“You knock all these electrons out so it’s not the same atom.
It's easy to see he doesn't understand basic nuclear physics. This sets off the alarm bells. At the very least he wouldn't understand if this Red Mercury works or not. He doesn't have a clue.
You need not confuse nuclear physics from chemestry. Red Mecury is a chemical agent, an explosive to cause high temperatures needed for fusion. Knocking electrons out not only increase the physical density of a compound (though the nuclear density remains the same), but morever it increases the energy release once external electrons fall back to their designed stable orbits that were emptied in the fabrication process.
That to me is conclusive of how modern conventional explosives could be created electronicaly.