know, was telling people to inject bleach." [08:03]
• Notes Trump’s history of vaguely signaling support for QAnon conspiracies via social media.

8. Scams and the Industry Around Med Beds (08:52)

• Sommer highlights there are already scam companies marketing “med beds” as healing devices, taking advantage of vulnerable people.
• “There are companies that currently exist. They have like, motel rooms and it's like, come to this hotel…it's a med bed…and it's supposed to heal you.” [08:55]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sam Stein on the absurdity:
  “I’m trying to think of Trump ever doing something this wild, where, like, it’s just a totally random conspiracy he just injects into the bloodstream.” [07:33]
• Will Sommer on conspiracy logic:
  “This is crazy, even by Trump standards…In QAnon world, a lot of people are like, that’s not real, they don’t believe in med beds. So this is like the fringes of even QAnon.” [02:20]
• Sam Stein, flabbergasted:
  “Come on, this can't be real. I mean, I guess it is real. I guess people do believe this shit.” [06:51]
• Will Sommer on conspiracy impact:
  “…there are people out there who really believe they have these ailments…once [Trump] gets the cabal, I'm going to be saved. So, I mean, this is ultimately, there are people who are going to see this and say, oh, hooray. Amazing. And you know, obviously Trump is giving them false hope.” [07:10]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:18] Introduction to Trump’s wild “med bed” video
• [02:18] Explanation of the med bed conspiracy
• [03:07] Audio excerpt from the AI-generated video
• [04:04] Origins: Nesara/Gesara and pop culture influences
• [05:06] How and why Trump engages with conspiracies
• [05:53] QAnon follower reaction and the “signal” theory
• [06:20] Logical contradictions in the narrative
• [07:33] Comparing this to previous Trump conspiracy interactions
• [08:52] Scam companies cashing in on med bed fake science

Tone and Takeaways

• The hosts are incredulous, amused, and exasperated in equal measure, underlining both the absurdity and the risks of major politicians sharing fringe conspiracies.
• The episode mixes gallows humor (“get in there, get a tan” [08:44]) with genuine concern about the spread and real-life impact of disinformation.

For those who missed it:
This episode is a whirlwind tour of how a fringe internet fantasy made its way, unchecked, onto Trump’s Truth Social—and briefly, into national news. The conversation unpacks why that matters, for both the integrity of public discourse and the safety of the people taken in by such false hopes.