In short
The episode attacks Donald Trump and Republicans for allegedly “hiding” during a government shutdown, using punitive tactics, and blaming migrants/transgender people instead of negotiating; it also criticizes Trump’s tariff/soybean policy and claims about money missing from the Treasury, while discussing health-care impacts and food inflation.
Guests
No named guests appear in the transcript. The only “guest-like” references are to public figures discussed (e.g., J.D. Vance, Caroline Levitt, Gavin Newsom, Steve Ratner, Alex Cole, Carl Quintanilla, Pope Leo XIV).
Key claims
Trump is responsible for shutdowns; the White House is maximizing pain; shutdown policies threaten Affordable Care Act coverage; Trump’s $17 trillion claim is false or stolen; Argentina bailout harms U.S. farmers; Trump uses meme/trolling behavior rather than leadership.
Notable examples
Newsom’s “Trump effect” clip; White House/Schumer hot-dog meme; ADP job losses; beef price record highs; Pope Leo XIV remarks on “pro-life” vs death penalty/immigrant mistreatment.
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 Government Shutdown
0:30 to 3:00
Discussion on Donald Trump's current hiding during the government shutdown and the implications of his actions.
“18 plus only restrictions and eligibility requirements apply.”
Bailouts and Trade Issues
3:00 to 6:00
Examining the $20 billion bailout to Argentina and its impact on American farmers.
“Argentina further screws over our farmers, then bail out our farmers.”
Healthcare Crisis Amid Shutdown
6:00 to 9:00
The potential healthcare crisis due to the government shutdown and its financial implications for Americans.
“Transgender surgeries in Peru, transgender for everybody.”
Trump's Economic Claims and Reality
9:00 to 12:00
Critique of Trump's claims about economic growth and the actual job market statistics.
“This is the height of a Ponzi scheme, robbing Peter to pay Paul, or in this case, robbing our farmers to pay Argentina to then rob more from the taxpayers to pay our farmers.”
Political Negotiations and Accountability
12:00 to 14:01
The contrast between Biden's approach to negotiations and Trump's behavior during shutdowns.
“You've thrown our farmers under the bus.”
Economic Impact of Job Numbers
14:01 to 15:10
Discussion on the current job numbers revealing health services and education as the only growth areas.
“We saw the direction that it's going in, you moron.”
Food Inflation and Market Reactions
15:10 to 16:46
Analysis of rising food prices and how they relate to the broader economic climate.
“New York Post is even reporting beef prices reach record highs as droughts leave cattle inventory depleted.”
Trump's Tactics and Media Reactions
16:46 to 18:04
Exploration of Trump's media antics and their implications during the government shutdown.
“He knows how to troll, doesn't he, Peter?”
Pope's Perspective on Pro-Life Issues
18:04 to 20:08
Discussion on a Pope's insightful response regarding pro-life versus human behavior issues.
“Here on the Midas Touch Network, we're okay talking about love and caring for people and helping people up and not punching down.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00The World Cup champion will be crowned this week and you can trade the journey through the finals on Kalshi, America's number one prediction market platform. Right now, Spain is trading at 58 % to beat Argentina, meaning 100 trade pays out$166 if they win. On Kalshi, you're trading against other people in a live market. No house, no odds makers. For a limited time, download the Kalshi app and use code HOOPS to get$10 when you trade$10. K-A-L-S-H-I. Cowshee, trade the beautiful game. 18 plus only restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Event contract trading involves risk and may not be suitable for all investors.
0:36Cowshee products are not available in all jurisdictions. Prices, values, and available markets may differ from those mentioned. For more information, see cowshee.com slash regulatory.
0:46Ben Meiselas:Where is Donald Trump? I'll tell you where. He is in hiding from his own shutdown. Utterly pathetic, as California Governor Gavin Newsom noted. He is rotting away. He is stewing in his misery and his hate for our country. And like the coward that he is, as his hand rots away, he is hiding right now. He sent out J.D. Vance and Caroline Levitt yesterday to spew the same old nonsense, blaming migrants and transgender people for the shutdown. It's not working, Donald. People know that you control all branches of government and in government in the United States. You have to reach compromise. You have to behave like an adult and stop posting your stupid memes of leader Jeffries wearing a sombrero and having a mustache with mariachi bands.
1:43Ben Meiselas:that's not funny during a situation as serious as this. And it's just weird and bizarre as well. You were the person, Donald Trump, who said that it is the president who gets blamed for shutdowns. Maybe that's one of the reasons that you are in hiding right now, because you do know that it's your fault and you do know the American people are blaming you right now. So you don't want to be the face of it. So you're putting J.D. Vance and I could show you all a dozen clips of this, but I'll just show you one clip. As Governor Newsom says, call it the Trump effect. Here, play this clip. If there is a shutdown, I actually think the president would be blamed.
2:22Ben Meiselas:But while Donald Trump is in hiding and while the government is now shut down, he is bailing out his MAGA puppet stooge, the president of Argentina. $20 billion of our taxpayer money is going to help Argentina right now. They're just going to burn the cash away and probably go bankrupt anyway. And the moment they're getting that$20 billion, you know what they've done already? They've undercut United States soybean farmers who are already getting screwed by the Trump regime. And Argentina started selling their soybeans to China, further hurting our farmers here and a bunch of other produce they were sending to China as well.
3:03Ben Meiselas:Great work, Donald. The art of the deal. Screw over our farmers with tariffs. Bail out Argentina. Argentina further screws over our farmers, then bail out our farmers. That's the game plan right there. How dumb and pathetic can you be? Also, while the government shutdown is taking place, don't worry, folks. I know you really all cared about a 90 ,000 square foot golden ballroom. That's like twice or three times the size of the White House. I know that's what you really wanted to see. The same thing you wanted to see a regime rip apart the Rose Garden and turn it into a private club for billionaires and call it the club Rose Garden.
3:41Ben Meiselas:But yes, folks, Fox has confirmed that there will not be a stoppage of ballroom work when the shutdown occurs. Fox is told that work will continue to be performed as the funds currently supporting it are not tied to the fiscal year 2026 enacted appropriation. What are the funds tied to it? Does anybody even know? Is it corporate donors? Is it foreign countries that are giving money to this? What's the quid pro quo there? You're going to have your name etched into the people's house. And here's a question that I've been asking all morning and I've been focused on diligently. If Donald Trump says that he brought in$17 trillion, okay, we know he's lying about it, but just assume he's telling the truth.
4:23Ben Meiselas:When Bernie Sanders engaged in a Ponzi scheme of$45 billion, that was the biggest Ponzi scheme in history. So take Donald Trump at his word. I know you shouldn't, but just assume$17 trillion has been taken in. Well, it's not in the Treasury, right? Our House Appropriations Committee and the Budget Committee, well, they don't know where $17 trillion is. So did Donald Trump steal$17 trillion from the American people? Is it in some secret Donald Trump bank account? I mean, really ask yourself that question. If you believe he took in$17 trillion, show me the money. If you brought in$17 trillion, that means that every American would be able to get, remember when Trump was talking about doge rebates and tariff dividends or whatever the hell he was talking about?
5:09Ben Meiselas:Maybe I got those mixed. We would each be able to get 150, if you made under$100 ,000 and you gave the$17 trillion to all Americans, right? Every American would be able to get$153 ,000 a piece. So I tend to think, Donald, that you did not bring in$17 trillion. But you know what? If he did, that he stole the money. So focus on that as well. Now, as the New York Times reports, the White House is using this shutdown while Donald Trump's in hiding to maximize pain and punish political foes. The moves by the White House appeared both unprecedented and punitive, underscoring the risks of a fiscal stalemate that had no end in sight.
5:53Ben Meiselas:Well, it has an end in sight if Republicans just protect the American people's health care. All of their lies that the money's going to unlawful migrants, it's not allowed to go there under federal law. Transgender surgeries in Peru, transgender for everybody. What the hell are you even talking about? Americans who are on Affordable Care Act plans, like 20 million, are going to either lose their health care or it's going to become so expensive. I saw some data right here that like the average family, it's take a look at this. This is the stat from Steve Ratner. Pull this one up, guys. Democrats are fighting to preserve an Obamacare tax credit.
6:28Ben Meiselas:Without it, a 55 year old couple making$85 ,000 would see their premiums more than triple to $24 ,000 a month. More than 24. How does a couple that makes$85 ,000 a year pay$24 ,000 in health insurance? That's ridiculous. So Trump and all these maggots just stop blaming migrants and stop blaming transgender people. This is a real issue that's going to bankrupt most Americans. So let's act like adults and stop with your stupid memes and behave like freaking grownups. Nope. But they want to do their memes right here. This is what the White House account was posting. Chuck Schumer dressed as a hot dog.
7:11Ben Meiselas:Oh, very funny. I mean, I know the beam. And by the way, I'm good. You like humor? All good. I like a joke, but not in this context right here. When you're the president of the United States and you've told Democrats last week, go F yourself in response to serious good faith negotiations. When our government depends on good faith negotiations between both political parties, when you told Republicans do not negotiate with Democrats, don't even speak to them, was your position before. When you've referred to Democrats as the enemy from within and held a meeting in front of 800 military generals and admirals telling them to invade American cities and that the real wars they're going to fight are wars against American people in Democratic cities.
7:57Ben Meiselas:When you've just stripped tens of billions of dollars more in funding from Democratic cities, when, by the way, former President Biden, his Inflation Reduction Act and all of his plans helped red states even more than the blue states. I mean, Texas received 20 % of all Inflation Reduction Act funds. And Biden was like, oh, well, that's a state that tends to vote Republican. No, he was the president for all America. So Texas and red states, they get to keep their funding, but you go after the blue states. How utterly pathetic. That's why when you do memes like this, while Americans are suffering, while Americans are living paycheck to paycheck and facing the psychological torture of that, while Americans can't afford their groceries right now, while Americans can't afford a home if they're lucky enough to have a home with a mortgage, they can't afford to pay their mortgage.
8:44Ben Meiselas:Worst housing market since 1995 right now. And if you're renting, you probably can't pay your rent and can't pay your mortgage if you have a house. And now you've got to bail out farmers. Remember what I said at the outset, how Donald Trump bailing out Argentina, destroying our farmers. Then we got to bail out our farmers. This is the height of a Ponzi scheme, robbing Peter to pay Paul, or in this case, robbing our farmers to pay Argentina to then rob more from the taxpayers to pay our farmers. Do you see what's happening here, people? Isn't it so freaking obvious? And I don't care what political party you're from.
9:19Ben Meiselas:This should just be self-evident, right? Like it's self-evident that Donald Trump is a fraud. He's a bankruptor. He's a sexual abuser. He's a felon. And he's behaving as such right now in the Oval Office. That's what he's doing or what's going to be left of it after their stupid 90 ,000 square foot golden ballroom. Here's what Donald Trump actually posted yesterday. The audacity. Here's what he posts. The soybean farmers of our country are being hurt because China is for negotiating it. But that in quotes reasons only not buying. We've made so much money on tariffs that we are going to take a small portion of that money and help our farmers.
9:59Ben Meiselas:I will never let our farmers down. You did. Pause. You did let them down. OK, you did. Sleepy Joe Biden didn't enforce our agreement with China where they were going to purchase billions of dollars of our farm product. But soybeans in particular, it's all going to work out very well. Oh, it's Biden's fault. That's why these people are such pathetic, vile pieces of trash. This is loser behavior. Act like a grown up. Act like a leader. Defend your policies. stop with oh Biden did this Biden did that you're the freaking president behave like a grown-up could we agree that there is a floor of behaving like a grown-up act like a leader oh Biden did the soybean no you did it you did it with your stupid tariff policy your unlawful tariff policy against the world Donald Trump goes on to say it's all going to work out very well right just like a Ponzi schemer just give me two more weeks I'm going to get you your money just give me two more weeks and everything's going to be okay.
10:58Ben Meiselas:Give me another month. Give me another month. Give me two more months. I got you. I got your back. Okay. The money's coming in. Trust me. Trust me. A fraud. He is a fraud. He is a fraud. Go on to say, I love our patriots and every farmer exactly that. I'll be meeting with Xi in China in four weeks and soybeans will be a major topic of discussion. Make soybeans and other row crops great again. Patriots, I love you. This is cult leader tactics and behavior. You don't love them. You destroyed their lives. And when you speak to Xi Jinping, I'll tell you what you're going to be talking about. I know that you want TikTok to be owned by right-wing oligarchs here in the United States so they can control the algorithm and that you can push MAGA content out on TikTok.
11:44Ben Meiselas:It's what Benjamin Netanyahu said when he visited the White House. I showed that tape. The most important purchase that we ever have to do is we need to get to TikTok. We've already got X, and now we need to get TikTok. We've heard him say that. That's a good Benjamin Netanyahu impression. That's what he actually said. We know that's what you want to do. You've thrown our farmers under the bus. China knows the leverage they have over you because of TikTok, which our Senate banned anyway, which you're not following the law for. So you've sacrificed all leverage over TikTok at this point. By the way, as Alex Cole points out, government shutdowns under Trump, three government shutdowns under Biden, zero.
12:23Ben Meiselas:I'll tell you what Biden did. I remember when Republicans were threatening a shutdown. Do you remember Biden brought in Kevin McCarthy? He brought in the Republicans to the White House. He treated them with respect. They came up with a deal that benefited everybody. Biden helped red states. He focused on what can we do for you? Let's reach compromises. That's our system. And they came up with deals. Donald Trump says, go F yourself. Literally, that was the quote. Go F yourself. More whining from him. I really believe that Jerome Tulate Powell, that's the chairman of the Federal Reserve, is an obstructionist.
12:59Ben Meiselas:Then you had Kevin Hassett, Donald Trump's national economic advisor. He went on this Punchbowl News podcast or something. And he says, you know what? Congress actually doesn't need to pass a Trump's farmer bailout. Donald Trump's just going to do it on his own. Just bypass Congress. We're so post-Congress, as Carl Quintanilla writes. Meanwhile, the ADP report yesterday, private payroll data, you saw that negative 32 ,000 jobs in September. August was revised down by 57 ,000 jobs going backwards. So August actually had negative 3 ,000 jobs. Now September was negative 32 ,000 jobs. ADP was expecting 51 ,000 jobs to be created.
13:44Ben Meiselas:Do you remember under former President Biden when I would do reports? I'd be like 150 ,000 new jobs were created, 50 ,000 new, every, every, there was massive job creation month after month after month. And Donald Trump took it and just destroyed it. And now he wants to blame Biden for what he's doing. We saw the direction that it's going in, you moron. He's so dumb, these people, and dangerous. Carl Quintanilla also posts the following. There's only one sector truly holding up in ADP job numbers now. So even with those bad job numbers, the only thing that's holding up the job numbers, even to have a negative 32 ,000 number, guess what it is?
14:25Ben Meiselas:Health services and education. Health services and education. The main areas that these MAGA idiots want to cut. The one area of growth under Trump is the area they're attacking right now. And that the Democrats want to preserve and save. Like, do you see what's happened? I mean, look at the chart. Manufacturing in a recession, construction in a recession, trade transportation utilities getting crushed. Go ask truckers and freight shippers what the hell's going on there. Leisure and hospitality may as well be considered a depression at this point with the whole world boycotting the United States.
15:02Ben Meiselas:The one area that's doing good is education and health services, and that's what the Trump regime is going after. New York Post is even reporting beef prices reach record highs as droughts leave cattle inventory depleted. Food inflation, 3.2 percent. Meat inflation, 5.4 percent. Ground beef inflation, 12.8 percent. Beef roast, 13.6 percent. Steak, 16.6 percent. That's what's happening. And meanwhile, you have J.D. Vance showing up on Fox and all they want to talk about is sombrero, this sombrero, that play this clip. So can you give us some insight into what they talked about? Maybe how we can come to a compromise and the hats, the Trump, the Trump trolling them with 28 hats.
15:50Yeah, thank you, Lawrence. That's the most important part. They're also the Trump 20, 28 hats, which I think made the majority or the minority leader in both the House and the Senate very uncomfortable.
16:00Ben Meiselas:You have MAGA Republican, Anna Paulina Luna. What do you think they're talking about? Sombrero this, sombrero that, play this clip. And yeah, all of a sudden they're offended by President Trump. But in light of that funny joke, I actually did purchase a red sombrero that I hope that President Trump and J.D. Vance will wear during the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month later on this month. All right. You got sombreros all over the White House. Peter Doocy said that from state regime media that this is what's going on in the briefing room. TVs all playing AI generated sombreros on Hakeem Jeffries.
16:32Ben Meiselas:These are not serious people. Folks here play this clip. Hakeem Jeffries said this afternoon he thinks the president Trump has engaged in unserious behavior during this shutdown, but officials here don't seem to mind one bit. In fact, the briefing room TVs have been playing that AI generated video of Jeffries in a sombrero on a loop for several hours. John. He knows how to troll, doesn't he, Peter? But I'll leave you with this because I thought this was inspiring. Pope Leo XIV, speaking with the press, he was asked about the Vatican or the Catholic Church honoring Senator Durbin, who supports women's reproductive rights.
17:14Ben Meiselas:So the reporter asks the Pope, so what do you think about Senator Durbin, who received his honor? There was a number of I think bishops and cardinals who ended up protesting Durbin getting this award. She was like, he's for abortions, for women's reproductive rights. So how could you give him, how could the Catholic church give him this award? And Pope Leo had a great response, I thought. And he said, look, people who say that they're anti-abortion or that they're against abortion, but they support the death penalty, how could you call them pro-life? And then he goes this, he goes, people who claim that they're against abortion, but they are out there engaging in inhumane conduct of immigrants and migrants in the United States.
18:00Ben Meiselas:How do these people say they're pro-life? I thought it was very profound. So let me close this video off by whether you're religious or not religious, I just want you to be a good person. I just want you to be empathetic. Here on the Midas Touch Network, we're okay talking about love and caring for people and helping people up and not punching down. So again, I'm not showing you this in a religious sense. I'm just showing you this because I thought it was an interesting response. So let's end the video with this. Let's play. Just wanted to ask one thing that has become a bit of a divisive subject in the U.S.
18:31right now, with Cardinal Supich giving an award to Senator Durbin. Some people of faith are having a hard time with understanding this because he is pro or rather he's for legalized abortion. How would you help people of faith right now decipher that, feel about that? And how do you feel about that? I'm not terribly familiar with the particular case. I think that it's very important to look at the overall work that a senator has done during, if I'm not mistaken, 40 years of service in the United States Senate. I understand the difficulty and the tensions, but I think as I myself have spoken in the past, it's important to look at many issues that are related to what is the teaching of the church.
19:22Someone who says I'm against abortion but says I'm in favor of the death penalty is not really pro-life. So someone who says that I'm against abortion, but I'm in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants or in the United States. I don't know if that's pro-life. So they're very complex issues. I don't know if anyone has all the truth on them, but I would ask first and foremost that there'd be greater respect for one another and that we search together both as human beings, in that case as American citizens or citizens of the state of Illinois, as well as Catholics, to say we need to really look closely at all of these ethical issues and to find the way forward as church.
20:08Church teaching on each one of those issues is very clear.
20:11Ben Meiselas:There you have it, folks. Let me know what you think. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 6 million subscribers together. And thanks so much for watching.
20:25Ben Meiselas:You can also gift memberships to others. Let's keep growing together.
20:55com slash switch.
From the publisher
MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump hiding from his own shutdown and sending others from his administration like JD Vance and Karolin Leavitt to take the heat as Americans are blaming Trump for the disaster that is now unfolding.
Visit https://meidasplus.com for more!
Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts:
MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast
Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af
MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial
The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast
The Influence Continuum: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan
Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/mea-culpa-with-michael-cohen
The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show
Burn the Boats: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/burn-the-boats
Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54
Political Beatdown: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/political-beatdown
On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman
Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered
Coalition of the Sane: https://meidasnews.com/tag/coalition-of-the-sane
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
