Trump Panics and Goes Silent as he Gets Fully Ghosted

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The MeidasTouch Podcast

Episode: “Trump Panics and Goes Silent as he Gets Fully Ghosted”

Date: May 9, 2026
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas

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Episode Overview

In this episode, the Meiselas brothers dive deep into the escalating diplomatic crisis between the Trump administration and Iran, highlighting Trump’s escalating rhetoric, erratic decision-making, and the resulting diplomatic backlash. The brothers critically analyze Trump’s public threats, failed negotiation attempts, and Iran’s increasingly assertive response, all amidst growing international scrutiny. Throughout the discussion, they combine incisive political insights with their signature biting humor and unwavering pro-democracy stance.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Failed Deadlines and Diplomatic “Ghosting” by Iran

• Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Iran regarding a new ceasefire memorandum. The deadline passed without official response from Iran, who instead reiterated their longstanding conditions for dialogue.
• The brothers observe the pattern of Trump setting arbitrary, performative deadlines that he rarely enforces:
  • “Every word, sound, and syllable out of his mouth is a lie...he sets arbitrary and fake deadlines and then doesn’t follow through.” (Political Commentator, 05:27)
• Iran’s refusal to engage has left Trump and his administration silent and exposed. The episode’s title, “Trump Panics and Goes Silent as he Gets Fully Ghosted,” underscores this diplomatic humiliation.

2. Historical Pattern of Trump’s Delays and Deflections

• The hosts draw parallels to Trump’s “two week death spiral”:
  • The habit of promising major policy moves or answers in “two weeks”—on healthcare, Melania’s immigration, or tariffs—only to stall or move the goalposts repeatedly.
  • “[Trump] puts the United States, as he has always put everything in his life, into what I’ve always referred to as the two week death spiral.” (Political Commentator, 07:06)
• Connects this pattern to Trump’s response to COVID-19, recalling repeated empty assurances.

3. Iran’s Strategic Escalation and Control over Critical Infrastructure

• Iran escalates by asserting control not just over the Strait of Hormuz, but also all undersea Internet cables routing through the strait.
  • “Iran is preparing to assert full sovereign control over the seven undersea Internet cables...with foreign firms being required to obtain permits, pay transit fees, and operate under Iranian law.” (Political Commentator, 09:39)
• These cables are vital to global internet and financial flows, striking at the heart of international commerce:
  • “The cables carry 15 to 20% of global internet and financial data traffic...Gulf states depend on [them] for over 90% of their internet, banking, and cloud services.” (Political Commentator, 10:11)
• Iran’s warning hits hard: “We warn governments, including microstates like Bahrain, that siding with the US-backed resolution will bring severe consequences. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital lifeline. Do not risk closing it on yourselves forever.” (Iranian Parliament’s Abraham Azizi, paraphrased by Political Commentator, 06:40)

4. Trump’s Absurd Online Antics and Social Media “Leadership”

• Trump responds to the mounting crisis with bizarre social media posts:
  • “Lasers. Bing, bing, bing, gone. Bing, bing, gone.” (Narrated by Political Commentator, 11:18)
  • Posts strange photo at the reflecting pool with Doug Burgum in a tuxedo while Trump wears a pea coat—called out as “bizarre behavior.”
• This is contrasted with the seriousness of the crisis and Iran’s dignified rhetoric:
  • “Vermin-like nocturnal scheming and naive euphemisms such as a light slap can do nothing to erase the profound disgrace...Disjointed, delusional tweets no longer hold any sway over reality.” (Iranian Foreign Ministry, paraphrased by Political Commentator, 11:40)

5. U.S. and Allies’ Flailing Response

• Marco Rubio and others continue pushing the idea that a response or negotiations are imminent:
  • “Well, we should know something today. I mean, we’re expecting a response from them. We’ll see what the response entails.” (Marco Rubio, 12:15)
• Meanwhile, commentators like Marc Thiessen (Fox and The Washington Post) admit Trump’s strategy isn’t working:
  • “Trump risks snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in Iran...They don’t think Trump is willing to bomb them again. They think they have leverage. He needs to prove them wrong.” (Marc Thiessen, 14:31)
• Actual maritime data shows zero commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a tangible sign of crisis.

6. Israel and Regional Players Fan the Flames

• Reports emerge that Israel is pushing the US for a maximalist military solution:
  • “Israel believes no deal will be made with Iran as [they] have informed the US that any return to fighting must include the destruction of Iran's entire energy infrastructure in an estimated 24 hours.” (Political Commentator, 15:32)

7. MeidasTouch Unfiltered Analysis

• The hosts retain their classic, direct tone:
  • “[Trump] is a liar. That’s what he’s done his whole life. It’s apparently been able to allow him to, to gain power. People don’t stand up to. Got to stand up to this stuff, man.” (Political Commentator, 16:37)
• They draw a clear contrast between the seriousness of international affairs and the Trump administration’s chaotic, unserious response.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s Empty Deadlines:
  • “Maybe we can acknowledge that Donald Trump is a pathological liar and every word, sound and syllable out of his mouth is a lie and that Donald Trump also sets arbitrary and fake deadlines and then doesn't follow through…” (Political Commentator, 05:27)
• On Iran’s Calculated Pushback:
  • “Making the same mistake again and again won't get you a different answer, only a stronger one. Respect the new maritime regime of Iran.” (Iranian Parliament’s Abraham Azizi, relayed at 06:40)
• On Trump’s Social Media Meltdowns:
  • “Lasers. Bing, bing, bing, gone. Bing, bing, gone.”
  • “This is a real photo. This isn't AI. Donald Trump is wearing like a trench coat, like a pea coat, even though it's 70 degrees. This is very bizarre behavior.” (Political Commentator, 11:18)
• On U.S. Posture:
  • “We're expecting a response from them...The hope is it's something that can put us into a serious process of negotiation.” (Marco Rubio, 12:15)
• On Real Outcomes:
  • “Zero commercial vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz. 0. Not a single ship has gone by.” (Political Commentator, 15:07)
• On the Need for Accountability:
  • “Trump is a lying liar who lies. That's it. That's his shtick. He's a liar. That's what he's done his whole life.” (Political Commentator, 16:37)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [05:27] – Trump’s pathological lying and fake deadlines.
• [06:40] – Iran’s parliamentary statement and new threats over Strait of Hormuz.
• [09:39] – Iran’s strategic move to control undersea internet cables.
• [11:18] – Trump’s bizarre social media posts highlighted.
• [12:15] – Marco Rubio on awaiting Iran’s response.
• [14:31] – Marc Thiessen’s (Fox/WaPo) blunt assessment of Trump’s failed Iran policy.
• [15:07] – Confirmation of zero ship transits through Strait of Hormuz.
• [15:32] – Israel’s push for destruction of Iran’s energy infrastructure.
• [16:37] – The brothers’ final verdict on Trump’s legacy of deception.

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Summary

This highly charged episode offers a masterclass in MeidasTouch’s “no-holds-barred” analysis: dissecting Trump’s diplomatic failures, Iran’s assertive countermoves, and allied frustrations, all through the lens of pro-democracy advocacy. The brothers skewer Trump’s performative, unserious antics and highlight the very real global consequences of diplomatic incompetence—making the podcast both deeply informative and sharply entertaining.

Transcript

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[Political Commentator]

you verbo Donald Trump has gone silent once again on this catastrophic Saturday for him as Iran has fully ghosted him and Iran has done it very, very publicly. So as you probably know from watching the Midas Touch Network, Donald Trump gave Iran a 48 hour deadline starting Wednesday to respond to a new memorandum of understand that the Trump regime sent Iran on Friday. Rubio Secretary of State said he expected an answer from Iran on Friday when he was asked about it, he said any minute now, Iran should respond. Iran didn't respond with any formal response. They responded what they've always said you're not going to impose unilateral demands on us we which ignore the 10 point negotiating framework that you previously agreed to to induce the ceasefire. This cease fire came about because Donald Trump said he agreed with Foreign Minister, Iraqi and Iran's 10 point framework as Donald Trump said that he was going to blow up all of the bridges and he was going to bomb Iran into the Stone Age. And then Donald Trump unilaterally, before that deadline was about to hit, where Trump threatened to bomb Iran to the stone Trump posted he agreed to Iran's ten point framework. So Iran's always been saying, you agree to our framework, we're happy to have discussions with you. Otherwise, go away. Caitlin Dorn Bose of the New York Post, who I always view as kind of a Trump sycophant, she writes, we still haven't heard about a response from Iran on the US Peace memo. That's how they refer to it as in the future. One diplomatic source suggested avoiding timelines altogether. If the US Stops saying we expect a response in two days, they may actually get a response. Or maybe you can look at what Iran has been saying. Maybe we can acknowledge that Donald Trump is a pathological liar and every word, sound and syllable out of his mouth is a lie and that Donald Trump also sets arbitrary and fake deadlines and then doesn't follow through when he makes fake deadline. And instead he puts the United States, as he has always put everything in his life into what I've always referred to as the two week death spiral. Two weeks you're gonna get your healthcare plan. Two weeks you're gonna find out about Melania's immigration status. In two weeks this is gonna happen. In two weeks I'm gonna do this. I'm going to impose very strong tariffs now against the European Union. They've made me very, very mad. Remember that's what he said the other day. Actually, I'm going to extend the deadline cuz I with the European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. And now I'm gonna make the deadline July 4th, which is a great date. It's the America 250th birthday. So we'll see then. Then that date comes and then he moves that. We all know the shtick. He's done it his entire life. And ultimately you keep delaying, delaying, delaying. By the way, look what he did with COVID Like a miracle. It's all gonna go away by Easter. The curve is gonna be bent by summer, the heat is going to get rid of it. Don't you see? We're in the same Trump bankruptcy loop. He's been a loser his whole damn life. He's a coward, he's not smart. But what he does. He is a con artist. He can tap into people's reptilian brain by blaming other people for the problems. By saying he can fix it and blaming. But he can't fix it. Cause he's never been a builder, he's always been a destroyer. Sorry about that. Digress. Let's actually look at what the Iranians are saying. The head of the National Security Commission of the Iranian Parliament, Abraham Azizi. Here's what he says. Making the same mistake again and again won't get you a different answer, only a stronger one. Respect the new maritime regime of Iran. He also posts we warn governments, including microstates like Bahrain, that siding with the US backed resolution will bring severe consequences. The Strait of Hormuz is a vital lifeline. Do not risk closing it on yourselves forever. Iran's Minister Iraqi has been saying over and over again the following. Here's what he said yesterday. So if you want to know, what are they thinking in Iran? What are they? Maybe this. Every time a diplomatic solution is on the table. The US ops for a reckless military adventure, is it a crude pressure tactic or the result of a spoiler? Once Again due to duping POTUS into another quagmire. Whatever the cause, the outcome is the same. Iranians never bow to pressure, and diplomacy is always the victim. Also, the CIA is wrong. Our missile inventory and launcher capacity are not at 75% compared to February 28th. The correct figure is 120%. As for our readiness to defend our people, well, that's at 1,000%. Now, Iran has also responded in a way, they say through their Fars Regime agency, their state news agency. They say Iran is preparing to assert full sovereign control over the seven undersea Internet cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz, with foreign firms being required to obtain permits, pay transit fees, and operate under Iranian law. So not just the sea, or as Donald Trump says, not what you see with your eyes, the water, not just the Persian Gulf itself, and the Strait of Hormuz is under their control. What's underneath it? It's all of those cables that go into the data centers that connect the Internet in the Middle east and then globally. Iran's now saying, not just the ships, we can. Not just the Strait of Hormuz and the shipping we control, we control everything under it now. So the more Trump delays and gets us into more of these two week death spirals of weakness, just like he did with COVID It's the same thing in a way with COVID except manifested in the form of Trump's horrific negotiations here with Iran. Iran says, okay, now we control underneath as well. We'll take the cables and Donald Trump because they sense and they smell utter weakness, because he is. He's always been a weak person his whole damn life. The cables carry 15 to 20% of global Internet and financial data traffic linking Europe, the Gulf and Asia. Cable management and maintenance would be exclusively assigned to Iranian companies under the proposal the IRGC previously warned of cutting the submarine cables passing through Hormuz, which Gulf states depend on for over 90% of their Internet, banking and cloud services. Iran relies on them for less than 40%, with the rest routed over land through Turkey. How about that response? And then you have Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson saying, vermin like nocturnal scheming and naive euphemisms such as a light slap can do nothing to erase the profound disgrace born of narcissism, greed, reckless miscalculation, and lawless irresponsibility. The consequence of this whimsical adventurism and roguish behavior have now become clear to to the entire world. Disjointed delusional tweets no longer hold any sway over reality. Though, as ever, the deeper they sink into folly, the more inventive they become in justifying it. And he also posts a photo of the March of Folly, a book by Barbara Tuchman, an incredible historian who actually inspired my path down deep, a deep research of history when I read her book in 8th grade, the Calamitous 14th Century. Just a little tidbit there. But here's Donald Trump's posts before he's now gone silent. Posts like this. Lasers. Bing, bing, bing, gone. Bing, bing, gone. I mean, you think that's like, funny, I'm trying to. Or he posts this weird photo of himself at the reflecting pool with Doug Burgum. And for some reason that's unclear, Doug Burgum's wearing a tuxedo. Donald. This is a real photo. This isn't AI Donald Trump is wearing like a, like a trench coat, like a pea coat, even though it's 70 degrees. This is very bizarre behavior. Let me remind you. This is what Marco Rubio said yesterday morning that we were going to hear from Iran and that there would be a response in the evening and the US Would respond accordingly. This was Rubio yesterday morning. Here. Play this clip.

[Marco Rubio]

Has to be confronted.

[Political Commentator]

Can we talk to officials update on the, on the status of negotiations with Iran?

[Marco Rubio]

Well, we should know something today. I mean, we're expecting a response from them. We'll see what the response entails. The hope is it's something that it can put us into a serious process of negotiation. Obviously, we've seen the reporting overnight that Iran has established or trying to establish some agency that's going to control traffic in the straits. That would be very problem. That would actually be unacceptable. I mean, we're the normalizing of their controlling of international waterways, both illegal. And it's just something that's unacceptable. And the world has to start asking itself what is it willing to do if Iran tries to normalize a control of an international waterway.

[Political Commentator]

Hey, now here was the video that Hegseth dropped. When I think about the quote I read you from Iran's foreign spokesperson about the boorish roguish behavior. I mean, Hegseth thinks this makes him look tough. He's like, we've got deal team six working on this, man. Deal team six. We're war fighters, man. We're war fighters.

[Marc Thiessen]

Yeah.

[Political Commentator]

I mean, dude, you're an idiot. And this is a regime of idiots. This is a regime of real dumb idiots.

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[Political Commentator]

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[Political Commentator]

them with the most talented negotiators in the private sector, a group of businessmen so elite, they've been rightly dubbed Deal Team six. And even Donald Trump's biggest sycophant. I mean, this guy is the bootlicker of the bootlicker. Like, he's like, I won't even go there. Mark Thiessen, this is the guy Donald Trump always, like, posts over and over. Donald Trump so courageous. Donald Trump's Thiessen just went on Fox and he goes, trump risks snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in Iran. I'm not quite sure about the jaws of victory part. How is it a victory? We now don't have the Strait of Hormuz under control, which it existed before the war. Not a single objective listed in Donald Trump's catastrophic war was achieved. So I'm not sure of the taking defeat from the jaws of victory. It seems like we're taking catastrophic defeat from the jaws of awful defeat. Maybe that's how I would describe it. Here's what Thiessen says. Let's play this clip.

[Marc Thiessen]

Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen with me now. He's got a new column out today in the Washington Post titled Trump Risks Snatching Defeat from the jaws of Victory. You're offering the president some advice here, including and on X where you said, here's what Iran sees after being warned not to. They hit UAE and fired on a US Ship. And, and we didn't respond. Instead, we suspended the Strait of Hormuz mission. They take that as weakness. They don't think Trump is willing to bomb them again. They think they have leverage. He needs to prove them wrong. What would you tell him if you

[Ryan Reynolds]

had the exactly right?

[Political Commentator]

Okay, then just take a look. Thiessen. A review of the automatic identification system data from Marinetraffic.com where you see the transponders of these ships over the past 24 hours indicates zero commercial vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz. 0. 0. Not a single ship has gone by. And so this is what's coming out of Netanyahu right now. Israel believes no deal will be made with Iran as informed the US that any return to fighting must include the destruction of Iran's entire energy infrastructure in an estimated 24 hours. Like Netanyahu is doing the same thing that he's tried to get every president to do. But Donald Trump's like, sure, Benny Netanyahu,

[Marc Thiessen]

let's do it together.

[Political Commentator]

So let's do war crimes. Horrible. Several Arab countries hold the same position and support attacking the infrastructure, PER Israeli Channel 12. Okay, okay. Meanwhile, this is from CNN. U.S. intelligence assesses that Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Munjaba Khomeini is playing a critical role in shaping war strategy alongside senior Iranian officials, according to multiple sources. Jeremy Scahill says first he was possibly dead, then severely wounded, then not in a position of authority. Then. Then Iran is in disarray. Now he's playing a critical role. The blockade is working. Now we have Project Freedom. Now we don't. J.D. vance is on the way to Islamabad. No, it's Steve. It's Jared. No, no one. Yeah, I think we just go back to what I said at the outset of this video. Trump is a lying liar who lies. That's it. That's his dick. He's a liar. That's what he's done his whole life. It's, it's apparently been able to allow him to, to gain power. People don't stand up to. Got to stand up to this stuff, man. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 7 million subscribers. Thanks, everybody for watching new Midas merch drop. Check out the latest pro democracy sticker packs. T shirts, hats, sweatshirts, and more [e-mail]

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