Senator Rosen Discusses Fight against Trump and MAGA

Summary

Podcast Summary: The MeidasTouch Podcast

Episode: Senator Rosen Discusses Fight against Trump and MAGA
Date: November 9, 2025
Host: Ron Filipkowski (for MeidasTouch Network)
Guest: Senator Jackie Rosen (Democrat, Nevada)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Ron Filipkowski of the MeidasTouch Network sits down with Senator Jackie Rosen to dissect the latest developments in American politics. The conversation centers on the Trump administration’s economic policies, their impact on everyday Americans, especially in Nevada, and the increasing cruelty and bizarre behavior exhibited by some MAGA-aligned officials. Senator Rosen provides a candid, passionate critique of GOP tactics, offering a ground-level view on how these policies affect her constituents. Their discussion goes beyond partisan sparring, highlighting core issues of democracy, economic hardship, and basic human decency.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Disconnect between MAGA Republicans and Everyday Americans

• MAGA Republicans blame Democrats for everything: Clips of GOP members attribute all economic woes to Democrats, contradicting the fact that they currently control the government ([01:45–04:47]).
• Senator Rosen’s response:
  • She calls out MAGA Republicans for being out of touch—“When do you think the last time Rick Scott ever went to a grocery store?... What is Donald Trump? He doesn't even know what groceries are.” ([05:46])
  • Asserts Trump and fellow Republicans don’t understand ordinary struggles: rent, healthcare anxiety, and grocery prices ([05:46]–[07:16]).

2. The “Trump Shutdown” and Economic Hardship

• Trump’s economic deals hurt Nevada: Senator Rosen details how Trump’s trade tariffs and rare earth “deals” with China have backfired, increasing costs for farmers and average citizens ([06:12]).
• Government shutdown impact: She discusses the detrimental effects of the shutdown on access to health insurance, food assistance (SNAP), and general affordability ([06:59], [07:16]).
• Notable Quote:
  • “Every city you go in, the number one thing is affordability. I can't afford to get ahead in my life. What are we going to do?” – Jackie Rosen ([07:16]).

3. SNAP Payments, Legal Defiance, and GOP “Cruelty”

• Republicans fighting SNAP benefits: Filipkowski and Rosen criticize the Trump administration for blocking SNAP (food assistance) payments by legally challenging a judge’s order ([07:24–08:13]).
• Rosen decries disregard for law:
  • “They took an oath to the Constitution. The Constitution has laws and laws are not suggestions. They don't get to decide what they comply or comply with.” – Jackie Rosen ([08:13]–[08:31]).
• Wasteful spending vs. helping people: Rosen cites Kristi Noem’s request for two planes ($200M), Trump’s lavish Mar-a-Lago projects, and contrasts this with the refusal to fund basic needs ([08:39]–[09:33]).
• Golden Quote:
  • “On Halloween weekend, in the middle of a shutdown with their defunding SNAP ... they are gluttonously eating and partying in a ballroom with gold rimmed plates, laughing at their voters, laughing all the way in their gluttony ... This is Trump. Shut down Trump’s economy. He doesn’t give a crap about anyone.” – Jackie Rosen ([09:25]–[09:57])

4. The Culture of Cruelty

• “A little party never killed nobody”—except it does: Rosen and Filipkowski mock the Trump camp’s Gatsby-themed parties while Americans go hungry ([10:24–10:47]).
• Cruelty as policy:
  • “Cruelty is a feature, not a bug, of Trump's administration. And I see this with my colleagues who day by day, in order to please the party of one Donald Trump, they stop listening to their constituents ... Cruelty is a feature, not a bug. And every one of my colleagues, every day and their actions and their words are getting crueler and crueler.” – Jackie Rosen ([11:23]–[11:58])
• Rosen’s challenge: Urges stopping the cruelty, restoring focus on feeding people and guaranteeing healthcare ([12:18]–[12:21]).

5. Nevada’s Unique Struggles under Trump Policies

• Economic impact on Nevada:
  • Senator Rosen highlights suffering in Nevada’s hospitality, tourism, and service sectors, compounded by Trump policies on trade and immigration ([13:31]–[14:45]).
  • Outdoor adventure tourism and business conventions are down, international travel has dropped due to fear and immigration enforcement.
• Summing up:
  • “So no tax on tips. If there's no tips, there's nothing to pay. No tax on. So every bit of Trump's policies are hurting my great state of Nevada.” – Jackie Rosen ([15:10])
  • Trump’s “revenge and cruelty” policies further harm state prosperity ([15:12]–[15:20]).

6. Creepy and Invasive MAGA Tactics: VIN Surveillance

• Incident with Sen. Bernie Moreno:
  • Rosen recounts how Moreno and his staff were found looking up the VINs (Vehicle Identification Numbers) of her vehicle and her staff’s. “It's creepy and it's gross ... He said on camera that him and his staff ... stalked us ... to find out what cars we drive in. Get the VIN number, ma'am, get the license.” ([16:24])
• Rosen’s concern:
  • Cites violation of privacy and safety, especially for young women staffers, stressing it’s not how a senator should behave ([17:36]–[17:45]).
  • “Maybe he should go back to the used car business if he doesn't know how to be a senator.” ([18:08])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On grocery store disconnect:
  • “What is Donald Trump? He doesn't even know what groceries are ... They don’t have any idea what it is not to be able to afford your rent.” – Jackie Rosen ([05:46])
• On the shutdown and Republican priorities:
  • “Trump doesn’t give a crap about anyone and he certainly doesn’t care if you go to the doctor. I do.” – Jackie Rosen ([09:57])
• On cruelty in politics:
  • “Cruelty is a feature, not a bug, of Trump's administration ... and their words are getting crueler and crueler.” – Jackie Rosen ([11:29]–[11:58])
• On violation of privacy by GOP colleagues:
  • “He’s creepy and it's gross ... my young staff and the young women who are in the garage ... everyone’s looking around to see who the hell is following them. Is it Bernie Moreno and his team?” – Jackie Rosen ([17:36]–[17:45])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Republicans Blame Democrats for All Problems: [01:45–04:47]
• Senator Rosen on MAGA Disconnect & Everyday Struggles: [05:46–07:24]
• SNAP Legal Battle & GOP Cruelty: [07:24–09:33]
• Trump’s Gatsby Party & the Symbolism of Cruelty: [10:24–11:58]
• Impact on Nevada Economy: [13:31–15:20]
• Bernie Moreno VIN Incident: [15:34–18:08]

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Tone and Style

The episode blends sharp critique, humor, and raw emotion—true to the MeidasTouch brand of “unapologetic support of democracy” mixed with candid, sometimes biting, banter. Senator Rosen is passionate and unfiltered, focused on drawing a stark line between governance rooted in service vs. self-interest and cruelty.

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For Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In:

This episode offers a no-nonsense, ground-level discussion of the current state of American democracy under Trump and MAGA Republicans. Senator Jackie Rosen’s perspective is both personal and representative, tying together economic hardship, political cruelty, and the urgent need for a politics rooted in empathy and lawful conduct. The conversation’s memorable moments and sharp quotes provide an essential window into the current political climate—especially for anyone feeling the direct effects of recent policies or seeking to understand the stakes in today’s America.

Transcript

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[Ron Filipkowski]

So as the week came to its end, the MAGA Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate only continued to lose their minds even more. They would make these public appearances where they would say, you know everything that's bad right now, it's the Democrats fault. They the inflation. They sometimes claim it doesn't exist or it does exist depending on what Donald Trump wants him to say. But just just blame the Democrats for everything. Like here you have MAGA Republican Congressmember Byron Donald. Here's what he was saying on state regime media known as Fox Today.

[Byron Donald (MAGA Republican Congressmember)]

Play this clip the that is still hurting in some respects our economy that was unleashed by the Democrats with no Republican votes. Health care policy in our country where premiums have skyrocketed, deductibles have skyrocketed. That was passed through by Democrats with Republican input, and now they're back saying they need even more subsidies to cover up their irresponsible health care policies. That was pushed through by them. Look, at some point, in my view, the next time the Democrats have the trifecta, they are going to get rid of the filibuster. And when they do that, they're going to start moving towards universal health care, which was the original design from Obamacare.

[Ron Filipkowski]

Oh, my God. Everybody's getting health care. Oh, my gosh. By the way, you have the trifecta, Magara. You literally have been in control now for 10 months, and you've run the country into the ground. This is a Trump Republican government shutdown. While Donald Trump's, like, sleeping. Like, do we all see him sleeping? Yesterday while he was in the Oval Office, and there was first, like, one of the guy, like, passed out who was there, and Trump did nothing and just started looking at the cameras. Then Trump fell asleep. So today, all the MAGA Republicans were out there and they were like, he's got so much stamina. He's so strong. It's just really weird stuff. Like, here's MAGA Republican Senator Rick Scott. He's like, he's out there. So much energy here. Play this clip World.

[Rick Scott (MAGA Republican Senator)]

He hates war. He hates war. He's trying to bring peace to the Middle East. Think about how many people's lives will improve if we could get peace in the Middle East. And so, you know, I'm very appreciative of his hard work. I was with, I was over there at breakfast on Tuesday, and this guy Trump is just busting his butt every day, working hard to get our economy going to bring peace. I mean, you really have to admire. He's got a lot of stamina.

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And also he's doing the rare earth deals that are going to free us.

[Ron Filipkowski]

From the extortion that China has put us through. Oh, yeah, you're doing the rare earth deals. You mean when China was giving us rare earth elements under Biden, and then because of Trump's trade war against the world, they did export controls on rare earths and stop buying soybeans from our farmers. And now the deal is we get to send them less soybeans. And rare earth elements still have export controls on them. And every year Trump has to go back and beg, like, quite literally the worst deal imaginable. Who's their audience? Like, do they realize that farmers know they're lying? Americans know they're lying. Didn't the voters send a resounding message earlier? And then you have the anti labor secretary, the MAGA Republican, Lori Chavez Darimer. Here's what she had to say. Let's play it.

[Lori Chavez-Darimer (MAGA Republican Secretary)]

I can tell you the president has done a wonderful job because the consumer confidence was up, the momentum this administration was on with, you know, energy prices down, grocery prices down, the stock market has been up, economic growth 3.8% expected to go up even further. This is really, this Democratic shutdown has hurt the American men and women of this country who are working so hard every single day to just get ahead. And now I don't think Democrats even have taken that into consideration while they.

[Ron Filipkowski]

Play these political games, just excuse after excuse after excuse. These MAGA Republicans, all they do is lie. I want to bring in Democratic senator from Nevada, Jackie Rosen. Senator Rosenberg, it's great to finally see on the Midas Touch network. So you see these clips every day. Your colleagues, the Republicans, they go up there, they do that. What do you make of that when it's so disconnected from what the people in Nevada and America are feeling?

[Jackie Rosen (Democratic Senator from Nevada)]

You know what, and I'm going to thank you for showing that because consumer confidence. I want to ask you, and I think I showed Rick Scott over there. When do you think the last time Rick Scott ever went to a grocery store? When do you think the last time? What is Donald Trump? He doesn't even know what groceries are. He said the groceries. They don't have any idea what it is to go to the market. They don't have any idea what it is not to be able to afford your rent. They don't have any idea what it is to have the anxiety of not being able to go to the doctor and get your medication. Which is why we're in this fight because millions and millions of people will lose their access to a health insurance policy. Policy. So I have to lap this consumer confidence sheep into the market because I can tell you when I go, the prices are up. Everywhere I go, the prices are up. This is a Trump shutdown. It's a Trump economy. And every deal he makes, like I said, we were getting the rare earths. He shut it down, he raised the tariffs, now they're not coming. So he's just basking in the ridiculous. I just want to say everyone capitulates to him. Oh, it's the dear leader. He's not the dear leader. He's not the king. He's the president. And we have laws and we have.

Rules and they should be followed. And he's defying all of it. And this is why we're standing up for health care primarily for everyone, but for food and for dignity and for affordability. No matter what you see across this.

Country, every city you go in, the.

Number one thing is affordability. I can't afford to get ahead in my life. What are we going to do?

[Ron Filipkowski]

You know, I never thought I would see the day where a administration would file an appeal to block SNAP payments. Reaching the American Federal judge. Judge McConnell in Rhode island says there's money that exists in give people their SNAP benefits pursuant to what the law is that created snap. Do it. And the Trump regime files an emergency petition to the First Circuit saying that we don't want to pay it. We don't want to listen to that court order. Trump says it's a liquidity issue. We give $40 billion to Argentina. But he says, you know, the liquidity issue is we can't fund snap. We don't have the money. But Senator, it's a liquidity issue. But isn't he the guy who says he brings in $22 trillion every, every week?

[Jackie Rosen (Democratic Senator from Nevada)]

First of all, J.D. vance, I think he went to some fancy pants law school and he says we'll decide what laws we comply with. The last time I checked, they took an oath to the Constitution. The Constitution has laws and laws are not suggestions. They don't get to decide what they.

Comply or comply with.

Laws are not suggestions.

They have to go to the Constitution to.

They have to. They took an oath to the Constitution.

Excuse me. And they need to support that.

As far as all of this, weaponizing SNAP can't be a liquidity issue. When. Well, Kristi Noem, we can talk about her. She's so charming that she asked for not one but two planes to the tune of nearly $200 million. I don't know. You can't ride in two planes at once. So what's she planning to do in the second one? Trump decides that he thinks the DOJ hurt his feelings under the prior administration. He's writing himself a check. Well, for another $230 million, he's created the Rose Garden Club. It looks like Mar a Lago and you can join and have gold plated breakfast there. And he's building a multi, almost a half a billion dollar ballroom. Where's that coming from? And all the golf weekends, every weekend the money is piling up that he's spending.

And on Halloween weekend, in the middle of a shutdown with their defunding snap.

Where children will go hungry, millions of.

Them, they are gluttonously eating and partying in a ballroom with gold rimmed plates, laughing at their voters, laughing all the way in their gluttony and what they can do to screw the American people. This is Trump. Shut down Trump's economy. He doesn't give a crap about anyone and he certainly doesn't care if you go to the doctor.

I do.

I'm listening to my constituents and I want to be sure that everyone. An accident or a diagnosis can change your life in an instant. You go bankrupt. You, God forbid you could die, you can't get your medication.

Come on.

People deserve the dignity to be able to take care of their health, be able to afford their rent, be able to get ahead in this life. And Donald Trump is laughing in the face of everyone who voted for him.

[Ron Filipkowski]

You know, there's a lot of lessons that I think we can draw from Tuesday. But I mean, you, you highlight this, I guess. Trump and maga's closing message was a great Gatsby party, Roaring twenties themed at Mar a Lago with like people dancing in martini glasses. The slogan was a little party never killed nobody while Americans are starving to.

[Jackie Rosen (Democratic Senator from Nevada)]

It's gonna kill someone. It's killing someone.

[Ron Filipkowski]

And. But I think about just the cruelty taking place, whether it's Trump, Vance, Hegseth, Kristi, Noem, Duffy, you name it. It's like cruel, evil, mean human beings. And I think that there is part of America, setting aside the politics of it, just saying, like, why are these people so freaking evil and mean and behaving this like, what behavior is this? Like, this is not how we want to see adults or anyone just behave as humans.

[Jackie Rosen (Democratic Senator from Nevada)]

Well, I can tell you, and I've said this often, and I don't say it with any joy, that cruelty is.

A feature, not a bug, of Trump's administration.

And I see this with my colleagues who day by day, in order to please the party of one Donald Trump, they stop listening to their constituents. They stop caring about hungry kids. They stop listening to the moms who kids have chronic diseases or terminal diseases when they cut pediatric cancer research or they're cutting their ability to get their health care. Cruelty is a feature, not a bug. And every one of my colleagues, every day and their actions and their words.

Are getting crueler and crueler.

And instead of thinking about feeding people, they said, let's make it worse. Let's shut down the air traffic, let's shut down this. Let's starve more people. Let's make sure we kick everyone off health care because God Forbid. Maybe Kristi Noem needs another hundred million.

Dollar plane, I don't know.

But it's reduced.

Ridiculous. And we have to stop the cruelty.

We have to stop the cruelty.

[Ron Filipkowski]

Let's talk about your state for a second. The great state of Nevada. The day hit very hard. Vegas Clark hit hard because Canadians aren't traveling. A lot of people have stuck. The tourism's being hit. You know, people who could potentially benefit from no tax on tips are getting less tips because their wages have been cut significantly. So the day after the election where this blue wave sweeps across the country, Donald Trump posts this glowing endorsement of the current governor, Joe Lombardo. This MAGA Governor Trump says Joel Lombardo is strong, very popular governor, very special place. And then Lombardo goes, thank you for your endorsement and for your leadership. I look forward to continuing your agenda. Basically, speak to it from someone who's, who's in Nevada right now, because all the reports that I see coming out of Nevada are that Trump's policies, the tariffs against the world are crushing the state and that people are seeing it. But then you see this putting their arms around each other like this big victory celebration after Americans sent the very, I think, significant message on Tuesday.

[Jackie Rosen (Democratic Senator from Nevada)]

Well, I'm going to agree with the president on one thing. Nevada is a very special place. And that's why I'm proud to represent it and I'm proud to fight for.

My constituents every day.

And you know, what's hurting are not.

Just our gaming economy in Las Vegas.

And Reno, but do you know we're the most mountainous state in the lower 48, from Lake Mead to Lake Tahoe. And everywhere in between, we have some.

Of the darkest skies in the center of Nevada.

You can really see the stars from the Las Vegas Strip to Ely, Nevada. It's amazing. And so whether it's outdoor adventure tourism or you come to see a sports music event, any of those things come.

To the sphere, it's amazing. And what's hurting us is, is immigration policy.

People don't want to come here. We're down from Canada, from around the world. Our international travel down because they see people getting picked up in the streets with masked men and women and just shoving people into unmarked cars or people getting stopped in an airport because they had a post somewhere in their own country, number one. Number two, the tariffs making everything more expensive. So every bit of food you eat, everything that we have in Las Vegas, we're bringing those goods in from other places, oftentimes from other countries.

The cost of all of that is.

Going up and so when tourism is down, wages are down, and I'll talk about business tourism, the consumer confidence, it's not there. So people aren't having their conventions, people aren't traveling for business, and we are hurting. So no tax on tips. If there's no tips, there's nothing to pay. No tax on. So every bit of Trump's policies are hurting my great state of Nevada.

And this is a Trump's economy, and.

We have to push back every way he can. And again, by closing down, he's starting to close down airports in places he doesn't like.

He's all about revenge and cruelty instead of increasing prosperity and access for people in all areas of their life. This is what we're in the fight for. And I'm not going to stop.

[Ron Filipkowski]

Just final thing I wanted to mention. I showed the video. I showed the video clip of Senator from Ohio, Bernie Moreno.

[Jackie Rosen (Democratic Senator from Nevada)]

He.

[Ron Filipkowski]

You basically found out that he, he and his staff were, like, looking at the VIN numbers of the vehicles of. In a very kind of creepy way, almost like spying on you. I mean, it's just like a weird behavior. If you think of any work environment, that's like, what. What happened there? And, you know, and you confronted him and he had this smug look on his. Yeah, you know, I'm watching this and I'm like, again, going back to our conversation of cruelty or just like, like weirdness. Like, to me, it's like, what are you doing? This guy said he's a. Who's a United States senator. Had people look at the VIN numbers of your car and your staffer's car. Strange behavior.

[Jackie Rosen (Democratic Senator from Nevada)]

You know, he's creepy and it's gross. And he said on camera that him and his staff, the staff that as a federal. Federal employee from his office stalked us. I don't know if it's stalked. Followed us, spied on us, whatever word you want to use to find out what cars we drive in. Get the VIN number, ma', am, get the license. I don't know what information he's getting. Collect all of that so he could find out information about us. Now, like I said, at the very least, it is creepy. It is gross. We have young people who drive us around who work for us to and from the Capitol. And this is a private garage. It's not a public space. And that he spends his time. Doesn't he working? Doesn't he have a job? Doesn't he have a constituent? Tell him, go to a food bank and see how many people are hungry. Let him go. Listen to those moms whose kids who have cancer that need pediatric cancer research and healthcare. And instead he's using government resources and possibly his own. He owns the used car dealerships or some things like that. Is he obtaining information that's not even publicly available and presenting it in public at a committee level? I just happened to be the person there when he was so proud of him following all of us into the.

Garage and getting as much information about the vehicles we ride in.

I just think that the commerce committee.

Is going to be looking into what.

We can do about that.

It is clearly some violation of our privacy and at the very least, my young staff and the young women who are in the garage now, they're going down there. Everyone's looking around to see who the hell is following them. Is it Bernie Moreno and his team and what are they doing with that information? It is wrong. It is gross. Let him get to work.

I got. I got a lot of work in my office.

Maybe he needs to come to Nevada. We can explain to him what a senator really needs to do. And it's not following people to take down their VIN numbers. Maybe he should go back to the used car business if he doesn't know how to be a senator.

[Ron Filipkowski]

Senator Rosen, thanks so much for your time. We appreciate all you do for this country and for your state.

[Jackie Rosen (Democratic Senator from Nevada)]

Thank you. I am glad to come on Anytime my friends.

[Ron Filipkowski]

Take you up on it. Everybody hit subscribe. Let's get to 6 million subscribers. Want to stay plugged in? Become a subscriber to our [e-mail] you'll get daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski ad free episodes of our podcast and more exclusive content Only [e-mail].

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