The MeidasTouch Podcast

Episode: Trump Spirals in Late Night Speech as Walls Close in
Date: November 18, 2025
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas (MeidasTouch Network)

Episode Overview

In this episode, the Meiselas brothers break down a recent, chaotic speech delivered by Donald Trump to a group of McDonald’s franchise owners. The hosts analyze Trump’s erratic behavior, his bizarre tangents, factually questionable statements, and overall incoherence, all while providing comedic commentary and deep concern for the state of democracy. The recurring theme centers on Trump appearing unhinged—not just politically, but personally—at a critical moment as legal and political pressures mount.

Key Discussion Points

1. Trump’s Chaotic Appearance at McDonald’s Event

• [02:17] The episode opens with highlight reels from Trump’s speech, described as “complete and utter mayhem.” His delivery is marked by:

  • Incoherent sentences and odd noises
  • Rambling off-topic, such as making fish sounds and rants about tartar sauce
  • Host’s tone: Concerned, mocking, incredulous

  Notable Quote:

  • Political Commentator: "Who thought this would be a good idea? Donald Trump held some event in front of McDonald franchise owners and during this event, Trump was just an absolute mess." [02:17]

• Trump on Fish and Tartar Sauce:

  • Trump expresses an unusual fixation on McDonald’s fish sandwich, insisting on more tartar sauce, leaving listeners baffled.

    Donald Trump: "I like the fish. I like it. You could do a little bit more tartar sauce. So please. Seriously, I hate when I said, you have any tartar sauce? Do you understand that? Yes, he had. He understands it." [03:06]

2. Tangents and Bizarre Claims

• Gulf of Mexico Renamed?

  • Trump veers into a surreal anecdote, claiming he tried to rename the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” admitting it had nothing to do with McDonald’s.

    Donald Trump: "Why is the Gulf of Mexico called the Gulf of Mexico? I said, we're changing the name and now it's the Gulf of America. Has nothing to do with McDonald's. But maybe it does because it's very nice cycle." [03:35]

• Rambling About the ‘American Dream’ & Biden’s Gaffe

  • Attempting to mock Biden, Trump himself stumbles, declaring the “American Dream” is two words—getting lost in his own bit.

    Donald Trump: "We're going to make the American dream a word that two words that you didn't have. You didn't have those two words. Remember when Biden said it's all about three words, the American dream." [04:20]

3. Outlandish Statements about Policy

• Energy & Economic Claims

  • Trump recycles the slogan “Drill, baby, drill,” boasting achievements in energy, and alleges energy prices and inflation are down (contrary to reality).

    Donald Trump: "You know, we had an expression, drill, baby, drill. And I drilled, baby drilled. I tell you, we drill." [04:54] Donald Trump: "But the price of, of gasoline and the price of energy is way down...Everything is all about energy." [08:03]

• Dishwasher Water Rant

  • Trump falsely claims Biden restricted dishwashers, and that he personally “restored unlimited water”—a recurring conspiracy theory.

    Donald Trump: "I gave them, as you know, unlimited water. Biden came back with a rigged election, and he immediately restricted the water again. But I came back in immediately, unrestricted again. So now you have unlimited water to clean your damn dishes." [06:14]

4. Rants About Physical Appearance and Hands

• Obsession with 'Perfect Specimens'

  • Trump tells a rambling story about men who "look like Tom Cruise" and could be "put... in a movie," continuing his odd fascination with physical appearance.

    Donald Trump: "They look like Tom Cruise. They really do. I don't want to be a wise guy and say, but taller. I'm not going to say that. No, they're perfect specimens. I mean, these guys are like For a movie." [05:14]

• Bragging about His Hands

  • Revisits the “big hands” trope, while hosts poke fun at the contradiction.

    Donald Trump: "I'm a big hands guy. I like to wash my hands. You know, I used to hate shaking hands. Now once you run for office, you better like shaking hands or you got a problem." [05:41]

5. Dubious Economic Statistics

• Claims on Food Stamps and Factory Growth

  • Trump asserts that his administration lifted “over 600,000 Americans off of food stamps”—with the hosts interjecting that such actions often mean people lost benefits rather than improved their situation.

    Donald Trump: "But in nine months, we've lifted over 600,000 Americans off of food stamp. And that's a record. And it's because we really have a strong economy. I mean, we're building thousands and thousands of factories all over this country. Wait till they open up." [08:56]

• Inflated Investments and Tariffs

  • He touts “over $17 trillion being invested in our country in nine months... 20 to 21 trillion dollars invested on our country,” which the hosts outright label as fabricated.

    Donald Trump: "So if we have 20 or 21 in one year, 21 trillion, think of what that is. That's car factories, that's AI. It's everything. They're all coming back because of the tariffs, they're all coming back." [15:07]

6. Opposition to Minimum Wage Increases

• Trump urges the franchise owners to “fight” against a higher minimum wage, criticizing California’s legislation. > Donald Trump: "The minimum wage thing, you'll have to be talking about. You're going to have to fight. We were talking about California, Gavin Newscomb from California, and I knew he's laying siege on the minimum wage." [11:33]

7. Foreign Policy and Military Boasting

• Tall Tales of 'Obliterating' Iran
  • Trump describes a fantasy military action with B2 bombers against Iran, which the hosts clarify never happened.

    Donald Trump: "We took out the nuclear capability of Iran with those gorgeous B2B bombers they flew in there, they wiped it and the word was obliterated." [13:55]

8. The “Golden Arches” Gag

• The hosts note Trump’s official White House social media posted an image showing the White House topped with the McDonald’s golden arch—blurring the lines between satire and potential reality.
  • Political Commentator: "They probably mean it as a joke, but it is definitely possible for the right price." [16:33]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Trump’s incoherence:
  "He couldn't really even speak in complete sentences. He started making noises when he talked about like the fish being sold at McDonald's. He was like shoop shoop shoop." [02:17]
• Ocean renaming tangent:
  Donald Trump: "We're changing the name and now it's the Gulf of America. Has nothing to do with McDonald's..." [03:35]
• Energy slogans:
  Donald Trump: "I drilled, baby drilled. I tell you, we drill." [04:54]
• Imagined war heroics:
  Donald Trump: "We took out the nuclear capability of Iran with those gorgeous B2B bombers..." [13:55]
• On international perceptions:
  Donald Trump: "The world was laughing at us like we were stupid people. They're not laughing anymore... they respect us now again." [16:08]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:17-03:40] Trump’s McDonald’s appearance: tangents, tartar sauce, Gulf of America
• [04:19-05:41] “American Dream” rant, “Drill, baby, drill,” obsession with appearances and hands
• [06:14-08:56] Rants on water, inflation, wild economic claims, food stamps
• [11:32-12:47] Opposition to minimum wage hike, claims of ‘affordable’ prices and executive actions on coffee
• [13:54-15:54] Fabricated military, investment, and economic stories
• [16:08-16:52] Trump’s ‘no longer laughing at us’ assertion, and the McDonald’s-White House mashup

Tone & Takeaways

The episode is equal parts alarmed and incredulous, laced with the brothers’ trademark humor. They dissect Trump’s word salad with both factual corrections and comedic disbelief, pointing out the disconnect between Trump’s claims and reality. The undercurrent is deeply concerned about his influence, given the sheer level of disinformation and bizarre behavior on public display.

For listeners: This summary encapsulates Trump’s frenetic speech and the MeidasTouch team’s analysis, serving as both a fact-check and a primer on how far political reality can spiral. The episode’s purpose is to inform, entertain, and underscore the importance of staying vigilant in defense of democracy.