Congressman Chris Pappas Responds to Trump’s Disastrous Term

Summary

The MeidasTouch Podcast Summary

Episode: Congressman Chris Pappas Responds to Trump’s Disastrous Term
Release Date: April 19, 2025
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas
Guest: Congressman Chris Pappas

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast, the Meiselas brothers delve deep into the tumultuous tenure of former President Donald Trump, focusing on his administration's detrimental impact on data integrity, federal services, and economic policies. The episode features a candid conversation with Congressman Chris Pappas, a Democratic representative from New Hampshire who is running for the state's open Senate seat.

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Trump’s Disastrous Term and Attack on Data

Ben Meiselas initiates the discussion by highlighting the cumulative failures of Donald Trump's administration, emphasizing the systematic attack on data collection and transparency.

• Ben Meiselas (00:58):
  "Donald Trump's failures continue to mount as his regime is showing what an utter disaster it is. Donald Trump's plan now is what his plan usually always is, which is just attack the data."

Ben underscores Trump's mishandling of critical situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, where Trump famously stated, "Don't do the testing, then you don't know if there are cases," dismissing the importance of accurate data (00:58).

• Ben Meiselas (03:09):
  "We made this video a few years back at the Midas Touch Network."

Ben references a past video clip where Trump advised slowing down COVID-19 testing, reinforcing his point about Trump's disregard for data-driven decision-making.

Suppression of Critical Data

The discussion pivots to Trump's administration's efforts to suppress vital data across various sectors.

• Ben Meiselas (01:30):
  "Trump's war on measurement means losing data on drug use, maternal mortality, climate change, and more."

He cites a ProPublica article revealing how the FDA failed to publicize a deadly E. Coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce, delaying public awareness and safety measures (00:58).

• Ben Meiselas (02:29):
  "And this is from NBC, which found out about it. The outbreak linked to romaine lettuce killed one person and sickened at least 88 more..."

This suppression of information showcases Trump's administration's preference to manipulate data rather than address public health concerns transparently.

Misleading Communications: The Egg Price Controversy

Ben presents a clip of Trump inaccurately claiming that egg prices are dropping, which he then refutes with factual data.

• Donald Trump Clip (02:29 - 02:45):
  "And the egg prices are down 87%. But nobody talks about that. You could have all the eggs you watched. We have too many eggs."

• Ben Meiselas (02:45):
  "Just entirely false. US Egg prices have increased to record highs going into Easter."

Ben highlights the discrepancy between Trump's statements and actual market data, emphasizing the administration's tendency to distort facts.

Impact on Federal Services and Programs

The conversation shifts to the broader implications of Trump's policies on essential federal services.

• Ben Meiselas (05:56):
  "Federal spending is actually up right now. There's more federal spending than under former President Biden, and they've wrecked the federal government in the process."

Ben critiques the administration's approach, pointing out that increased spending hasn't translated into effective governance but rather has led to the dismantling of crucial services.

• Chris Pappas (06:33):
  "Deeply concerned with what they're seeing right now... they've moved to fire half the people that work for the Social Security Administration."

Congressman Pappas elaborates on the real-world consequences of these cuts, such as delays in Social Security benefits and diminished support for veterans, highlighting the human cost of the administration's policies.

Trade Wars and Economic Impact on New Hampshire

Ben and Pappas discuss Trump's erratic trade policies, particularly the imposition of tariffs that adversely affect New Hampshire's economy.

• Ben Meiselas (08:43):
  "Donald Trump declaring a trade war against the world using a made-up cockamamie formula that was based on deficits to claim what the reciprocal tariff rate was."

• Chris Pappas (09:25):
  "88% of small businesses import products in order to sell them to customers or to make something else... that's making things more expensive."

Pappas explains how these tariffs disrupt local businesses, especially those reliant on imports from Canada and exports to China, leading to increased costs and job losses within New Hampshire's vital industries like forestry.

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Chris Pappas’ Senate Race and Vision for the Future

The episode culminates with Congressman Pappas sharing his motivations and goals as he campaigns for the Senate seat.

• Chris Pappas (11:56):
  "I think this is a moment where we all should look to go beyond what we're used to doing, to make sure we are raising our voices and standing up for what counts."

Pappas emphasizes his commitment to combating Trump's damaging legacy by advocating for data-driven governance, protecting essential services, and fostering economic stability. He appeals to voters by highlighting his extensive experience and dedication to addressing the pressing needs of New Hampshire residents.

• Chris Pappas (13:31):
  "People can go to ChrisPappas.org and find out more about me... we're taking nothing for granted. We're going to get out there and earn this and we'd love people's help."

Pappas calls for active civic engagement, urging the public to participate in the democratic process to restore integrity and effectiveness to government operations.

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Conclusion

This episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast offers a thorough examination of the detrimental effects of Donald Trump's administration on data integrity, federal services, and economic policies, particularly emphasizing the adverse impact on New Hampshire. Through insightful discussions with Congressman Chris Pappas, the episode underscores the urgent need for informed, data-driven governance and active public participation to safeguard democracy and support essential services for Americans.

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Find More: To learn more about Congressman Chris Pappas and his Senate campaign, visit ChrisPappas.org.

Transcript

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[Ben Meiselas]

Call 1-800-Gambler as Donald Trump's failures continue to mount as his regime is showing what an utter disaster it is. Donald Trump's plan now is what his plan usually always is, which is just attack the data. Remember what he said back in 2020 with COVID which he completely mishandled, didn't handle it all. If you don't do the testing, then you don't know. You don't have to know what's even going on. So here's what we know from today. A great article out from ProPublica. Trump's war on measurement means losing data on drug use, maternal mortality, climate change, and more. He's just going to try to erase the data gathering from the various agencies. And I'll just give you an example right now. There was a deadly E. Coli outbreak that hit 15 states, but the FDA chose not to publicize it. That would normally be something that would be publicized. This is from NBC, which found out about it. The outbreak linked to romaine lettuce killed one person and sickened at least 88 more, including a nine year old boy who nearly died of kidney failure. But that really didn't get reported anywhere until now. And had we known about that, people could have taken safety precautions. I was also thinking about that press conference that Donald Trump did in the Oval Office on Friday where he tried to claim that the real issue with eggs and egg prices are that they're too cheap and there's too many eggs. Just play this clip of what Trump said in the Oval Office on Friday.

[Donald Trump]

And the egg prices are down 87%. But nobody talks about that. You could have all the eggs you watched. We have too many eggs. In fact, if anything, the prices are getting too low. So. So I just want to let you know. Prices.

[Ben Meiselas]

Yeah, Just entirely false. US Egg prices have increased to record highs going into Easter. You know, literally, if you look at the remaining data that we have, you can see that. But they want to get rid of all of that data. And to me, it's a throwback. As I said at the outset of this video, saying in 2020, don't do the testing, then you don't know if there are cases. Remember this? We made this video a few years back at the Midas Touch Network. Here, play this clip.

[Donald Trump]

So I said to my people, slow the testing down, please.

[Chris Pappas]

Come on, now. That was tongue in cheek, please.

[Ben Meiselas]

I don't.

[Unknown Host]

I don't know that it was.

[Ben Meiselas]

I don't know that it was tongue in cheek.

[Chris Pappas]

I know it was tongue in cheek.

[Donald Trump]

Testing's frankly.

[Ben Meiselas]

Overrated. We absolutely need to significantly ramp up the number of tests.

[Chris Pappas]

You said that you told your staff to slow the testing down to improve the numbers. Did you ask to slow it down? It was a comment that he made in.

[Donald Trump]

Jess, I don't kid. Let me just tell you. Let me make it clear.

[Ben Meiselas]

Let's bring in Democratic Congressmember Chris Pappas, who's also running for the Senate seat in New Hampshire. Congressman Pappas, first off, welcome to the Midas Touch Network. Your first time on the network. Hopefully, we get you back again. What do you make of all of that, though? Trump's attack on the truth, on facts.

[Chris Pappas]

Well, thanks. It's great to be on with you. And we know how estranged Donald Trump is from the truth. And the fact is, his administration isn't interested in data. They're not interested in science. They're only interested in power and making life more chaotic for Americans all across our country. And that's what they're doing. You know, I was talking with folks that had contracts with the Department of Education recently, and they were telling me how the Department of Ed has ceased the collection of data. So just putting on a blindfold, not wanting to know what's going on in education across our country, not wanting to know how our kids are doing and where the gaps exist. They fired individuals that have been working in this space for decades and decades, that have very specialized expertise into how our education systems work and how best we can approach improving our schools for the future. So this is a full out assault not just on government, but really on our ability as a country and as communities to solve problems, to know where the challenges lie and to know how best to address them collectively moving forward. So it's a deeply chilling moment, I think, for our democracy and the ability of our government to work for everyday Americans. And, and look, government needs to be a stabilizing force that's informed by reality, that's informed by the data in order to be able to fulfill its mission. But Donald Trump, we know, and the folks around him, they don't believe in the mission of government. They only believe in Donald Trump and amassing more power. And they're doing it at the expense of the American people. And we've gotta continue to find ways to stand up, to be counted, to provide a full accounting of the damage that's being done, and to work, to try to put up guardrails wherever possible.

[Ben Meiselas]

Let's talk about that hostile takeover of the federal government by Trump and Musk. Even in the data that we've seen, federal spending is actually up right now. There's more federal spending than under former President Biden, and they've wrecked the federal government in the process. What are you hearing from your constituents? With all of these cuts to the programs from shutting down Social Security offices, the attack on Medicaid, the attack on the Department of Education, the attack on Veteran Services, and basically every other essential service and service in general, people are.

[Chris Pappas]

Deeply concerned with what they're seeing right now, and it is far reaching in terms of its impacts. It's the delivery of critical programs, including those earned benefits like Social Security. People are going to have to wait longer to be able to apply for benefits or to get a question answered because they've moved to fire half the people that work for the Social Security Administration. You think about the VA and the positive steps we've taken over the last few years on a bipartisan basis, mind you, to expand care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances and burn pits. But they're moving to fire 80,000 people, including people who provide direct care to veterans and others who answer crisis lines and process claims. That's all having an impact on the ability of our government to deliver on its promise to those who risk everything for our nation and who defended our freedoms. So it's an urgent challenge right now. We are working to hear directly from our constituents, from our communities, from local nonprofits, all of whom are really disturbed, angry and anxious about what's happening in Washington, D.C. and we've got to make sure that we're using every tool possible on the inside to address this. So we're signing letters, we're sponsoring legislation, we're signing onto court briefs, we're giving remarks on the floor, we're holding press conferences. But we also need the public really to be engaged in this, in helping to bring the fight in Washington back home. So whether that's talking about this in terms of jobs and livelihoods, on funding that's being withheld from our communities, on just the ability to deliver critical services, especially to some of our most vulnerable citizens, this attack is far ranging, and we're deeply concerned about where it goes next. We know that the reconciliation package with drastic cuts to Medicaid that could essentially end health care coverage for tens of millions of Americans and jeopardize the care provided by our community health centers and hospitals, all in the name of providing tax breaks to billionaires like Elon Musk. It is the most backward priorities that you could ever come up with in a bill. And people are really incensed about it. And we're going to continue to try to fight on the inside as best we can to stop that legislation.

[Ben Meiselas]

And then you have Donald Trump declaring a trade war against the world using a made up cockamamie formula that was based on deficits to claim what the reciprocal tariff rate was. And then he put him on, and then he put him off, and then he put him on against adversaries and allies alike. I mean, constantly attacking Canada, saying he wants to conquer it and annex it, and saying that about other countries picking fights against the eu, fights against Australia. And now we're seeing real impacts of this. I mean, we're seeing the tariffs starting to impact the cost of goods affecting businesses. What's going on in New Hampshire with these tariffs?

[Chris Pappas]

Well, as you can imagine, New Hampshire, which borders Canada, has deep ties to our Canadian partners. And our economy is very much interconnected. And so we benefit from free trade with Canada. That's why updating the USMCA under the first Trump administration was an important step forward to protect those trading partnerships and to make sure that we're also protecting domestic industries in America. But what I'm hearing from small businesses is that things are getting more expensive. 88% of small businesses import products in order to sell them to customers or to make something else that they're delivering to customers right here in America. So that's making things more expensive. It's a huge tax, not only on our small businesses, but on the American public. And I've heard that very directly from our small business community. In addition to that, our businesses that export to places like Canada or China are also being hit hard. I had an extensive conversation with businesses in our forest products industry, which is important here in New Hampshire, we're the second most forested state in the country, and they have a huge market in China, which now is being hit with 150% reciprocal tariff. And so that market is going to go away. People are going to lose their jobs. And so whether that's in logging, in the sawmills or in the lumber yards, there is tremendous pressure that they're just not going to be able to navigate. I was talking to them about some of the legislative efforts that we hope to undertake and maybe pull some Republicans along with us. And they said, look, we just can't wait. This is urgent. This is existential for our business. And if we don't get some relief from the president, we can't just wait a few months for Congress to pass something. So we need to make sure that we are leveraging the voices that we're hearing in our districts from the small business community that are being hurt on both sides of the trading relationship. It's really devastating. And it comes at a time where we should be taking every step possible to lower costs, to make housing more affordable, to make sure childcare is more available, and to lower the cost of energy. This is just hitting people where it hurts, at a time where most families and businesses can't afford it.

[Ben Meiselas]

Tell us about your Senate race for that seat in New Hampshire. You announced that you were running people in. You have long roots In New Hampshire, 100 plus years, your family dating back in New Hampshire. But tell us, what does the fight look like to you against the Trump regime? And what are you telling the voters about what your candidacy means if you were to win?

[Chris Pappas]

Yeah, well, this is an important race. I've served four terms or am serving in my fourth term in the House of Representatives, having represented half of the state of New Hampshire. And this is an open seat. Our Senator, Jeanne Shaheen decided to retire at the end of her term, which comes up in 2026. And so I decided to jump in this race. I think this is a moment where we all should look to go beyond what we're used to doing, to make sure we are raising our voices and standing up for what counts. And I have a track record of being well grounded in terms of the challenges that people face out there. I'm a small business owner, so I know how our economy works. And I also know how to take on tough fights and get things done, whether that's lowering the cost of prescription drugs, standing up to the entrenched special interests and corporate power that runs amok in Washington, D.C. to get things done for the people of New Hampshire. That's my track record. So I also have a track record of winning tough races. And I think as we look ahead to 2026, it's imperative that we figure out how to build the kind of coalitions that we need to be able to confront the damage that is being done to our democracy, to our way of life and to our country, and to win. And I'm absolutely committed to doing that in the coming months. So we're really excited about the energy out there. This is a moment where I think everyone wants to be a part of a solution. And as people express anger and anxiety about the future, we want to give them a way that they can be constructive in terms of how we truly achieve some checks and balances moving forward. And I believe we need to do that by taking back the majorities in the midterm elections.

[Ben Meiselas]

Where can people find out more information about you?

[Chris Pappas]

Well, thanks. People can go to ChrisPappas.org and find out more about me, about the work that I've been doing fighting on behalf of the people of New Hampshire, and to pitch in or just leave a comment. We'd love to engage with you all as we go about this race. This is a, a state that is very purple was decided by less than 3 percentage points in the last presidential election. And our Senate race in 2016 was decided by 10, 17 votes. So we know close races here in New Hampshire. We're taking nothing for granted. We're going to get out there and earn this and we'd love people's help.

[Ben Meiselas]

Congressman Chris Pappas running for the open Senate seat in New Hampshire. Thanks for joining us. We hope you come back.

[Chris Pappas]

Great to be with you.

[Ben Meiselas]

Thanks, everybody. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 5 million subscribers. Can't get enough Midas? Check out the Midas substack for ad. Free articles, reports, podcasts, daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski and more. Sign up for free now at midasplus.

[Chris Pappas]

Com.