In short
The episode alleges that Donald Trump’s ICE and Border Patrol are conducting a militarized “invasion” in North Carolina (especially Mecklenburg County/Charlotte), using tactics that terrorize residents and target people based on appearance/accent, and it links this to broader impacts of Trump policies like tariffs on NC farmers.
Guests/backgrounds
No named guests appear in the transcript. The episode features multiple people speaking via clips, including Charlotte-area residents and business owners, plus references to Border Patrol head Greg Bovino.
Key claims
Agents brutalize people (including U.S. citizens), smash windows, provoke harassment in shopping centers/churches/schools, and use chemical warfare tactics previously cited in Chicago; local authorities are said to be warning calm while federal operations heighten fear.
Notable examples
A Charlotte man allegedly stopped twice and then assaulted; Greg Bovino shown in shopping centers; a bakery owner (Manolo’s Bakery) forced to close; a teen describing Border Patrol at a church; clips referencing “Operation Charlotte’s Web”; NC farmers describing tariff-driven crop price losses.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOTrump's Invasion of North Carolina
0:26 to 0:40
Discussion on Trump's use of ICE forces in North Carolina.
“People with the Wells Fargo Active Cash credit card prefer to pay because they earn unlimited 2 % cash rewards on purchases.”
Trump's Invasion of North Carolina
2:15 to 3:10
Discussion on Trump's use of ICE forces in North Carolina.
“War is being declared on this area in another show of force like we've seen in Chicago and Portland, in Los Angeles, and in other areas.”
Experiences of Local Citizens
3:10 to 3:58
Accounts of citizens affected by ICE actions in Charlotte.
“We're experiencing this invasion here as well.”
Brutality and Community Reaction
3:58 to 5:04
Description of the aggressive tactics used by Border Patrol.
“Don't you fucking guys coordinate with each other?”
Clips of ICE Interactions
5:04 to 6:40
Playful clips showcasing the confrontations with ICE agents.
“And the entire community in Charlotte is absolutely livid at what's going on.”
Community Response to ICE Agents
6:40 to 8:00
Reactions from the community towards ICE's presence.
“in the name of Jesus I bind this up in the name of Jesus this ain't nothing but some demons exactly in the name of Jesus What is he saying?”
Impact of Trump Regime on Local Businesses
14:00 to 14:39
Learn how local businesses are affected by the actions of the Trump regime.
“This next video is captured by the Charlotte Observer right here.”
Community Terrorized by Border Patrol
14:39 to 16:50
Hear firsthand accounts of how Border Patrol actions are terrorizing communities.
“And they have been in parking lots several times today.”
Invasion of Privacy in Religious Spaces
16:50 to 19:30
Discover the implications of Border Patrol actions in churches and schools.
“Yeah, we were cleaning outside and cleaning the grass and everything.”
Border Patrol Operations and Public Safety
19:30 to 21:58
Examine the government's perspective on Border Patrol operations and local responses.
“Here's another clip I'll just show you about 8 seconds some of the tactics being deployed.”
Show all 11 chapters
Economic Impact of Trump's Tariffs
21:58 to 24:15
Understand how Trump's tariffs are affecting North Carolina farmers and local businesses.
“By the way, while they're engaged in these terroristic tactics, North Carolina farmers are having their lives destroyed by Trump's tariffs.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00And we're live on Match Day as Doug reaches for a buffalo wing. He's got it! Oh, and he's gone for a can of Pepsi, too! What a finish! There's no doubt about it. It just tastes better. Match Days deserve Pepsi. Wasn't that delicious? So good. Your bill, ladies? I got it. No, I got it. Seriously, I insist. I insisted first. Oh, don't be silly. You don't be silly.
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1:28Ben Meiselas:21 plus in present and select states. First online real money wager only. Minimum$5 wager required for seven consecutive days. $5 first deposit required. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable bonus bets, which expires seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See full terms at fanduel.com slash sportsbook. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-MY-RESET. This episode is brought to you by Google Health. Stop chasing someone else's definition of health. What matters is what's healthy for you. Google Health offers a new kind of coach built with Gemini for effortless tracking, sleep insights and holistic coaching tailored to you.
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2:14Ben Meiselas:All hell is breaking loose in North Carolina as Donald Trump unleashes his ICE forces and Border Patrol militarized forces into North Carolina, specifically Mecklenburg County and the surrounding areas. War is being declared on this area in another show of force like we've seen in Chicago and Portland, in Los Angeles, and in other areas. You have the Border Patrol head, Greg Bovino, with his army marching through shopping centers, marching into restaurants, ripping innocent people, whether you're a citizen or migrant. It doesn't matter. They are brutalizing people. They are engaging in heinous war tactics.
2:58Ben Meiselas:And folks, we have the receipts. We have the video. We have the photographs. Our heart goes out to the people right now in Charlotte, in Mecklenburg County, throughout North Carolina. As you know, I live in Los Angeles. We're experiencing this invasion here as well. Now it's being directed at North Carolina. Here, for example, we see a Charlotte man who was stopped twice by ICE. The first group checked his ID and let him go. Minutes later, another set of agents rolled up, smashed his window, dragged him at, brutalized him, assaulted him. This was a U.S. citizen, and we've been seeing this with many U.S.
3:38Ben Meiselas:citizens in the Charlotte area, because what ICE is trying to do, what the Border Patrol is trying to do, is to create a situation where they can then send in the National Guard or the Marines and say, we need to invade right now, because look what the community is doing. This is their tactics. Let me show you what's going down here. Play this clip. You guys again?
4:04Oh, what the fuck? I'm backed up. I'm backed up. I'm backed up. What happened? What happened? They just ID'd him. They just ID'd him. The other guy. Don't you fucking guys coordinate with each other? They just ID'd him. They just ID'd him. You broke his fucking windows with another truck that was here and ID'd him already. The fuck is going on?
4:34Just show me your ID again. This is bullshit. What the fuck?
4:38Ben Meiselas:Now, here you'll see Greg Bovino, who we saw in Chicago with those gas canisters. He was actually engaged directly himself in the chemical warfare, gassing people in Chicago. He's now in North Carolina. He's going through peaceful shopping centers, provoking people in parking lots by supermarkets, by bakeries. These are sick, despicable, vile humans. And the entire community in Charlotte is absolutely livid at what's going on. You'll see Bovino himself with his thugs here in this shopping center, this peaceful shopping center. Play this clip. What the fuck? Why are y 'all doing that? What the fuck, guys?
5:20He was ready for them. Yeah, what was he doing? obviously he was actually illegal he was what well illegal exactly exactly he just admitted it that's what we do interviews ma 'am we do interviews i'm sure yeah i really have Go ahead and cough.
5:48Exactly. That's not nice. Thank you. Well, are you doing nice things? Absolutely. Maybe you're not. Maybe it would be safer for you. He wasn't doing anything. Exactly. I bet you he was grocery shopping. Could be. Friendly grocery shopping, they got to eat too. Yeah, they do. And you know what? Most of the time, they don't actually do anything else.
6:06Ben Meiselas:You'll see over here in a store by another shopping center, You know, the people are terrified right now because these masked thugs, these masked gangsters, these Trump Gestapo, in my opinion, no different than the Nazis, are out there in these shopping centers harassing people, terrorizing people. These are terrorists in the street. Donald Trump's thugs. Donald Trump's terrorists. Here, watch what goes down here. Play this clip.
6:40What are they doing? Oh my gosh. My God. Why?
7:00In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus.
7:12in the name of Jesus I bind this up in the name of Jesus this ain't nothing but some demons
7:28exactly in the name of Jesus
7:57What is he saying?
8:09Ben Meiselas:And you'll see in this next clip, ice agents driving around North Carolina, landscaping, people who are lawn mowing, you know, people who are doing construction. Ice agents, if you have brown skin, they are attacking you right now in North Carolina. And these homeowners in these peaceful communities, like, what the hell are you doing? Get the hell off my land. Get the hell off my lawn. Here, play this clip.
8:48Come on in.
9:15Ben Meiselas:Get the hell out of my yard, you a**holes. And let me show you how some people are handling these ICE agents. This was captured on tape. This is an individual who is taking part in the invasion, and you'll see how pissed off community members are at this person. Watch this clip. Let's play it. What do you think I'm doing? Why are you moving? Why are you getting the people, huh? Why are you getting the people? Why am I getting them? Yeah. They're here illegally. But who fucking builds the fucking places that we live in now? We're moving. Or what? What you going to do about it? Huh? Want to find out?
9:50Do it, nigga. Come on. Come on, let's do it. I don't have papers. What's up? All right. So are you telling me you're not going to move? What do you want? We need to leave. You're going to continue to block Broadway. Is that what you're saying? You're not leaving right now? What's up? What you going to do about it? Well, when I do that, buddy, make sure you don't block the road. All right. We'll see if this truck goes on top of you. What's up? Oh, yeah. What's up? What are you saying? I don't know. You take it however you want to take it, buddy. I'm going to take it exactly how it sounds. Take it.
10:22What you going to do about it? Huh? You think I'm scared of you? I'm getting moving. What? There's a lot more of what's coming right now. Good. Yeah. We'll see what we're about to do right now. Charlotte about to find out, right? You better find out about Charlotte. You don't know what's up about Charlotte. This ain't Chicago, nigga. Keep it moving. Or what? What you gonna do about it? I'm gonna find out. Come on, find out. I'm gonna find out, buddy. What's up? Huh? What's up?
10:57What you gonna do about it? Hey, I'm talking to you. Come on.
11:11So what's up? What's the point of being here?
11:20Hey, you want to check my place? I don't got papers.
11:23Ben Meiselas:Here's another video from Charlotte, North Carolina, November 15th, 2025. And again, you'll see the tactics by this militarized force of masked agents, utterly despicable play this clip.
12:04No. Is he a student? 23 years. So he's claiming he's a U.S.T? Yeah, he's claiming.
12:15U.S.T bro. U.S.T? All right. Okay. We can do the school again. Hey bro, got it. We can do the school again. I need to do the English so I can do the English. I can do the English. I can do the English. Do you have a language that is better than one? No, but I have another language.
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13:47Ben Meiselas:Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partners. Prepaid debit cards issued by Sudden Bank member FDIC. Discounts and promotions provided by Cash App, a Block Inc. brand. Visit cash.app slash legal slash podcast for full disclosures. This next video is captured by the Charlotte Observer right here. This is Manolo Bendeker. He is the owner of Manolo's Bakery, a very famous bakery in the Charlotte area. He had to close his bakery for the first time in many decades due to the terrorism by the Trump regime. The terrorism of the Trump regime made Manolo have to shut down for the very first time in decades.
14:35Ben Meiselas:These are terrorists, Trump terrorists. Here, play this clip.
14:5720 people today around in Charlotte. And they have been in parking lots several times today.
15:04Ben Meiselas:How does it affect your business? Of course, you know, and I'm going to close the doors. I don't know when I'm going to open, but thank you. Thank you to all the community and to all the people that have supported me, that have come. But I need to protect my customers. I need to protect my immigrant community and even myself because they are not even approaching people to us. They're just jumping on them and throwing them to the floor. That's what I saw this morning. So, you know, they're lying, man. They're not chasing criminals. They're chasing anyone who speaks like me or has an accent like me or looks like me.
15:40Are you opening tomorrow? No, no. Is that normal or is that abnormal? I'm normal. I never close, man, ever, never. You aren't closing tomorrow? Yeah, I'm closing tomorrow. I think this could be the first time in 28 years that I'm going to be closing the doors of my bank. Okay. But thank you for being here, brother. When are you reopening? I don't know. When we start the division, when we start the race profiles, and we start this racism.
16:09Ben Meiselas:This next one was also caught by the Charlotte Observer. Here you'll see and hear from a teen who recalls these Border Patrol terrorists invading their Charlotte church. They're going into churches and schools and shopping centers to inflict terror on the community. This is what Trump's America looks like, folks. It is a terrorist nation led by a terrorist in chief, Donald Trump terrorizing the people. What a sick, sick regime this is in churches and shopping centers, Home Depot, schools. What sick humans these are. Here, play this clip. When it happened? Yeah, I was here. So were y 'all having church?
16:53Yeah, we were cleaning outside and cleaning the grass and everything. And then some guy came running saying that ISIS is here. And then all the people were here, they went running. I was running to them, but then I came back and they took somebody, one of the church. And then I started speaking with the guys. some two of the police officers were around me and then I pushed one of them so they couldn't take me and then just went over and then they just went all the kids were inside crying because they're they they took one of the people one of the dads of them and then one of the we're right here they they they started screaming everything then some people came to give us food and all this stuff helping us oh that's sweet um so so you were doing yard work yeah yard work outside the church about how many people would you say were outside like 15 20 peoples and all of them all of you took off running yeah no like 10 went running over there some stayed in inside the church so the people that went running do you know where they are now yeah They, some, someone they went to their home and some of them are here.
18:17Was there anything going on inside the church like a service or anything? Yeah, food, we just had food and all that stuff. Trying to kill some people. Did you guys understand that this was going to be happening today? That border patrol and ICE was going to be out today? Yeah, we knew, we knew that every, but we never thought they're going to come here because it's a church and that's not correct to ice comes to church there's like a something that we didn't expect happen we thought some we're gonna be fine here but they did some guy went running and all the places partial and they they're two one of the guys that we have i have pictures did you know uh because you mentioned was it one person who was taken yeah one person Did you know who that was?
Read the full transcript
19:07Yes. His name was Carlos. Carlos. His name was Carlos. And you said that he had children here? Uh, no. Yeah, one. One, and his wife. So his wife and his kid. Yeah.
19:23Ben Meiselas:They already left. In this other clip here, you'll see some of the tactics being deployed. Let's play it.
19:58Ben Meiselas:Here's another clip I'll just show you about 8 seconds some of the tactics being deployed.
20:11Ben Meiselas:Here's how NBC News is reporting it. Border patrol operations start in Charlotte as officials urge calm. DHS says the surge is meant to target public safety threats, but Charlotte leaders warn the federal operation is heightening fear. Yeah, like we've seen them terrorize Portland and Chicago and Los Angeles and New York. We've seen these tactics play out. Federal agents have started making arrests over the weekend as Border Patrol deployments began in the city. A shift, the Department of Homeland Security said, was intended to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed. Pause.
20:53Ben Meiselas:You are the public safety threats. You are the terrorists. You are the ones terrorizing our street. Get the hell out. Nobody wants you here. Get the hell out. Nobody wants you here at all. Earlier in the day, local officials sought to reassure residents as the looming operations created anxiety in the region, emphasizing that the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department does not participate in federal immigration enforcement and urging the community to remain peaceful. Mecklenburg County Sheriff Gary McFadden confirmed earlier this week He learned the Border Patrol's plans to operate in the city.
21:30Ben Meiselas:DHS, which has called the effort Operation Charlotte's Web, said nearly four. What a stupid Charlotte's Web. That's what it's like. Dumb people, too. They're like stupid terrorists. Said nearly fourteen hundred immigrants and customs enforcement detainers across North Carolina have not been honored, meaning those individuals were released back onto Northish. Operation Charlotte's Web, everybody. OK, Operation Strong's life. By the way, while they're engaged in these terroristic tactics, North Carolina farmers are having their lives destroyed by Trump's tariffs. Here, play this clip. Farmers say their businesses have been taking a hit on these ongoing trade wars.
22:12Ben Meiselas:And W.R.L.'s Flynn Snyder spoke with one of them, who says the volatility is putting his crops at risk. My great-grandfather bought land across Rodinley. For more than a century, Pender Sharp's family has called this Wilson County farm home. This is my life, my livelihood. I'm 74 years old. I'm on this farm every morning at 630. Sharp fears those early mornings could soon be a thing of the past. He says the trade war and President Donald Trump's tariffs are threatening his crops and profits. Our tobacco that we're selling is bringing, in some cases, 75 cent a pound less than it did last year when China was buying.
22:48China's not in our market because of tariffs now. Sharp and other farmers voiced their concerns to Democratic Senate hopeful Roy Cooper at a campaign event. The former governor was pressed about how he would fix the issue, even if the GOP keeps Senate control in 2026.
23:04Ben Meiselas:The first thing we have to do is to get back this tariff authority that the Constitution gives to the legislative branch to go back to working on trade deals that really work. You have North Carolina solar plants closing and having to cut jobs amid bankruptcy because Donald Trump is destroying solar and wind. But then you have Michael Watley, the MAGA Republican Senate candidate, says he loves the tariffs that are destroying people's livelihoods in North Carolina. Here, let's play this clip right now. You know, President Trump is fighting very hard for a trade and tariff policy that is going to work for North Carolina manufacturers, North Carolina farms, North Carolina small businesses.
23:49I support that agenda wholeheartedly because we need a international regime that is going to allow North Carolina businesses to succeed.
23:59Ben Meiselas:So I don't think it should be a surprise right now that the Democratic Senate candidate, former governor Roy Cooper, is leading significantly over Michael Watley, who you just heard from there. Let me know what you think, folks. Stay strong, Charlotte. We're in solidarity with you. Everybody hit subscribe. Let's get to 6 million subscribers. Want to stay plugged in? Become a subscriber to our sub stack at MidasPlus.com. You'll get daily recaps from Ron Filipkowski, ad-free episodes of our podcast, and more exclusive content only available at MidasPlus.com.
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From the publisher
MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump unleash hell in the streets in North Carolina as he ordered his latest invasion in Charlotte and the surrounding areas as part of what he calls Operation Charlotte’s Web.
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