In short
The episode argues that President Donald Trump’s Asia trip during a U.S. government shutdown is a “disaster,” while hunger and federal worker hardship worsen. It claims Trump caused the shutdown, refuses emergency funding for food aid, and uses tariffs and health-care cuts to harm most Americans. It also alleges a billionaire (Timothy Mellon) privately funds military pay for “6.7 hours,” raising questions about tax deductibility and transparency, and discusses Trump’s claims that a Canada ad misquotes Ronald Reagan via “AI.”
Guest backgrounds
No guests are interviewed; the host is Ben (Midas Touch Network) and the transcript includes ad reads by Ryan Reynolds.
Key claims
1.4M federal workers unpaid; SNAP/food assistance at risk; 42M reliant on SNAP could “starve.” Mellon’s $130M covers only hours of payroll. Reagan Foundation allegedly captured by MAGA.
Notable examples
Food-line reports across U.S. cities; Tennessee SNAP lapse risk; Ontario’s $75M Reagan-tariff ad; Trump’s Air Force One remarks about ranchers and Reagan tariffs.
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 Controversial Asia Trip During Shutdown
1:30 to 1:52
Discussing Trump's unprecedented choice to leave the U.S. during a government shutdown.
“HomeServe is an easy way to handle unexpected home repairs.”
Trump's Controversial Asia Trip During Shutdown
2:31 to 4:00
Discussing Trump's unprecedented choice to leave the U.S. during a government shutdown.
“basically sneaking on to Air Force One and flying to Asia for a trip.”
The Impact of Food Insecurity
4:00 to 6:00
Examining the growing food lines and the impact of Trump's policies on American citizens.
“This right here, food pantries are low on food.”
Critique of Trump's Agricultural Policies
6:00 to 8:00
Analyzing Trump's agricultural decisions and their effects on American ranchers and farmers.
“And by the way, the military budget for payroll in a given year is about$170 billion for active duty reserve for the payroll.”
Funding the Military: A Billionaire's Contribution?
8:00 to 10:00
Exploring the implications of a billionaire funding military payments amid a shutdown.
“Can we just extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies so Americans' health care costs don't go up like$20 ,000 a year per family?”
Trump's Statements on Air Force One
10:00 to 12:00
Discussing Trump's claims about military payments and agricultural subsidies during his flight.
“So that was Trump on Air Force One, not in the Oval Office.”
Media Coverage Discrepancies
12:00 to 14:00
Analyzing the differences in media coverage regarding Congress and the shutdown.
“Independent media seems to have a higher factuality.”
Trump's Military Supporter
14:00 to 14:40
Discussion on a supporter who donated significantly to support the military.
“So he wanted to see the military get paid.”
Trump's Claims on Tariffs and Reagan
14:40 to 16:50
Exploration of Trump’s misrepresentation of Ronald Reagan's stance on tariffs.
“And then more kind of ranting and raving by Donald Trump on Air Force One saying, Canada lied.”
Trump's Email Campaigns
16:50 to 18:44
Analysis of the frequent and frantic emails sent by Trump to supporters.
“And so they went out and they made a fake commercial.”
Show all 13 chapters
Trump's Approval Ratings
18:44 to 19:30
Examination of Trump's declining approval ratings among various demographics.
“And then there's not a shock to me that in all of the latest aggregate polling data as G.”
Trump's Approval Ratings
19:46 to 20:06
Examination of Trump's declining approval ratings among various demographics.
“HomeServe is an easy way to handle unexpected home repairs.”
Trump's Approval Ratings
20:24 to 20:58
Examination of Trump's declining approval ratings among various demographics.
“That's Thrive Cosmetics, C-A-U-S-E-M-E-T-I-C-S dot com slash shine26.”
Transcript
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2:30Ben Meiselas:In the dark of night, Donald Trump running out of the White House, basically sneaking on to Air Force One and flying to Asia for a trip. We're 24 days into the government shutdown, and Donald Trump's decision is to leave the country. This is the first president in U.S. history to leave the country during an active government shutdown, a government shutdown that Donald Trump has caused. This while food lines are being seen throughout the United States. According to CNN, about 1.4 million federal employees in the United States are now either on unpaid leave or still working without pay because of the Trump government shutdown.
3:16Ben Meiselas:And we're seeing massive lines for free food across the United States with federal workers and others who are making up these food lines right now during this economy where Donald Trump has helped the billionaires but has destroyed the lives of 99 % of Americans. This is Trump's America. Food lines like we saw in COVID are back. Hunger in America is on page one of multiple news outlets from Indianapolis, Boston, Milwaukee to Tennessee. Look at the Knoxville News Sentinel. 690 ,000 individuals from Tennessee could see their SNAP benefits lapse. What about hunger pangs? This right here, food pantries are low on food.
4:08Ben Meiselas:A SNAP lapse could make it worse. That's from the Indy Star. How about in Boston, where the governor says that food aid is at risk there for one million in that state? Or we can go to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where 700 ,000 in the state fear the loss of food assistance. Food share funding is running out as the federal shutdown continues. And while Donald Trump is taking this trip to Malaysia, as Donald Trump is out there saying that Ronald Reagan was a lover of tariffs or whatever the hell he's saying on the plane. The Trump administration is saying that it won't go into any emergency funds or take any immediate action to pay food aid.
4:55Ben Meiselas:So the more than 42 million people in this country who rely on supplemental nutrition assistance program may starve to death. Let me repeat that. 42 million people may starve to death because Donald Trump also wants to rip away the health care of 20 million Americans while giving a$40 billion bailout to Argentina, which basically has already been eviscerated because the Argentine peso is still crashing. And then Donald Trump ups the ante and says, you know what, American cattle ranchers, we're going to screw you also. So we're going to get our beef now from Argentina. Screw you. The tariffs are already causing you real serious problems as your costs go up.
5:42Ben Meiselas:Now we're getting our beef from Argentina. But Donald Trump says, look, he's got a plan. He says this really wealthy guy gave him$130 million to help fund the military, a private individual contributing$130 plus million to the U.S. military? What the hell does that even mean? And by the way, the military budget for payroll in a given year is about$170 billion for active duty reserve for the payroll. So that comes to about$14 billion a month or$3.3 billion a week or$466 million a day. So somebody paying$130 million, that covers about 6.7 hours of pay for our troops, 6.7 hours or 4 % for a single week.
6:41Ben Meiselas:And so what's that money really going to? I did a video earlier that I wonder if that money's going to the bunker that they're constructing where the east wing one stood. As I mentioned, the presidential emergency operation center, the bunker, right, that's supposed to be able to withstand a nuclear attack, that was underneath the east wing of the White House. According to all the reporting that's out there, though this is not being prominently reported, except here on the Midas Touch Network, that bunker is now under renovation as well. And what are the private donors paying for the bunker or the taxpayers paying for Bunker Boy's renovations to his bunker.
7:21Ben Meiselas:We got some additional details about who this individual was who gave the$130 million. By the way, is that fully tax deductible? I mean, is it viewed as a charitable contribution? At what point does paying for the military by billionaires paying for things like that just becomes mercenaries? I mean, where is Congress? Congress, Article 1 is your job. You're just good with billionaires writing$130 million checks. And then what? To fund 6.7 hours? So what the hell is really going on there? And also, can we not be in this government? Can we just extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies so Americans' health care costs don't go up like$20 ,000 a year per family?
8:08Ben Meiselas:Who can afford an additional$20 ,000 a year for healthcare. What couple making 60 to 80 ,000 or even more can afford an additional$20 ,000 that they're going to have to pay for healthcare costs? This is Trump's America. The individual who paid the$130 million New York Times is reporting is Timothy Mellon, a reclusive billionaire and major financial backer of Donald Trump. They go, he will help pay the troops for 6.7 hours. What are we even doing here? Now, we've got some audio of Donald Trump on Air Force One. And Donald Trump was asked about the farmers and the ranchers and what's your, like, what are you doing there?
8:53Ben Meiselas:And Trump's like, oh, the ranchers have never been happier. He's like, we're going to have to subsidize everybody. We'll subsidize them all. They don't want to be something. They want to be able to sell their produce to markets that are now shut down because of you. They want to be able to do their job and not be fully subsidized to have their work just get destroyed and then just get paid by the government. And by the way, isn't this just a form of communism, price fixing or social? I mean, you're going to pay them not to make products over and over again. What a disaster. This was Donald Trump in the Oval Office.
9:29Ben Meiselas:Here, just play this
9:59clip. And that's a good thing. You know, I'm happy about that. So we'll see. But we'll see beyond that point.
10:06Ben Meiselas:So that was Trump on Air Force One, not in the Oval Office. Let me go to I want to share this with you as well, because when Donald Trump is spreading all of this disinformation, I think it's important that we have like accurate news sites right now and that we get accurate information. So I want to just share this with you, for example, this story, pay for Trump and Congress continues in shutdown unless they ask it to be held. So the fact that Trump and Congress, they're getting paid, they're doing well. And while there are food lines taking place, it's just fascinating to me that on the left, 87 % are covering this.
10:46Ben Meiselas:And on the right, only about 13 % of the coverage of this is coming from the right wing of all of the coverage. 13 % of the coverage is coming from right-wing media sources about Congress continuing to pay itself as MAGA, Mike Johnson, and Donald Trump send them all on vacation. And by the way, it's why a lot of people ask me, how do you do your research in the morning, Ben? How do you prepare these videos? Well, the most helpful research tool for me and how I stay up to date on all my news, my go-to news source is Ground News. It's a subscriber-funded app and news site. And every day they pull in thousands of articles from around the world and they organize them by story and then show you what the right is reporting, what the center is reporting, what the left is reporting.
11:30Ben Meiselas:It's a real game changer for me as active, responsible citizens and as the founder of this media network. It's important that I get my news from reliable sources and I can keep you all informed about what's going on. That's why I love ground news. And for every article, they also tell you, is it like a media conglomerate that's putting out this story or is it an independent media source? So what's interesting is I find that independent media may be more factual than some of these corporate sources, but you know, that's me. Independent media seems to have a higher factuality. So I use their Vantage plan and their Vantage subscription.
12:06Ben Meiselas:And so I want to make that available to you as well. And I especially like their Blindspot feed, which highlights the stories that are disproportionately covered by one side of the political spectrum, like the story I just shared with very few people on the right wing. We're covering that Congress keeps getting paid during the shutdown as Americans suffer. So let's go to ground.news slash MTN, ground.news slash MTN, and you can get 40 % off the Ground News Vantage plan that I use every morning. They're subscriber funded. And by subscribing, you're not only getting a tool that we all need today.
12:43Ben Meiselas:You're also supporting our work here on this YouTube channel. So go to ground.news.mtn and we've pinned the link to purchase your subscription below. One more time, go to ground.news.mtn to get 40 % off the Ground News Vantage plan that I use every morning. All right, back to the Air Force One here and tell you what Donald Trump was also saying after talking about subsidizing all of the farmers. He was asked, how did you find someone who was going to pay the troops during the shutdown? But as I just broke down for you, they're not paying the troops during the shutdown. It's 6.7 hours. By the way, is it fully tax deductible?
13:27Ben Meiselas:And let's see the money. Let's be transparent. That money, what, just enters the treasury? And does the treasury department just hand it over to the military? Do they write a check, Department of Defense? I mean, we should be able to see where's this money going to? Is it being taken as a deduction? Is it going to the bunker? Here, play this clip. How did you manage to find somebody to pay for our troops during the shutdown? He's a great gentleman. He's a great patriot. He's obviously a very substantial man. And he contributed$130 million toward the military in order to make up any difference.
14:05So he wanted to see the military get paid. So did I. And he's a wonderful man and he doesn't want publicity. He doesn't, you know, he'd prefer, I think, that his name not be mentioned, which is pretty unusual in the world I come from. and in the world of politics, you want your name mentioned. He doesn't. He's a great patriot. He really is. He put up$130 million in order to make sure the, that's a lot of money, in order to make sure that the military got paid. And he's a big supporter of mine. Is he an American citizen? It is. Great American citizen.
14:41Ben Meiselas:And then more kind of ranting and raving by Donald Trump on Air Force One saying, Canada lied. Canada put out this ad. Canada used AI. That wasn't really what Reagan said. Donald Trump's like, Ronald Reagan loved tariffs. He hated free trade. He loved tariffs. Everybody knows that about Reagan. Look, the ad that was taken out by the province of Ontario by Premier Doug Ford in a$75 million ad buy, some of those ads ran on the World Series and the American League championship game. You may have seen those ads. I've showed them here on the Midas Touch Network. It uses the direct words of Ronald Reagan from Reagan's 1987 speech on free trade.
15:25Ben Meiselas:There are multiple speeches of Ronald Reagan saying how much he despises tariffs and how tariffs only in the most extreme circumstances. And then they should only be used very sparingly. And if you use them, you should try to get rid of them right away because Reagan says tariffs cause the depression. That's what Reagan says in the speech. Tariffs cause the depression and tariffs are horrible for the well-being of the country. But Trump now says that's fake. That's AI. Ronald Reagan loved tariffs. And an important thing to note is the Reagan Foundation is no longer like the Reagan family. The Reagan Foundation has been taken over by MAGA and Trumpers and people in the Trump administration.
16:06Ben Meiselas:So the Reagan Foundation posts like, Eric Trump loves Elon Musk and stuff like that now. And they just power it with Donald Trump says. It's been fully captured by MAGA. I want you to know that about the Reagan Foundation. Here, play this clip right here of what he says. What's your view on what Canada needs to do to get things back on track? Canada lied. I mean, what they did was terrible. They made up a fake statement by President Reagan. Reagan was a big supporter of tariffs when needed. And we need tariffs for national security. And they totally turned it around because they're getting hurt by tariffs and we're gaining by tariffs.
16:44They've used tariffs on us when we had different presidents very successfully. And they've taken a lot of money out of our country and now we're taking it all back. And so they went out and they made a fake commercial. The Reagan Foundation went crazy when they saw it because it was, you know, the opposite. It was the opposite of what? Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan liked tariffs, and when necessary, he would use tariffs. And it's made us a very rich country. It's also made us, when they were used against us, it was not good for us. But we've used it very successfully. We have the highest stock market we've ever had.
17:23We have great national security. I've settled wars because of tariffs. And a president has the right to use tariffs, especially when it comes to national security. And we need it for national security, even including our own wealth and paying down debt and all of the other things. So, you know, we're in very good shape with that. But they took a commercial saying the exact opposite, Canada. So I'm very disappointed in Canada. They lied. I mean, it was a fraud what they did.
17:51Ben Meiselas:Just interesting, too. You know, I subscribe to Donald Trump's email so you don't have to. So I could see kind of these desperate, frantic, cult-like emails that he sends to his supporters. So just over the course of a 24 to 48 hour period, he's sending one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, about eight emails in that period. And, you know, it'll say like, only one patriot has ever won this award. Hey, Ben, you're such a great patriot. I'm giving you this award. Click the link. Then you have to like give him money. And then it's like lies, lies, lies. all the Democrats do is lie about me. And then it's like, I'm sorry, this is your final chance to join this secret club.
18:27Ben Meiselas:And it's like, Ben, I am Donald Trump. And to thank you, I'm giving you this award. It's all about giving people awards. And I love you. I'm giving you this award. I'm giving you that award. Just such a ridiculous thing. But he's always asking for money. He's always grifting. That's the Trump way right there. And then there's not a shock to me that in all of the latest aggregate polling data as G. Elliott Morris compiles. I mean, Trump's approval is plummeting. I mean, it's his approval amongst the Latino community is like 27 % right now. Amongst 18 to 29-year-olds, it's like negative 40 % net approval.
19:07Ben Meiselas:I mean, as bad as he's ever, as bad as it's ever been for him or any president at this time. He's not popular. He's despised and detested and reviled here in this country. Yet we have a corporate news apparatus and billionaires who support this guy because he's enriching them by stealing from the rest of us. That's what he's doing. That's what's taking place. Anyway, hit subscribe. Let's get to 6 million subscribers. Thanks for watching. We're in this together.
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From the publisher
MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump’s horrible flight to Asia as he becomes the first President to leave the United States during a government shutdown.
Go to https://Ground.News/MTN to cut through misinformation, critically analyze the news shaping our lives and hold the media accountable. Save 40% off unlimited access to Ground News with my link or scan the QR code on screen.
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