By Ben Meiselas
When I sat down with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker for his first interview on the MeidasTouch Network, I knew we were going to have a real conversation—not political fluff, not canned talking points. And Governor Pritzker delivered. This wasn’t just a chat about policy—it was a clear-eyed warning about the dangerous trajectory of Donald Trump’s kleptocratic grip on this country and an urgent call to action for all of us.
Governor Pritzker has been sounding the alarm since day one of Trump’s return to power, and he’s not mincing words. We’re watching a government that exists to enrich a handful of corrupt billionaires—Trump, Elon Musk, and their inner circle—while regular Americans are stuck paying more for tomatoes, lettuce, beer, housing, cars, and child care. Meanwhile, Trump’s tariffs are driving up costs, and his broken promises are wrecking families’ finances. The only people thriving in Trump’s America are the ones already at the top.
And let’s be real—this isn’t accidental. This is what Trump wants. It’s not about helping the working class; it’s about funneling money to his cronies, selling garbage meme coins, and gutting the services veterans, seniors, and families rely on.
The governor told me stories that cut through the noise—veterans losing access to services, Head Start programs in crisis, parents unsure if they can even keep their jobs because child care is evaporating. That’s the real cost of Trumpism. That’s what we’re fighting.
And let’s not ignore Trump’s bizarre, dangerous obsession with Vladimir Putin. Pritzker called it out directly—Trump is literally helping Putin advance his goals while abandoning our allies and isolating the U.S. on the world stage. This isn’t leadership. It’s capitulation.
To anyone out there feeling afraid or defeated, Pritzker gave the message we all need right now: Stand up. Speak out. Show up. Whether it’s organizing, protesting, or just bringing friends to a congressional office—we have the power to fight back. And we must.
We don’t have time to sit on the sidelines. Trump and his enablers are counting on our silence. Let’s make sure they don’t get it.
Thanks again to Governor Pritzker for joining me—and if you haven’t already, consider joining now as a paid subscriber of the Meidas+ Substack.
You can also listen to this interview and share it with your friends and family on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
–Ben
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