By Ben Meiselas
Hi all, hope you had a chance to enjoy a long weekend.
I wanted to make sure you saw what unfolded this Sunday, because it captures the precise moment we are living through: a presidency unraveling in real time, a leader spiraling publicly as the truth corners him, and a regime that has run out of excuses, competence, and credibility.
Donald Trump began his Sunday the same way he ends most nights, rage-posting on social media, lashing out at anyone who he believes threatens him. He claimed that “crooked Joe Biden,” Alejandro Mayorkas, and “so-called borders czar” Kamala Harris had “screwed our country,” blaming them for an alleged lack of vetting at the border. But the facts, now unavoidable, show that Trump himself granted asylum to the D.C. shooter. His administration approved it. His name is on the paperwork. And no amount of projection will change that.
The public meltdown continued at Mar-a-Lago, where Trump is once again vacationing at taxpayer expense. Photos from this weekend, which I showed on today’s program, tell a story his campaign can’t spin: while MAGA tries to attack the health of former President Joe Biden, it is Trump, the man currently in the Oval Office, who appears visibly diminished. The contrast is stark. And it is one reason people across the political spectrum are asking questions about the president’s physical and cognitive condition.
Trump’s coping mechanism is as predictable as it is dangerous. He turns on Fox “News” for comfort, searching for affirmation. This morning he praised a commentator for remarks that weren’t even complimentary to him. She urged him to set aside grudges so he doesn’t lose the midterms. But that didn’t matter. What mattered to Trump was the tone, and the fact that she posted a flirty Instagram photo. That, apparently, is the qualification standard for serving in his orbit.
Meanwhile, in Washington, an extraordinary and troubling scene unfolded. As Ukrainian officials held a critical meeting with U.S. representatives, Jared Kushner (a private citizen with massive foreign financial entanglements) sat in the room. His presence is as inappropriate as it is alarming. The Ukrainians’ expressions said it all: they were staring across the table at individuals pushing a Russian surrender plan, with Kushner sitting beside them as if he were still a government official. Why is he there? What business does he have influencing international negotiations? No answers. No transparency. Just more grift.
And as always, when Trump feels cornered, he grifts harder. Today he blasted out a fundraising email featuring himself holding $100 bills, promising supporters a so-called “tariff rebate.” When people clicked “$2,000 rebate,” they were taken to a donation page where they paid him $2,000. This is the president of the United States openly running a bait-and-switch scam against his own supporters. He sent another email: “Will you make a personal sacrifice for me?” At a moment when Americans are struggling with rising prices, foreclosures, and basic expenses, Trump, who has made billions off the presidency, is asking people to make sacrifices for him.
His allies then fanned out on TV to clean up the mess, and failed spectacularly. Kristi Noem tried blaming Biden for the vetting that happened while Trump was in office. As reporters reminded her, the asylum process began under Biden in 2021, but the asylum was granted by Trump in April 2025, months after he took power.
Then came a question for Senator Markwayne Mullin, who was asked how Trump could justify pardoning Juan Orlando Hernández, the former Honduran president and one of the world’s most notorious narco-traffickers. This is a man who trafficked hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States, worked with El Chapo, and openly vowed to “shove cocaine up the noses of gringos until they die.” Trump is pardoning him anyway. Mullin couldn’t explain it. So he fell back on blind loyalty: world leaders “respect” Trump, he claimed, and “everything the president does is calculated.” It was embarrassing.
And on Fox, Trump lawyer Alina Habba was busy spinning conspiracy theories about the auto-pen while Americans struggle to afford groceries, housing, and heat. That’s what the regime is prioritizing: imaginary scandals, personal grievances, and performative outrage. Anything but governing.
Perhaps the most telling moment came from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, whom Trump viciously attacked with a slur on Thanksgiving night. Walz responded with composure, pointing out that presidents traditionally release their medical records and tax returns, except Trump. He highlighted Trump’s erratic behavior, including his midnight rants, his fixation on nuclear war scenarios, and his bizarre claim that he received an MRI without knowing what part of his body was scanned.
Walz’s message was simple: “This is not normal behavior. It is not healthy.” And he’s right. Trump’s words and actions aren’t just unbecoming of the presidency; they raise urgent questions about his ability to perform the job.
The cruelty, the distractions, the slurs, the lies, they’re all symptoms of a presidency at its breaking point. And the American people see it. They feel it. They’re tired of the chaos, the incompetence, and the endless grift.
This Sunday wasn’t an outlier. It was the new normal in Trump’s America.
I’ll keep you posted every step of the way.
A few other things I want to flag:
The Meidas Canada YouTube channel is now at 199K subscribers! Make sure you’re subscribed today (it’s free) and let’s get to 200K!
Katie Phang’s YouTube channel is racing to 500K subscribers. Can we get her there by the end of the year? Subscribe here.
Legal AF on YouTube is so close to 1 million subscribers! Make sure you are following the channel here.
The Meidas+ Substack is currently the top rising Substack in the world — and the #4 Substack overall. Thank you!
Ron Filipkowski’s weekend bulletin with all the weekend updates releases tonight. Stay tuned!
This is all a testament to your dedication and energy. You are transforming media as we know it and are helping build the largest pro-democracy network in the world. Thank you! Let’s keep going.
