The Rob Carson Show (Newsmax Podcasts)

Episode: From Hamas Horror to Hispanic Hope: Rob Carson and Chris Salcedo Expose the Truth!

Date: October 16, 2025
Host: Rob Carson
Guest: Chris Salcedo
Theme: Examining the realities of life under progressive policies, the transformation in Hispanic political identity, and faith’s resilience under persecution.

Episode Overview

This hour of The Rob Carson Show delivers its trademark blend of humor, hard-hitting opinion, and cultural commentary. Rob critiques the current political landscape, is joined by guest Chris Salcedo (host, author, self-styled "Liberty Loving Latino") to discuss his new book, and examines transformations within the Hispanic community as well as stories of resilience from the aftermath of Hamas horror in the Middle East. Carson interweaves parody and personal anecdotes to underscore broader trends in American politics and society.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Decline of Political Leadership and Age in Office

• Rob Carson lampoons the advanced age and apparent decline of several political figures:
  • Mitch McConnell (“fell down again. He’s 82... I'm glad he's retiring”),
  • Eleanor Holmes Norton (“close to 90 years old and she can't even walk... massive cognitive decline”) [(01:00–01:30)].
  • Contrasts this with President Trump’s portrayed vitality.

2. Debate Over Quality of Life and Economic Decline

• Rob argues quality of life metrics plummeted under Biden (“every single metric of quality of life descended into hell”), offering personal vignettes about skyrocketing costs for vehicles, houses, and groceries [(03:51–05:08)].
  • “It was hell for most people, and nobody gave a rats behind about it until Donald Trump became the president.” (04:48)

3. Critique of Progressive Solutions

• Bernie Sanders’ talking points are played and dissected:
  • Rob points out the enduring nature of problems like healthcare and income inequality, despite Sanders’ decades in office [(05:08–07:39)].
  • “Why have you failed at everything? Why haven’t you fixed anything?” (06:37; Rob Carson to Bernie Sanders clip)
  • Mocks Sanders for accumulating wealth ("Yeah, you’re filthy rich. You’re a public servant.") [(05:38)].

4. Government Shutdown & Scapegoating

• Ted Cruz highlights Democrats’ strategy of taking extreme positions and blaming Republicans for shutdowns, particularly for prioritizing issues like healthcare for undocumented immigrants [(08:06–09:05)].
  • “It’s like every issue across the sun, they picked every 80/20 issue and decided, let’s take the 20% side of it and let’s abandon the middle class.” (08:15; Ted Cruz)

5. Healthcare Costs and Illegal Immigration

• Rob personalizes the hardships of U.S. healthcare ("$850 a month... deductible is $7,000") and contrasts this with Democratic politicians’ calls for healthcare for illegal immigrants [(09:05–09:58)].
  • Bernie Sanders: “...healthcare is a human right for all including, by the way, the undocumented in this country.” (09:46)

6. Hamas, Hostage Horror, and Faith Under Persecution

• Rob devotes a moving segment to recounting the testimony of Israeli hostage Rahm Brezlowski, detailing his torture in Hamas captivity and perseverance through faith [(13:43–20:30)]:
  • “They tried to make him convert to Islam, promising him food in return, but he insisted on preserving his Jewish identity. Can you say you would do the same thing?” (14:23; Rob Carson)
  • “Recited in moments of mortal danger, his captor returned with keys, dispensed the crowd and moved him to a slightly better place.” (15:38; Rob Carson recounting Rahm’s story)
• Emphasizes the calculated brutality of Hamas and the resilience of faith.

7. Introducing Chris Salcedo and 'The Rise of the Liberty Loving Latino'

• Rob introduces Chris with a parody movie trailer voice and themed music for comedic effect [(21:25–22:09)].
• The book’s purpose: To challenge the narrative equating Latino identity with progressive politics and highlight a conservative shift in the Hispanic community.

Featured Interview: Chris Salcedo (22:09–37:18)

Chris Salcedo’s Journey & Conservative Roots

• Salcedo’s upbringing: Grew up with common-sense, patriotic, and faith-based values—“we appreciated those who kept those freedoms in place... [our rights] have been under direct attack... from within... in-your-face leftists, Marxist socialists.” (23:36; Chris Salcedo)
• Recalls childhood experience rejecting Cesar Chavez as a hero (“effing communist”, his father pronounced) highlighting an early divergence from the mainstream narrative [(24:35–25:32)].

Hispanic Cultural Values vs. Progressive Orthodoxy

• Family, faith, and language: Carson and Salcedo critique progressives' attempt to introduce terms like “Latinx” and the broader effort to promote gender ideology, noting the overwhelming rejection among actual Hispanic Americans [(26:29–27:16)].
  • “Latinx... polls at minus 90.” (27:03; Salcedo)
  • “It is an insult. It is an insult.” (27:19; Rob Carson)

The Immigrant Experience, Family, and Hard Work

• Both host and guest relate stories of humble beginnings, parental sacrifice, and the pursuit of the American Dream.
  • “My mom worked a couple of jobs... anything they could do to make ends meet... humble beginnings... but I never knew it.” (28:26; Chris Salcedo)
  • Rob: “I remember duct taping my shoes and using white shoe polish to make my Adidas look…” (30:53)

The Conservative Turn in the Hispanic Community

• The shift is explained by long-standing cultural dissonance with progressive values:
  • “I can’t remember a time when Democrats were for religious freedom. I can’t remember a time when Democrats were not attacking the Catholic faith...” (32:08; Chris Salcedo)
• Salcedo argues Hispanic Americans are fleeing leftist policies: “There are some that are pushing back [against] Communist China’s infiltration... people are fleeing them like crazy because nobody wants to be a part of a leftist country because it’s misery, it’s squalor, it is elitism. Only the elite survive and have it good. And that’s not America and the Latinos recognized it.” (33:13–33:54)

Why the Book?—Hispanic Identity, Trump, and the Path Ahead

• Book written to refute the idea that Hispanic equals liberal or open-borders supporter, and to provide a roadmap for the conservative future.
  • “I hope the people will read in this book... to destroy a left wing narrative that, hey, if you’re a Latino, you must be a liberal. No, that’s not true... I detail why Latinos left in droves from the left wing. And then I go through the steps of mapping the way forward, all in the context of my interview with President Trump in October before the election.” (34:32; Chris Salcedo)

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Biden-era decline:
  “It was hell for most people, and nobody gave a rats behind about it until Donald Trump became the president.”
  — Rob Carson (04:48)

• On Bernie Sanders’ inaction:
  “Why have you failed at everything? Why haven’t you fixed anything?”
  — Rob Carson (06:37, re Sanders' decades in office)

• Ted Cruz on Democrats:
  “It’s like every issue across the sun, they picked every 80/20 issue and decided, let’s take the 20% side of it and let’s abandon the middle class.”
  — Ted Cruz (08:15)

• On ‘Latinx’:
  “Latinx... polls at minus 90.”
  — Chris Salcedo (27:03)
  “It is an insult. It is an insult.”
  — Rob Carson (27:19)

• Family story — Chris Salcedo:
  “This is when I knew that we were different... my dad looks at the paper, looks down to me and says, effing communist, and then walks away.”
  — Chris Salcedo (25:22, on Cesar Chavez presentation)

• Hostage story insight:
  “They tried to make him convert to Islam, promising him food in return, but he insisted on preserving his Jewish identity. Can you say you would do the same thing?”
  — Rob Carson (14:23)

• Salcedo’s vision:
  “...the premise for which [the book] was written, which was to destroy a left wing narrative that, hey, if you’re a Latino, you must be a liberal. No, that’s not true... And if the right does, they’re gonna know the way to success. And hey, this is what the Democrats did to screw it all up. Let’s not do that.”
  — Chris Salcedo (34:32–35:35)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:03–01:30: Show opens; Rob’s reflections on humor, political voice, and current political figures’ decline
• 03:38–07:39: Bernie Sanders clip; critique of progressive failures (healthcare, economy)
• 08:06–09:05: Ted Cruz on Democrat positions and the government shutdown
• 09:05–09:58: Rob on healthcare costs and illegal immigrant benefits
• 13:43–20:30: Israeli hostage story—resilience, torture, religious identity under Hamas
• 21:25–22:09: Dramatic introduction of Chris Salcedo
• 22:09–37:18: In-depth interview with Chris Salcedo—background, book, the Hispanic turn to conservatism
• 30:50–32:08: Shared blue-collar/cultural experiences between Rob and Chris
• 34:32–35:41: Salcedo’s hopes for his book’s impact; path for the future

Overall Tone and Language

Rob Carson’s voice is energetic, punchy, irreverent, and blends satire with serious societal criticisms. Chris Salcedo’s tone is earnest and proud, sharing personal narratives that underscore his conservative, faith- and family-oriented worldview. The conversation is lively, both critical and optimistic about the future—especially regarding the shifting political identities within the Hispanic community.

Summary Takeaways

This episode weaves individual experience, political critique, and cultural observation into a narrative challenging the default associations between ethnicity (especially Hispanic identity) and political ideology. It highlights both the failures of long-standing progressive leaders and the emerging conservative awakening among Hispanic Americans. Real-life accounts, including the harrowing story of a Hamas hostage and personal stories of family struggle, drive home themes of resilience, the importance of faith, and the search for true American opportunity.