Republicans Lose It on Air as Trump’s Base Collapses

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0:58Ben Meiselas:oof republicans were losing it on live tv over the week and they were panicking and collapsing it was not good for them at all you have christy noem the secretary of the department of homeland security she said that what went down in texas from the perspective of trump and fema's response she said it was textbook it was perfect and they're hoping to do what happened in texas across the country that's their template because they say the feds and fema and trump did such a good job in their response to the flash floods in Kerr County here playing. These emergencies need to be conducted exactly how President Trump handled this one.

1:37It was that the local responders are the ones who execute the response. The state comes in and manages it. And then the federal government comes in and supports it. And as soon as Texas asked for anything, we were there. Just very quickly, I mean, disasters often cost millions, if not billions of dollars. You've I acknowledge there is this policy you implemented to sign off on contracts that exceed$100 ,000. Why add extra red tape when there is a crisis of this magnitude? It's not extra red tape. It's making sure everything is getting to my level and that it's immediately responded to.

2:10Ben Meiselas:Now, it may have been the most disastrous response in recent history, from not having the right people in place, to not ordering the urban search and rescue team within 72 hours, to firing your call centers to respond to the emergency calls. I could go on to the head of FEMA not going to visit for like a week and a half. Yeah, I would say bad response. Kristi Noem then says that in response to this question about deporting people to third country, third party countries where they can be physically abused. She goes, that's good. That's what we want to do. Send migrants to third party countries where they can be abused.

2:52Ben Meiselas:That's that's what we're doing here. Play this clip. I want to ask you quickly about something that broke in The Washington Post overnight. They said that there is now a memo from the acting ice director that that piggybacks off of something that you had a memo as well, that people can be deported to third party countries without assurance that there is not going to be abuse or trouble for them when they get there. some of these cases in as little as six hours notice. Do you think that's going to withstand legal scrutiny as far as providing some type of due process for people to challenge that?

3:21Well, this is the same operation that we've had in the past is that people can go to third countries. Many times if other countries aren't receiving their own citizens, other countries have agreed that they would take them in and they would provide hospitality and they would provide housing for them and take care of them until their home country would receive them. And so that's what this memo is confirming.

3:41Ben Meiselas:Then in response to the New York Times report about all of the calls from the flood victims that went unanswered because Kristi Noem and Doge got rid of the call center, she goes, fake news, fake news. Even though it's verifiable, fake news. Here, play it. I do want to talk big picture in just a moment, but the New York Times is reporting that thousands of calls from flood victims to FEMA call centers went unanswered in the middle of this ongoing going disaster because you didn't renew contracts to keep call center staff in place until nearly one week after the floods. Why did it take so long to extend those contracts?

4:18It's just false. Those contracts were in place. It didn't take five days. No employees were off of work. Every one of them was answering calls. So false reporting, fake news, and it's discouraging.

4:28Ben Meiselas:I guess everything's just fake news to them. And then here, when she was asked whether everything that passes through the DHS that's over$100 ,000 required her signature. She doesn't deny it. And then she's like, but that didn't slow down anything when everyone says it did. Here, play this clip. There's this question about whether or not everything that passes through DHS that's a$100 ,000 contract or more has to be personally signed off on by you because there are questions about whether that may have slowed things. Can you separate fact from fiction for us on that. You know, that policy absolutely did not slow anything down.

5:02In fact, as soon as this flooding started early in the morning, I was on the phone with a lieutenant governor, with a governor, with the emergency responders that were there on the ground and said, what do you need? And then got on a plane and headed there as soon as I possibly could. So I would.

5:15Ben Meiselas:Next up, you have MAGA Republican Congress member Gonzalez says, yeah, Trump's trade war is absolutely going to hurt my constituents, but they deserve it. Here, play this clip. Go. The president says he's putting a 30 % tariff on all goods from Mexico, your state's biggest trading partner. Will they hurt your constituents, the tariffs? It may, but I do support the president in this. I think for too long, Mexico has gotten away with, you know, allow to do anything. But I'm very focused on the August 1st date. What that means is President Trump has given us a couple weeks to try to come up with a solution.

5:55And I've seen Mexico from, from change from months ago, basically, uh, being allowed to do whatever they want to now, all of a sudden they're coming to the table. They're negotiating more. President Trump has mentioned this, they're moving in the right direction. We absolutely have to do more, but yes, if these tariffs come into place, it hurts everyone. Okay.

6:14Ben Meiselas:Really? They deserve it. I mean, Texas, come on. You, you, you, if you're his constituent, he's intentionally hurting you for dear leader. This literally you're drinking the deadly Kool-Aid, but okay. Then they bring on this guy, Kevin Warsh, who Donald Trump, he's on Donald Trump's shortlist to become the chairman of the Federal Reserve. And now Trump and everybody in his orbit, they're trying to fire Jerome Powell for cause. And they're trying to claim that Jerome Powell building a new Federal Reserve building is misappropriation. So they're about to create a pretextual reason to fire the chairman of the Federal Reserve.

6:55Ben Meiselas:So watch for it because it's going to happen soon, I'm telling you. So they bring on this guy Warsh because all these guys are auditioning to become the next chairman of the Federal Reserve. By the way, when Jerome Powell leaves, it's going to tank our markets. That's coming. So just be prepared. And then Warsh is like, we need regime change. He says regime change at the Fed. Let's play it. The president has been considering you as the successor to Jay Powell. He said some very nice things about you to me recently when I was talking with him. Powell's term is up in May, but there's also an opening in the Federal Reserve in January.

7:32Would you be poised to accept the position on the board in January? I had that job. I was a governor for six years during the financial crisis. It's a great job to have. It's up to the president to make whatever decisions he wants. But I think what we need is regime change at the Fed. And that's not just about the chairman. It's about a whole range of people. It's about changing their mindset and their models. And frankly, it's about breaking some heads because the way.

7:58Ben Meiselas:So, as I said, a lot of this is an audition for who's going to be the next chairman of the Federal Reserve, because now the Trump regime is just figuring out how to fire Jerome Powell for cause. So they bring on Kevin Hassett. He's also auditioning for the job as the chairman of the Federal Reserve. And here he is on ABC. And he says, we never promised you 90 deals in 90 days, which would have expired last week. He goes, I kid you not, I'm going to play you the clip. He goes, we promised you sketches of deals by August 1st. And we're bringing you sketches of deals. Here, play this clip on uh on canada european union and mexico why now what's going on well i think that we've got a deadline that's coming up in early august and the thing about president trump if you go back and look at his history that he became one of the most successful if not the most successful businessman in the 20th century because he was able to squeeze everything out of every deal that he made and right now we've got that guy who wrote the art of the deal making deals for the american people and we've got to see where the dust settles the bottom line is that he's seen some sketches of deals that have been negotiated with Howard Lutnick and the rest of the trade team.

9:09And the president thinks that deals need to be better. And to basically put a line in the sand, he sent these letters out to folks and we'll see how it works out. I mean, this season, I'm using Beekeepers Naturals products daily to proactively support my immune system, especially as we enter peak travel and busy season through spring and summer. There's nothing worse than getting sick right before a big trip. Beekeepers Naturals Nasal Spray and Nasal Spray Max helps clear my congestion. It soothes and moisturizes the nasal passages so I can breathe deeply and easily. Beekeepers Naturals Sinus Support supports healthy histamine levels and promotes reduced sinus irritation and provides immune support.

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10:55Ben Meiselas:Then he says that we need 50 % copper tariffs because America may be going to war soon and we need to make sure that we control all of our copper in the event of war. Now, it's not easy to just start copper production in the United States. You need copper mines. You need to find locations where you can get the copper and extract it. And then you're going to be harming current copper production, which puts us on a very perilous path for our national security. Here, let's play it. Let me move on. Let me ask you about the 50 % tariff that the president has imposed on copper imports. Copper, of course, is a widely used in construction, industrial manufacturing, cars, mobile phones, and the like.

11:44This is what the Wall Street Journal had to say about these tariffs. Mr. Trump is going to make U.S. firms pay 50 percent more for a vital metal while they wait five or more years for U.S. sourcing. How does making it more expensive to build aircraft, ships and ammunition promote national security? This is national insecurity. What's your response to the Wall Street Journal? Right. The bottom line is that if there is a time of war, then we need to have the metals that we need to produce American weapons. And copper is a key component in many American weapon sets. And so as we look forward to the threats that America faces, the president decided that we have plenty of copper in the U.S., but not enough copper production.

12:21And that's why he's taken a strong step.

12:22Ben Meiselas:And here, Kevin Hassett talks about, I'm telling you, they're giving away what their game plan is here. He goes, yes, Donald Trump can fire the chairman of the Federal Reserve for cause. Here play this clip. Yes or no answer. Does the president, in your view, have the authority to fire the Fed chair? That's a thing that's being looked at too, but certainly if there's cause, he does. Okay. Thank you very much, Kevin Hassett. I really appreciate it. Now, the for-cause line is important because the United States Supreme Court, in a prior decision reached in this past term, if you've been watching the Midas Touch Network, you may remember I've done hot takes on this with Michael Popak and Harry Litman.

13:01Ben Meiselas:The Supreme Court said that Donald Trump was allowed to basically fire all of these other independent agencies, which was never allowed before. That was the Supreme Court precedent was the opposite. So the Supreme Court overturned their precedent and they said, Donald Trump can fire anyone he wants at independent agencies, which he was not allowed to do for cause or without cause. But then they said, except for the Federal Reserve chairman, which Trump could only fire for cause, meaning there has to be something like willful or a crime that took place or something bad that happens. So Trump and his regime are trying to create a pretext to fire Jerome Powell.

13:44Ben Meiselas:And the pretext that they're creating, again, stay alert because it's going to happen, is that Powell, this is what they're going to allege, Powell misappropriated funds by building this massive Federal Reserve building for$2 billion, and he stole from the government. That's what their argument's going to be. Here, Kevin Hassett just totally bombs on ABC, as Rupert says, when pressed by John Carl to explain why are we tariffing Brazil when we have a trade surplus with Brazil. Here, play this clip. 50 % new tariff on Brazil. Brazil had a$6.8 billion surplus last year. In fact, the U.S. hasn't had a trade deficit with Brazil since 2007.

14:30I mean, almost two decades. So why, why, why are we putting a punishing 50 % tariff on Brazil? Well, bottom line is the president has been very frustrated with negotiations with Brazil and also with the actions of Brazil. In the end, though, you know, we're trying to put America first. I think that a lot of people, when I'm talking to negotiators from other countries, at some point they'll say, what did we do wrong? And what I'm trying to get, the message we're all trying to get across is this is about America getting itself ready for the golden age by getting our house in order, by getting our tariff and trade policy and tax policy exactly where it needs to be for a golden age.

15:10And normally it's not necessarily about a specific country, but with Brazil it is. Their actions have shocked the president at times, and he's made them clear about that. But I don't understand how you're saying it's about America, because the president has made it quite clear that what he's upset about is how the Brazilian Supreme Court has handled the criminal case involving former President Bolsonaro. I'm agreeing with you. What I'm saying is that what I've been saying with most countries was that it's really about us getting the tariffs in order. And I think that this tariff for Brazil is a lot higher because of the president's frustration with Bolsonaro and the fact that Bolsonaro himself, you know, anyway.

15:47But can you explain to me, because I find it confusing here, what, on what authority does the president have to impose tariffs on a country because he doesn't like what that country's judicial system is handling a specific case? I mean, how is that? It's a national defense emergency, or if he thinks it's a national security threat, that he has the authority under AIPA. So how is it a national security threat that, you know, how Brazil is handling a criminal case against its former president. Well, that's not the only thing. That's not the only thing. I mean. So what is it? I mean, I've asked what it is.

16:22I mean, it seems that that's what President Trump's talking about. He's talking about his anger and his frustration. He's been quite candid about it with the Bolsonaro case. Right. Well, the bottom line is that what we're doing absolutely collectively across every country is we're onshore in production in the U.S. to reduce.

16:37Ben Meiselas:I also want to give a shout out to our friends at Snapstream. Aaron Rupar uses Snapstream, Asin who's on our team uses Snapstream. That's the software that allows us to be watching all of these cable news programs at the same time and regular news and pull these clips quickly. If you want to call the folks at Snapstream, if you want to get that, it's usually, it's really good for businesses, but people use it too. Go in, there's a link of Snapstream in the description below. Give them a call or send them an email and tell them Midas sent you. Here's MAGA Mike Johnson saying that the disastrous bill was just the beginning and the MAGA Republicans want to introduce other reconciliation bills to further get rid of people's health care.

17:21Ben Meiselas:Let's play it. Waste this historic opportunity with President Trump coming back to the White House and us having the responsibility of fixing every metric of public policy that Biden and Harris and the Democrats destroyed over the previous four years. So the big, beautiful bill was the first big step in that. But we have multiple steps ahead of us. We have long planned for at least two, possibly three reconciliation bills, one in the fall and one next spring that would continue to allow us to do this on a on a partisan basis where we only need Republican votes and we don't have to drag Democrats along.

17:51They are in no appetite to fix any of the mess. We have to do it ourselves.

17:53Ben Meiselas:So here we have, uh, Benny Johnson, MAGA Republican influencer. Here he like loses it doing this live stream when Donald Trump posts about, uh, how the Epstein files were created by Obama and Clinton. Even Benny Johnson doesn't believe it. Let's play it. Okay. So president Trump has acknowledged that the Epstein files exist here. President Trump has acknowledged that the files were written and that there is something there. He says that they were written, however, by his enemies and therefore will not be released. What? That's new in this entire zeitgeist. This is something that is wildly interesting.

18:38And then he goes all in on supporting Cash Patel and Pam Bondi. no mention of Dan Bongino, where all of this, again, sort of transpired.

18:48Ben Meiselas:Then just to take a look at what Donald Trump's cabinet was doing this weekend, here is Howard Lutnick drinking tequila,$1 ,200 tequila, and making videos of himself this weekend. He's a billionaire. He's spending his weekend partying it up and drinking$1 ,200 tequila. Let's play it. This is cool. How about that? That's amazing. And I love extra meal.

19:14Ben Meiselas:And here was Donald Trump getting booed. So you'll see Kristi Noem is there on the bottom of the screen. They're all just out watching the FIFA Club World Cup rather than work. This is what they do. Here, play this clip.

19:39Ben Meiselas:There you have it, folks. Let me know what you think. Hit subscribe. Let's get to six a million. All the receipts are right there. New Midas merch drop. Check out the latest Pro Democracy sticker packs, t-shirts, hats, sweatshirts, and more. All at store.midastouch.com. With summer coming to an end, you're going to be spending more time indoors. Get your home ready and save up to 50 % off custom window treatments during the Labor Day mega sale at blinds.com. From room darkening to light filtering shades, finding the perfect fit is easy. Get free samples, expert design help, and professional measure and install services, or DIY with confidence and support every step of the way.

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