In short
The episode is a political commentary claiming Donald Trump is “destroying alliances” and being outmaneuvered internationally. The host argues world leaders are “ghosting” Trump, citing Canadian PM Mark Carney meeting with Barack Obama in Canada as symbolic taunting. It claims Iran is gaining strength: Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is said to be holding bilateral talks with many countries (UK, Turkey, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Poland, Switzerland, India, Italy, South Korea, Brazil, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Kenya, etc.), while the US is allegedly forced to abandon the Strait of Hormuz after attacks on US naval destroyers. It highlights Pope Leo XIV gifting Marco Rubio a “plant of peace” and Rubio allegedly criticizing NATO afterward. It also claims Lula privately set rules for meetings, criticized Trump’s actions (Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, Gaza/Lebanon), and later distanced from him.
Notable examples
Iran-US naval confrontation; Poland receiving an EU defense financing advance; Zelensky rejecting a short ceasefire tied to Russia’s parade.
Guests
none mentioned in the transcript.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOWorld Leaders React to Trump
2:03 to 4:09
Discuss how world leaders are publicly distancing themselves from Trump and the implications.
“Donald, you don't hold any cards anymore.”
Iran's Growing Influence
4:09 to 6:23
Analyze Iran's increasing power and international relations under the Trump administration.
“And then the United States naval destroyers had to abandon the Strait of Hormuz.”
Lula's Critique of Trump
6:23 to 8:42
Examine Lula's criticisms of Trump's foreign policy and its impact on Brazil.
“I'm not doing your performative press conferences where you act like a maniac.”
Embarrassment for Trump
8:42 to 10:06
Detail the political embarrassment Trump faces as allies turn away and Iran gains traction.
“One by one, foreign ministers of nations that were once allied with the United States are lining up to speak with foreign minister Araki because Iran is in a stronger position.”
Lula's Statements on Diplomacy
10:06 to 11:22
Explore Lula's statements on diplomacy and Trump's controversial actions.
“Why do you think they're so publicly calling Foreign Minister Aragji?”
Rubio's Meeting with the Pope
11:22 to 14:00
Discuss Rubio's meeting with Pope Leo XIV and its implications for U.S. politics.
“I do not believe Trump will have any influence over Brazilian elections because Brazilian people are the ones who vote.”
Iran's Control Over International Waterways
14:00 to 16:09
Explore the implications of Iran's claims to control international waterways and the global response required.
“So if one of the main reasons why the U.S.”
Trump's Ceasefire Plea to Ukraine
16:09 to 17:38
Discuss Trump's plea to Ukraine's President Zelensky for a ceasefire and the political context surrounding it.
“You have Donald Trump begging Ukraine President Zelensky to do a ceasefire with Russia on the day of Russians today, on Russians Victory Parade Day.”
Transcript
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1:37Ben Meiselas:Alright, here we are. Oh, it's perfect! To first steps and fixer-uppers. From starter homes. So guess what? We're having another. Another? We definitely need more space to more practical homes. Yes, Mayflower has been there for it all and will always have your back. Every moment, every move, every step of the way. Schedule your move now by going to Mayflower.com. Furious world leaders are unleashing on Donald Trump with a force that he never saw coming. Donald, you don't hold any cards anymore. It's a consistent message we're hearing from these furious world leaders, whether it is Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is now meeting with former United States President Barack Obama, who Donald Trump is so utterly jealous of.
2:30Ben Meiselas:And we're seeing what it looks like to have two dignified and accomplished world leaders, Obama and Carney, actually smart people side by side in Canada, taunting Donald Trump with the mere presence of those two in a room, whether it is former allies of the United States ghosting Donald Trump, no longer allowing the United States to use their Air Force bases and having very public bilateral communications with Iran. I'll go down the list, but Foreign Minister Aragji of Iran one by one has been calling former allies of the United States, talking about bilateral relations while these foreign ministers are not speaking with Donald Trump and his regime, whether it is Pope Leo XIV who continues to speak out against the Trump regime.
3:27Ben Meiselas:And when Marco Rubio visited Pope Leo XIV trying to harass and scare and intimidate Pope Leo XIV in the past few days, you know what Pope Leo XIV did? He gave Rubio a peace plant while Rubio gave the Pope a crystal football. And then, of course, you have all of these furious world leaders banning the United States from their air bases, and then Donald Trump begging Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to use their air bases. But Donald Trump had to launch that pretextual attack on Kashim port in Iran, And then Iran immediately attacked the three United States naval destroyers. And then the United States naval destroyers had to abandon the Strait of Hormuz.
4:19Ben Meiselas:But Donald Trump claimed this is a great, great victory. And meanwhile, you have Netanyahu once again threatening Donald Trump that because he's such a pathetic negotiator with Iran, Netanyahu is doing the deja vu all over again. exactly what he did with Donald Trump in late February, saying, all right, we're going to invade Iran. Are you going to join me, Donald? Are you going to join me, Donald? And Donald Trump's out there flailing. And what's he doing? He's meeting with live golf tournament people on Friday night, trying to beg them to join forces with the PGA so he could continue to grift at his golf course.
5:01Ben Meiselas:And meanwhile, you have Foreign Minister Aragji taking a meeting to Russia, where he met with Putin recently, and Putin gave him a hero's welcome, which you saw on their state regime TV, Putin laughing and putting his arm around Aragji. Then you had Aragji meeting with Wang Yi, the Foreign Minister of China, getting a hero's welcome. And Aragji was like, The Chinese have told us that they now view us so much differently after we beat the United States in this war. And meanwhile, Donald Trump is described in the latest Atlantic article as being very bored in this war. Donald Trump just wants it to go away so badly because Donald Trump so desperately wants to have a good visit with Xi Jinping in China.
5:48Ben Meiselas:so Trump can take that photo that he wants with Xi Jinping in front of all of the Chinese soldiers standing at attention so Donald Trump feels powerful. And Donald Trump's willing to sacrifice our relations with Taiwan and South Korea so Donald Trump could get that photo with Xi Jinping he so desperately craves. And Xi Jinping realizes how easy it is to play Donald Trump like the little fiddle that he is. Oh yeah, did I mention that when Brazil's President Lula arrived in the United States. He immediately set the ground rules of the meeting and he said, Donald, I'm not doing your performative press conferences where you act like a maniac.
6:28Ben Meiselas:We're going to meet in private and I'm going to tell you what's really up. Lula unleashed on Donald Trump and let him have it. This meeting lasted hours. There was no public press conference as Lula and Trump, I guess, were supposed to have. That's what the U.S. press and the Brazilian press were led to believe. And then Lula had held a press conference afterwards and then unleashed on Donald Trump, criticizing the Trump regime for invading Venezuela, the blockade on Cuba, the unlawful and catastrophic war in Iran, the genocide in Gaza and Lebanon. Lula was not holding back. Oh yeah. And Donald Trump supporting the former insurrectionist MAGA president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, who's now serving over 20 years in prison, frankly, in my opinion, what Donald Trump should be doing because Jair Bolsonaro, that MAGA Brazilian president, tried to lead an insurrection against Brazil and failed, and their courts actually held their insurrection as former president accountable, where our cowardly and disgusting and fascist Supreme Court gave Donald Trump absolute immunity, which is absolutely disgusting.
7:40Ben Meiselas:Let's just go through, though, the utter embarrassment and shame Donald Trump is experiencing. Iran announces that its foreign minister, Aragji, held bilateral communications with the foreign minister of the UK. Foreign minister Aragji announced bilateral negotiations and communications with Turkey, bilateral communications and negotiations with Japan, bilateral negotiations and communication with Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, bilateral communications and negotiation with Spain's foreign minister, bilateral communications and negotiations with Poland's foreign minister, with the foreign minister of Switzerland, with the foreign minister of India, with the foreign minister of Italy, with the foreign minister of South Korea, with the foreign minister of Brazil, with the foreign minister of Turkmenistan, with the foreign minister of Pakistan, with the foreign minister of Kenya, with the foreign...
8:39Ben Meiselas:Do you get the point? Do you get the point? And by the way, this is public stuff. They're not hiding it. One by one, foreign ministers of nations that were once allied with the United States are lining up to speak with foreign minister Araki because Iran is in a stronger position. And these countries are trying to figure out how can we get our ships through the Strait of Hormuz. And we have to recognize that Iran is not just a regional power player right now, but is an international power player like never before as Donald Trump lost or as the mighty and powerful United States Navy is now reduced to behaving like pirates as CENTCOM is bragging that it attacks certain ghost ships of Iran and they want to get like applauded because the powerful US Navy attacks defenseless cargo ships heading to China.
9:42Ben Meiselas:I mean, are you kidding me? Our Navy is the strongest Navy in the history of humankind. Our soldiers, as Hegseth likes to say, our warfighters, they are patriots. They are strong. They are the best trained. But in the hands of a sicko, maniac, lifelong, bankrupting loser like Donald Trump, we're seeing how it plays out. And the rest of the world sees this. Why do you think they're so publicly calling Foreign Minister Aragji? Why do you think China's giving Iran the red carpet treatment before Donald Trump's visit with Xi Jinping? Why do you think we hear news like this? Poland, by the way, bilateral negotiations with Iran.
10:29Ben Meiselas:Separately, Poland signed a$43.7 billion EU loan agreement, becoming the first member state to finalize a deal under the bloc's new 150 billion euro safe defense financing program securing by far the largest single allocation. Warsaw immediately receives a 15 % advance, 6.5 billion euros, with all funds to be spent by 2030 on air defense, anti-drone system, artillery ammunition, and the Eastern Shield border fortification with 89 % directed to the Polish defense industry. Once upon a time, you know where that money would have went? To the United States. But everything Donald Trump touches turns to SHI.
11:19Ben Meiselas:You know what I'm saying here. Lula's statement after he left the Oval Office was the following. I do not believe Trump will have any influence over Brazilian elections because Brazilian people are the ones who vote. And I believe he will behave as the president of the United States, allowing the Brazilian people to decide their own destiny. Then Lula openly distanced himself from Trump after that disastrous meeting. He says, we prefer dialogue in Brazil over war. He said the invasion of Iran could cause more harm than Trump imagined. And he said that Donald Trump believes in his own mind that the war is already over.
12:01Ben Meiselas:Lula says he thinks the war is already over, that everything is resolved. But I don't think that's real. On Venezuela, he says he hopes the country can have a chance in life and that its government can make things happen. And he says Cuba, Venezuela, Iran. And he says, I'm willing to have discussions on it all. But he says Donald Trump's behavior has been absolutely abhorrent. What else is going down? What else is going down? Let me show you the moment right here where Pope Leo XIV gifted Marco Rubio a plant of peace. And in return, Marco Rubio gave the Pope a crystal football. And the Pope was like, what are you giving me?
12:42Ben Meiselas:Play this clip. Well, it's easier. This is a baseball guy, but it has the seal of the State Department. So what to get someone who has everything? I thought a Christian. Olive being, of course, a plant of peace. This is the coat of arms here. It's beautiful. It's a pontificate here. And so while you have Aragchi out there doing addition, right? Diplomacy sometimes is a game of addition. Making friends. Not trying to make more enemies. Diplomacy. What is Rubio doing other than making a fool of himself? What else is new? in the meeting with Pope Leo XIV? Well, he attacks NATO during his press conference after meeting with the Pope.
13:30Play this clip. I've been a strong supporter of NATO throughout my career in the Senate and even now. One of the advantages of being in NATO is that it allows us to have forces deployed in Europe and bases that allow us a logistical ability to project power in case of contingencies. Well, we had a contingency and some countries in Europe, some countries in Europe, like Spain as an example, denied us the use of those bases for a very important contingency, that in some ways the denial of those bases actually impeded the mission, not severely, but had a cost and in fact even created some unnecessary dangers.
14:03So if one of the main reasons why the U.S. is in NATO is the ability to have forces deployed in Europe that we could project to other contingencies, and now that's no longer the case, at least when it comes to some NATO members, that's a problem and has to be examined. But ultimately, that's a decision
14:19Ben Meiselas:for the president to make. He then whines and says, when's the world going to do something with Iran? World, when are you going to step up? Excuse me? You and Netanyahu did the unlawful catastrophic invasion of Iran. Here play this clip. Normalize a country claiming to control an international waterway. Because if you normalize that, you set a precedent that's going to get repeated in a dozen other places. And if the answer is no, we don't want to normalize it, then you better have something more than just strongly worded statements to back it up. Here's a more fundamental problem. Iran now claims that they own, that they have a right to control an international waterway.
14:55They claim that they have a right to control it. What is the world going to do about that? Is the world going to accept that Iran now controls an international waterway? Because if the world is prepared to accept that, then be ready, because there's like 10 other countries that are going to start doing the same thing in their international waterways or in international waterways near their countries. That's an unacceptable thing that they're trying to normalize. So if the answer is no, we don't think Iran should be able to control the Straits of Hormuz, then the next question is going to be for everyone.
15:22But what are you going to do about it? What is the world prepared to do about it? And we're trying to do something about it diplomatically. We have a resolution at the United Nations that we're trying to move forward in which the world and the UN will have an opportunity through the Security Council to vote and say we are not going to allow them to mine the Straits. We're not going to allow them to try to control the straits. And by the way, you have a bunch of humanitarian aid that's trapped inside the Persian Gulf and needs to be released and has not been able to move. We're going to give the world a chance to pronounce itself on it.
15:51And if Russia or China or some other country decide to veto it, then you know what the impediment is. But the fundamental question every country, not Italy, every country needs to ask themselves is, are you going to normalize a country claiming to control an international waterway? Because if you normalize that, you set a precedent that's going to get repeated in a dozen other places.
16:08Ben Meiselas:And then finally, my, how the tables have turned. You have Donald Trump begging Ukraine President Zelensky to do a ceasefire with Russia on the day of Russians today, on Russians Victory Parade Day. And Trump's begging Zelensky, please, can you do it, please? And Zelensky responds with strain. we want a thousand prisoners returned from Russia if they want us not to attack their parade in Moscow with drones because they don't want to. We want a long-term ceasefire, not just for one day for Putin's stupid parade. Zelensky says, we want a long-term ceasefire, but Russia doesn't give us that. Russia doesn't want peace.
16:49Ben Meiselas:They just want to do their parade. And Zelensky said, we will agree to the ceasefire, but it will be just the square coordinates of Red Square, and that's it. No other ceasefire unless and until Russia wants a sustainable ceasefire, Donald. That's what Zelensky posted. Oh, and as I mentioned before, Obama with Carney in Canada taunting Donald Trump. Gotta love it. Not like overtly taunting him, just with their presence. Sometimes symbolism speaks volumes. Remember that. Remember when leaders could just talk through their actions rather than their accordion hands and their lunatic rants. I miss those days.
17:38Ben Meiselas:Hit subscribe. Let's get to 7 million. Thanks for watching.
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From the publisher
MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump costing the United States its important alliances as Iran steps in to fill the void by having bilateral negotiations with the former allies of the United States and a new world order is taking shape.
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