Trump Runs Away to FL After His Disaster Destroys His Term

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The MeidasTouch Podcast

Episode: Trump Runs Away to FL After His Disaster Destroys His Term
Date: November 1, 2025
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas (MeidasTouch Network)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, the Meiselas brothers provide a scorching critique of Donald Trump’s recent behavior and perceived failures as President, highlighting his priorities—like extravagant Mar-a-Lago parties—while ignoring deep domestic crises such as rising food insecurity, looming government shutdowns, and reductions in public benefits. They connect these moments to larger issues of moral leadership, division, and the spectacle of Trump’s presidency, all delivered with their signature wit and urgency for democratic engagement.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Trump’s “Great Gatsby” Halloween Party During Crisis

• Segment: [01:48–07:08]
• Trump hosted a lavish, Roaring 20s-themed Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago, dubbed “A little bit of partying never killed nobody” despite Americans facing starvation, government shutdown, and widespread economic insecurity.
• The hosts note the Trump family and cabinet’s insensitivity: “They were literally laughing at you as they starve you to death.” (Ben, [02:24])
• Eric Trump’s family attended dressed as money, a “grotesque” spectacle while protesting Americans were mocked.
• Emphasizes disconnect: “You’re supposed to be the leader…there’s a government shutdown; food bank lines…never been this long, ever…that’s what you’re doing.” (Ben, [02:55])

2. Trump’s Social Media Antics and MAGA Movement Oddities

• Segment: [03:20–04:53]
• Trump made “odd posts,” including awkward photos with Erika Kirk, likely in response to JD Vance.
• Additional social media posts attacked Black judges, attorney generals, and politicians, promoting division: “Just trying to divide us.” (Ben, [04:30])
• Spread unsupported claims about cartels placing bounties on ICE agents—debunked by Mexican authorities.

3. Manipulation and Misinformation: The ICE Video Incident

• Segment: [05:04–07:08]
• The Trump administration manipulated a patriotic TikTok video by Black youths, overlaying it with false claims about cartel threats to ICE.
• The hosts highlight the racist undertones and intent to sow division: “They posted it from the official Homeland Security account…to attack these young Black men and the Black community in general.” (Ben, [06:19])

4. Media Literacy and Ground News Recommendation

• Segment: [07:09–08:48]
• In light of misinformation, Ben urges listeners to diversify news sources and recommends the Ground News app for distinguishing real news from partisan slants.
• Notable feature: “You can see what right wing sites are posting, left wing sites, and so-called center sites.” (Ben, [07:49])
• Independent sources often more reliable than conglomerate outlets.

5. On-the-Ground Reporting: Immigration Protests in Chicago

• Segment: [09:10–10:13]
• Quoting Elliot Higgins (Bellingcat) and activist Alex Hahn, they discuss ICE’s brutality at immigration protests in Chicago.
• Alex Hahn: “It’s hard to explain…these are not protests. This is people coming out of their homes doing anything to try to stop their neighbors from being kidnapped.” (Paraphrased, [09:51])

6. Trump and Republicans’ SNAP and Healthcare Cuts

• Segment: [10:13–10:54]
• Trump claimed only Democrats use SNAP benefits—a false talking point.
• Quote from Trump: “When you talk about SNAP, it’s largely the Democrats who use it…they’re hurting their own people. Thank you very much, everybody.” ([10:54], Trump audio clip)
• Hosts highlight that many in “red” states rely on public benefits.

7. Critique of Trump’s Economic and Trade Record

• Segment: [11:12–13:46]
• Trump’s reputation as a dealmaker is challenged; repeated bankruptcies (“Why would he bankrupt casinos over and over again?” (Ben, [11:22]))
• Losses in Chinese trade deal: U.S. exports fewer soybeans and gets only conditional access to rare earth elements; “China is winning the trade war without fighting.” (Ben quoting Bloomberg, [12:53])
• Exposes Trump’s narratives of economic victory as hollow.

8. Deeper Lessons: The Gatsby Analogy

• Segment: [14:17–15:41]
• Hosts draw parallels between the themes of The Great Gatsby and Trump’s presidency:
  • “The American Dream is an illusion and…the pursuit of wealth can lead to moral decay and unhappiness.” (Brett, [14:21])
  • “Wealth and class are more important than morality…old money characters are depicted as careless, decadent, and morally bankrupt.” (Ben, [14:56])
  • “The pursuit of wealth is a hollow goal…Gatsby’s lavish parties and wealth ultimately fail to bring him happiness.” (Brett, [15:27])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Callout of Trump’s Party:
  “They’re quite literally laughing at you as they starve you to death…that’s not what we want as the leader.” — Ben ([02:24])

• On Misinformation:
  “They posted [false claims] from the official Homeland Security account…to further divide our communities.” — Ben ([06:19])

• On Trump’s SNAP Comment:
  “When you talk about SNAP, it’s largely the Democrats who use it…they’re hurting their own people.” — Donald Trump ([10:54], audio clip)

• On Trump as Deal-Maker:
  “Why do you think he’s gone bankrupt so many times before he was in president?...Maybe because he was born with tons of money and he just would basically screw up over and over again with zero accountability, using daddy’s money.” — Ben ([11:16], [11:36])

• The Gatsby Takeaway:
  “The American Dream is an illusion and…the pursuit of wealth can lead to moral decay and unhappiness.” — Brett ([14:21])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:48] Trump’s Great Gatsby Halloween party while U.S. faces crises
• [04:30] Trump attacks Black officials; social media division tactics
• [05:06] ICE video manipulation scandal
• [07:49] Why media literacy matters, Ground News recommendation
• [09:51] ICE protests in Chicago, on-the-ground impact
• [10:54] Trump’s remarks on SNAP and public benefits
• [11:22] Trump’s failed business track record and trade deals
• [14:17] The Gatsby analogy and deeper critique of Trump’s values

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Conclusion & Call to Action

The episode closes with the brothers urging listeners to “wake up” to the real impacts of Trump’s behaviors and policies, stay informed through diverse sources, and resist being distracted by spectacle and misinformation.

“Let me know what you think. Hit subscribe, let’s get to 6 million. We appreciate you, as always!” ([15:41])

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Transcript

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That right there is from the city of Sumy in Ukraine. I share that video with you to show you that there's lot going on in this world that we need to be paying attention to but what Donald Trump is focused on. While you have international affairs events like that taking place within the past two weeks and as you have Americans starving here in the United States is Donald Trump threw a Great Gatsby Halloween theme party. The theme was called A little bit of partying never killed nobody a roaring 20 themes party 20s theme party and you can see what they were doing right here. An entertainer at Trump's Halloween party. Here you have dancers surrounding Donald Trump and his cabinet at the Halloween party at Mar a Lago. I mean, they're quite literally laughing at you as they starve you to death. I mean, you see it right here. Trump cabinet members Marco Rubio and others. Here are more guests heading into the event. Meanwhile, at Mar a Lago tonight, you have this stuff taking place. And look, I'm all for, you know, a good time. You know, I'm all for, you know, a party here and there, you know, sure. But like, you're the supposed to be the leader of the president of the United States. There's a government shutdown. The food bank lines in cities across the United States have never been this long, ever. You had these SNAP benefits almost about to expire. You have 20 million Americans about to get kicked off of health care. Americans can't afford their rent right now. Nothing is affordable here. And that's what you're doing, a roaring 20s theme party. A little bit of partying never killed nobody as your theme. You know, in the Trump family members were literally dressed as money. Eric Trump's family, they dressed as money while they mocked the peaceful no Kings protests. It's just, that's not what we want. As the leader, I think, of this country. Just putting it bluntly, here's Donald Trump with some of his guests enjoying the return to Mar a Lago. Also this morning, Donald Trump was making a bunch of just very kind of odd posts. He was posting the these photos with him and Erica Kirk. I'm not really sure why he was posting this. This event happened a long time ago, but it seems that it was in response to JD Vance's photos with Kirk's widow surfacing. These photos right here. More of these photos. Just strange. I mean, bizarre way to like, hug somebody. The whole thing is just odd. What's going on with this maga, with this MAGA movement. More posts from Donald Trump today attacking black judges, black attorney generals, black politicians, you know, more of the same from Donald Trump just trying to divide us. I don't even want to read his social media posts because they're so disgusting and despicable and filled with lies. Then of course, you have, you know, the post that he makes about, oh, we found out again that, that the cartels are putting bounties on ice agents, and the president of Mexico says, we have no clue what you're talking about.

[D]

Share us, share with us the information.

[G]

If you believe that cartels have bounties on ice agents, and let's be cooperative and collaborative, but of course, the Trump regime never shares information.

[D]

You recall what they did two weeks.

[G]

Ago, right in the Chicago area regarding this claim about the bounties on ICE agents. They took a video of young black men and they manipulated the text on the video. Then they posted it from the official Homeland Security account. So the actual text on the video was, you seen that we. You've seen what we can do. Don't say something that you can finish. Iran, we already united. We all stand with America. We want all the smoke that was right around the time the B2 bombers struck those or said they were striking them. Nuclear facilities in Iran, but didn't really destroy them. And Iran is able to keep most of its nuclear capabilities. But Donald Trump declared success, just like the way he lies about everything. But anyway, there was like a, like a trend at that time where tiktokers would post, post, we're coming for you, Iran. It was actually like a, like a.

[D]

Patriotic message by these young black men.

[G]

And then the Department of Homeland Security literally changed the text to ice, we're on the way. Word in the streets cartels put a $50,000 bounty on y'. All.

[D]

And then the ICE official account said.

[G]

You know we're coming for you, referring to these young black men in order for them to further divide our communities and to attack these young black men and black community in general. More photos of here. Donald Trump at the Gatsby party with his cabinet members. Here you see Lara Trump dressing her kid up in hundred dollar bills or dressed up as, as money. Donald Trump and his rapid response White House account kept on posting photos throughout the day yesterday and today about the new marble and gold faucets in the Lincoln Bedroom and their brought in very expensive rugs for the Kennedy Center. They think that this is an important thing to be discussing and sharing today. And again, it's just quite strange behavior.

[D]

You know, with all of this going on.

[G]

I think it's why it's important we have a media diet that where we could get accurate news from. I think it's more important now than ever. And so one of the sources that I use is something called Ground News. I stay up to date on the news all the time in order to do this podcast to do my morning YouTube videos.

[D]

It's a subscriber funded app called Ground.

[G]

News again and news site.

[D]

Every day they pull in thousands of.

[G]

Articles from around the world and organize them by story and then show you what the rights report and what the center is reporting and what the left is reporting. I think it's a game changer because as active, responsible citizens, we must get our news from reliable sources. Especially this is the case in Trump's America.

[D]

One of the reasons I love ground.

[G]

News is they have this feature where you can see what's being reported by large conglomerates versus independent news. You can also see what right wing sites are posting, left wing sites and so so called center sites are reported and actually find that independent news is more reliable in my opinion than these conglomerate sources. And I use what's called the Vantage subscription plan on ground News and I especially like their blind spot feature which highlights stories that are disproportionately covered by one side of the political spectrum. You know, like there's like, there's stories here as it relates to the government shutdown, as it relates to how energy costs are skyrocketing.

[D]

And a lot of these stories I've.

[G]

Been reading on ground news that just talks about the suffering of the people. You'll see that like very little right wing sources are covering those stories and instead they cover all of like the culture war stories and it allows me to see.

[D]

Got it. Like they're just not getting this information.

[G]

And when I try to curate the Midas touch network, I'm like, how could I just give people access to accurate information?

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So do me a favor, join us.

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By going to ground news slash MTN. Get 40% off the ground news Vantage plan that I use every morning. They are subscriber funded. By subscribing, you're not only getting a.

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Tool we all need today, you're also.

[G]

Supporting our work here on this YouTube channel. So go to gr o u n d news MTN and we've pinned the link to purchase your subscription below. Thanks, Ground News. Going back to this video as well, I want to share with you what people are saying on the ground in Chicago right now, like Alex Hahn. So he appreciates the coverage by this guy, Elliot Higgins. Elliot Higgins for this website bellingcat says pattern of extreme brutality taking place in Chicago. Tear gas, pepper balls among the weapons used by federal agents at Illinois immigration protests.

[D]

And Alex Hahn responds, I appreciate this.

[G]

Coverage, Eliot, but it's hard to explain.

[D]

To people not in Chicago that these are not protests. This is people coming out of their.

[G]

Homes doing anything in their power to try to stop their neighbors from being kidnapped by Donald Trump's ICE agents. It's coming for your city next, so please be prepared. Meanwhile, as Donald Trump was landing to go to that party, he kept on.

[D]

Saying that snap is not needed by.

[G]

Republicans and that his Voters don't need snap.

[D]

He says when you talk about snap, it's largely the Democrats who use it.

[G]

Which again, is entirely false.

[D]

And it just shocks me how these.

[G]

MAGA supporters who rely on MET Medicaid or the Affordable Care act plans, who.

[D]

Depend on snap, who frankly depend on more government services than in the blue.

[G]

States, that they don't realize what's really going on here.

[D]

I hope that we're helping to wake them up. And I know we're reaching a lot.

[G]

Of them here on the Midas Touch.

[D]

Network by bringing the facts and receipts. But just like, look what he's saying here.

[G]

Play this clip.

[H]

And you know, largely when you talk about snap, you're talking about largely Democrats. But I'm president. I want to help everybody. I want to Democrats and Republicans. But when you're talking about snap, if you look, it's largely Democrats, they're hurting their own people. Thank you very much, Everybody.

[C]

Thank you, Mr. President.

[D]

And for all of those who said, oh, Trump's a great negotiator and he.

[G]

Does these great deals, why do you think he's gone bankrupt so many times before he was in president?

[D]

Why would he bankrupt casinos over and.

[G]

Over and over again?

[D]

Do you think that's because the deep state did it? Was that because Nancy Pelosi or anything before he was in politics? Why do you think that was? Maybe because he's the worst deal maker.

[G]

Maybe it's because he was born with.

[D]

Tons of money and he just would basically screw up over and over again with zero accountability, using daddy's money. I mean, just look at the deal he did. Not even a real deal. Look at what he did with China where he agreed that America should take less metric tons of soybeans than under former President Biden.

[G]

Under Biden, America was exporting 27. Sorry, what we're exporting.

[D]

America was exporting 27 million metric tons.

[G]

Of soybeans to China then.

[D]

And under Trump, he's agreed to a deal that said 25 million metric tons starting next year.

[G]

And this year will be 12 million metric tons.

[D]

So 15 million metric tons less this year than 2024. Then going forward, 2 million metric tons less. But there's no signed deal, so China.

[G]

Could always just stop doing it.

[D]

And also when it comes to the rare earth elements, China says that, okay, we'll start giving you rare earth elements again. Under former President Biden, we had the rare earth elements.

[G]

So we were getting them. They cut them off under Donald Trump in response to his trade war against the world.

[D]

But China says Every year we'll do a reevaluation of it and you have to basically give us something. So China then establishes a position of leverage.

[G]

And what did China get from the United States? They got access to kind of critical semiconductor technology.

[D]

And it was a massive win for China. I mean, Bloomberg writes, china is winning the trade war without fighting. The winner in this round of the.

[G]

Trade talks is clear.

[D]

I mean, it's not even a close call. And I'm not just saying that because I don't like Trump. I mean, if you are exporting less metric tons of soybeans this year than last year, why are you spiking the football? If you're getting less rare earth elements than last year and you have to get China's approval, why are you spiking the football? Those aren't good facts. And for Donald Trump to say, oh, the war with Ukraine or Russia's invasion of Ukraine never would have happened if I was in office. Russian missile, Russian missile strikes on Ukraine have hit a two and a half.

[G]

Year high under Donald Trump.

[D]

The Ukraine conflict would not have happened if I were presidents. What Donald Trump says. But it seems that things are getting much, much worse there as a result of Donald Trump also. I'll just leave you with this thought right here.

[G]

Two thoughts rather.

[D]

One, Trump tariffs were supposed to bring about a revival of US Manufacturing, but the opposite is happening. Trump stated goals were always bs. The tariffs are about Trump controlling other countries. That's easy. Under Biden, we were in objectively a manufacturing and construction boom. Now we're in a manufacturing and construction recession. If you're in manufacturing or construction, you know that, I mean, it's not like, you know, it's, it's an objective factor right now that that's what's going on.

[G]

I will, I'll leave you with this, though.

[D]

Trump's throwing this Great Gatsby theme party.

[G]

And I'll just show you what's the.

[D]

Main message of the Great Gatsby? That the American Dream is an illusion and that the pursuit of wealth can.

[G]

Lead to moral declar, decay and unhappiness.

[D]

The novel critiques the superficiality and materialism of the Jazz Age, showing how social class barriers are rigid and how an idealized past is often unattainable. No matter how much wealth one accumulates, the American Dream is corrupted and unattainable. Gatsby's pursuit of wealth to win Daisy represents a perversion of the original dream of success through hard work. And his wealth can't buy him entry.

[G]

Into the old money elite feet or his true love.

[D]

Wealth and class are more important than morality. The old money characters like Tom and Daisy are depicted as careless, decadent and morally bankrupt, insulated from the consequences of their actions, while Gatsby, despite his criminal activities, is portrayed as having a more genuine, albeit flawed, sense of purpose. It is impossible to recapture the past. Gatsby's obsession with reliving his past with Daisy is a central theme, showing that the past is something that cannot be recreated, recaptured, and is often more idealized.

[G]

In memory than it was in reality.

[D]

The pursuit of wealth is a hollow goal. The novel suggests that a society focused on material possessions and pleasures above all else is empty. Gatsby's lavish parties and wealth ultimately failed to bring him happiness, as they are just a means to an end that.

[G]

Can never be reached. There you have it. Let me know what you think. Hit subscribe let's get to 6 million. We appreciate you as always.

[D]

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