In short
Political commentary and news roundup focused on Donald Trump’s behavior and posts, alleged public incidents involving Melania Trump, U.S. actions toward Intel and China trade/tariffs, ICE enforcement violence in Chicago, and a dispute over honoring Charlie Kirk after his assassination.
Guests
None named in the transcript; it appears to be a solo host/segment narration with embedded clips from other media.
Key claims
Trump looked “deeply unwell” in UK footage; Melania “throw[s] his hand away”; Trump “boast[ed]” about trading/seizing Intel and reposted Confederate General Robert E. Lee paintings; Trump’s China call harmed soybean farmers; ICE agents forcibly arrested protesters and used chemical agents; Trump plans to fire U.S. Attorney Eric Siebert for not prosecuting Letitia James; AOC condemns honoring Charlie Kirk due to his views.
Notable examples
West Point’s Lee portrait reinstatement; Intel stock-trading claims; Carney/Scheinbaum clips; Social Security retirement-age discussion; ICE vehicle plowing through protesters; AOC’s speech opposing a House resolution honoring Charlie Kirk.
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 Troubling Appearance
1:08 to 1:31
Discussion of Trump's health and Melania's reaction in public.
“Over 4 million businesses have skipped the line with stamps.com.”
Trump's Troubling Appearance
1:37 to 2:30
Discussion of Trump's health and Melania's reaction in public.
“And then Donald Trump can't walk in a straight line right here.”
Trump's Social Media Activity
2:30 to 3:56
Analysis of Trump's recent social media posts and actions.
“I mean, look how horrible he looked in the UK.”
International Relations and Alliances
3:56 to 6:32
Examination of international relationships under Trump's presidency.
“We made progress on very important issues, including trade and fentanyl, the need to bring the war to an end between Russia and Ukraine, and the approval of the TikTok deal.”
Social Security Administration Insights
6:32 to 9:57
Insights from an interview about Social Security and retirement age.
“And similarly, you have President Claudia Scheinbaum bragging about all the new tourism into Mexico.”
Protests and ICE Arrests
10:13 to 12:09
Reporting on tense protests involving ICE agents and arrests.
“on companies the United States government is seizing or intends to seize, here's a terrible situation unfolding at an ICE facility in Chicago right now.”
AOC's Speech on Violence
12:09 to 14:00
Discussion on AOC's speech condemning violence and Charlie Kirk.
“At this point, what we saw this time was the agents on top of the roof.”
Discussion on Charlie Kirk's Legacy and Political Violence
14:00 to 19:18
Explore the controversial legacy of Charlie Kirk and the implications of political violence in the current environment.
“And when there would be school shootings, he would say, I really don't have sympathy for that.”
Transcript
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1:53Ben Meiselas:wow we've got this footage right now of donald trump when he returned to the white house from the uk he looks deeply unwell very sickly you can see melania just kind of throw his hand away as Donald Trump tries to hold her hand. Did you catch that? And then Donald Trump can't walk in a straight line right here. And he kind of just like bumps into Melania forcefully. I'm not sure if that was a signal, hold my hand, or if he just can't walk straight and needed her to hold his hand for him to be able to get into the White House. But you saw that take place right there on that footage. We'll be analyzing that more in detail in future videos.
2:30Ben Meiselas:I mean, look how horrible he looked in the UK. I mean, he looked like someone wearing a Donald Trump costume for Halloween, dressed in kind of a white tie tuxedo right there. Here's what Donald Trump's been posting on his social media today. This morning, he's been posting himself in the Oval Office as a stock trader, and he's trading the stock of Intel, a company that the United States has apparently seized a portion of, although we haven't really seen filings from Intel that really confirm what took place. But Donald Trump, I guess, just boasting about manipulating the markets right there in the Oval Office.
3:08Ben Meiselas:Then Donald Trump bragging about reinstalling paintings of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, boasting about it, just reposting it casually on September 19th, even though this was reinstalled on August 27th. This is what he's thinking about. On August 27th, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point reinstalled the nearly 20-foot canvas portrait of Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the West Point Library on campus. The painting hung in the library for 70 years before it was ordered to be removed as part of the naming commission in 2022 to take down items that commemorate or memorialize the Confederacy.
3:48Ben Meiselas:I guess Trump wants to commemorate and memorialize the Confederacy. Then Donald Trump just posted that. I completed a very productive call with President Xi of China. We made progress on very important issues, including trade and fentanyl, the need to bring the war to an end between Russia and Ukraine, and the approval of the TikTok deal. He says that I would go to China in the early part of next year, and Xi would likely come to the United States at an appropriate time. So Xi Jinping didn't even agree to come here. The call was a very good one. We'll be speaking again by phone. How good was it?
4:24Ben Meiselas:Because when I look at American soybean farmers right now, they're going out of business right now because China is shunning significant trade with the United States and absolutely crushing our farmers across the country who are on the verge of bankruptcy. So it must be a very, very productive call there, Donald. Meanwhile, across the world, we see countries strengthening their relationships and alliances together as America gets weaker. You have Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Claudia Scheinbaum of Mexico. They met in Mexico City to discuss strengthening the relationships between Canada and Mexico.
5:04Ben Meiselas:Watch Prime Minister Carney talk about how and just watch how he talks. It's just so different than watching the kind of blubbering, blabbering fool of Donald Trump. I mean, Carney's respectful, respecting sovereignty, respecting cooperation. Here, play this clip. Let me conclude just by observing what's obvious, but what's essential. We are both undertaking massive transformations of our economy. Plan Mexico, Canada strong. Our efforts will be strengthened by working together. As President Scheinbaum said at the G7 summit, and I quote, In an interdependent world, no country can isolate itself.
5:52And as your predecessor, one of your predecessors, Benito Juarez, counseled, Entre los invividos como entre las naciones, el respeto a derecho a genio es la paz. And if I butchered that too much for the translator, among individuals as amongst nations, respect for the rights of others is peace. And it's by balancing this respect for sovereignty and the belief in cooperation that Canada and Mexico will build together for the benefit of our peoples. Thank you, President Scheinbaum. Merci beaucoup. Gracias.
6:35Ben Meiselas:And similarly, you have President Claudia Scheinbaum bragging about all the new tourism into Mexico. And it's a subtle jab at the United States as Canadian tourists are not coming into the United States right now. Here play this clip. I didn't say this in the meeting, Prime Minister Carney, but I'm saying it right now. We celebrate constant growth of Canadian tourism in Mexico. We truly celebrate it because we have an increasingly growing number of families and visitors coming to Mexico as their tourist destination. We express our will to continue You're facilitating this because this strengthens human cultural ties and also economic ties between our two societies.
7:16Ben Meiselas:You had Maria Bartiroma on Fox moments ago interview the Social Security Administration Commissioner Biscanano. And he stated that all all items are on the table, including raising the retirement age right now. Here play this clip. So would you consider raising the retirement? I think everything's considered being considered and will be will be considered. And then you need Congress to. Yeah, they have to. It needs really to be the trustees, which are the four of us, myself, Treasury Secretary, Labor Secretary, HHS, the White House, which is completely committed to protect and preserve and then Congress.
7:59And that's where the real work will happen. And that'll take a while. But we have plenty of time. Are you are you considering the fact that, like, if you're just reaching 60, 66, 67, whatever, then they are not included. But but you're beginning with a much younger. I think that I think that you are not expecting to hire a 65. Yeah. I mean, remember, most people told you and I Social Security wasn't going to be around. That's true. And it's going to be around. And so the generations that are coming in will probably have a different set of rules than we had. Yeah, these are tough issues. I know, Frank, it's great to talk with you about it.
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10:12Ben Meiselas:And as Donald Trump is posting memes of himself trading stocks in the Oval Office on companies the United States government is seizing or intends to seize, here's a terrible situation unfolding at an ICE facility in Chicago right now. as ICE agents are forcibly arresting people, plowing through protesters and lobbing chemicals in the face of reporters and people. Let's play this clip. Darius Johnson has been back, has been up. Agents are taking someone into the facility. That is a second protester. Let's check in with Darius Johnson, who's been on the ground there all morning long. Darius, what can you tell us about how this started?
10:52Hey, hey, Lou, get right. Hey, Lou, get the shot inside of the facility. They have someone on the ground. If you're able to see that that person, they're closing the gate right now. There's a person on the ground being held on the ground by those ICE agents. And look, if you pan over right now, Lou, let's see right here with the vehicle. They are plowing through these. They are plowing through the protesters right here at this vehicle. They tried to deploy everything that they could if these protesters were trying to block agents from moving in and out. They have another man. They are just deploying anything that they can to try to get the protesters out of the way.
11:31Dana, give me one second as I put my mask on because they just sprayed chemical agents again. OK, so right now, this is what we have been seeing. This has been one of the tensest moments this morning. What just happened right now? you had vehicles that were trying to make its way out. Dana, I'm actually going to move away from the camera now that the smoke is now impacting my eyes. You need to get away from that smoke. Please, we appreciate your reporting. Get away from that smoke. I'm back near the vehicle, Dana. I'm near the vehicle. I have a mask on. I'm okay. So basically every time that people are pulling out, they are blocking the vehicles from getting in and out.
12:11At this point, what we saw this time was the agents on top of the roof. They started, Lou, you need to get something on your eyes. Dana, let me send it back to you. We're going to hold the shot. We just need to protect our eyes right now. Yes. Yes. Give us one second so we could just get our bearings straight. It is a very fluid scene and right now, very volatile scene on the ground outside.
12:38Ben Meiselas:Oh, and we're also learning that Donald Trump is intending, we'll see if it happens, to fire Eric Siebert, the United States attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, because he was unable to find evidence to prosecute New York Attorney General Letitia James. Donald Trump gave the United States attorney the top federal prosecutor in Virginia. This is an important position as well for a lot of reasons. They also handle a lot of counterterrorism and espionage prosecutions. But Donald Trump wanted Siebert to prosecute direct, just a directive, prosecute Attorney General Letitia James. He's like, there's no evidence to be able to prosecute her.
13:16Ben Meiselas:So now the Trump regime is planning on firing Siebert. Let me bring you to the Capitol right now. I'm going to bring you to the House of Representatives where AOC gave an important speech moments ago. I'll show you a portion of it. She said, look, it's important that we condemn the heinous violence that resulted in the death of Charlie Kirk. 100 percent, that we condemn that violence. But AOC said we should be clear about who Charlie Kirk was, a man who believed that the Civil Rights Act that granted black Americans the right to vote was a mistake. That's who Charlie Kirk was. He said anti-black statements all the time, anti-gay, anti-trans, anti-women.
13:56Ben Meiselas:He called for Biden to be executed. He called for constant division. And when there would be school shootings, he would say, I really don't have sympathy for that. I mean, he would express a lack of sympathy following school shootings. You know, that's just a price you've got to pay if you want to defend the Second Amendment, he said. You know, words to those effect, which I think are hateful, hurtful, irresponsible, and always very divisive. He would go on college campuses not to have honest debates with people, but to really mock people. That's my opinion. You could have different opinions, and I don't think that we should be honoring Charlie Kirk's legacy at all.
14:30Ben Meiselas:If I were to be in Congress, I want to let you know where I stand. I would strongly vote against honoring the legacy of Charlie Kirk. I don't think we should honor his legacy at all. I don't think he was a good guy. I think it's very simple. I think we have to act with moral clarity. Now, do I sympathize with his family? Do I send thoughts and prayers? Do I condemn political violence? Do I think that it was absolutely heinous what took place? Do I feel sad and bad for what happened as a father? I mean, the fact that he lost children and that his children won't grow up with a father and his wife without a husband, that makes me actually very authentically very, very sad.
15:08Ben Meiselas:I just, I don't think he was a good guy that should be honored the way we honor civil rights heroes. Anyway, here's what AOC says. Play this clip. I think, gentleman, Representative Green, for his graciousness. Today, the Republican House majority brought to the floor a resolution honoring, quote, honoring the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk. Charlie Kirk's assassination was a horrific and vile attack, an incident of political violence. and condemning the depravity of Kirk's brutal murder is a straightforward matter, one that is especially important to help stabilize an increasingly unsafe and volatile political environment where everyday people feel more at risk.
16:04We can deeply disagree and come together as a country to denounce the horror of this killing. And it is not a license for the abuse of power and whitewashing of American history. Today's resolution only underscores the majority's recklessness by choosing to author this condemnation and honoring on a purely partisan basis, instead of uniting Congress in this tragedy with one of the many bipartisan options to condemn political violence and Kirk's murder, as we did with the late Melissa Hortman. Instead, the majority proceeded with a resolution that brings great pain to the millions of Americans who endured segregation, Jim Crow, and the legacy of bigotry today.
17:04We should be clear about who Charlie Kirk was, a man who believed that the Civil Rights Act that granted black Americans the right to vote was a mistake. Who, after the violent attack on Paul Pelosi, claimed that, quote, some amazing patriot, unquote, should bail out his brutal assailant. and accused Jews of controlling, quote, not just the colleges, it's the nonprofits, it's the movies, it's Hollywood, it's all of it, unquote. His rhetoric and beliefs were ignorant, uneducated, and sought to disenfranchise millions of Americans, far from the working, quote, working tirelessly to promote unity, unquote, asserted by the majority in this resolution.
17:54Ben Meiselas:But here's what Kayleigh McEnany has to say that. Why do we care about the First Amendment when Charlie Kirk lost his amendments here? Play this clip. We were able to get work requirements into the system, which you mentioned at the outset. I was going to cover this for a second. Every Democratic president and every Republican president has repeated the belief that you have to have work requirements as part of any social safety net program. If I'm going to give you free health care insurance, I should expect you to try to get a job. I know if you don't get one, it's fine. We'll still cover you.
18:24But if you don't even try, if you're sitting at home and not showing up in life, then that's a problem. And on average, an able-bodied individual on Medicaid watches 6.1 hours of television. It's a lot of your show. Plus, they sit around. So we want people. They don't want that, though. They don't want to sit around doing nothing. People want to go out and do what God wanted them to do, which is change the world, help your fellow citizens. And so we have a desire to get people engaged in the community. That's not codified in the law. We're implementing it.
18:54Ben Meiselas:Again, heinous stuff right there. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 6 million subscribers. Thanks for watching.
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MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump’s disaster Friday after getting more bad news.
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