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Ben
These states that voted for Donald Trump are getting the biggest middle finger in the world from Donald Trump when it even comes to things like disaster relief and FEMA aid. Donald Trump is looking at these red states that many of them overwhelmingly voted for him. And Trump saying, f you, I hate you. You are not getting aid. Go screw yourself. He's not using those exact words, but he's sending the same kind of form letter saying, we are not giving you aid. He did it recently in Arkansas. He did it recently in Kentucky. He did it recently in Georgia. He did it recently in North Carolina. Now, obviously, Arkansas and Kentucky voted like 63, 64% for Donald Trump. He's not even giving them emergency aid. I want you to think about that. And then in the past two, two weeks or so, we reported how he's not giving North Carolina aid to remove debris. He said, you ain't getting that. And then a few weeks before that, he told Governor Kemp of Georgia, I ain't giving you debris removal aid. Go deal with the debris yourself. State federal government is not helping you out. And by the way, while Donald Trump is giving the middle finger to these states on emergency relief from freaking natural disasters, what's Donald Trump spending his time doing? Well, he was pumping up his meme coin yesterday by inviting the 220 people who have the most Trump meme coins in their wallets get special access to Donald Trump and they could have a private dinner with him. Black tie optional, of course. Donald Trump says it pumped the value of his meme coin, but then it quickly went down. It's like a pump and dump with this guy while, while he is okay dumping the debris and dumping all of the disastrous things that happen with natural disasters on even red states and blue states alike. Donald Trump is saying, my meme coin, what? It went up 71% and then it went right back down. And I want to tie this all together. So first, let's take a look at this from Arkansas tornado victims blocked from federal recovery aid after Trump denied request. So Trump looks at victims of a tornado and Donald Trump says, screw you. The Trump administration denied Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders request for individual and public assistance following an outbreak of severe storms and tornadoes that also affected neighboring Mississippi and Missouri and left more than 40 people dead. And by the way, you may be saying, ben, I didn't even hear about this tragedy. Well, they did in Arkansas, they did in Missouri, and we did cover it here on the Midas Touch Network. But you know who didn't talk about it? Not a Peep Donald Trump the same way Donald Trump doesn't talk about the four soldiers who died in Lithuania, the two American soldiers who died in New Mexico and one critically injured. The way Donald Trump doesn't address shootings that take place. The same way Donald Trump doesn't do any of that. He, he doesn't address the fact that there have been these horrific storms that have left dozens and dozens of people dead. It goes on to say the denial by Trump follows executive orders signed by Trump seeking to shift the burden of disaster response and recovery from the federal government onto states as extreme weather becomes increasingly destructive and costly in a warming world. And by the way, it says it's unclear if Missouri got the same letter. Now, it should also be noted that this is, this is what Trump and the MAGA Republicans plan is for Medicaid. Right? Whereas Medicaid right now has a cost sharing 90% federal government, 10% states with kind of a match 9010. What the MAGA plan is to get rid of Medicaid is push it all to the states which can't afford to provide Medicaid. They need, they rely on the federal government. Most states or many states have trigger laws that the moment federal government stops its funding, Medicaid goes away. And this way Trump and his despicable authoritarian regime can just put the blame on the states. Let's, let's dig a little bit deeper into this as well. So that's what's happening in Arkansas. Let's take a look at what Governor Bashir, a Democratic governor of Kentucky, Wyatt, on the Midas Touch Network. Here's what he posted yesterday. Today, Governor Andy Beshear announced that FEMA has denied public assistance for two counties and individual assistance for six counties affected by flooding in February. So Donald Trump said, screw you tornado victims. Screw you flooding victims. And as I'll show you in a little bit, Donald Trump said, screw you Hurricane Helene victims in Georgia and North Carolina. Deal with your own debris yourself. The federal government apparently just exists to garnish wages, destroy people's lives and steal your data and destroy your Social Security and your Medicaid. And I mean it. Oh, and tank the economy. What a despicable, vile group of people. I don't know how else to describe.
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Ben
Let's take a look right here at the letter from FEMA that they sent right here to Governor Beshear. Let's just look. Let's look at source documents. This is like the letter that Arkansas got that Georgia got. Just so you go, Just so you know, I'm not blowing smoke here, right this is what the letter that Kentucky got in North Carolina got when it comes to the hurricane. Dear Governor Bashir, this is in response to your February 17, 2025 request for a major disaster declaration for the Commonwealth of Kentucky as a result of severe storms, straight line winds, flooding, landslides and mudslides during the period of February 14th to March 7th, 2025. You specifically requested individual assistance for 22 counties, public assistance for 69 counties, and hazard mitigation for for the entire Commonwealth. This pause there for a second to the letter was sent on February 17, 2025. The Trump regime is first responding April 22, 2025. That don't sound government efficiency to me. It goes on to talk about how the February 24, 2025 major disaster declaration and subsequent amendments authorized individual assistance for 16 counties and then goes on to talk about what it's doing. The impact to individual households and the infrastructure was significant. However, based on the results of the joint preliminary damage assessment, it has been determined that the impact to the individuals and households in Butler, Franklin, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence and Whitley counties is not of the severity and magnitude that warrant their designations under the individual assistance program. And then it goes on to talk about how, therefore, your request is denied. These denials may be appealed, but you can see the source document yourself. That's the letter that they received. Now you want to take a look at some of the other letters that were out there as well. Here's the letter that they got in Georgia in response to Governor Kemp. Here it is right here. FEMA February 12, 2025. Dear Governor Kemp, this is in response to your January 24, 2025 request for an extension to the cost share waiver under the major disaster FEMA dash 4830 dash Dr. That was declared on September 30, 2024, due to Hurricane Colleen. You specifically requested an extension of the 100% federal cost share for debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal Assistance, to 100 days. And you reiterated your request for an increase in the federal cost share for permanent work to 90%. And it says, based on our review of all the information available, it has been determined that the increased level of funding you have requested for the major disaster is not warranted. Therefore, I must inform you that your request for more federal funding is denied. Okay. That was the letter that Georgia got. And then in North Carolina they got a similar letter right here. Here was letter that they got in North Carolina. Dear Governor Stein, you can read it yourself. It follows the same format. Based on all of our review of all information available, it has been determined that the increased level of funding you have requested for the major disaster is not warranted. Therefore, I must inform you that the debris removal is hereby denied, denied, denied, denied, denied, denied. Now, I think when I share that with you, it's also worth me just contrasting that to how former President Biden handled things here. So let me just share with you how former President Biden handled things. So here's former President Biden talking about how for him, he was honored to approve that FEMA gave, for example, Texas $13 billion in $13 billion in three years in disaster relief. As he said, when disasters strike, there's no red state or blue state Where I come from, this is who was once running the United States of America, someone with compa. And this is the person who the media and lots of people tore down. This person here, play this clip.
Joe Biden
And anyway, since I took office, FEMA's provided Texas alone over $13 billion, $13 billion in three years in disaster relief after fires and winter storms across this state when disaster strike. There's no red state or blue state where I come from. They're just communities and families looking for help. So we're standing with everyone, everyone affected by these wildfires. We're going to continue to help you respond and recover.
Ben
Now, you'll recall as former President Biden was giving Georgia, North Carolina, all the states impacted by Hurricane Helene, Biden gave them anything. They asked for extensions. You named it. He picked up the phone, said, done. Governors, you know your state better than I do. Tell me what you want, you've got what you want. All of the governor said that. Governor Kemp said, I got approved immediately. Every governor said right away we got what we needed. What did Trump do during the campaign? That corporate news media, by and large, I don't want to lump everyone together because there were people calling it out. But by and large, what was corporate media doing? They were said they were not talking about Donald Trump, lying. So Trump would say FEMA screwed all of you. This is Trump speaking in Pennsylvania. This is a speech in Scranton. So FEMA screwed you. They screwed the people of North Carolina. FEMA stole your money. When I was in charge, FEMA was great. We had tremendous success with FEMA. But Biden, they were only giving you 7:50 and they're screwing you. Okay? Which was a lie. Biden gave an initial 750 to everyone right away. And then additional relief, just 7:50 without even asking questions. You got. And then FEMA had all of its programs and then FEMA was working with the states right away, giving them 100% assistance on everything. But Trump and this whole MAGA ecosystem here in the United States lied about it, pushed this deluge, this tsunami of lies, as though Biden's FEMA wasn't helping the people. This is what Trump said during the campaign. I'm not going to show you. I could show you 20 clips of him saying, they're stealing your money, they're giving you money to the immigrants. I'll show you one clip just so I can bring out the receipts. Let's play it.
Joe Biden
Everything will be beautiful once I take office. Everything is good. They spent all their funds. They have no funds to take care they have no funds, they have no workers, they have no. Nothing funded fema. We had such a good fema. We had. FEMA was great under Trump that I can tell you we had tremendous success.
Ben
Okay, folks, let me go back to what former President Biden said to conclude this video. When it comes to disaster, it's not a red state thing or a blue state thing, okay? You help Americans in need. That's what the purpose of a government is for. For Donald Trump, a government is by the bullies for the oligarchs. For Trump, government is a tool to make rich people richer, not to actually do governing at all. And that's what one of the things that pissed me off the most about this is how corporate news tries to present the issues I just presented to you. Well, the Democrats think this and Republicans think that, and then we get a split screen and then you fight. And then you fight and duke it out. Everybody and everybody else. Then we cut to a commercial break. No, we are Americans, damn it. And the federal government, when there's disasters, is supposed to step up and to help we the people. The federal government's not supposed to inflict pain and suffering, disappear people, torture people, make people feel like crap. They want us to believe that that's what the government is so that in our suffering, we avoid, we run away and we don't stop this fascist authoritarian regime. Do not run away. We need to be aware of what's going on. And that's why we've created the Midas Touch Network to share. To share this information, to make it accessible to read for you the letters so you can see for yourself. He screwed the people in Arkansas. You go through some of these states. People in Kentucky voted for 64.5% of the vote. People in Arkansas, 64.2% of the vote. Georgia, 50.7% of the vote. North Carolina, 50.9% of the vote. For Trump. For Trump to. To ruin their lives. Come on, people. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 5 million subscribers. Thanks for watching.
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Release Date: April 24, 2025
Hosts: Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas
In the episode titled "Trump Utterly Screws Red States by Denying Requests," the Meiselas brothers delve into the controversial actions of former President Donald Trump concerning federal disaster relief. Host Ben leads the discussion, highlighting how Trump has systematically denied FEMA aid to states that predominantly supported him in recent elections. This episode provides a critical examination of Trump's administration policies, comparing them with the previous administration's approach under President Joe Biden.
Ben opens the conversation by addressing the apparent hostility Trump has shown towards red states that voted for him. He states:
"These states that voted for Donald Trump are getting the biggest middle finger in the world from Donald Trump when it even comes to things like disaster relief and FEMA aid." [00:00]
Ben elaborates that Trump has been issuing form letters denying disaster relief to states like Arkansas, Kentucky, Georgia, and North Carolina despite their substantial support in elections. For instance, Arkansas and Kentucky each voted for Trump by approximately 63-64%, yet their requests for emergency aid have been rebuffed.
He further criticizes Trump's diversion of attention from disaster relief to promoting his cryptocurrency ventures, likening it to a "pump and dump" scheme:
"Donald Trump is saying my meme coin... it went up 71% and then it right back down. It's like a pump and dump with this guy while he is okay dumping the debris and dumping all of the disastrous things that happen with natural disasters on even red states and blue states alike." [02:45]
Ben presents specific cases to substantiate his claims:
Arkansas Tornado Relief:
Kentucky Flooding Response:
Referring to Governor Andy Beshear's experience, Ben shares a direct quote from Beshear:
"Today, Governor Andy Beshear announced that FEMA has denied public assistance for two counties and individual assistance for six counties affected by flooding in February." [07:23]
Georgia and North Carolina Debris Removal:
In Georgia, Governor Kemp's request for increased federal funding for debris removal was denied, compelling the state to manage debris independently.
Similarly, North Carolina received a letter stating:
"Based on all of our review of all information available, it has been determined that the increased level of funding you have requested for the major disaster is not warranted." [07:23]
Ben meticulously reads excerpts from the official FEMA letters sent to these governors, highlighting the dismissive language and the denial of substantial aid despite significant natural disasters.
To contrast Trump's approach, Ben references former President Joe Biden's handling of FEMA under his administration. He shares a clip from Biden emphasizing bipartisan support during disasters:
"And anyway, since I took office, FEMA's provided Texas alone over $13 billion in three years in disaster relief after fires and winter storms across this state when disaster strike. There's no red state or blue state where I come from." [11:34]
Ben underscores the stark difference by pointing out that while Biden's FEMA swiftly provided aid to affected states regardless of political affiliations, Trump's administration selectively withheld assistance. He accuses Trump of perpetuating false narratives about FEMA's effectiveness, contrasting it with Biden's genuine support.
Furthermore, Ben highlights Trump's misinformation campaigns during his campaign rallies, where he falsely claimed that Biden's FEMA was inefficient and harmful:
"Trump would say FEMA screwed all of you... they screwed the people of North Carolina. FEMA stole your money... Biden gave them anything they asked for." [13:42]
The episode also critiques how corporate media has portrayed these events. Ben argues that mainstream media outlets have favored narratives that undermine Trump while praising Biden's administration, leading to a polarized and misleading portrayal of FEMA's actions under both presidencies. He expresses frustration over the media's reluctance to report on the aid denials faced by red states, suggesting a biased agenda that favors Democratic leadership.
Ben extends the discussion to the broader implications of Trump's policies, particularly regarding Medicaid. He explains that the Trump and MAGA Republican agenda aims to reduce federal involvement by shifting Medicaid entirely to the states. This maneuver risks the collapse of Medicaid services in states unable to sustain them without federal support, further burdening state governments and exacerbating public health crises.
In wrapping up, Ben emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing the systemic withholding of federal aid to states that supported Trump. He urges listeners to stay informed and vigilant against what he describes as a "fascist authoritarian regime" that prioritizes oligarchs over ordinary citizens. Ben calls for increased awareness and support for networks like MeidasTouch that strive to disseminate truthful information and counteract misleading media narratives.
"The federal government's not supposed to inflict pain and suffering, disappear people, torture people, make people feel like crap... Do not run away. We need to be aware of what's going on." [14:03]
He concludes with a plea for audience engagement:
"Hit subscribe. Let's get to 5 million subscribers. Thanks for watching." [15:00]
Ben on Trump's Aid Denials:
"Donald Trump is sending the same kind of form letter saying, we are not giving you aid. He did it recently in Arkansas. He did it recently in Kentucky. He did it recently in Georgia. He did it recently in North Carolina." [00:00]
Ben on FEMA's Response:
"Based on all of our review of all information available, it has been determined that the increased level of funding you have requested for the major disaster is not warranted." [07:23]
Joe Biden on FEMA Support:
"There's no red state or blue state where I come from." [11:34]
Ben's Final Appeal:
"The federal government's not supposed to inflict pain and suffering... Do not run away. We need to be aware of what's going on." [14:03]
This episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast presents a critical perspective on former President Trump's handling of federal disaster relief efforts, particularly towards states that supported him politically. Through detailed analysis and direct excerpts from FEMA communications, the hosts argue that Trump's administration prioritized political loyalty over effective governance. By juxtaposing Trump's policies with Biden's more inclusive approach, the episode underscores the significance of federal support in times of crisis and calls for greater accountability and transparency in government actions.
Listeners are encouraged to engage with the network's content, support their mission to uphold democracy, and remain informed about governmental policies affecting their communities.
Note: This summary is based on the transcript provided and aims to encapsulate the key discussions and viewpoints presented in the episode. It does not endorse or critique the opinions expressed by the hosts.