Meidas Meet-Up with Ben and Brett—Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes

Hey everyone, it’s Ben Meiselas here—and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who tuned into our Meidas Meet-Up Live on Substack Live this morning. These conversations are some of my favorite moments in our movement. They’re raw, unscripted, and full of energy from our incredible pro-democracy community. And today’s was no exception.

By 10 a.m. Pacific, I’d already interviewed Governor JB Pritzker, a leader at the Democratic Governors Association, and Axios’ Alex Isenstadt about his new book Revenge. We’ve got those videos coming out soon—make sure you’re subscribed to our YouTube channel so you don’t miss them. But what I love most is that these live sessions give us a chance to pull the curtain back and just be real with each other. No filter. No sugarcoating.

We talked about everything from the collapse of MAGA-style politics in Canada to ICE literally sending people to concentration camps in El Salvador over tattoos and hand signs. That’s not hyperbole—it’s happening. Trump’s dystopian vision is no longer some far-off hypothetical. It’s here. And it’s exactly why we fight so hard every day to expose this cruelty and build a better future.

And yes, I even gave a behind-the-scenes tour of my workspace—mess and all. You saw my books, my Yoda figuring, and even my Ohtani swag. Because if we’re going to win this fight, we’ve got to be human with each other. We’ve got to care. We’ve got to lead with empathy—something Trump and his sycophants see as a “weakness.” I see it as our greatest strength.

I also want to make something crystal clear: this movement is not about party loyalty. It’s about country over party. It’s about democracy over authoritarianism. That’s why we amplify the voices of anyone willing to stand up to fascism—whether they’re Democrats, independents, disaffected Republicans, or just decent human beings.

So please—if you value this work, share it. Tell a friend. Send them our Substack, our YouTube channel, our podcast. We don’t have billionaires bankrolling us. We have you. And every time you bring one more person into the Meidas Mighty, it’s a win for truth, for decency, and for democracy.

Thanks for being part of this community. We’re just getting started.