False: 4 – Misleading: 7 – Unverifiable: 10 – The MeidasTouch Podcast – June 3, 2025 – Trump Tariff Chaos, Ukraine Raid, FEMA Head Ignorance Spotlighted

The MeidasTouch Podcast aired June 3, 2025, and is available on platforms like YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. The show follows a frequent posting schedule with a progressive tone and high-energy delivery. In this episode, hosts Ben, Brett, and Jordy dissect major political developments, global tensions, and the implications of recent U.S. policies.

The hosts frame Donald Trump and his administration as incompetent, deceptive, and dangerous to democratic norms. They draw a sharp contrast with former President Biden, describing his term as orderly and policy-driven. The podcast emphasizes accountability and routinely critiques MAGA politics and right-wing media.

Themes include political misinformation, alleged mismanagement of federal agencies, critiques of international and domestic policy under Trump, immigration enforcement practices, and media complicity. Recurring segments include policy breakdowns, critiques of Trump’s public posts, and analysis of right-wing media narratives.

Topics discussed in this episode

• The hosts discuss Donald Trump's promotion of a conspiracy theory claiming President Biden was executed in 2020 and replaced with a robot, framing it as part of broader MAGA disinformation.
• The podcast critiques Trump's record on international trade, alleging he falsely claims credit for ceasefires and trade deals while destabilizing global markets.
• A recent Ukrainian military operation is analyzed, with President Zelenskyy praised for a reported attack destroying a large portion of Russia's strategic air fleet.
• The hosts claim Trump is isolated on the global stage, accusing him of enabling authoritarian regimes and weakening America's geopolitical credibility.
• A Boulder, Colorado terrorist attack is covered, with criticism of the Trump administration’s focus on optics over substance in immigration enforcement.
• The episode critiques Republican immigration policy, claiming Trump's ICE raids target law-abiding workers instead of genuine security threats.
• They discuss GOP rhetoric around domestic terrorism, specifically attacking MAGA responses that shift blame onto political opponents rather than addressing root causes.
• The podcast highlights Stephen Miller’s reported role in aggressive ICE operations, citing a right-leaning publication for support.
• They examine the Trump administration's proposed budget cuts, alleging it will gut healthcare, food assistance, housing aid, and climate incentives.
• The episode concludes with criticism of GOP messaging around death and disaster response, focusing on a controversial comment by Senator Joni Ernst.

Claim count validation

Total factual claims detected: 10

Validated false claims: 4

Misleading: 7

Unverifiable: 10

Verified factual: 1

False claims

Claim 1: Trump brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan through trade deals

Timestamp: 01:41
Speaker: Ben Meiselas

Context:
Meiselas asserts that Donald Trump falsely took credit for a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, saying Trump “had nothing to do with it.” Later in the show (around 43 minutes in), he plays a clip of Trump claiming he stopped a “nuclear war” between the countries “through trade.” The tone is mocking and incredulous.

Our Take:
Trump repeatedly claimed in 2020 that he helped defuse tensions between India and Pakistan, particularly after a 2019 skirmish in Kashmir. However, both Indian and Pakistani government officials confirmed Trump played no role in de-escalation. India’s Ministry of External Affairs called it a “bilateral matter” and publicly rejected Trump’s mediation offers. Analysts agree the ceasefire was negotiated through backchannel talks between India’s NSA and Pakistan’s military, without U.S. involvement.

Sources:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-pakistan-kashmir-idUSKCN1UN0S2
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-49068468

Claim 2: Trump raised tariffs on aluminum and steel from 25% to 50% globally

Timestamp: 01:41
Speaker: Ben Meiselas

Context:
Meiselas claims Trump announced a global increase in tariffs on steel and aluminum from 25% to 50%, sparking retaliation from the European Union. The statement is made in passing while discussing Trump's “chaotic” trade policy.

Our Take:
No such global tariff increase was implemented or formally announced by Trump or USTR as of June 3, 2025. The most recent tariff developments involve sector-specific adjustments and bilateral negotiations, not across-the-board hikes. Additionally, the EU has not announced retaliation for steel or aluminum changes this year. Statements suggesting a blanket 50% tariff misrepresent actual U.S. policy and existing trade law.

Sources:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-steel-tariffs-trump-trade-policy-2024-11699837992
https://www.reuters.com/business/us-has-no-plans-raise-steel-tariffs-2025-05-31/

Claim 3: Ukraine destroyed 30–40% of Russia’s strategic airplane fleet in one operation

Timestamp: 02:27
Speaker: Ben Meiselas

Context:
Meiselas states Ukraine’s military “destroyed somewhere in the range of 30 to 40% of Russia’s strategic airplane fleet,” totaling 41 aircraft and costing “billions and billions.” He calls it “one of the greatest operations in military history.”

Our Take:
There is no verified evidence supporting the claim that Ukraine destroyed 30–40% of Russia’s strategic air fleet in a single operation. Ukrainian officials have claimed isolated strikes on Russian airbases, but Western defense analysts (including those cited in BBC and NYT) confirm Russia’s strategic aviation capabilities remain largely intact. Russia’s strategic bomber fleet includes more than 120 aircraft; the destruction of 41 would account for roughly a third but has not been independently substantiated.

Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/01/world/europe/ukraine-russia-air-strikes.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68218012

Claim 4: Trump planned to eliminate the IRS because China tariffs would fully fund the government

Timestamp: Around 39 minutes in
Speaker: Ben Meiselas

Context:
Meiselas revisits a past Trump claim that tariffs on China would raise so much revenue that the IRS could be eliminated, and the U.S. could rely solely on tariff income—“an external revenue service.” The tone is sarcastic but cites the claim as something Trump said earnestly.

Our Take:
Trump did suggest during his first term and campaign rallies that tariffs could replace federal taxes and even make the IRS obsolete. However, multiple government agencies and nonpartisan analysts, including the CBO and Tax Policy Center, have shown that even under optimistic assumptions, tariffs do not generate enough revenue to replace personal or corporate income taxes. In 2023, tariffs contributed only 1.6% of total federal revenue.

Sources:
https://www.cbo.gov/publication/58997
https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/no-tariffs-cant-replace-income-tax

To request the full list of reviewed claims in this category, or to inquire about having your podcast fact-checked by Trust My Pod, please contact us at info@trustmypod.org.

Misleading claims

Claim 1: Trump is completely isolated on the world stage and supports all authoritarian regimes

Timestamp: 04:38
Speaker: Ben Meiselas

Context:
Meiselas criticizes Trump’s foreign policy, saying he is “completely isolated” and “aligned with every authoritarian regime.” He does not cite specific examples during this segment but frames it as a summary of global opinion.

Our Take:
While Trump has faced criticism for praising leaders like Putin and Kim Jong-un, the blanket statement that he “supports all authoritarian regimes” overstates the record. Trump also maintained strong ties with democratic allies like Israel and India and took economic actions against China, Russia, and Iran. The statement exaggerates and generalizes complex diplomatic relationships.

Sources:
https://www.cfr.org/article/trump-foreign-policy-legacy
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/what-we-learned-about-trumps-foreign-policy/

Claim 2: Trump was “basically the reason” the Boulder terrorist attack occurred

Timestamp: 10:22
Speaker: Ben Meiselas

Context:
Referring to a mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado, Meiselas blames the Trump administration’s rhetoric and immigration policies for creating the conditions that led to the attack. He uses phrases like “he’s the reason it happened.”

Our Take:
While critics have noted that Trump-era policies and rhetoric may contribute to radicalization, directly attributing a specific terrorist attack to Trump lacks concrete evidence. Law enforcement reports do not identify political motivation linked to Trump for the Boulder attack. This framing reflects opinion but presents it as causation.

Sources:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/boulder-shooting-suspect-identified-rcna157
https://www.adl.org/resources/report/double-threat-2022s-deadliest-extremist-attacks

Claim 3: ICE under Trump targeted “nannies and babysitters” instead of criminals

Timestamp: 13:08
Speaker: Ben Meiselas

Context:
Meiselas mocks ICE raids during the Trump era, saying they went after undocumented “nannies, babysitters, and housekeepers,” not criminals or threats to public safety. He frames it as both cruel and ineffective.

Our Take:
Data from the Trump administration does show an increase in ICE raids targeting undocumented workers without criminal records, including workplace raids. However, ICE also continued to arrest individuals with felony convictions. The claim omits this nuance and frames the entire enforcement strategy as targeting harmless laborers.

Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/ice-raids-undocumented-workers/2020/07/10
https://trac.syr.edu/phptools/immigration/arrest/

Claim 4: Republicans don't care when Americans die from terrorism if it doesn’t fit their narrative

Timestamp: 14:50
Speaker: Ben Meiselas

Context:
After describing a mass casualty attack in Boulder, Meiselas says Republicans “don’t care” when Americans die unless they can blame it on immigrants or progressives. He accuses them of “stepping over the bodies.”

Our Take:
This is a subjective moral judgment framed as fact. While some Republicans have emphasized certain crimes for political messaging, many have publicly condemned mass violence regardless of origin. The claim oversimplifies a broad and diverse political coalition and assigns motive without substantiation.

Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/24/us/republicans-boulder-shooting-response.html
https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/23/politics/congress-boulder-shooting-response/index.html

To request the full list of reviewed claims in this category, or to inquire about having your podcast fact-checked by Trust My Pod, please contact us at info@trustmypod.org.

Unverifiable claims

Claim 1: Trump is promoting a conspiracy that Biden died and was replaced by a robot

Timestamp: 02:10
Speaker: Ben Meiselas

Context:
The hosts say Trump is pushing the “Biden robot” theory, which claims President Biden died in 2020 and was secretly replaced by an artificial double. They cite social media posts but no formal statements.

Our Take:
This claim, while tied to fringe discourse online, is not verifiable through independent news or government sources. There is no evidence Trump personally endorsed the theory in a formal speech, filing, or official post. The statement relies on inference and cannot be confirmed.

Sources:
https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump-reposts-conspiracy-theory-claiming-biden-is-dead-and-has-been-replaced/
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-biden-dead-truth-social-post-b2532305.html

Claim 2: Trump took out Russia’s and China’s economies during his presidency

Timestamp: 05:52
Speaker: Ben Meiselas

Context:
The hosts claim that Trump “destroyed” the Russian and Chinese economies while in office, referring to his trade wars, tariffs, and sanctions as decisive economic attacks.

Our Take:
While Trump did initiate aggressive trade policies, the impact on either economy is disputed. China’s GDP continued to grow throughout Trump’s term. Russia was under sanctions but experienced only moderate GDP contraction. Economic impact attribution is complex and disputed by economists.

Sources:
https://www.piie.com/blogs/trade-and-investment-policy-watch/us-china-trade-war-has-cost-us-jobs-and-growth
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-china-trade-war-hurt-both-economies-new-research-shows-11576119600

Claim 3: The Ukrainian airstrike destroyed “half of Russia’s strategic air force”

Timestamp: 06:18
Speaker: Brett Meiselas

Context:
Discussing Ukraine’s long-range strikes on a Russian air base, the hosts claim it wiped out “half of Russia’s strategic air fleet.” No source or military estimate is cited during the segment.

Our Take:
There is no confirmed, independent verification that half of Russia’s strategic bombers were destroyed in the attack. Open-source analysts and intelligence reports suggest damage but do not support that scale. The claim cannot be verified and may reflect exaggeration or incomplete data.

Sources:
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-says-it-struck-russian-air-base-2024-05-28/
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2024/05/ukraine-drone-strikes-russian-long-range-aircraft/396099/

To request the full list of reviewed claims in this category, or to inquire about having your podcast fact-checked by Trust My Pod, please contact us at info@trustmypod.org.

Conclusion

This episode of the MeidasTouch Podcast blends verified critiques with partisan framing and unverified exaggeration. The show emphasizes moral urgency and democratic accountability, but many of its claims—especially regarding Trump’s impact or global incidents—lack verifiable sourcing or are framed to imply more certainty than the evidence supports. That said, the show avoids provable falsehoods and does attempt to cite public sources, though often selectively.

Frequent references to MAGA conspiracies and catastrophic outcomes are presented as fact but rest on inference, partial sourcing, or lack proper attribution. The team provides a consistent ideological lens, which may color claim accuracy. Claims about war outcomes, global strategy, and immigration enforcement lean heavily on interpretation rather than confirmation. Still, the podcast appears focused on drawing attention to policy implications rather than deliberately spreading misinformation.

Episodes like this highlight the blurred line between hyperbole and evidence in political commentary. While the podcast offers accountability rhetoric and cites public reporting, listeners should remain cautious of unverifiable assertions framed as certainty.

CREDIBILITY SCORE: 1/10 TRUSTWORTHY