Trump Throws Vance Under the Bus as End Is Near

Summary

The MeidasTouch Podcast: “Trump Throws Vance Under the Bus as End Is Near”

Episode Date: July 13, 2026
Hosts: (as discussed and platformed) Ron Filipkowski (commentary), Ben Meiselas (host), with numerous J.D. Vance clips
Theme Overview:
This episode is a pointed and often satirical breakdown of chaos within the Trump administration, especially focusing on the perceived decline of Donald Trump and the scapegoating of Vice President J.D. Vance amid the ongoing Iran crisis. The episode explores political maneuvering within Trump's circle, Vance’s awkward public attempts to play the loyal soldier, and the maneuverings of others like Marco Rubio as Trump’s position weakens.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Donald Trump’s Decline and Paranoia

• Physical & Cognitive Health:

  • The hosts open with Trump’s public statements about his cognitive tests and paranoia over possible assassination by Iran.
  • Quote:

    "Donald Trump is clearly, clearly going through some things. We’ve known this before, he’s cognitively and physically deteriorating before our eyes…” – Ron Filipkowski [02:25]

• Internal Scramble for Succession:

  • Trump is depicted as unsure of his own future—openly questioning if J.D. Vance or Marco Rubio should succeed him, with Pete Hegseth posturing, too.
  • The hosts suggest Trump’s obvious instability is leading to public tests of his inner circle's loyalty and capability.

---

J.D. Vance’s PR Disaster Tour

• Wisconsin Speech Fiasco:

  • Vance tries to endear himself with a forced “Wisconsin accent,” comes off as inauthentic.
  • Audio Clip:

    "I love Wisconsin, or as you guys say ‘Wisconsin’.” – J.D. Vance [04:11]

• Failure to Defend Trump’s Election Claims:

  • Vance stumbles over basic questions about renewed Trump-era 2020 election investigations in Milwaukee.
  • Clip/Quote:

    (Paraphrased) “Good… good question there,” awkwardly dodging the question. [04:44]

• Convoluted Attempt at “Evidence”:

  • During a press event, Vance awkwardly waves a poster about “fraud” that’s illegible due to glare.
  • Unforced error, ridiculed by the hosts as symptomatic of the farce. [05:35–05:51]

• Podcast with Mike Rowe:

  • Vance awkwardly brags he didn’t use AI to write his book, and disparages most four-year college grads:

  • Quote:

    "A lot of the people who are going and getting four year degrees, they’re not like engineers and doctors—they have effectively fake jobs." – J.D. Vance [06:51]

  • On life as Vice President:

    "My life is, dude, totally transformed... I don’t go to the grocery store anymore... I fly around on a 757, no more TSA lines for me and the kids... If you internalize it you start to be an entitled asshole.” – J.D. Vance [07:11]

  • Vance tells a strange story about Elon Musk envying the power of a state motorcade:

    "Elon Musk was... like, you know, I can buy a lot but I can’t buy that.” – J.D. Vance [09:53]

---

The Iran Crisis & Intra-Administration Dysfunction

• Conference Call Fiasco:

  • With increasing tension over Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump’s team holds a press call—Rubio refuses to participate, leaving Vance as the “fall guy.”

• Attempted Spin on Iran Relations:

  • Vance tries to frame Iranian breaches as being due to how effective the US has been (“you're such a good negotiator, JD!”)—a narrative the hosts mock as nonsensical.

• Pushed as Scapegoat:

  • Vance is being positioned, perhaps to take the blame for impending military and diplomatic failures.
  • Host’s Insight:

    “They're obviously pegging JD as the person who lost—but it's not, it's Trump, it's Netanyahu, it's this whole regime…” – Ron Filipkowski [13:34]

• Electoral Rhetoric:

  • Vance parrots typical MAGA anti-fraud, anti-foreign-aid lines at rallies:

    "Are you going to vote for the pro-fraud party or are you going to vote for the party who is sending your tax money to the fraudsters?” – J.D. Vance [14:05]

---

Political Power Play—Rubio & Succession Games

• Rubio’s Shadow Moves:

  • Marco Rubio avoids public connection to Trump’s Iran disaster, is said to be focusing on Venezuela and Cuba policy, posturing for 2028.

• General Speculation:

  • The hosts openly speculate that Trump’s term won’t last; Rubio and Vance are like contestants in a MAGA hunger games.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s Decline:

  "Donald Trump is clearly, clearly going through some things... cognitively and physically deteriorating before our eyes." – Ron Filipkowski [02:25]

• On Vance’s Persona as a Test:

  “It’s kind of like a test for JD—to see, are you gonna be able to step in, are you gonna be able to be a full MAGA psycho? I mean, he is anyway…” – Ron Filipkowski [06:14]

• On VP Life:

  "I don’t go to the grocery store anymore…My life is so weird, I fly around on a 757…" – J.D. Vance [07:11]

• On Political scapegoating:

  “They're obviously pegging JD as the person who lost—but it's not, it's Trump, it's Netanyahu, it's this whole regime.” – Ron Filipkowski [13:34]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Trump’s physical/cognitive decline: [02:25–03:30]
• J.D. Vance Wisconsin speech gaffe: [04:11]
• Vance flubs response on 2020 election fraud: [04:44]
• Vance’s “evidence” poster debacle: [05:35–05:51]
• Vance discusses writing his book on Mike Rowe podcast: [06:28–06:51]
• Vance’s disparaging remarks about college graduates: [06:51]
• Vance on VP lifestyle and warning not to be ‘entitled’: [07:11]
• Story about Elon Musk and the power of a motorcade: [09:53]
• Trump regime’s messy Iran press call: [10:15–13:34]
• Vance’s rally “pro-fraud party” line: [14:05]

---

Summary Notes

• The episode is caustic, packed with satire and incredulity at both the public spectacle of the Trump White House and the personal awkwardness of J.D. Vance.
• Central themes include leadership vacuum, palace intrigue, embarrassments in communications, and the MAGA loyalist purity test.
• Overall, the MeidasTouch analysis is sharply critical, focused on exposing dysfunction and failed spin as Trump’s hold on power slips.

---

For listeners craving the chaos and comedy of the waning Trump era, this episode offers a sharp, comprehensive dissection of the personalities and policies at the center of the storm.

Transcript

[Tropicana Narrator]

ever wonder where tropicana got its name the tropics and every time you enjoy a glass you're not just drinking juice you're taking a trip stepping into sunshine and embarking on a flavorful journey into the tropics where ripe fruit is crafted into wildly delicious juice and the best part no passport required tropicana give life some juice

[Choice Hotels Advertiser]

choice hotels get you more of what you value here's a little tune to help you remember same drive different day don't you wish you were getting away pack your bags and come on through texas ohio alaska we're up there too comfort inn it's calling your name save on the stay oh and free waffles are yours to claim well i hope you like my little song book direct at sourcehotels dot com starting

[Tropicana Narrator]

a business can seem like a daunting task unless you have a partner like shopify they have the tools you need to start and grow your business from designing a website to marketing to selling and beyond shopify can help with everything you need there's a reason millions of companies like mattel heinz and allbirds continue to trust and use them with shopify on your side turn your big business idea into sign up for your dollar one per month trial at shopify dot

[Kiana (Shopify Testimonial)]

com specialoffer i'm kiana and i leveled up my business with shopify once i figured out that shopify was a thing i never turned back i can create a site with my eyes closed shopify thinks ahead of us you know and it thinks about the customer more than anything every day i'm thinking about some other new business but shopify is doing it to me because it's so easy to use it's like i can't stop i'm addicted start your free trial at

[Ron Filipkowski]

shopify dot com i'm hannah i've lost

[GLP-1 Weight Loss Testimonial]

seventy five pounds in twenty months with glp one s plus diet and exercise on ro i've gone from struggling to run a mile to running farther every day you can access fda approved glp one s online get the support you need to reach your weight loss goals go to roe co weight to see if you qualify i'm a paid roe partner twenty percent average weight loss in one year in non diabetics with obesity or overweight with a weight related medical condition versus three point one percent in placebo arm rx only to stay informed serious side effects go to ronald trump

[Ron Filipkowski]

is throwing jd vance under the bus as donald trump's health is collapsing donald trump as you know has been posting on social media that he took yet another cognitive exam he also keeps on posting ranting and raving like a lunatic that he feels he's going to be assassinated soon by iran and donald trump is clearly clearly going through some things we've known this before he's cognitively and physically deteriorating before our eyes and as donald trump sees that the clock is running out i think he's thinking to himself is it really going to be jd is it going to be marco rubio who's it going to be and then you have pete hegseth also swooping in and hegseth trying to take his stab at you know being in the oval office i suppose and he he's like bad move you made iran big mistake i'm coming after you those are the posts that he was making us he's further escalating this disastrous war against iran exposing the united states to global economic catastrophe and destroying the lives of americans so donald trump's been having jd vance go out there and give these speeches in wisconsin and to go on these podcasts to try to act like he's normal and of course trump and others know that jd vance is not normal at all i think donald trump's just trying to show everybody just how bizarre and strange jd vance is so they have jd vance go to wisconsin and then he tries to do a wisconsin accent and i guess his speechwriter put this into his speech let me show you what went down here play

[Audio Clip Speaker 1]

this clip i love wisconsin or as you guys say wisconsin love wisconsin but we have got to have a and

[Ron Filipkowski]

then jd vance couldn't answer some of the more basic questions about donald trump's election fraud where trump tries to lie about the results of the twenty twenty election so he's asked so why is the trump administration looking at the twenty twenty election in milwaukee and jd vance like whoa a good good question there

[Audio Clip Speaker 2]

play this clip thank you mister vice president matt smith from wisn tv in milwaukee the president has talked about election fraud as well a lot just yesterday milwaukee's mayor sent your office a letter saying he would love to meet with you and some election officials here in the city after agents started asking questions and interviewing people about twenty twenty again so i'm curious what can you tell us about the fbi investigation here in milwaukee into twenty twenty and and why are they relooking at that election here in the city well first of all

[Ron Filipkowski]

if i did and then jd vance flips around a poster to show his audience i guess something that the trump regime was pursuing about fraud who in the hell knows but the glare was so bad you couldn't even see anything let me show you what was going down there let's play this clip i

[Audio Clip Speaker 1]

want to i want to point to

[Audio Clip Speaker 2]

this woman

[Audio Clip Speaker 1]

now i want to be clear that the woman in the back did nothing wrong but look at this woman in the front with the smug look in the louis vuitton bag a

[Ron Filipkowski]

woman so then they had jd vance do this podcast with mike rowe called the way i heard it and jd vance i mean i just let you watch for yourself what went down as trump's cabinet as trump they're putting jd vance out here to do these things and it's kind of like a test for jd to see all right are you gonna are you gonna be able to step in are you gonna be able to be a full maga psycho i mean he is anyway but here's what jd vance talks about i wrote the book i didn't use chat gpt you know here play this clip i

[JD Vance]

wrote the book myself and you know didn't use chat gpt and sometimes when politicians write books by the way the other thing i wanted to make sure is that it wasn't just a another

[Ron Filipkowski]

like benjd vance accuses most people who go to college of getting fake degrees he goes you know it's not like your doctors or lawyers or engineers most people they're getting fake jobs okay here play this clip right here but also

[JD Vance]

number two a lot of the people who are going get and getting four year degrees they're not like engineers and doctors they have effectively fake jobs and

[Ron Filipkowski]

and that's like and as part of that same podcast jd vance is he's asked can you describe what your life is like as the vice president and watch what he says here play this

[JD Vance]

clip i think that what mamaw would be worried about and it's something i worry about too is like my life is dude totally transformed i don't go to the grocery store anymore people go to the grocery store for me most of my meals like when i cook a meal i love to cook actually big baker i like to cook for my kids as a special occasion but i don't have to cook anymore because i've got an army of people who are willing to like cook me my food my life is so weird i fly around on a seven hundred fifty seven no more tsa lines for me and the kids it's so weird but it can become the sort of thing that if you internalize it you start to be an entitled asshole yeah and i think that's that's the thing that mamaw would really be insistent on is don't become entitled about this recognize it's cool it's a blessing obviously it comes along with duties and responsibilities but but she would be very proud of me i know she would she would also make sure that i didn't get too big for my purchase one thing i've

[CarShield Advertiser]

learned is that car repairs never happen at a convenient time i've had those moments where a warning light comes on and suddenly you're staring at a repair bill you weren't planning for it's stressful especially when you're relying on your car every single day that's why i like carshield they offer low cost month to month vehicle protection plans that could help save you from expensive out of pocket repair costs plus you get twenty four seven roadside assistance with courtesy towing and rental car options at no additional cost they work with ase certified mechanics and repair shops across the country their contracts have low deductibles to help keep costs manageable and they've been serving drivers for more than twenty years they cover over two million vehicles have a ninety six percent customer rating an a rating from the bbb and were named a usa today top place to work for twenty twenty six car shield lets you lock in your rate today so you aren't hit by surprise tomorrow it's a proactive evidence based approach to your personal finances right now carshield is offering our listeners twenty percent off with the code midas at carshield dot com midas visit carshield dot com midas to lock in your coverage today and protect yourself from expensive car repairs again go to carshield dot com midas and use code midas that's m e i d a s for twenty percent off and then he tries

[Ron Filipkowski]

to i guess make himself sound relatable so he tells the story about being with elon musk and he's like elon musk is like man i could buy everything but i can't buy that and again jd is just to remind you how odd jd vance is as a human being here play this clip it's

[JD Vance]

the thing that money can't buy so i i was traveling actually elon musk was in my motorcade at one point i think we were in flor actually it was maybe during the transition and you know it just stayed completely shut down traffic from the airport to i think mar a lago and elon's like you know i can buy a lot but i can't buy that i can't

[Ron Filipkowski]

buy that now another thing that the trump regime did is on friday before they escalated further in the war on saturday which we all know they were going to do they held a conference call and marco rubio refused to be a part of this call so it was jd vance it was witkoff and it was kushner to brief the press on i guess all of the lies that the trump regime was saying you know how on friday they were like iran really wants to make a deal they said that the reason that some cargo ships and other tankers were hit by iran was that it was just like an arrest they called it an erratic sect of the iranians whatever that the erratic sect and they're the ones who did it but the less erratic sect they were like we want to make peace with you we want to do a deal we're sorry about the erratic people and then so we're like okay iran we may you want you're going to say you're going to make a mistake so like they create this entire fabricated fan fiction that we've been telling you you know since you watch the midas touch network that none of that's true iran's always been whether you like it or not iran's been very clear march they control the strait of hormuz they will not allow their control over it to be removed because they view that as really their only lever their main leverage point because they don't trust the trump regime to keep its word in any negotiation so it's been very clear they're not going to allow alternative routes they're not going to they will they will they will go to the end they will set they know that the trump regime and the american people don't want a war they know that well the donald trump and some of his you know warmongers and neocons may want it but they know the american people don't want it and they also know that donald trump is panicking right now so anyway the point i'm making is jd vance on friday spoke to the press to update them about like this lie witkoff and kushner refused to talk on the conference call so it was just jd vance and everyone's like okay here comes the fall guy and then this is what jd vance has said jd vance like all right so the iranians they were like telling me they're like oh wait man you're such a good negotiator jd we gave up leverage that we didn't want to give up so they the iranians they decide to renege on the deal and so they were like we're reneging on the deal because they felt caught off guard about like how good we were doing getting our oil out once the mou was entered and so now they breached the deal and it's like all right what are you talking about jd they've been very clear about what their intentions are whether we like it or not and at some point you know you either are going to have to accept that which i think you should and just you know focus on domestic issues you know or i don't think you should do this you know you're going to if you're going to change the dynamic in the straight of hormuz you're going to have to do like a ground invasion which is going to cost hundreds of thousands of american lives and no one wants that y' all got into this trap y' all are stuck the best thing to do is just to retreat and you lost that's what happened and they're all obviously pegging jd as the person who lost but it's not it's trump it's this whole it's netanyahu it's this whole regime and you know what at the end of the day you should never have been in this catastrophic and unlawful war in the first place and anyone could have predicted this was gonna happen and then jd i think trying to take a shot at trump is like let me ask you this very simple question when you come to vote in november are you going to vote for the pro fraud party yeah you're looking in a mirror jd here play this clip right

[Audio Clip Speaker 1]

here so i ask you a very simple question when you come to vote in november are you going to vote for the pro fraud party are you going to vote for the party who is sending your tax money to the fraudsters no we're going to support the party that is sending the fraudsters to jail and is protecting your money we're going to vote for derek van orden and for brian stile well there you

[Ron Filipkowski]

have it folks i mean you see what they're pushing him out to do and meanwhile while he's doing that you have marco rubio on whatsapp chats with delsey rodriguez the president the authoritarian president of venezuela and marco rubio's like you know running venezuela and that's like that's his file i'm i'm the venezuela i'm the venezuela guy i'm the cuba guy because i think rubio wants to position himself right now for the presidency i mean we know that but and we know that in twenty twenty eight but i think they all see donald trump rapidly declining i think they don't believe that donald trump's going to make it through the end of this term or even maybe through the end of this year or you know i think that's what they feel and you've got rubio and you got jan you got jd vance kind of positioning themselves right now and i think they're pushing jd out in order to show you know what he is and then i think you have rubio behind the scenes working with netanyahu working with you know others and others in the regime to try to put up rubio that's my guess tell me what you think hit subscribe let's get to seven million thanks for watching want to stay plugged in become a subscriber to our substack at midasplus dot com you'll get daily recaps from ron filipkowski ad free episodes of our podcast and more exclusive content only available at midasplus dot com