In short
Notes from The MeidasTouch Podcast Episode
Episode Summary In this episode titled "Trump Claims He Never Signed His Own Order on War Powers," Ben Meiselas discusses former President Donald Trump's recent claim that he did not personally sign the invocation of the Alien Enemies Act. Despite Trump's assertions, evidence exists showing his signature on the document. The episode dives into the implications of this claim, exploring the political and legal fallout, as well as the broader context surrounding the invocation of war powers.
Key Themes and Concepts
- Trump's Denial of Signing the Order
- Trump claims he was unaware of signing the invocation.
- He states that "other people handled it," despite his name and signature being present on the document.
- This denial raises questions about accountability and transparency in his administration.
- Evidence Against Trump's Claims
- A press conference was held by Caroline Levitt, Trump's press secretary, asserting that Trump did indeed sign the proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act.
- Levitt claimed the action was necessary for national security, addressing an alleged "invasion" by foreign terrorists.
- Legal and Political Consequences
- The episode discusses ongoing federal court hearings concerning the deportation of individuals under this order.
- Judge Jeb Boesberg is inclined to hold the Trump administration in contempt, emphasizing the need for due process for those affected by the deportations.
- Misuse of the Alien Enemies Act
- The podcast highlights reports that individuals deported were not necessarily gang members but included political exiles and others seeking asylum.
- The narrative challenges the integrity of the Trump administration's actions and raises ethical concerns regarding the treatment of deportees.
- Trump's Historical Use of War Powers
- Discussion includes the historical context of the Alien Enemies Act, previously invoked during significant U.S. conflicts like the War of 1812 and WWI.
- The stark implications of declaring "war" on immigrants are explored, questioning the legality and morality of such actions.
- Projection and Confession
- Ben suggests that Trump's behavior exemplifies a pattern of projection, repeatedly blaming others while neglecting his own responsibility.
- References to Trump's auto-pen conspiracy theories and how they reflect on his leadership style and accountability.
Key Takeaways
- Accountability: The episode emphasizes the importance of accountability, particularly in governmental actions that impact civil liberties.
- Legal Ramifications: Current legal proceedings showcase the ongoing consequences of Trump's policies and decisions.
- Ethical Concerns: The treatment of deportees under the Alien Enemies Act raises serious ethical questions regarding immigration policy.
- Media Responsibility: The role of independent media in exposing political inconsistencies and holding leaders accountable is highlighted.
Conclusion The episode serves as a critical examination of Trump's assertions regarding the Alien Enemies Act and the implications of his administration's actions on civil rights and due process. The Meiselas brothers blend humor and serious discourse to engage their audience, advocating for democratic values and accountability in leadership.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Donald Trump is now claiming that he did not sign the invocation of war powers under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, despite the fact that Donald Trump's name is on the invocation of the Alien Enemies Act. You see right there, it says by the president of the United States of America on March 15th, 2025. And there's his signature saying in witness whereof, I have signed this. It's in the Federal Register dated Thursday, March 20th, 2025 under presidential documents. Trump is claiming he didn't sign it. He said other people handled it and he didn't know how it was signed. Here's what Donald Trump said moments ago outside of the White House to reporters.
0:46This was truly a stunning moment. Here, play this clip. It doesn't sound like this judge who the DOJ is arguing with today about the deportation place. He wants to know why the proclamation was signed in the dark, his words, and why people were rushed onto planes. Because we want to get criminals out of our country, number one. And I don't know when it was signed because I didn't sign it. Other people handled it. But Marco Rubio has done a great job and he wanted him out. And we go along with that. We want to get - Now we come with receipts here at the Midas Touch Network. Donald Trump's chief propagandist, who claims she's a press secretary, Caroline Levitt held a press conference in the White House shortly after Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act.
1:34And she says, President Trump signed the proclamation. Play this clip. President Trump signed a proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act regarding the invasion of the United States by the foreign terrorist organization, Trendyaragua. At the president's direction, the Department of Homeland Security carried out a counterterrorism operation deporting nearly 200 violent Trendaeragua terrorists, which will save countless Americans. Here's Caroline Levitt. Shortly after that, she goes on state regime media, known as Fox, with Maria Bartiroma. And she says, Donald Trump signed this proclamation. And then she goes on to say, and as a result, she says like over 200 or 300 Venezuelan gang members.
2:20And she says, our terrorists, the most dangerous, violent people, she said, have been sent to El Salvador. I want to play this, then I want to fact check it. Let's play it. Morning, Maria. The president signed a proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act against Trendy Aragua members who have invaded our country. These are the most violent, heinous, criminal monsters you could ever imagine. They have taken the lives of innocent American women like Jocelyn Nungere and Laken Riley. And the president invoked this authority to deport to nearly 300 of them who are now in El Salvador, where they will be behind bars, where they belong rather than roaming freely in American.
2:57Now, one of the things that we are learning and why I think Donald Trump's claiming that he did not sign this invocation of the Alien Enemies Act is that a lot of the individuals who ended up being kidnapped by the Trump regime and sent to El Salvador to be placed in concentration camps were not actually gang members. They were not given due process to prove that they were not gang members in the first place. We're learning, for example, that political exiles of Venezuela professional soccer players who were coaches who were here lawfully under our lawful asylum process because they may have had Real Madrid tattoos or because they were giving the peace or love sign.
3:45The Trump regime said their gang members picked him up, found him in the database because they were lawfully here seeking asylum, shipped him to concentration camps in El Salvador. We're also learning that there were women who were sent to El Salvador and those concentration camps there are only for men. And so they had to be sent back to Venezuela. And who knows what happened there if they're political exiles from the Maduro regime. We learned a lot about this over the past few days. And then there was a hearing in the federal courts in Washington, D.C. today, where the federal judge Jeb Boesberg looks increasingly inclined to hold the Trump regime in contempt.
4:27So I think what's happening here is Trump is throwing his own Department of Justice and his own DOJ lawyers under the bus now to try to blame them. because even the Department of Justice lawyer, when getting grilled by the chief federal judge in Washington, D.C., Judge Jeb Boesberg said, you were aware, right, that my order meant that you couldn't ship these people. You could have put them through the regular process that we had. You didn't have to release them into the general population of America, but you could go through the regular immigration processes that have always existed until we can assess things like the validity of this order?
5:06Was this order signed? What's the war that Donald Trump is claiming exists? What's the process if an individual wants to contest that they're not a gang member? Tell me about that. To which the Department of Justice lawyers said, I'm not prepared. I don't know. I wasn't given information by the Trump regime. I'm just a lawyer for the government. To which Judge Jeb Boesberg said, you best be prepared when you come into my courtroom. That is not an excuse, counsel. Do you understand? Let's go back to some more of the receipts. I just wanted to give you the context. Why is this going on? Why is Donald Trump claiming that?
5:45I know nothing about this because we think a lot of people sent to El Salvador. We're not the bad guys. We're potentially innocent people lawfully here who are now in concentration camps. This is a massive, massive crisis, folks, that is developing. And we called it when it happened. Here's Donald Trump on Air Force One right here. And Donald Trump was asked about invoking the Alien Enemies Act and whether we're at a war. And Trump said, yes, we're in a war. This is an invasion. Here's what he said. Let's play it.
6:28Many of them criminals, many of them at the highest level. They empty jails out. Other nations empty their jails into the United States. It's an invasion. Your nighttime bedroom temperature has a huge impact on your sleep quality. If you wake up too hot or too cold, I highly recommend you check out Miracle Maid's bedsheets. Miracle Maid sheets are inspired by NASA and use silver infused fabrics that are temperature regulating so you can sleep at the perfect temperature all night long. I get so many emails from the Midas Mighty saying how great Miracle Made sheets are and how it's changed their lives for the better.
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8:29Again, that's trymiracle.com slash Midas to treat yourself. Thank you, Miracle Made, for sponsoring this episode. Now, it's always projection and confession with Donald Trump, right? Donald Trump has been spending, what, the last two weeks coming up with this bizarre auto pen conspiracy involving former President Biden. And Trump said, you know, look, all of Biden's pardons are not valid because he uses an auto pen. And therefore, nothing that he's done is actually signed by him. He didn't know any of this was taking place when former President Biden knew what was taking place. This whole auto pen conspiracy thing made no sense, but it's typical Trump projection.
9:11It seems that Trump doesn't even know what's being signed on his behalf. A few days back when Donald Trump was at the Kennedy Center posing in front of nobody on the balcony so he can get his Mussolini photo op, Donald Trump was asked, have you ever used an auto pen? He's like, only for very unimportant matters, only unimportant matters. Let's play it. And you'll make your own determination. You have criticized President Biden using auto pen in the last few days. Have you yourself ever used auto pen, sir? Yeah, only for very unimportant papers. And I don't call them unimportant. If you do letters where people write in and, you know, they'd love to have a response or write responses and I'll sign them whenever I can.
9:54But when I can't, you know, would use an auto pen. But to use them for what they've used them for is terrible. So Donald, was this one of those unimportant matters where the Alien Enemies Act was invoked, where you invoked war powers that have only been claimed in the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II, that just your people auto-pen signed this? And now what? You're terrified because you realize that you probably sent a lot of innocent people potentially to their deaths or to never to be heard from again from their families in El Salvador concentration camps, or now that other countries are issuing travel advisories that if their citizens come to the United States, they may end up in El Salvador concentration camps.
10:41Now you're scared, so you need to find people to throw under the bus. Is that what you're doing? Well, guess what? There's new independent media in town and we're calling it out and we're gonna hold you accountable with the receipts. This is Donald Trump, by the way, in the Oval Office in the past 10 days or so where Donald Trump says, who uses an auto pen? Who doesn't know what they sign? It's always projection and confession with this individual. Play this clip. You have to do is look and take a look at he signs by auto pen. Who was signing all this stuff by auto pen? Who would think you signed important documents by auto pen?
11:20You know, these are major documents you're signing. You're proud to sign them. You have your signature and something in 300 years, they say, oh, look, can you imagine? Everything was signed by autopilot, almost everything. Nobody's ever heard of such a thing. So it should have never happened. Or you know what? You know who Donald Trump's probably also trying to blame? Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Huh. Where did we hear Donald Trump say that he would blame things on his own Secretary of State Marco Rubio? Oh, at the joint session. Isn't this convenient? Remember this? Play the clip. And we have Marco Rubio in charge.
11:57Good luck, Marco. Now we know who to blame if anything goes wrong. Marco's been amazing and he's going to do a great job. Think of it. He got a hundred votes.
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From the publisher
MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump’s claim he never signed his OWN invocation of the Alien Enemies Act.
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