I just wrapped one of the most important conversations I’ve had on the MeidasTouch Podcast—an interview with Anthony D. Romero, the executive director of the ACLU, who is leading the charge against Trump’s descent into authoritarianism.
Before I break it down, please do me a favor and add the MeidasTouch Podcast right now on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify. If you’ve already done so, consider leaving a 5-star review.
Ok, let’s get into it.
Trump 2.0 has been a full-blown assault on our democracy, immigrants, LGBTQ rights, free speech, reproductive freedom, and more. And the ACLU has been ready. Before Trump even set foot back in the Oval Office, they had filed 39 lawsuits, with countless more prepared to go.
One of the most harrowing moments Anthony and I discussed was how the Trump regime tried to deport migrants—without due process—into one of the deadliest prisons in El Salvador. They lied to the courts, claiming everything was above board while secretly loading buses to ship human beings off to what would essentially be concentration camps. It was only thanks to the ACLU’s relentless legal team calling judges at all hours that the Supreme Court intervened at 1 a.m. to stop the deportations. If not for those lawyers, even more migrants would be gone. Disappeared.
But that’s just one example. We covered lawsuits against Trump for book bans, discrimination against LGBTQ Americans, revoking student visas, and for teaming up with Elon Musk to hoard our personal data. The scope of Trump’s authoritarian overreach is staggering, but the ACLU is prepared for every angle.
Anthony laid out how they’ve been preparing for this moment for years, mapping legal strategies, identifying clients, even drafting lawsuits in advance. When Trump signed his executive order to revoke birthright citizenship (yes, the same 14th Amendment that fixed America’s original sin of slavery), the ACLU was the first to file a lawsuit—within two hours. They’re not waiting for disaster to strike. They’re already in the fight.
And when I asked Anthony what happens if Trump and his lackeys just ignore court orders? His answer was clear: We escalate. Civil sanctions. Legal pressure. And—most importantly, building public momentum to make defiance of the rule of law politically toxic. This isn’t just about lawyers; it’s about all of us standing up and saying enough.
As Anthony said, saving our democracy isn’t a one-click affair. It takes all of us. We have to make Trump and his cronies fight for every inch they try to take from us. And with the ACLU and millions of Americans standing together, we will.
Let’s go.
Subscribe now to support independent media.
Donate now and as many times as possible. We must support the organizations that will fight against Trump.
Thank you ACLU and mighty Meidas! I wrote a poem about how you are the bravest democracy defenders: https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/meidas-touch-poem
Oh fuck,.,, writing a poem will stop Trump....you self absorbed piece of shit
You self absorbed piece of shit, they said nothing about stopping trump. They said they wrote a poem about Meidas Touch. Reading comprehension too difficult for you? jfc Go back to magaland, and your self-absorbed like-minded pos magaTs.
He's not MAGA. It's self-absorbed to write a poem about the ACLU and then beg people to read it HERE. Like, make your own website.
Lighten up. I read the poem and didn't get the impression the poet is self absorbed, just inspired and uninhibited about it.
trolls are all about not being light
Another ahole expelling gas.
We love Public Servants poems. You're in the wrong place magat - go spread your misery elsewhere
Go away....you are a negative ass.
The MAGA's are no less self-absorbed, so locked up they refuse to test a truth they don't already believe told to them by their favorite fakes and liars. Here's what a poem does, been writing them for 55 years. It gets people out of their usual frame of reference, thinking about ideas in new ways, and they get to use their creative minds to solve emotional dilemmas, and explore subjective truths and falsehoods and compare them to objective realities not previously considered. Poems require or demand a flexible mind and there is often a moral question to be solved. Poems make a particular kind of song and vice versa. The mind runs and dreams on metaphors, even creates itself and can motivate people to move in political ways, and they can sustain a person while great social upheavals are occurring in real time and can provide a place of peace where a soul meets itself. Since you are apparently not a self-absorbed "POS", then you were probably able to throw away the Peace Movement of the 1960's. And knowing Dylan's music, or Peter Paul and Mary's song, "If I Had a Hammer", and since you are probably dedicated to killing all your memories of those self-absorbed Peace-Niks, may I suggest the Beatles, "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" or PPM's, Hammer song, and use the hammers of their music to tap some sense into your head. "We have nothing to fear but fear itself", my fellow Americanski.
Thank you!
Spreading love and light again!
Another asshole expelling gas!
Public Servant's poems are awesome and we love them here - please go hide back under your rock - you're in the wrong place maga moron
donated
I hadn't for awhile, but started up again. It's so needed.
The ACLU deserves all the support we can afford to give.
Excellent! Have steps been taken regarding Baron Trumps birthright citizenship, given Melania didn’t have citizenship yet?
Ohhhh, Merry....good one! We ABSOLUTELY need to do that. And definitely Melania. By the way, maybe that's why she's not appearing/saying anything on TV, etc.? Where has she been?
Last month Maxine Water filed papers to have her deported.
Good on you Maxine. Everyone needs to bring this to everyone else’s attention. That would piss Trump off! He can’t stand it when people talk about his family, but he don’t mind screwing up everyone else’s family!
Getting her hair done? Picking out hats?
With her boyfriend in New York. Would you be anywhere near that pig if you had any other option??👹
The irony here is that Trump doesn’t realize that he would be taking his Father’s own birth right take away because his Grandfather was an immigrant…
My family and I support ACLU. You can too…
How?
https://www.aclu.org/
I did it just now. I’m from France 🇫🇷 and so devastated by what’s happening to your country and to the world.
DONATE to them. I donate monthly. They are doing a lot of work against Trump's lawlessness.
Yea, me too, restarting monthly donations. Don’t buy crap on Amazon…save it for ACLU!
Check the website
This gives me hope! And I have already donated!!!
THANKS TO THE ACLU and Meidas!!
Thanks Ben, Meidas Touch, Anthony Romeo and everyone at the ACLU for all you do to protect America's values and Democracy.
Who would have thought lawyers would be amazing heros!!!
Speaking of heroic lawyers, has Emhoff quit his job yet? If not, why not? Just a question from a longtime ACLU member.
Why the fuck should he quit his job? Have you tossed the TV, and thrown out all your food... You assoles think you are fighting in France in 1917
bless your heart
I did, but then, I lived through Watergate.
Carolyn, I lived through Watergate aaannndd the Cuban Missle Crisis. So scary.
Oh, dear. I left out the Cuban Missile Crisis. In fact, I was 18 when that happened, and an announcer and engineer for WOBC Radio, the "Voice of Oberlin College." I was in the radio station when the teletype machine began ringing like crazy--10 rings in a row--the end of the world.
Forgive me for going off on that tangent: I hadn't thought of that in years!
Difference is that Nixon packed up and left…
Thank you, ACLU!! Thank you, Meidas!!
They have been important for decades defending our country against bad actions by the government. But their work is more vital than ever. Thankfully we’re prepared in advance of Trump 2.0
ACLU and the MeidasTouch ELBOWS UP ELBOWS UP ELBOWS UP
That's all Trump does...lie, lie, and lie some more.
Trump doesn’t always lie. When he ran for president this last time, he said on day 1 he would be a dictator.
Hahhahaha, so funny. From Canada with love ❤️
I’ve been supporting ACLU with a monthly donation since all this craziness began. They are doing everything they can for the sake of our democracy. Thank you for sharing this interview.
Everyone! Go on aclu.org and donate something MONTHLY. What’s happening now in this country is absurd & Criminal. We need to help those organizations taking up the fight. Do it now.
Thanks goodness for ACLU 🙏🏼
The ACLU saved our country AGAIN, nuh true! Wake up America!
Sooooooo.....we should reward him???????
That was a reply to Jerry Y
Thank you truly!
PLEASE KEEP FIGHTING!! I do not want to spend my retirement in a fascist, hateful country!
Thank you ACLU for all of your work to protect our civil liberties.
I don't want to be nit-picky about what was said regarding birthright citizenship, but I'm going to be nit-picky. Multiple times you said that birthright citizenship is a hollowed right, codified in the Constitution. You must have meant hallowed, not hollowed. It might seem insignificant, but there is a world of difference between hollow and hallow. Something hollowed is empty inside, while something hallowed is honored or venerated.
~Yes, I'm a Word Nerd!
An open letter to the whole world: I know why you are laughing at us. If I were in your shoes, I would be laughing, too. But I am not laughing. I am crying, both on the inside and the outside with tears falling. What this government is doing and has done is making most Americans sad. But not just that - they are mad. Mad that they are trying to push us down. Mad that they are trying to destroy our Constitution and Democracy. Mad because they are treating human beings inhumanely. Mad because they are greedy and trying to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. Mad because they are trying to erase our history. Mad because they are trying to take our libraries away. Mad because they are trying to interfere with our children's education. Mad because they are interfering with our medical treathment. Mad because we have such an inept government. Mad because we have a madman running it. Mad because we have overseers that won't do their jobs. Mad because this government gives the middle finger to SCOTUS. Let me tell you, world the US citizens are mad and we are not going to let this madman and his followers, ruin it for the majority and the rest of the world. We will fight until we win and hope that you will join us in this fight, in, whatever way you can. We want the idiotic madman out of office and we want all the inept gone. We want real government. We want our allies back, we want our trade bac. We want our Constitution to be respected and we want our Democracy back. Thank you
I know I'm mad as hell!
He) they need to be stopped NOW.
Is there time for lawsuits?
Looks like they've handed in a whole bushel of lawsuits already.
$$$ sent just now! Not that I can afford it, but I sure can't not help.
Donate to ACLU, support the effort!
Support the ACLU!!!
It's taken time to pull all these lawsuits together, why we have asked why aren't people doing xyz ... because they ARE doing xyz in spades!!
No wonder no international students want to come here. No wonder no top tier scientists and others want to come here!
This is just so huge, momentum is building. The rule of law is starting to gain momentum. The shit is hitting the fan and starting to blow back into their fascist faces!
Lies have consequences. And it looks like these are starting to show the cracks in their false fronts. A house of cards, built on quicksand.
Let's build this momentum!
People will return when they trust that they will be safe. 👹
I've been "a card carrying member of the ACLU" since 1972 - and very proud to be able to say that!
Send Trump, his family and his regime to El Salvador they don’t belong here
I am going to start sending the ACLU $ every month starting on my next payday!
Thank you for your very detailed hard work defending people’s rights.
Ben—another clear-eyed flare in a news cycle built to exhaust us.
Three pulses your note amplifies for me:
1. Outrage is Fuel, But Strategy is the Engine
Naming the chaos is step one; converting it into targeted phone calls, local organizing, and micro-donations turns heat into forward motion. Your roadmap keeps that conversion loop tight.
2. Small Dollars, Massive Leverage
When a million ordinary people chip in coffee-money, no billionaire war-chest can outbid the collective. Thanks for spelling out exactly where each dollar amplifies pro-democracy pressure right now.
3. Receipts = Immunity to Disinfo
Publishing docs, links, and timestamps alongside every claim starves “fake news” smears before they hatch. Transparency isn’t just virtue signaling—it’s body armor.
Count me (and the Karma Infinity community) in for the next action item. Let’s turn this flash-update into a ripple of measurable impact—one call, one share, one $5 boost at a time. Onward.
How do we support the ACLU? They are literally fighting for America's life right now
There is the overall ACLU and then there are local ones. This is their site: https://www.aclu.org/
You make donations
This is the kind of forethought the Dem party should be engaging in. How about some ACLUers run for office?
They are. The AG’s for Democratic states had law suits Trumps first week in office. They were preparing before he even took the oath of office. The Democratic states in the last year or two have ramped up their AG offices with more lawyers. They’ve given them more money to run their offices, just in case Trump got in.
Glad to hear it! I know Governor Shapiro in my home state of PA is on it!
Already there, my favorite nation, donation, check the website and sign up for information about how to donate and what the ACLU is doing.
Thank you!! How can we support you. ACLU ❤️
And yes, my husband and I have donated to the ACLU for years.
This interview gives me hope. I donated to the ACLU and I believe they are going to be our warriors in this country
We have to stay loud and active. Take minute to visit, sign up for action train and learn about other organizations to support at https://www.aclu.org/
Poooor Elon and Public Retribution
After all the wrongful firings of the civil service, the attacks of waste fraud and abuse, the secretive sharing of federal databases with the Nazi party, Elon is facing the financial consequences with the disastrous first quarter earnings report of Tesla which is his primary wealth giving asset
PROTESTS ARE WORKING BY WE THE PEOPLE If were not for interest earned by cash and payments by other EV manufacturers Tesla would be in the red for almost $1B 71% reduction in earnings comparing 2024 quarter to this quarter Everyone that the Orange Cheeto touches is somehow destroyed in some way They all hope that they will be different but it never happens
Must see 7minute Maddow segment showing what the people think of the Nazis and Elon(remember the salute?) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU23jm417-k
For what it’s worth the brilliant Nikola Tesla died penniless in New York in January 1943
With all the law suits it's time to shut down this White House Mob!!!!!
The White House needs a good cleaning out asap
Thank you to everyone at the ACLU
And for the mighty Meidas 🙏🙏🙏
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
The Fifth Amendment protects all persons in the U.S. The Administration does not. This Administration will have cost the U.S. Treasury $1.5 billion in damages awards, in my opinion, after these deportees bring suit. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/abuse-misuse-of-alien-enemies-act?r=3m1bs
We are so GRATEFUL for the ACLU continuous filings to keep the Regime from doing criminal acts!!!!! I donate to the ACLU on a monthly basis. Keep up the AMAZING WORK!!!!
Thank You ACLU!!!
My hope swings on a pendulum these days. But the ACLU seems to be our only hope. Thank you.
I've been telling everyone how the ACLU is on TOP of this effort and now we can see why! Excellent pre-planning, organization, and coordination with other organizations so no time is lost or effort wasted, there is no accidental overlap / duplication of effort, but strength in numbers, etc.. Beyond impressive! REALLY GREAT HOOK UP, BEN!!!!! So, in addition to as many people possible becoming paid subscribers to MTN, ALSO donating to the ACLU & doing it regularly is some of the best money we can spend right now... aclu.org
I haven't donated to the ACLU since they defended Nazis all those years ago. I think I will this time, hoping all the while that they now realize the limits of both-sides-ism.
One of their finest moments.
GO ACLU!!!! Hit Trump hard... What a way to go.
I’ve signed up for monthly donation ACLU- none of us have extra cash laying around but they and Meidas are at the top of my list…..canceled my newspaper subscriptions and a couple of magazines to help pay for them.
I agree on Emhoff and especially because Kamala needs a clean slate to run for anything.
Thank you,, ACLU, for fighting for the migrants. I have a question for Anthony Romero. Is what Trump is doing to these migrants considered Human trafficking? He's paying El Salvador for keeping these migrants in a gulag.
"make them fight for every inch"
My momma supported the ACLU back in the day. Luckily she is no longer alive to see the mess we are in, but I’m donating in her place. Great organization as this interview demonstrates. Thanks Meidas for all the terrific work you are doing with your newsletters and interviews!
Ben is crushing it with his interviews. Anthony Romero has been a fighter for the ACLU for many years. Thank you Ben and MTN for providing another informative segment. Great work!
Amazing, fascinating interview - I donated for the first time to ACLU about 5 days ago. Everyone step up!! "Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their country."
Everyone watching this should make a donation to the ACLU right now. Immigrants aren’t the only people at risk. Any one of us could be next.
The ACLU deserves a Nobel!
Impressive!!
Thank u doing they have room for trump and his cabinet and lacks
We must Rise Up against Dictator Adolf Trump and stop his Agenda to Destroy Democracy and the Constitution!
stop king trump, stop president musk.
Here is the website:
https://www.aclu.org/
I'm so proud of my 90 year old Mom for instilling in me decades ago that ACLU always be at the top of our contribution list!
I received info regarding the presence of ICE in our normally peaceful community, in Largo, Florida last night.
I have always had the deepest regard for the police generally and specifically for the Largo police. We gained the permanant placement of our grandchildren through cooperation of police throughout the state. Up til now, a fan.
I was under the impression that Largo Police would not support ICE gestapo tactics in our community. I do not see the difference between jews being disappeared to concentration camps and legal or illegal people being sent to “ Detention” camps or prison in or out of the US.
ICE have obviously been taking people and disappearing them without due process. i. e.
No show of warrents, identification or court hearing.
I am counting on you to stop this breech of Constitutional Rights in our community and across our country.
Attached is the picture taken by neighbor who reports the family being taken out of the house in handcuffs, search of the property, taking off the handcuffs and making no arrest.
This is terrifying. I am not exaggerating when I say, I am shaking. If this can happen to anyone in the United States of America, them it can happen to me and my family. Will I be arrested for voicing opposition to ICE next week or at any time?
How can any of us tell our image0.jpegchildren to trust the police when they are complicit in this type of activity?
The Largo Police was there.
Please help us to be safe from these gangsters. No Ice in our community.
Sincerely,
Cathy O’Gara, RN, 69 years old
Mother of 3
Grandmother of 6
Sent from my iPhoneimage0.jpeg
image0.jpeg
thank you for posting this
Strongly support ACLU. This is hard work and They are holding the line. Support Public Citizen and Democracy Forward too (if you can).
I am an ACLU member, and I am so happy with their incredible, fast response to a number of issues -- but especially fighting for immigrant's rights. ACLU lawyers are talented and numerous. Donate to support them! Even a small donation helps.
He is a ball of fire! I am SO glad he is on our side!!!
We are not talking about the student loans repayments that will resume on May 5 and the children defending themselves at court. So much flooding the zone, it makes your head spin.
Ok this interview was brilliant, thanks Ben and team.
Thankyou ACLU and Meidas. We need this ACLU update monthly and for an hour please.
Lots and lots of law suits. Incredible, and we the taxpayer are paying for his defense. OMG
Why is the US State Department being allowed to have a Substack?? This is a very dangerous propaganda machine in the making, and Substack should not be promoting it!!!
I donated to the ACLU and will do so again as soon as I have some available funds. The ACLU is ( in my opinion) the most important organization in the country today. It gives me hope that we may yet save our democracy.
ACLU has local branches in each state fighting for local rights and initiatives too!! Join the fight and volunteer!
Excellent reporting! Great update from the ACLU!
Question . . . if I'm a paid subscriber do I have to listen to those ads in the podcast I subscribe to on Apple podcasts? Is there a secret ad-free link for subscribers? I hate the ads so bad.
Thank you so much to the ACLU for all that you do!
So happy to see the ACLU immediately filed these complaints along with you and your brothers assisting with numerous complaint filings too...
But, I have a serious question for you all.
It's been announced CHUMP is expecting to travel to Rome for the Pope's funeral..
1. Given his passports were secured by NY after the jury found him guilty of sexual assault, how on earth can he get through customs like everyone else in Rome and the U.S?
2. Since the Federal Court and Judges recently found him in contempt for ignoring their findings. Why hasn't a bench warrant been executed for HIS immediate arrest??
It'd appreciate your answer to this important question.
As always, thank you all for all your diligent work you provide each day.
Respectfully,
Helen Strasko
Omg. I don’t have much but I try to give a little to the ACLU. They are awesome.
ACLU is doing amazing work. Their anticipation on Trump’s next move must confound him.
GOOD 👍 Trump loves LAWSUITS! It's the chaos & mayhem he understands and responds too! NATION WIDE CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS! keep em coming!!!
Solidarity is the key. We the people have your back. Fight hard, never capitulate to fascism!
It's always been on my mind along with the assassination of our president JFK! I was hanging up diapers outside when I heard the news that they killed Kennedy. I cried.
I have supported the ACLU for years. Keep fighting. We are behind you!
Thank you!!! Gov't Employee and AFGE Member!! Good news!!
Thank God for these people who fight so hard for others!!
I was born several years before my parents were naturalized. Though they were on their way, I was 3 before it happened. I guess I could be "illegal." Great. Will they please deport me to Austria?
Well, Steve Miller in WH would say ‘yes’ ☹️
Knowing things like this our happening makes me feel slightly less stressed. All those ad-hoc hours the white shoe law firms gave to trump they should take back and add to this fight!
One facebook message got outraged Ukrainians to the Maidan Square to protest, for three winter months, the duplicity of the lying candidate elected president on Euro-ticket, switching to Moscow-now policy: the time, the place and the immortal "Likes don't count " xxxx love from Blighty! xx
Great interview, Ben. Very uplifting. I will donate to ACLU today.
I did say everyone needs to sue... Let him wade through a pond of legal treacle!
THANK-YOU so much for providing this excellent information & resources to become more involved in saving our Democracy... ACLU People Power, Democracy Forward, Public Citizen, Planned Parenthood, Environmental groups & more. Check the ACLU & the other organizations website. Go Resistance!
Elon won’t leave, not really. He might stay in the background to make Tesla stock owners happier, but he won’t leave. Watch.
True. He's on his OWN personal (super greedy) mission.
Thank you for spotlighting ACLU, and, as always, for letting people know what's going on out there.
I just renewed my subscription for ACLU Guardians of Liberty, after letting it expire for a couple of years. All non profits fighting for our rights deserves our admiration and support. Thank you ACLU!
I'm hoping the ACLU will take action against RFK Jr et al for obtaining medical records, prescription histories, and other data to have a roster of all autistic people without the people's consent. RFK Jr has expressed interest in "farms".
Maybe you can see any efforts along these lines on the ACLU website where apparently all the lawsuits they've filed are listed..... aclu.org
I would so much like to see trump and company deported just like they've been doing to migrants and legal citizens. Load his entire family, his cabinet and all the spineless GOP sycophants on buses/planes and drop them off in Gitmo, El Salvador.
and with no notice.
Any lawyer, such as JD Vance, who promotes ignoring the courts should be disbarred.
Thank you ACLU for doing something for all of us in US that are the "regular" folks who feel powerless to stop the assault Trump has been doing to our democracy
Hey Benny...as usual what you are reporting is bullshit. Talk about the epidemic of rampant antisemitic allegations flyng all over the place... That bullshit has hampeeed Columbia, Harvard, and Northwestern,, and I am sure is stopping many many jews from going to medical school. Meanwhile., Israel continues making up for Holocaust by committing genocide in Gaza.. That is insane, not as bad tho as somebody being sent to prison in El Salvador for making an anti gelfite fish joke.. Fuck Israel
Over 400 patients, representing around 40% of all dialysis cases in the territory, have died during the 18-month conflict because of lack of proper treatment, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
That includes 11 patients who have died since the beginning of March, when Israel sealed the territory’s 2 million Palestinians off from all imports, including food, medical supplies and fuel. Israeli officials say the aim is to pressure Hamas to release more hostages after Israel ended their ceasefire.
You Make !! The Bed You Sleep In...!!!..??? This Was All On Palestinians Hand's..!! When They Let Hamas In..!! All The Blood Is On Their Own Hands !! ... So Who's The Losers..?? After Decades Of Relative Peace...??? The Children On Both Sides..!!! 😮😮🤔🤔 !! Generations Lost ! Overnight !!? For Shame !! For Shame !! 😔😔😔 !!
You are fucking nuts
Yeah..!!! I Know The Truth...!!! Hard For You Die Hard PLO's.....🤔🤔 Some Things NEVER Change..????
You ACLU folks are heroes and lifesavers, as are you, Meidas Touch people. Wow!
I donate $10
Yet he still continues to ignore the Constitution, the laws, the Supreme Court’s ruling and all court orders. I wonder if our country will ever recover from this corrupt system and if it will ever get rid of the hate that came with it 😞💔
I have been a member of ACLU for years - they deserve our support because they protect our democracy.
Fantastic interview! Romero is inspiring talking about how ACLU prepared for having to litigate against #47 long before Trump 2.0. Romero is such an excellent role model in showing how many independent legal activists, like the ACLU, are combining forces with other attorney-based organizations and how they are looking out for non-profits who need their support.
Yes, let's roll! (Hint: we already are.) #MeidasMighty #resistance
Thank you Anthony! Due process!
If Trump can undo birthright citizenship, then Biden's Executive Order announcing that the Equal Rights Amendment is in the Constitution must also stand, And THAT Trump does not want.
Give to the ALCU or be damned.
Thank you ACLU
Thank you. This gave me hope. Really grateful for ACLU and other non profits.
Thank you ACLU and MT👍
Awesome job thank you so much, for all your doing as I continue to donate, We the People Resist!
God bless you!
Thank you
So we know where they are sending the men, but where have all the women gone that they have taken? No one has spoken to this.
Very scary, we can possibly be detained for crossing boarders? Watch this school teachers ask great questions to stand up for our rights!
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/166zYyky1a/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Time to donate to the ACLU. They are actually DOING something.
I'm a monthly donor. Thank you ACLU!
Thank you ACLU and all involved.
Doesn't deportation mean sending illegal immigrants out of the US, preferably to where they came ftom? Where to they get the authority to send then to a foreign prison for the rest of their (probably short) lives?
ACLU has been doing an amazing, job. Marc Elias would also make a great guest.
Donate if u are able-we all have to stand up against this regime!
I Noticed That While Trump Sat With EL Salvadoran Leader !! Kaitlin Or Trump's Administration Didn't Bring Up The Fact That This Guy Sent There Was Granted Asylum ...!!!!...???? 🤔 Not Once !! But Twice By Two Separate Judges..!!!...????? 🤔🤔🤔 Did The EL Salvadoran Ruler !! Know This..???
Gave me hope!
Thank you ACLU for defending our Constitution & our Rule of Law. 🇺🇸
Wow! The ACLU working FOR Americans. Not so much for the law firms, universities and MSM who give the Fascist what he wants. It does my heart good to hear that someone is fighting back. Thank you for this!
Just impeach and put him into a psychiatric hospital- it would save a lot of aggravation and time!
The Fundamental Problem Here Is Trump ! Is Just A Poster Boy !!! For Maga And It's Going To Be Hard To Put ALL Of Them In A Psych Ward !!!? This Was Planned For A Very Long Time !! Probably Way Pre - Trump..!!..?? So Exterminating !! The Embedded Republican Deep State Will Take Time !!..???
AD Romero was such an interesting guest. Thank you for showcasing these hidden heroes of democracy
You mean GOP regime
Just became a member the other day. Great work.
Joined a few weeks ago! They’re the best!
Love the ACLU. Been supporting them for many years and hope many more from the Midas Mighty will too.
Sure looks like Musk paid Trump $300M and Thiel paid Vance $15M to sell 🇺🇸data to PayPal mafia/DOGE/Palantir.
That means all: govt/citizen/company/enemy/ally data.
Excellent interview!
Thank you ACLU!! I support you!
Thank you
What the heck with JFK breaking the HEPA law and gathering names of autistic folks? I'm glad there's too many lawsuits to mention. At what point can Trump be impeached? What more does he have to do?!
That was great and really gave me hope!!
Great ACLU update, Meidas Touch podcast TY
reminded me to renew Done
Right On!!
It's fascism.
My daughter just sent me a picture of tRump signing a $5000 Baby Bonus for mothers to have babies to add to our population. It's on MK's substack. It makes me sick. He is such a f---ing asshole. Reminds me of Musk wanting to populate the world, to leave his children fatherless. Just a baby factory. The are the sickest of the sickest.
Give $$$ to the ACLU. It's the only thing doing real work against authoritarianism. Certainly not the DEM leadership. Looking at you Cantwell and Murray
Horrifying. Scary. Resist
How can we help the ACLU to fight against Trump and his corrupt administration
Wow, ACLU, you have been elevated to the highest heroic status for me. I always knew you were good, now I know you are extraordinary. I will never forget what you are doing for America. God Bless you!
I'm going to donate now!
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏for all
What is the link for ACLU..and thank you Ben and MTN FOR YOUR TIME..
Google it!
If Trump is revoking birthright citizenship, he should start in his own house. Barron and Meliana should be deported as well. His mother is a migrant!
It wouldn’t hurt to explain the current meaning of “receipts”. It’s new to some. Basically, it now means good evidence, not the slip you get from the cashier, but it could be that, too.
Anthony D Romero and the ACLU, thank you for everything you do! You give me hope.
I am glad to hear that lawyers across many pro-democracy groups are working together to fight so many lawless executive orders, outrageous attempts to seize power etc.
I used to give to the ACLU and may start to again. Mr. Romano is a very inspiring and seemingly patriotic person. I love his passion and enthusiasm. He does put the responsibility for righting our ship where it belongs-on We the People.
I hope We are up for it. Mostly older people so far-except in cities like NYC. Young people must engage to carry on the fight for our nation and our population that has lasted almost 250 years.
Never give UP!
Thank you, Anthony and ACLU!!! Believe in and trust the ACLU. Donate to the most effective and valuable work. Thanks for the Hope and motivation to continue our fight forward. 💙
"His mental fragility and easy manipulability were open game for nefarious actors to exploit without opposition, as Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu quickly realized. Russian intelligence agencies, additionally, heavily employ psychiatrists and psychologists for their “psyops” (psychological operations), as does the Mossad—not to mention our own Central Intelligence Agency. Only the American people would be deprived of critical knowledge at a critical time." Dr Bandy X. Lee. Bandylee.com
Great interviews. I love that you let your guests talk, which gives us time to focus on the the important information.
Thank you Gentlemen 💙⚔️💙
Ben-I would love to see you get this guy on your show. Don't let his quiet demeanor and soft voice for you. His words are powerful!
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTj67rJM1/
I DONATED!!!
Please everyone who loves democracy and has a few dollars to spare, donate to the ACLU! I became one of their Guardians of Liberty (monthly donors) the day after Idiot won the election. The ACLU is on the front lines of saving our democracy and needs our support! I’m proud to be a member of this great and fearless organization.
https://mobilize.us/s/rcFP4V
Sorry accidently sent before total edit.
Thank you for this -I really needed to hear this. Is there a way to list the advocacy groups that he mentioned so that we can all be on the same page? I’m fighting from my little corner of Florida.
HOLY SMOKES! Anthony Romero is a BEAST! He is EXACTLY the type of fighter we need in the opposition party.
The thing that stunned me about the Democrats was how they were caught flat footed. They had the Republicans plan in Project 2025, so like the ACLU they should have prepared to fight and not cede one inch. But nothing. And they are still flailiing.
I'm loving the ACLU. This was one of the best interviews I've seen.
Thank you Meidas, ACLU, Indivisable, 5051 and all who are fighting to save our democracy!!!
This man is amazin. So darn good to hear. Thanks for bringing it to usx
I wanted to keep up with your daily videos, Ben, but this week I have to concentrate on my dental fraud case - the other sides' solicitors are trying to strike me out and I am not going to let this happen, please think of me on April 30th, thoughts travel.
I will miss keeping up with what's happening, I hope to pop in if I can this coming week. I am dealing with a man just like trump who denies everything which is futile because I have the evidence. We are both fighting, Ben and we Will WIN!
recall MAGA everywhere! recallphilortiz.org
I just donated. Thank you, ACLU, for all that you do!
I just donated $35 to ACLU. Thank you for the important work you do!
I'm sorry Ben did you just say book banning are we in Nazi Germany and I didn't know about it because the last time I heard about this kind of an incident was during the second world war when Hitler had the books rounded up and burned I really hope we are not back to doing that it's a disgrace the American people should read what they want to read and nobody has the right to tell them they can't I give my thanks to the a l o c for fighting this orange magnet and I am glad that they are fighting and staying strong we need more people in those kind of positions to stand up and make the government take notice to the fact that we as the American public are not putting up with any more of their s***if Trump really wants to deport criminals tell him and his regime to get on the next bus because as far as I'm concerned they are the worst criminals in this country they are the enemy within I've said it before if you want to get the criminals you send an electronic letter every police station and ask them to forward the records of anybody associated with gangs and have criminal records go after them it would be a lot easier for us to do that and would not have all of America pissed off Trump wants to do away with birthright citizenship well I hope he doesn't mind when they deport his children because even though they're born here they were born of a foreign female so they should be on the list like anybody else where it's right citizenship is constitutional right and he has no right to try and remove it and I don't think that he has the authority to remove it Trump is a felon but more important he is a traitor now when I was young traders were put in front of firing squads not given the presidency maybe we need to go back to that time period to protect our democracy our country our Constitution and the people who reside in it
Comparison of 2024 and 2020 U.S. Presidential Election Turnout and Results - 90 Million Americans didn’t bother to vote.
Voter Turnout and Participation
In 2024, an estimated 244 million Americans were eligible to vote in the presidential election . Approximately 155.2 million people voted – about 63.9% of the eligible population . This means nearly 89–90 million eligible Americans (roughly 36%) did not vote in 2024 .
By comparison, in 2020 about 239 million Americans were eligible to vote . Roughly 159.7 million people cast ballots (about 66.7% turnout) , the highest in 120 years. Still, that left approximately 80 million eligible citizens (one-third of the electorate) who did not vote in 2020 .
Table 1 below summarizes the turnout, including the number of eligible voters, how many voted, and how many did not vote, for the 2020 and 2024 elections:
Election Year
Eligible Voters (approx.)
Voted (Turnout %)
Did Not Vote (approx.)
2020
~239,000,000
159,700,000 (66.7%)
~79–80 million
2024
~244,000,000
155,200,000 (63.9%)
~89–90 million
(Turnout percentages are the share of eligible voters who cast a ballot.)
As shown above, voter participation was extremely high in both elections. 2020 saw record turnout at about 66.6%–66.8% of eligible voters , and 2024’s turnout (around 63.9%) was only slightly lower, making it the second-highest in modern history . In raw numbers, about 4.5 million fewer people voted in 2024 than in 2020, amid an increase of roughly 5 million in the eligible population – hence the higher number of non-voters in 2024.
Major Candidate Popular Vote Totals
The tables below compare the popular vote counts for the major candidates in each election. All figures reflect officially certified vote totals from the Federal Election Commission (compiled from state election results):
2024 Election (Trump vs. Harris): Republican nominee Donald J. Trump received 77,302,580 votes, while Democratic nominee Kamala D. Harris received 75,017,613 votes . Trump won 49.8% of the popular vote to Harris’s 48.3% . No other candidate in 2024 earned over 1% of the vote (the closest third-party candidate was the Green Party’s 0.56%) .
2020 Election (Trump vs. Biden): Democratic nominee Joseph R. Biden Jr. won 81,283,501 votes, and Republican incumbent Donald J. Trump won 74,223,975 votes . Biden captured about 51.3% of the popular vote versus Trump’s 46.9% . (Libertarian Jo Jorgensen was a distant third with ~1.86 million votes, 1.2% .)
Table 2 provides a side-by-side comparison of the popular vote totals for the major candidates in 2020 and 2024:
Election Year
Donald Trump (R) – Popular Votes
Democratic Candidate – Popular Votes
2020
74,223,975
81,283,501 (Joe Biden)
2024
77,302,580
75,017,613 (Kamala Harris)
Despite higher turnout in 2020, Joe Biden’s vote total (81.28 million) remains the highest ever for a U.S. presidential candidate . Donald Trump increased his vote count in 2024 to 77.30 million (about 3 million more than in 2020) , becoming the first Republican since 2004 to win the national popular vote . In both elections, however, tens of millions of eligible Americans did not participate – roughly 80 million in 2020 and nearly 90 million in 2024 – a reminder of the sizeable portion of the electorate that abstained .
Sources
Official vote totals are from state-certified results compiled by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) . Turnout estimates (eligible voter counts and participation rates) are from the U.S. Elections Project and U.S. Census analyses , as well as reports by reliable organizations and news outlets (NPR, Bipartisan Policy Center, AP, etc.) that cite official data . All figures presented are either final certified numbers or well-sourced estimates from authoritative bodies, as noted in the citations. Each year’s data has been cross-verified with sources like the FEC, the U.S. Census Bureau, and reputable election reporting services to ensure accuracy.
ChatGPT 4.0 Deep Search Feature - 39 sources
It was like you had a crystal ball to know what they were going to do before THEY knew what kind of game they were going to play. Congratulations on a job well done.
Thy just went after the schools
I believe they are still trying to pushing back on facilitating his return- the lawyers ? Are thy in contempt?
Does Ice get to go into grade schools and put the kids in handcuffs, I saw that in Nevada
What is happening for the 80 wives and migrant children in detention? What is their status
Does the ACLU help with teachers and colleges?
They just released 4 different executive orders in regards to the dept of education
Donating to them for years.
Who would have thought the ACLU is now defending 🇺🇸 Democracy
Boo
I don’t have much to give, but I’m thrilled to be a small monthly donor to the ACLU!
Ź
I would love to stand at the gates that Trump has built in front of the wh and just wave my banners. Constant. Like a fly buzzing around his head. Constant irritation.
But what good will the lawsuits really DO?
It's a message to Felonious that we see what he and Muskrat are doing and will not just accept it. Hands Off and elbows up.
Lawsuits are just part of the resistance........massive coast to coast protesting every weekend are VERY VERY important now......the town halls and Bernie/OAC doing the tour.
Bottom line......Every citizen on earth has a job to do in order to defeat Orange Hitler and his fascist cult following.
Thank you!
I'm just so stressed.
Get out on the streets with the people........It has been medically proven to be good for your health.
?
Argue our case (save Democracy) before the Supreme Court of the United States. Push for permanent injunctions that address constitutional amendment violations … free speech, birth rights to name just two.