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space80@talkspace.com Donald Trump is attacking the Midas Touch Network over our coverage of his disastrous war in Iran in He's also attacking the Midas touch network. Then 24 hours of the Midas Touch Network winning Podcast of the Year for the News category in the I Heart Awards that just took place. And shout out to I Heart. We're grateful for that award. But Donald Trump and his regime kept on referring to us as dumbasses yesterday on social media. Not every day where you're called a dumbass by the White House. Something I will tell my daughter when she's older. The White House called me a dumb ass because I called out their unlawful war that has destroyed the United States of America. Let me show you what went down. So we were exposing the hypocrisy of the White House. What else is new? They lie about everything. Where they were trying to say, of course Iran poses a threat to the United States, an imminent threat. That's why we had to invade. So then we just showed a post of Caroline Levitt, Donald Trump's chief propagandist, when she previously wrote, to be clear, no such threat from Iran to our homeland exists. And it never did. To which we were called a dumbass by the official White House rapid response account. No such threat to our homeland of Iran, launching a drone offensive on our west coast. Dumb asses. So let's just rewind and let me show you what happened and what we then said to the White House and Trump in response that has since gone mega viral. But first, this ultra MAGA right wing extremist by the name of Joe Kent, who has been serving as the director of the National Counterterrorism center, he resigned from his position, objecting to Donald Trump's unlawful war in Iran. He said that this war is a war of choice, that Iran did not pose any imminent threat to the United States, essentially that it is a betrayal to the MAGA movement. And while this guy, Joe Kent is certainly a right wing extremist who has said and done some of the most heinous things that we've called out, he did previously serve like in 11 combat tours. He is a husband of his wife died in Syria in 2019. A gold star husband. And amongst the kind of far right Magas, they like this guy, even though we call him out. So him saying that Donald Trump betrayed the MAGA movement and him resigning his position and he did it in a very kind of dramatic fashion. He's Tulsi Gabbard's number two. He told Tulsi he was going to resign and toast like, wait, wait, wait, just speak to J.D. vance. You got to go to the White House. So he went to the White house, he told J.D. vance that he was going to resign, handed the resignation letter. Now he's, I think going to be going on Tucker Carlson. And so he posted his resignation, that it's a betrayal of MAGA. That post went mega viral, like over 75 million views on X, formerly Twitter in a period of 24 hours. So in response, Caroline Levitt got all nervous and so she responded to Joseph Kent saying that Iran did not pose an imminent threat, that we were dragged into this war by Netanyahu and Israel, and that this will be a catastrophe for the United States of America. So Caroline Levitt says in response to Joseph Kent, she goes, there are many false claims in this letter, but let me address one specifically, that Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation. This is the same false claim that Democrats and some in the liberal media have been repeating over and over. As President Trump has clearly and explicitly stated he had strong and compelling evidence that Iran was going to attack the United States first. The evidence was compiled from many sources and many factors. We're not going to tell you, but many sources and many factors. So we just responded to Caroline Levitt with her own post. So Caroline Levitt a week or so ago posted the following with respect to a story by ABC that Iran was potentially going to attack the United States and potentially looking to attack the West Coast, California and la, by the way, where I live. Caroline Levitt previously wrote, this post and story should be immediately retracted by ABC News for providing false information to intentionally alarm the American people. They wrote this based on one email that was sent to local law enforcement in California about a single unverified tip. The email even states the tip was based on unverified and intelligence. Yet ABC News left out this critical fact in their story. Why? To be clear, no such threat from Iran to our homeland exists and it never did. So we just posted Caroline's message. So then Trump's rapid response White House team refer to us as dumbasses and they go no such threat to our homeland of Iran launching a drone offensive on our west coast. Dumbasses. The nuclear threat of the psychotic, murderous Iranian regime is very real. However, thank God we finally have a President who's doing something about it. So then we responded to Trump in his White House by saying what nuclear threat dumbasses? And all we simply did with a mic drop moment was we posted a press release from the White House dated June 25, 2025 where the White House posted Iran's nuclear facilities have been obliterated and suggestions otherwise are fake news. So if you completely obliterated Iran's nuclear program on June 25, 2025, you are now claiming the nuclear threat of the psychotic, murderous Iranian regime is very real. How could it be very real if you obliterated it? Because back in June, this is the problem Trump regime when you literally lie about every single thing. Also, it should be noted that the Trump regime then went on to attack Joe Kent throughout the entire day. And they said that, oh, Joe Kent is a leaker and he's disloyal and he's a bad guy and he's someone, he's the, he's now a liberal. He's. What are you, what are you talking about? But it just goes to show, Joe, Kentucky, this is what happen when you call out the cult. And if you're maga, that means you have to cover up child sex trafficking rings. Now MAGA equals you're the Epstein class, right? Trump says you're not MAGA if you, you could do all the things that Marjorie Taylor Greene did, but you're not MAGA if you say stop the child sex trafficking cover up. If you're totally maga with all of their crazy, extremist, delusional and deranged things. But you go, yeah, but doing this war in Iran where now the Strait of Hormuz is blocked and America's economy's cratering and we've lost the lives of 13 service members and Donald Trump is out there like campaigning off of it, 200 seriously injured. There's this never ending war. Oh, you call that out, you're not maga, you're exiled. And that's what Joe Kent is seeing
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There's been time. Over time, this Trump regime has been attacking the Midas Touch Network. As you know, state regime media, which calls itself fox, frequently attacking the Midas Touch network. One of our hosts, Aaron Parnas, very early on in the Trump regime was threatened with arrest by the Trump regime because he was reporting on where ICE raids were taking place. Like not this past February. The February of 2025 when the ice surge just started to begin. We've had hosts like Katie Fang get attacked and the Midas Touch network has been attacked. Remember when the Midas Touch network broke the story about how the military was going to be doing those tests honor around last October where they were going to be shooting live ammunition over the highway. Remember Midas Touch Network broke that story. Then we broke the story first we said we believe that with these live munitions that they're firing over the highways that it could result in some of the shrapnel falling into the highway. Then we reported when the shrapnel was in the highway. Then everybody was like, oh that's such irresponsible reporting. You don't know what you're talking about. And even like corporate news was attacking us, right? No, we had all the facts right. We told you all when the live munitions test was going to be taking place. They use these, an M 795 high explosive rounds that were detonated. And now the Defense Department issued a report, military report is saying that is a one in a million live fire malfunction that rained shrapnel on the California highway. So we went from being completely attacked whenever that was last October or before then on this to you got it right. And now it's a 666 page report, odd number by the way, saying this was a one in a million situation. When we were calling it out from the outset, by the way, we were calling out what was gonna happen in this trade it for moves. We were calling out what's gonna happen when you tariff against the worldwide. Because when you follow, it's not because we're like prescient and we predict the future. We're just listening to what the experts are saying, what the scientists are saying, what are saying right in front of us. And look folks, I'm just going to say this. This Trump regime has all of MAGA livid right now about this unlawful war, about the COVID up of the Epstein files. This Trump's popularity which was already at historic lows, continues to plummet. Did you see this right here? Pennsylvania voters who voted three times for Trump. Here's what they had to say. Play this clip. If you could say something to President Trump and he was going to hear you right now, what would it be? You are a worthless pile of. And you voted for him how many times? Three times. That was my bad. Apparently I'm an idiot. What about these right wing conservative influencers who are like I've been loyal to Trump for so long, not anymore. Here, play this clip.
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I've been a loyal supporter of the president for almost 20 years. This goes back to when I was 21 years old and I was Miss you California at the Miss USA pageant. And I've known him, I consider him a dear friend. And I will tell you right now, I do not recognize our President and maga. Let me tell you right now, MAGA is dead. It is deader than dead. And Americans are furious. We do not recognize President Donald J. Trump anymore.
Podcast Host 2
People just livid about the rising gas prices. Listen to what this trucker had to say. Play this clip at least once every day. If I'm on E, it's about 2:07 every day right now. Yeah, it's pretty crazy. I went from 140 a day to 207 a day. Or the rise in grocery prices here at. Play this clip.
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$150. It keeps going up and up and up. People on, on lower end pay, they're, they're hurting. This is the new normal.
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There's one thing I want to share with you as well though is that Donald Trump, I just want to show you the sentiment out there and, and it's very difficult for me to people who vote for Trump three times for me to fully understand how you could do that when there's so many glaring warning signs. But I do recognize that it is important that you know, you provide at least some off ramp I guess for people who, whatever. But what we're going to do here at the Midas Touch Network is not chase those people at all. We're just going to report on the facts each and every day. And if the Trump regime wants to threaten, harass us cause dumbasses or whatever, so be it. Okay, we're going to report the facts and we're going to report on them relentlessly and fearlessly. By the way, that's what the speech was that we gave when we won the I Heart award for the best news podcast of the year. And I don't think it's coincidental that after winning that award that the Trump regime has been attacking us. Here was the speech that we gave when we won iHeart's podcast news podcast of the year. And I want to give a shout out to all the Midas mighty for supporting us. And just, just take a watch of this here, play this clip right here.
Podcast Host 3
Wow, this is craz. We are so humbled to win, but most importantly, we are grateful that we beat Megyn Kelly. I think that was a. If I went home, if we went home to our wives and said we lost to Megyn Kelly, that door would be good. And I want to thank our wives as well, because we quit our real jobs to become podcasters. And it was hard to believe in that dream right away when we had two people listening to us or three people listening to us. And those were our three wives at the time and perhaps our parents. But I can't confirm whether or not the parents were actually listening. But we grew this news network. Now, what's the latest? 9 billion views in the past two years on YouTube. And I think the reason that this is connecting is because we're not both sidesing the issues. When we see injustice, we're calling it out with moral clarity. We're not afraid to call out fascism when we see it. When we see ice and border patrol on our streets killing our people, we call it out. When we see injustices happening internationally, we call it out. We're not afraid. We approach this with a fearlessness. And we are inspired by all of you, by this community. And right now, more than ever, we need courage. We need to stick together. We need to fight for democracy. And we all need to lean on each other during these times. Democracy will prevail. The truth will prevail. And if three brothers from Long island can be standing on the stage beating Megyn Kelly, Then everybody should pick up a microphone and do the same.
Podcast Host 2
So you have that versus, like, what was Donald Trump talking about in the past 24 hours? He keeps referring to his war in Iran as a little excursion. He was, I was like to Susie Wiles, my chief of staff, things are going so good in this country. Can we take an excursion right now? Let's do an Iran excursion. And Susie Wiles, my chief of staff's, like, do it, do it. Go do a war. Let's play this clip.
Donald Trump (clip)
Doing better. We had to do a little excursion, if you don't mind. Excursion to take care of nuclear weaponry in the hands of maniacs. But other than that, in a couple of weeks and won't be much longer. It's moving along fast. We're way ahead of schedule. Did you know that Mr. Speaker 1
Podcast Host 2
or Donald Trump was like, speaking yesterday. He was with the. The Taoiseach was like the Prime Minister of Ireland. And Donald Trump kept on saying, like, how handsome men were in the audience. Like, you're really handsome. You're a fine Physical specimen. Just really weird. Your play, this clip named for the
Donald Trump (clip)
Irish American warrior who President Grant called the finest specimen of physical manhood I've ever looked upon. We didn't know that about President Grant. I think we just learned something. But I could say that about your sons. Okay, Kelly, I could say that about your sons. One's a boxing champion. Like champions. Who would think from this one, it's got to be, well, I didn't know about your Italian roots either. I thought he was a super wasp. You know, to me, then you have
Podcast Host 2
Kevin Hassett, Donald Trump's national economic adviser, who is out there saying, look, if this war continues to be extended, it's not really going to impact the American economy. It's just going to hurt consumers. And who really gives a crap about consumers? Nobody cares about consumers right now. Here, play this. CL but the fact is that the US Economy is fundamentally sound and that if it were to be extended, it wouldn't really disrupt the US Economy very much at all. It would hurt consumers. And we'd have to think about, if that continued, what we would have to do about that. But that's really the last of our concerns right now, because we're very confident that this thing is going ahead of schedule. Nobody cares about consumers. What in the world are you talking about? And finally, I just want to share this with you as well, because I think one of the things that are being missed when we talk about the closure of the Strait of Hormuz as well is that it's not just the, the oil. It's not just the crude that's stuck. Right? And it's not just creating this oil shock. These ships carry things like helium, aluminum, food, fertilizer. And that supply chain just destroyed right now. Destroyed right now. Watch as they describe what's going down on cnn. Let's play.
CNN Reporter
I mean, the Strait of Hormuz, as we've been talking about, is locked down. About 20% of the world's oil comes through there. But that's not the only thing. Other ships that don't carry oil but carry other products are also stuck in the Persian Gulf. And they carry things like helium aluminum. They carry food. They carry fertilizer, which is a key ingredient for food. Food prices could start to surge as well. And one of the other things is n. And remember, our electricity runs on natural gas. One of the big power sucks is AI right now and natural gas powers that. So all of that could compound and make prices a lot more expensive.
Podcast Host 2
All right, Trump regime, you want to attack us? Attack us. We'll just pop, pop, pop. Fact, fact, fact, fact, fact. Just hit you with the facts every day. That's what we're going to do here. Really an honor to win that iHeart Award, I guess. Really an honor for Donald Trump to call us dumbasses another day. Keep reporting. Keep fighting back for democracy. Hit subscribe let's get to 7 million. Thanks for watching.
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Y' all want to stay plugged in? Become a subscriber to our substack@midasplus.com you'll get daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski, ad free episodes of our podcast and more exclusive content Only available@midasplus.com. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone paying Big Wireless Way Too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying. No judgments.
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Episode: Trump Loses It and Attacks Meidas over War Coverage
Date: March 18, 2026
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas
In this high-energy episode, the Meiselas brothers break down recent attacks from Donald Trump and the Trump White House on the MeidasTouch Network following its critical coverage of Trump's war in Iran. With their signature blend of analysis and humor, the hosts explore the hypocrisy and misinformation propagated by the Trump administration, highlight the fallout within the MAGA movement, and celebrate MeidasTouch's win as Podcast of the Year in the iHeart Awards. Key focus is given to calling out the administration’s contradictory war messaging, retaliation against dissenting voices—even from within their own camp—and the dangerous economic consequences of the conflict.
[01:16 – 03:04]
Trump's Social Media Outbursts:
The brothers reveal how Trump’s official White House rapid response team repeatedly called the MeidasTouch hosts “dumbasses” on social media after their criticism of the administration's claims about the Iran war.
"Not every day where you're called a dumbass by the White House. Something I will tell my daughter when she's older." — Host [01:16]
MeidasTouch Calls Out Hypocrisy:
They expose a contradiction using Caroline Levitt's (Trump's chief propagandist) past posts, where Levitt previously denied any imminent threat from Iran to the U.S.—the exact justification for Trump's offensive, now used retroactively by the administration.
"To be clear, no such threat from Iran to our homeland exists and it never did." — Caroline Levitt, cited by host [03:04]
White House Doubles Down:
Trump’s team claims a “nuclear threat” from Iran, despite their own June 2025 press release stating Iran’s nuclear program had been "obliterated." The brothers highlight the absurdity.
"What nuclear threat, dumbasses?" — Host retorting to White House [05:15]
[04:20 – 07:22]
Joe Kent’s Protest Resignation:
Joe Kent, a right-wing figure with military credentials, publicly resigns as director of the National Counterterrorism Center, objecting to the “unlawful war” and calling it a “betrayal to the MAGA movement.” His resignation post goes viral (75+ million views).
MAGA Civil War:
Trumpworld rushes to label Kent as a “leaker” and no longer MAGA, underlining a growing split. The brothers sarcastically sum it up:
"If you’re totally MAGA with all of their crazy, extremist, delusional and deranged things. But you go, yeah, but doing this war in Iran... Oh, you call that out, you’re not MAGA, you’re exiled. And that’s what Joe Kent is seeing." — Host [08:41]
[11:02 – 14:12]
Accurate Reporting Under Threat:
Ben describes how the network takes flak for being far ahead of mainstream media on breaking controversial stories, such as the military’s live-fire test that endangered civilians.
"We went from being completely attacked… to 'you got it right.'" — Host [12:18]
Host Harassment and Media Attacks:
State-aligned outlets (like Fox) and even federal authorities (under Trump) allegedly harass hosts and threaten prosecution for reporting the truth, e.g., on ICE raids.
"Aaron Parnas… was threatened with arrest by the Trump regime because he was reporting on where ICE raids were taking place." — Host [11:15]
[14:12 – 15:16]
MAGA Influencers Defect:
Conservative figures and former Trump loyalists publicly denounce him in the wake of the Iran war:
“I do not recognize our President and MAGA… MAGA is dead. It is deader than dead. And Americans are furious.” — Conservative influencer, clip played by host [14:14]
Voter Regret:
Clips from former Trump voters expressing profound regret and anger (“You are a worthless pile of..." [13:13]) are played to showcase the growing dissatisfaction.
Economic Pain:
Everyday Americans discuss skyrocketing gas and grocery prices, blamed on the ongoing war.
"I went from $140 a day to $207 a day [on gas]." — Trucker testimony [14:37]
"$150. It keeps going up and up… People on lower end pay, they’re hurting. This is the new normal." — Shopper on grocery costs [15:02]
[16:37 – 18:34]
"We’re not both sidesing the issues. When we see injustice, we’re calling it out with moral clarity." — Podcast Host 3, award speech [16:55]
"If three brothers from Long Island can be standing on this stage beating Megyn Kelly, then everybody should pick up a microphone and do the same." — Podcast Host 3 [18:25]
[18:34 – 21:21]
Trump’s War as a “Little Excursion”:
Trump describes the Iran war as an “excursion,” trivializing the conflict.
"We had to do a little excursion, if you don’t mind. Excursion to take care of nuclear weaponry in the hands of maniacs." — Donald Trump (clip) [18:55]
Incoherent Public Remarks:
Trump, in meetings, bizarrely fixates on calling men "handsome" and "fine physical specimens," drawing laughter and confusion.
"I could say that about your sons. One’s a boxing champion. Like champions…" — Donald Trump (clip) [19:29]
Economic Elitism:
Kevin Hassett, Trump’s economic advisor, dismisses consumer suffering from rising prices:
"It would hurt consumers… That’s really the last of our concerns right now, because we’re very confident that this thing is going ahead of schedule. Nobody cares about consumers." — Kevin Hassett (clip) [20:03]
[21:21 – 22:05]
"Ships carry things like helium, aluminum, food, fertilizer… that supply chain just destroyed right now." — CNN Reporter [21:21]
[22:05 – 22:30]
"Trump regime, you want to attack us? Attack us. We’ll just pop, pop, pop. Fact, fact, fact, fact, fact. Just hit you with the facts every day." — Host [22:05]
This episode provides not only a sharp critique of the Trump administration's shifting war narrative and its attacks on dissent but also gives listeners a sense of the crumbling MAGA coalition and the real-world pain caused by ongoing policy choices. The brothers’ mix of righteous outrage, humor, and resolve—plus their refusal to "both sides" issues of democracy and justice—cements this episode as an uncompromising piece of independent journalism.