Trump Suffers in Morning as Awful News Spreads

23 Jul 2025 · 21 min · 7 chapters

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In short

The host argues that Donald Trump is facing worsening economic conditions and escalating fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein/Ghislaine Maxwell scandal, while also criticizing Trump’s messaging to supporters and MAGA lawmakers’ positions.

Guest backgrounds

No named guests appear in the transcript; it’s a solo commentary citing public figures.

Key claims

Trump’s morning posts/emails are portrayed as harassing fundraising tactics. Economic indicators are said to be deteriorating (housing, hiring, delinquencies, job prospects, inflation). The episode claims Congress is trying to delay/avoid releasing Epstein-related DOJ materials, and that Trump allies are pressuring Maxwell via threats or “deals.” It also alleges tariff costs are being passed to consumers despite Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s claims.

Notable examples

Pam Bondi and Todd Blanche meeting Ghislaine Maxwell; Alan Dershowitz calling for a Maxwell pardon; James Comer and Tom Emmer dismissing Epstein file urgency; Josh Hawley warning ACA subsidies expiring will raise premiums; Randy Fine advocating mass deportations.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.

Chapters

Tap a time to open that second in VO

Trump's Troubling Morning News

1:30 to 3:30

Explore the negative economic indicators impacting Trump and the ongoing Epstein scandal.

“Donald Trump woke up to awful news on Wednesday morning.”

Trump's Unusual Email Tactics

3:30 to 7:25

Discuss how Trump communicates with his supporters through unusual email tactics.

“Then you click the link and it makes you donate money to him if you want to get his message, basically.”

Economic Data Overview

7:25 to 11:20

Analyze the troubling economic indicators affecting various sectors.

“Here's what Treasury Secretary Scott Besson says, though.”

MAGA Republicans and the Epstein Files

11:20 to 14:01

Investigate the responses of MAGA Republicans regarding the Epstein files and related controversies.

“And just Ghislaine Maxwell, the girlfriend, went to Chelsea Clinton's wedding, not Jeffrey Epstein.”

Transparency on Epstein Files

14:01 to 15:51

The discussion revolves around the need for more transparency regarding the Epstein files and the implications of Trump's ties to Epstein.

“Third, for me as a lawyer, we are the legislative branch.”

Josh Hawley on Health Care Costs

15:52 to 17:49

Analyzing Josh Hawley's statements on the Affordable Care Act and the implications of expiring tax credits on health insurance.

“kind of the roundup, though, of what's going on this morning.”

Randy Fine's Immigration Comments

17:50 to 18:51

A critical look at Congress member Randy Fine's statements on illegal immigration and their economic implications.

“And finally, you have MAGA Republican Congress member Randy Fine, and he was on Fox this morning.”
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Transcript

Automatic transcript. May contain errors.

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1:30Ben Meiselas:Donald Trump woke up to awful news on Wednesday morning. All of the economic indicators trending in a negative direction. I'll go over that in a moment. And the Epstein scandal continues to explode. More links between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein being exposed. Congress has shut down. They are now in recess, an entire branch of our government no longer doing its job to try to cover up for Donald Trump, as Donald Trump sends his Attorney General Pam Bondi and his Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who was his former criminal defense attorney, to meet directly with Ghislaine Maxwell. This, as Ghislaine Maxwell says, that she fears for her life right now through a statement issued by her brother, Ian Maxwell.

2:19Ben Meiselas:And at the same time, you have Jeffrey Epstein's former lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, calling for a full pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell. I think the threats and the message is being sent by the Trump regime to Ghislaine Maxwell that if she plays ball, there could potentially be a deal there. And if she doesn't play ball, that her life may be threatened. I mean, I think that's at least how she is feeling about this. Now, this morning, Donald Trump is sending post after post after post. And he's sending email after email after email to his supporters. I subscribe to his email so you don't have to. But he sent an email at 530, 648, and 847 a.m.

3:03Ben Meiselas:this morning. I mean, you wake up to an email that you get from him. And they're very like harassing, like sociopathic emails that you'd expect to like get almost from like a stalker. And this is how he treats his supporters. So it makes it seem in the email that you've gotten a missed phone call from him. And it goes, missed call from President Trump. And it goes, Ben, exclamation point. I just tried to call you. This is important. Pick up. Please click the link. Then you click the link and it makes you donate money to him if you want to get his message, basically. Then there's the other email that he sends.

3:40Ben Meiselas:He goes, please confirm receipt of this email. And then it goes, Ben, did I do something wrong? I need your help to make sure my messages are getting through to top patriots in your neighborhood. This is a test. I just want to make sure my emails are getting through. And then you click it and then it asks for money. Now, let's talk about some of that economic data that we're seeing this morning. Let's go through it. Homebuilders slashing prices at the highest rate in three years. The U.S. hiring slowdown is taking a toll on recruiting firms, with two big recruiting firms filing for bankruptcies in recent weeks.

4:21Ben Meiselas:Subprime auto delinquencies have now surpassed 2009 levels, reaching a 15-year high, according to Fitch. 58 % of students who graduated within the last year are still looking for their first job, according to a recent report from Kik Resume. Now, I've showed you the recent YouGov polling data that Donald Trump's disapproval is 70 % amongst young people. A 70 % disapproval amongst young people. And Donald Trump had previously been bragging about being able to get younger people to vote for him. There's been a roughly double-digit percentage increase in the costs of cocoa. Hershey lifts their candy prices, citing the high cocoa costs.

5:08Ben Meiselas:Chocolate Maker notifies its retail customers of double-digit percentage increases because tariffs are a tax on importers, which are passed through to consumers. How about this from the New York Times? As the dollar slides, the euro is picking up speed. The euro has been gaining steam as investors seek new havens during geopolitical turmoil. The dominant role of the U.S. dollar, the cornerstone of the system, is no longer certain. As you know, the dollar has had its weakest months since 1973, and that's what we're seeing happen right now. Also in Europe, Germany supports the idea of the European Union readying about$117 billion in countermeasures against the United States if a trade deal cannot be forged together.

6:03Ben Meiselas:Now, while all of this is going on, I mean, I think the American people just want honesty, right? We just want to understand what's happening. I think businesses want certainty. Well, the gaslighter in chief, or I should say the fraudster in chief, who basically looks like he's a Ponzi schemer, Treasury Secretary Scott Besson. He goes on mourning Joe when he just lies to the people. He's asked a basic question of, does the president realize that consumers pay the tariffs? And then he goes, actually, that's not what I think is happening. A lot of the companies, they're eating the tariffs. Well, Scott Besson, first you said the countries would eat the tariffs.

6:41Ben Meiselas:That's not the case. So you're saying that companies can eat the tariffs now, perhaps for a short period of time where the company has a certain amount of inventory already in place, they can eat it for a certain period. Maybe, but that's not what we're seeing. I mean, we're seeing the costs significantly rise in products. Like the price of coffee is up 20 % since December. If you go to Walmart, there's a lot of prices that are up about 50 % of uncertain items. I mean, we're seeing this show up in the data and we just we know we go to stores. And so here just we can see it with our own eyes when we're buying things that, whoa, that got more expensive.

7:18Ben Meiselas:I mean, the price of the price of ground beef is significantly higher. Most groceries are higher. Here's what and we see the inflation is on the rise. Like that's what the data shows. Here's what Treasury Secretary Scott Besson says, though. Let's play it. I do know that the tariffs, the cost of tariffs on automobiles, which will begin, I don't know, August 1st or whatever, will be paid by people like me, the consumer. The question is, does the president realize the consumer pays the tariffs? Well, I'm going to have to disagree with that is who pays the tariffs is a choice. And what we've seen thus far is that the manufacturers are eating a substantial portion of the tariffs and taking it into their profit margins.

8:04So you might see, for instance, Toyota hasn't raised prices and they may choose to go for market share rather than raising prices. Okay.

8:17Ben Meiselas:So now let's just show you what some of these MAGA Republicans in the House of Representatives are saying. Like you have James Comer, James Comer, here he is doing, that impression was a little lame this morning, I know. James Comer is asked, you know, How do you respond? He's MAGA Republican to Mike Johnson starting the August recess early to avoid forcing the DOJ to release the Epstein files. And here's what he says. Let's play it. How do you respond to House Speaker Johnson starting the August recess early to avoid forcing the Justice Department to release the Epstein files? I don't know why that's why we're starting early.

8:54Look, Mike Johnson has. I don't think that has anything to do with that. No, I don't. I think you can. I have not talked to Mike Johnson about this. But But look, we've accomplished a lot. We passed the one big, beautiful bill. We passed a rescissioned bill. It's very difficult to make cuts in Washington, but somehow we finally come together. And Mike Johnson has to deal with a lot of difficult personalities in our conference. I don't think that's any secret. But with respect to the Epstein files, you had Ralph Norman on there. You had Congressman Self. I forget who the other one was. Oh, Eric Burleson, who's on my committee.

9:28What they said is exactly right. When we go home, the public wants to know who are on who all is on the Epstein list, if there's an Epstein list. Now, do they not believe DOJ when it said there is no well, most Republicans, most Republicans have a huge distrust of the Department of Justice, regardless of even though they're Trump's. Well, you know, I think we have more confidence than we did when Merrick Garland was there. But at the end of the day, this is something if there's nothing there, but release what you have.

9:58Ben Meiselas:I mean, you know, he lies about everything or as Fred Wellman says, he's a professional dummy, but that's what he does for a living, just goes up there and lies. James Comer then goes on CNN and he goes, well, I don't think Trump is distancing himself from Epstein. I don't think so at all. Where's the pushback, by the way, on this? Here, play this clip. As President Trump tries to distance himself from Epstein, what questions do you have, if any, when you look at those pictures? Well, I don't think he's trying to distance himself. I think everyone knows that Epstein was very active in social circles.

10:30Not only did he attend the Trump wedding, he attended Chelsea Clinton's wedding, too, as well, I believe, with Bill and Hillary's daughter. So this is a guy that ran in big circles. And as Wolf pointed out, those pictures were taken before people knew about the sex handles. I do believe it's good to note that President Trump has said he banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago once he learned about the crimes that were being committed by Epstein. And I don't think he's distancing himself. I think that this is something that he's been surprised has taken on so much interest by the American people. And hopefully with the actions of my oversight committee and now with the Department of Justice, we'll finally learn what exactly the government has on Epstein.

11:20Yeah. And just Ghislaine Maxwell, the girlfriend, went to Chelsea Clinton's wedding, not Jeffrey Epstein. OK, OK. But so just to follow up on that, you know, President Trump, for his part, I mean, he I think it was just last week, he said people in his own party, Republicans who want more information are weaklings. What do you say to that? I don't know about that. But I can tell you this with my House Oversight Committee, the overwhelming majority of the members on the committee, we have 26 Republicans. And I would say at least 20 of the Republicans want to know if there are Epstein filed. Let's be real.

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13:07Ben Meiselas:And this is what they're doing. They're going out and they're just doing a full offensive of lies. And you've got MAGA Republican Congress member Tom Emmer. Here's what he says at the Axios conference. He's like, Epstein, yeah, it's a non-issue. We're not even thinking about it. Here, play this clip. I do brought up process because it seems right now the House is paralyzed on process over this Epstein. These Epstein amendments that keep getting offered in rules. How are you going to unstick that? This is totally an issue that is a non-issue. You guys are making it an issue, and not you, Hans, but the media.

13:43It's kind of funny. If it was so important, then why weren't Democrats clamoring for this for four years under Biden? Right now, you've got to look at this. First off, the president has asked the Justice Department to release all credible evidence that is releasable. Second, Pam Bondi has a motion currently pending before the court asking for permission to release even sealed information. Third, for me as a lawyer, we are the legislative branch. We are not the judicial branch. The judicial branch will make that decision and then we'll go from there. But the House does investigations. There's clearly a call for more transparency.

14:25Would you like to see more transparency on on the Epstein files? The our president has already said that he wants that. And the the oversight committee yesterday did issue a subpoena as far as I understand. So that's that's proceeding.

14:40Ben Meiselas:OK, you know, by the way, there's more information emerging as well. I'm going to do a whole other video on this later today. And remember how Donald Trump told the story about his uncle and Donald Trump's like my uncle's the MIT professor who taught Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. Remember Donald Trump told that story? People were like, what do you mean? Your uncle is Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber? Your uncle died 10 years before Ted Kaczynski was even identified as the Unabomber. Ted Kaczynski never went to MIT. You know who told a story about Ted Kaczynski being in his class? If you guessed Jeffrey Epstein, you're right.

15:17Ben Meiselas:This article from The Atlantic emerged, and it was someone who was friends with Epstein who said that Epstein would always tell the story about teaching with or going to school with Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. I'll do a whole other video about that, but I thought that was, there's all of these data points, you know, and then by the way, there's, in one of Donald Trump's books from about 20 years ago, he talks about his mysterious friend Jeffrey, who he loves, his mysterious friend Jeffrey, and then CNN released more photos and videos showing Donald Trump and Epstein partying together. I'll do more videos on that.

15:50Ben Meiselas:Don't worry. I want to give you kind of the roundup, though, of what's going on this morning. You know, then you have MAGA Republican Senator Josh Hawley. Josh Hawley was at this same, I think, Axios summit, and he was asked this question. Some of the Affordable Care Act tax credits are set to expire at the end of the year. How important is it for Republicans to stop that from happening? I'm going to play you clip in a second, but MAGA Republican Senator from Missouri, Josh Hawley's like, this is bad. The prices of premiums are going to explode. People are not going to be able to afford their health insurance.

16:26Ben Meiselas:This is a disaster. Now, as Senator Scott Weiner explains, Josh Hawley is exhibit number one of what it means to have a cult leader in charge. He voted to blow up Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act after vocally saying he was opposed to doing so. And now he's complaining about the action that he just took. He had the power to stop this disaster. He chose not to because the leader insisted. So here's what Hawley says. Hawley voted for this to happen, which he now says is going to be a disaster. So you could hear it in his own words. So it's not like, oh, Democrats are saying this. So what Josh Hawley is saying is going to happen to your insurance, if you're lucky enough to still keep it, the prices are going to go up like crazy.

17:08Ben Meiselas:here at Play This Clue. Some of the Affordable Care Act tax credits are set to expire at the end of the year. How important do you think it will be for Republicans to stop that from happening? Well, if we don't, the cost of insurance is just going to explode, explode for families, working people across the nation. I mean, already we're seeing the premium increases are just are unbelievable. We're looking anywhere from 10 to 30 percent increases in the cost of health insurance. These subsidies allow folks to pay less than sort of 10 percent of their income, which is still a lot, by the way, on health insurance.

17:44If we don't do something about that, we could see people paying double what they're paying. Now, I just don't know how you do.

17:51Ben Meiselas:And finally, you have MAGA Republican Congress member Randy Fine, and he was on Fox this morning. He just talked about rounding up because we got to round up all the illegals, round them all up. here. Play this clip. Border has been among the priorities for this president. What else can get done with the new money approved in the big, beautiful bill? Well, we've got to round everybody up and deport them all. People don't understand the cost of illegal immigration in this country. They obviously know the crime, but on auto insurance, you're underinsured and you're uninsured rates, housing prices, education costs, because we've got to educate all of these kids, medical care.

18:30Illegal immigrants are a huge drain on our economy, and we will see a huge resurgence for American workers and American families as we're getting all of these people out. It starts with the criminals, but it ends with everybody. Yeah, it's a great point to start with the criminals, and that's why some big cities actually feel different today. New York does feel...

18:49Ben Meiselas:There you have it, folks. We'll keep you posted every step of the way. Thank you for watching. Make sure you subscribe. We appreciate you so much. Have a good one.

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From the publisher

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump’s disastrous Wednesday morning as his regime continues to suffer massive scandals and their agenda blows up in their face.

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