Highest Power: Church + State Ep84: How Trump & Hegseth's Speeches Blame Others & Solve Problems that Aren't Real
Dec 18, 2025
The discussion kicks off with a critique of Trump's loud primetime address, highlighting misleading claims about immigration and job creation. Fact-checkers expose false economic assertions while exploring how rhetoric often clashes with the public’s lived experiences. Attention shifts to Pete Hegseth's controversial plans for military chaplains, which include removing secular elements and simplifying faith codes. The conversation reveals a troubling trend among some white evangelicals towards non-reality, prompting a call for a theology grounded in truth and transformation.
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Speech Built On Fabrications
- Rick Pidcock argues Trump's primetime speech was full of fabrications and self-crediting while blaming others for problems.
- Pidcock cites multiple fact-checks showing inflation, immigration, job, and investment claims were false or exaggerated.
Administration Living In Non-Reality
- Pidcock describes the Trump administration as living in 'non-reality' by denying facts while promoting impossible goals.
- He says their rhetoric conflicts with policy actions and everyday Americans' lived experiences.
Rewriting History With Plaques
- Pidcock details how Trump rewrote presidential plaques to praise himself and denigrate predecessors.
- The rewritten plaques present an alternate history that magnifies Trump's achievements and vilifies Obama and Biden.