Trump Goes Silent in AM as Disaster Grows

Summary

The MeidasTouch Podcast Summary Episode: "Trump Goes Silent in AM as Disaster Grows"
Release Date: March 26, 2025

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1. Introduction

In this episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast, hosts Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas delve into a series of unfolding political and national security issues, focusing primarily on former President Donald Trump's unexpected silence amidst growing controversies. The discussion is enriched with the brothers' signature banter, sharp analysis, and unwavering support for democratic principles.

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2. Trump's Sudden Silence and Leaked War Plans

Timestamp [00:29]

Ben Miceli initiates the conversation by highlighting Donald Trump's uncharacteristic silence on his social media platforms amid a critical leak. Typically active on Twitter and via emails to his supporters, Trump's absence is notable.

• Key Point: The Atlantic recently exposed a leak involving war plans shared on a private Signal Group thread. These messages included highly classified operational details, such as sequencing of military operations and types of aircraft to be deployed.

• Ben's Analysis: He criticizes the Trump administration's initial denial of the leak, labeling it as reckless and negligent. Ben emphasizes the severity of the situation by citing specific details from the leaked messages, illustrating the potential risks to American service members and national security.

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3. The Atlantic's Reporting and Trump's Denials

• The Atlantic's Exposé: Ben discusses how The Atlantic reported on the leaked Signal messages, which included timestamps and specific operational commands like:

  Team Update time now 1144...
  F18 launch first strike package 1345...
  MQ9 strike drones launch...
  

• Trump Administration's Response: Initially, high-ranking officials, including Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe, asserted that no classified war plans were shared. However, the leak provided concrete evidence to the contrary, forcing a retraction and downplaying of the initial reports.

• Notable Quote: Ben criticizes the administration's handling by stating, "The Atlantic drop that it also just shows how just reckless and negligent the Trump regime is even at the COVID up itself."

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4. Tulsi Gabbard's Testimony Under Scrutiny

Timestamp [04:46]

The episode shifts focus to Tulsi Gabbard's testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, where her statements are examined critically.

• Initial Claim: Gabbard initially stated there were no classified war or attack plans shared in the Signal chats.

• Contradiction: New evidence from The Atlantic contradicts her previous statements, revealing detailed operational plans.

• Congressional Exchange:

  • Courtroom Pressing: A congressmember questions Gabbard about her contradictory statements, highlighting her lack of recall about specific details from the chats.

  • Notable Quote:

    • Tim (Congressmember): "So it's your testimony that less than two weeks ago you were on a signal chat that had all of this information about F18s and MQ9 reapers and targets on strike and you in that two week period simply forgot that that was there."
    • Gabbard: "My testimony is I did not recall the exact details of what was included there."

• Further Challenge: Gabbard is pressed on her location during the time the messages were exchanged, revealing possible inconsistencies in her account.

• Notable Quote:

  • Gabbard: "I was traveling through the Asia Pacific region. I don't recall which country I was in at that time."

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5. Media and Economic Reactions Post-Election

Timestamp [09:39]

Ben transitions to broader national concerns, citing shifting media narratives and economic indicators.

• Wall Street Journal's Changing Tone: Initially lauding Trump's post-election "boom," recent headlines reflect corporate distress over erratic policy changes and recession fears.

  • Contrasting Headlines:
    • November 6, 2024: "Wall Street Salivates over a new Trump Boom."
    • February 2025: "The mood of the American consumer is souring."

• Economic Indicators:

  • Consumer confidence has plummeted to near all-time lows not seen since 2013, signaling potential recessionary trends.
  • Ben's Commentary: He warns of a possible "great recession or a massive depression" based on the sharp decline in consumer sentiment.

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6. MAGA Republicans' Responses and Parodies

Timestamp [13:54]

The conversation shifts to MAGA Republicans' reactions to the economic downturn and political controversies.

• Dan Crenshaw's Remarks: A MAGA Republican Congressmember, formerly a Navy SEAL, is criticized for his handling of Trump’s influence, resorting to humorously exaggerated statements about combating terrorists with emojis.

  • Notable Quote:
    • Crenshaw: "I will note I always use fire emojis when I see terrorists getting killed. And I want to talk about cartel."

• Ben's Take: He portrays these comments as indicative of the diminishing credibility and seriousness within Trump's supporter base.

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7. U.S. Debt Ceiling Concerns and International Relations

Timestamp [15:28]

Ben addresses looming fiscal challenges and international tensions.

• Debt Ceiling Risk: The U.S. faces a potential default as early as August without an increase in the debt ceiling.

• China's Stance: Expressing concerns over U.S. tariffs, China is contemplating reciprocal measures, heightening trade tensions.

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8. Legal Actions Against the Trump Administration

Timestamp [07:03]

A significant lawsuit has been filed by American Oversight against the Trump administration for violating the Public Records Act and Presidential Records Act through the unauthorized Signal Group communications.

• Assigned Judge: Judge Boasberg, known for his impartial rulings, is handling the case. Ben mentions Trump's continuous attacks on Judge Boasberg, alleging judicial bias.

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9. Pete Hegseth’s Denials and Contradictions

Timestamp [15:53]

Pete Hegseth, the Defense Secretary, is scrutinized for his statements denying the existence of texting war plans.

• Hegseth's Claim: "Nobody's texting war plans."

• Contradiction: The leaked messages provide explicit timelines and details contradicting Hegseth's assertions, raising questions about the administration's transparency and accuracy.

• Notable Quote:

  • Hegseth: "I know exactly what I'm doing, exactly what we're directing, and I'm really proud of what we accomplished. Success."

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10. Trump's Aggressive Moves Toward Greenland

Timestamp [15:53]

Ben discusses Trump's controversial stance on Greenland, exacerbating international tensions.

• Trump’s Intentions: Trump aims to annex Greenland, provoking Denmark and eliciting global criticism.

• Greenland's Response: Over 95% of Greenlanders oppose these moves, vehemently demanding U.S. withdrawal and expressing strong disapproval of American interference.

  • Notable Quote: Ben emphasizes the global backlash: "Greenland's part of the territory is a territory in Denmark. Denmark's best Greenlanders are pissed. Greenland hates this. And 95, 96% of Greenlanders do not want this."

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11. Conclusion and Insights

Ben wraps up the episode by reiterating the gravity of the unfolding situations—from leaked war plans and contradictory testimonies to economic instability and international conflicts. He underscores the importance of vigilant support for democracy amidst these challenges.

• Call to Action: Encouraging listeners to subscribe and engage further with The MeidasTouch Network for continuous updates and in-depth analyses.

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Notable Quotes Throughout the Episode

• Ben Miceli [00:29]: "This is when the first bombs will definitely drop pending earlier trigger based targets."

• Tulsi Gabbard [04:46]: "My answer yesterday was based on my recollection or the lack thereof, on the details that were posted there."

• Congressmember [07:03]: "These are important jobs. This is our national security bobbing and weaving and trying to, you know, filibuster your answer. So please answer the question."

• Pete Hegseth [15:28]: "Nobody's texting war plans. And that's all I have to say about."

• Ben Miceli [15:53]: "He is a bankrupter, he is a destroyer, he is a fraud, he is a criminal, he is a felon."

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Overall, this episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast provides a comprehensive examination of the turbulent political landscape surrounding Donald Trump’s administration, highlighting significant leaks, contradictory testimonies, economic concerns, and international disputes. The Meiselas brothers adeptly blend factual reporting with insightful commentary, ensuring listeners are well-informed about critical national and global issues.

Transcript

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[Ben Miceli]

Donald Trump was stunned into silence this morning. Usually we'll see him posting over and over again on his social media platform or sending emails to his supporters. No such post this morning. The last post was about 14 hours ago. This as more information was released by the Atlantic about the leak of war plans on a Signal Group thread where the top Department of Defense officials, top national security officials, top military officials, top Trump officials were sending each other emojis as they put actual war plans in the messages. Highly classified information. Yesterday of course you had Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe, head of the CIA and others say there was no war plans, no attack plans, nothing classified. The Atlantic released more and you can see right here that Pete Hegseth, the Defense Secretary, put the exact sequencing of the entire operation and the types of aircraft that would be used to conduct these strikes all before the operation took place, putting the lives of our fighter pilots and other assets at risk. Details like this, as Sabrina Singh say, are highly classified. Just take a look at what Hegseth posted. Team Update time now 1144. Weather is favorable. Just confirmed with CENTCOM. We are a go for mission launch 1215 Eastern Time F18 launch first strike package 1345 trigger base F18 first strike window starts. Target terrorist is at his known location so should be on time. Also strike drones launch MQ9 more F18s launch at 14:10, 14:15 will do strike Joe strike drones on target. This is when the first bombs will definitely drop pending earlier trigger based targets. At 15:36 the F18 second strike starts. Also first sea based Tomahawks are launched. So now that this has been released because that piece was not released yesterday. So the Trump regime went out and they were like denying, denying, denying or saying nothing was classified even though what was already released was classified. And then the Atlantic drop that it also just shows how just reckless and negligent the Trump regime is even at the COVID up itself. So now what the Department of Defense is going with is that look the Atlantic is backpedaling because the title of the Atlantic article from this morning about those new messages I just shared with you are Here are the attack plans that Trump adviser shared on Signal. The administration has downplayed the importance of of the text messages inadvertently sent to the Atlantic's editor in chief. So the Department of Defense is going, aha. The, the, their, the Atlantic is now saying that these are attack plans and not war plans. So clearly they're not war plans. Look, the Atlantic is taking it all back as our editor in chief Ron Philip Koski goes this is really the lame ass defense that the Trump regime is going with, that they were attack plans and not war plans. And then all these MAGA influencers are doing that as well. They're highlighting the part of the Atlantic headline that says attack plans. Like Sean Parnell goes, it's no surprise the hoax peddlers at the Atlantic have already abandoned their war plans. Claim these additional signal chat messages confirm there were no classified materials or war plan shared. The Secretary was merely updating the group on the planet that says classified of information as you can get. So then Tulsi Gabbard moments ago as again Trump was in silence Tulsi Gabber testifying before the House Intelligence Committee and now she's backpedaling and kind of throwing Hegseth under the bus because yesterday she said there was no classified information, no attack plans, it was just basic communication, which it wasn't what we saw yesterday. So here's what she's going with now watch as she throws others under the bus.

[Tulsi Gabbard]

Play this clip yes, Ranking member. My answer yesterday was based on my recollection or the lack thereof, on the details that were posted there. I was not. And the what was shared today reflects the fact that I was not directly involved with that part of the Signal chat and replied at the end reflecting the effects, the very brief effects that the National Security Advisor had shared.

[Tim]

So it's your testimony that less than two weeks ago you were on a signal chat that had all of this information about F18s and MQ9 reapers and targets on strike and you in that two week period simply forgot that that was there. That's your testimony.

[Tulsi Gabbard]

My testimony is I did not recall the exact details of what was included there.

[Tim]

That was not your testimony. Your testimony was that you were not aware of anything related to weapons packages targets.

[Tulsi Gabbard]

And Tim, as the testimony yesterday continued on, there were further questions related to that where I acknowledged that there was conversation about weapons. And I don't remember the exact wording that I used, but I did not recall the specific details that were included.

[Ben Miceli]

Director Gavin, again, I just want to show you what she said yesterday so you can now compare after. Also, you've seen for yourself. I've read for you the text messages that give an operational plan of when targets are going to be hit and which military assets are going to be used. Here's what she said yesterday to the Senate. So the first one I showed you was today in the House of Representatives. Now I'm showing you yesterday in the Senate. Play this clip.

[Congressmember]

Contact the Defense Secretary or others after this specific military planning was put out and say, hey, we should be doing this in a scifold.

[Tulsi Gabbard]

There was no classified material that was shared in that.

[Congressmember]

So then if there was no classified material, share it with the committee. You can't have it both ways. These are important jobs. This is our national security bobbing and weaving and trying to, you know, filibuster your answer. So please answer the question.

[Ben Miceli]

So then, Tulsi Gabbard claims that while she was traveling, she was on this text message thread, even though she refuses to acknowledge. Also I think that she was. She says she now realizes she was on the text message thread at the end. I don't even know what she's saying, but she was in a foreign country when this was taking place, and now she refuses to say which foreign country. She says she doesn't remember the country she was in when these messages were sent. Watch her play this clip.

[Congressmember]

The time Mr. Witkoff was actually in Russia during this chat discussion, was he not?

[Tulsi Gabbard]

I was not aware of that.

[Congressmember]

Was he on his personal phone at the time?

[Tulsi Gabbard]

I don't know.

[Congressmember]

Well, it's my understanding that he was indeed in Russia. Director Gabbard, you were also traveling during this discussion, correct?

[Tulsi Gabbard]

Yes.

[Congressmember]

And where were you?

[Tulsi Gabbard]

I was traveling through the Asia Pacific region. I don't recall which country I was in at that time.

[Congressmember]

You don't remember the country?

[Tulsi Gabbard]

I'd have to go back and look at the schedule.

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[Ben Miceli]

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[Ben Miceli]

So then Congressmember Himes, the Democratic ranking member of the Committee. We've had him on the Midas Touch network before. I'm going to have him on the Midas Touch network this week and ask him questions about this as well for everybody. So I want to get his take on it. But he asks Tulsi Gabbard, why are you retweeting Russian propaganda? Your personal accounts are retweeting rt, which is literally the Russian propaganda network, and you repost it over and over again. Do you think that it's responsible for you, as the Director of National Intelligence for the United States of America, to be reposting Russian propaganda? And then Tulsi Gabbard is like, I have a First Amendment right. What I do on my personal account, I'm going to do. It's my First Amendment right to post Russian propaganda for real. This is what she says.

[New Father]

Let's play it.

[Tim]

You on March 15, as DNI retweeted a post from Ian Miles Chong, who is listed on rt, that's Russia Today's website, as, quote, a political and cultural commentator who has contributed content to RT since at least 2022. Director Gabbard, do you think that it's responsible for you, as head of the intelligence community and the principal's presidential intelligence advisor, to retweet posts from individuals affiliated with Russian state media?

[Tulsi Gabbard]

That retweet came from my personal account. And I would have to go back to look at the substance of the tweet.

[Tim]

Can I just a lack. Just so that we don't have a lack of confusion amongst our allies and enemies and us. Can I act perhaps, perhaps that you not think that you should be saying one thing on your personal account than you say officially.

[Tulsi Gabbard]

I maintain my First Amendment rights to be able to express my own personal views on different issues.

[Tim]

Thank you. I yield back.

[Ben Miceli]

While that was going on today, take a look at some other headlines throughout the nation. From the Wall Street Journal. Corporate America's euphoria over Trump's golden age is giving way to distress. Headline from the Wall Street Journal. CEOs and investors are fretting over what they see as whipsaw policy changes and complacency about the risks of recession. Now this follows the Wall street journal post on November 6, 2024 after the election when the Wall Street Journal's headline was Wall Street Salivates over a new Trump Boom. Wednesday's epic post election rally augurs bing lucrative opportunities. Investors and analysts say Come on, you're the Wall Street Journal. Trump bankrupted almost everything he's touched in his life. He's bankrupted more companies than everyone. Like you have to know the guy's an idiot and he's going to continue to bankrupt things. He is a bankrupter, he is a destroyer, he is a fraud, he is a criminal, he is a felon. Just wake the hell up. This is not complicated analysis. The guy's a sexual predator, felon, disgusting, vile, bankrupt or like it's easy. And juries have found. Juries have found that. And then in February, the headline was the mood of the American consumer is souring. And now how bad is it? The economic vibes are about as bad as you get right now. As bad as you get. Consumer confidence is falling to almost all time lows at this point. I mean, we haven't seen confidence this low since about what, 2013? Ish. And the month over month declines are clear signs that not just a recession, but potentially a great recession or a massive depression is coming just based on the consumer confidence drop. What are the MAGA Republicans saying about all of this? Well, you have MAGA Republican Congressmember Dan Crenshaw, by the way. He was a Navy Seal, but now he has to bend the knee to Trump and MAGA ism and behave like a freaking buffoon. And he's like, I just want to say when I kill the terrorists, I always use fire, fire emojis and fist bump emojis. When I, when I kill, when I kill terrorists, that's what I do.

[New Father]

Here, play this clip in here Good.

[Ben Miceli]

To see many of you again and thank you for, thank you for enduring two long days. I will note I always use fire emojis when I see terrorists getting killed. And I want to talk about cartel. I mean, these are parodies of parodies of parodies at this point. Another headline this morning from Reuters. US Government can face default risk as soon as August without debt ceiling increase. Congressional Budget Office estimates China is expressing solemn concerns on US Tariffs and they're now considering reciprocal tariffs. Additional news. Remember the lawsuit that was filed against all of the individuals in that Signal Group chat for violating the Public Records act and the Presidential Records Acts and all of the things that say you can't communicate that way? The group American Oversight filed that lawsuit against the Trump administration. You know what judge it was assigned to randomly? Judge Boasberg. Yep. The same Judge Boasberg, Federal Judge, Washington, D.C. who Donald Trump has been consistently attacking over and over again and saying that, oh, that judge, you know, issued an injunction against the Trump regime kidnapping people and sending him to concentration camps in El Salvador. That judge now got this new case assigned to him regarding the Records act violations. I do want to share with you this, though, because now that I've showed you all of this, here's what Pete Hegsett said yesterday while he was in Hawaii, that nobody was texting war plans. Play this clip.

[Pete Hegseth]

As I also stated yesterday, nobody's texting war plans. And that's all I have to say about.

[Ben Miceli]

So those same troops that, those same troops that you are proud of, do you regret putting information like the ones you did in the Signal Chat that.

[Congressmember]

Could endanger those same American service members?

[Pete Hegseth]

Nobody's texting more plans. Kazu, you're. I know exactly what I'm doing, exactly what we're directing, and I'm really proud of what we accomplished. Success.

[Ben Miceli]

And finally, we're seeing unity like never before amongst Greenlanders to fend off the United States as Trump continues to say he wants to annex Greenland and he keeps attacking Greenland and making aggressive moves towards Greenland. Remember how yesterday I reported how Usha Vance, J.D. vance's wife, and the national Security adviser, Mike Waltz, we're going to Greenland. Well, now J.D. vance wants to go to Greenland as well. He's going to be there as part of an effort to try to conquer it and take it over whatever the hell the Trump regime is doing. This has Europe pissed. Greenland's part of the territory is a territory in Denmark. Denmark's best Greenlanders are pissed. Greenland hates this. And 95, 96% of Greenlanders do not want this. And they say no means no. Get the hell out of here, you freaking abusers. We don't want America here. Get out. That's what's going on today. We'll keep you posted with more here on the Midas Touch Network. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 5 million subscribers. Can't get enough Midas? Check out the Midas substack for ad free articles, reports, podcasts, daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski and more. Sign up for free [e-mail].