In short
The episode argues that Donald Trump’s MAGA base is abandoning him due to economic pain (high gas/food costs, inflation, credit delinquencies), dissatisfaction with wars (including Iran), and broken promises. It claims cracks began with events like the Epstein files, tariffs, and the Iran war, and says MAGA is “in the toilet.” Guests include: Juan Naula (GoFundMe spokesperson-style story: raised $5,000 in 22 hours for his hospitalized son’s viral infection using a 30-second video); Batya Ungersaragon (Trump proxy, NewsNation appearance claiming supporters are broke and asking Trump to share $200B tariff revenue); Caroline Sunshine (former Trump 2024 communications director, CNN saying MAGA is gone and the “base is leaving”); Dave Smith (MAGA podcaster criticizing Trump); and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (running for governor, says he prosecuted Tina Peters, filed 65+ lawsuits against Trump, and frames the issue as rule-of-law vs “criminal cartel” governance).
Notable examples
E15 ethanol gas claims, North Carolina Goodyear plant job losses, and Freedom 250 donor transparency disputes.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOMAGA's Decline: Trump's Support Fades
4:37 to 14:03
Examine how Donald Trump's actions have led to the abandonment of his MAGA base.
“Donald Trump is getting the karma he deserves.”
Heritage's Role in Trump's Presidency
14:03 to 15:08
Discussing Heritage's influence on Trump's policies and recommendations.
“What's known as Project 2025 was done on such a scale that we proposed 1 ,913 recommendations.”
Declining Support Among Core Voters
15:09 to 16:10
Analyzing the significant drop in Trump's approval ratings among non-college educated white voters.
“This is a rut row moment to quote the great Scooby-Doo.”
Impact of Economic Issues on Approval Ratings
16:11 to 17:58
Exploring how economic factors have contributed to Trump's declining support.
“when it comes to Donald Trump's net approval rating on the economy.”
Personal Stories of Disillusioned MAGA Voters
17:59 to 21:55
Sharing accounts from individuals who regret their support for Trump due to negative personal impacts.
“And then when you look at red state after red state on a map, whether it's Texas, whether it's Ohio, whether it's Florida, whether you name the state, he's underwater often in double digits in these states.”
Discussion with Phil Weiser on Trump Accountability
21:56 to 24:04
Interviewing Phil Weiser about his efforts to hold Trump accountable and his campaign for governor.
“And, you know, you've got Trump's cabinet members like Interior Secretary Doug Burgum going on TV and saying things like this.”
Rallying Against a Lawless Administration
24:05 to 28:00
Weiser discusses the need to stand up against Trump's administration and the importance of rule of law.
“Phil Weiser running for the governorship of Colorado.”
Government of the People vs. Billionaires
28:00 to 30:01
Explore the impact of government actions favoring corporations over citizens in Colorado.
“And it's like, I know you tell me from the perspective of people in Colorado, what the hell is this?”
Justice and Accountability Challenges
30:01 to 32:11
Discuss the implications of financial support for convicted criminals and the justice system's integrity.
“Just another example, this$1.8 billion insurrectionist slush fund that they say they want to support people like Tina Peters.”
The Role of the Constitution
32:11 to 34:28
Understand the importance of the Constitution in protecting civil rights and due process.
“Do you believe in the rule of law and everyone being protected by the constitution?”
Show all 12 chapters
Personal Journey and American Values
34:28 to 36:48
Hear a personal story that emphasizes the values of hard work and opportunity in America.
“into 250 years had a lot of implied covenants of good faith and fair dealing in the Constitution.”
Campaign for the People of Colorado
36:48 to 38:49
Learn about the grassroots campaign for governor and the importance of public engagement.
“It's on the ballot in this election that I'm about to have in Colorado, other elections.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00This is a paid message from GoFundMe. Meet Juan Naula. When a son was hospitalized for a viral infection, Juan started a GoFundMe to pay for medical expenses. It was$5K to pay the bill for my son, and I needed only 22 hours. It was amazing. People really trust on GoFundMe. How did Juan raise$5 ,000 in less than a day? He posted a short video on GoFundMe, telling his story in 30 seconds. 30 seconds, be specific, be quick, and tell what are you going to be using the funds for. I was nervous to do it because it doesn't feel okay to ask money, but you shouldn't be nervous. Sometimes you just have to do it and see the results.
0:43We were able to save my son's life. Thanks to GoFundMe that we still have my son with us. Start your GoFundMe today at GoFundMe.com. That's GoFundMe.com. GoFundMe.com. This message reflects one person's experience.
1:22Points subject to loyalty terms at Lowe's.com slash terms and credit reward terms at synchrony.com slash MLPRA dash terms. Visit Lowe's.com slash business credit. Drama, romance, competition, chaos. Welcome to Reality TV with Hulu on Disney Plus. Featuring the hottest reality TV every day. Turn on larger than life docu-soaps, like season 4 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. And the hit new series, Love Thy Nader. Featuring superstar model, Brooks Nader and her sisters. Obsess over the seasons of iconic dating shows like Love Island UK and Farmer Wants a Wife Get hooked on irresistible food competitions like MasterChef Dive into hit game shows like Celebrity Family Feud And revel in show-stopping fashion competitions, including the one and only Project Runway It's the very best of reality TV Every single day, all in one place Every tear, every triumph, every jaw-dropping twist This is where reality lives.
2:24This is where Hulu gets real. Stream now on Hulu and Hulu on Disney Plus for bundle subscribers. Terms apply. Drama. Romance. Competition. Chaos. Welcome to Reality TV with Hulu on Disney Plus, featuring the hottest reality TV every day. Turn on larger-than-life docu-soaps, like Season 4 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and the hit new series Love Thy Nader, featuring superstar model Brooke Snader and her sisters. Obsess over the seasons of iconic dating shows like Love Island UK and Farmer Wants a Wife. Get hooked on irresistible food competitions like MasterChef. Dive into hit game shows like Celebrity Family Feud.
3:06And revel in show-stopping fashion competitions, including the one and only Project Runway. It's the very best of reality tv every single day all in one place every tear every triumph every jaw-dropping twist this is where reality lives this is where hulu gets real stream now on hulu and hulu on disney plus for bundle subscribers terms apply drama romance competition chaos welcome to reality tv with Hulu on Disney +, featuring the hottest reality TV every day. Turn on larger-than-life docu-soaps, like season 4 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and the hit new series Love Thy Nader, featuring superstar model Brooks Nader and her sisters.
3:55Obsess over the seasons of iconic dating shows like Love Island UK and Farmer Wants a Wife. Get hooked on irresistible food competitions like MasterChef, dive into hit game shows like Celebrity Family Feud, and revel in show-stopping fashion competitions, including the one and only Project Runway. It's the very best of reality TV, every single day, all in one place. Every tear, every triumph, every jaw-dropping twist. This is where reality lives. This is where Hulu gets real. Stream now on Hulu and Hulu on Disney plus for bundle subscribers. Terms apply. Burn, baby, burn.
4:38Ben Meiselas:The wheels have fully come off. Donald Trump is getting the karma he deserves. The MAGA movement has completely crashed. Some of the biggest MAGA names are taken to the air to tell Donald Trump, you've destroyed the MAGA movement. We're hearing from Trump voter after Trump voter saying, They are done. Whether the crack began with the Epstein files, the tariffs against the world that Donald Trump promised was going to make everybody so wealthy, but destroyed their lives. Whether it was the catastrophic war in Iran, different people had different breaking points, but the commonality here is MAGA is in the toilet.
5:26Ben Meiselas:And hey, Marjorie Taylor Greene was out there rallying a lot of the MAGA people to leave as well. So is Thomas Massey now. Let me show you what just went down. So you have Batya Ungersaragon, one of Donald Trump's biggest proxies out there. And so she took to the air on News Nation. I mean, she's one of MAGA's biggest cheerleaders. And she said, Mr. President, your supporters are hurting. They need help. they needed from you. You got to help us. Why are you doing this? I want you to see what happens when she goes on live TV and says, Donald, why'd you do this to us? Because that's who he is. Here play this clip.
6:11Mr. President, your supporters are hurting. People who voted for you three times who would walk over Legos covered in hot coals to vote for you are broke. Some are skipping meals. Others are buying canned chicken in bulk because that's all they can afford. The cost of food and gas is just so high. People are finding it impossible to pay for their kids after school sports once they fill up the car with gas. People who support you and support the war in Iran, who were willing to pay a little more to make sure our grandkids don't have to live with the threat of a nuclear-armed terror state, who were willing to pay a little more for the possibility of reshoring our great manufacturing base with tariffs, Well, they've paid all they can.
6:55Some are expressing anger and frustration. They feel that they voted for you to bring down the costs. Others are just quietly skipping meals. And contrary to what some in your administration keeps saying, it's not just vibes. Inflation is eating up wage growth, and then some. Gas is$4.50 a gallon as we head into the summer travel season. The producer price index is up 6 % as we head into grilling season. Savings are at an all-time low. 13 % of credit card balances are now over 90 days delinquent, the highest since 2011. You keep saying that the stock market is doing great, and that is true. But the gains of the economy and nearly all consumer spending are concentrated in the top 10%.
7:41Everyone else is broke. You keep saying that gas will plummet when Operation Epic Fury is over, and there's a new memorandum of understanding on the table. But even if there is a deal, it will take a lot of time for gas to come down. And in the meantime, the American people need something to get them through the slog. Your supporters need help, Mr. President, and they need it from you. We brought in$200 billion in tariff revenue. Couldn't some of that be shared with Americans struggling to put food on the table?
8:11Ben Meiselas:Then we heard from Caroline Sunshine. Again, she was a former Trump 2024 campaign communications director. And if you remember some of the videos I've been doing, she was out there early on in 2025 as one of Donald Trump's biggest cheerleaders. There was nothing Donald Trump could do that was wrong. And here she is on CNN saying, OK, Donald, you want to brag that you have 100 percent of MAGA support? MAGA's done. MAGA's gone. You have 100 % of a little tiny sliver of your cult. You destroyed it, Donald. This is Caroline Sunshine, one of Donald Trump's literal proxies out there. Here, play this clip.
8:55Ben Meiselas:What are you hearing from your friends in the White House for speaking out like this publicly? It's a good question. I don't hear a lot. I wish they would maybe pick up the phone more. I think that there's an information ecosystem around the president right now that is designed to keep opinions like mine out or demonize supporters like me as disloyal and not relevant to hear from. And that needs to change. The president is not getting an information ecosystem around him right now that is giving him the full picture of where his base is at. I am the president's base and the base is leaving. There was a poll on your network, you know, showing 100 percent of MAGA supports this war.
9:41But who's MAGA? Who's MAGA? Because what I'm hearing from everyone is I'm a three time Trump voter and I'm not MAGA anymore. I'm not I'm now non MAGA. MAGA, the base is leaving because they don't agree with this conflict and they don't believe that this is what they voted for. And they're they're correct.
9:57Ben Meiselas:And then you had Dave Dave Smith, a MAGA podcaster calling Donald Trump on the latest episode, a big, dumb orange animal. Play the clip. He's a big, dumb orange animal who's never read a book and is, you know, just kind of, I don't know, like a shitty person. And all the conservatives, we're going to get to Michael Knowles in a second, but Michael Knowles included, if we were in a more free environment to say how we actually felt. Michael Knowles would also concede that Donald Trump is like a horrible person. And then hearing from Trump voters like this Trump voter who says he don't care about us anymore.
10:40Ben Meiselas:Play this clip. I'm President Trump. I'm in charge. He doesn't care about us. Somebody asked him about a week ago, what about the American people? And they're struggling right now. To what extent are American financial situations motivating you to make a deal? Not even a little bit. He did not care. I couldn't even watch that. I was angry after that. Like, I voted for you and you don't care about me? Last year, or this voter saying he screwed us on gas prices, the cost of food. Here, play this clip. He's only delivered on one promise, pretty much, is the giving back on taxes. he hasn't really done much with gas prices or um cost of food or cost of living has your opinion of him changed at all since he's actually been in power yes and how and how has it changed negatively tell me why um just because he hasn't he hasn't delivered on much of his promises or this trump voter said all right he got a little bit carried away he seems that he's more more focused on going to wars with israel against places in the middle east than focused on the American people play this clip.
12:09Or you remember this clip I showed you recently, this three-time
12:17Ben Meiselas:Trump voter who calls in to C-SPAN and says how ashamed, how embarrassed he is that he would vote for Donald Trump. Let's play this clip. Hard for me to say this, but I think if I can open up about it in public that it might help others. I wanted to believe Trump was the real deal for a long time, even though I had doubts because I knew enough about his business history to think otherwise. but now i regret my support for him and i should have known better he's making it plain as day he's a con man a liar doesn't keep his promises he's in office all for himself and he doesn't even try to hide his corruption anymore so unless you get all your information from what i call the right-wing propaganda for profit disinformation media industrial complex uh he's the worst president we've ever had and he's the most corrupt president we've ever had i know it's hard it took me a while to be able to say that very difficult when you commit yourself to believing in somebody but then you have the project 2025 architect kevin roberts bragging that all of the things that they wanted to do in Project 2025 were implemented.
13:38Ben Meiselas:Remember when Donald Trump was trying to claim on the campaign and all of the corporate news was letting Trump spew the propaganda and be like, oh, I don't know who Project 2025 is. I don't know who Kevin Roberts is. Yeah, we do. Here, watch Kevin Roberts here. Let's play this clip. Did the president implement Project 2025 in this first year plus of his second term? Well, thanks for that question, because since 1980, Heritage has been offering presidential transition projects, which we generally call Mandate for Leadership. What's known as Project 2025 was done on such a scale that we proposed 1 ,913 recommendations.
14:171 ,055, as we sit here, have been implemented. The person who deserves credit for that is one Donald J. Trump.
14:23Ben Meiselas:If we played a role through our policy scholarship, through message testing and helping to craft public opinion upstream of electoral politics, that's great. Heritage exists not to take credit, but to offer great ideas. And you take a look where Donald Trump is also losing a lot of his support at. I mean, he's losing support amongst his kind of core base, the non-college educated white voters. That was his crew, non-college educated white. he's underwater with non-college educated white. Play this clip. It's the group that helped put him in the White House in 2016. And then again in 2024, the group that shifted tremendously from 2012 to 2016 and put him in the White House.
15:06We are talking about non-college white voters and he is sliding right into the water. This is a rut row moment to quote the great Scooby-Doo. Trump's net approval rating with non-college whites. Look at this. In February of 2025, it was plus 32 points. Down it goes. Look at Johnny. Johnny is just shocked by this number. And now it is minus two points. That is a 34-point shift. And I will note this as an average of polls. This is not just one poll. I've averaged three different polls here, three big pollsters. And what we see is Donald Trump actually underwater with non-college whites who, of course, put him in the White House.
15:41A really moment? Yes, really, John. Again, I have to ask, really, because this is a 34-point swing among white voters who didn't go to college, which again, one of his core groups here. Why? What issues? Why? I mean, let's talk about the economy. It's the economy, Smarty, when I'm talking with Mr. Berman. Just take a look here. I mean, again, look at this. On the economy, his net approval rating, non-college rights. You go back to February 2025, he was 26 points above water. Look at this shift. Minus 15 points. 15 points underwater with non-college rights when it comes to Donald Trump's net approval rating on the economy.
16:17That is an over 40-point shift away from the president with a key core group of his. What about the war? What about the war? Well, the war ain't helping him, because just take a look here. Non-college whites, net approval rating of U.S. military action against Iran, minus five points. You think that's low? Come over to this side of the screen. How about Trump on Iran? Minus 13 points, a very unlucky 13 indeed for the president of the United States with a key core group of his. It turns out he's ailing a lot of folks with this war, not just the Pope.
16:49Ben Meiselas:And then also people who didn't vote in the 2024 election, Trump's net negative 50, or play this clip. Ones that are changing, that are moving, that are different than the last election. You know, you mentioned the Republican base in your intro, and then obviously there's the Democratic opposition. But what about those who didn't cast a ballot at all in 2024? Those who didn't show up to vote? Well, they have become absolutely perturbed. I dare say they are pissed off at the president of the United States. Voters who didn't cast a ballot in 2024. Trump's net approval rating. Back in November of 2024, just after the election, look at his net approval rating.
17:27It was plus four points for his plans in office. But look at that. It has fallen. Yeah. There you go, Sarah Seidner. That's the only sound you can make. It has fallen through the floor. Look at this. Minus 50 points on Trump's net approval rating among voters who did not, in fact, cast a ballot in 2024. That is, you don't have to be a mathematical genius, an over 50-point move against the president of the United States among those who are kind of like, nah, you know, in terms of voting in 2024. But now they are pissed off.
17:59Ben Meiselas:Well, and that's the thing. And then when you look at red state after red state on a map, whether it's Texas, whether it's Ohio, whether it's Florida, whether you name the state, he's underwater often in double digits in these states. I mean, negative 20 here, negative 22 here, negative 20 here. In ruby red states, I might add. Take a look at this right here. MAGA couple reveals why they dumped Trump's movement. It's an article that just came out. A Georgia couple abandoned MAGA after they say they were personally affected by Donald Trump's policies. Duh. He destroyed our lives, they say. Ron was a 55-year-old construction analyst for the U.S.
18:44Ben Meiselas:Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD. And he told the outlet that he was furloughed amid the administration's haphazard doge initiatives. He goes, we voted for Trump, not realizing he was going to slam us as hard as he did. He destroyed my life, which affects my family's life. He goes on to say, I just remember being content when thinking that he was what we needed. And he was going to drain the swamp in Washington until he got into office this third election and realizing that I'm dumb as a rock. And I believed everything that I was spoon fed. And his wife, Chrissy, said, you know, I was a lifelong Republican.
19:24Ben Meiselas:Just believed I was a conservative. There's no thought behind it. You listen to Fox News. You listen to conservative outlets and you're spoon fed this stuff. She recalled thinking when Trump first came onto the scene, he's going to fix it. He's a businessman. He's going to help us. But then she realized he destroyed our lives. I'm so damn dumb. How could I fall for this? I'm stupid is what she's telling the outlets. Meanwhile, you have Michael. I could show you tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of posts. I'll just show you this one, Michael Leak. So if you've noticed your car burning through gas fast, it's because the Trump administration has allowed oil companies to use E15 in our gas.
20:04Ben Meiselas:What is that exactly? Instead of your fuel containing 10 % ethanol and now is 15 % ethanol, let me dumb it down for you more. They are watering it down so it burns faster. They lower the price slightly, but now you have to buy more. I cannot wait until the midterms and the next election. I went from having to fill up my box truck every other day to every day. The cost of fuel is hurting my business drastically, so now I have to do what everyone else is doing, raise my prices, so now you have to pay more at the pump and the register for your everyday goods. I voted for Trump, and I very much regret my decision right now.
20:39Ben Meiselas:Or how about the Trump voting lobster farmer on tariffs? The more time that goes by, the worse it is. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to do these tariffs against the world. You have this account right here who said, I voted for Trump twice. I was tired of woke culture and cancel culture invented by the left. I wasn't Trump's biggest fan, but I thought he would deliver on his promise and make life affordable again, which is important to me as Gen Z. I think we can all agree he did not deliver, not even close, did quite the opposite. And now I'm regretting not choosing woke because my gas is almost$4.30 here in Texas.
21:19Ben Meiselas:Eric Sprocklin, big MAGA guy. This is not the same man I voted for. I honestly can't even recognize him anymore. I am absolutely disgusted, an absolutely disgusted betrayal. MAGA boomers, please wake up. Trump does not care about you. Then you have the factory closures like the North Carolina Goodyear plant as a result of tariffs. And this was in a MAGA area, I might add as well. Fayetteville, North Carolina, 1 ,700 jobs lost because of tariffs. You know, it's because of tariffs is when you read between the lines of what's going on. And all Donald Trump cares about with all of this taking place is the reflecting pools and Freedom 250 and this and that.
22:04Ben Meiselas:And, you know, you've got Trump's cabinet members like Interior Secretary Doug Burgum going on TV and saying things like this. Here, play this clip. Partisan, but there are questions from Democrats about where this private funding is coming from and it's not transparent. Do you think that that should be opened up to the public so that people see where it's coming from? I think transparency is always a good thing. And, of course, I work for the president that I think is the most transparent ever. I mean, there's not a CEO in the country that invites the entire press pool into their board meetings.
22:37Ben Meiselas:And we haven't had a cabinet meeting in the first 60 months. So you're going to make the donors to Freedom 250 public? Well, that's up to the Freedom 250 organization and their arrangements with their donors. You're a leader there, right? Right. The Freedom 250 organizations run out of the White House, but it is not a it's not about the transparency, the donors. And it's just it is a again, I'm. And how utterly ridiculous is that? Are you have Jim Jordan, MAGA sycophant going on TV and saying this play this clip? So I do think when you step back, that's the big difference here. President Trump, who is as sharp as could be, same age as Joe Biden, but his health is in great condition and his mental acuity is as strong as ever versus Joe Biden.
23:19And they were treated differently because of that. I don't know that that makes sense. And again, it's one of the reasons
23:23Ben Meiselas:I think it's important we get this information. Biden this, Biden that. Enough, enough people are sick and tired of this and the MAGA movement is crashing. I wanna bring on someone named Phil Weiser. I'm sure you know Phil Weiser. He's the attorney general in Colorado, someone who has held Donald Trump accountable, who has exposed Donald Trump's criminality, grift, fraud, a true fighter for the people. Let me bring in Phil Weiser right now. He's running for governor of Colorado to talk about how you fight against this MAGA mess, this Trump fraud. Let's bring him in. Phil Weiser running for the governorship of Colorado.
24:09Ben Meiselas:Great to see you, Phil. All eyes are on Colorado right now after the current governor, Governor Polis, pardoning Tina Peters, you know, which just felt like the ultimate betrayal. and it's, you know, cozying up to Trump, it feels like, it feels like backing down to these intimidation tactics. And to me, it creates a reward structure for this behavior to me, which is patently fascist. And when the bully is able to achieve the results through the bullying, the bully doesn't go away. The bully comes back for more and more and more. So now, in my view, Trump saying, you know what? Colorado's an easy mark.
24:51Ben Meiselas:I'm just going to go back and bully that state because they're going to back down. And you've been standing up against Donald Trump. You filed dozens and dozens, 65 plus lawsuits successfully against Donald Trump. So he knows that's not the case. But you're running for governor. Talk to us about it's an odd moment to see this in Colorado, though, at the governor's level. Well, this has been a conversation that's been brewing between those who say we should try to accommodate, make nice, and those who say we should stand strong and fight for our principles. A hundred years ago, by the way, Colorado elected a governor, Billy Adams, who ran on a platform of standing strong against the KKK, which in control of Colorado.
25:31Ben Meiselas:We have a governor here, Ralph Carr, who stood strong against internment camps for Japanese Americans. So there's a tradition in Colorado of standing strong for our principles, like many in our party, I don't understand Governor Polis's action to commute the sentence of Tina Peters. For those who haven't paid attention to the story, she broke the law. She broke her oath of office. She undermined the election equipment at a cost of millions of dollars. I prosecuted her along with the Republican District Attorney Dan Rubenstein. Dan and I did this together because it was about the rule of law. It's about protecting our elections.
26:10Ben Meiselas:It's about doing what's right. Those are Colorado values. Those are American values. I'm going to keep standing strong for them. In this race, I'm running against our senior Senator Michael Bennett, who voted for more of Trump's cabinet than almost any Democrat in the Senate. And we've had this debate where I've said, why did you support, for example, Brooke Rollins, an agriculture secretary? And I've sued her four times, twice because she tried to withhold snap benefits from 600 ,000 and Coloradans who needed that food. One of those was during the shutdown, a cruel effort. Another was actually part of the campaign to get us to relent on Tina Peters.
Read the full transcript
26:51Ben Meiselas:Both times I went to court, both times we won, and I had to ask my opponent at a recent debate, how much more damage would our agriculture secretary have to do to Colorado before you would withdraw your support for her, before you wouldn't stand by her? He didn't answer the question. This is a key moment for all Americans. What's the answer to a lawless bullying administration? Is it trying to make nice? Is it trying to accommodate or is it standing strong for the principles that we believe in? And I believe deeply in the rule of law in our Constitution. I will never waver from defending it. You know, what we're seeing out of Washington, D.C., to me, is something even beyond corruption.
27:34Ben Meiselas:To use the word corruption alone kind of dilutes it and puts it into this. Hey, it's politics. It's corrupt. It's the machine, which this is at a level where it has normalized, frankly, a a criminal cartel style, you know, Rico enterprise that goes around and starts doing the 3 ,700 stock trades in quarter one while the CEOs are there in the White House with him, while the Trump family is making all of this money and on government contracts before our eyes, the crypto money, the quid pro quos, and then seeing how profoundly negatively it's impacting the people that while the focus is on enriching them, the people are just getting so screwed and they see him doing reflecting pools and UFC stadiums.
28:31Ben Meiselas:And it's like, I know you tell me from the perspective of people in Colorado, what the hell is this? This is a moment in American history that we need to fight for what Lincoln said our government is, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Right now, this administration is running a government of billionaires, of big companies, by big companies and billionaires, and for billionaires in big companies. I'll give you a couple examples. We in Colorado care about reasonable prices for concert tickets and don't appreciate having Ticketmaster, a monopoly, jack up our ticket prices.
29:09Ben Meiselas:Well, this administration cut a sweetheart deal with Ticketmaster, and they dropped the antitrust case for a slap on the wrist because this administration pays attention to high-priced lobbyists and who's in, and they'll cut deals for their friends and they'll punish enemies. My view, I'm only in it for the people. I'm not in it for the big companies, for the out-of-state billionaires. I'm taking Ticketmaster all the way to court, along with other state AGs, a bipartisan coalition. We pressed on. We won the case. We're going to work to break up this company to fight for consumers who have been mistreated.
29:46Ben Meiselas:And consumers are going to notice who's fighting for you and who's cozying up to the big companies. The Trump administration is cozying up to all sorts of companies, giving them all sorts of breaks. Me, I'm fighting for people. I'll stand against anyone who harms the people of Colorado. Just another example, this$1.8 billion insurrectionist slush fund that they say they want to support people like Tina Peters. This is the opposite of what you might call the rule of law or justice and accountability. What they're doing right now, Tina Peters is a convicted criminal. She was condemned widely. She's going to get paid serious money for her crimes.
30:29Ben Meiselas:We need to stop this. Congress needs to do something about this because a Department of Justice that has been turned on its head to advance injustice, to support the well off against those of us who are working hard to play by the rules. It's so wrong. It's so hard to watch. Right. The Republicans say, well, all we're allowing people like Tina Peters to do is to have a cause of action. I mean, the way they gaslight as Attorney General Weiser, it's just giving them a cause of action. And then our commission will evaluate the claims and then we'll go from there. It's like, you know what they have?
31:05Ben Meiselas:They have something called a court system. And when you're convicted in a criminal court system for felonies or even misdemeanors, you don't then get to say, you know what? I may have been convicted, but I should get paid the money as the person who gets convicted. We have a system. I was a civil rights litigator before starting this network. And when you'd represent people who were wrong, you would file a lawsuit. It would go to federal court. It would get assigned to a federal judge. The judge could be the gatekeeper on summary judgment. You would see if there are immunities that apply in certain government-related cases.
31:39Ben Meiselas:If they get past it, you go to a jury, you convince the jury, they award you money. That's our system. That's our system. There are other countries, Russia, North Korea, they've got different systems. And so fundamentally, what I appreciate about what you do in Colorado, but fundamentally to me, the core issue is, are we the United States? Because here's our system. Sure. It gets messy. It gets messy. Sometimes, you know, it's slower, you know, it's deliberative. But do you want this system or do you want the Russia system or Kim Jong-un? Like to me, it's that existential right now. And you're race too.
32:11Ben Meiselas:It's that existential. Do you believe in the rule of law and everyone being protected by the constitution? Or do you believe in lawlessness and corruption and the wealthy few and the powerful get what they want and the rest gets screwed? That's what this is all about. Let me just give you the ICE example because it is very much, like you said, from another country. If you said they're masked agents who are grabbing people off the street and sending them to other countries with no legal process, with no right to be heard, with no determination about their legal situation, you would say that can't happen in the United States of America.
32:50Ben Meiselas:Well, this administration has that very agenda. And we saw in Minneapolis the ugly face and the ugly side of what's happening. And people were horrified. We need to channel that horror, that outrage against this administration and get engaged. Everyone can find their candidates. You can find me at philforcolorado.com as someone who stands up for what is truly the American way. And you said it so well. It's about making sure we protect everybody. We give everybody due process of law. We stand up for civil rights and we stand up against powerful companies. That's the American way. If you read the Declaration of Independence, if you read the Constitution, it is a commitment to what I talked about earlier, government of the people, by the people, for the people.
33:37Ben Meiselas:This administration is perverting it all because for them, it's only about power. It's only about rewarding people they say are their friends and punishing enemies. In America, it's about equal justice for all. No matter who you are, whatever political party, rich or poor, you've got a right to be treated fairly. This administration is turning those values on its head. We can't let them get away with it. And I want to geek out with you a little bit, you know, from lawyer to lawyer, because you said something, you know, there, you know, the constitution is a commitment and it is also kind of a contract.
34:09Ben Meiselas:It is a commitment. It is by the people, for the people and commitments, contracts don't list every single term because you can't just list every single provision everywhere. So contracts, as you and I know, involve implied covenants of good faith and fair dealing. And this great American experiment heading into 250 years had a lot of implied covenants of good faith and fair dealing in the Constitution. When I teach law, I say, look how short this amendment is. Look at the First Amendment. Look at this. These are not long things. They set out commitments. And so when you're a commitment breaker and you say, you know what, I don't want to do that, I think then you get into the zone where you go, oh, got it.
34:52Ben Meiselas:So here's how I'm not going to do court systems. I'm going to create a commission on my own and they're just going to give out the money. And it's like, no, that's not. And it requires, I think, people who think creatively to deal with this iteration of this fascism because it's coming at us from angles that I don't think the founders even anticipated or that logical law thinkers or professors or practitioners thought would come at us at this moment, if that makes sense. It makes a lot of sense. And when you think about these majestic phrases like due process of law, let me tell you what it means.
35:35Ben Meiselas:Everyone deserves to be treated fairly. Everyone has a chance to be heard, which means if you're here as an immigrant, the 14th Amendment says you get due process of law. And we need to have an immigration system that is sensible, that's fair, that's humane, and under the law. This is personal for me. I am a first-generation American. My mom was born in a Nazi concentration camp on April 13, 1945. My grandmother is an amazing woman. She was a hopeful person, and she believed in the United States of America as a country that did treat everybody fairly, that gave everybody freedom and an opportunity to succeed.
36:15Ben Meiselas:In my family, the difference between my mom being born in that concentration camp. And me, I went to law school. I worked for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. I worked as an advisor to President Barack Obama in the White House. I'm Colorado's Attorney General. I will be Colorado's next governor. That's one generation. That's what America's about. It doesn't matter who your parents are. It doesn't matter if you know secret handshakes. It matters are you willing to work hard? Are you willing to believe in the values of this country? That's the America I know and love. That's the America I'm fighting for.
36:46Ben Meiselas:that's on the ballot. It's on the ballot in this election that I'm about to have in Colorado, other elections. We, the people can seize power and govern and preserve this republic. We have a lot of work to do. Bill, we got a primary coming up before the generals. You know, I know you're very busy. We've got 7 million subscribers here as well. I know you're on the campaign trail going around the great state of Colorado right now. What's your final message to our audience and where can people learn more about the campaign? Wherever you are, whether you're in Colorado or elsewhere, I encourage you to get engaged, to find the type of leadership that you believe in, you can get behind.
37:29Ben Meiselas:This is a moment for our republic to have leaders who are fearless, who are fighting for people, who know how to get stuff done. I've been attorney general now for eight years. I've taken on big pharma, brought back about a billion dollars to Colorado with the best framework to address the opioid crisis anywhere in the U.S. I'm fighting meta in federal court. I'm leading a case of basically almost all the states. It'll be this summer because of how they're harming our kids. I've taken on the Trump administration 65 times and counting, stopping their lawlessness, leading on a number of important cases.
38:03Ben Meiselas:You can learn more about me, the work that I've been doing, the work I'm committed to do at philforcolorado.com. I encourage you to share information from my social media accounts, Phil for Colorado. I encourage you, if you can, donate to our cause. Help us show this great republic what government of the people, by the people, and for the people looks like. We've got a people-powered campaign. I'm running against someone with a PAC, with out-of-state billionaires and companies, but I'm doing it the grassroots way. I've got Coward Indivisible behind me. I've got lots of local elected officials, state elected officials, way more than my opponent, because I believe in grassroots politics, not Washington establishment politics.
38:44Ben Meiselas:That's how we're going to win. Please join us, philforcolorado.com. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser running for the governorship, the great state of Colorado, an incredible state indeed. Great to see you, Phil. Great joining you. Thanks so much. Everybody hit subscribe. Let's get to 7 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 getting blindsided as his MAGA movement is in full collapse and Meiselas shares the stories of MAGA supporters who have abandoned him and Meiselas interviews Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser who is running for Governor of Colorado.
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