The MeidasTouch Podcast

Episode Title: Trump Suffers Bad as his Attack on MeidasTouch Backfires
Date: December 7, 2025
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas

Overview

This episode revolves around Donald Trump’s recent public attacks on the MeidasTouch Network, triggered by their coverage of his health and actions. The Meiselas brothers break down why Trump's strategy is backfiring, discuss current economic hardships, and delve into contentious national stories involving war crimes and American foreign policy. The hosts mix analysis, factual reporting, and their signature irreverent banter, all while doubling down on their unapologetic defense of democracy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Attacks on MeidasTouch and Focus on His Health

• Trump's Reaction: The show opens with Trump’s apparent outrage at MeidasTouch’s reports on his declining health and their viral interviews with public figures.
  • “Apparently we're living rent free in Donald Trump's head as he's fuming over our coverage.” (Political Commentator, 02:02)
• Trolling Trump: The hosts mock Trump for prioritizing personal grievances and unrelated interests (like Hall of Fame nominations) over national issues.
  • “Dude, just deal with your fricking job. Like people are struggling right now in this country. They can't afford things.” (Political Commentator, 03:00)

2. Fact-Checking Trump on Economic Issues

• The hosts dismantle Trump’s claims of bringing "$23 trillion in foreign investment" as a scam, citing CBS and their prior reporting that investment figures are virtually unchanged from Biden’s presidency.
• They highlight Trump's “tariff shelf” misrepresentation, reinforcing the network's role as a watchdog for Trump's misleading statements.

3. Discriminatory Policy Change at National Parks

• The brothers condemn Trump’s unpopular policy of replacing Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth with his own birthday as a free admission day at U.S. national parks.
  • “Trump's birthday is now the free day instead of Martin Luther King Day and Juneteenth. What a morally Repugnant scumbag Donald Trump is ... this criminal, this felon, this sexual abuser...” (Political Commentator, 04:30)
• Emphasizes the symbolism: erasure of civil rights history in favor of self-aggrandizement.

4. Economic Hardship in America: The K-Shaped Recovery

• Personal account from Kentucky: unprecedentedly long food bank lines underscore “the K-shaped economy" – prosperity for the rich, struggle for everyone else.
  • “The line wraps around the building a second time... The elite are describing this as a K-shaped economy... The line that's going up, it's Donald Trump, rich billionaire buds. The K line going down ... a great recession taking place right now.” (Political Commentator, 06:15)

5. Trump’s Bizarre Behavior: The Lincoln Bathroom Rant

• Trump’s digression into White House maintenance is skewered for its absurdity.
  • “He was talking about how he loves designing new tiles in the Lincoln bathroom ... ping pong, ping, ping pong, ping pong.” (Political Commentator, 06:40)
• [07:47] Donald Trump Quote:
  • “It was done during, actually, the Truman administration, with very cheap green tile... Now we have it done in beautiful Paridisian marble. It's so beautiful.”

6. War Crimes Allegations Against Trump-Era Military Officials

• Focus shifts to Pete Hegseth’s Fox News appearance defending the use of unsecured communications and doubling down on controversial combat decisions.
  • Hegseth: “I don't live with any regrets. Not a healthy way to live... the revival of the spirit inside our military.” ([11:14] Pete Hegseth)
• The hosts expose the IG investigation's lack of rigor (evidence not turned over, incomplete interviews).
• They lay out cases (with supporting public evidence) of drone attacks on boats and submarines, describing these as war crimes and challenging U.S. secrecy on civilian casualties and noncombatant deaths.
  • “All these operations off the coast of Venezuela ... to me, are war crimes. Every aspect of it ... killing survivors, that's extra war crimes.” (Political Commentator, 11:37)
• Hegseth’s rationalizations are juxtaposed with contradictory military protocols, highlighting a lack of accountability.

7. Trump’s Pro-Putin Foreign Policy

• The show reveals and analyzes language from America’s National Security Strategy, emphasizing its alignment with Russian interests:
  • “Regime change in Europe, the destruction of the European Union, specifically cultivating resistance... help Europe become friends with Russia... That is an official Trump statement on American foreign policy. Can you think of anything more pro Putin?” (Political Commentator, 14:35)

8. Defiance and Laughter in the Face of Threats

• Senator Mark Kelly’s response to Hegseth’s public threats is highlighted as a moment of levity and resilience.
  • [16:18] Mark Kelly Quote:
    • “When Pete Hegseth tweeted he was going to prosecute me... I take out my phone and read it verbatim to Gabby. She starts laughing... because she realizes two things. One, that guy’s a joke. And number two, I'm not backing down.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump's Obsession:
  “Apparently we're living rent free in Donald Trump's head as he's fuming over our coverage...” ([02:02] Political Commentator)
• On Trump's Park Policy Change:
  “Trump's birthday is now the free day instead of Martin Luther King Day and Juneteenth. What a morally Repugnant scumbag Donald Trump is...” ([04:30] Political Commentator)
• On Economic Inequality:
  “The line that's going up ... it's Donald Trump, rich billionaire buds ... The K line going down ... a great recession taking place right now.” ([06:15] Political Commentator)
• On Trump’s Self-Praise Over Marble:
  “Now we have it done in beautiful, beautiful Paridisean marble. It's all bookmatched. It's so beautiful.” ([07:47] Donald Trump)
• On War Crimes:
  “All these operations ... to me, are war crimes. Every aspect of it ... killing survivors, that’s extra war crimes.” ([11:37] Political Commentator)
• On Pro-Putin Policy:
  “Can you think of anything more pro Putin, more of a Putin bootlicker than that?” ([14:35] Political Commentator)
• On Resilience:
  “One, that guy’s a joke. And number two, I’m not backing down.” ([16:18] Mark Kelly)

Important Timestamps

• 02:02 — Trump fuming at MeidasTouch, health coverage backlash, and subscriber call-to-action
• 03:00 — Fact-checking Trump's economic claims; “tariff shelf” myth debunked
• 04:30 — Trump’s Parks policy attacking MLK & Juneteenth, hosts’ moral condemnation
• 06:15 — Food bank story highlighting K-shaped economy
• 06:40-08:15 — Trump's Kennedy Center/Lincoln bathroom marble rant
• 11:14 — Pete Hegseth defends military actions, no regrets
• 14:35 — National Security Strategy’s pro-Russia language
• 16:18 — Mark Kelly’s story: refusing to be intimidated by Hegseth’s threats

Conclusion

The episode is a fiery, thorough rebuke of Trump’s latest actions and rhetoric—from bizarre personal obsessions to dangerous policy changes and alleged war crimes. The Meiselas brothers combine humor, outrage, and detailed analysis, crystallizing their case that not only are Trump’s recent moves backfiring politically, but that the stakes for democracy—and for ordinary Americans—have never been higher.