Terrified White House Holds Disaster Presser on Live TV

Summary

The MeidasTouch Podcast Summary Episode: Terrified White House Holds Disaster Presser on Live TV
Release Date: June 4, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast, hosts Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas delve into the recent White House press conference led by Press Secretary Caroline Levitt. The discussion revolves around the administration's handling of various political and administrative challenges, including controversial reports, trade negotiations, immigration policies, international relations, and responses to domestic crises. The hosts blend insightful analysis with their characteristic humor, providing listeners with a comprehensive overview of the press conference's key moments.

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1. Controversy Surrounding the MAHA Report

Timestamp: 01:00 – 03:16

The press conference opened with intense scrutiny over the MAHA (Make American Healthy Again) report, spearheaded by RFK Jr. Critics, including reporters, accused the report of containing fraudulent citations, making it appear as though it was largely generated using artificial intelligence with fabricated sources.

• Caroline Levitt's Response:
  • [02:03] “There were formatting errors and those errors were updated by the proper policy components here at the White House and a new report was issued.”

Levitt maintained that the issues were merely formatting errors and assured that the report was promptly corrected by the White House.

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2. Trade Negotiations and Tariff Discussions

Timestamp: 03:16 – 06:52

Questions were raised regarding the administration's trade strategies, specifically referencing Donald Trump's approach to tariffs on steel and aluminum.

• Reporter Inquiry:

  • [02:15] Concerns about Trump resorting to letters for trade negotiations.

• Caroline Levitt's Clarification:

  • [06:18] “The president expects good deals and we are on track for that.”

Levitt emphasized the administration's commitment to securing favorable trade agreements, highlighting ongoing discussions with key trading partners.

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3. Elon Musk's Criticism of the Budget Bill

Timestamp: 03:32 – 12:16

Elon Musk publicly denounced the proposed budget bill, calling it a “massive, outrageous pork-filled congressional spending bill.”

• Musk’s Statement:

  • [03:48] “This massive, outrageous pork filled congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination.”

• Levitt's Defense:

  • [03:58] “The president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill. It doesn't change.”

Levitt dismissed Musk's criticisms, asserting that the president remains steadfast in his support for the bill despite external opposition.

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4. Immigration and Deportation Policies

Timestamp: 04:33 – 06:52

A significant portion of the press conference addressed immigration concerns, particularly the administration's stance on deporting undocumented crop farm workers, who constitute about 40% of the agricultural workforce.

• Reporter’s Concern:

  • [04:18] Impact of mass deportations on the U.S. food supply.

• Caroline Levitt's Response:

  • [05:20] “We encourage that, that legal pathway. And we're currently working on strengthening our legal immigration system for that reason.”

Levitt reiterated the administration's commitment to deporting illegal immigrants while emphasizing efforts to provide legal avenues for those essential to the agriculture sector.

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5. International Relations: South Korean Election and UK Trade Deal

Timestamp: 08:21 – 10:17

Questions touched on international developments, including South Korea's recent presidential election and the purported trade deal between the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

• South Korean Election:

  • [08:21] Levitt was unable to provide immediate reactions, indicating a lack of preparedness.

• UK Trade Deal Transparency:

  • [10:50] “There's most definitely text with this deal. There is language that this side has seen. You'll have to ask the UK Parliament why they haven't seen it from their own government.”

Levitt assured the existence of a trade deal with the UK but deflected questions regarding its transparency and the UK's parliamentary review.

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6. Meeting with Right-Wing Activist Laura Loomer

Timestamp: 09:02 – 09:37

Caroline Levitt was questioned about Laura Loomer's meeting with Vice President JD Vance, probing any advisory roles Loomer might hold within the administration.

• Levitt's Assurance:
  • [09:20] “She is not. I do know she met with the vice president. As for what was discussed in that meeting, I would defer you to his team.”

Levitt confirmed the meeting but denied any formal advisory capacity for Loomer within the administration.

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7. Budget Bill Deficit Concerns and CBO Critique

Timestamp: 11:18 – 14:18

The administration faced criticism from MAGA Republicans like Ron Johnson and Rand Paul, who claimed the budget bill would increase the deficit, contrary to the White House's assertions.

• Caroline Levitt's Stance:

  • [11:18] “It's not news that they disagree with this president on policy and the president has vocally called them out for it and for them not having their facts together.”

• Critique of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO):

  • [12:16] “...there hasn't been a single staffer in the entire Congressional Budget Office that has contributed to a Republican since the year 2000...”

Levitt dismissed the concerns raised by Republican senators and criticized the CBO for alleged partisan bias, asserting confidence in the administration's economic analyses.

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8. Withdrawal of Jared Isaacman’s NASA Nomination

Timestamp: 13:03 – 14:28

The abrupt withdrawal of Jared Isaacman’s nomination to lead NASA raised eyebrows, especially considering Isaacman’s close ties with Elon Musk.

• Levitt's Explanation:
  • [14:14] “The president wants to ensure that all of his nominees are aligned fully with the America first mission of this administration.”

Levitt stated that the president reserves the right to nominate and remove individuals based on alignment with administration goals, hinting at strategic personnel decisions.

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9. FEMA’s Hurricane Season Preparedness

Timestamp: 14:33 – 17:54

Addressing concerns about FEMA's readiness for the hurricane season, Levitt refuted claims that the new FEMA head was unaware of hurricane seasons, attributing such remarks to miscommunication and internal jest.

• Reporter’s Concern:

  • [14:33] Questioning FEMA Administrator Richardson’s comments on hurricane season.

• Levitt's Reassurance:

  • [15:25] “Secretary Kristi Noem and the FEMA leadership are all over this. They are committed to ensuring that federal resources and tax dollars are there for Americans in need.”

Levitt emphasized FEMA's preparedness and criticized media interpretations of internal communications as “sloppy and irresponsible.”

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10. Ukraine’s Drone Strikes on Russia

Timestamp: 17:22 – 17:54

The final segment addressed Ukraine's military actions against Russia, specifically the significant drone strikes that decimated a portion of Russia’s strategic air force.

• Reporter’s Question:

  • [17:21] Inquiring about President Trump’s stance on Ukraine's actions.

• Caroline Levitt's Response:

  • [17:36] “The president does not want to see this war prolonged. He wants the fighting to stop. He wants people to stop dying and he wants this to be solved at the negotiating table.”

Levitt portrayed the president as seeking a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, emphasizing a desire to end the loss of lives through negotiation rather than prolonged warfare.

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Hosts’ Commentary and Insights

Throughout the episode, the Meiselas brothers provided their candid reactions to the press conference, highlighting perceived deficiencies in Caroline Levitt's responses and the administration's handling of sensitive issues. They criticized the lack of preparedness, the administration's aggressive defense mechanisms, and the propagation of what they termed as "dangerous propaganda." The hosts underscored the importance of transparency and accountability in governmental communications, encouraging listeners to critically evaluate official statements.

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Conclusion

This episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast offers a critical examination of the White House's recent press conference, dissecting the administration's strategies and responses to pressing national and international issues. Through thoughtful analysis and engaging discussion, Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas shed light on the complexities of political communication and governance, empowering their audience to stay informed and vigilant.

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Notable Quotes:

• Caroline Levitt on MAHA Report Errors:

  • [02:03] “There were formatting errors and those errors were updated by the proper policy components here at the White House and a new report was issued.”

• Elon Musk’s Critique of Budget Bill:

  • [03:48] “This massive, outrageous pork filled congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination.”

• Caroline Levitt on Immigration Policy:

  • [05:20] “We encourage that, that legal pathway. And we're currently working on strengthening our legal immigration system for that reason.”

• Levitt on CBO Partisanship:

  • [12:16] “...there hasn't been a single staffer in the entire Congressional Budget Office that has contributed to a Republican since the year 2000.”

• Levitt on Ukraine Conflict Resolution:

  • [17:36] “The president does not want to see this war prolonged. He wants the fighting to stop. He wants people to stop dying and he wants this to be solved at the negotiating table.”

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Stay tuned to The MeidasTouch Podcast for more in-depth analyses and discussions on the latest political developments.

Transcript

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[News Anchor]

House just held a disastrous press conference. Chief propagandist or press Secretary Caroline Levitt was asked about all of the fraudulent citations on a recent MAHA Make American Healthy Again report by RFK Jr which makes it appear that the report was pretty much created using AI with fake citations and fake articles and fake authors. Here's what Caroline Levitt had to say. Play the clip.

[Reporter]

Just wanted to follow up on your statement last week regarding the Maha report.

[Caroline Levitt]

Sure.

[Reporter]

You said that there was, you said, I understand there were some formatting issues with the MAHA report that are being addressed and that report will be updated. We also understand that since that there have been some citations that came about, their citations of studies that either did not exist or did not back up the report's conclusions. So when you were referring to formatting errors, is that what you were talking about or was it so? Could you just explain that?

[Caroline Levitt]

Yeah, that's what I was talking about. There were formatting errors and those errors were updated by the proper policy components here at the White House and a new report was issued. So exactly what I said took place. Sure.

[News Anchor]

Next, Caroline Levitt is asked about when are these deals happening? And now we hear that instead of doing deals, Donald Trump's just going to write a letter to countries saying, here's your tariff number. Play the clip.

[Another Reporter]

Reuters was reporting that there is a letter that is meant to be sent to other countries which would give these countries a deadline of Wednesday to produce their best offer on the trade matter. Why does the administration feel the need to send this letter? And I one more follow up on.

[Caroline Levitt]

Sure, I can confirm the merits in the content of the letter. USTR sent this letter to all of our trading partners just to give them a friendly reminder that the deadline is coming up and they are in talks. Ambassador Greer, Secretary Besson, Secretary Lutnick are in talks with many of our key trading partners around the globe. As you know, Brian, I know the Wall Street Journal has covered this quite heavily and they continue to be engaged in those discussions. And this letter was simply to remind these countries that the deadline is approaching and the president expects good deals and we are on track for that.

[News Anchor]

I will emphasize next up, Peter Doocy from Fox asks Caroline Levitt, how mad do you think Trump's going to be when he finds out that Elon Musk has come out against the budget bill? Play this clip.

[Caroline Levitt]

Caroline, how mad do you think President Trump is going to be when he finds out that Elon Musk said, I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous port filled congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it. You know you did wrong.

[Mantis X Representative]

You know it.

[Caroline Levitt]

Look, the president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill. It doesn't change. The president's opinion is one big beautiful bill and he's sticking to it. Thank you.

[News Anchor]

And by the way, Elon Musk says, I'm sorry, I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous pork filled congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. I'm going to make a whole other video on just Elon Musk tanking the budget bill. Next up, a reporter asks Caroline Levitt, so what are you going to do with the fact that 40% of crop farm workers are undocumented? Are you going to deport them? Just kill the entire agriculture industry? To which Caroline Levitt says, yes. Play the clip.

[Another Reporter]

Thanks a lot, Caroline. I want to bring it back to the way you began your briefing, talking about the president's mass deportation program and his priorities. 40% of crop farm workers in the US are undocumented. And that's according to the Agriculture Department. Do they have a carve out in terms of the president's mass deportation program?

[Caroline Levitt]

The president and the Trump administration have been very clear. If you are in the country country illegally, you are subject to deportation.

[Another Reporter]

Is there any concern that given that large number, if that number is correct, 40% of crop farm workers being undocumented, that that could impact the food supply here in America if those individuals that obviously help pick crops all across the country are deported en masse?

[Caroline Levitt]

Again, this administration is focused on deporting individuals who are in our country illegally. It's something we have to do. We cannot allow the administration's invasion of our country of illegal immigrants to continue. We just can't have it. And this is a law and order president. As for our farmers and their concerns, they have a president who has their backs and listens to their concerns and hears them. But we also have a legal pathway to come to this country and work specifically for agricultural work. So there's a legal way to do it, and we encourage that, that legal pathway. And we're currently working on strengthening our legal immigration system for that reason.

[News Anchor]

Next up, you have a reporter asking Caroline Levitt that business leaders are begging for certainty in the markets. To which Caroline Levitt responds, actually, business leaders are begging to meet Donald Trump. They're begging to meet him. Okay, really weird. Play the clip.

[Caroline Levitt]

Thanks, Caroline. You're welcome. You've got US Business leaders begging for certainties. Why did the President suddenly decide to hike tariffs on steel and aluminum? Again? You also have US Business leaders begging to meet with this president and begging to come to the White House to talk to him because they know that he is a negotiator in chief, that he's making good deals on behalf of the American worker and the steel worker in particular when it comes to the steel and aluminum tariffs, which he discussed in his speech at length at Pennsylvania, and the need for them and I.

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[News Anchor]

Levitt is next asked about the South Korean election where the center left candidate Lee Jae Myung just won South Korea's presidential election, defeating the conservative candidate, she knows nothing about what even happened. She's like, let me go and read it. Oops, I don't have my notes. Play this clip.

[Another Reporter]

Just does the White House have a reaction to the results of the election?

[Caroline Levitt]

Yes, we do. In fact, let me find it here for you. Should be somewhere in here. You we do not. But I will get you on. Jeffrey, go ahead. Thanks, Kelly. Two questions on trade.

[News Anchor]

So today Laura Loomer, the right wing conspiracy theorist, like 911 conspiracy theorists like total wacko Laura Loomer was meeting with JD Vance today, the vice president and Caroline Levitt was asked about that. Play this clip then on domestic there.

[Caroline Levitt]

Is a report that Laura Loomer met with the vice president today. Can you speak to her relationship with the administration and if you know, if she's informally advising in any way? She is not. I do know she met with the vice president. As for what was discussed in that meeting, I would defer you to his team. Thanks, Carol.

[News Anchor]

Next up, a reporter asked Caroline Levitt, when are we going to see the text to this supposed deal with the United Kingdom? People in the UK Parliament are saying, okay, well where, where is this, where is this deal that was supposedly made? You said there was this deal, but we don't see a deal anywhere. There was a memorandum of understanding which said this is not an actual deal. But here, play this clip.

[Another Reporter]

Thank you, Caroline.

[Caroline Levitt]

You're welcome.

[Another Reporter]

It's been just about a month since President and Prime Minister Starmer announced.

[Caroline Levitt]

Can't see you all the way back there. There you go.

[Another Reporter]

So it's been just about a month since Prime Minister Starmer and President Trump announced that the US And UK had reached a trade deal, at least a frame of a deal. Now there are at least some Conservative MPs in London who are complaining that Parliament has not yet seen the text of any deal. So I'd like to ask you from this side of the pond, is there a text for the deal ready to be released, submitted and if not, when can we expect it? And then I have one more.

[Caroline Levitt]

There's most definitely text with this deal. There is language that this side has seen. You'll have to ask the UK Parliament why they haven't seen it from their own government. I obviously can't answer that question.

[Another Reporter]

And Caroline, one more on Ukraine, please.

[News Anchor]

Next up, Caitlin Collins from CNN asks Caroline Levitt what her thoughts are about other MAGA Republicans like Ron Johnson and Rand Paul saying that this budget bill will substantially increase the deficit. Play this clip.

[Caroline Levitt]

Caitlin, two questions for you as well. On the big beautiful bill. You said recently that it is, quote, blatant wrong to say that it adds to the deficit. You essentially said that an estimate from the Congressional Budget Office and other scorekeepers you believe are wrong. But Republicans like Ron Johnson and Rand Paul disagree. They are saying that it will add to the deficit. That is their concern. Is the White House's position that those two Republican senators are, quote, blatantly wrong? Ms. It is those senators. It's not news that they disagree with this president on policy and the president has vocally called them out for it and for them not having their facts together.

[News Anchor]

Then Caroline Levitt attacks the Congressional Budget Office, the cbo, a nonpartisan group which is inside Congress, and she goes, oh, you know they've never donated to Republicans since 2000. They're a leftist organization. No, no, no, they're not. The head of the CBO was appointed by the Republicans in the Senate. But go ahead, play the clip.

[Caroline Levitt]

Also point out, I don't think many people know this. There hasn't been a single staffer in the entire Congressional Budget Office that has contributed to a Republican since the year 2000. But guess what, there have been many staffers within the Congressional Budget Office who have contributed to Democrat candidates and politicians every single cycle since. So unfortunately, this is an institution in our country that has become partisan and political and we are very confident in our own economic analyses of this bill. There is $1.6 trillion in savings and our Office of Management and Budget Director Ross Fought is a fiscal hawk. He is well known in this city for being a well respected fiscal hawk. He has tools at his disposal to produce even more savings. And as you know, the White House will be sending our rescissions package to Capitol Hill today.

[News Anchor]

And on next up, Caroline Levitt is asked about was there anything in particular that caused Donald Trump to withdraw the nomination of Jared Isaac man to lead NASA? Remember, Isaac man was Elon Musk's guy handpicked guy to run NASA, and you see kind of this war going on between Trump and Musk. As soon as Musk left the White House, Trump gets rid of Isaac man as kind of an FU to Elon. Elon then does an FU to Trump and attacks the budget bill. Watch this. Play this clip.

[Caroline Levitt]

Thanks. You're welcome, Brett. Thanks, Caroline.

[Podcast Host]

I wanted to ask, a couple days ago, the president announced that he was withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to.

[Another Reporter]

Lead NASA, citing a thorough review of prior associations. I wondered why did this review happen.

[Podcast Host]

Just now after the nominee was so far into the process? And can you explain the president's thinking on who he might choose?

[Caroline Levitt]

Ms. Look, the president reserves the right to nominate individuals to key administration posts. He also reserves the right to remove those individuals if he chooses, just like he reserves the right to fire anybody in the executive branch that he wants. And so a new replacement for NASA will be announced very soon, as the president himself said.

[Podcast Host]

Was there something in particular that came up that caused the president concern with this nomination?

[Caroline Levitt]

The president wants to ensure that all of his nominees are aligned fully with the America first mission of this administration. And again, he will be announcing a replacement very soon.

[News Anchor]

Caroline Levitt is next. Asked by a reporter that the new head of FEMA said that he doesn't know what hurricane season is, to which Caroline Levitt says, that was a joke. He was just being funny. Of course he knows what hurricane season is. That's just how we do jokes in the Trump White House. Here, play this clip.

[Caroline Levitt]

Kelly, good afternoon.

[Reporter]

We're now in hurricane we're in hurricane season, and obviously there is great concern every year about the potential for that. Can you speak to how the president is planning to have the level of support should it be needed to be, as it has been with a reduction in the workforce? And is he still comfortable with Administrator Richardson, who had talked, whether joking or not, about not being aware of a hurricane season for this country? What is the president's level of briefings on what may be required? People could give us kind of an overall update on that. Sure.

[Caroline Levitt]

Well, of course, we know that we are into hurricane season now, and I know FEMA is taking this seriously, seriously, contrary to some of the reporting we have seen based on jokes that were made and leaks from meetings. But Secretary Kristi Noem and the FEMA leadership are all over this. They are committed to ensuring that federal resources and tax dollars are there for Americans in need. And the president continues to review requests for emergency aid and carefully considering them. However, this president has made it clear we're going to enable states to make bad decisions with federal tax dollars and then have the federal government later have to bail these states out. We want to see states be responsible with their tax dollars to do as much as they possibly can, and then the president will deeply and thoughtfully consider any requests for federal aid that come to his desk. And I think some of the media reporting we've seen on this is frankly sloppy and irresponsible. There are serious people who are taking this issue seriously, starting with the president himself, who, as you know, on his first domestic back in office visited both North Carolina and California, both of which were of course hit by natural disasters when he wasn't even president. But he took ownership of that and visited those places and those people immediately.

[Reporter]

Brian Season appropriate, though, now that we're this is serious business as you talk about.

[Caroline Levitt]

It's serious business, Kelly, and I'm not going to engage in such fodder with a question like that. Brian.

[Another Reporter]

Thank you, Caroline.

[News Anchor]

So then naturally the reporter said so you think jokes about hurricane season from the head of FEMA is supposed to be funny? Play the clip.

[Reporter]

Hurricane season appropriate, though, now that we're this is serious business as you talk about it.

[Caroline Levitt]

Serious business, Kelly, and I'm not going to engage in such fodder with a question like that.

[News Anchor]

Right then, Caroline Levitt is asked if Donald Trump approves of Ukraine striking Russia and that incredible drone strike that got rid of about 31% of Russia's strategic air force fleet. Here. Play this clip.

[Caroline Levitt]

Thank you.

[Another Reporter]

Same topic. Just to put a finer point on it, does President Trump approve of Ukraine's decision to strike nuclear capable bombers in Russia?

[Caroline Levitt]

I would like to let the president speak on that himself.

[Another Reporter]

And just a follow up as the.

[Caroline Levitt]

President just add to that. The president does not want to see this war prolonged. He wants the fighting to stop. He wants people to stop dying and he wants this to be solved at the negotiating table. The reason he is so deeply involved and has spent so much time and effort on this war is because he hates to see people dying.

[News Anchor]

There you have it. One of the most disastrous press conferences I've seen. Unprepared. Dangerous propaganda. That's what comes to mind when I watch that. Tell me what you think Hit. Subscribe. Let's get to 5 million subscribers. Can't get enough Midas? Check out the Midas plus substack for ad Free articles, reports, podcasts, daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski and more. Sign up for free [e-mail].