Episode Overview
Title: Trump Gives Disaster Speech in Torn-Up Rose Garden
Podcast: The MeidasTouch Podcast
Date: October 16, 2025
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas
In this episode, the MeidasTouch brothers dissect Donald Trump's recent, highly unusual and controversial press event held in what he calls "Club Rose Garden"—the White House’s Rose Garden, left in disrepair. Intended as a memorial for Charlie Kirk, the event devolved into a series of bizarre rants, false claims, inappropriate remarks, and personal asides. The hosts provide running commentary, highlighting Trump's detachment from reality and the dangerous rhetoric on display, while injecting their signature blend of sharp analysis and brotherly banter.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Trump’s “Club Rose Garden” Memorial Event for Charlie Kirk
-
Setting the Scene: Trump hosts a supposed memorial for Charlie Kirk in the ruined Rose Garden, referring to it as "Club Rose Garden." Despite the somber purpose, Trump’s focus seems to drift from honoring Kirk to making self-aggrandizing remarks.
-
Dark Humor & Banter: Trump bizarrely brags about not being targeted by a sniper during the event, displaying a lack of empathy and gravitas.
“Law enforcement fired sniper rifles at ICE agents and me, you know, but I was. I made a turn at a good time.”
— Donald Trump [00:53]
2. Misplaced Praise and Bizarre Political Riffs
-
Charlie Kirk's Alleged Qualities: Trump weirdly frames Kirk as a missed asset in the government shutdown fight, repeatedly invoking Kirk as if he was a political operative with special significance to very young people.
“I would just wish Charlie was here to fight us. I think the fight would have been over already. He would have had a march on the Capitol by people whose average age is about twenty-one because there’s nobody that had that relationship with young people. Right, Mike?”
— Donald Trump [01:30] -
Sirens as “Beautiful Sound”: Trump fixates on sirens in the background, claiming they're evidence of his effectiveness on crime, calling them "not politically correct sirens" and admiring the noise as “the real deal.”
“You hear those sirens going off. That’s good. That means they either got the bad guy or they’re going to stop the bad guy… Listen to the beauty of that sound. Seriously. And that’s the real deal. Sirens, they’re not politically correct sirens.”
— Donald Trump [02:20]
3. Rambling Claims about California Fires
-
Secret Water Valves? Trump revives his conspiracy that wildfires in California happened because state officials wouldn’t “let the water come in from the Pacific,” referencing nonexistent valves and blaming environmentalists.
“They already lost 25,000 houses to fire because they wouldn’t let the water come in from the Pacific... They had no water in their sprinklers. They had no water in the fire hydrants. It would have been a different kind of thing if they did what they were supposed to do.”
— Donald Trump [03:22] -
Host Commentary: The brothers mock Trump’s “lack of reality” and relate it to dementia symptoms, praising Governor Newsom for his combative response.
— Podcast Host [04:09]
4. Grandiose but False Economic Claims
-
$18 Trillion Investment Falsehood: Trump boasts of “almost $18 trillion of investments coming in,” a figure the hosts label outright fabrication.
“We are a country with almost now $18 trillion of investment coming in. Nobody’s ever seen anything like that... We have more than 18. It’ll be much more than 20 by the time the year.”
— Donald Trump [05:32]
5. Petty Insults and Cabinet Confusions
-
Ridiculing Media: He mocks George Stephanopoulos as “George Slopadopoulos” when praising VP J.D. Vance for “putting him away.”
“Did a great job on Sunday with George Slopadopoulos. Put him away pretty good.”
— Donald Trump [06:19] -
Comedic Self-Deprecation: Oddly claims he won’t “make it to heaven” but Charlie Kirk will, amidst rambling praise.
“I said, I’m not sure I can make it, but he’s going to make it. He’s there. He’s looking down on us right now.”
— Donald Trump [06:52] -
Confused Cabinet Memberships: Lists House Speaker Mike Johnson as a “member of my cabinet”—an error highlighting his misunderstanding of US government structure.
“Many members of my cabinet are here... Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. Where is Mike?”
— Donald Trump [07:33]
6. Fringe Accusations & Demonizing Rhetoric
-
“Antifa” Sign Conspiracies: Claims professional-looking protest signs are the work of “antifa terrorists” or wealth-backed networks and not grassroots protestors.
“When you see these violent incidents, and then you see people holding this gorgeous sign with beautiful wood, beautiful cardboard wood, everything, everything’s perfect paint job. And they’re all the same… They were made by anarchists and in some cases, wealthy.”
— Donald Trump [09:44] -
Demonizing Democrats: States that the left has “the devil’s ideology,” and accuses Democrats of violence and terror.
“They have the devil’s ideology and they’re failing... They seem to become very violent on the left.”
— Donald Trump [11:26]
7. Offensive and Sexist Moments
-
Misogyny in Public: Responds flirtatiously and dismissively to a woman reporter from Argentina:
“I just like to watch you talk. Good job. Thank you, darling.”
— Donald Trump [13:58] -
Comments on Women's Appearance: Makes bizarre remarks about Caroline Levitt's “machine gun lips.”
— Donald Trump [14:33];
8. Petty Physical Comparisons with Biden
-
Beach Body Boasts: Compares himself and Biden, making weird comments about their physical attributes in front of the Argentine President.
“My legs are not quite as thin as his. My arms are slightly larger. My body is a little bit larger than his. I’m not sure it would be appreciated on the beach... You won’t see me in a bathing suit.”
— Donald Trump [15:08]
9. Host Reactions & Reflections
- Mental Health Concerns: The hosts repeatedly stress that Trump’s speech is unhinged, bizarre, and dangerous, using terms such as “deranged, unwell, sick in the head, dangerous, disgusting, vile.”
— Podcast Host [15:57]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
Trump fixating on law enforcement sirens as “beautiful sounds”:
[02:20] -
Wild claim about California not “turning on” the Pacific:
[03:22] -
Trump claiming $18 trillion investments:
[05:32] -
Mocking George Stephanopoulos as “Slopadopoulos”:
[06:19] -
“I’m not sure I can make it [to heaven], but [Charlie Kirk] will”:
[06:52] -
Protest signs conspiracy and “antifa terror us”:
[09:44] -
“They have the devil's ideology”:
[11:26] -
Blatantly sexist response to female reporter:
[13:58] -
Physical comparison with Biden’s beach body:
[15:08]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Trump relives avoiding a sniper attack — [00:53]
- Invoking Charlie Kirk for youth marches — [01:30]
- Celebrating police sirens as success — [02:20]
- California fires and secret water valve myth — [03:22]
- $18 trillion investment lie — [05:32]
- “Slopadopoulos” jab and J.D. Vance shout-out — [06:19]
- Heaven comments and misplaced Cabinet shout-outs — [06:52], [07:33]
- Antifa sign conspiracy — [09:44]
- Calling Democrats “devil’s ideology” — [11:26]
- Sexist banter with reporter — [13:58]
- Objectifying Caroline Levitt’s lips — [14:33]
- Odd Biden body comparison — [15:08]
- Host summary and take-away — [15:57]
Conclusion
This episode underscores Trump’s continuing slide into erratic and inflammatory rhetoric, as revealed in his rambling Rose Garden memorial speech. The MeidasTouch brothers chronicle a string of fabrications, veiled threats, misogynistic asides, and right-wing talking points—all while providing their signature blend of humor and democratic advocacy. The event and analysis both serve as a warning: the normalization of such discourse presents a real danger to democratic norms.