Fed Up Vet DELIVERS BLOW to Trump WAR PLAN

What this episode is about

The discussion critiques the Trump administration's aggressive foreign policy tactics, particularly regarding Venezuela and potential military intervention in Mexico. It highlights the implications of U.S. troops operating abroad, emphasizing that successful efforts against drug cartels have historically involved support rather than direct military action, warning against the dangers of re-escalating American interventionism.

Key takeaways

• Trump's Colombia pivot highlights the bizarre charm of gangster diplomacy—smiles can be bought, but not respect.
• Maduro's ousting didn't end Venezuela's suffering; it merely shifted the puppeteer behind the curtain—welcome to modern geopolitics!
• Sending troops to Mexico? A surefire way to turn 'fighting cartels' into another American disaster, not an effective solution.
• US interventions in Latin America often dissolve into chaos; Trump seems blissfully unaware of history's warning signs.
• Ignoring lessons from the past while meddling abroad may be Trump's favorite pastime—history won't be kind to this one.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Ken Harbaugh (Host) · 7 min speaking
• Chris Goldsmith (Guest) · 5 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Mexico, Venezuela, Chris Goldsmith, Jim Harbaugh
2. 3:00 – 6:00: Chris Goldsmith, Donald Trump, Mexico, Iraq
3. 6:00 – 9:00: Russia, Battle Buddies, Isis, Jim Harbaugh
4. 9:00 – 11:37: Russia, Sebastian Junger

Notable quotes from "Fed Up Vet DELIVERS BLOW to Trump WAR PLAN"

• It's Ken Harbaugh with the Midas Touch Network. That was Donald Trump commenting on the attitude of President Pro of Colombia. This is gangsterism from the White House. The Trump regime grabbed Maduro in Venezuela, spirited.

  about Donald Trump · at 0:08

• Part of the world with a long memory of American interventionism, is not something anyone should wish for. Here's part two of my conversation with Chris Goldmith.

  about Chris Goldsmith · at 1:44

• Operations. What Trump and Hegsth want to do is turn this into an active military operation in the style that we did for nearly two decades in both Iraq and Afghanistan where…

  about Iraq · at 3:11

• The FBI investigated it. And the part of the story that most people didn't hear was that it was later revealed that it wasn't ISIS who was threatening those families. It was Russia.

  about Russia · at 6:22

• It's Ken Harbaugh with a quick break to tell you about something new. Battle Buddies is my latest weekly show where I try to find common ground with a conservative who I consider a true.

  about Jim Harbaugh · at 7:43

• They're they're coming fast. So, I want to encourage people to go check out Sebastian Younger's Substack. That is an article that is critical for everyone's understanding of what the future of conflict is and how even if we.

  about Sebastian Junger · at 10:38

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Jim Harbaugh — Person · Host / narrator (interviewer) · 2 mentions · first at 0:08
  Introduces the segment, frames criticism of Trump-era foreign policy, and interviews Chris Goldsmith; also promotes his own show during a mid-episode break.
• Chris Goldsmith — Person · Main guest (interviewee) · 2 mentions · first at 1:11
  Provides operational and historical arguments against deploying U.S. troops in Mexico, discusses threats to military families, and references emerging tech risks (AI, drones).
• Donald Trump — Person · Referenced political figure (subject of critique) · 2 mentions · first at 0:09
  Central political actor being criticized for alleged coercive foreign-policy behavior and for pushing escalation (e.g., potential U.S. military action in Mexico).
• Sebastian Junger — Person · Referenced expert / writer · 1 mention · first at 10:40
  Cited as having published a Substack post about the future of warfare (AI, drones, lessons from Ukraine), which the guest urges listeners to read.

Companies & orgs

• Vets Fighting Fascism — Company · Business focus · 1 mention · first at 1:13
  Mentioned as the organization founded by Chris Goldsmith, discussing geopolitical strategies and military interventions.
  Been pressuring the Mexican government to allow US troops to basically wage war inside Mexico against cartels. In part one of my conversation with Chris Goldsmith, Army veteran…

Products & tech

• Battle Buddies — Product · Primary owned · 2 mentions · first at 7:45
  Promoted as a new weekly show by Ken Harbaugh, focusing on civil conversations between politically opposite veterans.
  It's Ken Harbaugh with a quick break to tell you about something new. Battle Buddies is my latest weekly show where I try to find common ground with a conservative who I consider a true friend. David Bellavia, the only.

Concepts & topics

• Russia — Concept · Key argument · 3 mentions · first at 6:34
  Mentioned as a sophisticated actor in cyber threats against military families, drawing parallels to potential cartel actions.
• Isis — Concept · Key argument · 2 mentions · first at 6:06
  Mentioned as a false flag in cyber threats against military families, illustrating sophisticated geopolitical manipulation.
  The FBI investigated it. And the part of the story that most people didn't hear was that it was later revealed that it wasn't ISIS who was threatening those families. It was Russia.

Places & events

• Mexico — Place · Setting · 4 mentions · first at 0:57
  Discussed as a potential location for US military intervention against cartels, highlighting geopolitical tensions.
  Story that the Trump administration has been pressuring the Mexican government to allow US troops to basically wage war inside Mexico against cartels. In part one of my…
• Venezuela — Place · Setting · 3 mentions · first at 0:00
  Discussed in the context of US intervention and regime change, highlighting geopolitical strategies and consequences.
  Pro of Colombia. This is gangsterism from the White House. The Trump regime grabbed Maduro in Venezuela, spirited him out of the country in the dark of night, and they're now…
• Iraq — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at 3:19
  Referenced as a past location of US military intervention, drawing parallels to potential actions in Mexico.

Sponsors

• Valor Media Network — Company · Sponsor · 1 mention · first at 8:27
  Mentioned as the network hosting the Battle Buddies show, indicating a media partnership.
  More of. Respectful dialogue between people who disagree, but who have figured out how to stay friends. Check out Battle Buddies today. Two vets, two views, One Nation. Find us on the Valor Media Network. links below. Thanks.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 Uh somehow after the Venezuelan raid uh he became very nice. He changed his attitude very much.

0:08 It's Ken Harbaugh with the Midas Touch Network. That was Donald Trump commenting on the attitude of President Pro of Colombia. This is gangsterism from the White House. The Trump regime grabbed Maduro in Venezuela, spirited him out of the country in the dark of night, and they're now telegraphing to other world leaders, some of them democratically elected, that they could be next. It's how the mob operates, and it's our government. I'm not defending Maduro. I am actually glad he's gone. But his regime in Venezuela is still intact. Americans are less safe there now than they were before, per US State Department warnings. And the people of Venezuela are still being violently repressed, albeit by a government that is now friendlier to Trump. That's not the win we were sold. And now we're talking about boots on the ground in Mexico. The New York Times broke the story that the Trump administration has

1:03 been pressuring the Mexican government to allow US troops to basically wage war inside Mexico against cartels. In part one of my conversation with Chris Goldsmith, Army veteran and founder of Vets Fighting Fascism, we talked about what a terrible idea this would be for most US administrations and what an absolute disaster it'll be if this administration tries it. In part two, we get into some of the historical context. The most successful examples of taking down cartels, and Colombia is a good case study, have been when the US has supported local forces with intel and advisers and financial support. But US boots on the ground, especially in this part of the world with a long memory of American interventionism, is not something anyone should wish for. Here's part two of my conversation with Chris Goldmith.

1:55 are better partners in these parts of the world have actually made great strides. There are there are certainly some slippage. There's backsliding in certain countries. But the most successful examples of bringing the cartels to heal have come from our enabling uh with with intel and resourcing, not with boots on the ground. Their enforcement actions. When you look at the takedowns of the most notorious cartels in history, it hasn't come because we've put troops in those countries, it's it's come because we've helped them take care of their own.

2:30 Yeah. And it we all know that Mexico is struggling to handle this problem and and that there are issues of of corruption, you know, throughout the Mexican government that no one is absolved from from guilt from these things. But what the difference between the status quo now, which is not perfect, is we are providing intelligence to Mexican military and law enforcement in in a in an observer role, right? We we have better assets, better resources than Mexico does. We are helping with command and control. It is it is these are active law enforcement operations. What Trump and Hegsth want to do is turn this into an active military operation in the style that we we did for nearly two decades in both Iraq and Afghanistan where you have troops on the ground while raids are going on. There is no reason that that is necessary. If we have intelligence about the location of a drug factory or a distribution hub, there's no reason

3:38 that Americans should be on the ground. If we know that it is there, we can provide the the Mexican military or law enforcement all of the equipment, all of the intelligence, all of the guidance, all of the training that they that is necessary. The only thing that putting Americans on the ground in these operations or or using CIA or DoD drones to fire hellfire missiles is we ratchet up the heat and we make it so that the United States troops uh and assets and military families suddenly become targets that are acceptable for the in the minds of the cartels to engage.

4:20 Well, there's also the historical myopia here, especially relevant to this part of the world, where America has never had a great track record of uh sending troops in and having them be be welcomed uh or without, you know, leaving a trail of destruction and disaster. It seems like the Trump regime is almost proud of ignoring the lessons of history, thinking it can reinvent them, thinking that he's a a panhistorical figure that will defy all of the lessons of history, whether it comes to expanding the size of the United States by acquiring Greenland or remaking Gaza into a gilded strip mall or going back into Latin America and doing regime change there without us falling into the the same pits that we've always fallen into in that part of the world.

5:23 Yeah. And I I can't I can't emphasize this enough how personal this will be for American military families. Uh I the closest example I have is a discovery that I made back between 2016 and 2019 when I was when I was studying foreign hostile actors online targeting troops veterans and our families when I worked for Vietnam veterans in America. In 2019, I published a report and one of the chapters was about how uh military families um spouses were receiving death threats from ISIS, personal death threats to their emails, explicit, you know, the the reason was because of of their husband. It was gendered, right?

6:11 Because their husband was overseas in Iraq or Afghanistan. And the the media was aware of this. There were several military families that came out and and talked about these threats. The FBI investigated it. And the part of the story that most people didn't hear was that it was later revealed that it wasn't ISIS who was threatening those families. It was Russia. And and a piece of context that that the the media didn't get because they're not like in the veteran advocacy community and they don't understand the context was it wasn't just random military families that were chosen. It was military families with a platform. It was military families where where wives back when milling was a thing where wives were were published authors where they had a a social media platform. So they weren't just targeting any old military family. This the attacks, the threats coming from Russia made to appear as if it was ISIS were

7:15 surgical. They were going after very specific military families. And if if anyone thinks for a moment that the cartels in Mexico are not as sophisticated as the Russians were back in 2016, you're wrong because they are. And and the the language barrier, the alphabet, like they have many advantages that the Russians did not have.

7:43 It's Ken Harbaugh with a quick break to tell you about something new. Battle Buddies is my latest weekly show where I try to find common ground with a conservative who I consider a true friend. David Bellavia, the only surviving Medal of Honor recipient from the war in Iraq. A Navy vet, an Army vet from opposite ends of the political spectrum, engaging in a civil conversation like we used to have. From the ICE immigration crackdowns to Trump's takeover of Venezuela, David and I take on the toughest issues of the day with genuine respect for each other in spite of our very different perspectives. They're not always easy conversations, but they're always important. And that's something we need more of. Respectful dialogue between people who disagree, but who have figured out how to stay friends. Check out Battle Buddies today. Two vets, two views, One Nation. Find us on the Valor Media Network. links below. Thanks.

8:45 Last question. Can you also bring us and unfair to ask you to do this in 30 seconds, but give us a bit of a primer on the new technologies that enable this. The facial recognition, the AI image generation that can be used to terrorize people. I mean it is it's almost democratized now the ability to identify those who want to keep their identity secret to create blackmail images those kinds of things it's a whole new world

9:19 Sebastian Younger uh who I know you know well uh he just published something on Substack about how he had a discussion with with a military contractor about the future of warfare what we've learned from Ukraine And that is that between AI and drones uh 40 dah toys that can be used to assassinate people. The age of of warfare that we are entering now is is in many ways similar to the Cold War where we do not have a stomach for the potential violence that could be unleashed with with a new hot war except we don't need a peer nation to to oppose us to to have this kind of relative mutually assured destruction. Meaning our society would would be destroyed from the the sense of instability from targeted assassinations against military families. Not just politicians, not just people in the military, not just police, but regular people getting gas, having a $40 drone coming up to them with a small

10:26 explosive and just light up an entire gas station. That is the reality that we're entering right now. And if we want to kick the hornets's nest right at our border, the hornets are are here. They're they're coming fast. So, I want to encourage people to go check out Sebastian Younger's Substack. That is that is an article that is critical for for everyone's understanding of what the future of conflict is and how even if we are the world's only global superpower, Russia's been devastated by their war in Ukraine, it doesn't matter because an insurgency here in the United States could do unfathomable damage to us. And that is what the Trump administration and Pete Hegth are trying to provoke.

11:11 We'll put the link in the show notes. Thanks, Chris, as always. Talk to you soon.

11:15 Thanks, brother. Love this video? Support independent media and unlock exclusive content. Add free videos and custom emojis by becoming a paid member of our YouTube channel today. You can also gift memberships to others. Let's keep growing together.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Fed Up Vet DELIVERS BLOW to Trump WAR PLAN"?

Ken Harbaugh (Host), Chris Goldsmith (Guest).

What is "Fed Up Vet DELIVERS BLOW to Trump WAR PLAN" about?

The discussion critiques the Trump administration's aggressive foreign policy tactics, particularly regarding Venezuela and potential military intervention in Mexico. It highlights the implications of U.S. troops operating abroad, emphasizing that successful efforts against drug cartels have historically involved support rather than direct military action, warning against the dangers of…

What is mentioned in this MeidasTouch episode?

12 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Jim Harbaugh, Chris Goldsmith, Mexico, Donald Trump, Venezuela, Russia. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Fed Up Vet DELIVERS BLOW to Trump WAR PLAN"?

The episode runs 12 min; the transcript is about 1,730 words in 16 timestamped sections.

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