Trump Spirals on Sunday AM as Cover Up Backfires

Summary

The MeidasTouch Podcast

Episode: Trump Spirals on Sunday AM as Cover Up Backfires
Date: February 15, 2026
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the political whirlwind surrounding new revelations from the Epstein files and the ensuing public and political reactions, particularly as they implicate figures close to Donald Trump. The hosts combine their trademark brotherly banter with pointed analysis of the media’s treatment of the story, accusations of coverup and distraction, and candid commentary on the broader implications for democracy and justice. The episode also features notable statements from figures like Hillary Clinton, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Rep. Thomas Massie, and Rep. Garcia, providing listeners with a panoramic view of the controversy and its media coverage.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Donald Trump Under Siege (00:23 - 02:59)

• Ben Meiselas opens with the claim that Trump faces a "terrible Sunday morning," under attack from all sides—across party lines and at the Munich conference.

• Highlights Hillary Clinton's public commitment to transparency regarding the Epstein files and willingness to testify:

  • Quote:

    "I've called for... many, many years for everything to be put out there so people can not only see what is in them, but also, if appropriate, hold people accountable."
    — Hillary Clinton (02:03)

• Notes the alarming content in the files, like Steve Bannon allegedly enlisting Epstein’s help in destabilizing the Vatican.

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2. The “Fake” Epstein List and Political Backlash (02:59 - 06:46)

• The hosts discuss the Trump camp's response: releasing a “fake” Epstein list with questionable names (e.g., Elvis, Marilyn Monroe) while omitting Trump associates implicated in the files.
• Marjorie Taylor Greene protests her inclusion and demands full redactions, highlighting the list’s absurdity.
• Congressman Thomas Massie decries billionaire Epstein associates funding attacks against him for pushing for full disclosure:
  • Quote:

    "This is about the Epstein class... They're billionaires who are friends with these people. And that's what I'm up against."
    — Thomas Massie (04:47)

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3. Calls for Accountability: Congressional Response (06:46 - 10:05)

• Rep. Garcia and other officials push for accountability from both parties, demanding hearings and testimony from figures like Howard Lutnick and Steve Bannon, who have Epstein connections.

• The hosts stress the need for transparency and criticize selective prosecution and leniency, using Ghislaine Maxwell and Bannon as examples.

  • Emphasizes that Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s residence, is documented as a site of Epstein ring activity.
  • Quote:

    "Mar-a-Lago was a site of the sex trafficking in the Epstein ring. That's not a disputed fact—where Trump lives."
    — Host (08:06)

• Rep. Garcia elucidates lines of inquiry for the ongoing investigation, including:

  • Who financed Epstein and benefitted from him (e.g., Les Wexner).
  • Why allegations and evidence were never fully investigated by law enforcement or DOJ.

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4. Media Coverage, Distraction Tactics & “The Blind Spot” (10:05 - 13:19)

• The hosts analyze media coverage using Ground News:

  • Only 11% of reporting on the Epstein fallout emerges from right-wing outlets.
  • Right-wing media pushes other narratives, like Trump’s $5 billion Gaza aid scheme, ignoring the Epstein developments.

• They note the persistent violence in Gaza despite proclamations of a ceasefire, providing critical stats and drawing Orwellian analogies:

  • Quote:

    "Isn't that what 1984 said? War is peace and peace is war. That’s what happens. And truth, the simple truth, becomes a revolutionary act."
    — Host (13:25)

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5. Right-Wing Disinformation and Distraction (15:28 - 17:38)

• Discussion on Trump ally Tom Homan’s fantastical claims about children recovered from trafficking, which the hosts ridicule as invented numbers:

  • Quote:

    "What are you talking about? You found 145,000? What the hell are these people talking about?"
    — Host (15:59)

• The hosts frame this as part of a broader right-wing tactic: claiming to fight trafficking while ignoring or facilitating “Epstein class” corruption.

• Sample of Tom Homan’s claims:

  • Quote:

    “President Trump has already found 145,000 of them [missing children] in Minnesota alone...”
    — Tom Homan (16:25)

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6. FDA Policy Shift and Finale (17:42 - 18:36)

• Dr. Marty Makari (FDA Commissioner) is briefly featured to announce an overhaul of the food pyramid—presented with trademark comedic skepticism.
  • Quote:

    "...We ended what was a corrupt food pyramid with an open secret... It never talked about ultra processed foods, refined carbohydrates, or the importance of fiber on those carbohydrates."
    — Dr. Marty Makari (18:08)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Hillary Clinton on Complete Transparency:
  (02:03) "I've called for... many, many years for everything to be put out there..."
• Congressman Massie on Epstein Class Influence:
  (04:47) "...They're billionaires who are friends with these people. And that's what I'm up against."
• Host on Mar-a-Lago and Trafficking:
  (08:06) "...Mar-a-Lago was a site of the sex trafficking in the Epstein ring. That's not a disputed fact—where Trump lives."
• Host referencing Orwell:
  (13:25) "...truth, the simple truth, becomes a revolutionary act."
• Hosts mocking Tom Homan’s "rescued children" claims:
  (15:59) "What are you talking about? You found 145,000?"
• Dr. Marty Makari on the food pyramid:
  (18:08) "We ended what was a corrupt food pyramid..."

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Trump under fire at Munich conference, Clinton’s statement: 00:23 – 02:59
• Fake Epstein list, Greene and Massie react: 02:59 – 06:46
• Calls for hearings and investigations (Rep. Garcia): 06:46 – 10:05
• Media coverage analysis with Ground News, Gaza coverage: 10:05 – 13:19
• Palestinian casualties and public narrative control: 13:19 – 14:34
• Right-wing distraction and Homan’s claims: 15:28 – 17:38
• FDA food pyramid overhaul segment: 17:42 – 18:36

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Summary Tone and Language

The MeidasTouch signature blend of passionate democratic advocacy, sharp-witted humor, and conversational brotherly banter prevails throughout. The hosts pull no punches in directly addressing the seriousness of the Epstein revelations, the hypocrisy of selective outrage, and the role of media bias and misinformation. Their candor, combined with sourced audio and direct quotes, gives listeners a dynamic, urgent sense of the controversy and its stakes.

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For further details, visit MeidasTouch YouTube Channel and join the ongoing pro-democracy conversation.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Donald Trump is having a terrible Sunday morning. You know when you are being hit by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Clinton, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie, Ro Khanna, everybody essentially at the Munich conference all at once. Yeah. You are probably the most despised thing in this world. I want to go through with you what's going down this morning. Just a reminder, hit subscribe. As you can see, we're less than 50,000 subscribers away from 6 million. Let's hit 6 million this week. Hit subscribe right now. And by the way, shout out to all of the Midas mighty fans I saw in Disneyland yesterday. When I brought my family there, a lot of people came up. So shout out to all of you. I said I would give everybody a shout out. All right, I want to go to the Munich conference right now where you have Hillary Clinton saying, look, when it comes to the Epstein files, we've been saying release them. I'm willing to testify publicly. I've got nothing to hide at all. What we're seeing in some of these files as like one of Donald Trump's right hand people like Steve Bannon trying to topple the former Pope and how this Epstein class that surrounded Donald Trump was trying to overthrow all these governments and hoist up maga. And that's one of the things that Epstein was involved in. There's deeper things, very serious things that need to be addressed immediately. What in the world is going on here? Play this clip right now of Secretary of State Clinton. Let's play it.

[C]

I heard three in particular to the last question. It's horrifying and we're hoping that there will be continued release every day that passes. That doesn't mean, as our news commentators say every day in the United States that because someone's name is there, they committed a crime. But I think there's a lot of very troubling and really horrific information coming out today. Came out that Steve Bannon was trying to get Jeffrey Epstein to help him overthrow Pope Francis. I guess that was part of the civilizational conservative, true conservative, true conservatism. So it is something that, you know, needs to be totally transparent. I've called for, you know, many, many years for everything to be, to be put out there so people can not only see what is in them, but also, if appropriate hold people accountable. We'll see what happens.

[B]

Then you have Marjorie Taylor gre. She's livid because her name was listed on the politically. Whatever the list was that the Trump regime put out. Trump regime put out their own Epstein list, like politically active people, whatever. And it was like Elvis, Janis Joplin. Who else's name did they have in there? Marilyn Monroe. And they listed all of these people. They didn't put any of the Trump kids, despite Don Jr. Being on the files and other kids being referenced there. They did put Hunter Biden on it. And it just seemed like a way to mask Trump's name on it by just putting all of these other names and a lot of the men who are actually co conspirators and perpetrators are not on this list that the DOJ put forward last night. And they said, this is how we did our redactions. And here are the, like, politically controversial people who are in the Epstein files. Anyway, Marjorie Taylor Greene goes, if you're gonna put my name on your fake Epstein list, DOJ letter, then redact all 31 pages of this file with my name on it. And again, you know, you have just think about the trauma being caused to the survivors right now as the Trump regime releases like a fake, like a fake list. Here's what Thomas Massie had to say this morning. Let me show you Republican Thomas Massie from Kentucky. Let's play it responsibility.

[D]

And just very quickly, if you will, you've supported most of what Donald Trump has done during his presidency because of your actions with these files. He is supporting your primary opponent and has waged very personal attacks on you. I know we just have a few seconds here, but just your reaction to that.

[E]

Look, this is about the Epstein class, the people who are funding the attacks against me. They may or may not be implicated in these files, but they were certainly rubbing shoulders with the people who are in these files. They're billionaires who are friends with these people. And that's what I'm up against. In Washington, D.C. donald Trump told us that even though, you know, he had dinner with these kinds of people in New York City and West Palm beach, that he would be transparent. But he's not. He's still in with the Epstein class. This is the Epstein administration, and they're attacking me for trying to get these files released.

[D]

And again, I'm going to say President Trump has not been accused of anything criminal here. Thank you very much for joining us this morning, Congressman. We appreciate it.

[E]

Thank you, Martha.

[B]

And then just to show you, I mean, how Whether it's Thomas Massie, Republican from Kentucky, whether it's Democratic Congressmember Garcia, whether it's Hillary Clinton, whether it's Marjorie Taylor Greene.

[A]

These people are just saying what's really.

[B]

Going down right now. What Congressmember Garcia says this morning is, look, we asked James Comer. James Comer is one of Donald Trump's stooges who leads the Oversight Committee. That's the lead committee doing this investigation, and he's a Trump stooge. And Congressmember Garcia is like, we asked him, bring Lutnick before our hearing. We have a lot of questions for this guy. He brought his children to the island where child sex trafficking take place after he said he knew that Epstein was a bad guy, and then he lied to everybody about it.

[F]

That's a big deal.

[B]

Bring Bannon before the committee.

[A]

He was, like, talking to Epstein every single day. And now Donald Trump is praising Bannon.

[B]

And Trump's DOJ just filed a motion to dismiss the case where Bannon was criminally convicted of obstruction of Congress for not showing up before the January 6th committee. Bannon was still pursuing appeals before the Supreme Court, so it's technically not a final case.

[A]

And the DOJ just dismissed the cases against Bannon.

[F]

They dismissed the case.

[A]

I mean, just think about it, right?

[B]

You have people like Ghislaine Maxwell getting.

[A]

Moved to Club Fed, VIP facilities, convicted child sex trafficking. You got people like Steve Bannon, who's of everybody in the files. I mean, Bannon's, like, one of the worst.

[F]

Bannon was, like, talking with Epstein about rehabilitating Epstein's image and overthrowing governments.

[B]

Here's what Congressmember Garcia had to say.

[G]

Secretary Howard Luttanick. He had said in an interview last year he hadn't seen Howard Lutnick in years. Turns out he went to see his island off the US Virgin Islands with his family back in 2012, and he had business interests with him in 2014. Are you working with Republican Chairman Jim Comer to bring Howard Lutnick in for questioning?

[H]

We have asked Chamon Comer to bring in Howard Lutnick, and we have yet had no response. Not only did he visit the island, he had tons of communication with Jeffrey Epstein after it was already known that Jeffrey Epstein was essentially convicted for preying on children. So it is shameful that he's actually in our government. He should not be the Commerce Secretary. He should come talk to the Oversight Committee.

[G]

The Oversight Committee also voted last month, the whole bill.

[A]

And then what I liked about this.

[B]

Next comment by Congressmember Garcia this morning.

[A]

Is, he said, look, he goes, we.

[F]

Need to know why was Mar A.

[A]

Lago one of the locations where a lot of the sex trafficking took place?

[F]

That's an undisputed fact, folks, that Mar A Lago was a site of the sex trafficking in the Epstein ring. Like undisputed, that it was where Trump lives. Trump's. I mean, let's just repeat this. Trump's home is where the sex trafficking was taking place. One of the locations. And that's not a disputed fact. It's just 100% true.

[A]

I mean, Virginia Giuffre, the spa, that's like one the areas where it went down.

[B]

Let's play this clip.

[H]

Look, there's a variety of things. I think number one is we want to ensure that all the names of the men that either were co conspirators, those that themselves terrorized and brutalized women and children. Those people need to be exposed. That work has begun. An additional piece of this is who is financing Jeffrey Epstein? So, for example, this upcoming week, we'll be interviewing Les Wexner, who likely have been the single largest benefactor and providing financial support to Jeffrey Epstein. Where did he get all of his money and for what and where was that money going? That is another critical part of this investigation. We've subpoenaed also the bank records. So we're going through all those and that information is critical to our investigation. And then of course is who was involved in the trafficking of girls and women? It wasn't just Ghislaine Maxwell. Why were there so many women being attacked in places across the country, whether it was New York, but also Palm beach, you look at Mar A Lago, why was Mar A Lago a location where women continue to be trafficked from? So these are questions that we need to ask. We have questions for President Trump and the broader, I think the broader issue here is why wasn't this investigated when these, when these, when these accusations and these stories actually were heard by the FBI years ago, where was the investigation? Where was the doj? And this, by the way, is an issue not just in Republican administrations.

[G]

Right.

[H]

But also ones led by Democrats. We have to get answers.

[G]

You mentioned, you know, it's just so.

[B]

Interesting right now as right wing media tries to just completely, you know, distort, lie, focus people's attention on other things. Notice they're ramping up, you know, right now, potential war in Iran, Anything to distract right now from the Epstein files. I mean, just look right here. I love ground news because they break it down this way.

[A]

For us.

[B]

And this is how I analyze it in the morning.

[A]

High profile resignations and replacements as Epstein case fallout spreads. So in all of these articles across.

[B]

The world right now about these high profile resignations and criminal prosecutions of people.

[A]

In the Epstein files, if you look at who's covering this story more than others, you have left wing and center.

[B]

Wing media covering this.

[A]

And only 11% of the coverage comes from right wing media about the Epstein.

[F]

Files when they were the ones out.

[A]

There trying to blame everybody else for, you know, saying everybody else was a pedo and this and that. And now they don't want to even cover it.

[F]

Only 11% of the coverage about the resignations and criminal investigations into Epstein comes from right wing media. Just think about that or, and then.

[A]

Contrast that with this one right here. Donald Trump to unveil $5 billion Gaza aid fund at Washington Board peace event. Donald Trump unveiling a 5 billion Gaza aid fund. And now this is what right wing is covering.

[F]

Look, Donald Trump is saving Gaza.

[A]

Donald Trump is doing all of that.

[F]

When that's not what's actually taking place.

[A]

And that's why you don't see a lot of left wing media covering it.

[F]

And we don't see a lot of.

[A]

Coverage of what's actually going on in Gaza right now.

[F]

You know, since the so called ceasefire.

[A]

Which is not a ceasefire at all.

[F]

You'Ve had hundreds and hundreds of Palestinian people were killed in Gaza. The number could be, I've seen different.

[A]

Numbers, but whether it's 450, 650, approaching.

[F]

A thousand since the ceasefire. I mean, just look at this. I mean, in the past week, two weeks.

[A]

How about in the past 48 hours? In the past 48 hours, Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians in Gaza. And that's in addition to their attacks on southern Lebanon. This is supposed to be some ceasefire in peace.

[F]

I mean, that's not ceasefire in peace. How about this?

[A]

February 4, 2026, Israeli strikes Gaza killing 19, mostly women and children after saying Hamas violated deal. And they're saying that, you know, we're supposed to believe the fiction that there's a ceasefire because you use the word ceasefire.

[F]

It's why we just need to like know the truth about what's happening.

[A]

There's not a ceasefire.

[F]

People are getting killed. Palestine, let me be very careful. Palestinians are getting killed every day by the Israeli forces. I mean, just look at this. In the Gaza Strip.

[A]

Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least.

[F]

19 Palestinians, most of them women and children by midday.

[A]

This was from February 4, Wednesday, according to hospital officials. Israel pledged to continue strikes, saying that it was responding to militant attacks on Israeli soldiers that seriously wounded one.

[F]

But then why 19 Palestinians, children and women being killed? That's completely unacceptable. And then saying that there's the ceasefire and there's peace there, there's literally war. But isn't that what 1984 said? War is peace and peace is war. That's what happens. And truth, the simple truth, becomes a revolutionary act.

[A]

In 1984, George Orwell knew what he was talking about. Truth becomes a revolutionary act with all of the lies. That's what we try to do here on the Midas Touch Network. That's why hit subscribe, help us get to 6 million subscribers.

[F]

You see how close? Double check and maybe send this YouTube.

[B]

Video to a lot of people, you know, to help us get 6 million subscribers.

[A]

By the way, that Ground News is a great feature, huh?

[B]

That I just showed you.

[A]

I have to stay up to date on the news all the time in.

[B]

Order to do this podcast.

[A]

And our biggest go to news source is Ground News. You guys. This is a subscriber funded app and news site and every day they pull in thousands of articles from around the world and organize them by story and then show you what the right is reporting, what the center is reporting, what's the left reporting. It's a game changer because as active, responsible citizens, we must get our news from reliable sources. In Trump's America, being informed about facts and media bias, it's the most important.

[F]

Thing you could do. That's why we love Ground News.

[A]

For every article, they also tell you, did a media conglomerate put this news out or was it independent media? And they also list the degree of factuality, which is interesting as there were a lot of news sources from media.

[B]

Conglomerates that have mixed or low factuality.

[A]

Independent media seems to have a higher factuality, but you get all of that with your Ground News Vantage subscription. I especially like their Blind Spot feed.

[B]

Which highlights stories that are disproportionately covered.

[A]

By one side of the political spectrum.

[B]

Which I just showed you before.

[A]

So join us by going to Ground News MTN to get 40% off the.

[B]

Ground News Vantage plan that I use every morning.

[A]

They are subscriber funded and by subscribing.

[B]

You'Re not only getting a tool we.

[A]

All need today, you're also supporting our.

[B]

Work here on this YouTube channel that's.

[A]

G R O u n D News Mtn. And we pin the link to purchase your subscription below and you see what's going on.

[B]

You know, in the right Wing.

[A]

I mean, you've got.

[B]

I mean, people like Tom Homan, right?

[A]

Donald Trump's borders are out there.

[F]

Um, you know, he just makes up stuff.

[A]

Like he goes on state regime media this morning, and he said, already this year, Donald Trump has found 145,000 children. He found 3,000 children in Minnesota, and he's found 145,000 children who were disappeared under the Biden administration just making up stuff.

[F]

What are you talking about?

[A]

You found 145,000.

[F]

What the hell are these people talking about? And they're using this.

[A]

Oh, we're going after the child sex traffickers.

[F]

We're finding children because they're the Epstein class. They are at the heart of the cabal. This is the Epstein administration.

[B]

Here, play this clip.

[H]

And I would just add to that.

[A]

You also rescued in this operation thousands of children.

[I]

33. Over 3,300 children. You know, last administration, over half a million children smuggled in this country, released to unvetted sponsors. They lost track of 300,000 of them. President Trump has already found 145,000 of them in Minnesota alone. Over 3,300 missing children. We found that the last administration wasn't even looking for.

[B]

Oh, and then home in this morning's.

[A]

Like, we're not doing racial profiling.

[B]

Let's play it.

[I]

They want to say, stop racial profiling. That's just not occurring. I mean, and, you know, ICE will detain, briefly detain and question somebody based on reasonable suspicion. Has nothing to do with racial profiling. As far as the mask, look, you know, I don't like the masks either. But because threats against ISA officers, you know, are up over 1500%. Actual assaults and threats are up over 8000%, these men and women have to protect themselves as far as identity. They all have placards identifying themselves as ice, ero, hsi, tea, FBI. So they all have placards on them. So I'll let the White House and members of Congress, you know, fight that out. But I think some of the asks are just. I think they're.

[B]

And then finally they bring on one of their Makari.

[A]

Dr. Marty Makari. He's the FDA commissioner. Dr. Marty Makari.

[B]

He seems like the doctor they'd have on, like, Arrested Development or one of those shows.

[A]

Doctor. Dr. Marty Makari is here with some news for everybody about the Trump regime's big priority. They've gotten rid of the corrupt food pyramid.

[F]

Yay.

[B]

Here, play this clip.

[G]

With the new food pyramid that we put out, we ended what was a corrupt food pyramid with an open secret that it never talked about ultra processed foods, refined carbohydrates, or the importance of fiber on those carbohydrates. It was just calories in, calories out. It didn't matter what the junk food was you put in. It was just a calorie scale. It's not a zero sum game.

[B]

You have it folks. Keep you posted every step of the way. Hit subscribe let's get to 6 million.

[A]

Let's do 6 million this week. Thanks for watching New Minus Merch Drop Check out the latest Pro Democracy sticker packs, T shirts, hats, sweatshirts, and more, all@store midest touch.com it's tax season, and.

[J]

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