Trump Holds Awful Presser on Friday

Summary

The MeidasTouch Podcast Summary
Episode: Trump Holds Awful Presser on Friday
Release Date: March 8, 2025

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Overview

In this episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast, hosts Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas dive deep into former President Donald Trump's recent press conference held in the Oval Office. The discussion centers around Trump's controversial statements on Ukraine, Russia, the U.S. economy, labor market, environmental policies, and his interactions with the media. The brothers blend their unique perspectives, combining humor with critical analysis, to provide listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the press conference's implications on American politics and democracy.

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1. Introduction to Trump's Press Conference

The episode opens with the hosts addressing the fallout from Trump's latest press conference, which they describe as "disastrous." They express astonishment at Trump's assertions regarding the U.S. stance on Russia and Ukraine.

• Ben: "Trump just wrapped up a disastrous press conference in the Oval Office here. He says that the United States is doing very well with Russia and he says they're bombing the hell out of Ukraine... It's horrifying."
  (00:54)

2. Trump’s Remarks on Russia and Ukraine

The brothers dissect Trump's comments on the Ukraine conflict, highlighting his contradictory statements and lack of clarity.

• Trump Clip (01:25): "Is bombing Ukraine. Yeah. Do you still believe him when he tells you that he wants peace?... I think we're doing very well with Russia..."

• Brett: "Now, it's just a bizarre scene in the White House as Donald Trump says that Putin is hitting Ukraine harder... he claims it's how Putin wants peace."

• Jordy: "It's a meat grinder of people, of material, of national treasure and no one else has any solutions except to let this war continue forever. Absolutely despicable."

3. Labor Market and Federal Layoffs

The discussion shifts to Trump's views on federal government layoffs and their impact on the labor market.

• Trump Clip (04:03): "Are you that the large scale federal government layoffs will weaken the labor market?... I think the labor market is going to be fantastic..."

• Ben: "Trump dismisses concerns about federal layoffs weakening the labor market, insisting instead on a shift towards high-paying manufacturing jobs over government positions."

• Brett: "He argues that we had too many people in government for 40 years, leading to inefficiency and bloated departments like the Department of Education."

4. Economic Policies and Tariffs

The brothers critique Trump's economic policies, particularly his stance on tariffs and tax-induced disturbances.

• Trump Clip (04:34): "Address millions of Americans... there could be a little disturbance... as a function of these taxes, these tariffs."

• Jordy: "Trump acknowledges minor disturbances caused by tax and tariff policies but downplays their impact, claiming to have provided a reprieve to the auto industry."

• Ben: "He uses the term 'detox' to describe the economic adjustments, suggesting short-term pain for long-term benefit. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant echoed this sentiment, referring to a necessary detox period."

5. Foreign Aid and Comparisons with Europe

The conversation turns to Trump's misleading statements about U.S. and European aid to Ukraine.

• Trump Clip (08:14): "The United States of America is in for $350 billion for Ukraine and Europe only did $100 billion."

• Brett: "Those numbers are blatantly false. Europe has provided more aid to Ukraine than the U.S., yet Trump claims otherwise to fuel anti-European sentiment."

• Jordy: "He attempts to position the U.S. as the primary supporter, which is factually incorrect and undermines international alliances."

6. Job Gains and Workforce Dynamics

Trump boasts about job gains for native-born Americans, presenting selective data to support his narrative.

• Trump Clip (09:03): "Under the first full month of President Trump... 93% of all job gains were in the private sector... job gains for native born Americans... exceeded job gains for migrant and foreign born workers."

• Ben: "While job gains are a positive metric, Trump's focus on native-born employment excludes broader economic factors and the contributions of the immigrant workforce."

• Brett: "This selective reporting serves to appeal to nationalist sentiments but ignores the complexity of the labor market."

7. Environmental Policies and Forest Management

The episode critiques Trump's environmental policies, particularly his approach to forest management and tariffs on lumber.

• Trump Clip (09:54): "We're freeing up our forest from the environmental nonsense... Canada has been ripping us off with 250% tariffs on lumber and dairy products."

• Jordy: "Trump's policies on forest management are short-sighted, prioritizing tariffs over sustainable environmental practices, which can lead to long-term ecological damage."

• Ben: "Directing the Army Corps of Engineers to flood farmland as a misguided attempt to manage forests only exacerbates environmental issues without addressing the root causes."

8. Media Interactions and Public Perception

The brothers analyze Trump's interactions with the media, highlighting his evasive responses and attempts to manipulate public perception.

• Trump Clip (12:22): "Can you give us a sense of whether or not we are going to get clarity for the business community?... They're ripping off the United States and all we're doing is getting some of it back."

• Brett: "Trump avoids providing concrete answers, instead resorting to vague language and attacking the media to deflect criticism."

• Jordy: "His confrontational stance with journalists like Maria Bartiroma only deepens mistrust and polarizes the public."

9. Market and Economic Stability

The discussion addresses Trump's contradictory statements about the stock market and economic stability.

• Trump Clip (13:28): "Market was up 20% last year."

• Ben: "Trump attempts to tie his success to market performance, yet fails to acknowledge broader economic indicators and external factors influencing the stock market."

• Brett: "His narrative ignores the complexities of the economy, focusing instead on superficial metrics to claim victory."

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Concluding Insights

The MeidasTouch Podcast episode provides a critical examination of Donald Trump's press conference, highlighting inconsistencies, misinformation, and the potential long-term impacts of his policies on American democracy and international relations. The brothers utilize their diverse backgrounds to dissect complex political issues, offering listeners a blend of insightful analysis and engaging commentary.

Notable Quotes:

• Trump on Ukraine: "Do you still believe him when he tells you that he wants peace?... I think we're doing very well with Russia." (01:25)
• Trump on Labor Market: "I think the labor market is going to be fantastic... we had too many people in government." (07:33)
• Trump on Economic Detox: "There’s going to be a detox period." (06:17)
• Trump on Job Gains: "93% of all job gains were in the private sector... native born Americans exceeded job gains for migrant and foreign born workers." (09:03)
• Trump on Forests: "We have to cut down trees in order to build the firewalls." (09:54)

Conclusion

This episode underscores the importance of critically evaluating political statements and understanding the broader implications of leadership decisions. The MeidasTouch Podcast continues to be a vital platform for dissecting political discourse, promoting informed citizenship, and supporting democratic values.

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Transcript

[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Donald Trump]

ABC Sunday, American Idol returns. Give it your all.

[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Donald Trump]

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[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Donald Trump]

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[Ryan Reynolds]

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[Donald Trump]

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[Ryan Reynolds]

Season premieres Sunday, 8, 7 Central on ABC and stream on Hulu. Donald Trump just wrapped up a disastrous press conference in the Oval Office here. He says that the United States is doing very well with Russia and he says they're bombing the hell out of Ukraine and Ukraine doesn't have the cards and that's why the US Is doing well with Russia. It's horrifying. Here, play this clip.

[Donald Trump]

Is bombing Ukraine. Yeah. Do you still believe him when he tells you that he wants peace? You know, I believe him. I believe him. I think we're doing very well with Russia, but right now they're bombing the hell out of Ukraine. And Ukraine, I'm, I'm finding it more difficult, frankly, to deal with Ukraine. And they don't have the cards. They don't have the.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Yeah. Now, it's just a bizarre scene in the White House as Donald Trump says that Putin is hitting Ukraine harder. He keeps on saying that, but he says that's how, you know Putin wants peace. He's doing what he should be doing. He's hitting them harder. He says. Here, play this clip, Peter.

[Donald Trump]

It's a lot of soldiers on both sides. I agree.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Do you, Mr. President, think that Vladimir Putin is taking advantage of the US Pause right now on intelligence and military aid to Ukraine.

[Donald Trump]

I actually think he's doing what anybody else would do. I think he's, I think he wants to get it stopped and settled. And I think he's hitting him harder than he's been hitting him. And I think probably anybody in that position would be doing that right now. He wants to get it ended, and I think Ukraine wants to get it ended But I don't see. It's crazy. They're taking tremendous punishment. I don't quite get it, but I suspect Michael, he probably wants to get it ended. He does. Mr. President, the Russians are taking incredible.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Losses on the front.

[Donald Trump]

As the president is saying, this is.

[Ryan Reynolds]

A meat grinder of people, of material, of national treasure and no one else has any solutions except to let this war continue forever. But I'll add, yeah, absolutely despicable Here. The reporter asked Donald Trump, you said Russia is pounding Ukraine harder, so why not provide Ukraine with any air defenses? Watch Trump's response.

[Donald Trump]

Doing. We're doing a good job. We're doing a good job. President, in regards to the pause on military assistance to Ukraine, you put out on your social media post today that.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Russia is pounding Ukraine.

[Donald Trump]

That's right. Why not provide Ukraine with air defenses? And what happens, Mr. President, when Ukraine runs out of. Well, because. Good question. Because I have to know that they want to settle. I don't know that they want to settle. If they don't want to settle, we're out of there because we want them to settle. And I'm doing it to stop death.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Donald Trump is then asked if he's concerned about the large scale federal government layoffs weakening the labor, labor market. And Donald Trump says large scale fentanyl here. Play this clip.

[Donald Trump]

Are you that the large scale federal government layoffs will weaken the labor market? How concerned are you about large scale fentanyl? What the federal government layoffs will impact the labor market, will weaken the labor market? No, I think the labor market is going to be fantastic, but it's going to have high paying manufacturing jobs as opposed to government jobs.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Donald Trump is asked how much longer Americans should expect things to cost more. And Trump says, look, there are some disturbances. There may be disturbances. That's what they're calling it here. Play this clip.

[Donald Trump]

Address millions of Americans. Watch your joint address earlier this week where you warned that there could be a little disturbance that Americans could feel at as a function of these taxes, these tariffs. How much disturbance are you willing to accept in the near term as a function of that and to set expectations, how long should Americans expect things to.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Cost a bit more?

[Donald Trump]

Well, so far, Peter, there hasn't been very much because these numbers are coming out where we're here for just a little over four weeks and these are fantastic numbers. I was watching some of the reports this morning. They were surprised there could be some disturbance, a little bit of disturbance. I solved a little bit of that because I have respect for our auto company And I gave them a little bit of a one month reprieve because it was, it was unfair, although I'm sure they'll take advantage of it. I see they're driving a lot of cars into the US to try and avoid the tariffs and, you know, taking advantage of it a little bit. But they were, they called me, they asked me, they said could they have.

[Ryan Reynolds]

A little bit of just so you see also earlier in the day, one of the new phrases that we're hearing from the White House and the Trump administration is a detox that we all need to experience a detox, which is kind of short term pain, but it will be for long term good. Here is Trump's Treasury Secretary, Scott Besant using that term detox. Here, play this clip.

[Donald Trump]

Could we be seeing that the, this economy that we inherited starting to roll a bit? Sure. And look, there's going to be a natural adjustment as we move away from public spending to private spending.

[Ryan Reynolds]

The market and the economy have just.

[Donald Trump]

Become hooked and we've become addicted to this government spending. And there's going to be a detox period. There's going to be a detox period.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Just so you see also how FOX is spinning this all before Trump's disastrous Oval Office appearance, here's Maria Bartiroma calling what's about to happen Biden's recession. Let's play it.

[Donald Trump]

That's by the way, that's why I said earlier it would be Biden's recession. And I know the haters out there will slam me later. The other day they went nuts on me on Twitter on X. I said.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Well, here Bartiroma is again talking about that. Let's play it.

[Donald Trump]

You know, I mean, Joel Lindsey group came out with a report a couple of weeks ago that I've mentioned a few times. Can Doge induce a recession? No, it can't. Okay. You're not going to get a recession just from Doge. Now, there are other things that have happened in this economy with this slowdown, we could see a recession, but it's not going to happen just because they're cutting waste and abuse out of this government job.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right. Let's go back to the Oval Office for Donald Trump's disastrous press conference. He says actually things are fantastic. Labor, labor markets are fantastic. Everything is great. He says even though the jobs report was far lower than expectations. Let's play it.

[Donald Trump]

President Trump with those remarks. The federal government layoffs will impact the labor market, will weaken the labor market. Oh, no, I think the labor market is going to be fantastic. But it's going to have high paying manufacturing jobs as opposed to government jobs. We had too many people in government. You can't just do that. We had many, many too many. This is for 40 years, you know, this isn't just now. This built up and got worse and worse and they just hire more and more people. You look at Department of Education, it seems like so many buildings I ride by, it says Department of Education. They're all over the place. And we don't even want it. We want the education to be given by the states. It'll be much better. It'll be.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Then Donald Trump lies and says that the United States of America is in for 350 billion for Ukraine and Europe only did 100 billion. Those numbers are just false. Europe's given more money than the United States to Ukraine and it's easy to find out how much money the United States gave, which is like 150 billion doll. 50 billion. Still a lot of money. But Trump always uses the false numbers. I mean, you can literally see how much Congress appropriated by just looking at the numbers. Here, play this clip.

[Donald Trump]

So we're in for $350 billion and Europe is in for $100 billion. They should be in for the same or more than us. And you know, I watched over the last week or so what's going on in Europe. This thing could end up in World War three if we don't get it settled then.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Trump touts job gains for native born Americans. Let's play it.

[Donald Trump]

But under the first full month of President Trump, which we haven't even gotten started yet, an incredible 93% of all job gains were in the private sector. So that just, that statistic just came out. Big gains for native born Americans. For the first time in 15 months, the job gains for native born Americans, for American people, people born in America exceeded job gains for migrant and foreign born workers. This is the first time that's happened in more than 15 months. Employment for native born workers went up by 284,000 while foreign born workers went down by 87,000.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Right over here Donald Trump talks about. What we're really doing here is we're freeing up our forests from environmental nonsense. Here, play this clip.

[Donald Trump]

But our numbers are a tiny fraction of that, almost non existent. And what we're doing is freeing up our forest from the environmental nonsense that they put on where you can't cut down a tree and we have to cut down trees in order to build the firewalls. And those trees are solved. But we're going to we're freeing it up on an emergency basis because Canada has been ripping us off for years on tariffs for lumber and for dairy products. 250%. Nobody ever talks about that 250% tariff, which is taking advantage of our farmers. So that's not going to happen anymore.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Actually, Donald Trump is firing the federal workers who actually deal with forest cleanup in states like California and elsewhere. And also, Donald Trump is directing, like the Army Corps of Engineers to dump reservoirs into farmland, which basically is owned by Republicans in California in kind of the central northern areas, not reaching Southern California where the fires are, because Trump wanted to say he turned on a faucet. Can't make this stuff up. And by the way, the federal Army Corps engineer workers knew that they were going to flood the land of people having nothing to do with the fires, nowhere even close to where the fires were. And the fires had stopped at that point. Anyway, here's Brooke Rollins, the secretary of Agriculture. She's the one in the clip that I showed you a few days back who said Americans should start buying chickens because there's no eggs. And that's the way to deal with the surge in egg prices. Every American needs to own a chicken. And here she says, look, folks, we're in a revolution. This is what we should all expect. When you're in a revolution, you'll have to experience this detox and this pain. Play this clip as I'm going to the Hill.

[Donald Trump]

And part of my message has been.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Charlie, when you're in a revolution and you are significantly reducing the size of government, nothing will be perfect.

[Donald Trump]

It will be imperfect, there will be mistakes made.

[Ryan Reynolds]

But this sort of shaking up the.

[Donald Trump]

Whole system and almost restarting it in a way, there's not going to be.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Another opportunity, I believe, perhaps in our lifetimes to do exactly what we're doing now. Hell are they talking about? And here's Donald Trump speaking with Maria Bartiroma in a fuller interview that will air later, where she's like, can you just give us some clarity for the business community? Can you just maybe speak in a sentence to which Donald Trump does not do that? Here, Play this clip.

[Donald Trump]

Can you give us a sense of whether or not we are going to get clarity for the business community? Well, I think so, but, you know, the tariffs could go up as time goes by and they may go up. And, you know, I don't know if it's predictability. I think so that's not clarity. No, I think, I think that they say that, you know, it sounds good to say, but for years, the globalists, the big globalists have been ripping off the United States. They've been taking money away from the United States and all we're doing is getting some of it back.

[Ryan Reynolds]

And then finally you have Trump's treasury secretary, Scott Besant again going on CNBC and saying, look, stock markets going down. Good thing. Good thing people don't like good stock markets is what that's. If you're like, no way they're arguing that. Yeah, I will show you that. That's the argument here, play this clip. If we ever went down 20% on the Nasdaq or 15% on the S and P with people that want Trump to fail, that's going to be splayed across every newspaper in the world. I'm just wondering whether the tolerance for something like that for the administration.

[Donald Trump]

Well, look, as you said, Joe, market was up 20% last year.

[Ryan Reynolds]

20% house money. No, no, no, no.

[Donald Trump]

I'm going to put it another way.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Okay.

[Donald Trump]

They did the Biden administration succeed.

[Ryan Reynolds]

The American people weren't buying it just.

[Donald Trump]

Because the market was up.

[Ryan Reynolds]

They voted out. They voted out the Democrats question related to the regulatory or deregulatory agenda, which I think is, well, there you have it, folks. I want to give a shout out also to our friends at Snap Stream, thanks for everything that you do. So the way we get these clips is through Snap Stream and it's a software that lets us go in and we can clean it goes into the cable network so we can kind of clip it. So Asin does that Aaron Rupert who doesn't work for us, but he's incredible. I know he uses Snapstream as well. Asin uses Snapstream. So shout out to them and if you're all are interested in how you can use Snapstream, I'll put a link below as well and you can click it and reach out to them because they do a great job. Thanks everybody and have a good one. The truth is more important than ever. Check out our new Truth over lies [e-mail] touch.com all 100% USA Union made. Like your favorite startup's growth curve, T Mobile's coverage keeps scaling because T Mobile helps keep you connected from big cities to your hometown on America's largest 5G network switch. Now keep your phone and T Mobile will pay it off up to $800 per line via prepaid card. Visit your local T Mobile location or learn more@t mobile.com KeepAndSwitch up to four lines via virtual prepaid card will have 15 days qualified unlock device, credit service port in 90 plus days. Device and eligible carrier and timely redemption required card is no cash access and expires in six.