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- [00:01]
Ben Meiselas
This episode is brought to you by Lifelock. The holidays mean more travel, more shopping, more time online and more personal info in places that could expose you to identity theft. That's why LifeLock monitors millions of data points every second.
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Brett Meiselas
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Ben Meiselas
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Brett Meiselas
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Ben Meiselas
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Jordy Meiselas
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Ben Meiselas
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Jordy Meiselas
The big man up north. And this year he wants you to know the best gift that you can give someone is the gift of Mint.
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Ben Meiselas
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Brett Meiselas
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Ben Meiselas
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Brett Meiselas
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Ben Meiselas
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Brett Meiselas
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Ben Meiselas
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Brett Meiselas
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- [01:23]
Ben Meiselas
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- [01:25]
Brett Meiselas
Fan@Livenation.Com gifts that's live nation.com gifts bye bye maga Mike Johnson Is MAGA Mike Johnson on the verge of losing his speakership? Is he about to be fired? Despite sucking up to Elon Musk and Donald Trump and Trump's private jet and at the UFC fights. They look so good in the photographs together. But now MAGA Mike Johnson tried to keep government open and not have a catastrophic shutdown. And don't you ever do that with Elon Musk and Donald Trump, who have other intentions. We'll break down the mess concerning this continuing resolution debacle brought to you by the MAGA Republicans. The Midas Dutch network landed a big interview with President Biden in the West Wing of the White House. By now I hope you watch that interview on the Midas Touch YouTube channel or listen to it on on the Midas Touch audio podcast version. It was an incredible honor that we share with all of you the Midas Mighty. We will break down that interview, how it went down and our reflections of it. Also, the market's not a big fan of Donald Trump before Today there was a ten day Dow Jones decline streak, first time that's happened in 50 years, since 1974. And that comes on the heels of Donald Trump going to the New York Stock Exchange and being asked the most softball of softball questions by business propagandist Jim Cramer. Sir, do you think American workers should invest in the stock market response by Trump? I don't know. I would be worried if there was a dip about what would happen to their money. Dude, your entire campaign was accordion hands saying that you were going to make everything so much better even though the stock market's up more than 50% under President Biden than you. Now you're talking about dips how it's going to be too hard to bring down prices. Meanwhile, while the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates by 25 by 25 basis points, they said that their intention to cut more of interest rates in 2025 is probably not going to happen thanks to the inflationary policies that Donald Trump is promising. Also, it is promising that Democrats look like they are punching back and finding their message, calling out the oligarchy of Elon Musk and all of these Republican billionaires who are trying to plunder and pillage from. We the people, we the people here at the Midas Touch network are thrilled to fight on the front lines with you for our democracy. I bet my cell is joined by Brett and Jordy. How you guys doing?
- [04:30]
Ben Meiselas
Doing great. Good to be here with you guys. Good to be here with all the listeners, all the viewers. Thank you so much. Thank you for all the incredible feedback on that interview with President Biden. Ben, incredible job. What a historic moment and not just for us here at Midas Touch, but I think it's a historic moment for, for independent media in general. The fact that such a major interview was landed not by the corporate media, but by the independent media, not a billionaire funded network, but by people who are pulling themselves up by their own bootstrap supported by the emojis in your chats, your Patreon, your substack, all, all that stuff. Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts. I'm excited to talk about that experience as well. But man, it was quite the experience being out there in D.C. quite the experience being there in the White House, face to face with President Biden. And if you haven't seen the interview yet, make sure you go and watch it now. Go, go. It's on our YouTube channel. It's the main video. Go watch it, share it with a friend. Let's make sure that as many People as possible see President Biden unfiltered, reflecting on his legacy, his regrets, his accomplishments, what he's going to do in the future and more. Check it out, pass it around. It's also, of course, on the Mid Touch audio podcast, Apple podcast, Spotify. Check it all out. Jordy, how you doing?
- [05:53]
Jordy Meiselas
I'm doing great. I can't wait for today's show. And again, I just want to start off in saying how truly humbled I am for this community. Once again, just stepping up. Not a shocker here. The brothers and I are not billionaires, nor do we know billionaires. This network isn't funded by billionaires or oligarchs. We're not calling Bezos to, you know, hey, can you, can you help us score this big interview? We're not calling Murdoch, obviously for, hey, can you, can you help us get this. We're not, we're not doing that. And it's not about us. It's the collective we hear, this pro democracy community that made that interview with President Biden in the Roosevelt Room possible. Why? Because truth is golden. Because facts matter. Because this pro democracy community is relentless every single day. And your voices are being heard louder and louder and louder every single day. And it's because of you that we were able to have that interview. So I just want to start off from the bottom of my heart, thank you, Midas. Mighty. Let's get into the show. Benji.
- [06:52]
Brett Meiselas
Jordy, that pronunciation of Bezos's last name, do you go Bezos because the billionaire oligarchy stings or. Yeah, or that's what you're doing. You're doing that intentionally.
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Jordy Meiselas
I'm doing it. I don't respect him enough to say his name correctly.
- [07:07]
Brett Meiselas
Just, just, just double checking. By the way, as Carl Quintanilla points out, there's a lot of rushing, stockpiling and scrambling going on. It seems every time you pull up the Wall Street Journal right now, you get headlines like this all of a sudden, right? They went from the stock market setting record high is job reports exceeding expectations under President Biden. And now the Wall Street Journal and all of these right wing publications that were all in on Trump, they're all publishing this now. Americans are stockpiling to get ahead of tariffs. Here's another headline. American companies are stocking up to get ahead of Trump's China tariffs. Here's another one. Americans rush to buy cars and appliances before Trump's new tariffs. Like, y'all realize it didn't have to be this way. Like you didn't have to Go into stockpile, destroy yourselves mode. You know, we could have rode this one out a few more years with President Biden like. Y'all realize that, right? But meanwhile, nothing is saying though man of the people while Americans are getting worried now, and rightfully so, about higher prices then Elon Musk making hundreds, or what is it, thousands of posts on the social media platform that he owns and basically amplifies himself and just other voices he agrees with. There he is with a samurai sword in front of a bill that would keep the government open with the headline Kill the bill. That's right. Nothing says man of the people like imposing suffering on federal employees that trickles down to the rest of us because government shutdowns can be very costly and very expensive. In fact, Elon Musk has been saying nothing, no bills should be passed by Congress, nothing until January 20th when Donald Trump takes office. He reiterates none. And he says that basically the government should stay just shut down until Trump takes over. That doesn't sound too efficient to me. Isn't the whole thing that doge is supposed to be government efficiency? Me thinks that subterfuge for perhaps other intentions right here. I'll talk a little bit more detail about this whole continuing resolution fight. I'll break it down in a way that you can understand what the hell was we're all talking about. But now the main thing that Trump and Musk seem to be asking for, or at least Donald Trump with this whole fight that they've manufactured is to wait for it, get rid of the debt ceiling forever so that Donald Trump can increase the debt to any level without hitting a so called debt ceiling. Wouldn't you think that the whole concept of less debt, lower government spending, wasn't that their whole shtick that you'd want to lower the ceiling or take away the spending? No, that's not what they want because it's all bs. But I'll break that down in just a moment.
- [10:21]
Ben Meiselas
I'm happy for them to expose it as all bs because the debt ceiling is the most annoying thing ever. Happy they finally realized that came around to what a lot of Democrats have been saying for a long time, that the debt ceiling has been used to hold these things hostage so that Republicans can come in and then try to demand these cuts. Remember, the debt ceiling is the things that have already spending that has already been approved. This has been spending that has already been approved in legislation. So the debt ceiling really has just been a block, quite frankly, to actually being able to get our bills paid at the End of the day, it's been used as a cudgel by the Republicans. And I think it's awfully convenient that now that Donald Trump is going to take office, that he is now pushing for the elimination of that debt ceiling, which was raised, by the way, I believe, at least three times under Donald Trump. And we remember how the Republicans have weaponized this debt ceiling over the past few years under President Joe Biden. But you know, it just goes to show you that their interests, their beliefs are very malleable. And there's no such thing as them being consistent at all with any of these things. It's all, how is it going to benefit me right now? And right now Donald Trump sees it in his benefit to remove this thing that quite frankly, a lot of Democrats have been calling for, for, for a very long time. Meanwhile, they're pushing through really unpopular, putting all these things in this spending bill that are just wildly unpopular or rather removing things that are going to be very unpopular with the American people. And we'll get into all of that. But surprise, surprise, what's happening here is this is a very self serving, very self serving behavior by the House Republicans, by Elon Musk, to benefit their own pockets, to benefit their own bottom line while screwing everyday Americans. I'm glad though that all this kind of Doge stuff is quickly being exposed as a complete and total scam. This quickly. And you know what, public opinion is shifting on this issue as well. When you look at some of the recent polling out there about Elon Musk, I believe only like 41% of Americans right now, per a new poll, say that Elon Musk, that they like, that Elon Musk is being involved in our government at this level, that is a big drop off from what it has been. And I think we're going to see that. Because the idea of a billionaire, an unelected bureaucrat, who, by the way, unelected bureaucrats are who Elon and Vivek Ramaswamy have been yelling about all of this time. Now, ironically, they are the unelected bureaucrats and they are these shadowy billionaire figures who are coming after the American people. And I think the American people are finally feeling and going, wait, I didn't vote for Elon Musk. I didn't vote for this guy. Who are you to tell me that I can't get this health care, this food stamp system, this whatever it is, whatever benefit it is. A billionaire is telling people that they have to suffer, that they have to experience hardship.
- [13:26]
Brett Meiselas
Well, that's actually Elon Musk's direct statement. He said that Americans need to suffer economic hardship, at least on a temporary basis, in order for him to put forward the vision that he says everybody will benefit when his vision is enacted. But there needs to be immediate suffering. Donald Trump's top trade representative is talking about immediate pain and suffering that needs to be inflicted on the American people when there is a decoupling from China. So they're talking about causing a lot of pain to the people. And the very first things that they target are programs that, like, help people, right? Like, the things they target are veterans benefits. And then you have all of these, I put it in quotes, thought pieces that are out there from all of these financial magazines, say these military veterans get these lavish benefits. I mean, what are you talking about? Like that double amputees can get massages. Oh, the lavish benefits that they're getting. People who, who served our country valiantly are being paid for the rest of their life because they're unable to walk or they have PTSD and they are unable to function or whatever. Their disabilities, their disability ratings are way too high. They argue. Let me just think about with this continuing resolution bill, what they went back and cut and what they put back in, right? Republicans cut, for example, a $190 million for pediatric cancer research from the funding bill. They go, that's wasteful. But then when it comes to US Outbound investment in China, bans and limitations. They go, no, no, no, no, no, put that back in. We need to have the US Outbound investment in China, but let's get rid of the pediatric cancer research. And it's things like, wait, it's not like there's a.
- [15:31]
Ben Meiselas
It's not like there's company owner who relies on those sort of foreign investments. And, oh, wait a second. Now I think I understand why Elon Musk has sent hundreds, if not thousands of tweets about this to sink it. I just love this idea that they're cutting waste. And then the things that they end up, they actually end up just adding more debt in the new bills that they keep creating. And they just remove things that the oligarchs don't like. This is the biggest scam that we are seeing. And it's just happening right in front of everybody's face. And then you have all of these Internet people, all of these people who are in Elon Musk's replies, people like MAGA influencer, Cat turd. Yes, that is the real name of a MAGA influencer chiming in on these bills. Fighting for Elon Musk, fighting for the billionaire. And it's just such a sad indictment on our current politics, but specifically on the Republican Party under this Trump and Musk sort of framing where the government is really right now. These Republicans are petrified of random right wing MAGA influencers on Twitter. Like, that's who they are taking their orders from. That's who they, they're afraid of getting. They're afraid of mean tweets. They're afraid of mean tweets from random people. Like people named Cat Turd on Twitter. That just shows you how far this party has fallen and how unserious it is. And then you have a cat turd. You have these people literally fighting in the benefit of billionair over the benefits of actual people under this complete scam of cutting government spending, which is not what's happening.
- [17:11]
Brett Meiselas
Well, look, you know, the big MAGA Republican event that's taking place over the next few days in Phoenix, Arizona is called AM Fest or American Fest. And Donald Trump's going to be speaking there and Trump's family is going to be speaking there. The oligarchs are going to be speaking there. MAGA Mike Johnson was supposed to speak there, but MAGA Mike Johnson has now pulled out and canceled his appearance because he knows that he is now hated by maga. And why is he hated? The same reason they hated Kevin McCarthy, because at a very bare minimum, he put forward this bill that says that the government should not be shut down, turning America into kind of this cataclysmic condition right before Christmas. And that is something. And he double crossed Elon, even though, I mean, MAGA Mike was probably caught off guard. MAGA Mike's probably like, dude, what are we talking about here? Like, we all agreed to this. This is our Republican bill. And now all of a sudden Elon Musk is like tweeting and then torching this. Like, this is what I have to do. It goes back to what we said about Kevin McCarthy, which is there's, you may have a position that looks like it's powerful, but you have zero power to exercise if you don't have free will and you're controlled by basically social media troll accounts that Elon Musk, Musk and Donald Trump throw your way. So Mike Johnson now is getting all of these comments from these MAGA influencers like Laura Loomer, Coward, Savannah Hernandez. He didn't want to get booed by thousands of people. Robert Borton's maybe he shouldn't have tried to betray the movement with his budget Somebody felt the heat. Amfest should not invite people who suck. This isn't a new revelation when it comes to Johnson. Now. Now the interesting question, Brett and Jordy will be, it doesn't seem like Maga Mike Johnson's gonna keep his speakership. We should do the graphic of the lettuce and Maga Mike Johnson to see who's gonna last.
- [19:11]
Jordy Meiselas
Oh, we should definitely do that graphic 100%.
- [19:13]
Brett Meiselas
The question becomes is when Maga Mike cannot get the votes necessary to become the speaker, which I at this point, do you think he's gonna get him? I don't think so. You need to have a Speaker of the House to gavel in the new Congress so you can count the electoral votes on January 6th and go through the certification of the election. So what happens when they fire Maga Mike Johnson? There's no speaker on January 6th. And will they be able to certify the election? Will there just be kind of total chaos that's been caused? And let me, let me kind of let you ponder this thought right here. So Donald Trump obviously interrupted, breached, caused irreparable harm, was involved in an insurrection regarding the transition to President Biden. Right part. Didn't participate in the transition at all. Didn't show up at the inauguration. By the way, I asked President Biden about that. I'll show some of those clips when we come back from our first quick break. So Trump screwed up that transition intentionally, recklessly and maliciously. Now President Biden wants to make a smooth transition to Donald Trump because President Biden believes, even though he thinks Donald Trump's a threat, and you may agree or disagree with President Biden, that's what we do in this country. We act like adults. This, we hand it off in a way that empowers someone to be successful. What they choose to do with it is on them. But Biden told me, and I'll show you the clip, President Biden said, look, that because that's what we do as American leaders, that's what the president's supposed to do. I'm carrying out my duty. But think about this. Trump now is interfering with the transition to himself by getting involved in these efforts and telling MAGA Republicans to shut down the government and to cause and create chaos in a smooth transition that should go smoothly to him. Even though I'm sure the pro democracy community is upset that there's a transition going to him. But it is what it is. Think about that and think about what a chaos agent he already is. You know, and my overall philosophy and thesis Here, though, is very quickly on day one. You know, I think as corporate media's lost its power, as independent media like us are out there, we're showing the clips. We're telling the truth, right? We're being relentless. I think people are going to look at day one and say, wait a minute, you said you were going to stop the Ukraine war, the war against Ukraine, Russia's unlawful invasion on day one. That didn't happen. Wait a minute. You said that you were going to lower gas prices at the price of eggs and all these things on day one and fix inflation. Wait a minute. It's going up. Wait a minute. The latest jobs report shows that jobs are decreasing. Wait a minute. The price of other goods are not going down. Wait a minute. Elon Musk and all these billionaires are like, are riding on their fancy yachts and, and wait a minute. You're out there doing these tax cuts for billions. Just think about this, this scene right here. And I'll try to. I'll. I'll try to find the photo. Remember that scene where they passed those tax cuts for the billionaires and it was like all white dudes who were like, kind of clapping back in 2017 when they gave that massive handout to billionaires which leaded to $8 trillion of debt, among other things. And that's kind of put us in the position right now. Just think about that scene when they try to recreate it in this current environment right now where he's not able to ride on President Obama's coattails for the years that he was when he got that there. Just think about what the American people are going to do when he does that. I think right away the American people are going to be absolutely pissed at this. I think we're going to see some of the lowest approval ratings of all times. And I think once we start with these hearings of the cabinet members, people are going to be like, you know, a lot of people aren't paying attention right now. I wish more people were. I know you are. We were out there educating people who. Tulsi Hexith. More polio. What, what, what in the world? Brett, I want you to talk about that. I want to take our first quick break of the show. When we come back, we're going to talk about that President Biden interview. We'll talk more about what we were just saying about the continuing resolution. Talk economy talk holidays talk Midas. Mighty remind everybody. Patreon.com Midas Touch P-A-T-R-E-O-N.com Midas Touch we should do a zoom meeting where you can all ask us questions about what it was like being at the White House and all of that. Patrons it was. We're so fortunate for you and it helps grow this platform. Patreon.com Midas Touch Join it now if you can. We'll be right back after our first quick break. We want to share an important message from our sponsor, Americans United for Separation of Church and State. If you care about abortion rights, LGBTQ + rights, rejecting school voucher schemes and fighting censorship, then guess what? You care about the separation of Church and state. For more than 75 years, Americans United has been on the front lines defending your freedom to live and believe as you choose, so long as you don't harm others. And that fundamental right is under attack like never before in our nation's history. We cover that on our shows. We know what we're up against in the next four years will mean managing the onslaught of attacks from Christian nationalists and right wing extremists attempting to force us all to live by their narrow beliefs. Backed by billion dollar shadow networks, this vocal minority is pushing their anti democratic agenda everywhere. But here's the thing. You can make a difference. I always get asked Ben, what can we do to make a difference? Here's one thing. Join Americans United. They've been through this before and they will never stop fighting to make sure all of us can be who we are, not who Christian nationalists want us to become in a country divided. They are Americans United. Join them. Join the fight. Go to a u.org/midas. That's the letter a theletteru.orgmidas one more time au.orgmidas thank you.
- [25:49]
Ben Meiselas
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- [27:56]
Jordy Meiselas
Shout out to our pro democracy sponsors y'all. I love those reads Brett. You definitely do look younger and more well rested with that One Skin.
- [28:02]
Ben Meiselas
So I I love it.
- [28:03]
Jordy Meiselas
Links in description of both the YouTube and audio. Please use the links, use the codes let them know we sent you. Benji where to next?
- [28:12]
Brett Meiselas
I just want to explain the framework of how a bill becomes a law and then I'm going to show you these Biden clips because I think it's important. Right? Remember the school House Rocks videos? I just think there isn't like civics understanding at all right now, right that there are two chambers in Congress. There's the House of Representatives, there's the Senate. They both have to pass a bill. It has to be reconciled so the language is agreed to by both. The bill then goes once it's passed on the desk of the President. The President then signs it into law. Right now the Democrats for at least a short period of time will continue to control the Senate. Chuck Schumer is the Majority Leader. On the other hand, the MAGA Republicans control the House of Representatives through maga. Mike Johnson and because MAGA Mike Johnson in the House blocks anything and everything. President Biden, who got all of his agenda done when he controlled all three chambers at the beginning of his presidency, has been unable to do that since the MAGA Republicans took over the House of representatives. So the MAGAs have blocked everything from bipartisan immigration bills to, you know, other aspects that would help workers. All of that was being blocked. Heck, the House of Representatives is unable to even basically pass disaster relief. You have a lot of MAGA Republicans saying, why would we be given. So it's probably a bad impression of them because I'll do it again though. Why would we be given our, you know, hard earned taxpayer dollars to the people in North Carolina and the people in Florida and the people in, you know, in all these areas that have been hit with the hurricanes, you know, because they, when FEMA's out there doing this, because they go and they just spread all of Donald Trump, Trump's conspiracy. So here's the thing. One of the most basic functions in the House of Representatives, because they have the power of the purse, is to put forward a budget, right? And to basically pass spending omnibus bills that deal with all of the major agencies and departments for the year. But they couldn't pass a budget under MAGA Mike Johnson. So instead they do these, what are called CRS Continuing resolutions, which basically says, all right, four more months in extension, six more months in extension, three more months, we need an extension. And it basically keeps the government just running without actually doing their job of passing a budget. And these MAGA Republicans, like the student who the night before an exam goes, oh, crap, I haven't even studied for this thing, they try to like scramble and put it all together kind of very quickly. And so that's what MAGA Mike Johnson was doing this week. Because they're out there, you know, focusing on, oh, we gotta ban a transgender congresswoman from the bathroom and we got to get on Sean Hannity and we got to do all of these things. But they don't do their most basic job, which is to just pass the budget so that our government can actually run. They don't want to do that. So that's why we always get right to this point with Republicans. It's not a both sides issue. It's Republicans who run it this way. This was not the case with Democrats, at least in recent history. And the Republicans run it and then it's like, oh my God, there's about to be, you know, government shutdown, which could cause a recession. And all of these Things are going to happen if they don't do this. So then they scramble, they manufacture a crisis. They start tweeting at each other and attacking each other. And this happens over and over again. There's no, you know, there's a reason why 75% of Americans have a unfavorable view of Congress. Think about this. That 75%, Congress's approval ratings, 25%, and it's run by the magas. But because of gerrymandering, these people keep getting put into these positions because these districts are carved out in such ways that it's hard to not elect the people who are causing these problems to begin with. And it was one of the things in my interview with President Biden that he talked about wanting to fix and dedicate his time and career to after he leaves the Oval Office, which is to try to focusing on making government function again. President Biden was there not to be like a disruptor, but to be a calm, confident, normalizing voice. And one of the things that President Biden told me is, look, what I want my legacy to be is that I kept my word and I did everything that I said that I was going to do. I didn't lie, I didn't exaggerate. I did the things I said I was going to do. I brought us out of the cataclysmic condition our country was in as a result of Trump's mishandling, or you could say malicious handling of COVID I got us to a place where we brought inflation under control, which was caused by Donald Trump adding $8 trillion of debt. And we were able to, you know, be in a position where I'm handing over the country. I'm passing the baton in a good condition. That was my job as the president of all Americans, Red state or blue state. That's what he said in the interview. Now Donald Trump's out there already acting erratically and, and saying, you know, I'm tariffing this, I'm tariffing that. I'm doing mass deportations, all these things that are, frankly, just very bad for the economy, and the economy is reacting a certain way. Brett will talk about that, you know, that part in a little bit. But let's talk about this Biden interview, shall we? Brett? Jordy Midas. Mighty. Let me give you my thesis before showing you some of the clips right here. I thought it was important that I gave a tough interview, that I did the interview in a way that was fair, that I did it in a dignified way that was respectful of the Oval office and a President Biden's position that I would push back appropriately where there were areas and questions that Americans were concerned about. But ultimately, my job, I thought, as the interviewer, was to do a throwback to what journalism once was, which was me, as the journalist, shouldn't be the center of attention. I'm not trying to hog the limelight and be, me, me, me, look at me, look at me. I asked that question. I did a good gotcha question. No, to me, it was to ask President Biden a series of insightful, difficult, controversial, but informative questions and listen. It's an important skill. Listen to what he was saying. He's the President of the United States. And allow him to speak, and you could hear his plans, his philosophies, without me interrupting. By the way, for those who watch my interview style with governors and Congress members and senators, that's how my approach is in general. And I feel a sense of pride for the whole Midas Mighty in how I think we ultimately implemented that strategy and really did an insightful, informative, personal interview where you got to see the side of him. And I don't think really people got to see in the past four years because we allowed him or any of our subjects in an interview to speak and to talk and to explain their positions not in sound bites, but from the heart. So that was my philosophy right there. Doing it.
- [35:59]
Ben Meiselas
Yeah. And I think he. I think he did a great job. I think we got to hear President Biden like we never heard President Biden before. And let's face it, he's not the kind of guy who's loud and boisterous like a Trump who's out there on TV every day posting all cap tweets and videos and all of that. So if I have one regret, it's just that President Biden wasn't doing these, like, weekly over the past few years, because I think it's great when the American people can hear from him directly. Ben, I think you did a fantastic job. I think you asked the right questions. I think you asked tough questions, but did it in a very respectful way where it felt like a conversation between two people about the state of the country, about his presidency, about his legacy, about his accomplishments, about the future. Felt a lot more conversational than most interviews. And quite frankly, when I was watching it, it really, like, it was like a palate cleanser, in a way, for me, because so many of the interviews that we have seen in these past few years have been so combative. And I think a lot of These people think they're going to get more information out of people by being like that, by being so cutthroat with everything. And then what you end up doing is you actually don't let the individual speak. But there are ways of pushing back, there are ways of asking the right questions where you get the answers. And we, we were able, you were able then to get President Biden on the record really reflecting on his presidency in a way that I have not seen anywhere else. And I really haven't seen the President speak like this anywhere. I also, you know, I got to give a huge shout out also to this White House for understanding the value and the importance of independent media like no other White House has in history. The fact that they worked with us to do this interview in the first place, coming to the Midas Touch network over one of the corporate networks, I think that says a whole lot. Their engagement with creators, their engagement with independent media. No other White House in history has done that, especially at the scale that they have done that in this administration. So I have to give them credit as well for being very forward thinking and this is something that the President expressed us both on camera and off camera, that he has a real belief in independent media being the kind of vanguard of truth going forward and playing an important role in our society. When we see these news networks so fragmented, when we see these news networks really shift away from the old days, from what their mission used to be at uncovering the truth and instead chasing the ratings, chasing the drama, chasing the palace intrigue. And so I think it's very cool that somebody, President Biden, especially at his age, can see the value of digital and see the value of what, what we're all doing here and what all the other creators are doing, you know, in the space. And, and I got to give a shout out also to all the other creators who, who sent in their kind words about this interview and helped promote the interview and told their followers to watch from, you know, people like David Pakman and Adam Mockler and just all these incredible pro democracy voices. I think it's important, you know, in these moments that we're just building up independent media as a whole because we certainly do not have the resources, the money that these corporate networks have, but we have something that is far more powerful than that. We have a community. And if, if we band together these communities and grow all together, I think that is a powerful thing that cannot be ignored.
- [39:33]
Jordy Meiselas
Perfectly said be. And I just want to piggyback on that. And I just want to Say your descriptor was perfect. It was a palate cleanser type of interview because I felt that it was a more informative interview than I've seen in the past four years of people trying to be combative and making themselves the center. It's something we make a conservative effort here, if not to do is really put ourselves at the center of the attention, at the center of the stories, because it's not about us. We're a conduit for pro democracy voices. So although you see Ben in the chair and Ben, you did such a wonderful job, it was incredible. I must have watched it like three or four times today. But really spectacular job. Although you see Ben in the chair, it's the midas mighty in this pro democracy community that's in the room asking those questions. And I think you see that reflected in the questions and the pushback that Ben gave during the interview. This interview again does not happen without this community, without the pro democracy community, without the might as mighty. Y'all are the engine that keeps this thing going. So thank you very much. And we're here again to just be amplifiers of the voice of pro democracy. And that's what we're going to do every damn day.
- [40:32]
Brett Meiselas
You know, for me, which is what I'm about to say may sound counterintuitive because people go midas touch, you're a political media company. But the politics itself actually does not like interest me all that much. What interests me is people and politics as a tool to ultimately help people and improve people's lives. And I think that's the construct within which we've approached our entire network, which is, is this benefiting or harming people's lives? And then to analyze why are people also voting against their seemingly their self interest and that of their family to help people who in my view, so obviously are trying to hurt them. And so to me, politics is this help hurt neutral kind of calculus. And within all of that, I understand that there's for some people, help could be another person's hurt. So there's kind of compromises that that ultimately need to happen. But. But that's kind of the framework that I view things at. And what became clear to me is that that's kind of how President Biden viewed things as well. That his ultimate focus was what can I be doing to benefit the American people each and every day? And when he would wake up and go to sleep, that'd be the main thing on his mind. There was never a single thought in his mind. And perhaps this is One of the things that he reflected on was probably a regret that he had in a little bit because he was so selfless and never actually thought about bragging about the stock market under him or bragging about his accomplishments or putting his name on American Recovery act checks. His main focus was always did I help the people? And that allowed a void to be filled. I think he recognizes from the right wing to undercut his accomplishments and to overlay them with disinformation and to act like the ability to recover was.
- [42:50]
Ben Meiselas
Part.
- [42:51]
Brett Meiselas
Of a problem when that problem was ultimately created by Donald Trump. But I'll show you those clips I want to hear Brett chat more on the economy. Let's take our last quick break of the show.
- [43:03]
Ben Meiselas
Let's face it, after a night with drinks, I don't bounce back the next day like I used to. Hey, I got to be honest with myself. Myself, right? It feels like I have to choose between having a great night or a great next day. That is until I found Pre Alcohol Zebiotics Pre Alcohol Probiotic Drink is the world's first genetically engineered probiotic. It was invented by PhD scientists to tackle rough mornings after drinking. Here's how it works. When you drink, alcohol gets converted into a toxic byproduct in the gut. It's this byproduct, not dehydration, that's to blame for your rough next day. Pre alcohol produces an enzyme to break this byproduct down. Just remember to make Zbiotics your first drink of the night. Drink responsibly and you'll feel your best tomorrow. Every time I have pre alcohol before drinks, I notice a difference the next day. For example, after a fun night out with friends at like a local bar wherever we go, I could still get up the next morning and hit the gym. And I'll admit I was skeptical at first, but I tried it at a dinner party with some friends the next morning. I felt great.
- [44:01]
Brett Meiselas
Great.
- [44:01]
Ben Meiselas
Ready to tackle the day. Ready to do more videos here at the Midas Touch Network. I kept hearing about pre Alcohol and wondered what it was actually like. Now that I've tried it, I get the hype. Plus, with their GMO technology, Zebiotics is continuing to create probiotics that tackle the challenges of modern living. Go to zebiotics.com midas to learn more and get 15% off your first order when you use code Midas at checkout. Zebiotics is backed with a 100% money back guarantee. So if you are unsatisfied for any reason reason they'll refund your money, no questions asked. Remember to head to ZBiotics.com Midas and use that code Midas. It's M E I D A S at checkout for 15% off. Are you looking for something simple and delicious to add to your wellness routine? Here's the thing. I used to put regular honey into a lot of my foods breakfast, tea, protein. But then I was introduced to Manicora and Manicora puts that regular honey to shame. I love the flavor, richness, creaminess and all the health benefits Manicura honey brings to the table. The best way to use Manicura is straight from the spoon first thing in the morning, letting the creamy texture melt in your mouth and coat your throat. Manicura honey is rich, creamy and the most delicious honey you've ever had. It's ethically produced by Manicura's master beekeepers in the remote forests of New Zealand. Manicura honey contains powerful nutrients to support immunity and gut health. The bees collect the nectar from the Manuka tea tree in New Zealand. The nectar is packed with bioactives and the honey that is produced has three times more antioxidants and prebiotics than your average honey. A special bacterial compound called MGO also comes from the nectar of the tea tree. Manicora Third Party tests every single harvest for MGO and makes these results available through their QR system. It's a game changer and all you need is one heaped teaspoon each morning to get the most out of the amazing bioactives and Manuka. Additional usage throughout the day is completely fine, especially helping to cut out other sweeteners. Sweeteners. It's a honey with superpowers. Now it's easier than ever to try Manicura honey. Head to manicora.commidas to get 25 off the starter kit which comes with an MGO 850 plus Manuka honey jar, five honey travel sticks, a wooden spoon and a guidebook. That's manicora.commeidas.
- [46:15]
Jordy Meiselas
Let'S go shout out to our pro democracy sponsors links in description of the YouTube and the audio. Use the codes, use the links. I'll let everybody on in on a little secret too. Manicora and Zbiotics. They're coming on again next year.
- [46:27]
Ben Meiselas
That's right.
- [46:28]
Jordy Meiselas
So friends of the network definitely check them out. We are big fans of theirs. Y'all will be too. Benji where to next?
- [46:35]
Brett Meiselas
Brett, I asked President Biden what will you do when Donald Trump starts to take credit for your programs? The infrastructure act projects will start to be or continue to start popping up across the country. The Medicare prescription drug price cap at $2,000 a year for seniors, that kicks in in 2025. Watch his response to this question. Let's play it. What are you going to do when the other guy that was out there bragging about accomplishments under you, the Medicare $2,000 cap, it's going to kick in in 2025 and he's going to be out there saying, I did this. How's that going to make you feel when that happens?
- [47:20]
D
Look, if it continues to benefit the American. Look, I've invested more in red states than in blue states. All these programs we just talked about, the reason for that was the red states didn't operate very well and they really hurt their constituents. So those factories close and the like. Fact is that I represent all of America, not just, not just Democrats. And I think what it's going to do is going to bring the country more together than separated. And for example, you already have folks like Marjorie Taylor Greene and others saying don't, don't eliminate the factory. After, after talking about the proposal that we're going to build. That is the worst idea anybody's ever had. She didn't vote for it. So I think there's going to be a bit of a comeuppance here. But the bottom line is I'm convinced that over time the American public will respond to what is the intention of the party to try to help ordinary people. And the fundamental change I made, and I made a speech at Brookings Institution about it recently, was on the economy. The fact is that we had a long time this idea of trickle down economics let the wealthy do very, very well. They'll have so much money, they'll trickle down on people's kitchen tables and coffee tables and the like and everyone will benefit. I've never bought that theory. And so what I decided to do was to change it to build the economy from the middle out and the bottom up. Well, they still do very well, but the middle class and working class people do much, much better. That's exactly what's happening. And so I think the long term prospect for the country.
- [49:04]
Brett Meiselas
You know, I mean, you listen to his answer. Thoughtful, detailed facts, helping out all Americans, regardless whether you're a red state or blue state, there's no drama. He wasn't saying, me, me, me, me, me. I alone can fix it. I can do this, I can do that. That he talked about empowering the people, you know, and I thought that was a special Moment.
- [49:24]
Ben Meiselas
I, I, I'm happy to share this, too. After the cameras were off, that was actually a subject that President Biden continued to speak to you about. When we were there in the room, and we were in the historic Roosevelt Room, which is right across from the Oval Office in the West Wing of the White House, which is just incredible. But President Biden emphasized after the interview, also, I remember him saying to you something along the lines of, of, I just want the people to, you know, get these programs. I just want the people to be able to succeed. I want them to feel the positive effects of these things. And at the end of the day, I don't care who is getting the credit as long as the people are being taken care of. And I thought that really shows the difference in styles between somebody like a President Biden and a Trump who is all about me, me, me. He was very much more focused on how are these policies going to impact people' and ensuring that they do, in fact, positively impact people's lives.
- [50:27]
Brett Meiselas
I asked President Biden, when history is told, what do you want your legacy to be? Watch this clip. When history is all told, how do you want to be remembered? What do you want your legacy to be?
- [50:43]
D
I kept my word that when I said I was going to do something, something I did, and that my focus has always been about how to give ordinary people a shot. You probably heard me say it before. My dad used to say, joey, your job's about a lot more than a paycheck. It's about your dignity. It's about respect. It's about being able to look your kid in the eye and say, how is going to be okay? And mean it. It's about being able to be your and focus on people who need some help. And the vast majority of the American people, all they want is a chance, just a chance, and they'll do fine.
- [51:25]
Brett Meiselas
You see hope?
- [51:26]
D
I do. I am hopeful.
- [51:29]
Brett Meiselas
I mean, everyone, everybody to go and watch the full interview. It's on our YouTube channel. It's the main video on our YouTube channel. Watch it, please. Share it with as many people as you can. It's one of the best ways you can help grow this platform. It's, it's the best way. You know, look, we, we don't have outside investors. We're not run by all. We have zero outside investors. Just think about that, okay? Corporate media didn't get that interview. We got that interview with no outside investors. So, you know, sometimes I'll be like, hey, if you can join patreon.com Midas Touch, that goes a long way because I'm competing. We're competing against entities that make like $15 billion a year, and we're beating them. So, you know, part of me is like, all right, I gotta stay scrappy and make sure that I'm growing this platform. And I don't love saying, go to patreon.com Midas Touch Go to the Midas Touch substack as well. You know, check us out@midasplus.com you know, look, I, I, I, I have to figure out creative ways to be scrappy here year. So that's why I say all of those things. And by the way, the Great thing of MidAsPlus.com as well, though, Ron Philipkowski does these, our editor in chief does these daily reviews of everything that happens in the day. It's quite literally the best recap of everything. And I've heard from so many journalists who are like, that's where I get my news from. I go to my, I go to midasplus.com so check that out as well. But I digress. The point that I'm making, though, is, is Share like share that Biden interview with everybody in your family, whether they're MAGA people, they don't give a crap about politics, whether they're ultra into politics, whatever. Just say, can you do me a favor and watch this 30 minutes. It's the perfect intro for people to learn about the Midas Touch network, and that's the best way that you can help. Brett, let me turn to you, though, for a second, because you heard President Biden saying, look, I kept my word. I made sure that I ran this thing with dignity. I wanted to respect people with what I said. I always wanted to be honest with them. On the other hand, you have Donald Trump making all of these promises that he's gonna lower prices, he's gonna do all of these things, and now he's going back on their prices. And it's having an economic impact, right? Why don't you talk about it?
- [53:49]
Ben Meiselas
Well, let's talk about the economy in what I know is everybody's favorite segment here on the Midas Touch podcast. This is the Netsuite by Oracle, know your numbers minute. That's right, folks. It's time for another Netsuite by Oracle, know your numbers minute. And Ben, let's talk the economy, shall we? So the Federal Reserve on one day did make some cuts to its overnight borrowing rate to a target range now of 4.25% to 4 and a half percent for context that is back to the level that it was around December 2022, it's a cut of 25 basis points. And while on the surface that should be be good news for borrowers. Right. The interest rates are coming down. This is something that everybody was hoping for. The comments that the Fed made about the future I think are far more important and the markets thought they were far more important too because the Fed said that they would probably only lower rates twice more in 2025, which is far less than they were originally planning for. Why? Over fears of inflations due to potential tariffs and trade wars that could be coming in the coming year. So we're already seeing the impact of these government policies under the future administration having an impact on the way the Fed is setting rates, on the way that economists are perceiving economic growth in the country for the year ahead and how it is already beginning to impact the markets. And NetSuite helps you stay on top of all of the government economic policies in a very convenient way. And you could always be assured you'll have a quick adaptation to any new policy through their Agile system updates. And so as I was saying, after the Fed made that announcement, the major stock market indexes all like dropped like crazy. Like if you were watching the tickers as it happened, all of a sudden they just went way down. Just went down. And so people who saw the initial headline that the Fed lowered rates were like why, why, why would the, why, why would the stock market come down? Shouldn't it be spiking up? No, because of those forward looking indicators where you have economists in the Fed worried about inflationary policies hurting Americans in the future. And so the Dow tumbled more than 260 points yesterday. The markets may have covered like a little bit today but it's been a, a pretty large losing streak over the past couple of weeks in the stock market since these policies have begun to kind of take hold in the markets as people start to think about what the future is going to look like. And netsuite also, they provide customization which gives you customizable dashboards so that you can monitor specific economic indic that impact your businesses. So that's the latest, that's what I got for you here on that was the netsuite by Oracle Know your numbers minute. Do you know your own numbers for your business? Download NetSuite's ultimate KPI checklist right now at NetSuite.com Midas and Ben, you know, as I reflect on that information it's I think back to what you said earlier in this episode where we were speaking about how not only is President Biden providing for a smooth transition here, but trust Trump is once again kind of interfering and destroying the transition process. And we are seeing the effects of Donald Trump even before he takes office. The effects that his statements, his threats, his posts, his economic plans are having on markets, are having on people's 401ks are having on people's cancer funding, in the case of this bill, this continuing resolution. And so, you know, that's kind of a rare thing for a president to kind of throw away all of his political capital that he has before he even steps into office. And that's what we're all witnessing. And it's going to get worse. You know, the. The important thing is that the American people understand where this pain is coming from. And that, I think, is the job of independent media and all of you out there to explain how Elon Musk and his billionaire buddies and Donald Trump are inflicting this suffering which they said would happen on the American people.
- [58:03]
Brett Meiselas
It's why I really was so important to me to handle that interview ultimately the way it was done, and that we don't just talk the talk on the show, but actually walk the walk. Because that interview with President Biden and is my overall vision, our overall vision for actually what reporting should look like. Right? It was uninterrupted. I didn't like, you know, go for these, like, gotcha moments, but I pressed him on areas that I thought were. Were tough. I gave him an opportunity to explain his philosophy on things, and you got to hear and have a clear picture of somebody. Now, you may have disagreed with things, you may have agreed with things about what he said, but we got to hear him speak. And going back to my philosophy before, I hate the horse race coverage of politics. I really don't want it to be like that because it treats all of this like a game. And then I think when people think that it's all a game as well, you know, and they buy into the gamification of it, they don't even realize that they're stepping into the very trap that the billionaire oligarchy is setting for them by choosing a team and then focusing on screwing over the other team, but thereby also screwing over themselves. And so I want us to look analytically and critically at these interviews and to, to really get a broader sense of what's going on there and, and how. And how things ultimately, you know, should be.
- [60:04]
Ben Meiselas
And we need to truly, you know, understand kind of what's important out there, there in our politics and, and not chase these shiny objects like the media wants to chase far too often because there is information that needs to get to the American people. And they may think that that's all that tension, all that yelling and, and putting people in a room and having them scream at each other and all that crap. They may think that that is good for ratings and for clips online, but it doesn't inform the American people at the end of the day. And I think you want to walk something, you want to walk away getting a sense of who a, who an individual is. And, and Ben, especially in an interview like that, which is really an interview about legacy, a really reflection on the presidency, on President Biden as a person, you know, because you could have asked about the spending bill. You could, you know, there's a million other directions, but this is something that is going to stand the test, test of time, you know, because it's not, it's not linked to this specific week or few days in time that are going to be gone, you know, in a couple days and never remembered again. This is going to be there for the record, for history, as who President Biden is, was what he is all about, what was on his mind in the final days of his presidency. And that's why I think that's such an honor. So cool.
- [61:33]
Brett Meiselas
It was the first time I left my baby girl Ximena since she was born and left the state. But as I was doing it, I wanted to leave for Ximena, who's unfortunately going to be growing up the first four years of her life with the other guy, as I referred to him in the interview, in that position, or Jordy's kid, or all of your kids and grandkids out there, there. I, I wanted to, I want them to have this and I want to remind them of these values that we had somebody in the office who represented decency, compassion and was always putting the American people above himself. And was he perfect always? Absolutely not. But was the North Star always in the direction of the people? I absolutely. And I think that's what you leave.
- [62:28]
Ben Meiselas
The interview when you compare the commcool collected President Joe Biden to the chaos of this Republican Party torpedoing their own bill today and just having an utter embarrassment. I mean, it shows you the difference between what an actual statesman looks like and what just a chaotic mess looks like. And President Biden is truly one of the last of his kind, in my opinion. Ben, I just want to ask you while, while, while we got you here Just a personal question about the interview. Right. You were face to face with President Biden. What was that experience like? Even conducting an interview like this, sitting in that historic room, sitting in the Roosevelt Room, just feet away from the President of the United States. Just what was that? Just give some insight to our audience and what that experience was like, because I think so few people in history have had that opportunity and even fewer, obviously, with. With President Biden.
- [63:22]
Brett Meiselas
Well, I think that everything we did here and how we built this community brick by brick allowed that interview to just kind of feel very natural. You know, even though I was the one in the room, I felt you and Jordy by my side. I felt the Midas Mighty were there with me. And then I felt we were all there together. And frankly, it's that philosophical framework that I didn't feel nervous. You know, I wasn't. You know, I felt very comfortable in that moment. I felt honestly, it's where not I should be. I felt it's where the Midas Mighty should be, getting answers at the highest level and creating this platform. And so I think that it was because of this journey together that actually made it all feel like. It felt right. It felt like I felt that we were the right people to do it. I felt that there was a great deal of trust placed in us to lead with the values that we've built this network on. And I was confident because I know about the values of this network. Network, how the interview was ultimately going to go. You know, we were always well prepared. We're always well researched. And, you know, we always. You know, we always executed. I'll tell you, to show you a little bit of vulnerability after the interview, as we were waiting to post it, that's when I got a little bit nervous. And I was hoping that I just wanted to make sure that I made the community proud. And that's the part about me. I'm like, oh, I hope they like this. I hope that.
- [65:12]
Ben Meiselas
And I.
- [65:13]
Brett Meiselas
And I knew they would, but you just never know. And I was like, I re. That was the part of me, probably a half hour before we released it, when I started feeling a little bit of butterflies was I just hope everybody felt that I gave everything I could and I channeled the community. So that's how I felt about it to that point. We're doing a whole nother hot take about how the Republicans torpedoed their own continuing resolution. So I. I want to devote 15 more minutes to that. But I wanted to talk about these other issues here on this show because again, I thought this show, reflecting on the interview is more about that than Republicans and Donald Trump killed their own bill. I'll do a whole hot take on that. Don't worry. Check the YouTube channel and watch that. But thank you minus mighty this isn't possible without you. You we're grateful for you. Share more about this network with more people. Let's keep on growing it. Thank you all so very much. Jordy I'll let you take it away.
- [66:10]
Jordy Meiselas
Shout out to the mightest mighty, the.
- [66:13]
Ben Meiselas
Mightest mighty Standing strong against the fascist.
- [66:23]
Brett Meiselas
We sing our song we will get it right.
- [66:30]
Jordy Meiselas
Hey Midas Mighty love this report. Continue the conversation by following us on Instagram at Midas Touch to keep up with the most important news of the day. What are you waiting for? Follow us now.
- [66:46]
Brett Meiselas
This holiday season, surprise everyone on your.
- [66:49]
Ben Meiselas
List with the best gifts. Tickets to see their favorite artists live. Choose from thousands of concerts and comedy.
- [66:54]
Brett Meiselas
Shows, including Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige.
- [66:58]
Ben Meiselas
Matt Matthews, Metallica, Thomas Rhett, Trans Siberian.
- [67:02]
Brett Meiselas
Orchestra, Sarah Silverman and so many more. Share a memory together or give a.
- [67:07]
Ben Meiselas
Gift they'll never forget. Find the most exciting gift for every fan@livenation.com gifts that's livenation.com gifts.