Hal Brown's Substack (fomerly Hal Brown's Blog): Trump

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November 28, 2025

Half the country has a moral compass and thinks that Trump is the worst president in history. Half have no moral compass and think he is the greatest. By Hal M. Brown

You can watch the video from a link in the RawStory article here. It was their No. 1 trending story this morning. You can also watch it here:

Trump said these words at a time when a president should be calling for calm. Instead he is inflaming emotions and lasping into his malevolent mode, a psychological state he is only NOT in when he’s bragging about himself or being fawned over.

Trump and just about every other MAGA Republican is looking to make political hay over the shooting of the two members of the National Guard by an Afghani who was allowed to emigrate to the United States because he helped our country fight the Taliban when he wokded for an elite CIA unit.

As I wrote yesterday they are desperate to blame Biden because the shooter came here under his watch. They omit saying he was offcially granted permanent asylum during Trump’s presidency.

Trump’s kneejerk reaction, which includes the announced review of all green card holders from 19 countries, was the subject of a Wall Street Journal article summarized here: “‘Collective punishment’: WSJ warns MAGA panic over Afghans will hurt America.”

Basically it says what should be a no-brainer: The United States counts on citizens of foreign countries where we are engaged in military actions to help our fighters as Rahmanullah Lakanwal helped the CIA in Afghanistan. (See CNN article.) Being discussed on MSNOW as I write this is how Trump is saying he will order the ground invasion of Venezuela and that if this happens he will want some of their citizens to help us. Are they going to want to help us if they can’t believe any promises made to those who work closely with our side to get them out and relocate them to the United States?

Add this (my emphasis) - clicking will just enlarge image:

You can also read it here.

I want to write about the half of the country who are like Sam.

Here’s Sam’s X page:

According to their commercial website Sam and Donna live in Northern Decatur County in Southern Iowa. They post on their website:

We offer Spring Flower and Summer Flower Subscriptions.

Did you know, currently 80% of the flowers sold in the USA come from outside the country.
We are hoping to change that!

Okay, they are selling MAGA flowers, nothing much wrong with that.

What is wrong with them is embodied in what Sam posted on X.

What is terrifying is that half the country, a bit more or less, agree with Sam and probably Donna.

It is impossible for me not to compare our country today to Germany in the 1930’s.

I’m a Jew, but I hope everyone with a functional moral compass also thinks about this. A majority of Afghans, approximately 99.7%, practice Islam, with about 90% being Sunni Muslims and around 7% identifying as Shia Muslims. Most immigrants to the United States are Christian. They make up about 70% of the immigrant population. Other religious groups include Muslims (7%), Hindus (5%), Buddhists (3%), and Jews (1%). (Reference)

Obviously the Christians aren’t villainized because of their religion. Trump and MAGA will turn people into demons to be deported using whatever excuse they can find.

November 19, 2025

Trump doesn't ride a horse as King George III did. His stead is a golf cart. Could a statue of him be toppled as George's was Like the British King, Trump also rides a massive ego.

Any American who loves liberty and cherishes our democracy who has been watching Ken Burns’ acclaimed documentary “The Amercian Revolution” can’t miss the parallels between what was happening between the 1760’s and 1776 in the British colonies ruled by King George III.

This is from the Roger Ebert.com review by Brian Tallerico:

It’s also impossible to avoid the fact that “The American Revolution” comes in the shadow of No Kings protests, which give it a different flavor than it might have had a decade ago. An early discussion of how having a standing army in Boston influenced the revolution by inspiring the locals against the perceived act of aggression echoes conversations being held in and around Chicago about the National Guard and ICE walking down the Magnificent Mile. Of course, Burns and company didn’t make “The American Revolution” as a commentary on 2025 in the Windy City. Still, it’s a healthy reminder of how history repeats itself, connecting modern issues to those who forged this country. In many ways, we’re still trying to figure out how to unify a divided country.

I’ve watched only the first two episodes which cover the 10 or so years prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Something that struck me was how the historians featured emphasized that not only was the conflict between the colonists and the British but it was a civil war pitting neighbors against neighbors.

Like today, towns and cities were occupied by armed forces loyal to someone that was trying to control them and take away their freedom in various ways.

One could also draw the comparison between the British taxing and Trump’s tariffs leading to the increase in the cost of goods.

We all know about the heroism of the patriots, but what the documentary shows is just how incredibly heroic, men, women and children in their early teens actually were. It also reminds us how brilliant the patriots were.

Everyone is familiar with the Declaration of Independence, but unless you were a history major while you probably know the name Thomas Payne and perhaps that he was the author of “Common Sense,” you may not know the impact this had. (Read Wikipedia article)

It was the seminal document that led to the majority of colonists realizing that there was no returning to the old ways and that they had to fight for independence. Here’s a summary from Project Guttenberg where you can read the entire text:

“Common Sense” by Thomas Paine is a historical pamphlet written in the late 18th century. This influential work calls for the independence of the American colonies from British rule and discusses the nature of government and monarchy. Paine articulates arguments that emphasize the rights of individuals and the unjust nature of hereditary rule, setting the stage for a broader discussion about governance, liberty, and the responsibilities of citizens. At the start of the pamphlet, Paine establishes the premise that government is a necessary evil, arising from the flaws of humanity. He contrasts government with society, portraying society as a product of collective human needs, while depicting government as a mechanism to restrain self-interest and prevent chaos. Through a series of concise arguments, he critiques the English Constitution and hereditary monarchy, positing that America’s struggle is not only a concern of the colonies but a pivotal issue for all humanity. He further reflects on the present state of American affairs, urging the need for immediate action toward independence, as reconciliation with Britain seems not only impractical but unjust.

There is some irony, rather disgusting irony, that the phrase “common sense” is one that Trump has often used to show that he has it and those who oppose him don’t. Read this:

Excerpt:

The idea of “common sense” has been central to American politics since the founding of the United States. Politicians still use the phrase all the time — and perhaps none more so than President Trump.
Just this month at a Cabinet meeting, he used the phrase when he again recommended that pregnant women not take Tylenol.
“There’s something going on, and we have to address it. And so, I’m addressing it the best I can as a nondoctor, but I’m a man of common sense,” he said.
He also used the term when he cast doubt on the monthly jobs report on CNBC in August: “It’s totally rigged. Smart people know it. People with common sense know it.”

As we watched the first two episodes yesterday I said to my partner “how can any member of Congress who supports Trump watch this and live with themselves?”

How indeed?

November 17, 2025

Two Substacks about Marjoie Taylor Greene, Trump, and the Epstein files. By Hal M. Brown

Most recent:

and earlier in the day:

November 13, 2025

Much ado about dirty document dumping, By Hal M.Brown

Below is the title of the RawStory article:

“Explosive” dumping? This (image below) is explosive dumping, indeed, the dumping of explosive bombshells.

R ead My Previous Substacks

So far the worst thing that we have heard is that Trump may have known that Esptein’s “liking them young” crossed the line into pedophilia and sex trafficking.

We know Trump is a lascivious leerer, so it’s no news that he walked into a glass door while gawking at young women or girls in or around a swimmng pool (see story).

In reports about Epstein there are no suggestions Trump did anything illegal.

What Trump knew and when he knew it is an irrelevant question as far as Epstein goes. It that phrase sounds familiar and you can’t quite place it, this is the subtitle of John Dean’s book “The Nixon Defense.”

Even if it was revealed that he knew the worst of the worst for years before he cut off his relationship with Epstein, his base wouldn’t care. Trump is no Richard Nixon. In fact, Trump’s presidency has made many Democrats remember Nixon fondly.

Certainly lots of people care about Trump’s friendship with Epstein, but what difference would it matter if we discovered that Trump knew about what he was doing with underage girls?

The is the guy who was found guilty in the E. Jean Carroll case. This got him a great mugshot which ended up on t-shirts.

The is the guy who has been accused of sexually assaulting at least 28 women. Millions of MAGA men envy him for getting away with this.

The Access Hollywood bus incident as a scandal bombed like a Broadway show with high expectations that did well in Philly, but closed after the first night on The Great White Way to horrible reviews.

This is the guy who told Howard Stern that if Ivanka wasn't his daughter he might date her, and we know what he means by “date.”

Trump doesn’t think there’s anything that can hurt his political aspirations. He even even came away unscathed when he got Covid when it was killing thousands of people.

Germs and bullets can’t bring him down. Of course he thinks he’s invulnerable:

Pam Bondi and Mike Johnson know that there’s nothing in the Epstein documents that will cause Trump a moment of shpilkes. Why then have they tried to suppress their release?

The answer should be as plain as the brown noses on their faces. They want to please the president.

This leads to the next question. If Trump doesn’t worry about anything being revealed that he knows or suspects is in the documents, why didn’t he direct Bondi and Johnson to have them released expeditiously?

This is because he knows his enemies want them released, and damned if he’ll give them the satisfaction of getting their way. This is because he knows that when it all comes out it will embarrass them, not him. This will be because all the hype will turn out to be a big hoo-hum.

Trump can then gloat and make fun of them for promising a giant three ring circus of a scandal and ending up getting a side show flea circus.

Related from Thom Hartmann

On HUFFPOST

RawStory article.

My hope is that Trump does commute Maxwell’s sentence because of what is in the last sentence of this article:

“But if Trump did grant the commutation, it would also only add to the questions about whether Trump is trying to bury any evidence about his ties to Epstein after their falling out. The president, in short, has no good options.”

Hal Brown's Substack (fomerly Hal Brown's Blog)