Trump Has Disaster Presser Which Quickly Goes Sideways

Summary

Detailed Summary of "Trump Has Disaster Presser Which Quickly Goes Sideways" Episode

Podcast: The MeidasTouch Podcast
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas
Release Date: June 11, 2025
Episode Title: Trump Has Disaster Presser Which Quickly Goes Sideways

Overview

In this episode, the Meiselas brothers dissect a recent press conference held by former President Donald Trump, which was intended to address FEMA’s role in disaster management but devolved into a series of contentious and unfounded statements. Through a mix of insightful analysis, humor, and fact-checking, the hosts provide listeners with a comprehensive breakdown of Trump's remarks, highlighting inaccuracies and the broader implications for democracy and political discourse.

Trump’s Press Conference Highlights

Initial Remarks on Military Parades and Protests ([01:49] - [02:11])

Trump opened the press conference by expressing frustrations about potential protests during an upcoming military parade. He stated:

"Celebrating big on Saturday, we're going to have a lot of. And if there's any protester wants to come out, they will be met with very big force." ([01:49])

Analysis: The hosts criticized Trump’s aggressive stance towards peaceful protestors, emphasizing the importance of upholding democratic rights to free speech and assembly.

False Claims About Communication with Governor Gavin Newsom ([02:11] - [02:42])

Trump falsely asserted that he had communicated with California Governor Gavin Newsom regarding the handling of protests:

"A day ago. Called him up to tell him got to do a better job. He's doing a bad job. Causing a lot of death and a lot of potential death." ([02:42])

Fact-Check: Governor Newsom refuted this claim, stating there was no such communication. The hosts highlighted this as a blatant misinformation attempt by Trump.

Remarks on Winning the War ([03:45] - [04:01])

In an unexpected pivot, Trump claimed historical victories, confusing listeners with contradictory statements:

"Only country that didn't celebrate the victory, and we're the one that won the war. Okay? It wasn't for us, that war, you would be speaking German right now... you might be speaking Japanese, too." ([03:45])

Analysis: The hosts pointed out the lack of clarity and relevance in Trump's comments, suggesting a digression from the main topic.

Critique of FEMA and Advocacy for State-Level Management ([04:58] - [06:11])

Trump shifted focus to FEMA, criticizing its effectiveness and advocating for state-level disaster management:

"We want to wean off FEMA and we want to bring it down to the state level... If they can't handle it, they shouldn't be governor." ([04:58])

Expert Insights: Dan Koh, a former Biden administration official, countered Trump’s claims by outlining FEMA’s crucial role and the impracticality of eliminating federal support. He emphasized:

"States need FEMA specifically for emergency relief. Eliminating FEMA would be a debacle and cost..." ([05:21])

Comments on Forest Management ([10:20] - [11:18])

Trump introduced misleading information about international forest management practices:

"I've been meeting with heads of other countries, they are forest countries... California is a disaster." ([10:20])

Fact-Check: Editor-in-Chief Ron Filipkowski debunked Trump’s claims, revealing that Trump previously referenced Finland before altering his statements to mention Austria, undermining his credibility.

Remarks on Insurrection and National Guard Deployment ([11:51] - [12:18])

Trump labeled parts of Los Angeles as areas of insurrection and discussed the indefinite presence of the National Guard:

"There were certain areas of that, of Los Angeles, as you could have called it an insurrection." ([11:51])

"Until there's no danger. It's easy. ... North Carolina would be burning right now." ([12:04])

Analysis: The hosts criticized the hyperbolic language and unfounded assertions, stressing the potential harm such rhetoric can have on national unity and trust in government institutions.

Interaction with Kristi Noem and Criticism of Claudia Sheinbaum ([13:18] - [14:07])

Trump attempted to coordinate with Arkansas Governor Kristi Noem, leading to a public exchange that further complicated the press conference:

"They really are. They're agitators." ([13:18])

Kristi Noem responded by condemning Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum for encouraging violent protests:

"She should not be encouraging violent protests... the violence that we're seeing is not acceptable." ([14:07])

Analysis: The hosts highlighted the unnecessary politicization of foreign relations and the deflection tactics employed by Trump and Noem to avoid addressing the root causes of the unrest.

Remarks on ICE Raids and Criticism of the Biden Administration ([14:45] - [15:11])

Trump concluded by discussing ICE raids and attributing current issues to the Biden administration:

"We're moving murderers out of our country that were put here by Biden... These are criminals and people are criminals." ([14:45])

Analysis: The hosts critiqued Trump's oversimplification of complex immigration issues and his tendency to blame the previous administration without acknowledging ongoing systemic challenges.

MeidasTouch Network’s Analysis and Commentary

Throughout the episode, the Meiselas brothers employed a blend of humor and rigorous fact-checking to dissect Trump’s statements. They emphasized the dangers of misinformation, especially from high-profile figures, and underscored the importance of holding leaders accountable for false claims. Expert opinions, such as those from Dan Koh, provided listeners with authoritative counterpoints to Trump’s narrative, reinforcing the podcast’s commitment to supporting democracy and informed discourse.

Insights and Conclusions

The episode concluded with the hosts reiterating the significance of responsible leadership and the need for citizens to critically evaluate the information presented by political figures. They stressed that while humor and banter are integral to their approach, the underlying mission remains steadfast: to defend democratic values and promote truth in the face of misleading rhetoric.

Notable Quotes

• Donald Trump: "We want to wean off FEMA and we want to bring it down to the state level... If they can't handle it, they shouldn't be governor." ([04:58])

• Dan Koh: "States need FEMA specifically for emergency relief. Eliminating FEMA would be a debacle and cost..." ([05:21])

• Donald Trump: "Only country that didn't celebrate the victory, and we're the one that won the war." ([03:45])

• Kristi Noem: "She should not be encouraging violent protests that are going on if people are allowed to peacefully protest." ([14:07])

Conclusion

This episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast effectively breaks down a tumultuous press conference, providing listeners with clear, evidence-based insights into the misleading and harmful rhetoric employed by Donald Trump. By blending brotherly camaraderie with in-depth analysis, the Meiselas brothers continue to offer a valuable resource for those seeking to understand and support democratic principles amidst a landscape of political turmoil.

Transcript

[Sponsor]

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[Commentator]

Just wrapped up a disastrous press conference in the Oval Office. I think it was supposed to be about fema, but Donald Trump ended up whining and saying that if anybody starts to protest at my big military parade this weekend, I'm going to put so much force against you. What a baby. Here, watch this.

[Donald Trump]

Celebrating big on Saturday, we're going to have a lot of. And if there's any protester wants to come out, they will be met with very big force. By the way, for those people that want to protest, they're going to be met with very big force. And I haven't even heard about a protest. But you know, this is people that hate our country, but they will be met with very heavy force. Thank you very much.

[Commentator]

Then Donald Trump lies and claims that he spoke to California Governor Gavin Newsom a day ago, which is just 100% false. And then Donald Trump said, you need to stop the death. There's not been a single person who has died as a result of the protests against ICE's raids against hardworking migrants here. But play this clip. When is the last time you spoke with Governor Usom?

[Donald Trump]

A day ago. Called him up to tell him got to do A better job. He's doing a bad job. Causing a lot of death and a lot of. A lot of potential death. If we didn't send out the National Guard and last night we gave a little additional help, you would have. Los Angeles would be burning right now. Los Angeles would be not a lot different than what you saw take place in California and Los Angeles just a little while ago.

[Commentator]

And as Governor Newsom then wrote, there was no call, not even a voicemail. Americans should be alarmed that a president is deploying the Marines onto our streets and doesn't even know who he's talking to. Hat tip to California Governor Gavin Newsom for the rapid response. Then Donald Trump starts yelling at a reporter and saying that we won the war. We won the war. And if it wasn't for us, you'd be speaking German or you'd be speaking German and Japanese. Combine. What? Here, play this clip.

[Donald Trump]

Only country that didn't celebrate the victory, and we're the one that won the war. Okay? It wasn't for us, that war, you would be speaking German right now. Okay, we won the war. And you might be speaking Japanese, too. I mean, you might be speaking a combination of both.

[Commentator]

Then you have Kristi Noem there. Because this was supposed to be about FEMA urging Californians not to elect California Governor Gavin Newsom again. Watch this.

[Kristi Noem]

And Governor Newsom has done a disservice to the status of California for many years. The people there should never elect him into a leadership position ever again.

[Donald Trump]

The governor's a nice guy, but he's grossly incompetent when it comes to his railroad.

[Commentator]

I think they're scared of California Governor Gavin Newsom. Then you have Donald Trump again. This was supposed to be. I think this press conference was supposed to be about Kristi Noem, the dog killer, cosplay Homeland Security secretary, like, assuring people that there would be resources for FEMA available in hurricane season. But Donald Trump says, we want to wean off fema. We shouldn't be dealing with it. It's the governors we want off of fema. Watch what Donald Trump says. Let's play it.

[Donald Trump]

Thank you very much, everybody. So we want to wean off of female and we want to bring it down to the state level a little bit, like education. We're moving it back to the states so the governors can handle. That's why they're governors now. If they can't handle it, they shouldn't be governor. But these governors can handle it and work in conjunction with other governors. They'll give each Other a hand.

[Commentator]

As my friend Dan Koh, who was in the Biden administration and worked on disaster relief, says the federal government gave $76 billion to Louisiana for Katrina relief efforts, not to mention physical resources and personnel. The entire state budget for Louisiana that year was $18 billion. There's a role for states, but there's a role for the federal government. State's need the federal government. States need FEMA specifically for emergency relief. Dan Co also says as someone who worked on disaster response in the last administration, I can say unequivocally that eliminating fema, FEMA would be a debacle and cost. Then Donald Trump says the FEMA thing has not been a very successful experiment. Let's play it.

[Donald Trump]

But the FEMA thing has not been a very successful experiment. Very, very expensive and it doesn't get the job done. You saw what happened in North Carolina under the past administration and when we got in, we did a great job for North Carolina, brought it back. But it was a disaster, FEMA and it has not worked out well. It's extremely expensive. And again, when you have a tornado or a hurricane or you have a problem of any kind in a state, that's what you have governors for. They're supposed to fix those problems. And it's much more local and they'll develop a system and I think it'll be a great system.

[Commentator]

And then Kristi Noem has to then assure people and says, but we're prepared for what's coming. Even though we're weaning off of fema, we're prepared for what's coming. Here, play this clip.

[Donald Trump]

Great job. Thanks, Christine. Yeah.

[Kristi Noem]

Mr. President, we are in hurricane season right now. It will last for the next several months. And we are prepared for what is coming. We are anticipating that we will have higher than usual activity during this hurricane season. We could have three to five major storms up to a dozen other hurricane level thresholds that we will meet throughout this season. And FEMA stands prepared and has been working with all of our regions.

[Commentator]

And of course, they're not prepared for what's coming. You've been seeing the reports that I've been doing where we show, I show you the denial letters. FEMA has been denying supplemental assistance to Georgia and North Carolina and Arkansas or assistance in general to Arkansas. Where's, where has FEMA Been in St. Louis with devastating tornadoes, Mississippi, Kentucky, Indiana. I can go on and on. Donald Trump doesn't even acknowledge when these deadly storms have hit American states thus far and have killed dozens and dozens and dozens of people. Trump doesn't even acknowledge that it even takes place. He ignores the whole situation.

[Podcast Host]

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[Commentator]

So then Donald Trump goes and tells this weird lie story that he does. It's just a total lie where he says that he goes to Austria and these other nations and they say that they're forest nations and that they have better forest management and that Donald Trump had to teach California about forest management. Here, watch this.

[Donald Trump]

Also, when it comes to forest fires, so for years, I've been meeting with heads of other countries, and they are forest countries. They call themselves Forest Austria and others. And they say, we're a forest nation, we live in a forest, and they don't have forest fires. And in one case he said, you know, our trees are much more flammable than California. But we don't have forest fires because we clean the floor. We sweep the floor of leaves, of dead debris, of trees that fall, because after 18 months, a tree is like real. It's like tinder wood. And it goes up, it virtually explodes. Well, we don't take the trees out. California is a disaster. What they've done in California, they don't do anything. And if you did, you wouldn't. You almost would not have forest fires. And you could say you, in theory, you shouldn't have any forest fires. And we spend billions and billions of dollars a year because people don't clean the forests. And we're going to clean the forest. We're going to start cleaning up.

[Commentator]

And as our editor in chief, Ron Philipkowski correctly writes this story, for years was always that he spoke to the president of Finland about it. Then the people in Finland started mocking Donald Trump. So in 2023, he switched it to someone in Austria. He also said in 2019 that nobody in the US ever heard of forest management until he taught them about it. Donald Trump then says that there were areas of Los Angeles last night that you could call an insurrection. Play this clip.

[Donald Trump]

Not playing around.

[Sponsor]

Will you determine whether or not there is an insurrection?

[Donald Trump]

Well, you take a look at what's happening. I mean, I could tell you there were certain areas of that, of Los Angeles, as you could have called it an insurrection.

[Commentator]

Donald Trump then says that there's no timeline for how long the National Guard will remain in California. Whenever he wants, he may keep them there forever.

[Sponsor]

Play this clip in California indefinitely. How long will they be there until you think?

[Donald Trump]

Until there's no danger. It's easy. Look, it's common sense. You ask me that question when there's no danger, they'll leave. You would have had a horrible situation had I not sent them in. Horrible. You'd be reporting on a lot of death and a lot of destruction that's not going to take place. I think if you look every night, it got less and less. They were met with very strong force. The bad people, the bad sick people that do what they do. But these are paid people, in many cases, not in all cases, but in many cases, and they really are their agitators.

[Sponsor]

I was wondering if you had any.

[Commentator]

Then Donald Trump learns that Mexico's very popular president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has been very critical of how Donald Trump has been treating protesters. So then Kristi Noem, who, by the way, went to Mexico to suck up to Claudia Sheinbaum, then has to criticize Claudia Sheinbaum. I condemn her. I condemn her. Here, watch this.

[Donald Trump]

They really are. They're agitators.

[Sponsor]

I was wondering if you had any response to Mexican President Sheinbaum who condemned the violence there. Have you been in touch with her at all?

[Donald Trump]

Said what?

[Sponsor]

I was wondering if you had any response to what Mexican President Claudine Chaibom said.

[Donald Trump]

What did she say?

[Sponsor]

She condemned the violence in L, A.

[Donald Trump]

Oh, I do too, yeah.

[Sponsor]

Have you been in touch with her at all?

[Donald Trump]

Well, you think? I don't condemn it. I condemn the violence in L, A, ladies and gentlemen, but I also stopped the violence in L, A, and by doing what I did, I stopped the violence in L, A. That would have been. I think maybe I'd ask Christy to speak to that. That would have been an unbelievable tragedy. We would be talking, I don't know that would even be here right now. It would have been so bad. I'd probably, maybe be out there. I don't know. But, Christy, could you speak to that?

[Kristi Noem]

Absolutely. So in 2020, I was a governor of a neighboring state to Tim Walls and watched him let his city burn. And the president and I have talked about this in the past, and he was not going to let that happen to another city and to another community where a bad governor made a bad decision. So Claudia Sheinbaum came out and encouraged more protests in la and I condemn her for that. She should not be encouraging violent protests that are going on if people are allowed to peacefully protest. But the violence that we're seeing is not acceptable and it's not going to happen in America.

[Commentator]

Then Donald Trump says that residents of other American cities can expect ICE raids like the ones in Los Angeles Here, Play this clip.

[Podcast Host]

Reaction to these large scale ICE operations in Los Angeles. Should people expect to see similar operations in the rest of the country and will similar protests?

[Donald Trump]

And as you know, we're moving murderers out of our country that were put here by Biden or the auto pen. The auto pen really did the people, whether it's Lisa Monaco or whoever operated the auto pen. These are criminals and people are criminals that allowed these criminals into our country. And I don't think.

[Commentator]

I also want to give a quick hat tip to the company called Snapstream that's the technology behind the way we get those clips. Acin Acyn, who works for us, helps get those clips. I also use some of the clips from Aaron Rupert so hat tip to Aaron. He's great as well. And the folks at Snap Stream A totally disastrous press conference by Donald Trump. Let me know what you think hit subscribe let's get to 5 million subscribers. And if you want to speak to the folks at Snap Stream, there's a link in the description below. Let's get to 5 million subscribers.

[Podcast Host]

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].