By Ben Meiselas
Donald Trump woke up to a nightmare on Wednesday, and I don’t mean one of his usual rant-filled 3 a.m. bathroom tweet storms. I mean real-world consequences. The economy is cracking, the Epstein scandal is blowing wide open, and even Trump’s most loyal lackeys are stumbling all over themselves trying to cover for him.
Let me walk you through it.
Let’s start with the Epstein files. Congress just fled town for recess—because apparently doing your job is optional when it might expose the guy you worship. And who’s Trump sending to handle damage control? Pam Bondi and Todd Blanche—his attorney general and deputy AG, aka his former criminal defense attorney. They’re meeting directly with Ghislaine Maxwell. That’s right, the convicted sex trafficker is now somehow central to Trump’s cover-up strategy.
And Ghislaine? Through a statement by her brother, she says she fears for her life. Meanwhile, Epstein’s old lawyer Alan Dershowitz is out here begging for a full pardon for her. The not-so-subtle message from Trump’s regime: cooperate, and you might walk. Don’t—and, well, you’ve seen what happens to people who cross Trump.
As all this unfolds, Trump is flooding inboxes with unhinged emails. I subscribe to them so you don’t have to—and let me tell you, these things read like a stalker with a marketing budget. “Missed call from President Trump,” one says. “Ben, I just tried to call you.” Click the link? Surprise—it’s a donation page. Another one says, “Ben, did I do something wrong?” Like, is this a campaign or an emotionally unstable ex?
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Back to our report.
Now let’s talk about the economic collapse Trump’s trying to gaslight us about. Homebuilders are slashing prices. Recruiting firms are going bankrupt. Subprime auto loan delinquencies are at a 15-year high. Nearly 60% of college grads this year still can’t find jobs. The cost of cocoa, and therefore chocolate, is exploding. Inflation is hitting everyday items like ground beef and coffee. And tariffs? They’re just taxes we pay at the checkout counter, no matter how much Trump wants to pretend otherwise.
And what’s Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent doing? Lying on national television, pretending companies are “eating” the tariffs instead of passing them to consumers. This is economic denialism mixed with straight-up fraud.
Even MAGA Republicans are caught in the chaos. James Comer gave a trainwreck of an interview about the Epstein cover-up and then claimed Trump isn’t even distancing himself from Epstein. That’s... supposed to be a defense? Josh Hawley is out here warning about exploding health insurance costs—after he voted to make it happen. And Randy Fine? He went on Fox News to proudly call for the mass deportation of immigrants—criminals or not.
This is the real face of Trumpism: cruelty, corruption, and economic collapse wrapped in gaslighting emails and banana republic tactics. But here’s the good news: the truth is getting harder and harder for them to bury, no matter how many recesses they run off to or how many sociopathic fundraising emails they send.
We’re going to keep exposing it all. Keep spreading the word, stay loud, and stay in the fight.
