Pete Hegseth (3:55)

Unfortunately, as I said yesterday and I'll say it again today, the biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless naysayers and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans. Defeatists from the cheap seats who two months in seek to undermine the incredible efforts that have been undertaken and the historic nature of taking on a 47 year threat with the courage no other president has had to great success and great opportunity for preventing Iran from having a nuclear weapon.

Ron Filipkowski (4:30)

Also during Hegset's testimony there have been multiple incidents of protests taking place and people calling Hegset they were criminal this morning. Let me show you that. Let's play this clip right now.

Pete Hegseth (4:42)

Real muscle behind our warriors. Further interruptions of our hearing will will be treated in like manner we appreciate

Ron Filipkowski (5:07)

now also we got our GDP numbers this morning and it was less than what was estimated. First quarter GDP rose on an annualized basis of 2% for the first quarter. It was estimated to be 2.3%. I mean that's slower growth than expected. Also PCE inflation jumped to 3.5% in March, the highest in three years since May 2023. Again, this is a direct result of the war in Iran. Core PCE inflation excluding food and energy jumped to 3.2% the highest since January of 2024. Donald Trump promised he would lower prices. Right now we are in an environment where inflation is indeed escal. Also, the American people are giving Donald Trump a rude awakening this morning as it relates to Donald Trump's main priorities, which is his ballroom, which is building a massive 250 foot arch in D.C. and printing his name and face on lots of different things like $100 bills and passports and National Park Service cards. The latest Washington Post ABC Ipsos poll says the Would you support the 90,000 square foot ballroom? Only 28% of American support. What about the 250 foot arch? Only 21% of Americans support? Do you support the US treasury printing Trump's signature on paper money instead of the treasury secretary signature? Only 12% of Americans support that. Overall, Donald Trump's approval in the latest AP Nork poll at 33%. In the latest Reuters poll, 34% on the issue of standard of living. And both those polls, it really dips below 20%. And Trump's support amongst independent standard of living is about 12%. Donald Trump less popular at this point in his presidency than when Richard Nixon resigned. More warnings coming from Iranian leaders. Today is Persian Gulf Day in Iran. And Here is what M.B. golubov, their parliament leader, saying. In the year 1622 AD, after 115 years of occupation, we expelled the European colonizers from the Persian Gulf. And we celebrate Persian Gulf Day in honor of this victory today as well. Iran, by exercising control over the Strait of Hormuz, will ensure that it and its neighbors enjoy the precious blessings of a future free from the presence and interference of America. So if Donald Trump thinks that this blockade is working or making social media posts with weird AI memes that this is part of a strategy, it is not working at all. You know, we caught up with some MAGA Republican Congress members on Capitol Hill before making this video because I wanted to literally ask them everything. I'm presenting you to hear what they're like, what are they saying to their constituents? Didn't you ever wonder, okay, Ben, I hear your perspective on the show. So how is like a MAGA Republican Congress member messaging this to their constituents when we have slow GDP growth surging in inflation? Um, most Americans right now feel like we're in a recession or a great recession because that's how they're being hurt by this Trump economy. So we spoke with MAGA Republican Congressmember Babin, a MAGA Republican Congress member from Texas, and we try to ask him a basic question. He then confronted One of our D.C. reporters, Pablo Manriquez, and demanded to know, who are you with? Who are you with watch this here at Play this clip.

Interviewer/Reporter (8:58)

Congressman, real quick, has Donald Trump kept his promise to lower prices? No, I know, I know. Congressman, has Donald Trump midas touch? Who you with midas touch? Okay, just has Donald Trump kept his promise to lower prices? I'm asking all your Republicans.

MAGA Republican Congressman Babin (9:17)

We saw the prices come down dramatically but we're in a, we're involved in a conflict with the worst regime, terrorist exportation regime and probably in the last hundred years and this is going to be over soon. We'll get these prices down. I live in, my district is in the epicenter of energy in Southeast Texas, the Greater Houston region. You're going to see prices come down as soon as we get through with this. If it's a report car President, the president keeps his promises.

Interviewer/Reporter (9:47)

If it was a report card, what grade would you give them on the economy?

MAGA Republican Congressman Babin (9:50)

I'm sorry, I couldn't.

Interviewer/Reporter (9:51)

If it was like a report card saying what grade would you give us Trump on the economy then?

MAGA Republican Congressman Babin (9:55)

On the economy? Yeah, I think he's got a B. He's got a B average right now, but he had an A. It went to a B and it's going to go back to an A.

Interviewer/Reporter (10:03)

Thank you.

Ron Filipkowski (10:04)

Then we caught up with MAGA Republican Congress member Byron Donalds who's also running for governor of Florida. He gives Donald Trump an A right now for the economy and says it is excellent. Here, play this clip.

Interviewer/Reporter (10:17)

Congressman, do you think Donald Trump has delivered on his promise to lower prices?

MAGA Republican Congressman Byron Donalds (10:21)

Yeah, he actually has. I know gas prices are a little bit higher because of what's happening in Iran, but across the country a lot of prices actually have stabilized. I think, you know, inflation's hard, but I remember where we were with the Biden administration. You know, airline tickets jumped 50%. It was insane. So he's doing a great job. We need, you know, the other side of the aisle to come and help us just do common sense business. But president's doing if it were a

Interviewer/Reporter (10:50)

report card, what grade would you give him on the economy?

MAGA Republican Congressman Byron Donalds (10:52)

Oh, he gets an A. Yeah.

Interviewer/Reporter (10:54)

Thank you very much.

Ron Filipkowski (10:55)

Then we asked MAGA Republican Congressmember McCormick from Georgia. So what do you, what do you think about all, what do you think about all of us? This was from this morning. Here, play this clip.

Interviewer/Reporter (11:05)

Do you think that or has Donald Trump kept his promise to lower prices?

MAGA Republican Congressman McCormick (11:09)

Yeah, I mean you can't right now. If you look at the he also made a promise by the Constitution to protect and serve this country from all enemies, foreign and domestic. That's first and foremost responsibility Prices are always going to be linked to inflation, which always going to be linked to energy costs. Right. Energy costs have spiked because of the oil problem in the Middle East. They will come back down. They will, God willing, as soon as possible. But first and foremost, you know how expensive it is if we get attacked by a foreign enemy, and especially if they have nuclear arms, they can disrupt the whole Middle east and you can no longer even affect that area of the region because they're protected by nuclear arms. That would affect us a lot more in the long term. I always say pay me now or pay me later. This is an investment in the future.

Ron Filipkowski (11:56)

And then we spoke with Maga Republican Congressmember Newhouse from Washington and he says that Donald Trump deserves an E for effort and that that's where we're at right now, that the president a satisfactory E for effort. Really. I just want you to think about how these MAGAs would attack Biden and Obama. An E for effort. We're grading Donald Trump on the most idiotic curve imaginable where if he's just able to speak a sentence, it's like, my God, he spoke a sentence. Here, play this clip.

Interviewer/Reporter (12:31)

Congressman, do you think that Donald Trump has delivered on his promise to lower prices?

MAGA Republican Congressman Babin (12:38)

He's working on it. Yeah.

Interviewer/Reporter (12:40)

Well, he was like in school. What grade would you give him so far?

MAGA Republican Congressman Babin (12:49)

I would say probably. At least a satisfactory. I guess at this point.

Interviewer/Reporter (12:57)

Satisfactory

Ron Filipkowski (13:00)

we're not quite where we need to be or.

Interviewer/Reporter (13:03)

Thank you very much.

Ron Filipkowski (13:04)

As I noted all night, Donald Trump was posting weird AI qanon memes. Literally. It's a qanonomy museum and it says Q. The storm is coming. Nothing can stop what is coming. Earlier in the day he was posting no more Mr. Nice Guy meme AI images of himself with AR15 style rifles. And then he posted a bizarre photo of the straight of Hormuz. But he writes straight of Trump. To which Iran's. Which the Iranians responded and mocked him as well. We heard from NATO Ambassador Whitaker this morning. MAGA Republican Ambassador Whitaker, here's what he had to say on Maria Bartiroma's show. They were certainly in COPE mode as well. I'll share with you what went down there. Let's play this clip right here. A top Pentagon official says our military

MAGA Republican Congressman Babin (13:54)

operations in Iran have cost about $25 billion so far.

Ron Filipkowski (13:58)

What do you say to voters who

MAGA Republican Congressman Babin (14:00)

not be happy with that price tag?

Interviewer/Reporter (14:04)

It would cost a lot more to have Iran with a nuclear weapon. The blackmail that they would exert from the world and from the United States. If they were nuclear capable, we would pay any price to make sure that didn't happen.

Ron Filipkowski (14:18)

And as Donald Trump continues to attack Germany over and over again, a senior official tells CBS that no options have been given to the president yet regarding a reduction in forces in Germany. This official points out that Germany continues to provide quiet support to US Forces in the Middle east, which is a consideration. Meanwhile, Trump and Hegseth continued to post the US Is studying, reviewing possible troop reductions for Germany. Rubio also spoke with the German foreign minister. So while Donald Trump posts things behind the scenes, his team contradicts that. And go we have no plans at all. We aren't even discussing that. And again, this is the thing. When America speaks, this is what King Charles actually said. Like your word matters. You can't just be like saying a bunch of garbage all day. You know, it is, it creates chaos, it creates disorder, it creates a lack of certainty. And ultimately it leads to our allies, you know, leaving us, which is essentially where we're at right now. Finally, Israeli news Channel 12 is reporting amid reports that the US may be mulling renewed military action. Israel's defense minister says it's possible that soon we will need to act again in Iran to ensure that the regime cannot threaten Israel for years to come. Didn't you all say you obliterated them last June? And didn't you, didn't you say you beat them in the war this time? This is, we're going to be on this endless loop. Could we just be normal? Could we just for a second have some, have a, have a shred of fricking normalcy here? That's what's going on this morning. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 7 million subscribers. Thanks for watching. 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, of our podcast and more exclusive content only available at midasplus. Com.