The MeidasTouch Podcast

Episode: Trump Caught on Tape as He Loses All Control of Plan
Date: October 20, 2025
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas

Episode Overview

In this urgent episode, the Meiselas brothers break down shocking, newly surfaced video evidence of escalating ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and Border Patrol violence under the Trump regime. The hosts blend their signature banter with unfiltered commentary and hard news, connecting a wave of reported raids, abuses, and civil rights violations across the country, including Chicago, Portland, and California. The episode paints a harrowing picture of what the brothers call “ICE Gestapo” tactics and highlights the resilience of the communities fighting back. Through direct audio, eyewitness interviews, and journalistic investigation, they warn of a dire erosion of democratic norms.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. ICE Raids and Abuse of Power – Caught on Tape

• Chicago Flea Market Raid: The episode opens with real footage of ICE agents storming a local flea market in Chicago, described as feeling "like Fallujah" (00:43).
  • Quote at [01:42]: “Don't be scared. Don't be scared. Nobody going to hurt y'. All. You guys are coming into our community. We're working people and taking that. Don't go around again.”
• Portland, Oregon Incident: Video of ICE agents forcibly removing a woman in a wheelchair and mistreating a blind citizen (02:12).
  • Quote at [02:28]: “Oh cute, cute. Arresting our most vulnerable people. You guys are the true patriots.”
• California – La Habra Incident: Border Patrol caught on video tackling and beating individuals without cause. One citizen tries to assert their rights, only to be threatened with arrest (04:06).
  • Quote at [04:11]: “I'm sorry. I'm a US Citizen. You can't touch me.”

2. Targeting U.S. Citizens

• South Buffalo, Chicago: Shocking story of “Angel,” a U.S. citizen abducted off the street by ICE, driven over half a mile away, and dumped (05:35). Angel describes being questioned about his legal status and left scared and traumatized.
  • Quote at [07:12]:
    Angel: “They took me into their vehicle, and demanded to ask who I am, what's my name, am I a legal citizen, which you are. Yes, I'm from Chicago.”
  • Followed by Angel’s cousin at [07:33]: “I seen him walking down from a couple blocks away and he jumped in and I asked him what happened. He said that they just grabbed him and threw him in the car and took off with him.”

3. Crackdown on Protesters and Musicians

• Musician Arrested in Portland: A clarinet player is violently arrested at an ICE protest for simply playing the Ghostbusters theme—her partner learns of her location only hours later, and her family has no idea when they'll see her (08:05).
  • Quote at [09:14]:
    Partner: “My three year old doesn't know when we’re going to see her again.”
  • **Hosts acknowledge the surreal mix of “beautiful party atmosphere” and sudden, aggressive intervention by authorities.

4. ICE Confrontation with Emergency Medical Personnel

• Ambulance Blocked & Medics Threatened: Federal agents in Portland threaten to shoot and arrest an ambulance driver after ICE injures a detainee, then attempts to force their way into the ambulance without proper authority (12:09).
  • Quote at [13:04]:
    K2’s Victor Park: “Federal agents stood directly in front of the ambulance in an effort to block it from leaving… the report says an agent responded that the driver had attempted to hit him with the ambulance. The driver wrote in the report that they were not only accusing me of such a thing, but crowding and cornering me in the seat, pointing and screaming at me, threatening to shoot and arrest me and not allowing the ambulance to leave the scene.”

5. Community Resistance and Protest Tactics

• Inflatable Protest Movement in Portland: Widespread distribution of inflatable costumes (frogs, unicorns, chickens) as a creative form of peaceful protest, now spreading to Chicago and other cities (15:25).
  • Quote at [15:25]:
    Protest organizer: “Are inflatable costumes for anybody to come and have for free and take home with them, protesting them over and over again if they want to.”

6. Escalating Surveillance & “Super Checks” to ICE

• Expanded State Surveillance: ICE signs lucrative spyware contracts for iris scanning, drones, and hacking technology, aimed at surveilling protesters and activists (16:23).
  • Trump administration accused of directing large payments (“super checks”) to ICE and Border Patrol officers while laying off others, and redirecting funds away from “democratic” cities.

7. ICE Agent DUI and Racism Scandal

• ICE Agent Pulled Over: Audio and breakdown of an ICE agent stopped for drunk driving, attempting to intimidate police by invoking federal status and launching into open racial profiling (18:38).
  • Quote at [19:12]:
    ICE Agent: “You Haitian? That’s nothing to do with my—My question was, are you Haitian?”
  • Host commentary at [21:52]:
    Host (referencing Midas Touch’s Aaron Mockler): “This ICE agent thinks he can win the situation by randomly racially profiling a cop. Like it's his base instinct. If an immigrant ever talked to this exact ICE agent this way, they would be thrown to the ground.”

8. Warning on Lawless ICE Tactics

• Fears of Eroding Democracy: The brothers denounce what they see as ICE's transformation into "Gestapo-like" thugs, acting independently, with impunity, and even undermining local law enforcement ([18:40], [21:52]).
  • Quote at [18:40]:
    Host: “These are who these ICE agents are. These ICE agents are bad people. They're bad human beings…they attack the police. They hate the police.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [01:42] Community Member (Chicago): “Don't be scared. Nobody going to hurt y'. All. You guys are coming into our community. We're working people…”
• [07:12] Angel (Chicago): “They took me into their vehicle and, and demanded to ask who I am, what's my name, am I a legal citizen, which you are. Yes, I'm from Chicago.”
• [09:14] Partner of Clarinetist (Portland): “My three year old doesn't know when we’re going to see her again.”
• [13:04] K2’s Victor Park: “Federal agents stood directly in front of the ambulance in an effort to block it from leaving… threatening to shoot and arrest me and not allowing the ambulance to leave the scene.”
• [15:25] Protest Organizer: “Are inflatable costumes for anybody to come and have for free… It blew up really big, really fast.”
• [19:12] ICE Agent (DUI stop): “You Haitian? That’s nothing to do with my—My question was, are you Haitian?”
• [21:52] Host (summarizing): “This is what happens when you have lawlessness and ICE gestapo roaming the streets.”

Important Timestamps

• [00:43] – First mention of Trump ICE raids in Chicago: “Donald Trump has been caught on camera…”
• [01:42] – Video/audio from Chicago flea market
• [02:12] – Portland, Oregon: ICE abuses against disabled residents
• [04:06] – La Habra, California: Border Patrol violent tactics
• [05:35] – U.S. citizen “Angel” abducted by ICE in Chicago
• [08:05] – Arrest of clarinet player at protest in Portland
• [12:09] – ICE threatens ambulance driver in Portland
• [15:25] – Inflatable protest movement description/spread
• [16:23] – Host analysis of ICE “super checks,” surveillance, and attacks on “donor” cities
• [18:38] – Coverage of ICE agent DUI and racial profiling incident
• [21:52] – Host analysis on ICE’s corruption and lawlessness

Tone and Language

The episode is fast-paced, impassioned, and unflinching: the hosts do not hold back in either their condemnation of ICE abuses or their support of communities resisting these policies. Humor and banter are present in their analogies and asides about “party atmosphere”—but the main current is vigilant outrage and a call to action. The brothers use vivid, sometimes graphic language (“like Fallujah,” “Gestapo tactics,” “abducted off the street”) to match the urgency of the news.

For Listeners

If you missed the episode, this summary captures its essential stories and urgent warnings about the expansion of ICE power, the normalization of civil rights violations, and the vital, creative forms of resistance being mounted coast to coast. The hosts urge listeners to stay vigilant, stay informed, and support one another in pushing back against state overreach.