By Ben Meiselas
Hi everyone! I hope you are enjoying a relaxing Sunday. Thank you again for subscribing to this Substack. We could not do this without you.
Donald Trump spent his Sunday at Mar-a-Lago in a frenzy, posting, ranting, and partying while Americans across the country faced the economic fallout of his government shutdown. From where I sit, what’s happening is not simply tone-deafness. It’s a disturbing display of cruelty and decay within a regime that thrives on distraction and self-indulgence as working families struggle to afford groceries, rent, and health care.
On social media, Trump declared that “people against tariffs are fools” and that America under his rule is “the richest, most respected country in the world.” It’s a lie so brazen it borders on parody. The reality is that his economic policies have pushed the country into a recession across key sectors. Manufacturing, construction, and housing are all down. Deficits are up, prices are high, and Trump’s promises of “tariff dividend checks” remain as fictional as his claims of a booming economy. Let me put it this way: you’ll get your “tariff dividend checks” the same day you get your “DOGE dividend checks,” or your portion of the gold Trump “found” at Fort Knox, or your piece of the $22 trillion Trump received from other countries. It’s just a con man doing more con man things.
Because that’s all Trump is: a two-bit con man. He’s always promising the American people that riches are right around the corner. And as he strings along the American people, he and his billionaire buddies are laughing their way to the bank and they push the United States into a death spiral.
Exhibit A: Mar-a-Lago, where the opulence is grotesque. Videos and images discovered by our researchers show synchronized swimmers, lavish crab spreads, and half-naked entertainers performing for a crowd of billionaires and political hangers-on. Auction items included an eight-day Thailand vacation for $64,000, enough to feed hundreds of families who’ve been cut off from SNAP benefits during this Trump-created shutdown.
As Trump partied, Democrats offered a practical compromise: extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for one year to prevent millions from losing health coverage while Congress works toward a long-term solution. Trump and his allies like Lindsey Graham rejected it outright. Their justification? They said it would “bail out insurance companies.” The hypocrisy is staggering. These same Republicans have spent years protecting private insurers and handing billionaires massive tax cuts, yet now feign concern for taxpayers when working Americans’ lives are at stake.
Trump’s alternative “plan” is a con. He’s promised $2,000 “dividend” checks to Americans in place of health coverage, an absurd gimmick that would leave anyone facing a medical emergency bankrupt. A cancer diagnosis doesn’t disappear with a one-time check. It bankrupts families, destroys savings, and leaves people dying without care. This is cruelty dressed up as populism.
To make matters worse, Trump’s so-called “Defense Secretary,” Fox News personality Pete Hegseth, gave a speech at Mar-a-Lago calling this “America’s 1939 moment”—apparently unaware that 1939 marked Hitler’s invasion of Poland. The rhetoric coming out of Trump’s circle grows darker by the day, fueled by a fantasy of militarization and grievance rather than governance.
While you’re here, I want to thank one of our incredible sponsors for making this video report ad-free. Wild Alaskan Company is the best way to get wild-caught, perfectly portioned nutrient-dense seafood delivered directly to your door. Trust me, you haven’t tasted fish this good. I was SO excited the first time I received my shipment from the Wild Alaskan Company. I received my Pacific Halibut and pan seared it that evening, it was delicious! The Wild Alaskan Company is 100% wild-caught, never farmed. This means there are no antibiotics, GMOs, or additives. Just clean, real fish that support healthy oceans and fishing communities. Go to http://wildalaskan.com/MEIDASTOUCH for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood.
Ok, back to my report.
Contrast the above with Democratic leaders who are fighting to lower costs and protect access to health care. Senator Chris Coons and Senator Jeff Merkley have made clear that Democrats are willing to extend ACA subsidies now while debating reforms in public. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro went further, reminding the country that J.D. Vance—the same man who grew up on food assistance and made millions writing about Appalachia—is now in court arguing to block food aid for families like the ones he claimed to represent.
And let’s talk about SNAP for a moment. Trump this morning had the USDA send notices to states demanding they claw back any SNAP funds provided to starving Americans in November or face consequences. What kind of sick person tries to steal money provided to hungry Americans? Trump. That’s who.
This is the America Trump has built: cruelty at the top, hunger at the bottom, and a government held hostage by grifters. When I see him surrounded by wealth and luxury at Mar-a-Lago, posting incoherent lies while the courts order his administration to feed the hungry, I see a regime that has completely lost its moral compass.
America deserves better than this chaos. We deserve a government that feeds the hungry, heals the sick, and values truth over spectacle. Trump can keep his stone crab claws and synchronized swimmers. The rest of us will keep fighting for the people he’s left behind.
Subscribe to and share this Substack. Consider becoming a paid subscriber if you can. Listen to and share the MeidasTouch Podcast on platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify—and leave a 5-star review. If MAGA thinks we’re slowing down anytime soon, they don’t know who they’re dealing with.
