Podcast Summary
Podcast: The MeidasTouch Podcast
Episode Title: Trump has Panic Attack as his Event is Total Failure
Date: December 8, 2025
Hosts: Ben Meiselas, Brett Meiselas, Jordy Meiselas
Main Theme
This episode dives into Donald Trump’s recent, bizarre attempt to host a makeshift Kennedy Center Awards event, painting it as a public relations disaster symptomatic of his declining mental state, detachment from national crises, and manipulative media tactics. The Meiselas brothers also dissect the broader state of the country and Trump administration failures—ranging from economic and geopolitical crises to corrupt media maneuvers—while urging their audience to support independent journalism.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Trump’s “Fake” Kennedy Center Awards Event [02:01 – 06:26]
- Trump hosted what the hosts dub a “bizarre” and “utter failure” of a Kennedy Center Awards-like event—firing the original board, replacing it with MAGA loyalists, and awarding friends like Sylvester Stallone and members of Kiss.
- Ben: “This thing was frickin’ weird. And the timing of it while the American people are suffering is something that is a sight to behold or that we don’t want to behold, but we must expose what’s going on.” [02:49]
- The event was used as a distraction from real issues, including:
- Record US layoffs exceeding Great Recession levels
- Surging prices, healthcare losses, and housing unaffordability
- Escalating wars worldwide—in Congo, Thailand–Cambodia, Ukraine, Gaza
2. Critique of Trump’s Leadership and Disconnection [06:26 – 07:18]
- The brothers lampoon Trump’s claims about his own memory and gold-plated decor, playing several video clips highlighting his apparent confusion and narcissism.
- Trump: “I have a good memory, so I can remember things, which is very fortunate. But just, I want to just be myself. So you have to be yourself. Johnny Carson, he was himself.” [05:24]
- Ben, mocking: “You have a good memory. You have the… What are you talking about? You have the worst memory imaginable.” [05:43]
- Trump’s tangent about real gold vs. gold paint is mocked as out-of-touch amid crisis.
- Trump: “You can never imitate real gold. They’ve tried to do it for years. Paint, gold paint. Mr. Paint never worked, Mr. President. You got to go for the real 24 karat gold.” [07:04]
3. The Tariff Dividend “Scam” [07:18 – 10:27]
- The hosts address the absurdity of Trump’s promises to pay down national debt and give “tariff rebate checks” to middle- and lower-income Americans, calling it a Ponzi scheme.
- Ben: “No, you’re a con artist. You’re a scammer. You’re going to increase the debt and not give people the tariff rebate checks.” [09:18]
- Trump: “I also think that…we’re making so much money with tariffs that we’ll also be able to make a nice dividend to middle income people.” [09:18]
- Hosts fact-check the claim, noting the actual deficit and federal spending have worsened under Trump, not improved.
4. Ukraine, Putin, and Trump’s “Peace Plan” [10:27 – 12:45]
- Trump blames President Zelensky for “not reading” his peace proposal and suggests Russia accepts it, exposing Trump’s alignment with Russian narratives.
- Trump: “I have to say that I’m a little bit disappointed that President Zelensky hasn’t yet read the proposal…His people love it, but he hasn’t read it. Russia’s fine with it.” [12:05]
- The hosts clarify the plan is a Russian-laundered “surrender,” and connect it to broader Trump administration efforts to undermine NATO, boost right-wing/Putin-sympathetic parties, and alienate Ukraine.
5. Media Manipulation & MAGA Media Ambitions [13:02 – 15:20]
- Trump is questioned about the proposed Netflix–Warner Brothers merger. He signals his willingness to meddle in media company deals, to consolidate media “for state regime propaganda.”
- Trump: “That’s going to be for some economists to tell. And also… I’ll be involved in that decision, too. He came up, he was in the Oval Office last week. I have a lot of respect for him.” [14:36]
- Ben: “Trump wants to make sure that he creates MAGA media. So he’s going to get involved in issues over antitrust and merger approvals to steer things to create state regime propaganda.” [13:34]
- Warning about the threats to independent media, the brothers emphasize the need for audience support.
6. Trump’s Foreign Policy: NATO, Refugees, Racist Policy [15:54 – 19:30]
- Replay of Trump’s 2023 video promising to “reevaluate” NATO as non-essential and blaming domestic political opponents as the real threat to Western civilization.
- Trump (clip): “The greatest threat to Western civilization today is not Russia…it’s probably more than anything else, ourselves and some of the horrible USA-hating people that represent us.” [15:54]
- Hosts share polling data showing Trump is widely disliked among young voters and most Americans reject his racist, “whites-only” refugee stance.
- Ben: “Trump’s policy is just white South Africans…He’s made up that there’s a fake white genocide in South Africa.” [17:15]
- The hosts rigorously fact-check Trump’s claims about international conflicts, highlighting continued wars and failure to deliver peace.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Ben Meiselas: “This thing was frickin’ weird. And the timing of it while the American people are suffering is…a sight to behold or that we don’t want to behold, but we must expose.” [02:49]
- Trump: “You can never imitate real gold. They’ve tried to do it for years. Paint, gold paint…Mr. Paint never worked, Mr. President. You got to go for the real 24 karat gold.” [07:04]
- Ben, on tariffs: “No, you’re a con artist. You’re a scammer. You’re going to increase the debt and not give people the tariff rebate checks.” [09:18]
- Trump, about music: “It’s something that has to be soft and soothing to your ear. I like some songs that other people don’t like. You ever hear the expression, that’s why they have menus in restaurants?” [13:10]
- Ben, on Trump’s white South African refugee policy: “You know how pathetic and small and racist you look, Donald?” [17:30]
Important Timestamps
- 02:01 – Opening salvo: Trump’s failed Kennedy Center event, broader national crises
- 05:24 – Trump’s memory and self-adulation, direct audio clip
- 06:26 – Out-of-touch gold paint tangent
- 09:18 – Tariff rebate debunked
- 12:05 – Trump’s “peace plan” and Russia/Ukraine comments
- 13:10 – “What makes a song great?”—Trump’s meandering musical philosophy
- 14:36 – Trump muses on intervening in corporate media mergers
- 15:54 – Flashback: Trump’s anti-NATO rhetoric from 2023
- 17:15 – Discussion of Trump administration’s racist refugee policies
Tone and Style
The episode is comedic, energetic, and unapologetically partisan in its criticism of Trump and defense of democracy. The brothers blend serious fact-checking and news analysis with snark and irreverent banter, reinforcing their outsider, grassroots media perspective.
Conclusion
The MeidasTouch brothers paint a damning portrait of Donald Trump’s chaotic post-presidency, from dysfunctional media stunts to destructive policy. They fact-check headline-grabbing claims, poke fun at Trump’s out-of-touch statements, and warn of the growing threat posed by MAGA media consolidation and race-baiting policies—culminating in a rallying cry to strengthen independent journalism and preserve democracy.
(Advertisments and non-content sections omitted per guidelines.)