Trump Panics as Troops Turn Against Him in War!!!

Summary

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The MeidasTouch Podcast

Episode: Trump Panics as Troops Turn Against Him in War!!!
Date: March 23, 2026
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas

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Overview

In this urgent and fast-paced episode, the Meiselas brothers dissect the turmoil surrounding Donald Trump’s rejection by U.S. troops amid escalating war tensions with Iran. The episode focuses on plunge in troop morale, Trump’s reckless ultimatums, pushback from military families, and the dangerous unpredictability of American and Israeli military strategy. The brothers blend sharp reporting, searing criticism, and their signature brotherly banter to critique Trump’s leadership in a time of international crisis.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Troop Morale at Historic Lows ([02:01]–[06:39])

• Disillusionment among Troops: U.S. Navy and Marine personnel, especially those on the USS Gerald Ford, Abraham Lincoln, and the Marine Expeditionary Force possibly headed to Iran, are described as “absolutely livid.” Their families are frightened, and objectives remain murky.
• Lack of Clarity from Leadership: Troops are questioning “the purpose of the war in the first place,” voicing concerns of being used as “political pawns.”
  • Notable quote: “We do not want to die for Israel. We do not want to be political pawns.” (Citing a Huffington Post report)
• Trump’s Social Media Outbursts: Trump is described as “ranting and raving like a lunatic” online, providing no actionable clarity to servicemembers or the public.

2. International Responses & Rising Tensions ([06:39]–[09:45])

• Iran’s Defiance: Iran dismisses Trump’s threats and holds firm on the Strait of Hormuz.
  • Iranian Foreign Minister’s message (paraphrased): “Freedom of navigation cannot exist without freedom of trade. Respect both or expect neither.”
• IRGC Ridicule: The Iranian Revolutionary Guard publicly mocks Trump in English:
  • Quote: “You are fired. You are familiar with this sentence. Thank you for your attention.” ([06:39])
• Israel’s Role: Netanyahu emphasizes unity with the U.S. regarding any attack on Iran’s energy infrastructure:
  • Quote: “Whatever we do, we do together with the United States, even if that means blowing up the civilian energy infrastructure in Iran.” (Netanyahu, paraphrased from Israeli media segments)

3. Escalating War Footing and Bizarre Demands ([09:45]–[17:10])

• Trump’s 48-hour Ultimatum: Trump threatens “total decimation of Iran” if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened, continues verbal attacks on NATO, and boasts about intended honors in Jerusalem.
• Rhetorical Focus on Culture War: Instead of addressing conflict goals, Trump fixates on “genital mutilation” and conditions any Senate deals on “mutualization” (his term), while threatening to deploy ICE to airports and polling stations ([06:47]).
  • Host commentary: “We’re at a war. Americans can’t afford things right now. This is a disastrous war that looks like it’s about to escalate… and this is the type of stuff that [Trump] is out there posting right now.”
• ICE and TSA Funding Standoff: Trump and Republicans demand expanded powers for ICE, including masked agents at polling stations and reduced oversight, as a condition for further airport security financing.

4. Strategic and Logistical Nightmares ([13:00]–[17:10])

• Operational Risks for U.S. Troops: Military experts warn of a potential “meat grinder” scenario if the U.S. invades Karg Island.
  • Atlantic quote (read on-air):
  • "U.S. troops may well take Karg island only to endure ballistic missile strikes, drone attacks, and petrochemical smoke, all without a reliable means of obtaining logistical support… The result could be a grinding war of attrition."
• Comparisons to Past Wars: Commentary derides “armchair quarterbacking,” drawing problematic parallels to Iwo Jima:
  • Lindsey Graham: “We did Iwo Jima. We can do this. The day we control that island, this [Iranian] regime… will die on a vine.” ([16:46])

5. Information Warfare and Misinformation ([17:25]–[19:27])

• Netanyahu Interview: Affirms that any strikes on Iran will be carried out “in partnership” with the U.S.
• U.S. Treasury’s Controversial Oil Strategy: Treasury Secretary Scott Besant claims sanctions relief is “jujitsu” against Iran and Russia; the hosts express incredulity at this spin, noting that it funds enemies during an ongoing conflict.
  • Besant: “We are jiu-jitsuing the Iranians. We are using their own oil against them.”
• Regional Backlash: Iranian officials threaten retaliation against financial entities supporting the U.S. military and underline the grave risk of escalation across the region.

6. Disastrous Intelligence and Political Miscalculations ([14:00]–[16:00])

• Iranian Public Support Increases for the Regime: Instead of sparking a popular uprising as Mossad and Trump predicted, U.S.-Israeli attacks appear to unify Iranians behind the Ayatollah.
• Civilians Suffer: Mourning ceremonies for killed IRGC officials show solidarity, contradicting administration's claims of Iranian regime fragility.

7. Domestic Backdrop and Political Theater ([15:00]–[18:00])

• Trump is shown golfing and focused on personal accolades (like the “Israel Prize”) while critical military decisions are looming.
• Lindsey Graham and other Trump allies push a simplistic “take the island” narrative, downplaying the likely loss of life and complexity.
• American public overwhelmingly opposes the war—66% see it as a “war of choice.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• U.S. Troops’ Frustration:
  • “We do not want to die for Israel. We do not want to be political pawns.” (Citing Huffington Post report, [02:01])
• Iranian taunt to Trump:
  • “You are fired. You are familiar with this sentence. Thank you for your attention to this matter.” (IRGC Spokesperson, [06:39])
• Trump doubling down:
  • “You’ll find out soon what’s going to happen. You’re going to find out soon. It’s going to be very good, total decimation of Iran. It’s going to work out very good. …Now they’re going to get their comeuppance.” (Donald Trump, quoting call to Israeli Channel 13, [03:30])
• Netanyahu’s alignment:
  • “Anything we do, we do together with the United States, even if that means blowing up the civilian energy infrastructure in Iran.” (Netanyahu, paraphrased, [04:10], confirmed in clip [17:25])
• Lindsey Graham on military action:
  • “We did Iwo Jima, we can do this. The Marines… my money is always on the Marines." ([16:46])
• Treasury Secretary Scott Besant:
  • “We are jiu-jitsuing the Iranians. We are using their own oil against them.” ([18:16])

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:01] — U.S. Troops’ anger; Trump’s failed ultimatum
• [03:30] — Trump’s statements to Israeli media
• [04:10] — Netanyahu on U.S.-Israel coordination
• [06:39] — IRGC public mockery of Trump (audio clip)
• [06:47] — Trump’s focus on “gender mutualization” and ICE threats
• [13:00] — Risks outlined for Karg Island invasion
• [16:46] — Lindsey Graham’s “Iwo Jima” comments
• [17:25] — Netanyahu interview on U.S./Israel partnership in strikes
• [18:16] — Treasury Secretary’s “jiu-jitsu” logic

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Tone and Style

The episode blends urgency, sarcasm, and frustration as the brothers analyze the administration’s lack of coherent strategy, deride “political theater,” and underscore the real human costs for troops and civilians. The hosts infuse their reporting with banter but maintain a serious critique of leadership failures and media spin.

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Conclusion

This action-packed episode paints a chaotic picture of Trump’s war footing, the deteriorating support among U.S. troops, and mounting global dangers. The Meiselas brothers highlight the cascading consequences of rash decisions, disinformation, and the hijacking of real security concerns for culture war spectacle — all while the world teeters on the edge of even greater instability.

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Transcript

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[Political Commentator]

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[News Anchor]

only thing that should interrupt your listening is, well, nothing. Download the Amazon Music app today. Donald Trump is panicking. Not only has his 48 hour ultimatum to Iran been rejected, but American troops are now expressing how angry they are at Donald Trump and his regime. You are aware based on our prior reporting that Iran said it will not give up control over the Strait of Hormuz in 48 hours. After Donald Trump threatened war crimes against Iran that he would blow up all of the energy civilian infrastructure if Iran didn't give up these Strait of Hormuz. Now we're hearing from U.S. troops. Here's what U.S. troops are saying behind the scenes. And we already knew that morale was very low, especially amongst the Navy members of the USS Gerald Ford and the Abraham Lincoln. Now we're hearing those being sent on this Marine expeditionary force that are likely being sent to Iran to invade the Kharg island are absolutely livid. Their families are obviously incredibly worried. Nobody knows what the goals and objectives are. And Donald Trump just rants and raves like a lunatic on social, social media. US Troops in the Iran conflict are increasingly uneasy, citing stress, safety concerns and unclear goals. Some describe a lack of planning, with one official warning a ground operation would be an absolute disaster. Many troops are questioning the purpose of the war in the first place, with some saying, quote, we do not want to die for Israel. We do not want to be political pawns. This comes from a recent report by Huffington Post. And in the past 24 hours, Donald Trump has been calling lots of different reporters, many reporters in Israel. For example, he called Israel's Channel 13 and here's what he stated about his recent ultimatum against Iran and the Strait of Hormuz. You'll find out soon what's going to happen. You're going to find out soon. It's going to be very good, total decimation of Iran. It's going to work out very good. They've been very bad, very bad for 47 years. Iran. Now they're going to get their comeuppance. And then Donald Trump attacked NATO on this phone call with Neria krause of Channel 13 in Israel. They're not doing anything. It is too bad, too bad. It's Israel, of course, is very supportive in a wide scale attack on Iran's energy facilities. They've announced this on Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation. Benjamin Netanyahu said anything we do, we do together with the United States, even if that means blowing up the civilian energy infrastructure in Iran. Iran has responded. You do that, we'll go after the desalination facilities and energy infrastructure in the surrounding Arab nations that have American military bases on them. Iran's Foreign Minister Aragchi put out the following message on his social media platform yesterday. The Strait of Hormuz is not closed. Ships hesitate because insurers fear the war of choice you initiated, not Iran. No insurer and no Iranian will be swayed by more threats. Try respect. Freedom of navigation cannot exist without freedom of trade. Respect both or expect neither. Then you have the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson mocking Donald Trump in English saying, hey Trump, you're fired. You're familiar with this sentence. Thank you for your attention to this matter. They are mocking the United States. Never before, at least in my lifetime and the lifetime of my parents and grandparents or I think ever has the United States been mocked and laughed at in this way. As Donald Trump goes on social media ranting and raving like a lunatic. Here, play with this. IRGC spokesperson just said. Here, let's play this clip.

[Political Commentator]

You are fired. You are familiar with this sentence. Thank you for your attention to this matter. The central headquarter of gatam Olympia.

[News Anchor]

Now, Donald Trump's been going on social media to mock Prime Minister Kier Starmer. And Donald Trump's also been going on social media to rant and rave about the Save America act. And he continues to talk about like genital mutilation and his. That's what Donald Trump's big word right now is mutilization, everybody. And we need to stop mutualization. Donald Trump says, I don't think we should make any deal with with crazy country destroying radical left Democrats unless and until they vote with Republicans to pass the Save America Act. It's far more important than anything else we're doing in the Senate. Donald Trump then says that he's going to send ICE into all of the airports starting today because of no transgender mutualization. And that's why he's sending ICE agents. Democrats have said, look, we're happy to fund tsa. We want to fund tsa. Democrats have introduced a lot of bills to make sure all the airports are funded. But Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans want to make sure that ICE agents wear masks, that ICE agents do not have to follow due process requirements of the Constitution and that ICE agents can appear at polling stations and that ICE agents don't have to identify themselves. Those are non negotiables to the Republicans and those are the non negotiables for Democrats to further fund ice. My personal view, speaking for myself, I want to see ICE and Border Patrol completely abolished. But Donald Trump just admitting in that message that I just posted that he will not agree to any deal unless something about gender mutualization. Again, we're at a war. Americans can't afford things right now. This is a disastrous war that looks like it's about to escalate even more with Donald Trump sending troops that appear to be ready for a ground invasion. And this is the type of stuff that he is out there posting right now. American officials are telling its allies, or I guess former allies that the US will likely be forced to launch this ground operation to capture Carg island chillin in the Strait of Hormuz pretty soon. This was published in the i24 latest news edition. Trump tells Channel 14 he expects to come to Jerusalem in April to receive the Israel Prize. So Donald Trump bragging about that. That's what he called up channel 14 to say. The visit, if finalized, would make a marger a major symbolic moment for Donald Trump. Really? The Israel Prize. What are we even talking about here now? Hannah Brandt, a reporter from News Nation asked Donald Trump what he thinks of Iran's foreign minister, saying they won't be swayed by Donald Trump's threats and Trump's 48 hour ultimatum, to which Donald Trump said, okay, let's see whether or not he's right. What are you doing? Like corny movie lines. This is life or death stuff and this is how Donald Trump is behaving. So from that contingent of 4,500 U.S. sailors and marines heading to the Middle East, Washington Post is saying that this Israeli official who appears to be on notice that Trump is preparing this invasion of the Carg Islands says about our Marines here in the United States, those Marines are not coming for decorate for decoration. There's a reason that they are coming here, that this operation, this ground invasion of Iran could take a few weeks. That's what they're saying. Here's an interesting article from the Atlantic which fight tooks News explains, but this is from the Atlantic about what the US Troops would face in an invasion of Carg Island. Sure, the US Troops may well take Carg island only to endure ballistic missile strikes, drone attacks and petrochemical smoke, all without a reliable means of obtaining logistical support. Because if you think about it, Karg is far 140 miles from American assets in Kuwait City, very close to Iran's coast. And this, you know, most people who know anything about military logistics say this will obviously be a disaster, will be throwing our Marines into a meat grinder basically, by the way, the same way Putin does that in Ukraine. It's important to note as well, the CEO of Saudi Arabia's Aramco, the world's largest oil company, has now withdrawn from a major energy conference in Houston which was supposed to start today as the situation in the Middle east threatens to escalate further. The conference was set for today when Trump's ultimatum expires in a few hours. No doubt that the Middle east is on edge for reprisals from such an attack. And one of the things to focus on as well as Fayette Hooks News puts it, and we've been talking about it, is you got to watch what's happening in the Red Sea. The Houthis have not yet gotten involved in this war. And I think they've deliberately have held back waiting for Iran's signal to shut down the Red Sea. The way the Persian Gulf right now is at a standstill at this moment. And again, Donald Trump is spending his time attacking Reza Pavlovi, the son of the shah, calling him a loser prince. According to reporting by the New New Yorker, Trump is attacking Naito at the same time. And you have the head of Iran's parliament, MB Gallobaaf, posting the following Alongside military bases, those financial entities that finance the U.S. military budget are legitimate targets. U.S. treasury bonds are soaked in Iranians blood. Purchase them and you purchase a strike on your headquarters and assets. We monitor your portfolios. This is your final notice. A few other points that we need to focus on as well. Number one, that Patriot missile, well, the strike in Bahrain that took place early in the war. Remember March 9th, there was a major blast 10 days into the war where 32 people were injured, including children, some very seriously injured in Bahrain. And this was blamed on Iran. Well, what seems to have happened, and Reuters is reporting it and it's not being denied by our Department of Defense anymore, is that a Patriot missile interceptor shooting down an Iranian drone was actually what was responsible for this strike on Bahrain. Should also be noted that NATO Secretary General Mark Rut is saying that the alliance cannot confirm Israel's claim that the missiles targeting Diego Garcia were of Iranian origin, were of Iranian intercontinental ballistic missiles. So begs the question, whose missiles were it and why can't that be confirmed? More data coming out, more information coming out. A great report from the New York Times on this. How Netanyahu and Trump embrace this report by the Mossad saying that if there were initial strikes against Iran, it would trigger a popular uprising against the Ayatollah and people would reclaim Iran for democracy. The opposite is what's transpired. I mean, take a look right here, what happened yesterday. And again, these are the types of scenes that we're seeing in Iran right now where the pro democracy protesters were out in January and Trump promised to help him, but threw him under the bus and they got massacred. Here you're seeing pro Ayatollah, pro irgc, pro Islamic Republic mourners outside in the city of Kashan and they're out there to bury IRGC spokesman Ali Muhammad Nayeni, who was killed this past weekend in U.S. israeli strikes. Look at the amount of people who are there right now. Look, the American people don't support this war. 66% view this as a war of choice. Right now, Donald Trump was spending the weekend golfing. You see his cars arriving at the West Palm Beach Golf Club over the weekend. That's what Trump was spending his time doing. And meanwhile, you had people in the Trump regime or close proximity to it, like Lindsey Graham saying, of course we should invade the Carg Island. We did Iwo Jima, let's do the car. This is easy for us. Here's what Lindsey Graham had to say. Let's play this clip iterated and they're

[Political Commentator]

running out of money. So here, here's what I tell President Trump. Keep it up for a few more weeks. Take Carg island, where all of the resources they have to produce oil, control that island, let this regime down a vein.

[Podcast Host]

Is this going to though take Carg Island? Is it going to involve US Troops on the ground? Let me, let me just read you something from the Atlantic does an assessment on that. They say U.S. troops may well take Cargill, and we believe their ability to do so, but only to endure ballistic missile strikes, drone attacks, petrochemical smoke, all without a reliable means of obtaining logistical support. The result could be a grinding war of attrition. They talk about how far away they would be from resupply.

[Political Commentator]

Sort of tired of, of all this armchair quarterback. And this has been amazing military operation, God bless the fallen.

[Podcast Host]

But it's a difference.

[Political Commentator]

On the ground, I trust the Marines, not that guy. I trust dod. We got two Marine Expeditionary Units sailing to this island. We did Iwo Jima. We can do this. The Marines. My money is always on the Marines. I don't know if you take the island or you blockade the island, but I know this, the day we control that island, this regime, this terrorist regime has been weakened. It will die on a vine.

[News Anchor]

Meanwhile, you have Benjamin Netanyahu giving interviews. And here he's saying whatever we do, we do in partnership with the United States regarding striking the energy infrastructure of Iran. Let's play this clip.

[Political Commentator]

Overnight, President Trump said that if in 48 hours the Iranians don't open the Strait of Hormuz, that there will be strikes against the power grids in Iran. Will you participate in those strikes? And what do you think should happen next in this campaign? I think President Trump knows exactly what he's doing. And whatever we do, we do together

[News Anchor]

and as far as possible, in confidence and somehow. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant believes that we're doing jujitsu to Iran and Russia by removing the sanctions on them and allowing Iran and Russia to make billions of dollars selling their oil in the global oil market. That's us showing strength, he said. It's us doing jiu jitsu. Here is what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessen said. Let's play it.

[Podcast Host]

But why is the US Helping to fund a country that it's currently at war with?

[Treasury Official]

Mr. Secretary, again, Kristen, why don't we have good facts here that Iranian oil was always going to be sold to the Chinese. It was going to be sold at a discount. So which, which is better, Kristen? The seven the which is better? If they were if oil prices spiked to $150 and they were getting 70% of that or oil prices below 100, it's better to have them where they are now. And to be clear, we had always planned for this contingency. About 140 million barrels are out on the water. In essence, we are jiu jitsuing the Iranians. We are using their own oil against them. We have a much better line of sight, to be clear, a Treasury when this oil goes to if it goes to Indonesia, if it goes to Japan, if it goes to Korea, we have a much better line of sight and are able to block accounts that the oil goes into. When it goes into China, it completely gets recycled. So to be clear, that 14 billion number is growth overstated.

[News Anchor]

Well, there you have it folks. We'll keep you posted. Of course, every step of the way we try to give you these comprehensive updates. Be sure to check back here on the Midas Touch Network at in the next what at 11am Pacific time I'll be doing a big breaking news major announcement here on the Midas Touch Network. Make sure you watch that live. You can go to our live YouTube feed to check out the big Midas Touch announcement at that time. Thank you all so much for watching. We're grateful for you. We appreciate you. Now hit subscribe and help us get to 7 million subscribers. Thank you all so much. Love this video. Support independent media and unlock exclusive content, ad free videos and custom emojis by becoming a paid member of our YouTube channel today. You can also gift memberships to others. Let's keep growing together.

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