Trump in Terror as Protests Erupt Today

Summary

The MeidasTouch Podcast: "Trump in Terror as Protests Erupt Today" (April 5, 2025)

In the April 5, 2025 episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast, hosts Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas delve into the escalating protests against former President Donald Trump and entrepreneur Elon Musk. The episode, titled "Trump in Terror as Protests Erupt Today," provides an in-depth analysis of the nationwide demonstrations, their motivations, and the broader implications for American democracy.

---

1. Rising Nationwide Protests

Ben Meiselas opens the discussion by highlighting the surge in protests across the United States, specifically targeting policies and actions attributed to Donald Trump and Elon Musk. He underscores the growing frustration among Americans with statements like Trump’s boastful social media posts and Musk’s controversial business decisions that many perceive as detrimental to the economy and social welfare programs.

• Notable Quote:
  "The protest spirit has been growing week by week and today I'm sure you've all heard of it, it's the hands off protest. It will be in Washington D.C. but it will be in all 50 states as well."
  (01:38)

Ben references a specific protest outside Tesla in Boston, illustrating the tangible impact of these demonstrations. He emphasizes that the protests are not isolated incidents but part of a larger, coordinated movement to defend social security, Medicaid, and other federal programs.

---

2. Interview with Rana Epting: Organizing the Hands Off Protests

The podcast features an insightful interview with Rana Epting, Executive Director of MoveOn, a prominent progressive advocacy group. Rana provides a comprehensive overview of the "Hands Off" protests, explaining their objectives and logistical details.

Key Points Discussed:

• Scale and Coordination:
  Rana reveals that over 1,300 events are scheduled nationwide, encompassing protests, rallies, and various forms of activism.
  "We've got over 1300 activations, protests, rallies, all different types of ways of folks coming out to make sure their voices are heard."
  (04:09)

• Goals of the Protests:
  The primary aim is to resist policies perceived as harmful to social safety nets and to assert the populace's demand for the preservation of essential services and rights.
  "Demand that Trump and Musk and the Republicans keep their hands off of the things that we hold so dear in this country, like Social Security, Medicaid and education, jobs..."
  (04:09)

• Tools for Participation:
  Rana directs listeners to resources such as handsoff2025.com and MoveOn.org for locating local events and getting involved in organizing efforts.
  "In some cities, like, you can go to handsoff2025.com and you can find an event near you."
  (08:56)

---

3. Historical Context and Authoritarianism Concerns

Ben draws parallels between the current protests and historical movements against authoritarian regimes. He references international examples, such as mass protests in Hungary, Belgrade, and Georgia, where populations have taken to the streets to oppose Putin-backed governments.

• Notable Quote:
  "Authoritarian regimes want to quash all opposition. Trump and Musk were talking about a shock and awe plan where they wanted to capture the media, where they wanted to capture all levels of government."
  (06:11)

Ben expresses concern over Trump’s alleged strategies to consolidate power, likening them to tactics used by authoritarian leaders to suppress dissent and control media narratives. He posits that the robust American resistance signifies a broader "summer of democracy," anticipating that protests will only grow in size and intensity.

---

4. The Resilience and Determination of Protesters

Rana Epting emphasizes the unwavering commitment of protesters, highlighting their determination to protect democratic institutions and societal welfare. She notes that as long as Trump, Musk, and their allies persist in policies that undermine public trust and well-being, the resistance will only intensify.

• Notable Quote:
  "We are not afraid. We are stronger in numbers. We're not going anywhere. This is our country too, and we're not giving up on it."
  (07:49)

Rana asserts that the movement's strength lies in its grassroots nature, with diverse groups and individuals coming together to effect change. She urges listeners to take action, whether by attending protests or organizing events, to sustain the momentum of the movement.

---

5. Call to Action and Community Engagement

Ben concludes the episode by lauding the grassroots efforts and encouraging listeners to participate actively. He highlights the importance of independent media coverage in amplifying the protesters' voices, especially when traditional corporate media may overlook these movements.

• Notable Quote:
  "This is a people power network that you all helped build and we're going to make sure we cover it here."
  (09:43)

Ben encourages the audience to subscribe, follow on social media, and stay informed through the podcast’s distribution channels to support the ongoing protests and democratic engagement.

---

Conclusion

The episode effectively captures the fervent spirit of the "Hands Off" protests, illustrating a unified effort to defend democratic values and social programs against perceived authoritarian threats. Through the insightful contributions of Rana Epting and the dynamic discussions led by Ben, Brett, and Jordy, listeners gain a comprehensive understanding of the motivations, strategies, and aspirations driving the current wave of American activism.

For those seeking to engage further, the podcast provides actionable resources and emphasizes the power of collective action in shaping the nation's future.

---

Note: For real-time updates and more information on participating in protests, visit handsoff2025.com and moveon.org.

Transcript

[Ad Sponsor]

This episode is brought to you by Lifelock. It's tax season and we're all a bit tired of numbers, but here's one you need to $16.5 billion. That's how much the IRS flagged for possible identity fraud last year. Now here's a good number. 100 million. That's how many data points Lifelock monitors every second. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it, guaranteed. Save up to 40% your first [e-mail] podcast terms apply.

Want to sharpen your aim, save money on ammo and train like the pros, all from the comfort of your home. Meet Mantis X, the cutting edge dry fire training system used by the Marine Corps, army and Special forces to build precision and confidence. 94% of shooters report improved accuracy in just 20 minutes and you could be next. With Mantis X, you train with your own firearm anytime, anywhere without wasting a single round in less than two weeks. The system pays for itself in ammo savings alone. As a proud gun owner, I believe in the Second Amendment. But rights come with responsibility. That means refining your accuracy, mastering your skills, and staying prepared every time you train. Whether you're a new shooter or an experienced marksman, Mantis X helps you train smarter, shoot better, and defend what matters most. Get yours [e-mail] that's mantisx.com.

[Ben]

So we've seen protests like that outside of Maga Republican led town halls. We've seen the protests growing across the country each week getting bigger. We've seen protests outside of Tesla, for example, as Elon Musk, Doge and Trump take a wrecking ball to our economy, to Social Security, to Medicaid, to our federal government. Just take a look at this one. This is the Tesla protest in Boston. I'll show you a quick clip of it. The protest spirit has been growing week by week and today I'm sure you've all heard of it, it's the hands off protest. It will be in Washington D.C. but it will be in all 50 states as well. And so as you wake up and you're watching this, there may be a hands off protest taking place right now near you. I want to give you all the information. We're going to be covering this today. And of course you all know, I mean the news on Friday and Thursday, of course, this is the headline from Drudge, Don Crashing the markets. The dow was down 2,231 points. Donald Trump was then making posts bragging about crashing the market. And Americans have had enough. Americans are saying Hands off. You know, it's interesting for all of our Canadian viewers, you know, the expression is elbows up in Canada. And here as there's this hostile takeover of our federal government, it's hands off. It's hands off of what you're doing to Social Security and Medicaid to federal government. Hands off of women's reproductive rights, hands off of treating workers like crap. And again, we are going to cover it here at the Midas Touch Network, I want to bring in Rana Epting, the move on executive director. Now, Rana, you are, your organization is one of many organizations that are. I'm going to be leading these peaceful protests today. I want to give all of our viewers all the information they need to know about this. So can you tell us about today's protests and where they're happening, what this is about and what they need to know?

[Rana Epting]

Yeah, happy to. Thanks for having me, Ben. Yeah. Today is a big day. We've got over 1300 activations, protests, rallies, all different types of ways of folks coming out to make sure their voices are heard, to do exactly what you said. Demand that Trump and Musk and the Republicans keep their hands off of the things that we hold so dear in this country, like Social Security, Medicaid and education, jobs, you know, and like, stop and stop ruining our economy. I mean, it's, it's all these things that we're seeing coming out of this Trump Musk administration that are really gutting the fabric of our society, our social safety net, our economy as a whole. They're attacking our, our rights to free speech, our freedoms. And folks have had enough. You saw those protests, those, those reels you just showed earlier. That's exactly the energy. It's intense, it's real, it's authentic, and it's persistent. Like, folks aren't going home. They're continuing to show up. And We've had over 2,000 actions all across the country since Donald Trump stepped back into the White House in January. And today is really about all of us that have been coming out to make our voices heard. We're doing it in one day together in, you know, and we've got 1300 events of all 50 states. In some cities, like, you can go to handsoff2025.com and you can find an event near you. In some places, folks are trying to decide between do I go to event, event 30, 30, 30 minutes away or 10 minutes away or 5 minutes away. So there is a lot happening. People are, have had enough. They are fed up. They're not going to sit at home. And they're going to make sure that they come together in massive numbers to say in one voice, hands off of everything, hands off of our rights, our freedoms, our services, you name it.

[Ben]

I think about these images we've been seeing internationally to Putin backed regimes, whether it's the Viktor Orban regime in Hungary and we've seen in Budapest, you know, started out tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands and then literally millions of people in the street. We've seen that in Belgrade with the Putin backed regime there. We've seen it in Tbilisi in Georgia, country of Georgia. People there getting close to, you know, 200 days of protests against the Putin backed regime there. I think authoritarian regimes want to quash all opposition. Trump and Musk were talking about a shock and awe plan where they wanted to capture the media, where they wanted to capture all levels of government. You think about synchronization, which was what was talked about, you know, with when, when Germany was taken over in the, in the 40s. Trump wanted to take over everything kind of right away. But it seems now the resistance grows each and every day. And it seems he's golfing right now. He's, he's as he crashed the economy, he's doing Saudi backed live golf tournaments. And so it seems that it's growing. I mean, do you expect this hands off to be the start of kind of many more? I said I think we're going to see a summer of democracy with protest in the millions. But to me, this one today really kind of kicks off with all the energy we've seen and we sprint to that democracy summer. What are you seeing?

[Rana Epting]

Look, as long as Trump and Musk and Vance and Republicans and all their friends continue to threaten the lives and livelihood and rights of the American people here in this country, people are just going to get more and more pissed, right? So it's up to them. They can listen to the people that they're supposed to represent and take a step back and slow their roll and really think about how do they want to govern in a way that builds trust with the people of this country, or they can continue to steamroll forward and try to govern through fear. But one thing that's very clear, the people that are showing up, the people that are taking action, the people that are leaning and engaged, we are not afraid. We are stronger in numbers. We're not going anywhere. This is our country too, and we're not giving up on it.

[Ben]

So if someone's watching this right now, this morning and they say, I really want to go, I Want to get out there? I want to do something. What do they do? Where do they look up to find out if there is a hands off protest near them?

[Rana Epting]

Yeah. Well, the good news is there probably is an event near you. Go to handsoff2025.com and you can search for an event near you. If there isn't one, there are plenty of other opportunities. Take action. We'll be organizing and supporting people to organize events during congressional recess over the month of August. And we're also beginning going to be doing other national days of action throughout the next couple months. So please do join with us. You can also go to moveon.org you can sign up. MoveOn is really designed to give people opportunity to take action together in timely moments. And that's kind of why we exist. We want to help support folks, give folks information and the tools they need to make their voices heard by those that are elected to represent them.

[Ben]

You know, it's incredible that this is a grassroots movement. People starting their own chapters, letting other people know where to go. And I think this is only going to get bigger. So we'll be there throughout the day. You know, we'll, you know, have people embedded with you try to get us the content and we'll make we use our distribution hub here to show this country and the world what's really going on. I know a lot of people saying we wish corporate news covered this more. We wish other people focus more on this because this is big and they feel that it's not being covered enough. Well, the good news is is that this is a people power network that you all helped build and we're going to make sure we cover it here. So Ronna Epting, thank you for the work in helping organize this. Thank you to all the other groups out there, the labor unions and all the other nonprofits and all the other grassroots and everybody out there who is on the ground. Y'all are the real heroes today and thank you for everything and thanks for joining us and letting us know what's going down.

[Rana Epting]

Thanks for having me.

[Ben]

Happy to be here everybody. Now hit subscribe. Let's get to 5 million. Keep checking throughout the day on updates about the protests. Love this video. Continue the conversation by following us on Instagram. It's touch and help US blow past 1 million followers.

[Cascade Natural Gas Representative]

Cascade Natural Gas believes a warm home, hot water and natural gas energy should be available to everyone. That's why Cascade established the Oregon Low Income Bill Assistance and Energy Discount programs. These programs provide income qualified applicants a discount on their monthly bill and, if needed, help with past discovery balances. Qualifying for assistance is easy by calling Cascade or any of our partner community action agencies. Get complete bill assistance [e-mail] help.