The MeidasTouch Podcast

Episode: Trump Loses Control at Disaster Presser with UK PM
Date: September 18, 2025
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas

Episode Overview

In this lively and incisive episode, the MeidasTouch brothers break down former President Donald Trump’s chaotic and controversial joint press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during Trump's state visit to the UK. The hosts expertly dissect Trump’s misleading statements, factual errors, and inflammatory rhetoric, while also highlighting the significance (and absurdity) of several key moments. The episode maintains the signature MeidasTouch approach—a mix of sharp political analysis and brotherly banter, with an unapologetic defense of democracy.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Trump Downplays the Russian Threat

[00:58 - 01:39]

• Trump asserts that the "Russia situation is not really a big threat to the United States or to the United Kingdom or Europe" and vaguely promises "good news."
  • Quote (Trump, 01:23):

    “But the Russia situation, I hope we're going to have some good news for you coming up. But again, it doesn't affect the United States. And he look, it doesn't so much affect you. Of course you are a lot closer to the scene than we are. We have a whole ocean separating us.”

• Hosts express alarm at Trump’s attempt to minimize Russia’s international threat, considering the current global climate.

2. Fabricating Economic Achievements

[01:39 - 02:58]

• Trump boasts about attracting "$17 trillion" in U.S. investments in just eight months—figures the hosts call "completely made up."
  • Quote (Trump, 01:56):

    “$17 trillion. And this is in during an eight month period being invested in the country, which is not only a record, but if you compare $17 trillion to the last year of the Biden administration, they did $250 billion...”

• The brothers emphasize repeatedly that there is no factual basis for these claims.

3. Dodging and Denying Connections to Epstein

[02:58 - 04:23]

• Trump is asked about Lord Mandelson's removal as UK Ambassador due to links to Jeffrey Epstein.
  • Quote (Trump, 03:49):

    “I don't know him, actually. I had heard that and I think maybe the Prime Minister would be better. Speaking of that, that was a choice that he made and I don't know. What is your answer to that?”

• Host notes clear prior connections between Trump and Mandelson, calling out Trump's denial:
  • Quote (Host, 04:23):

    “Yes, you do. Donald, like y'all knew each other pretty well... either it's dementia or he's trying to distance himself from another Jeffrey Epstein friend…”

4. More Election Denial and Economic Falsehoods

[04:23 - 05:48]

• Trump repeats the lie that he "won in 2020 big" and claims to have "already solved inflation… solved prices… solved everything."
  • Quote (Trump, 05:30):

    “We won in 2020 big. And I said, let's run. We got to run. Because I saw what was happening. And … we've already solved inflation, we solved prices. Oil is way down, energy down in the United States.”

5. Bizarre Foreign Policy Comments: Azerbaijan/Albania Confusion

[05:48 - 06:58]

• Trump mispronounces "Azerbaijan" and confuses it with "Albania," reminiscing about a meeting with their leaders but obviously referring to Armenia.
  • Quote (Trump, 06:23):

    "To think that we settled Aber Baijan and Albania as an example. It was going on for years, was never going to be settled... And as we were together for an hour, they kept getting closer, closer. And by the time we finished, we all hugged each other."

6. Attacking Green Energy, Praising Oil, and Inflating Achievements

[06:58 - 08:11]

• Trump attacks wind energy as "a very expensive joke," repeats the outdated slogan "drill, baby, drill," and invokes his family's Scottish roots.
  • Quote (Trump, 07:03):

    “We don't do wind because wind is a disaster. It's a very expensive joke, frankly. And we got our energy prices way down. That brought the inflation way down. And now we have very little inflation and we have a very, very strong economy. So that was very important. Drill, baby, drill.”

7. The Jimmy Kimmel Firing and Free Speech

[09:27 - 11:31]

• After being asked about the firing of talk show host Jimmy Kimmel and free speech:
  • Quote (Trump, 10:49):

    “Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else. And he said a horrible thing about a great gentleman known as Charlie Kirk. And Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person... He was fired for lack of talent.”

• Hosts challenge Trump’s version, noting the wider issue of intimidation toward broadcasters and political speech.

8. The “Auto Pen” Conspiracy

[11:31 - 12:03]

• Trump answers a leading question by Marjorie Taylor Greene’s boyfriend about Biden's use of an auto pen for signing, supporting the unfounded claim it delegitimizes signatures.

9. The TikTok “Great Investors” Solution

[12:03 - 14:17]

• Trump touts a potential deal for an American-owned TikTok subsidiary, repeatedly stressing it would be owned by "good, really rich Americans."
  • Quote (Trump, 12:50):

    “People that are investing it are among the greatest investors in the world, the biggest, the richest, and they'll do a great job... companies that love America.”

• Hosts mock the circular reasoning and lack of real answers to national security concerns.

10. Boasting About the “Big Beautiful Bill”

[14:17 - 14:49]

• Trump brags about passing “the largest bill ever in the history of our country”—referred to as “the big beautiful bill.”
  • Quote (Trump, 14:28):

    “The great big beautiful bill. We got so much, the largest bill ever passed in the history of our country. In fact, so big that we really don't have to pass too much anymore.”

• The brothers note the devastating impact of the bill and its lack of substance.

11. Claiming Inflation is "Virtually Nonexistent"

[14:49 - 15:20]

• Trump repeats, with no basis, that “inflation is virtually nonexistent” and that tariffs are bringing “trillions of dollars” into the country.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Minimizing Russia ([01:23]):

  “...it doesn't so much affect you. Of course you are a lot closer to the scene than we are. We have a whole ocean separating us.”
  – Donald Trump

• Delusional Investment Numbers ([01:56]):

  “$17 trillion ... in an eight month period.”
  – Donald Trump

• Distancing from Epstein Connections ([03:49]):

  “I don't know him, actually.”
  – Donald Trump

• Wind Power as a "Joke" ([07:03]):

  “We don't do wind because wind is a disaster. It's a very expensive joke, frankly.”
  – Donald Trump

• Explaining Kimmel's Firing ([10:49]):

  “Jimmy Kimmel was fired because he had bad ratings more than anything else... not a talented person.”
  – Donald Trump

• TikTok Solution ([12:50]):

  “among the greatest investors in the world, the biggest, the richest...companies that love America.”
  – Donald Trump

• Gushing Over “Big Beautiful Bill” ([14:28]):

  “Great big beautiful bill ... so big that we really don't have to pass too much anymore.”
  – Donald Trump

Segment Timestamps

• 00:58 — Trump Press Conference Overview Begins
• 01:23 — Trump on Russia
• 01:56 — Trump False Investment Claim
• 03:49 — Trump Dodges Epstein Inquiry
• 05:30 — 2020 Election Lie/Inflation Claim
• 06:23 — Azerbaijan/Albania Confusion
• 07:03 — Attacks on Wind Energy
• 10:49 — Kimmel Firing and Free Speech
• 11:51 — Biden “Auto Pen” Conspiracy
• 12:50 — TikTok “Rich Americans” Solution
• 14:28 — The “Big Beautiful Bill”
• 14:51 — Inflation Disinformation

Tone and Takeaways

True to their style, the MeidasTouch brothers approach Trump’s performance as uniquely disastrous, blending sharp factual corrections, sarcasm, and a heavy dose of incredulity. They stress the danger and absurdity of Trump's misinformation, his casual approach to international threats, and his ongoing attack on basic facts and democratic norms.

In sum, the episode serves as both a real-time fact-check and a comedic roast of a press conference that, in the hosts’ words, was “absolutely a disaster” and a revealing lens into Trump’s ongoing disconnect from reality and responsibility.