Loading summary
Commercial Announcer
Some days call for some oomph to amplify your everyday look. Like when you want the look of false lashes without the extra effort. Reach for Thrive Cosmetics Liquid Lash Volumizer Mascara or when you want all eyes on your smile. Keep Empower Gloss Ultra Glossy Lip Serum in your bag. It's a burst of 24 hour hydration that smooths like a serum, shines like a gloss and can be worn sheer or layered. You'll also look and feel your best with Thrive Cosmetics. Plus, every product is 100% vegan, cruelty free and and made with clean skin loving ingredients that work with your skin, not against it. And for every product purchased, Thrive Cosmetics donates to help communities Thrive. So every time you use your favorite Thrive Cosmetics product, you're helping communities you care about too. Amplify your everyday go to thrivecosmetics.com shine2.6 for an exclusive offer of 20% off your first order. That's Thrive Cosmetics. C-A U S E M E T I C S.com shine2.6 Weight Watchers now offers access to affordable GLP1s Weight Watchers has everything I need from weight loss medications to nutrition support and help with my side effects. With our program, our members are losing more weight with expert nutrition and side effect support.
Host
Weight watchers prescribing GLP1 medications.
Guest Commentator
It's been life changing.
Commercial Announcer
Better results, expert support, lose more weight, make it last. Get started today for as low as $25@weightwatchers.com we interrupt this program to bring you an important Wayfair message. Wayfair's got style tips for every home. This is Stiles Mackenzie helping you make those rooms sing. Today's Style Tip when it comes to making a statement, treat bold patterns like neutrals. Go wild like an untamed animal. Print area rug under a rustic farmhouse table. From wayfair.com fierce this has been your Wayfair style tip to keep those interiors superior.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthy
Wayfair Every Style Every Home this podcast.
Host
Is supported by Talkspace.
Commercial Announcer
When my husband came home from his military deployment, readjusting was hard for all of us. Thankfully, I found Talkspace.
Host
Talkspace provides professional support from licensed therapists and psychiatric providers online. Military members, veterans and their dependents ages 13 and older can get fast access to providers, all from the privacy of their computers or smartphones.
Commercial Announcer
I just answered a few questions online and Talkspace matched me with a therapist. We meet when it's convenient for me and I can message her anytime. It was so easy to set up and they accept Tricare Therapy was going so, well, my husband and I started seeing a couple's therapist through Talkspace too.
Host
Talkspace works with most major insurers, including Tricare. Match with a licensed therapist today@talkspace.com military go to talkspace.com military to get started today. That's talkspace.com military.
Commercial Announcer
So when I ask what is Odoo, what comes to mind? Well, Odoo is a bit of everything. Odoo is a suite of business management software that some people say is like fertilizer because of the way it promotes growth. But, you know, some people also say Odoo is like a magic beanstalk because it grows with your company and is also magically affordable. But then again, you could look at Odoo in terms of how its individual software programs are a lot like building blocks. I mean, whatever your business needs, manufacturing, accounting, HR programs, you can build a custom software suite that's perfect for your company. So what is Odoo? Well, I guess Odoo is a bit of everything. Odoo is a fertilizer, magic beanstalk, building blocks for business. Yeah, that's it. Which means that Odoo is exactly what every business needs. Learn more and sign up now@odoo.com that's.
Host
Od o o.com Republican leaders are absolutely panicking right now as Donald Trump refuses to focus on anything that actually helps the people in the United States, America. And he's focusing on things that are hurting the people as he plays emperor with no clothes around the world. And people are utterly disgusted at what he's doing. We'll get to that in a moment. And we're seeing Republicans speaking up against Donald Trump. I mean, we saw Republican Congressmember Dan Bacon say, we will impeach you if you think you're going to invade Greenland. Okay. And Republicans will impeach you. So let me just make that very clear as long as I'm here in Congress. And then the Republicans, Democrats, Independents, we all get this news heading into the weekend about Democratic Party momentum here.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthy
Let's play this clip.
Commercial Announcer
The Democratic Party has some momentum this morning. The Cook political report showing 18 House races shifting towards Democrats ahead of November's midterms, suggesting they are in a position at the moment to take back the House. It cited President Trump's current unpopularity as well as Democrats success in the last special election cycle as reasons for the favorable environment.
Host
Let's, let's talk about what Republican Congressmember Dan Bacon just had to say about Trump continuing to threaten to invade Greenland.
Guest Commentator
Let's play it Threatened countries who oppose. His strange talk on Greenland is also absurd. And I think a lot of the stuff about invading Greenland he says, I believe it's really being done for negotiating effect, but he says it almost every day. So I feel like people like me and others, we got to speak up and say it's wrong. You don't threaten a NATO ally. They've been a great ally that we've had bases on there since World War II. Denmark has fought with us and on our side in Iraq and Afghanistan. So I feel like it's incumbent on folks like me to speak up and say that these threats and bullying of an ally are wrong. And just on the weird chance that he's serious about invading Greenland, I want to let him know that would probably the end of his presidency. Most Republicans know this is immoral and wrong and we're going to stand up against it.
Host
So what would happen if he decided to use military force to take over Greenland?
Guest Commentator
Well, I think one way or the other way, whether it's even Republican control or if it's Democrat control, after November, I think it would lead to impeachment. I think it's invading ally to me is a high crime and misdemeanor. And we have a treaty, we have the NATO agreement, and so it would be basically severing this whole agreement and invading an ally, a democracy. It's immoral, it's wrong.
Host
What did Donald Trump have to say about that during a press conference earlier in the day? He just wanted to emphasize that he sees himself as king, Tariff King. He goes, me Tariff King. Me tariff king. Here, play this clip.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthy
Stood out to deal with him. And I'm the tariff King. And the Tariff King has done a great job. And I hope we win the Supreme Court case, because if we don't, be ashamed for our country, be ashamed.
Host
We have me Tariff king, Tariff king do good job. Tariff king must win in Supreme Court. I mean, what are we even doing here, folks? That's my new line. What are we even doing here, folks? Let's bring in Democratic Congressmember from Illinois, Raja Krishnamoorthy, who's also the Democratic Senate candidate there in Illinois. And so you wanna learn more about that, we'll talk about that later as well. But, Congressman, it's good to see you and you see what's happening there. I mean, you've got bacon, you've got others. And it does feel that there's a change here. As you know, Trump's craziness and dangerousness, even what he's doing on immigration is deeply unpopular within the Republican base right now. What he's doing in Minneapolis and getting a lot of fans for it. What do you make of his moment?
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthy
I think you're right. You know, you can see Republicans kind of peeling off from the president on a number of different fronts, whether it is 15 Republicans in the House joining with all Democrats to extend the ACA tax credits by three years, or whether it's on tariffs or whether it's with regard to the War Powers Resolution in the Senate on Venezuela. And now. Yeah, I think Greenland is one of those things that gets people basically saying, enough is enough. Enough with the chaos at the same time that working families are confronting such high costs of living, they're not able to really flourish economically. And basically, he's doing the opposite of what people want him to do. They want him to focus on their economic problems. Instead, he's making those problems worse, and he's potentially getting us into war. And we can talk about that later as well.
Host
Yeah, let's do them in order. So the first thing, what the American people are feeling right now, you know, Trump's out there saying that we have an economic miracle. We've never been hotter. All the data coming in is amazing, which it's not amazing, but also a broader question I have is, even with the data, that's bad, the data is not good that's coming in. But how do we even. And I'm not trying to get into conspiratorial areas, how do you trust the data where 40% of the inputs into the Consumer price index are estimates? How do we know? I mean, we look 2.7% year over year. Inflation is not good, considering we would be back to 2% right now had Trump just done nothing. But I know what most people who watch this show say, whether it's their health care cost or electricity or the things that matter in their lives, it's far more than 2% year over year. So how do we.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthy
How.
Host
How do we make sense of all of that?
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthy
Look, I think that when, you know, when Trump says that the affordability crisis is a hard hoax, I think that he is basically saying something that runs counter to what everyone is feeling and seeing. You know, you go to the grocery store and it's not a hoax. Everything is more expensive now. It's hard to buy groceries for a family of four or five people when your paycheck is basically the same as it was last year. And so, in terms of, like, what the government is putting out in statistics and so forth, I think that what really matters is people's lived experience. And they are living a hellacious experience right now, whether it's, you know, affording their groceries, affording their rent, buying a home, affording their childcare. Their health care premiums are skyrocketing right now in part because the ACA tax credits were not extended. Education costs are going up. So given all that, people are like, focus on my problems, not on your fantasies.
Host
Talk about Donald Trump getting us into the wars, as you've said. I mean, we've already been involved now in military actions across the globe. I mean, it seems every other week there's almost a military action. If you think about it, we can't forget there was recently a bombing in Nigeria, right? And then. And then Venezuela. And then on January 2nd, Donald Trump tells the protesters in Iran, he says, I've got your back. He goes, go out there and fight. Because if Iran kills one protester, Trump's language. We will go in there. We, the United States, guns a blazing, we've got your back. Well, from all the reporting now, Iran has killed thousands. Whether that's low thousands or 20,000, no one really has a number, but we know it's a huge number. And what Trump's been talking about today is I stopped Iran from hanging 800 more people. I greatly respect them for doing that. You greatly respect them for not. I mean, that's a good thing that they're not hanging 800. But we've went from, we're going in there guns a blazing, we've got your back to, we stopped them from hanging 800 more protesters. What do I mean? When you send a message like that, you're going in. America's words must matter and mean something if you're going to say it.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthy
Donald Trump's words mean nothing, and we know that now. I don't think anybody should put a lot of stock in what he promises, whether it's an election promise to reduce prices or whether it's a promise to back people up if they go protest in the streets. It's just so tragic that so many people were murdered, killed, gunned down by the Iranian regime. But at the end of the day, we gotta. We gotta avoid these foreign entanglements, okay? That's why I introduced the NOVA Act. I think I talked about this with you last week, the no Occupation of Venezuela act, which would basically block taxpayer funds from being used to, quote, unquote, run Venezuela or occupy Venezuela or being used to help oil companies here exploit oil resources in Venezuela. That's not what taxpayers want. And they don't want to be entangled in an endless war in Iran or Cuba or Greenland or anywhere else. And I think at this point, we got to put our foot down. And I hope my Republican colleagues, you don't need a lot of them. You need some profiles and courage to stand up for what's right and basically say no more wars. No more of these Iraq and Afghanistan, endless wars.
Host
Let's talk about briefly your Senate run. I be honest, a lot of people, when they look at the Senate, particularly right now, have felt a little bit betrayed at some of the things that have happened in the Senate. And I, I understand it's a more in theory, you know, we try to work together and all of these things and then, but then people feel like, okay, well, that's great. But then look what Mitch McConnell did in order to screw over Obama from getting a Supreme Court justice. So, like, yeah, but in the biggest issues, Republicans have not done what they were supposed to do. And so, and Democrats have heeded in the Senate particularly to this, you know, unwritten codes and things like that. So, like running for Senate, how can you assure the people, you've obviously been a fighter as a member of Congress and people have been following you here in the way you fight, the way you cross examine people during the hearings and all the legislation you brought forward. Tell me about the move to the Senate, though, and how you, how you envision your role. Because the prime minister, I don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but it's a blue state. The primary is a really important part. You're still going to have a race after the primaries, but, like, what do you do if you get past the primaries and how, how are you framing your Senate run?
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthy
So basically I frame it around my life story. I think I've told you this before, but, you know, when I was, I came to this country when I was 3 months old from India. And when we first got here, unfortunately, my, my father fell on hard times. He lost his income. But thanks to the generosity of the American people, we were allowed to move into public housing and food stamps. Spent a good portion of my childhood in those programs. Eventually, my father got a break, got a great job in Peoria, Illinois, and that's where we made it into the middle class. And pretty much every night he'd say, think of the greatness of this country and whatever you do, make sure it's there for the next families who need it. And that's become the mission statement of my life. That's my why. And I believe that right now that American dream, if you will, is under mortal assault by Donald J. Trump. And so it's my duty to do everything I can to fight to ensure that others have a shot at their dreams, at their American dream, regardless of whether they're working, poor, middle class or growing a business. And I feel like they think that that dream is and it is slipping out of grasp during the chaos of Donald Trump for all the reasons that we just talked about, not addressing the affordability crisis, entangling us in foreign adventures that oftentimes cost us treasure but also lives. And we've got to kind of move back to where working families and people want us to devote our attention, which is their economic uplift. And that's kind of the central focus of my campaign.
Host
Where can people find out more about it?
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthy
Congressman www.r a j a f o r I l.com check it out.
Host
Thanks, Congressman, for joining us.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthy
Thank you, sir.
Host
Everybody hit subscribe. Let's get to 6 million subscribers. Want to stay plugged in? Become a subscriber to our substack@midasplus.com you'll get daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski, ad free episodes of our podcast and more exclusive content Only available@midasplus.com. Everyone deserves to be connected. That's why T Mobile and US Cellular are joining forces. Switch to T Mobile and save up to 20% versus Verizon by getting built in benefits they leave out. Check the math AT T Mobile.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthy
And.
Host
Now T Mobile is in US Cellular stores. Savings versus comparable Verizon plans plus the cost of optional benefits plan features in Texas and fees vary. Savings with three plus lines include third line free via monthly bill credits. Credit stop if you cancel any lines. Qualifying credit required. Well, the holidays have come and gone once again. But if you've forgotten to get that special someone in your life a gift. Well, Mint Mobile is extending their holiday offer of half off unlimited wireless.
Commercial Announcer
So here's the idea.
Guest Commentator
You get it now, you call it an early present for next year.
Commercial Announcer
What do you have to lose?
Guest Commentator
Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch limited time.
Commercial Announcer
50% off regular price for new customers. Upfront payment required $45 for three months, $90 for six month or $180 for 12 month plan taxes and fees. Extra speeds may slow after 50 gigabytes per month when network is busy. See terms.
Episode: Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi Discusses Trump’s Major Failures
Date: January 16, 2026
Guests: Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL)
Hosts: Ben Meiselas, Brett Meiselas, Jordy Meiselas
This episode centers on the unraveling of support for former President Donald Trump within the Republican Party, the chaos and failures attributed to his current administration—especially on foreign policy and the economy—and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi’s perspective on these crises. The discussion also highlights the stakes for working families and introduces Krishnamoorthi’s Senate campaign, framed through his personal story and his commitment to defending the American dream.
Republican Dissent on Greenland Invasion Threats
Congressman Krishnamoorthi’s Take
Why He’s Running, What He Stands For
Where to Find More
On GOP Opposition to Trump:
On Living Costs:
On Trump’s Rhetoric:
The conversation is lively, impassioned, and laced with the trademark MeidasTouch humor—especially when lampooning Trump’s self-aggrandizement. Krishnamoorthi maintains a sober, earnest demeanor, offering policy substance and personal narrative, while the brothers provide energetic, often biting commentary.
This episode offers an incisive look into a post-Trumpian GOP rift, daily struggles for Americans ignored by administration spin, and the hazards of impulsive foreign policy. Through Rep. Krishnamoorthi’s voice, it also provides a sincere vision for restoring opportunity and stability. For anyone worried about democracy, rising costs, and global entanglements, this is essential listening—equal parts warning and roadmap for what comes next.