MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas speaks with Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock following Trump’s disastrous press conference with the President of South Africa and Senator Warnock does not hold back. Visit https://meidasplus.com for more! Remember to subscribe to ALL the MeidasTouch Network Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/meidastouch-podcast Legal AF: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/legal-af MissTrial: https://meidasnews.com/tag/miss-trial The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-politicsgirl-podcast The Influence Continuum: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-influence-continuum-with-dr-steven-hassan Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/mea-culpa-with-michael-cohen The Weekend Show: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/the-weekend-show Burn the Boats: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/burn-the-boats Majority 54: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/majority-54 Political Beatdown: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/political-beatdown On Democracy with FP Wellman: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/on-democracy-with-fpwellman Uncovered: https://www.meidastouch.com/tag/maga-uncovered Coalition of the Sane: https://meidasnews.com/tag/coalition-of-the-sane Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What is the humanity behind Trump's policies?
I'm joined by Senator Raphael Warnock. Senator Warnock, let's just talk about the humanity of it all. Set aside the politics for a second, because all of these actions by the Trump administration at a very basic level just seem to be cruel and inhumane, targeting the most vulnerable. I think too much we talk about the politics and not just the human aspect.
I like that you talk to the human aspect of it all. So what do you make of it all?
Well, look, the first objective of government is to ensure that the people are protected and that they can make the best out of their lives. Washington Republicans led by Donald Trump are focused on billionaires. They are not focused on the most vulnerable. They're focused on those who are most well-connected.
Chapter 2: How do Trump's policies impact vulnerable populations?
And there's no explanation otherwise for this type of policy that would literally take health care from children in order to give billionaires a tax cut. That's what they're up to. They'll name it and try to frame it in various ways.
But at the end of the day, this is about giving billionaires a tax cut on the backs of the poorest, the most vulnerable, and those who can't afford high-priced lobbyists here in Washington, DC.
How do you think we connect that, though, to the people, to let people get it? Because what these MAGA Republicans are good at, what Trump's good at, they'll give it a marketing slogan, big, beautiful bill. They'll do the whole culture war things. The media regurgitates that. So how do you break through in a state like Georgia?
How do you speak to the people and say, you realize they're literally just stealing from you and then giving it to rich people?
Well, I'm glad you asked that question, because I released a report just last week, and that's what this is about. One of the things that they're trying to do is make this about work requirements, as they call it. The issue is that they're looking for $800 billion. And there's not that much waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid, not $800 billion. We're not even close. And so they use tricks.
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Chapter 3: What strategies are used to mislead the public?
They use schemes. They use scams, like so-called work requirements. It's really work reporting requirements because the data shows, my report shows, that if you really want more people to work, if you want to strengthen the workforce, the way to do that is to make the workforce healthier, to give people a basic safety net of health care.
And when you burden people who are already working, sometimes two jobs and trying to make it through school with having to literally account for themselves month after month, what you're really doing is increasing the likelihood
Chapter 4: How does Trump respond to natural disasters?
uh that they will not be able to get the health care that they will not access it i'm not telling you my opinion i'm telling you that this is what the cbo the congressional budget office nonpartisan entity said that the result of this is that we're going to see about 7 million people kicked off of the Medicaid rolls. And apparently that is the point.
That is what they want to do in order to justify an unnecessary tax cut for billionaires like Elon Musk.
One of the things I'm very focused on here, and I think it's often the things that deserve the most attention, get the least attention, is Donald Trump denied FEMA aid to Georgia. Republican Governor Brian Kemp requested supplemental aid from Hurricane Helene. Trump rejected that initially.
We're heading into hurricane season on June 1st, and we're seeing how slow, if at all, FEMA's reacting to the deaths of You know, 28 people have died based on these horrible tornadoes in Missouri and Kentucky and Indiana. Donald Trump doesn't even talk, doesn't even mention that this took place, which to me is an unfathomable thing for the president of the United States not to acknowledge.
We just had a mass casualty event caused by horrible storms and the president doesn't even mention it. And then I'm looking at the future of what's going to happen as we've destroyed these agencies with storms like that. And that's that frightens me and it also frightens me senator that is not getting enough attention i think he's a little busy uh working on his meme coin
and trying to upgrade his new Qatari jet. Meanwhile, ordinary folks in Georgia are trying their best to make their lives work. I've been on the front lines when these storms have hit our state. I know what it has done to rural communities in particular, to farming, to farmers, to the agricultural sector of our state.
And it's the reason why I've always been willing to work with other leaders, Democrat and Republican. I've worked with the Republican governor of Georgia when we've had to respond to that state with hurricanes, with tornadoes, with making sure that people in the middle of our state get the care that they need. And yes, we're seeing these agencies being stripped
bear in search of waste, fraud and abuse. Well, I think a Qatari jet that you want to somehow turn into into Air Force One. I think of that old television program, Pimp My Ride. I think that's what waste, fraud and abuse looks like.
Meanwhile, ordinary people are just trying to make their lives work as the same Republican Congress wants to cut $800 billion out of Medicaid, $300 billion out of SNAP, literally taking healthcare and food out of the mouths of hungry children in order to take care of his billionaire friends. That's the agenda.
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Chapter 5: What are the implications of cuts to Medicaid and SNAP?
You see any reason for hope, though, Senator? It is a dark and dismal moment. And every day Americans feel like they're getting gut punched. Wake up. We read some horrible story of Trump doing this or Trump doing that or even just his behavior. I mean, while all the suffering is going on, he's posting, you know, AI videos of himself hitting golf balls into Bruce Springsteen.
And it's just like like for me, I watch it. And I really don't give a crap if he's posting things like that, but it's in the context of all the other bad stuff that he's doing. And it just makes me, it makes me want to puke. It's a physical feeling. And I know a lot of Americans, you know, are actually now feeling physical pain by what he's inflicting far worse than what I've just described.
Chapter 6: How do ordinary people struggle under current policies?
So I'll be clear about that. So what's your message finally, before we wrap up to the American people right now?
Well, here's the thing. In addition to the horrible policy, in addition to the cuts of Medicaid, the cuts of SNAP, in addition to the attacks on farmers and on our economy with these tariffs that are really are a tax on everything for ordinary people. Here's the other work that they're doing in addition to enriching themselves. and enriching his friends. This is the work they're focused on.
They are trying to weaponize despair. They're trying to convince us that in this flooding of the zone, they've already won the fight. And I can tell you that as an heir to the civil rights movement, as pastor of the very church where Martin Luther King Jr.
served, as someone who had the humble privileges serving as John Lewis's pastor, I'm not about to buy that lie any more than I buy any of the other lies that they sell. We are not without hope. And my party may be out of power, but we are not without power. And every single day I intend to use my power, use my voice to raise these issues.
And I want to encourage every one of your viewers to do the same. Don't give in to those who are trying to weaponize despair. Don't give in to those who are trying to rob you of hope and thus the willingness to stand up and fight. I was John Lewis's pastor.
He had no reason to believe that when he was crossing that bridge, that he was going to be brute force right on the other side of the bridge with the force of law. And yet history has proven that they were weak and he was strong. The people, it's about the people. It's not about the people in power. It's about the power in the people. We are strong and it's our moment to stand up.
Senator Raphael Warnock, thanks for joining us. We hope you come back. Thank you. Everybody hit subscribe. Let's get to 5 million subscribers this month.
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