Podcast Summary: "Trump has Meltdown as Invasion Quickly Blows Up in His Face"

The MeidasTouch Podcast
Hosts: Ben, Brett & Jordy Meiselas
Date: September 28, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, the Meiselas brothers scrutinize former President Donald Trump’s recent inflammatory actions and messaging regarding domestic crises, particularly his declaration that Portland, Oregon has become a "war zone" and his call for military intervention. The brothers blend sharp political critique with their characteristic humor and banter, zeroing in on Trump’s meltdowns, failed attempts to control narratives, cascading policy blunders (such as the Argentina bailout), and the corrosive effects of his ongoing disinformation campaigns. Notable moments include real-time debunking of Trump’s Portland claims, a breakdown of his attacks on U.S. institutions, and a look at how his actions continue to harm both America’s standing and everyday Americans.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump's "War Zone" Declaration in Portland

[03:11–05:22]

• Trump publicly calls Portland a "war zone," ordering military intervention.

• The Pentagon is reportedly confused by Trump’s statements; "full force" is not recognized Pentagon terminology.

• Actual footage from Portland shows peaceful, quiet streets—contradicting Trump’s claims.

  Quote – Ben Meiselas [03:11]:
  "That's the Portland, Oregon farmers market that Donald Trump is declaring a war zone. He says that area is a raging war that he needs to send the Marines in… The Pentagon is utterly confused… It's a very dangerous thing where someone's supposed to be the commander in chief but they get emotional and write these social media posts that make no sense and are very dangerous."

[05:04] Brian Mastro (clip played):
"Here we are in downtown Portland. There is nothing going on. There's no demonstrations. There's no people fighting. There is no war zone. There is no reason for the military to be down here. It's just Portland."

2. Political Leaders and Eyewitnesses Refute Trump

[05:22–06:23]

• Clips from Oregon locals and Senator Ron Wyden highlight the lack of unrest or violence.

• Senator Wyden advocates that if Trump wants to "help," he should fund healthcare, bridges, affordable housing, and wildfire protection, not deploy troops.

  Quote – Senator Ron Wyden (paraphrased via Ben) [05:22]:
  "Portland doesn't want or need a federal takeover. If Trump insists on sending federal resources, he can start with funding healthcare, bridges, affordable housing, and wildfire protection…"

3. Trump’s Disinformation Firehose

[06:23–10:30]

• Trump recycles conspiracies: falsely claims the FBI infiltrated Jan 6 crowds as instigators.

• The brothers break down how such stories are fabricated, with Fox News and allies “clarifying” after the fact rather than debunking.

• Trump continues labeling all inconvenient realities as “hoaxes.”

• Deep critique of how right-wing media and Trump loyalists twist facts for political advantage.

  Quote – Ben Meiselas [07:30]:
  "Doesn't it seem odd that the guy who spent his whole life bankrupting things and lying about literally everything, is the person who says that everything's a hoax when in fact it's accurate? It's because he is a con artist and a criminal and a sexual abuser and a bad person..."

  Quote – Ben, on Cash Patel [09:15]:
  "Cash Patel is forced to issue a statement that the fake story being pushed by Trump and right wing media and influencers that these agents were embedded in the crowd is a lie. Except he calls it a clarification. Watch how devious these vile pieces of trash are in the Trump regime with the most vile piece of trash sitting in the Oval Office."

4. Trump’s Keystone Cops Governance & Argentina Bailout

[10:30–16:16]

• Analysis of Trump’s “revenge” indictments and incompetent legal team, with anecdotes of courtroom blunders.

• The brothers describe real-time White House communications as “Keystone Cop behavior”—noting officials learning about major global developments through social media.

• Focus on the US bailout of Argentina: $20B taxpayer dollars gone, only for Argentina to undercut US soybean farmers by selling cheap to China.

• Broader context: These policies directly hurt everyday Americans, especially farmers.

  Quote – Ben Meiselas [13:20]:
  "Why do you need a tweet or an X post to explain what's going on? You're the Agriculture Secretary... And our farmers in general of corn, cotton, whatever, our farmers are suffering here and are all about to go bankrupt. We're bailing out Argentina. Who? Donald Trump and his regime said that Javier Malay was this brilliant guy and he was going to make Argentina so rich. Well, he's about to bring Argentina into bankruptcy. American taxpayers now pay $20 billion to bail out Argentina... and then Argentina returned the favor by screwing us by selling their soybeans and undercutting the United States soybean market, screwing our farmers."

5. Trump’s Ongoing Erratic Behavior

[16:16–18:30]

• Trump publicly embraces anti-intellectualism: "Smart people don't like me."

• The brothers ridicule Trump’s post of a cartoon firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell—describing it as grossly unpresidential.

• Highlight that Trump's continuous lies, bizarre stunts, and attacks on democratic institutions erode trust and American prestige.

  Quote – Donald Trump [16:16]:
  "Smart people don't like me and they don't like what we talk about."

  Quote – Ben Meiselas [16:21]:
  "Yeah, smart people don't like Donald Trump because his behavior is outrageous. And it is not logical. It's not helpful. And he just lies about everything... If somebody in my fifth grade group project behaved like this, I would be humiliated to be with that person in my group... So why do we tolerate this with the President of the United States really doing cartoons that you're firing the main central banker independent body."

6. Corruption, Cronyism, and Global Fallout

[18:30–20:17]

• Jared Kushner’s private equity fund (with Saudi and UAE money) poised for a massive buyout of Electronic Arts, drawing a line from Trump family’s post-office profiteering to global crony capitalism.

• Other nations, like Canada, directly respond to Trump-era policies by recruiting tech workers alienated by US immigration changes.

  Key Point [19:45]:
  Canada is actively trying to lure tech workers due to Trump’s restrictive and pay-to-play upgrades to the H1B visa program.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [03:11] Ben Meiselas: "That's the Portland, Oregon farmers market that Donald Trump is declaring a war zone. He says that that area is a raging war that he needs to send the Marines in..."
• [05:04] Brian Mastro: "Here we are in downtown Portland. There is nothing going on. There's no demonstrations. There's no people fighting. There is no war zone. There is no reason for the military to be down here. It's just Portland."
• [13:20] Ben Meiselas: "We're bailing out Argentina. Who? Donald Trump and his regime said that Javier Malay was this brilliant guy and he was going to make Argentina so rich. Well, he's about to bring Argentina into bankruptcy..."
• [16:16] Donald Trump: "Smart people don't like me and they don't like what we talk about."
• [16:21] Ben Meiselas: "Yeah, smart people don't like Donald Trump because his behavior is outrageous... If somebody in my fifth grade group project behaved like this, I would be humiliated to be with that person in my group."

Key Timestamps

• [03:11] – Ben begins detailed debunking of Trump’s Portland “war zone” claim.
• [05:04] – Real footage from Portland shows peace, not chaos.
• [06:12] – Senator Wyden’s direct refutation of Trump’s claims.
• [06:23–10:30] – Breakdown of Trump’s new and recycled conspiracy theories.
• [10:30–13:20] – Keystone Cops style governance & the Argentina bailout screw-up.
• [16:16] – Trump says “Smart people don’t like me”; commentary follows.
• [18:30–19:45] – Discussion of Trump family post-office profiteering and the rise of global alternatives to US policy.

Conclusion

This episode exemplifies the MeidasTouch approach: passionate, informed, and unfiltered. The brothers skillfully debunk Trump’s crisis theatrics, highlight ongoing governmental and ethical failures, and place current events within a broader context of American democracy and global competition. Both informative and entertaining, it’s a thorough dissection of current events through the lens of democratic accountability.