On Wednesday night’s episode of MSNBC’s The 11th Hour, Stephanie Ruhle interviewed the brothers Ben, Brett, and Jordy Meiselas, hosts of the MeidasTouch podcast. Ruhle took pains to present MeidasTouch as a non-partisan podcast put together by three ordinary brothers, but neglected to mention that the organization was actually a massive, left-wing super PAC, with a long history of virulent anti-Trump and anti-Republican reporting, including known fraudulent claims, and also shady fundraising tactics.
After she led in with the words, “You described the podcast as pro-democracy rather than one party or the other,” Ruhle warmly asked the brothers to “Tell us about your mission.”
Ben Meiselas responded:
Our mission is to just speak the truth each and every day… This is a time for fearless coverage, fearless reporting. And… there's so much to report about every single day- what's going on in the White House every single day… Really pushing back on that each and every day and- saying it in a way that doesn't mince words. And I think that's what's connecting with our audience.
Ruhle turned to Brett Meiselas, and asked him, “Why did you guys start MeidasTouch in the first place?” adding “You do not have news or politics background [sic.].”
Brett responded that the three of them simply began using their social media presence to air their views in the early days of COVID, as they were “scared” by the first Trump administration’s actions. Adding: “[W]e figured, well, we have social media, so at least we could speak… And if anybody cares, great. If nobody cares, at least we're getting our thoughts out there. And it turned out people cared and it grew very quickly.”
In response to Ruhle’s question about how they handled a “right-wing media universe,” he responded:
[P]eople want fighters. You know, the messaging on the right has worked so effectively, because the Republican politicians are meeting this generation of voters where they exist, in the digital ecosystems. Now…they’re lying right to their faces. But when lower-information voters hear a MAGA politician on XYZ comedian’s podcast say, ‘Hey, you know, I'm going to do this no-tax-on-tips thing. And for you younger millennials, I want to make housing more affordable,’ that sounds great. Sign me up. But what happens when these MAGA politicians get into office? Well, they align themselves with the billionaire and oligarch class, conveniently forget about those policies made on those podcasts.
When Ruhle asked if they considered themselves left-wing, Jordy Meiselas replied that “Well, I'll say this. We're unapologetically pro-democracy, right? I think we cast a big umbrella here at the MeidasTouch network,” but added briefly that “[T]here’s nothing wrong with being a touchy-feely progressive.”
He went on to assure the audience, “If you're pro-the Constitution, pro-upholding norms, pro-democracy, there's a spot for you on our roster,” and that “[I]f you're focused on the main issues of our time, which is [sic] saving our democracy and protecting the United States of America as we all knew it, as our grandparents all knew it, then I think you have a place here.”
That sounded nice. The problem was, it demonstrably wasn’t accurate. Far from an organic, non-partisan, freedom-loving amateur podcast that had just happened to strike a chord with a lot of ordinary people, MeidasTouch was in fact a massive left-wing super PAC, known for being virulently anti-conservative, anti-Republican, and anti-Trump, and with a history of making demonstrably false statements.
The organization had, for example, made false accusations against then-Senator Marco Rubio following the 2020 election by taking out of context comments he had made months earlier. So untruthful were their accusations that even CNN felt compelled to fact-check them.
Their fundraising tactics even drew criticism from Rolling Stone Magazine, for which the brothers threatened to sue them.
It was, in fact, this shady and unsavory political and fundraising machine which MSNBC cheerfully touted as “fighters” against “the billionaire and oligarch class.”
To view the full transcript, click "expand" to read:
MSNBC’s The 11th Hour
02/26/2025
11:49 PM[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: ANTI-TRUMP PODCAST KNOCKS JOE ROGAN OUT OF FIRST PLACE ON CHARTS]
(...)
STEPHANIE RUHLE: Gentlemen, thank you for joining me tonight. Ben, I turn to you first. You described the podcast as pro-democracy rather than supporting one party or another. Tell us about your mission.
BEN MEISELAS, MEIDASTOUCH PODCAST HOST: Our mission is to just speak the truth each and every day. Unapologetically pro-democracy means that we're just fact-checking all of the right-wing propaganda, we are making sure that we are loud and proud about- every single thing that- you know- we stand for.
And it's just so critical for us each and every day to just be fearless. This is a time for fearless coverage, fearless reporting.
And- you know- there's so much to report about every single day- what's going on in the White House every single day- when Donald Trump’s talking about a- $5 million Trump gold card, when Donald Trump’s talking about letting Russian oligarchs come into the United States, when Donald Trump is- talking about how he supports- Putin's agenda.
Really pushing back on that each and every day and- saying it in a way that doesn't mince words. And I think that's what's connecting with our audience.
RUHLE: Bret, why did you guys start MeidasTouch in the first place? You do not have news or politics background [sic]. How did it come to be?
BRETT MEISELAS. MEIDEASTOUCH PODCAST CO-HOST: It came to be because, frankly, we were all kind of scared about what was going on during Donald Trump's first term- the end of it- as COVID was breaking out.
It was around March 2020 when we actually kicked things off. We were all home from our jobs, and we were speaking to each other in text message chats and over the phone. And we all live in different parts of the country, or- in Ben- in me and Ben's case- different parts of the city. And we were honestly just nervous about what was going on, and we felt like no one was out there meeting the moment and speaking about these issues.
So we figured, well, we have social media, so at least we could speak- you know- and- say what we want to say on this platform. And if anybody cares, great. If nobody cares, at least we're getting our thoughts out there. And it turned out people cared and it grew very quickly.
And now we're on- we're coming up to our five-year anniversary of MeidasTouch. It both feels like we started this thing a week ago and 20 years ago. I think you understand how time kind of- bends in the Trump era- or the multiple Trump eras- but- but you know- we've been working hard at this for five years now. And it's great to- you know- be able to share our story with the folks on your network.
RUHLE: Jordy, why do you think your message is gaining so much traction right now? What is it about this moment?
JORDY MEISELAS, MEIDASTOUCH PODCAST HOST: I think people want fighters. And I think we're authentically putting that message out there. We never try and be anything that we're not.
It's really awesome to see this community- they refer to themselves as the Meidas Mighty- they're the greatest pro-democracy warriors that- frankly- exist- shout out to the Meidas Mighty.
And it's just been amazing- you know- we do everything. And- I come from the world of marketing- the term ‘authentic’ kind of gets overused, but I think people are really seeing what we're doing as truly authentic. You know, we're not trying to be anyone else. We're just trying to put our heads down and do the work every single day.
RUHLE: Jordy, we talk about the right-wing media universe being so powerful, and the left has had no answer to it. What do you think about that?
JORDY MEISELAS: Well, look, people- people want fighters.
You know, the messaging on the right has worked so effectively, because the Republican politicians are meeting this generation of voters where they exist, in the digital ecosystems. Now, they're- they're lying to them- they're lying right to their faces.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: MEIDASTOUCH BEATS OUT CONSERVATIVE PODCASTS IN CHARTS]
But when lower- information voters hear a MAGA politician on XYZ comedian’s podcast say, ‘Hey, you know, I'm going to do this no-tax-on-tips thing. And for you younger millennials, I want to make housing more affordable,’ that sounds great. Sign me up.
But what happens when these MAGA politicians get into office? Well, they align themselves with the billionaire and oligarch class, conveniently forget about those policies made on those podcasts.
RUHLE: Do you consider yourself left-wing media, Jordy?
JORDY MEISELAS: Well, I'll say this. We're unapologetically pro-democracy, right? I think we cast a big umbrella here at the Meidastouch network.
You frame us a very funny way- and I actually like it, last week I heard it- you said, ‘Hey, these are- these aren't your typical- you know- touchy-feely progressives. These are three bros from Long Island.’ Now, I'll say this-
RUHLE: Well, you are.
JORDY MEISELAS: Quite literally, we are three brothers from Long Island. So I appreciate and understand that sentiment. But hey, there's nothing wrong with being a touchy-feely progressive.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: MEIDASTOUCH DESCRIBES NETWORKS AS ‘PRO-DEMOCRACY’]
Like I said, we cast a big umbrella here.
And so, more so than anything, I consider ourselves unapologetically pro-democracy. If you're pro-the Constitution, pro-upholding norms, pro-democracy, there's a spot for you on our roster.
RUHLE: But do you think, Bret, that sort of one of the reasons you land- because, a knock has been that- that Democrats are so focused on being super-inclusive, they're leaving out guys who essentially look just like the three of you.
BRETT MEISELAS: Yeah. Listen, I think you need to speak authentically, and I don't think you need to box yourself into any particular framework. And I think people frequently want to box you into frameworks, but I think you just got to be yourself and you got to focus on what are the biggest issues that are going on right now.
And right now we have a President of the United States and his billionaire oligarch buddy, who are essentially leading a coup against the United States from within. And I think people are looking right now for people to call this out for what it is every single day, unapologetically, to meet the moment, to use the language that they are using.
And I think you have to just understand your audience and understand what people are craving right now. To Jordy’s point, people are craving fighters. If you're not meeting the moment, if you're not speaking to these issues, and if you're focused on kind of sideshows, then people are going to get distracted. People are going to want to tune out.
But if you're focused on the main issues of our time, which is [sic] saving our democracy and protecting the United States of America as we all knew it, as our grandparents all knew it, then I think you have a place here.
