Why We Built This and Why They Are Mad!!!

By Ben Meiselas

Let me start by saying how proud I am of our editorial team and Aaron Parnas for breaking one of the biggest stories this week. MeidasTouch reported first that Donald Trump is preparing a “vanity military parade” by Camp Pendleton near San Diego this upcoming Saturday, where warships in the Pacific Ocean may be firing into the Camp Pendleton military base. Our sources told us that the I-5 highway might need to be shut down as a result of this military activity. This would cause massive disruptions in transportation. This would be taking place the same day as the No Kings Protest on Saturday.

After we published our story, California Governor Gavin Newsom confirmed our reporting. He called out Trump’s stunt. Newsom’s statement said he has received reports consistent with the reports our sources had relayed to us.

So what happened next? Soon the Los Angeles Times, SF Chronicle, New York Times, CBS, and virtually every outlet picked up the story. Whereas we give attribution if we use the reporting of another outlet, not a single corporate or legacy outlet gave Meidas credit for breaking the story and doing the investigative work. Instead, they all cited each other. They deliberately did not credit us.

What else happened? After we broke the story, numerous people who might otherwise seem to not support Trump began attacking us and saying our story was “rage bait” and “overly sensational.” A Trump spokesperson put out a statement refuting Newsom’s statement and saying this was a preplanned celebration by the Marines for their 250th anniversary. Numerous people who would seem to be otherwise against Trump started adopting the Trump framing and saying, “Come on, Meidas, this was a preplanned event… this happens all the time… the Marines always do this… etc.”

Watching this reaction from corporate news and from some people just reinforced why the MeidasTouch Network has come to exist as the most viewed and engaged-with news network in the country now.

Let’s start with the corporate news piece first. I don’t care that they didn’t credit us. I prefer to get the info out to people than win some award or be cited by corporate news. However, it shows me the corporate news has always just been in cahoots with each other and cares more about protecting each other than welcoming newcomers doing real investigative work.

Next, for those who talk about “rage bait,” I am not sure what world you’re living in. I wish it was rage bait when we warned that Trump would send the military to invade blue states and blue cities. I wish it was rage bait when we said Roe v. Wade would be overturned. I wish it was rage bait when we said Project 2025 was real and Trump intended to destroy our government. I wish it was rage bait when we said Trump was a puppet of Putin. I wish it was rage bait when we said Trump would send his Gestapo to disappear migrants to concentration camps and try to revoke birthright citizenship.

I wish this was rage bait when we warned in our reporting all this and more would happen, because I genuinely wish I was making it up and it wouldn’t have come true. That would be nice. But of course, we know all our warnings have come true. Our reporting has been spot on, and we’ve been one of the only news networks to call out the fascism for what it is. So why, with all that is going on, would people rush to adopt Trump’s framing that this is some “normal” preplanned event at Camp Pendleton or that it has nothing to do with No Kings?

Can we use critical thinking skills here for a moment? How could a 250th-anniversary event be a preplanned event that “happens all the time?” Perhaps it happens once every 250 years. But beyond that, if this were a preplanned event, don’t you think there would have been preparations months ago? The first time I can find any reference to this at all, in a very vague manner, was last Friday—with very few details. The Governor of California as of yesterday apparently had few details other than warships might be shooting missiles into Camp Pendleton. If this was a preplanned, regular event, don’t you think the Governor would be prepared for it?

Of course it wasn’t a preplanned event. At the same time Trump and MAGA rolled out their defamatory talking point that the No Kings Protest was a “pro-terrorist” protest, they decided to do a “vanity parade” to counter-program No Kings and to try and intimidate people. Shouldn’t that be so damn obvious?

It’s my frustration with all the horrible reporting on the ceasefire deal that Israel and Hamas never even signed. How can you have a deal if the parties to the agreement aren’t actually signatories? How can you have a plan if Trump and Netanyahu don’t support a two-state solution, if Hamas refuses to disarm, if Israel says it intends to continue military operations inside Gaza to dismantle Hamas tunnels, and if Trump is saying he’s OK with Hamas being a police force in Gaza? I don’t get how the coverage treated this like world peace had been created simply because Trump said so when he is a fraud and lies about everything.

Sometimes I feel like the MeidasTouch Network and our vast community of viewers are like the last survivors in a zombie movie. I simply don’t understand how people can’t see what’s taking place right before their eyes and fall into the same damn traps over and over.

This isn’t rage bait. I am enraged at what has happened to our country and our democracy. What is happening is actually happening. It’s real, and it’s dangerous, and I refuse to be gaslit into thinking this is normal or that some sanitized headline and story is needed instead of a hard dose of the truth.

What I know when we report on stories that galvanize, motivate, and wake people up is why the MeidasTouch Network exists and why we have grown. I am not bogged down by the haters, but I am deeply reflective of a harmful mentality that got us here. I am confident the way MeidasTouch reports—and our overall approach—is what will help get us out of this MAGA mess because this community sees what’s really happening. We must all remain fearless and never let others gaslight us or take our power away.

We will continue to report fearlessly and accurately. The only credit I ever want is the credit for doing my small part in trying to put positivity, trust, empathy, and a desire to reclaim our democracy into the forefront of all we do.

Thanks for all you do, MeidasMighty! If you are able to support the MeidasTouch Network and appreciate our reporting, we would love your help now more than ever by subscribing to this Substack. Your subscriptions have helped us become the most viewed news network in the United States, beating Fox on video and Joe Rogan’s podcast. We hope you can subscribe today.