A Gaslit Nation listener at the Democracy Defender level asked for a handy guide to help a small business owner considering voting for Trump to reconsider. If you need help convincing the small business owners in your life not to vote against their interests, Gaslit Nation has you covered! This special episode breaks down all the reasons Trump will be disastrous for small business owners, including the bribes they’ll have to pay after Trump finishes turning our country into lawless Russia, which has been the plan all along, as Gaslit Nation first warned.

This week’s bonus show also covers the VP debate. Why didn’t Walz dogwalk Vance like Harris dogwalked Trump? Walz is the guy who coined “weird,” so we know he could have destroyed Vance, listing all the ways he’s a Peter Thiel tool. Why didn’t he? The answer may be in Walz’s closing words. His warnings at the very end gave us important insight and guidance into what to expect in the tense months ahead, as discussed in this week’s bonus show. Our discussion with investigative journalist Greg Palast, about his new must-watch film Vigilantes, Inc., and the audience Q&A at our live-taping, is included in this week’s bonus show. Look out for more live-tapings soon! 

To our listeners at the Democracy Defender level and higher, keep your questions coming as the Gaslit Nation Q&A continues! If you didn’t hear your question answered this week, look out for it soon. Thank you to everyone who supports the show – we could not make Gaslit Nation without you!

To hear this full bonus episode, get all shows ad-free, invites to exclusive events, join other listeners in our Victory group chat, and more, subscribe at Patreon.com/Gaslit. Discounted annual subscriptions available!

Come As You Are Weekly Political Salons! Join us every Monday at 4 PM ET via Zoom! Let’s share frustrations, ask burning questions, seek support, and help shape Gaslit Nation. Everyone’s voice matters—whether you’re a political junkie or just finding your voice, you belong here! Recordings available exclusively on Patreon.

🎤 Upcoming Virtual Live Tapings:

• October 22 12pm ET: Dr. Bandy Lee, author of The Psychology of Trump Contagion: An Existential Danger to American Democracy and All Humankind

• October 24 7pm ET: How to Make a Podcast workshop – we need your voice! 

Show Notes:

How to Effectively Communicate in a Time of Polarization: Digital Defenders - Freedom Over Fascism with Anat Shenker-Osorio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO8vyp45sEw

Biden’s small-business boom may undercut Trump’s polling edge on economy A record 18.1 million new small businesses have sought to launch since the Democratic president’s inauguration https://www.marketwatch.com/story/bidens-small-business-boom-may-undercut-trumps-economic-edge-41030fa3

Small Business Growth Rising Faster Under Biden and Democrats Than Trump https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/democrats/2024/6/small-business-growth-rising-faster-under-biden-and-democrats-than-trump

Biden’s Budget Proposes a New Direct Lending Program for the SBA https://www.inc.com/melissa-angell/bidens-budget-proposes-new-direct-lending-program-for-sba.html

Lawmakers Push Bill to Block the SBA From Expanding Further Into Direct Loans https://www.inc.com/melissa-angell/lawmakers-push-bill-to-block-sba-from-expanding-further-into-direct-loans.html

Biden won't put his name on aid checks (unlike you know who) Last year, Trump prioritized putting his name directly onto COVID relief checks. This year, Joe Biden is more interested in governance than self-promotion. https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/biden-won-t-put-his-name-aid-checks-unlike-you-n1260398

The Great Grift: How billions in COVID-19 relief aid was stolen or wasted https://apnews.com/article/pandemic-fraud-waste-billions-small-business-labor-fb1d9a9eb24857efbe4611344311ae78

Trump Erased Millions of Possible PPP Fraud Flags in Last Days in Office Officials cleared nearly all potential fraud flags given to loans above $2 million just days before Trump left office. https://truthout.org/articles/trump-erased-millions-of-possible-ppp-fraud-flags-in-last-days-in-office/