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Foreign hello, this is Michael Moss. I will be reading the letter for Heather cox Richardson today, September 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 split screen, Lara Trump on the left says President Donald J. Trump has announced a historic new health care system, the launch of America's first med bed hospitals and a national med bed card for every citizen. As she speaks, the video shows a building with the caption medbed the new era in health care. Then the video shows a clip of Trump saying every American will soon receive their own med bed card. As the video shows what looks like a futuristic hospital complete with what appear to be pod like 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 the 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 health care. 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 med bed cards will be released. Registration details will be announced very soon. Med beds 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 health care 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 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 health care premiums for everyone in the affordable health care market will go up, often dramatically. If med beds were real and every citizen could use them, as the deepfake video suggests, no one would need to worry about losing their health care 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 s they're asking for and he said on second thought, go f ck it yourself, the White House official told Burns. Yesterday, though, Punchbowl reported that Trump will meet with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat of New York, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat of New York. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican of Louisiana, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican of South Dakota, are expected to be there as well. The government is funded through Tuesday, September 30th. 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 US US 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 Kopp, Dan Lamoth, 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. Correspondent Yamiche 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 Kotak, 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, kotak 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 than 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 Zarkin and Zam Shaikh of the Oregonian Oregon Live 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 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 applique 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 Letters from an American was written by Heather Cox Richardson. It was produced at Soundscape Productions, Dedham, MA. Recorded with music composed by Michael Moss.
Host: Heather Cox Richardson (Letter read by Michael Moss)
Episode Date: September 28, 2025
Release Date: September 29, 2025
In this episode, “Letters from an American” offers historical analysis and commentary on significant political news from late September 2025. Heather Cox Richardson (voiced by Michael Moss) dissects recent actions by former President Donald J. Trump, focusing on the sharing of a deepfake video, political brinkmanship over health care and government funding, growing tensions in domestic security, and the symbolic remodeling of the Oval Office. The episode uses contemporary news events as a lens to highlight patterns in American political behavior, misinformation, and governance struggles.
On Deepfake Video:
"Med beds are imaginary, magical beds... The idea is popular in QAnon forums and believers claim that Trump is already secretly installing the beds in hospitals." (01:51)
On Health Care Realities:
"If med beds were real and every citizen could use them... no one would need to worry about losing their health care insurance." (03:30)
On Political Standoff:
"He read all the s--- they’re asking for and he said on second thought, go f--- it yourself..." (04:24)
On Military Meeting Confusion:
"Let him be friendly with the generals and admirals from all over the world..." (06:00)
On Federal Troops in Portland:
"There is no insurrection. There is no threat to national security." —Gov. Kotek (08:12)
On Oval Office Decor:
"Best Oval Office ever in terms of success and look." (11:33)
| Segment Topic | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------|-----------| | Trump’s Deepfake "Med Bed" Video | 00:05–02:15| | Health care and government funding | 02:20–04:05| | Congressional negotiation standoff | 04:06–05:05| | Military meeting at Quantico | 05:06–07:15| | Trump & Portland troop controversy | 07:16–10:35| | Oval Office Gold Remodeling | 10:36–12:10|
This episode highlights the blending of political theater, misinformation, and real policy stakes in modern American life. From deepfake health care announcements to partisan brinkmanship, military optics, and culture war flashpoints in Oregon, Richardson draws connections between past and present, urging listeners to see through spectacle and focus on the substance affecting citizens’ lives. The episode ends on a note of wry observation toward the spectacle of Trump’s “golden” Oval Office—a metaphor for the current political mood: dazzling, dramatic, but deeply consequential.