A recent meeting in the Oval Office involving President Trump and Ukraine’s President Zelensky sparked a lot of controversy, and it didn’t take long for Senator Adam Schiff to express his thoughts on the matter publicly.
“As a Californian Democrat, I was utterly appalled and distressed,” Schiff commented, clearly shaken by the encounter. “Donald Trump, in my view, is showing a blatant disregard for American values,” he added.
Schiff’s comments reached over 2.2 million viewers, but surprisingly, not through traditional news channels like MSNBC or CNN. Instead, he spoke on MeidasTouch Network’s YouTube channel. This burgeoning online media powerhouse, known for its sharp critiques of Trump, delivers content through videos, clips, podcasts, and social media, swiftly taking over the progressive media scene since Trump’s tenure began. They’re effectively channeling progressive discontent regarding the policies of the then-current administration, emerging as key figures in Democratic politics. Party loyalists hope this movement could eventually rival the extensive media network Republicans have developed over recent years.
For instance, “Pod Save America,” hosted by former colleagues of President Obama, saw a notable 70% increase in listener engagement since mid-January. Moreover, “The Young Turks,” a liberal news show broadcasted five times a week, has experienced a staggering 208% growth in its YouTube subscribers just last month.
One of the most striking indicators of this burgeoning interest in progressive media was last month when “The MeidasTouch Podcast” replaced Joe Rogan’s show at the top of download rankings for both Apple and Spotify, maintaining that position for two consecutive weeks. Rogan did manage to reclaim the top spot recently, though.
“We aim to be a comforting space that resonates with people during these challenging times,” explained Ben Meiselas, an attorney who, along with his brothers, founded MeidasTouch in 2020 as a political action committee before transitioning it into a media entity three years later.
To its dedicated followers, known as the Meidas Mighty, MeidasTouch showcases an alternate perspective where Democrats are gaining momentum while Trump and Republicans face significant setbacks. Some recent podcast episodes sound like headlines in themselves: “Trump in Panic After Caving Like a Coward,” “Trump Crumbles in Public as His Entire Life Unravels,” and “Democratic Leaders Destroy Trump in Red Districts.”
Presently, MeidasTouch employs a staff of 12 full-timers and boasts 30 regular contributors, with notable participants such as ex-Trump attorney Michael Cohen. Their YouTube channel attracts 4.3 million subscribers. “Digital media has surpassed television in terms of relevance and impact,” opined Mr. Meiselas regarding the current media landscape for Democratic discourse.
Nevertheless, television still holds sway, although networks leaning towards the center or left have seen their positions diminish in comparison to the dominant ratings of Fox News. Fox News commanded the entirety of the 10 highest-rated cable news programs last month.
Consequently, more and more Democratic politicians are turning to digital avenues to reach a broader and younger audience base.
“We were losing the race in new media,” confessed Senator Cory Booker, a Democrat from New Jersey heading the Senate Democratic Strategic Communications Committee. Past criticisms have been levied at figures like former President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for their hesitant approach towards non-traditional media platforms, which stands in stark contrast to Trump’s far-reaching embrace of right-wing influencers and podcasts.
Earlier in January, Booker’s committee, along with its House equivalent, announced openings for social media managers to foster connections with digital creators. Booker even invited noted YouTube host Brian Tyler Cohen to conduct media training sessions for Democrats, covering topics from video production to handling swearing on camera. Cohen, who has established a massive presence with 3.9 million subscribers and active distributions on TikTok, Instagram, and X, describes this digital shift as crucial for Democrats, but also notes it’s been overdue.
“I struggled to book guests initially,” Cohen recounted. “But now, it’s a challenge to manage all the high-profile figures eager to participate.”
Notably, some politicians are embracing the digital sphere head-on. California’s Governor Gavin Newsom recently launched a podcast featuring discussions with pivotal figures in the MAGA movement. His inaugural episode with Charlie Kirk from Turning Point USA captures the energetic atmosphere typical of right-wing media.
Yet, translating these efforts into real traction poses its challenges. Podcasts like “Inside Maine with Senator Angus King” have not managed to attract significant followings. Attempts to innovate digitally sometimes misfire as well. Last week, a coordinated response to Trump’s Congressional speech from Booker and other senators drew criticism for its apparent lack of originality, a script Booker later admitted he authored.
In the digital realm, a single podcast appearance can be extensively repurposed across platforms, each iteration driving further engagement. Recently, after a Congressional speech by Trump, MeidasTouch’s Gen-Z influencer, Adam Mockler, amassed over 250,000 views via live-streaming Democratic responses. A colleague, Acyn Torabi, capitalized further by transforming these interactions into viral clips, leveraging this content to reach nearly a million additional views on X.
The Meiselas brothers, supplemented by contributors, relentlessly publish a multitude of short news segments, often strategically titled with “Trump” to optimize search engine results. This steady stream encourages podcast downloads, elevating the outlet’s position on various charts. In February, MeidasTouch recorded 57.5 million podcast downloads as reported by Podscribe, surpassing even “The Joe Rogan Experience” and Candace Owens in terms of total downloads, if not in per-episode listeners.
“You have to be agile,” remarked Ron Filipkowski, a former Republican onboard with MeidasTouch since 2023. Now managing their Substack newsletter with over 500,000 subscribers, Filipkowski emphasizes that this adaptability fuels their growing following.
Competing outlets are also evolving. “Pod Save America” co-host Tommy Vietor has been experimenting with direct-to-TikTok video formats.
“Trump is one of the most persistent communicators in political history,” Vietor acknowledges. “Democrats need to mirror that tenacity across all platforms to compete.”
Even with these gains, the left still lacks prominent voices equivalent to those dominating the right, like Elon Musk and Ben Shapiro. Edison Research’s Melissa Kiesche maintains reaching top podcast spots on Apple and Spotify is commendable, but MeidasTouch’s reach remains a fraction of Rogan’s dominant presence.
Just recently, Representative Ro Khanna hosted Carlos Eduardo Espina, a powerful left-wing TikTok influencer, to cover Trump’s Congressional speech, resulting in over 17 million views from just 11 videos.
Khanna advocates for broader party acceptance of social media influencers as critical allies in the movement.
“The right has cultivated a sense of community online that the left needs to develop,” emphasized Khanna.
