By Allan Stevo
February 23, 2026
Many are dissatisfied with Trump for being a " pedophile protector ." That's a reasonable reason. Others are circulating the weakest, debunked mentions of Trump from the Epstein Files. That's lame.
Would it, also, be possible to admit that neither you, nor I, know the whole picture?
If you were open to that, then I can offer a different lens, one more focussed on outcomes than words.
I also recognize that many people are too self-certain for that.
Watch Out For These Behaviors That Attack Truth
Pretending that you know the whole picture when you do not, is an attack on truth. Dispensing with curiosity, and moving yourself into the "expert" column, is another attack on truth.
What makes recognized experts so adversarial to truth (for example: almost every doctor) is how their belief in their own infallible expertise, eliminates their curiosity. In the example of doctors, the more they seek to appear as experts, rather than lifelong students of the human condition, the more they lose the ability to learn, grow, and excel.
One must constantly stay humble to reliably learn, grow, and excel. Of course for those unwilling to stay humble, learning and growing is possible, but it is more likely to happen during moments of unignorable humiliation, rather than being a reliable part of one's day.
One of the great handicaps one can cause in one's growth is to believe the nonsense that one is an "expert" in a field, rather than staying curious and humble.
Last week, I mentioned The Hinlicky Rule ruining me as a purist. It also ruined me as an expert, instead teaching me humbleness.
I beg you, at all times, to stay curious and humble, rather than emotional and closed off.
Trump Used Rand Paul's Reliable, Principled Stance To Weaken The Neo-Cons
According to John Bolton's White House memoir, The Room Where It Happened, US Senator Rand Paul was the reason Trump gave for Bolton not being made Secretary of State. Perhaps you can imagine Trump making such a statement.
It wasn't this kind of statement, "John, I think you'd be a lousy pick for Secretary of State, I mean you are a bloodthirsty sociopath certain to cause needless war, I'm just saving you from having an even worse Judgment Day, really I'm doing you a favor by not giving you the role. So, instead John, I am going to give you this less meaningful position where you can't actually do much harm to me, yourself, the country, or the world."
Instead of Trump saying what he really thinks all the time, I think we have all seen Trump saying something like, "You know John, you are a great guy, and I'd give you Secretary of State. In fact, you'd be good at it, and America would be better off for it. It's just that darn Rand Paul would never let it happen. He would make my life so miserable if I did that. We just can't afford that fight right now, John. And really it's America's loss. A real shame that Rand Paul is the way he is. I have a role for you that is going to really let you knock the socks off of everyone. It is a role that is really made for you, something that is going to let you put your best foot forward. Don't let us down now. Do what you can there, and we can see about giving it another shot later at Secretary of State. Maybe we can even team up next election and see about getting Rand Paul out of there."
Rand Paul's Reliable, Value-Based Stances, Make Rand Paul A Trustworthy Resource For An Often Vocally Antagonistic Trump
I might be wrong, but I can't imagine Rand Paul and Trump speaking alone more than a dozen times in the first Trump Administration. Yet, despite that likely distance, Rand Paul, for all of his cussedness in sticking to his values was an ally for Trump.
He was a resource that Trump could use in the situation described above to keep Trump better focussed on his MAGA agenda. Perhaps, I am giving Trump more credit than he deserves, except it was Bolton, who appears to hate Trump, who presented this example, an example not intended to be complimentary to either Rand Paul or Donald Trump.
Can I use the word "cooperate" that way - referring to two people who do not speak with each other ? I think I can. The excellent I, Pencil, for example, is about the thousands who silently cooperate around shared values.
And I Believe The Same Is True With Massie, Though Massie May Not Even Realize It
I do not suggest Trump and Massie compare notes, nor enjoy secret calls from Trump's SCIF to Massie's SCIF.
Since his June 2015 campaign announcement, Trump has been a dismantler of the establishment. Many have helped him.
Believe None Of What You Hear, And Only Half Of What You See
Growing up in Chicagoland politics, I was taught "Believe none of what you hear, and only half of what you see." I was also taught to evaluate people based on their actions, and not their words.
I cannot overestimate how useful it is to ignore all words periodically and to only observe outcome.
This is especially true with Trump, who can be a walking disinformation mill when one is not careful making sense of him.
Though cherrypicked Trump quotes can be scandalous and tantalizing - which can feel fun - cherrypicked Trump quotes are about as useless to me as cherrypicked Bible verses. I've come to hate them as the work of one far more likely to twist truth than seek truth.
These Are Things That Are Happening Or Have Happened
Fact: Trump kept Bolton from Secretary of State, despite being surrounded by neo-cons.
Fact: Right now, under Trump's watch, the 10-15% of Americans who already believed the country was run by an elite pedophile ring are being proven right.The 15-20% of open-minded, right-leaning social media denizens (some who hate Trump) are learning the same, as are the 20-25% of closed-minded, left-leaning netizens (many of whom hate Trump).
Fact: In a steady trickle, impressive news sources are revealing that story, while less impressive media are slowly being forced to do the same.
Fact: Some on the left are making this a prominent detail of the 2026 elections. It's a detail that may take down Trump in the midterms if presented correctly by his opposition.
Fact: There were no Epstein file releases under any other US President, but 3 million under Trump (though, about half of them seem to be duplicates).
This Would Be An Example Of Distraction
If we violate this principle and look at Trump's words, rather than Trump's actions, then we see that he akshually spent months deriding his supporters for demanding the Epstein Files. This caused some of his weak-handed supporters to turn on him.
We can take it a step past action and focus on outcome.
Do I ascribe to Trump supernatural powers on how he has managed this ? No. I am focused on what is happening, with less emphasis on what he is saying.
A Conversation Trump Has Likely Had To Have Many Times Since Being Elected
Trump has probably had dozens of these conversations over the past months with donors, would-be influencers, and would-be handlers: "Look, I am trying, but this darn Massie has been such a problem for me. You heard me yesterday, you heard me make fun of all my voters in that interview for even asking about the Epstein Files still. How much do you want me to do?....Sure, if you want, I can go harder at Massie. Sure, I'll do that."
Could you imagine Trump, who blamed Rand Paul for his inability to nominate Bolton, also blaming Massie for his inability to hold back the Epstein files?
I can.
And it's not that fantastical, it's just observant.
Prediction
My prediction (and it's not worth much) is that Thomas Massie wins the primary on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Kentucky, and returns to DC an even bigger freedom fighter than ever.
He will need additional protection after winning, and because of him and his interplay with Trump, with Trump's allies and enemies alike, and because of the increasingly awakening American public, all the Epstein files will come out, unredacted, and many connected will be removed from positions of trust.
That's what I think will happen.
I'm also not a determinist. I do not think the future is set.
Thomas Massie may be the most important component in this equation. That means he needs your help. I gave this very day.
You May Think Me A Crackpot For These Comparisons
Though you may think me a crackpot for daring to compare Rand Paul in the example above to Thomas Massie (a fitting comparison if you ask me),
Or though you may think me a crackpot for daring to compare John Bolton to all the zionist and masonic handlers Trump has (also, a fitting comparison if you ask me),
Though you may think me a crackpot for daring to compare Trump to Trump in the examples above (again, a fitting comparison if you ask me),
Though, you may consider me a crackpot for all that, at least what I hope we are able to agree on is that Thomas Massie is a national treasure who deserves your support: $5, $500, $5,000. You make the call.
Do we agree?
We Need Massie To Stand Firm With Predictable Resolve
And as a note to Thomas Massie, who likely does not see himself as a Trump ally, thank you for the work you have done to release the Epstein Files.
Please keep sticking to your guns with cussedness.
The way that this is playing out in the long term, simply because you are sticking to your values, is going to be bigger than any one person. You will go down in history.
We Need Rand Paul To Stand Firm With Predictable Resolve
And as a note to Rand Paul, who likely does not see himself as a Trump ally, thank you for the work you have done to stymie John Bolton and others like Bolton.
Please keep sticking to your guns with cussedness.
The way that this is playing out in the long term, simply because you are sticking to your values, is going to be bigger than any one person. You will go down in history.
These are historically important roles these men are playing.
They must stick to their values regardless of what fiery language Trump uses. We are all called to choose to do the moral thing, despite how fiery anyone gets.
Trump's Weekly Accomplishments Are Consistently Impressive, And Of Net Benefit To America
Thomas Massie and Rand Paul are in difficult positions, but Donald Trump is in a more difficult position. When I push the mute button, and amplify the reality of the actions, I realize that every week Trump does more good for America than most presidents do in a term.
On top of that, it is a weekly net good. He's not perfect, but he's doing good. There are some losses, but there are more victories.
This past week, on February 12, 2026, the EPA rescinded "the endangerment finding." That sounds like boring administrative gobbledygook, which it is meant to be. It was about as negatively consequential on life as one can get in a single policy, which you probably didn't hear from your favorite conservative or libertarian influencer. America has left the WHO, forcing states like California to begin its own WHO relationship if they want any WHO relationship. The Tenth Amendment is real again, and leftists are promoting it, alongside federalism in general, based on the founding ideal of centralized government being untrustworthy.
These are good developments.
An Important Distinction Between Revolution And Bloody Rebellion
In Murray Rothbard's history of the American Revolution, Conceived in Liberty, a book I've previously lectured on - Rothbard tells the story of a people from 1760 to 1775, who slowly stopped seeing themselves as colonists, and came to see themselves as free people. That was the revolution. What followed in 1776 was a bloody rebellion.I am watching Americans slowly change from observers in the fate of their country, to participants in the future of their nation. It is beautiful to see. That is the revolution.
Bloody rebellion I do not wish to see, for I understand the suffering that would come, and the likelihood that bloody rebellion would derail the revolution. Thankfully, revolution can happen without bloody rebellion.
Do I credit any individual with all of this ? No. I think there are many acting as uprightly as they can, and that it is leading to a cooperative outcome.
This is a great time to live. Thank you, God!