Trump Folds Immediately after New Strikes on Iran

Summary

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The MeidasTouch Podcast – June 11, 2026

Episode: Trump Folds Immediately after New Strikes on Iran

Main Theme:

This episode focuses on the chaotic and contradictory series of events following Donald Trump’s abrupt announcement of major military strikes on Iran. The Meiselas brothers dissect the credibility of Trump’s claims, the deflated military responses, the international fallout (specifically between Iran, Israel, and the US), and how state media helped propel a narrative that quickly unraveled under scrutiny. The episode is characterized by sharp political critique, humor, and a call for democratic accountability.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Trump’s Bombastic Announcement and Swift Walk-Back

• Sequence of Events: The episode opens with the breaking news of Trump announcing “major strikes on Iran.” Within twenty minutes, he reverses course, claiming Iran contacted him, resulting in a near-immediate cessation of the strikes.
  • "[Trump] said he was bombing Iran, he said, with nearly 50 Tomahawk missiles. He said there were planes that were loitering and flying all over Tehran…" (02:32)
• Skepticism and Critique: The brothers point out the dubious nature of Trump's story and check it against both CENTCOM (US Central Command) releases and independent reporting.
  • "As you know, he lies about everything. So let’s just go through the events that just unfolded. It’s quite bizarre." (02:32)

2. Contradictory Claims and International Response

• Claimed Military Action: Trump and his administration paint a picture of overwhelming force—multiple targets, warplanes over Tehran, and missiles fired.
• Reality of the Attacks: The analysis shows only limited targets were struck (primarily navy and air defense sites near the Strait of Hormuz). There’s direct skepticism about any US aircraft actually threatening Tehran itself.
  • "The only aircraft seen over Tehran was an Iranian military helicopter. There were no U.S. aircraft nearby." (13:31)
• Iranian and Israeli Response:
  • Iran responded by closing the Strait of Hormuz, threatening both commercial and military shipping, and increasing war readiness.
  • Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, appeared to distance themselves from Trump: "We really don’t know what he’s even doing right here." (03:46)

3. Media Manipulation and Fabricated Dialogue

• Trump’s Propaganda Tactics:
  • Trump claims to have spoken directly with Iranian leaders in the Situation Room—a claim completely denied by the Iranian regime.
  • "[Trump] goes and tells the reporter… ‘Iran called me tonight. Hello Donald. This is Iran calling Donald. We would really like to make a deal, sir. Please don’t strike us. This is Iran, sir.’" (08:17)
• Analogies and Sarcasm: The brothers compare this tactic to Trump’s earlier history of pretending to be his own PR representative.
  • "Remember when Donald Trump…would pretend to be his own PR guy in the 80s and the 90s and he would call up the press. …I mean the guy is delusional." (10:31)

4. State Media Alignment and Disinformation

• Fox News Repeats White House Claims:
  • Clips feature Fox News parroting Trump’s narrative, even as new details contradict their own reporting.
  • "President Trump said, ‘We’ll bomb the s— out of them tomorrow night.’" (12:12)
• CENTCOM Loses Credibility:
  • The brothers describe how CENTCOM’s leadership (Admiral Brad Cooper) is ridiculed within the military for issuing blatantly false statements about the operations and status of the Strait of Hormuz.
  • "Admiral Cooper...has disgraced CENTCOM. I’ve spoken to a lot of top military people also and they are embarrassed by Cooper." (13:31)

5. Brotherly Banter and Scathing Critique

• Humiliation for the Country:
  • The hosts frame Trump’s and CENTCOM’s actions as a “humiliation ritual” for America—being led through repeated cycles of international embarrassment.
  • "It just straight up freaking weird and weak and pathetic…Just grow up. You’re the commander in chief. Grow up. Make a deal. Get the hell out of there." (19:12)
• Calls for Accountability:
  • The segment closes with frustration at the ongoing chaos and a demand for leadership to finally act responsibly or leave office.

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s Propaganda:
  • “He said he was bombing Iran …with nearly 50 Tomahawk missiles. He said there were planes…flying all over Tehran…And he said this shows strength. And as you know, he lies about everything.” — Political Commentator (02:32)
• On the Reality vs. the Claims:
  • “The only aircraft seen over Tehran was an Iranian military helicopter. There were no U.S. aircraft nearby…these strikes only hit some Iranian navy air defense radar and missile sites.” — Political Commentator (13:31)
• On Trump’s Made-Up Phone Calls:
  • “‘Hello Donald. This is Iran calling Donald. We would really like to make a deal, sir. Please don't strike us. This is Iran, sir.’” — Political Commentator, mocking Trump’s style (08:17)
• On CENTCOM’s Statements:
  • “CENTCOM released a statement falsely claiming the Strait of Hormuz is now open. I kid you not, this is from CENTCOM…They said: ‘Commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out…’ Why lie about that? What a dumb thing to lie about.” — Political Commentator (13:31)
• On the Broader Humiliation:
  • “It’s a humiliation ritual for this country…It just straight up freaking weird and weak and pathetic.” — Political Commentator (19:12)
• On Leadership:
  • "Grow up. You’re the commander in chief. Grow up. Make a deal. Get the hell out of there. Do something. Do something." — Political Commentator (19:40)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:32 – Breakdown of Trump’s announcement, false claims about the size and scope of the strike, and the unraveling narrative
• 03:46 – Netanyahu and Israel’s distancing from Trump’s plan
• 08:17 – Trump’s fabrications about direct dialogue with Iranian leadership
• 10:31 – Analogy to Trump’s fake PR stunts from earlier decades
• 12:12 – Fox News covers (and amplifies) Trump’s threats and false claims
• 13:31 – Reality check: actual military facts, CENTCOM’s damaged credibility
• 17:19 – Pete Hegseth on Fox, advocating escalated attacks, “tap, tap, tap bombs dropping”
• 18:40 – Hegseth referencing the need for troops’ “hands to be untied”—a veiled reference to potential war crimes
• 19:12 – Host’s final summation on the “humiliation ritual” and call for maturity in leadership

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Tone and Style

Throughout, the Meiselas brothers’ signature blend of incisive analysis and wry, sometimes exasperated humor comes through. Their disbelief and frustration are palpable, especially as they fact-check real-time propaganda and lament the state of US leadership on the world stage.

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Summary

This episode delivers a breakdown of a chaotic, essentially self-defeating moment in US foreign policy under Trump. The hosts critically examine the divergence between administration claims and on-the-ground reality, showcase the bewildered reaction from both allies and adversaries, and lambaste the propagandistic partnership between the White House and state media. The episode closes with a heartfelt, if exasperated, plea for American leadership to abandon performative aggression in favor of actual solutions.

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Transcript

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[Political Commentator]

announced that he is launching major strikes on Iran. But then within about 20 minutes of him announcing that, he said, we're done and now Iran is going to make a deal with us. He said he's speaking with the leaders of Iran. He said they were calling him in the Situation Room. He was talking to the main leaders of Iran and they were figuring this all out. As he said he was bombing Iran, he said, with nearly 50 Tomahawk missiles. He said there were planes that were loitering and flying all over Tehran and throughout Iran from the United States military. And he said this shows strength. And as you know, he lies about everything. So let's just go through the events that just unfolded. It's quite bizarre. Within about 20 minutes of Donald Trump saying he was launching a massive attack on Iran that kind of fizzled out. There was a few targets that were hit around Kashmir and Bandar Abbas. But everything Trump and CENTCOM were saying about the attacks, like flying over Tehran and flying over other areas, turned out to just be just more complete lies. And Iran responded by saying, okay, we're just going to shut down the Strait of Hormuz totally and no, no ships are going to be able to go, even friendly ones. We're just going to shut it all down. We don't know what you're doing. We're going to strike Israel now. And then Israel responded, we don't know what Trump's doing. Like Netanyahu threw Trump under the bus. Yeah, we, we have no clue what this plan is. We did the other stuff, but we really don't know what he's even doing right here. Let me just break down what just unfolded and I'll share with you. When Don call state, regime media, Fox, and he says to them, I'm speaking with the Iranians now. To which the Iranian leadership, the IRGC goes, we're not talking to him. We don't know what he's saying. He's just making this up. So here's the sequence. Trump calls Barack Ravid over at Axios. Trump stenographer, propagandist over at Axios. And here's what Ravid says. Trump held a meeting in the Situation Room to discuss additional possible strikes against Iran. Just hours after telling reports, orders, we are going to hit them hard today. Powerful strikes we're preparing for. The sources said that one of the options Trump is considering is a large scale, short term operation. Then Trump and others in the Trump regime told Barack Ravid, that's the plan. We're carrying out large scale operation. We're flying over Tehran. We're going to hit Iran really hard and we're going to destroy a lot of their infrastructure. Reports the attacks on Iran begun. We did hear explosions in Syric, Manob, Isfahan and Kesham Island. And based on what was being reported from Trump officials, it seemed that this was a massive attack that was on a different level than what took place the day before. Not just like all these attacks are serious, I don't want to downplay them. But they were describing it as the big one, the massive one was underway. So Iran's parliament convenes. Their National Security Committee says, okay, we are going to prepare for the next phase of this war. Which seemed to indicate we're shutting down the Bob El Mandib Strait. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced full and complete closures over the Strait of Hormuz. All traffic shut down. They said, we are going to start striking American ships in the Persian Gulf that have still been stuck there. Because despite what Donald Trump said earlier in the day, the Strait of Hormuz is controlled by Iran, not the United States. Donald Trump made up that weird lie in the Oval Office presser where he said, I love inflation. He also said, we've been bringing out 100 million barrels of oil and we've been bringing out these ships and I've been helping them get out of the Strait of Hormuz. These ships, these very large container ships, they're gigantic. They're like football fields long. There's no hiding that if they're getting in and out. So Trump just like completely made that up as well. But then after Iran said, okay, we're gonna shut down the Bab El Mandib, we're gonna threaten to shut it down. We're not gonna fully shut it. We'll threaten and we're gonna start shooting up some US Ships. Donald Trump then rushes to the Wall Street Journal and then the following gets leaked. Despite authorizing new strikes on Iran, Trump has not abandoned diplomacy. Trump says he's using military pressure to force concessions while still pursuing a nuclear deal with Iran. And then he calls up Fox and he says, I spoke directly with Iranian officials. I told him the bombing will stop shortly. We did 49 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Iran tonight, and we have our jets flying over Tehran. But Trump says, I think we're going to be very close to a deal. But he tells Fox, we will bomb the shit out of Iran tomorrow if they don't sign a deal with us in the morning. So we're going to stop right now, but we're going to bomb the shit out of them tomorrow is what he's telling Fox. And he goes, I haven't given up diplomacy. And the reason we're doing this is in response to Iran having a shahed drone strike an Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz. I'm going to address that in a moment right here. And then Trump tells Wall Street Journal, I've got this under control. I got this under control. Don't worry, I'm not losing control. Because there's a lot of people saying he's losing it. He's lost control a while ago. So then he calls up state regime media, which calls itself Fox, and he goes and tells the reporter that I spoke to, he goes, iran called me tonight. Hello Donald. This is Iran calling Donald. We would really like to make a deal, sir. Please don't strike us. This is Iran, sir.

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[Political Commentator]

Remember when Donald Trump had the he would pretend to be his own PR guy in the 80s and the 90s and he would call up the press. Hey, this is I forgot what the guy's name is, but I got a good scoop for Donald. I mean the guy is delusional. Here's what he told Fox.

[Fox News Reporter]

Let's play it of the country close to the Persian Gulf. This is all taking place as the Iranians are trying to get the United States to stop the bombing campaign. President Trump told me that Iran called him tonight. Top Iranian officials and President Trump spoke directly according to the commander in chief tonight as the President was sitting in the Situation Room. And he told me that the Iranians were asked them to stop bombing. And the President said to me the

[Political Commentator]

bombing will stop shortly, of course, embarrassingly, humiliatingly, shamefully for the United States, Iranian leadership, IRGC and their political leadership as well. They deny Trump's claim about speaking to Iranian leaders and telling them that the bombing will end tonight. Iran says there's no this pure falsehoods. We're not doing any, we're not having any conversations. We don't know what he's talking about. Trump goes back to state regime media speaks to this. Fox host Trey Yinxed is like Trump's new fave to talk to. And then Trey from Fox is like I asked him, so what happens if Iran's don't, what happens if the Iranian leaders you're talking to, what if they don't sign the deal? Trump goes, I'll blow the, I'll blow the shit out of him tomorrow. Very presidential. Donald, I'm being sarcastic. Let's play this clip.

[Fox News Reporter]

I asked him what will happen if the Iranians do not sign an agreement that was put forward by American negotiators. President Trump said, quote, we'll bomb the s out of them tomorrow night. And so the president is leaving the military option on the table.

[Political Commentator]

Then Donald Trump says, let me tell you what we did. 49 Tomahawk missiles. We went planes over Tehran. We bombed them hard. This is what he says. And then it turns out that like this is not really what happened here. Play this clip.

[Fox News Reporter]

The President tells fox news that 49 Tomahawk missiles were used to hit targets inside of Iran, some of them as close as 40 miles from the Iranian capital of Tehran. The President said that US Fighter jets are also operating over the skies of Iran, taking out radar systems and air defense systems in the southwestern part of the country close to the Persian Gulf. This is all taking place as the Iranians are trying to get the United States to stop the bombing campaign. President Trump told me that Iran called him tonight. Top Iranian officials and President Trump spoke directly according to the commander in Chief tonight, as the President was sitting in the Situation Room and he told me that the Iranians asked them to stop bombing. And the President said to me the

[Political Commentator]

bombing will stop shortly as am key mapping explains. Trump's claim in an interview with Fox is unfounded and probably false. The only aircraft seen over Tehran was an Iranian military helicopter. There were no U.S. aircraft nearby. The deepest U.S. fighter jets flew over Kesham island in the Strait of Hormuz. Additionally, these strikes only hit some Iranian navy air defense radar and missile sites. Just like kind of like the day before. They were precisely zero targets and airstrikes deep inside Iran. Iranian media denies there's any conversations but centcom, which has been turned into this Trumpian propaganda weirdness. Centcom released a statement falsely claiming the Strait of Hormuz is now open. I kid you not, this is from centcom. And I don't know if you know, like me, you may have thought once upon a time, well, at least centcom is credible. That guy, Brad Cooper, Admiral Cooper, oh, he has disgraced centcom. I've spoken to a lot of top military people also and they are embarrassed by Cooper. Cooper shamed himself and they despise this guy like he's a clown to them. And the, the top military, retired military people who I speak to, they tell me Cooper is the biggest clown right now. And they said he. No, they're shocked that he's doing this. This is what Sencom posts claim. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard claims that the Strait of Hormuz is closed. Closed truth. Commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out of the Strait of her moose tonight. Why lie about that? What a dumb thing to lie about. What are you talking about? Centcom. But that's what they said. And going back to Trump calling state regime media, Fox, I asked him if the ceasefire is over. Trump said there never was a ceasefire really to begin with. Okay, we know that, but at least you're admitting it now. Let's play this clip.

[Fox News Reporter]

I asked the President if the ceasefire is over. He told me this was the most violated ceasefire in the history of the world. He also spoke about the broader situation. And Vice President J.D. vance also spoke momentarily. The phone at one point was on speaker. And the Vice President talked about how this negotiating team has dealt with the Iranians, understanding that they have to deal with both moderates and more extreme voices inside of Iran ultimately to get a deal done. And as the President has told me previously and tonight reiterated, the Iranians understand force. And that is the President's thinking, launching these new Strikes tonight much heavier than what we saw last night. Again, sending a message to the Iranian regime that they're either going to sign on the dotted line or this bombing campaign is going to continue. The president told Fox News, we've hit them hard tonight. And again, he went on to say that he spoke directly with top Iranian officials in Tehran who asked him to stop the bombing. The president is optimistic that a deal can be reached here, but again, he is reserving the military option. And again tonight, the latest numbers that we have, according to President Trump, who spoke exclusively with Fox News from the situation room, 49 Tomahawk missiles, fighter jets over the skies of Iran, and the US Military hammering the Iranian regime, sending a message to those in Tehran that they have two options here. Either the war returns and they get hammered on the battlefield, or ultimately they sign this deal that was presented by

[Political Commentator]

American negotiators before these strikes took place. You had Hegseth over at centcom saying, we're going to be busy tonight. They tried to tap us along in the negotiation. Now we're going to tap them. Oh, we're going to tap them. Okay. Okay, Hegseth, let's play it.

[Fox News Host Pete Hegseth]

But of course, he is busy because CENTCOM Central Command will be busy tonight because President Trump said we will be hitting Iran hard, and we will be, because Iran has a chance to make a good deal, a great deal, to codify what they said they've been willing to do, and they haven't been willing to do it. So as President Trump said, they've been tap, tap, tapping. You can see when someone's trying to tap, tap, tap on a deal. Instead, they're going to have tap, tap, tap bombs dropping on key facilities in Iran from the United States of America.

[Political Commentator]

Then he said, we don't have to restart the War Department. We set the terms. We set the terms. This is like the corniest straight. Remember DVDs. Straight to DVD, movie scripts. Let's play it.

[Fox News Host Pete Hegseth]

And that's not because we want to restart anything we don't have to restart. It's because we are. The War Department is prepared to set the terms to ensure that we get the kind of deal President Trump expects. And Admiral Cooper and the team here at CENTCOM has done a phenomenal job from the beginning.

[Political Commentator]

Yeah. And then Hegseth is like, this was when he was in. He was in Cuba earlier in the day, and he was like, trump has your back when you go and you need to get done what needs to get done. He's basically talking about war crimes. We've got your back if you do what we tell you to do. Let's play.

[Fox News Host Pete Hegseth]

So on behalf of the War Department and President Trump, he always wants me to tell you that he's got your back. He's got your back in the circumstances that you need to undertake. That's all I ever wanted when I was a lieutenant here or a first lieutenant in Iraq. You're gonna ask me to do tough things or difficult things? Do I have to make a tough decision at moments notice? Just have my back. It's not. Everything's going to go right every single time. You for the right reasons and on behalf of the country, we are going to untie your hands and unleash you to get it done so that you come home and the bad guy doesn't. That's the point.

[Political Commentator]

So that's what went down tonight. That's what went down tonight. It's a humiliation ritual for this country. I think Iran realizes just to, just to put the United States through like this car wash humiliation ritual. We just go through it every day. They just kind of sit back while we're out there, just like being led by these lunatics in the White House. These, like, liars just. It just straight up freaking weird and weak and pathetic. I don't, I don't know how else to describe it, man. Just do a deal. Don't do a deal. Just shut up. You know, it's like a. It's like a brat, like a bratty child who's not getting their way and so like slaps you. Dude. Just grow up. Grow up. You're the commander in chief. Grow up. Make a deal. Get the hell out of there. Do something. Do something. I want you to get out. You should never have been there in the first place. Poor criminal hit. Subscribe. Let's get to 7 million. Thanks for watching.

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