The MeidasTouch Podcast: "Trump Kicks Out Press as War Utterly Backfires!!"
Date: April 5, 2026
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas
Episode Focus: Trump’s handling of the escalating Iran war, media and public transparency, and the geopolitical fallout.
Episode Overview
In this urgent episode, the Meiselas brothers break down the rapidly worsening war between the U.S.-Israel coalition led by Donald Trump and Iran. With Trump retreating from public view and kicking out the press, the brothers analyze the multifaceted backfire of his war strategy, the regional consequences, the attempted media blackout on war details, the economic ripple effects, MAGA political responses, and what this instability means for the U.S. both at home and abroad.
Key Segments, Insights, and Analysis
1. Trump in Hiding: Press Kicked Out Amid “Utterly Deranged” Social Media Posts
[02:30 - 06:10]
- Trump has not made any public appearances since a disastrous national address on Wednesday.
- He calls a “lid” on the press, refusing questions or access.
- Ben highlights Trump’s contradictory and “deranged” online posts about the war, including threats and bravado about Iranian leaders and infrastructure.
- Quote: "Donald Trump’s mia. He is making social media posts that are utterly deranged... ‘Glory be to God. Donald J. Trump.’ Glory be to God as you threaten to commit more war crimes.” [03:37]
- Trump claims at CPAC to have a 96% approval and continues xenophobic rhetoric (“If you import the third world, you become the third world”).
2. War Escalation and Regional Chaos
[06:11 - 13:00]
- Detailed reports of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian infrastructure, universities, bridges, and power plants.
- Iran responds by targeting U.S.-friendly Arab neighbors, causing massive damage to Kuwaiti and Bahraini energy plants.
- Quote: “Kuwait’s Ministry of Oil building was hit in an Iranian attack. I mean, you can see it on fire… Ministry of Electricity and Water and Renewable Energy… confirmed that two Kuwaiti power and water desalination plants were attacked by Iranian drones, causing significant damage.” [07:45]
- Bahrain’s key oil refinery is hit. Testimony that oil and energy infrastructure across the region is under assault.
- U.S. military deploys almost all available stealth cruise missiles (JASSM-ER) to the CENTCOM region, straining global deterrence, especially towards China.
- Quote: "The next steps in the US military campaign against Iran will commit nearly its entire inventory of stealthy JASSMER cruise missiles, drawing them from stockpiles devoted to all other regions." [12:00]
3. Media Blackout: Satellite Imagery Suppression
[13:01 - 14:45]
- Trump regime asks major commercial satellite providers (Planet Labs) to withhold imagery from the Iran war zone, extending the blackout to Gaza and Lebanon.
- Intended to obscure the true cost and damage—especially to U.S. bases/infrastructure.
- Quote: "The Trump regime is going to great lengths to hide the damage of this war to US Bases, facilities and the wider region… They've been very good in their imagery… now [Trump] is basically banning them from publishing."
- Discussion of censorship as a tactic to limit accountability.
4. Economic and Political Ripples: Oil Shocks, Sanctions, and MAGA Absurdity
[14:46 - 16:30]
- Oil prices threaten to skyrocket ($175-200/barrel) as Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz and signals willingness to extend the regional conflict.
- Iran allows allies economic passage, using cryptocurrency and the yuan, deliberately cutting out the U.S. dollar to destabilize global finance.
- MAGA Republican senators are shown as unserious and disengaged, posting trivial personal updates amid crisis.
- Quote: "Rick Scott… goes, 'Hey TMZ, I'm at Disney with my grandkids. Should we be in DC? Yes, but I don’t make that decision.' These are such a bunch of like weird human beings. What are you talking about, dude?" [15:40]
- Invocation of “force majeure” by major companies underscores how supply chain shocks will persist even if hostilities end.
5. Iranian and Global Responses: Warnings of Scorched Earth
[16:31 - 17:45]
- Iranian officials (Foreign Ministry, parliament leader Golliboff) issue increasingly apocalyptic threats, vowing retaliation if U.S.-Israel escalate to total infrastructure destruction.
- Preparation for possible massive strikes across the Gulf (Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE).
- Quote: "If we believe that the Trump regime and Israel are going to escalate… we’re going to hit Saudi Arabia, we're going to hit Qatar, we're going to hit Kuwait, we're going to hit the UAE even harder."
- Iranian rhetoric: framing their stance as one of resilience, denouncing U.S. actions as terrorism and promising to rebuild and persist.
- Notable Rhetoric: “The nation of love plants a sapling of green that will spread its branches and leaves to tomorrow… This war crime, in the style of ISIS terrorism, makes an undeniable truth more evident.”
6. Trump’s Self-Serving Priorities: Budget Madness
[17:46 - 18:48]
- While the region burns, Trump’s official budget proposes $1.5 trillion for defense—and billions for White House renovations (ballroom, underground bunker), slashing health, small business, and low-income housing funding.
- Quote: "Trump is asking Congress for $377 million for executive residence renovations in 2027’s budget. That’s an 866% jump from the prior year... Sicko. Bunch of sickos over here."
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- "Donald Trump’s mia. He is making social media posts that are utterly deranged… Glory be to God as you threaten to commit more war crimes.” [03:37]
- "Kuwait’s Ministry of Oil building was hit in an Iranian attack. I mean, you can see it on fire… Ministry of Electricity and Water and Renewable Energy… confirmed that two Kuwaiti power and water desalination plants were attacked by Iranian drones, causing significant damage.” [07:45]
- “Rick Scott… goes, 'Hey TMZ, I'm at Disney with my grandkids. Should we be in DC? Yes, but I don’t make that decision.' These are such a bunch of like weird human beings.” [15:40]
- “Trump is asking Congress for $377 million for executive residence renovations in 2027’s budget. That’s an 866% jump from the prior year… Sicko. Bunch of sickos over here.” [18:20]
Timeline of Key Segments
- 02:30 — Analysis begins: Trump kicks out the press, deranged posts escalate.
- 06:11 — Detailed breakdown of regional military strikes and retaliation.
- 13:01 — Trump restricts satellite imagery, expanding censorship.
- 14:46 — Oil economics, Iran’s crypto/anti-dollar push, MAGA senator shenanigans.
- 16:31 — Iranian “scorched earth” threats, warnings for the entire Middle East.
- 17:46 — Trump’s budget proposals focus on executive luxury, not crisis relief.
Tone and Takeaway
The Meiselas brothers sustain their signature irreverence and urgency—fusing sharp legal-political analysis with incredulous, comedic reaction to Trumpworld’s escalating chaos. Their critique is unapologetically pro-democracy, focused on resisting normalization of authoritarian tactics, media suppression, and the dangerous incompetence of the current administration.
Bottom line:
Trump’s Iran war is “utterly backfiring”—causing global economic shocks, regional destruction, strategic depletion of U.S. military resources, and an information blackout, while the president ducks scrutiny and allocates taxpayer funds to personal comfort. The brothers urge ongoing vigilance, transparency, and civic engagement.
For more: Catch their commentary LIVE or join the MeidasMighty on all major platforms.