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TRIGGERnometry

Sam Harris Returns to TRIGGERnometry

November 21, 2025 • 2h 10m

Summary

⏱️ 8 min read

Overview

Sam Harris returns to Trigonometry for an extensive discussion covering Trump's presidency, political corruption, the Charlie Kirk assassination, COVID-19 controversies, Joe Rogan's influence, and the challenges facing Western democracies. Harris offers sharp criticisms of Trump's character and governance while acknowledging certain achievements, examines the breakdown of political discourse, and argues that tribalism and dogmatism are undermining our ability to solve collective problems.

Hunter Biden's Laptop and Trump's Corruption

Harris clarifies his controversial position on Hunter Biden's laptop, arguing that whatever corruption it suggested pales in comparison to Trump's open financial dealings. He explains that his concern isn't hypothetical - Trump's cryptocurrency ventures, meme coins, and foreign business deals represent unprecedented corruption from the Oval Office. Harris emphasizes he's not defending Biden, but maintaining perspective on the relative scale of ethical violations.

  • Harris believes nothing on Hunter Biden's laptop compares to Trump's current corruption
  • Trump launched a meme coin the day before inauguration, creating a direct mechanism for bribery
  • UAE invested $2 billion in Trump-Kushner crypto business after receiving AI chip access
  • Vietnam greenlit a $1.5 billion Trump resort deal after facing 46% tariffs
" If you are concerned about what was on Hunter Biden's laptop, it still doesn't compare to what Trump is doing right now out in the open. "
" The real Trump derangement syndrome, in my view, is to think that the president's character doesn't matter. "

Trump's Character and Brand Damage to America

Harris argues that Trump's character fundamentally matters because all presidential decisions flow from who he is as a person. He details how Trump's transactional nature, lack of principles, and narcissism create unpredictable and dangerous governance. While acknowledging Trump operates without hypocrisy by never pretending to be ethical, Harris contends this has created a right-wing political culture where corruption itself no longer registers as a problem.

  • Trump's decisions are downstream of his character - his distractibility, venality, and self-absorption
  • Trump has created a personality cult where conflict of interest and self-dealing have completely evaporated as concepts
  • The official White House social media has become a troll account, causing massive brand damage to America
  • Trump uses tariff policy as extortion, imposing tariffs based on personal slights and business opportunities
" We are doing massive brand damage to our country. Very prominent people from the president and Elon on down treated it like the first shot fired in the Civil War. "

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