Trump Panics Over Putin Nuclear Threats

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1:39Ben Meiselas:Donald Trump is panicking as Vladimir Putin is conducting very threatening nuclear drills earlier today. Putin has announced joint nuclear force drills between Russia and Belarus. According to Putin, the two countries' armies are now practicing nuclear command operations during these exercises, and they're showing what it would look like to carry out launches of nuclear weapons using ballistic and cruise missiles combined. Vladimir Putin is saying that nuclear weapons remain a last resort, but due to growing global tension, Russia must retain its readiness of its nuclear forces. Of course, this directly follows Putin getting a hero's welcome in Beijing, where he met with Xi Jinping, who unveiled at a museum right there in Beijing an exhibit called Unbreakable Alliance with massive portraits of Putin and Xi Jinping.

2:39Ben Meiselas:You see right here some additional information about this exercise and the video that the Russians put out about this exercise that involved over 64 ,000 Russian and Belarusian troops, more than 7 ,800 pieces of military equipment, including around 200 missile launchers. Russia currently has about 320 launchers in total. And I don't want you to forget the fact that a few months back, Donald Trump said that the U.S. will be engaged in nuclear testing, indicating that it could take place in Nevada or New Mexico. And there was a lots of uncertainty and ambiguity what Donald Trump meant by that. Also, when Donald Trump said that he was going to completely blow up all of Iran, that also made many of our allies believe that he was talking about nuclear weapons and perhaps dropping a nuclear bomb on Iran.

3:36Ben Meiselas:There's reporting today from Reuters that a lot of our allies reached out to the State Department when Trump was making those statements about whether Trump was thinking of launching a nuke on Iran. And then the State Department and the Defense Department refused to answer to our allies what Donald Trump even meant by that. I'm going to show you what Donald Trump's doing in the Oval Office because you can see he's becoming completely unglued at this point. But Putin also said the following during his speech earlier today. The use of nuclear weapons is an extreme and exceptional measure to ensure the national security of our states.

4:13Ben Meiselas:At the same time, given the growing tension in the world and the emergence of new threats and risks, our nuclear triad, as before, must serve as a reliable guarantor of the sovereignty of the union state of Russia and Belarus, ensure strategic deterrence, and maintain nuclear parity and global balance of power. Then Belarus's leader, Lukashenko, says, we are absolutely not threatening anyone, but we have nuclear weapons and we are ready in every possible way to defend our homeland, is what he's saying. So clearly threats there. So what's Donald Trump's response to that? Well, actually, yesterday, Donald Trump demanded that Ukraine help the United States by easing restrictions on Belarus's potash fertilizers.

5:00Ben Meiselas:Hey, Zelensky, can you reach out to Europe and tell them not to sanction Belarus for their potash because Putin and Lukashenko really want to sell their fertilizer? And by the way, what's going on right now is that fertilizer prices for American farmers and wholesalers right now, it's up like 40 % because a lot of the fertilizer material comes from the Middle East and the Strait of Hormuz being closed is absolutely crushing our farmers. And so we have that going on right now. Now, Zelensky is also reporting some of these moves by Putin as Donald Trump continues to lift sanctions against Russian oil and continues to do his best to help Russia.

5:44Ben Meiselas:We have additional visits by Steve Witkoff to Russia being announced, his seventh visit to hang out with Putin. To be a Putin bootlicker has been announced. He's been to Russia seven times. He's been to Ukraine zero times. Here's what Zelensky just posted. I held a staff meeting. We analyzed in detail available data from our intelligence agencies on Russia's planning of offensive operations in the Cherniiv-Kiv direction. We are preparing responses in every possible course of enemy action. If the Russians do indeed dare to expand their aggression. Our forces in this sector will be increased. Also, U.S.

6:26Ben Meiselas:intelligence is now learning and leaking to CNN and others that Iran has basically rebuilt its military faster than expected. Not faster than I expected. I mean, I thought they were doing it. That's what I've been reporting here. They restarted their drone production just weeks after the ceasefire. Now, U.S. intelligence officials estimate that Iran could restore major drone capabilities within six months despite the U.S. and Israeli strikes. Intelligence also suggests much of Iran's missiles and drone infrastructure survive. We've been reporting that here in the Midas Touch Network. Also earlier today, Iran and Oman continued to discuss the permanent Strait of Hormuz transit toll system.

7:09Ben Meiselas:We showed you yesterday the Iranian port authorities maps of its sphere of control over the Strait of Hormuz and Iran and Oman working on the types of fees that will be charged to ships if they want to get through the Strait of Hormuz with exemptions to allies like Russia and China. also according to a release by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard. Over the past 24 hours, a total of 31 vessels, including oil tankers, container ships, and other commercial vessels, crossed the Strait of Hormuz with coordination and security provided by the IRGC Navy. You take a look over here as well and just look at some of this data over here.

7:51Ben Meiselas:Turkey slashing its U.S. Treasury holdings from$16 billion to$1.8 billion in March. I mean, and they're supposed to be an ally of the United States. I mean, you're seeing a massive global rupture take place as the Trump regime shows utter weakness. So what do they do when they show weakness? Threaten another invasion, a Ponzi scheme of invasions. Marco Rubio this morning on a tarmac in Miami talked about invading Cuba. Here's what Rubio had to say. Play this clip.

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10:09Ben Meiselas:Donald Trump said that the aircraft carrier now positioned right outside of Cuba is there to help the people and provide humanitarian aid. This was all about helping Cuba, really sending an aircraft carrier out there and blockading Cuba and starving the Cuban people to death is a way to help the people of Cuba. Again, that's very Putin-esque right there, right? As Donald Trump is seeing Putin doing these military drills, his instinct is to show, look, I'm an authoritarian too. Here, play this clip. Then the White House won't be a very secure place. But then regarding Cuba, there was an aircraft carrier just arrived there just this week.

10:50Are you sending out there to intimidate the Cuban government? No, not at all. The Cuban look, it's a failed country. Everybody knows that they don't have electricity. They don't have money. They don't have really anything. They don't have food. And we're going to help them along. And we're going to help them because the people because number one, I want to help them. I don't want to on a humanitarian basis, but

11:11Ben Meiselas:we have the Cuban American population, much of it living in Miami and Florida. Then Donald Trump, again, in his kind of utter paranoia, seeing these military tests, says that, look, you know, my golden ballroom, it's going to have a drone port. It's going to have thick bulletproof glass. This way it will prevent, it will be a shield if drones try to attack me. Here, play this clip. The ballroom is being a tremendous amount of what's being done with respect to the ballroom is for national security, including, as an example, a drone port on top of which was top secret until litigation made it less than top secret.

11:50But we have a drone port. We have also, we have the glass that's four inches thick, bulletproof glass. We have bulletproof walls. We have that. You need a place like this But this is being made as a gift from me and other people that are great patriots and spend a lot of money. We're building what will be the finest ballroom anywhere in the world. If they want to spend money on securing the White House, I think it would be very, very much a good expenditure. But the ballroom is being built.

12:20Ben Meiselas:Then reporters ask him, you know, what if Congress doesn't sign off on your ballroom at this point? And Trump's like, well, I guess it won't be secure then. Here's what he says in the Oval Office moments ago. If they want to spend money on securing the White House, I think it would be very, very much a good expenditure. But the ballroom is being built. But what if Congress doesn't sign off on the security money, sir? Then the White House won't be a very secure place. But then regarding Cuba, there was an aircraft carrier. Also, a reporter asked Donald Trump if he's losing control of the United States Senate since they are.

12:55Ben Meiselas:I remember I did a video on this this morning voting against him on the slush fund, voting against him on ballroom, voted against him on war powers. Here's what he has to say. Play this clip. Mr. President, with many Americans concerned about affordability ahead of the midterms, there is some backlash from the Senate Republicans to some of the other priorities, the ballroom and the anti-weaponization fund. You clearly still have a stronghold on the Republican Party. Your candidates did very well this week during the primaries. But are you losing control of the Senate? My candidates said well, not all candidates said well.

13:28But are you losing control of the Senate, sir? Are you losing control of the Senate, the Senate Republicans? I don't know. I really don't know. I can tell you I only do what's right. I don't need money for the Baldwin. You know, I'm making a gift of the Baldwin.

13:42Ben Meiselas:And finally, he's asked if he's attending his son's wedding. Here, let's play this clip. Are you attending your son's wedding this weekend, by the way? Uh, he'd like me to go. but it's going to be just a small little private affair and I'm going to try and make it I'm in the midst I said you know this is not good timing for me I have a thing called Iran and other things that's one I can't win on if I do attend I get killed if I don't attend I get killed by the fake news of course I'm talking about now but he's got a very person who I've known for a long time and hopefully they're to have a great marriage.

14:21Mr. President, actually, to add to that, I just actually passed by it.

14:26Ben Meiselas:And here's what voters currently think, or individuals who didn't vote in 2024, just you put this all together, and people who are seeing this, who didn't vote in 2024, here's what they think about Donald Trump, here's what Harry Anton said moments ago. Let's play it. 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 their 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.

15:01I 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. It was plus four points for his plans in office. But look at that. It is full. Yeah. Whoo. 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, meh, you know, in terms of voting in 2024.

15:40Ben Meiselas:But now they are pissed off.

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