Trump’s Tax Letter & The 1776 Fund: Republican vs Democrat
There is a strange kind of math happening in politics right now, and the numbers are starting to feel entirely made up.
Donald Trump recently dropped a $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS for leaking his tax returns, and in its place, his team rolled out what they are calling a "$1.776 Billion Anti-Weaponization Fund". On the surface, the hook works: a fund to compensate everyday Americans who feel unfairly targeted by rogue government agencies. Republicans naturally distrust the bureaucracy, and honestly, so do a lot of Democrats right now.
But once you look past the patriotic branding, the reality is incredibly messy. There are zero safeguards. The executive branch cannot just wave a magic wand and create a multi-billion-dollar fund. That authority belongs to Congress, making the whole announcement a total stunt. Worse, the fine print of the letter which was written by Trump’s personal attorney and acting AG, Todd Blanche, includes a provision excusing Trump and his family businesses from any tax investigations prior to May 2026.
When you look at the numbers, his family holdings traded 3,700 stocks in the first three months of this year alone, netting $750 million alongside a billion dollars in crypto. This tax exemption would save his family an estimated $100 million. Where is the accountability in that?
This is where Jolene and I meet in the middle. She looks at things from a conservative lens and I look at them from a liberal one, but we both looked at this and agreed: it is completely nuts. And we aren't alone. Even half of the Republican senators are reportedly saying no mas. Nobody in Congress or even on Trump's broader staff knew this announcement was coming until a day or two before it happened. It threw a massive wrench into a $70 billion enforcement bill that Senate Republicans have been working hard to pass. Instead of actual government work, everything gets derailed by another firebomb. It feels like we are trapped in a giant "bubble of shame," and we just want out.
We’ve built a system where curiosity gets squeezed out because everyone is terrified of getting kicked out of the tribe. The media loves to report on Trump primarying out his enemies, but they leave out the fact that in those Texas primaries, only 8% of the adult population actually showed up to vote. People are so burned out by the chaos that they are checking out completely.
Meanwhile, regular people are dealing with real global and economic whiplash. We have an ongoing war with Iran, skyrocketing grocery prices, and painful numbers at the gas pump. We have merchant marine sailors stuck right now in the Strait of Hormuz, sitting on ships without water or electricity. Yet, online, the political apparatus just wants to scream about labels or argue about whether a politician is a vegan or a meat-eater. It’s completely dumb.
If we are ever going to pop this bubble of shame, it starts smaller than people think. It starts with the next comment you almost leave online. The next time you feel that rush of righteousness, pause long enough to remember there’s a human being on the other side of the screen. Ask a question instead of throwing a punch. You might just find out that we aren't nearly as divided as the headlines want us to believe.
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Ted Cruz Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chaos-in-dc-on-reconciliation-doj-judgment-fund-plus/id1495601614?i=1000769050505
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-republican-congress-control-98a13bd9?mod=article_inline
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[00:00:00] nicole: She's conservative, and I'm liberal, and yet we've been friends for almost 40 years. Everyone says you shouldn't discuss politics, religion, or money, and we say that's exactly what friends should be talking about. Join us as we tackle the conversations you're having in your head, but you're too scared to say out loud. Welcome to We've Got to Talk. Welcome, my sweet friend Jolene. It's the two of us today.
[00:00:26] Jolene: I know. We've had so many interviews that I feel like I am, like there's somebody else that I'm introducing, but it's not. It's, it's us. It's just us
[00:00:35] nicole: It's...
[00:00:36] Jolene: the way it started
[00:00:37] nicole: Yes, exactly. what are we calling this, Jolene?
[00:00:39] Jolene: I'm calling it the 1776, uh, Anti-Weaponization Fund. It's really $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund,
[00:00:50] nicole: Mm-hmm.
[00:00:51] Jolene: it's not good, friends
[00:00:53] nicole: Friends, and listen, friends, I'm just gonna out myself. This is Wednesday, June 3rd, which is [00:01:00] this one's birthday. And the
[00:01:02] Jolene: Happy birthday to you
[00:01:04] nicole: are... He's a fellow Gemini. I'm just gonna go with that. I'm gonna go with that.
[00:01:09] Jolene: Oh, wow. I didn't even think you two are the same sign
[00:01:12] nicole: we are the same sign, and I think that might be all we have in common.
[00:01:15] But we're gonna talk about this 1776 slush fund, anti-weaponization fund, the Trump... I'm gonna call it, the Trump tax shenanigans, 'cause I don't know what
[00:01:28] Jolene: Oh,
[00:01:28] nicole: it. Listen,
[00:01:30] Jolene: I know. I know. All right
[00:01:32] nicole: with this three takeaways for you?
[00:01:34] Jolene: Republicans naturally have a distrust of government and governmental agencies, and so I can see why this has some merits to, um, saying, okay, if the government has used your, you know, whether it was January 6th or, uh, uh, you were a victim of the IRS, or, um, even look at it from a Democrat's perspective, you were the victim of, maybe [00:02:00] somebody didn't like your climate change, perspective, and so they came after you and, and weaponized your political views against you.
[00:02:08] this is a fund that has been developed so that, individually you don't have to sue the government. Like, they have a fund that is available for you to be compensated for if you've been wrongly accused of something. Here's the problem with There's no safeguards. There's no guardrails.
[00:02:24] There are no, there... N- number one, the executive branch cannot just say, "Oh, I'm gonna have a $1.776 billion fund available for, for these people who feel like they've been wronged." from a, a financial perspective, that's gotta come from Congress. so this is a bogus thing to even have Trump talk about.
[00:02:44] But the other part of that is that isn't this just typical Trump? This is what he does. He puts something out that's so outrageous and so, like... You're like, "What?" So then he can dial it back, and then whatever he settles on is then not as [00:03:00] outrageous as you initially thought. So his whole point in doing this was he was doing this as a favor to the American taxpayer because he is no longer suing the government for leaking his tax returns for $10 billion.
[00:03:14] nicole: Hmm.
[00:03:14] Jolene: And he said, "I will settle, here's my offer. Let's have this $1 billion, almost $2 billion fund that helps everybody who has been wronged by the government, not just me." He's a giver.
[00:03:27] nicole: During the Biden administration.
[00:03:30] Jolene: Yeah, right, yeah.
[00:03:31] nicole: right. Okay, number one: how is any of this possible? Why aren't we all Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservatives, why aren't we all in the streets protesting this? I know you love the protests. This $1.776 billion fund is our money, we have no idea what he will do with it and how we, we will have no control over it. Number two: excusing Trump and [00:04:00] his family businesses and anyone involved for inv- investing any of his tax dealings before May 19th. his f- family, he has traded 3,700 stocks alone in the first three months of this year. Oh, my God, here's the deal. I'm s- I think this is so effing crazy that I can't even get the words out, because I cannot believe this is happening.
[00:04:27] Jolene: Okay, wait, but he can't... You can't trade, can you? Like, somebody's doing that on his behalf, right?
[00:04:33] nicole: of course, of course. Like
[00:04:35] Jolene: Okay.
[00:04:35] nicole: family
[00:04:35] Jolene: right
[00:04:35] nicole: dealings, they, he is already, his holdings, they have traded 3,700 stocks in the first three months of this year, $750 million, not including one billion of crypto his family has already earned since the beginning of this year it is also, uh, [00:05:00] that with this tax, you know, exemption, that his family will, um, save $100 million. And it's Todd Blanche, his personal attorney, that is now the AG, in charge of this fund. He's in charge of this tax letter that he's written. Where's the independence? Where's the accountability? I just can't believe that this is happening. Okay, number three. In terms of the slush fund and rewarding the insurrectionists after they've already been pardoned, and this might be a little conspiracy theory, Jolene,
[00:05:40] Jolene: You know I love it. I'm here for it
[00:05:43] nicole: me here. I'm wondering, is he creating a private militia that doesn't go away so that when he has, um, like the midterms might not go his way, or the [00:06:00] election of 2028 doesn't go his way, that he can just sic his private army that he has pardoned, that he has given a bunch of money to, and they will do his bidding
[00:06:13] Jolene: Ooh, that's, that's a dark one there
[00:06:17] nicole: a dark one. So here's, here's my, here's my final... This is like, that was number three, but this is what I want to say. I am seriously confused. every poll that I have been reading, says that Trump right now is deeply unpopular. Yet he has primaried his Republican en- enemies out, I would, I would even say that these were some really good Republicans, and they're now out. He started a war in Iran. It's not done. Our groceries are too high. Our gas is too high I don't, I don't understand what's happening. Can you please explain as...
[00:06:53] Can you
[00:06:54] Jolene: Okay. So, all right, let's, I, I, I've made some notes
[00:06:58] nicole: and, and tell me, like, is there a- [00:07:00] are there things we can agree on here? I
[00:07:03] Jolene: Y- yeah, that this is nuts, yes. We've gotta agree on that. Yes, 100%. Um, and half of the Republican senators, um, would agree with us as well. So, and, and we'll get into that
[00:07:14] nicole: knew like Thune is somebody,
[00:07:17] Jolene: This was from, um,
[00:07:18] nicole: Susan
[00:07:18] Jolene: Ted Cruz's p- Ted Cruz's podcast where he said half of the GOP senators are going no mas. So yeah. So I, and I
[00:07:30] nicole: like, White House aides are sort of like, "Stop, stop, stop.
[00:07:33] Jolene: Yep.
[00:07:33] nicole: back."
[00:07:34] Jolene: Whoa, whoa, whoa. And no one was at, no one was, a- according to a Wall Street Journal report, no one, um, outside of his inner circle even knew this was coming. Nobody in Congress, nobody of, of his staff even, um, knew this was coming un- until a day or two before he announced it.
[00:07:53] So that he and Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, kind of conspired to put this together. Or maybe [00:08:00] rather, maybe someone handed it, your buddy who do you, Stephen Miller, that you hate so bad,
[00:08:06] nicole: yeah,
[00:08:07] Jolene: that maybe Stephen Miller wrote this down, gave it to Todd Blanche and said, "Here, buddy, here's your, here's your first big initiative."
[00:08:13] I don't know. I don't know. okay, the other thing I would say though about him and the, and the primaries, which is just, is, is so infuriating for me having...
[00:08:24] Yes, him having influence over those primaries, but the thing that we keep hearing, and we heard it from our s- friend Stacy when we interviewed her, that, that in Texas, and she said it would be between 5 and 8%, and sure enough, 8% of the people voted in that primary. 8% of registered Republicans voted in that primary.
[00:08:46] And so you're right. Guess what you got?
[00:08:49] nicole: That's
[00:08:49] Jolene: You got the people that, that were out there trying to, um, make a stand and take a stand and, and it wasn't, it wasn't the average person, [00:09:00] and which is so sad. You know, again, as Americans, we need to take our right to vote seriously, because this is what happens.
[00:09:09] nicole: know, in terms of that, I know we gotta go back to the actual topic, but one thing I think is a problem with the media and how they report it, like they c- they're reporting, "Oh, you know, he's, he primaried out all these, Republicans, and he's in people that are loyal to him." Like you had to look to see that 8% of the entire Republican electorate voted, where a lot of media doesn't even say that. Because
[00:09:39] Jolene: Yep
[00:09:39] nicole: actually highlight it, oh my gosh, is crazy. This is crazy that we don't take our vote seriously, that we are... I mean, I guess we're just burned out. I don't really understand why, like voting is inconvenient.
[00:09:55] I don't really get it, that we, that, that we decide, oh, the primary or, or the [00:10:00] runoff. Like, uh,
[00:10:01] Jolene: Right
[00:10:02] nicole: that's- that's actually where it matters. You have the
[00:10:04] Jolene: Eh
[00:10:04] nicole: control over who possibly is going to speak for you in your
[00:10:09] Jolene: Yep.
[00:10:10] nicole: right?
[00:10:11] Jolene: And, you know, we've, we've seen this in, uh, the different interviews that we've done and all that, but yeah, that's, that's the bottom line. That's where your vote matters. And like Stacy said, like, your, your vote matters five times more than a, you know, a, a national, um, like a presidential race because, yeah, in a general election, right, that,
[00:10:33] nicole: Yeah.
[00:10:33] Jolene: ah.
[00:10:34] nicole: Absolutely.
[00:10:34] Jolene: So anyway, So on Friday then, a federal judge has put this, this whole crap on, on a pause so that... Because I think there was some, and I, again, w- I'm not a legal person, so I'm not, I can't tell you all the ins and outs of, from a legal perspective how this all played out.
[00:10:57] But there was a, Trump had [00:11:00] to, to either, move forward or had to,
[00:11:04] nicole: Are we talking about with his lawsuit against the
[00:11:06] Jolene: With the lawsuit, yeah. That it was coming... Like, there was some, there was, there was a question as to whether he could be both kind of a plaintiff and defendant. I mean, being
[00:11:14] nicole: Mm-hmm.
[00:11:15] Jolene: b- both, uh, the President of the United States suing the IRS, like a governmental agency. And so they had to come to s- some sort of agreement.
[00:11:22] So he came up with this, as the negotiations and said, "Okay, I'll drop the, I'll drop the lawsuit if you do this weapon, anti-weaponization fund." The whole thing just stinks.
[00:11:35] nicole: it, well also, you know, talking to Josh about it, 'cause I was trying to understand. I don't, like, I don't understand any of this. And one thing, he actually didn't say this, but I was thinking about it myself, that having done this podcast and learning about Trump and his behavior, he always drops cases he knows he cannot win. He always, [00:12:00] always drops
[00:12:00] Jolene: yeah
[00:12:01] nicole: he knows he can't win. So here's a situation, it's getting closer. He know, he knows he can't win, so he's like, you know, bait and switch. Let's do this other thing. And they, and they, they put a pause on it, and they're gonna have a hearing June 12th. to talk about, is there a there there?
[00:12:19] And a lot, a lot of both, it's a bipartisan ask. A lot of people are asking this judge to reopen the case
[00:12:28] Jolene: Oh, yeah. Yeah
[00:12:30] nicole: because they're like, "This as you just said, "stinky." this does not, this does not sit right. is not okay. And they're putting a pause on the, the, um, anti-weaponization fund because too many people are coming out saying, "What are you doing?" honestly, Jolene, and this bleeds into the 250th, and we're doing our own episode about that, I also struggle with this kind of everything that Trump does, [00:13:00] know that's a blanket statement, but everything's so cheesy. I'm just like, it's really the 1776 anti-we- like, can you just make it 1.8 or whatever it is?
[00:13:14] It just, everything is a thing. Like, he wants to do his $250 with his face on it, and he's not
[00:13:21] Jolene: Ah.
[00:13:22] nicole: so he can't do it. what I'm sensing from you, and maybe I, I just want us to get along on this, it feels like we might be on the same page here. That there is a, there is an exhaustion here that we're both on the left and the right feeling about now.
[00:13:40] Jolene: Well, and I think that we've seen that in the, in the reporting from either the Wall Street Journal or, or this podcast that Ted Cruz, um, and I didn't listen to it, I just read the transcript of it.
[00:13:52] nicole: Mm-hmm
[00:13:52] Jolene: But the GOP Senate is going, "Ah, you're screwing us here, [00:14:00] dude."
[00:14:00] His quote was, "This could derail a 17, a $70 billion multi-year immigration enforcement bill" that the, that the Republicans and the Senate are trying to get passed.
[00:14:11] And for him to just all of a sudden lay this out, they're going, "You've, you've absolutely... Y- you've just thrown a, a cog into this wheel that is like, okay, w- you're screwing us here." So any negotiation that they were trying to work, "Okay, let's, you know, let's work together with the Democrats. Let's try to get this immigration bill passed," uh, now they have to start either defending this rectifying it or amending it or, I mean, like, they're just like, "Why did you do this?
[00:14:40] Why now? and why just throw this out there?" Which then makes me there is absolutely no communication happening between Thune and the White House. Or, y- I, I, I mean, that there's, like, the White House, and when I even say White House, I'm saying there are a few people that [00:15:00] are dictating, dictating what's going on.
[00:15:03] Mm-hmm. Yeah
[00:15:04] nicole: I wanna go back to the tax thing. I mean, there's so much to talk about in a way, and I also feel so in my thoughts. are your feelings about the idea that his family, he and his family, uh, would be exempt from any, tax investigation?
[00:15:28] Jolene: Of course that's what he's going to do. I mean, it, like, does it surprise me? Oh, heck no. But is it, does it feel right? Oh, heck no. I mean, like, like, it's like,
[00:15:38] nicole: Like,
[00:15:39] Jolene: okay, well if...
[00:15:40] nicole: or liberal thing. That
[00:15:42] Jolene: Right
[00:15:42] nicole: "Hey, if we're all getting taxed, if we're all U.S. citizens of the United States, shouldn't we all be treated the same?"
[00:15:50] Jolene: I also come with a little bit of a bias because I have a friend, we've been friends for 30 years. And she worked for the Trump [00:16:00] organization, and I can't even remember what she did, but I remember her saying at the time, "Oh my gosh."
[00:16:06] And, and she was this sweet girl from New Mexico. And she goes, "Oh my gosh, this corporation's so corrupt." And she goes, "And maybe this is like just a New York thing, but oh wow, like there's stuff going on that is just really corrupt." Now, that was one person's opinion 30 years ago, so for him to say y- you can't sue me, my family, my businesses, anything prior to May 23rd of 2026 or whatever the date was, y- you're going, "No." Like you can't just be exempt. You can't just say, "Oh, I'm exempt from that." That, that just, it doesn't, that's
[00:16:44] nicole: was just a letter that Todd Blanche wrote. Like, no one signed it. It was just like, "This is the deal." And everyone's going, "What?" It just feels like how is anything in government working at all?
[00:16:57] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:16:57] nicole: Because between the [00:17:00] Iran war that is not, that's not done, not
[00:17:03] Jolene: Oh,
[00:17:03] nicole: close to done. I don't know if they're called merchant marines, the sailors that are stuck in Hormuz that are now
[00:17:09] Jolene: Oh my God. Right
[00:17:12] nicole: L- They're, they're, they haven't had water for days. I'm like,
[00:17:16] Jolene: Or electricity?
[00:17:17] nicole: like, "Okay, y'all, what?" And then there are mines in Hormuz that they don't know where they are.
[00:17:24] And, so the fact that he's, like, moving on, like, "Oh, there... Don't worry about the gas prices. Don't worry about the groceries." And we're like, " Okay, we d- we haven't made a billion dollars in crypto since J- b- since January." So I don't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat, most of us are feeling what's going on. my point, Jolene, which is not really being very clear, is that we both have been reading that, that the GOP Senate [00:18:00] is furious because they're trying to get this immigration bill passed. They're actually trying to do the work of the government. Like, it's boring. It's not sexy. It's not, maybe it's not even that interesting to some people. I don't know. They're trying to actually get some work done, and he keeps throwing these firebombs like, "Let's start a war. gas prices go up. "Let's do this anti-immigration or this anti-weaponization fund." And they're like, "We're trying to do the work
[00:18:29] Jolene: I will say I don't think... When you start lumping all these things together, I don't think that's fair because they really are individual things. And so
[00:18:39] nicole: agree.
[00:18:40] Jolene: was the war in Iran, you know, were we trying to prevent them from having a nuke? Like, that's an issue. W- was that important? And, and if he comes out of this and Iran doesn't have, uh, a nuclear weapon or the capability to develop a nuclear weapon, and we do get gas prices back down and, you know, all the things that [00:19:00] he says he's gonna do.
[00:19:00] And if it does happen, then okay, then do we say that's a win or it was a crappy three months? I, I, we don't know. yes, trying to, I think, isolate each one of these issues. I think the fact is people are just fed up with Trump, and I speak for you. I think I'm speaking for me probably too. I mean, I think people are just...
[00:19:25] We're f- God, we're just, we're fed up. And so my wonderful daughter and son-in-law were here this weekend, and he's a big Republican, but he's, he was a Trump supporter and not so much anymore. and even he said, he was like, "This isn't what we signed up for." And so, you know, I think that's, that's to where we all...
[00:19:46] And at this point then we're all looking at, "So who do you like for 2028?" I mean, we're at, you know, June 3rd of 2026 and we're going, "We got two more years to go."
[00:19:58] nicole: years of this
[00:19:59] [00:20:00] All right. Let me say in, in the spirit of We've Got to Talk, that I want to apologize to you, Jolene, and apo- apologize to our listeners and viewers that I lumped everything in. I do,
[00:20:13] Jolene: Oh,
[00:20:13] nicole: really do
[00:20:14] Jolene: you don't have to apologize.
[00:20:15] nicole: here's
[00:20:15] Jolene: don't think you have to apologize. All right, go ahead
[00:20:17] nicole: that, you know, what I just did, think we are all guilty of doing. I don't think you have to be a liberal t- to do it, or a conservative. We all tend to get upset and then lump everything that's upsetting us in one thing and then blame said party.
[00:20:37] Jolene: Mm-hmm.
[00:20:38] nicole: and I know that they're all separate things. I know that the Iran war is one thing. I also don't know if the supreme leader's alive, and I
[00:20:50] Jolene: Right
[00:20:50] nicole: the Iranian people are...
[00:20:52] I think they're worse off. That's my opinion. We can have another e- um, episode about that. But I think where we do [00:21:00] have a president that tends to like to, Uh, muzzle velocity. Like, throw a bunch of things,
[00:21:08] Jolene: Hmm
[00:21:08] nicole: like, and get us all distracted, and I think all of us are pretty whiplashed at this point.
[00:21:12] It doesn't matter whether you dug him or didn't
[00:21:15] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:21:15] nicole: right? And
[00:21:16] Jolene: Yeah
[00:21:16] nicole: I would say that when we do lump things together, I think it comes out of being tired,
[00:21:24] Jolene: Okay, so I think that's really interesting because, uh, uh, here, I, if you take this issue... Let, let, let's just take this anti-weaponization $1.776, $1.776 billion
[00:21:37] nicole: Mm-hmm.
[00:21:37] Jolene: fund. if you get down into it, you would say, okay, Republicans have this natural, and may- a- and okay, I said Republicans at the top of the program.
[00:21:48] nicole: Yeah
[00:21:49] Jolene: it, I think it's Democrats too. Like, Democrats now with, with Trump in office have a natural, um, distrust of governmental agencies, right?
[00:21:59] nicole: because [00:22:00] we, we, we at this point will have not have aired our interview with Steven Hawkins, but we have an amazing interview coming up, he authored the Beyond MAGA episode that we aired in March, and he's... It's a really awesome... He's awesome.
[00:22:15] Jolene: Yeah. Yep
[00:22:16] nicole: he talked about in his research that w- that most of us are distrusting government now.
[00:22:21] This isn't a
[00:22:22] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:22:23] nicole: and certainly he also said the younger population, eight- that Gen Z, 18 to 24, whatever the number is, but
[00:22:32] Jolene: Yeah
[00:22:32] nicole: generation is like, "We don't trust anything."
[00:22:37] Jolene: so I could see this idea come about from, okay, there has to be a way to compensate people or to, to reward people from being wronged, if the government has unfairly targeted them for something when the opposite, party was in power. So in Trump's case, it was his IRS, um, or [00:23:00] I'm sorry, his tax returns were leaked by a contractor for the IRS.
[00:23:04] And so he's like, "Oh, I'm gonna get retribution." So he, when he gets into office, he does something. I can see if the Democrats get into office, then they're going to go, "Oh, remember that slush fund that Trump developed? We're going to have this trust fund for anybody who was unfairly treated because they were, a pro-choice advocate."
[00:23:26] And so they were... You know? I mean, I just, I feel like we're setting a precedence here, right? Of what could happen in the future. And is this, is this the point that we've become? Like, we're so distrusting of government that now w- this has developed into a thing
[00:23:43] nicole: he wants this fi- this five-person panel that he basically controls to decide who gets the money, how much
[00:23:50] Jolene: Yep
[00:23:50] nicole: get, and the American people don't get to know. And I would say, like, one of the things that I'm really frustrated with the Democratic Party, I'm incredibly [00:24:00] frustrated with where it's going.
[00:24:02] And I'm saying this to you because I'd like to stay in this party, but I'm not feeling, very confident, because I don't think fighting fire with fire works. I'm exhausted. I know a lot of my people are exhausted. I feel like... And I bring this up, Jolene, because it feels very, like, we're a bunch of eight-year-olds. you did it like this, now I'm gonna do it like this." And I'm like,
[00:24:25] Jolene: Yeah
[00:24:26] nicole: let's actually do something revolutionary, all of us, Republicans, Democrats, liberals, conservatives. Let's start acting like grown-ups and talking to each other. remember that we're a democracy." Republicans tend to not like government as much. Democrats tend to wanna give more money to people to help them out. Okay. Like,
[00:24:50] Jolene: Ciao
[00:24:50] nicole: where we started, and now we're like, you wronged me, and you wronged me." I'm like, "That is not democracy." I don't know what's happening here, but I feel like we're in this [00:25:00] weird of shame, and I want out.
[00:25:04] Jolene: The bubble of shame
[00:25:07] nicole: I want out of this Trump bubble of shame. I want out because I, I t- now with this podcast, I'm so grateful for this podcast. I'm so grateful for you. I have gotten, like, the opportunity to speak to so many people that are different than me, and they actually aren't that different than me.
[00:25:27] Jolene: Yeah. Right, right. Yeah
[00:25:29] nicole: Like, we get this n- this new lens, which is so exciting I just wanna shout off on, you know, from the rooftop-tops and say, "Hey, Republicans and Democrats. Actually, if you start talking to each other, you're gonna find that most of us are like, yeah, me too.' Like,
[00:25:47] Jolene: Yeah. Yeah
[00:25:48] nicole: figure this out.
[00:25:49] This is crazy. This is
[00:25:51] Jolene: Okay, but we've g- but we've gotta fix it, and that's the hard part.
[00:25:55] nicole: Yes,
[00:25:55] Jolene: It, it is, I don't know. I mean,
[00:25:57] nicole: we
[00:25:57] Jolene: here, if we've got Paxton [00:26:00] versus
[00:26:00] nicole: I
[00:26:00] Jolene: Tallarico,
[00:26:01] nicole: I
[00:26:01] Jolene: I mean
[00:26:02] nicole: I know. I mean, is not even the word for it. I am a huge fan of Talarico so fa- I don't know, of course know him. I love how he's conducted himself, and I'm concerned that it's gonna be really impossible to not start pulling punches because
[00:26:24] Jolene: we've already seen it. I mean, like, the... I, I'm laughing at the last couple of days. Just this, this week has been his whole is he vegan or is he a meat eater? Like, is this, is this truly what we're doing? Are we dissecting every... So, you know, a couple of years ago when he said his campaign was, " We are all vegan.
[00:26:44] We are a non-meat eating campaign," and he said that when he was running, for the state legislature in, in Texas.
[00:26:50] nicole: I don't know
[00:26:51] Jolene: But now the Republicans are all taking that and going, "He doesn't eat meat." And then he has to go out and show that he eats a turkey leg from the state fair, and [00:27:00] you're like, I mean, is this, is this what we're doing?
[00:27:03] Is this really what we're talking about here?
[00:27:07] nicole: right? It's just so dumb
[00:27:11] In summation of this
[00:27:13] Jolene: Yes
[00:27:15] nicole: I feel like bubble of shame. The bubble of
[00:27:18] Jolene: Is that the name of this podcast?
[00:27:20] nicole: of
[00:27:20] Jolene: Bubble of Shame
[00:27:22] nicole: Do, are we, are we sort of in agreement right now?
[00:27:27] Jolene: Oh, we're in agreement that this is, that this was really, uh, it's just, it's gone too far. Like, he's, he's... theoretically you could go, "Okay, I could see why maybe there's an idea out there that makes sense," but the actual implementation on his part is just so wackadoodle that even, cooler heads in the Senate, if, if that's possible, are going, "This is wackadoodle."
[00:27:55] So
[00:27:56] nicole: mean, I You know, it's just interesting to me what is too far, 'cause to me, there's been a lot of [00:28:00] things that he's done that is too far, and it hasn't been too far. But this
[00:28:03] Jolene: Yeah
[00:28:03] nicole: but this is like, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no." Everyone's like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
[00:28:09] Jolene: It'll be interesting now, I think too, for me, and, uh, you and I have talked about this privately, that, after the midterms, will people finally not feel like they're being bullied anymore and they'll go, "Nope, I'm gonna do things my way now"? And I think we're kind of starting to see that with this pushback from the GOP senators on this issue.
[00:28:29] We're seeing people go, "Ah, you're taking this a little too far." so I'm hoping that even after the midterms, they're like, "Dude, we're not beholden to you anymore
[00:28:39] nicole: Well, I'm also wondering in that re- I mean, maybe this is what you're talking about, like senators that have been primaried out, they're basically lame ducks, I guess. I mean, I guess they
[00:28:49] Jolene: Yeah
[00:28:49] nicole: some stuff done by January. That's not
[00:28:51] Jolene: Till January?
[00:28:52] nicole: That's,
[00:28:52] Jolene: Right
[00:28:53] nicole: it's still six, seven months,
[00:28:55] Jolene: Yeah
[00:28:56] nicole: they're gonna actually speak their minds.
[00:28:58] And so
[00:28:59] Jolene: Yeah
[00:28:59] nicole: happens? [00:29:00] 'Cause what do they have to lose?
[00:29:02] Jolene: Right.
[00:29:02] nicole: What do they
[00:29:02] Jolene: Right. Right
[00:29:04] nicole: doesn't mean kumbaya with the Democrats, but it just means, "Hey, this is what I feel, and I'm really sick of having to keep my mouth shut about it
[00:29:12] Jolene: And so maybe that gives, uh, gives some Democrats an opportunity to go to them and say, "Okay, hey, you- could you get behind this? Is there something that we could do together on this?" Because yeah,
[00:29:24] nicole: Exactly.
[00:29:25] Jolene: Let's hope.
[00:29:26]
[00:29:26] nicole: I think you need to do your would you rather.
[00:29:33] Jolene: You want me to go first?
[00:29:35] nicole: You know what? I'm gonna go first.
[00:29:39] Jolene: God. Okay
[00:29:40] nicole: birthday, I'm gonna go first.
[00:29:42] Jolene: It is your birthday
[00:29:43] nicole: listen, cranky pants over here. It's actually
[00:29:46] Jolene: Yikes
[00:29:47] nicole: it's airing on my birthday. Okay, here we go. Would you rather never have to pay income tax again or never have to worry about money [00:30:00] again?
[00:30:04] Jolene: State or federal income tax?
[00:30:06] nicole: All of it
[00:30:09] Jolene: Uh, okay, I'm just gonna have to go never have to worry about money. Because I do think taxes, you, you do have to pay taxes. there are good stewards of, in the government that do good things with our taxes. So I still, yeah, you still gotta pay.
[00:30:24] nicole: I
[00:30:25] Jolene: As we say, as we say, as, as, as Jesus said, "You still gotta give Caesar what is Caesar's, but give God what is God's."
[00:30:32] So I'm like, yeah, you still gotta pay your taxes.
[00:30:35] nicole: What does that
[00:30:35] Jolene: Yeah, he the Romans were trying to get Jesus to, blaspheme basically. And so they were saying, do you still need to pay taxes to Caesar?" And everybody expected him to say, "No, don't pay your taxes to Caesar.
[00:30:50] Don't give money to the Romans." And Jesus was like, "No, you have to give to, you know, whose, whose, whose picture is on the coin?" And they're like, "Caesar." And he goes, "You gotta give to Caesar what is [00:31:00] Caesar's, but give to God. But just remember what's the most important thing." So yeah, you still gotta pay your taxes, but just remember in the big picture of things that God is really your king and your ruler and If there's anybody who disagrees with that interpretation, I would love to hear it.
[00:31:16] nicole: right.
[00:31:16] Jolene: know it. God is king, yeah.
[00:31:19] you'd say pay your taxes.
[00:31:21] nicole: Absolutely. I
[00:31:22] Jolene: Yeah
[00:31:22] nicole: I don't know person that really has never had to worry about money. And
[00:31:27] Jolene: Yeah
[00:31:28] nicole: it, when, when you're having a really hard time, it's sort of all-encompassing. Like, it
[00:31:34] Jolene: Yeah
[00:31:34] nicole: everything. It affects your, even your health it can f- affect. So I think that would
[00:31:39] Jolene: 100%.
[00:31:41] nicole: a real gift to not have to worry about money. And I don't, I, I, I am all for taxes. I think
[00:31:47] Jolene: Yeah
[00:31:48] nicole: pay what they're... I, I, I want it to be more fair.
[00:31:52] Jolene: Mm-hmm.
[00:31:52] nicole: I'm, and I'm all for make as much money, like, as you can. Like, go for it. Right [00:32:00] on. But I'd like you to pay your share. I pay my share.
[00:32:02] Jolene: Yeah. Yeah. No,
[00:32:03] nicole: That's all.
[00:32:04] Jolene: I agree.
[00:32:04] nicole: right,
[00:32:05] Jolene: Completely agree with you.
[00:32:06] nicole: Cool
[00:32:07] Jolene: Um, oh my God, see? There's so much we agree on.
[00:32:10] nicole: so much.
[00:32:12] Jolene: Okay. Nicole,
[00:32:13] nicole: Yes
[00:32:15] Jolene: would you rather always know the truth or always get what you want?
[00:32:23] nicole: This is easy. Always know the truth. I...
[00:32:27] Jolene: Oh,
[00:32:28] nicole: Yeah,
[00:32:28] Jolene: really?
[00:32:28] nicole: know, I know, I know it's not, it's not like the sexy answer. Um, I just- I've always been built that way. Unfortunately, like even as a little girl, like I would know things that I shouldn't know.
[00:32:41] Jolene: Yeah
[00:32:41] nicole: it would feel like I have Spidey sense.
[00:32:44] Jolene: Yeah
[00:32:44] nicole: as, as... I'm so sensitive, I'm such a sensitiva, that if things didn't ring true I felt it and I...
[00:32:51] It was very confusing as a kid.
[00:32:53] it's still not necessarily not confusing as an adult, but it was definitely way more confusing as a kid. So yeah, I'd wanna [00:33:00] know the truth. Get- getting what I want? I mean, gosh, I think feel incredibly lucky as a human being and I really for the most part do get what I want.
[00:33:11] That being said, I
[00:33:12] Jolene: Hmm.
[00:33:13] nicole: learn incredible lessons when I don't get what I want
[00:33:16] Jolene: Oh, gosh. Oh, you just changed my whole perspective on that.
[00:33:23] nicole: There you go. That's
[00:33:24] Jolene: Because my
[00:33:24] nicole: talk is
[00:33:25] Jolene: Oh my God, that is so true.
[00:33:27] nicole: Right? Like, w- I mean,
[00:33:28] Jolene: Because my answer was, of course I w- I always wanna get what I want.
[00:33:31] nicole: But there's
[00:33:32] Jolene: But you're right
[00:33:33] nicole: so many lessons. I mean, having chosen being an actor, you, you get punched in the face all the time. Not literally, but like there's this, this sense of like, "Oh, I wanted that part or whatever, whatever, and I didn't
[00:33:45] Jolene: Yeah
[00:33:45] nicole: And then every time there's a lesson in there,
[00:33:49] Jolene: Yeah.
[00:33:49] nicole: then
[00:33:50] Jolene: No, that is true.
[00:33:52] nicole: 'Cause that doesn't mean you don't get... You don't... That you never get what you want. You didn't say that. You're gonna
[00:33:58] Jolene: Bright. No, right, [00:34:00] right
[00:34:00] nicole: there are times, whether it's a coping m- mechanism, it's like there are moments you're like n- something works out, you're like, "Oh, that, that, this is what was supposed to happen
[00:34:10] Jolene: Right. And, uh, I mean, just dealing, I mean, with professional stuff right now
[00:34:16] nicole: Yeah
[00:34:16] Jolene: in my other business, you're right. You learn so much when things don't go,
[00:34:20] nicole: Yeah
[00:34:21] Jolene: and then you change, and then you go, "No, wait, I appreciate this so much more because
[00:34:26] nicole: Yes.
[00:34:26] Jolene: really had to work for it," instead of it going just like, "Bye, hope we get this."
[00:34:31] nicole: Or sometimes you have to
[00:34:32] Jolene: Hmm.
[00:34:33] nicole: you didn't know,
[00:34:35] Jolene: Mm-hmm
[00:34:35] nicole: it was the... And then you're like, "Oh my gosh, this, this was the path."
[00:34:39] Jolene: Right. Right, right, right
[00:34:40] nicole: if this hadn't worked out, if this had worked out, I wouldn't have known
[00:34:45] Jolene: Yeah, but okay, I don't know that I real- I wanna know the truth. I don't really want to know if people don't like me, or if people think I'm ugly, or if people don't like my car, or if people think my landscaping is [00:35:00] ugly.
[00:35:00] nicole: Oh.
[00:35:01] Jolene: know? I mean, like, I don't think I wanna know
[00:35:03] nicole: But you're, you're speaking of the truth being a negative thing.
[00:35:07] Jolene: Yeah
[00:35:08] nicole: It's not always. Here's some like, okay, we've got the talkers, we're gonna get real corny. But since, since today is my birthday, like here's the truth. I love you more today than I ever have
[00:35:22] Jolene: That is the sweetest thing.
[00:35:24] nicole: the
[00:35:24] Jolene: I love you, too. We are the closest we've ever been in our 40 years of friendship. I agree.
[00:35:29] nicole: Right? That's the truth.
[00:35:30] Jolene: Oh.
[00:35:31] nicole: think you're beautiful, and I think you're funny, I love your landscaping,
[00:35:36] Jolene: You haven't seen it. You won't get to see it until you come see me.
[00:35:39] nicole: fine. I'm sure that I... And, and if
[00:35:41] Jolene: We changed the color of the mulch. You might not like it.
[00:35:43] nicole: okay. Okay.
[00:35:45] Jolene: I don't know.
[00:35:45] nicole: All right. But, but that also just makes me sad when you say things like that, not that, a- and not because, oh, you say things like that, 'cause we all do. all are really like, ugh, we just wanna be loved. We really do. [00:36:00] And I don't know
[00:36:00] Jolene: Right.
[00:36:01] nicole: anymore, and if you are, I'm so thrilled you are.
[00:36:04] Jolene: Thank you
[00:36:05] nicole: but really, like, I think maybe there's a lesson in that, that if you're listening and watching right now, we all wanna be liked.
[00:36:15] Jolene: Yeah
[00:36:15] nicole: We all wanna be accepted, and we all want you to think you're pretty or whatever, whatever
[00:36:21] Jolene: Right.
[00:36:22] nicole: smart, or like my
[00:36:23] Jolene: Yeah
[00:36:24] nicole: And, and, and, and in this world we're in, and in this, this, um, this current state of so many screens and so much disconnection and, and so many people, you know, their hate on social media, and I think it's 'cause they're feeling sad
[00:36:44] Jolene: Mm-hmm. And it's the only ones, it's the only way to vent.
[00:36:48] nicole: I guess,
[00:36:49] Jolene: Yeah
[00:36:49] nicole: like, and it's just, yeah
[00:36:53] Jolene: God, I didn't know this question was so deep.
[00:36:55] nicole: either.
[00:36:56] Listen,
[00:36:57] Jolene: Damn
[00:36:58] nicole: slush funds, [00:37:00] shame bubbles, and
[00:37:03] Jolene: And wanting to be liked.
[00:37:04] nicole: yes, exactly.
[00:37:05] Jolene: Wow. And happy birthday
[00:37:08] nicole: you. Um, thank you listeners and viewers for being on this road with us and, um, listening to us. I mean, clearly we were a little bit excited 'cause we got to be together today, um, for the first time in a while. Um, but thank you, and if you like what you hear, uh, click on the thumbs up. share it with a friend. Tell us what you think. DM us on Instagram or YouTube or write us on wevegot2talk.com. Any other
[00:37:38] Jolene: Yep. All those things.
[00:37:41] nicole: All right.
[00:37:41] Jolene: Thank you everybody.
[00:37:42] nicole: you. Bye
[00:37:44]
