The MeidasTouch Podcast – Episode Summary
Episode Title: Trump Is Humiliated in South Korea and Can’t Even Realize It
Date: October 29, 2025
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas
Overview
In this episode, the Meiselas brothers unpack Donald Trump’s recent, highly controversial visit to South Korea, focusing on his disastrous speech to a top executive audience and the resulting backlash from both South Korean officials and the public. The hosts break down Trump’s missteps, including his odd impressions, factually dubious economic claims, and insensitive remarks regarding U.S.-South Korea relations. The episode is laced with the brothers’ trademark banter but remains sharply critical and deeply engaged with issues of truth, democracy, and global reputation.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Trump Faces Hostility in South Korea
- [03:02] The hosts set the stage by emphasizing the negative atmosphere Trump walked into in South Korea, detailing massive protests against him prompted by the mistreatment of South Korean workers at a Hyundai factory in Georgia.
- Ben: “Arrived to a very furious South Korea. Furious at Donald Trump and his regime for kidnapping South Koreans at a battery factory… the President of South Korea had made a number of powerful statements about the damage Donald Trump had done to that nation and to its people.”
2. The Awkward, Offensive Speech
- [03:56 – 04:28] Trump’s speech to South Korean business leaders is described as “one of the worst speeches” ever seen by the hosts, especially due to a “bizarre” imitation of India’s Prime Minister Modi.
- Ben: “The audience was very quiet. It was an audience of CEOs looking at Donald Trump with disgust, like he's a grotesque creature, if you will.”
- Trump (clip, [04:12]): “Prime Minister Modi is the nicest looking guy. He says, oh, and he looks like you’d like to have your father. Like, he’s a killer. He’s tough as hell. No, we will fight. I said, whoa, this is the same man that I know.”
3. Trump’s Economic Claims and the “Pump and Dump”
- [05:12 – 06:53] The hosts break down Trump’s strategy of using “good news” announcements to artificially inflate the stock market, comparing it to a pump-and-dump Ponzi scheme. They call out Trump for making up numbers, citing his changing claims about investment and tariffs.
- Trump (clip, [05:52]): “When we announce good news, the stock markets are going to go up and that's the way it should be.”
- Ben: “He’s not adding additional money at all. This is all a lie... And then I will take credit for the GDP…”
4. Tariffs, Inflation, and Economic Consequences
- [08:06] Trump insists tariffs will solve inflation and balance the budget, claims the hosts say are economically nonsensical and misleading.
- Trump (clip, [08:06]): “Tariffs now projected to reduce our deficit by $4 trillion over the next 10 years. That's national security, because you can't have deficits… and stops inflation…”
5. Bizarre and Factually Incorrect Boasts
- [08:47 – 10:13] The hosts lampoon Trump’s confusing remarks about policy achievements, including his claim of “signing the law” and the obviously dubious statistics around food stamps, job growth, and energy prices.
- Trump (clip, [08:47]): “In July, I proudly sounded law. It was very important. I went into the archives.”
- Trump (clip, [09:43]): “In nine months, we've lifted over 600,000 Americans off food stamps… energy prices are down, gasoline prices are down, grocery prices are down…”
6. Tangents and Geographic Blunders
- [10:29 – 11:31] Trump’s rambling about LNG plants “like the Empire State Building lying on its side” confuses the hosts. He references conversations with “Mr. Toyota” and mispronounces names/countries later on.
- Trump (clip, [10:29]): “They're like setting records. Lng big. It's like the Empire State Building lying on its side… All it's got is pipes going back and forth. I never saw anything like it.”
- Trump (clip, [11:11]): “Yesterday I was with Mr. Toyota in Japan… they are going to spend $10 billion and they're going to build new car plants…”
7. Interest Rates and Dangerous Economic Proposals
- [12:00] Trump advocates for the U.S. to have “the lowest interest rates in the world,” which the hosts warn would likely spark inflation similar to Argentina.
- Trump (clip): “We should have the lowest interest rates of any country, because without us, there are no other countries, really…”
- Ben: “It’s obvious where this is headed. With the tariffs and then doing what he’s going to do with the interest rates.”
8. Admission of Losing the Election
- [13:06] Trump slips, appearing to admit he lost the prior election, before walking back the language mid-thought—a rare on-record slip.
- Trump (clip): “We were campaigning and then we had the election and we had a great election. And the spirit in our country is like incredible if you compare that. We lost a lot of spirit in our country…”
9. Distrust in Economic Data and Accusations of Faking Numbers
- [14:05] Trump accuses the government of faking jobs numbers; the hosts comment that when Trump claims he’s not doing something, he usually is.
- Trump (clip): “I can fake up the numbers if I want, but that’s not the way… You build a great country. You don’t do that here. But it’s a good way to show good numbers.”
- Ben: “Anytime he says he’s not doing it, it means he’s doing it.”
10. Geographic and Diplomatic Ignorance
- [15:59] The hosts ridicule Trump’s inability to correctly pronounce “Azerbaijan” or “Armenia” and his confusion regarding global conflicts.
- Trump (clip): “Iser Bajan. If you look at, if you look at it, just take a look at that one. That was going on for, I think, 38 years…”
11. South Korean President Responds: Worker Abuse and US-Korea Tension
- [16:46] The episode closes with a key segment of the South Korean President’s statement about the traumatic and unjust treatment South Korean workers received in the US—a direct rebuke of Trump’s policies and administration.
- South Korean President (clip, [16:46]): “This has also caused severe trauma for the workers as well… Unless we completely resolve this issue, I believe that they will not want to return.”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Ben ([03:56]): “This was one of the worst speeches I’ve ever seen.”
- Trump ([04:12]): “He’s tough as hell. No, we will fight. I said, whoa, this is the same man that I know.”
- Trump ([05:52]): “When we announce good news, the stock markets are going to go up and that’s the way it should be.”
- Trump ([10:29]): “Lng big. It’s like the Empire State Building lying on its side. And all I know is I looked at it, I said, what kind of a building is that? All it’s got is pipes going back and forth. I never saw anything like it.”
- Trump ([13:06]): “And we had the election and we had a great election. And the spirit in our country is like incredible if you compare that. We lost a lot of spirit in our country…”
Important Timestamps
| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:02 | Introduction of the South Korean public and official backlash | | 04:12 | Trump’s Modi impersonation and crowd’s silent response | | 05:52 | Admission of using “good news” to pump the stock market | | 06:53 | Exaggerating investment claims - “22 trillion by next year” | | 08:06 | Tariff policy and balancing the budget claims | | 08:47 | Confusing claims about “sounding law” | | 09:43 | Dubious statistics on food stamps and economic conditions | | 10:29 | Rambling about LNG and odd infrastructure analogies | | 11:11 | Alleged meeting with “Mr. Toyota” and foreign car plant investments | | 12:00 | Calls for the “lowest interest rates in the world,” inflation worries | | 13:06 | Trump’s accidental admission of losing the election | | 14:05 | Faking government data and labor statistics | | 15:59 | Mispronunciation of “Azerbaijan” and global diplomatic confusion | | 16:46 | South Korean president’s statement on worker mistreatment |
Episode Tone & Style
- Sharp, biting, and comedic in approach, the brothers combine ridicule of Trump’s gaffes with sober analyses of the dangers posed by his rhetoric and policies.
- The hosts maintain a strong pro-democracy, fact-checking stance, interspersing critical news analysis with their signature brotherly banter.
This summary encapsulates the episode’s exploration of Trump’s South Korea visit, his factually questionable and out-of-touch remarks, and the diplomatic/ethical fallout—woven together with the Meiselas brothers’ incisive wit and political analysis.