PENNSYLVANIA, AHEAD OF THE
PRESIDENT’S TRIP THERE, THANK
YOU MUCH.
APPRECIATE IT.
>>> SO I’M ABOUT TO SAY A
SENTENCE THAT NO JOKE IN 10,000
MILLION YEARS NOBODY WOULD HAVE
EVER PREDICTED WOULD HAVE BEEN
UTTERED ON TELEVISION.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES IS REFUSING TO DISAVOW
CONSPIRACY HERE TOIESTS WHO
THINK HE’S BEEN SECRETLY TAPPED
TO UNCOVER A CULT OF SATAN
WORSHIPPING PEDOPHILES WHO EAT
THEIR VICTIMS IN A KABAL THAT
INCLUDES A-LIST CELEBRITIES,
BIG-NAMED DEMOCRATS AND THE
POPES.
THIS IS NOT JUST A BUNCH OF
ONLINE CRAZY TALK.
THIS IS DANGEROUS IN REAL LIFE.
THE FBI I.D.’d QANON AS A
DOMESTIC TERROR THREAT.
NBC NEWS REPORTS ON THIS AND THE
DANGER ELEMENT FACEBOOK IS
CRACKING DOWN ON HUNDREDS OF
PAGES AND ADS LINKED TO THE
CONSPIRACY THEORY THAT INFECTED
SOCIAL MEDIA.
HERE IS THE PRESIDENT HAD THE
HIS OWN WORDS.
>> I DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE
MOVEMENT, OTHER THAN I
UNDERSTAND THEY LIKE ME VERY
MUCH.
I’VE HEARD THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT
LOVE OUR COUNTRY.
>> Reporter: THE THEORY THERE IS
THIS BELIEF THAT YOU ARE
SECRETLY SAVING THE WORLD FROM
THIS SATANIC CULT OF PEDOPHILES
AND CANNIBALS.
DOES THAT SOUND LIKE SOMETHING
YOU ARE BEHIND?
>> WELL I HAVEN’T HEARD THAT,
BUT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE A BAD
THING OR A GOOD THING?
IF I CAN HELP SAVE THE WORLD
FROM PROBLEMS, I’M WILLING TO DO
IT.
>> WITH ME ARE TWO JOURNALISTS
WHO HAVE DONE SOME OF THE BEST
REPORTING ON QANON’S RISE SINCE
THE START, BEN COLLINS AND THE
"NEW YORK TIMES" CHARLIE
WARZELL, OPINION WRITER
AT-LARGE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
BEN, I WANT TO DO JUST LIKE A
QUICK LIGHTNING ROUND ON THIS
BECAUSE I KNOW YOU’RE ABLE TO
PLAY WITH ME ON THIS ONE HERE.
DESCRIBE YOUR REACTION, DESCRIBE
QANON FIVE WORDS OR LESS.
GO.
>> OH, MAN, DONALD TRUMP IS THE
MESSIAH AND TAKEN DOWN SATANIC
CANNIBALS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
THAT’S NOT FIVE BUT THAT’S ABOUT
IT.
>> YOUR REACTION TO THE
PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS, BEN?
>> HONEST TO GOD, I THOUGHT
ALMOST PRECISELY WHAT HE SAID
WAS WHAT HE WAS GOING TO SAY.
HE HAD, THIS IS AN ELECTORAL
GAME FOR HIM.
THERE ARE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO
BELIEVE IN THAT STUFF AND WE
KNOW THAT EVIDENCED BY SOME
REPORTING FROM MY COLLEAGUE AT
NBC NEWS, BRANDY, THERE IS AN
INTERNAL DOCUMENT AT FACEBOOK
SHOWED MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN
GROUPS AND GROWING ON A DAILY
BASIS READING THIS STUFF AND
REALLY STARTING TO BELIEVE IT
AND THIS IS NOT -- IT’S SO
LUDICROUS TO US TO RATIONAL
THINKERS BUT PEOPLE GET DRAWN
DOWN BAD PATHS BECAUSE THEY ARE
NERVOUS ABOUT THE ECONOMY, OR
NERVOUS ABOUT THE PANDEMIC, AND
YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE HOURS TO
SPEND ON FACEBOOK AND SOMETHING
THAT MAY APPEAR IRRATIONAL TO
THEM A DAY BEFORE, THEY GET
RADICALIZED VERY QUICKLY,
BECAUSE THESE BAD GUYS ARE SEEN
IN THE GROUPS ARE DOING SOME
PRETTY STANDARD BRAIN HACKING
TECHNIQUES.
>> SO CHARLIE, IT’S NOT JUST
THAT IT’S SORT OF THIS ONLINE
THING, RIGHT?
I’VE BEEN READING A LOT OF YOUR
PIECES AND YOU MAKE THE POINT,
AND I THINK IT’S AN IMPORTANT
ONE THAT SOME OF THE SUPPORTERS
ARE LINKED TO ACTS OF VIOLENCE
AND THERE IS A NUMBER, STANDOFF
AT THE HOOVER DAM IN 2018, 2020
ARREST OF SOMEBODY THREATENING
TO KILL BILLION-DOLLARED ABOUT
WHO WAS ARRESTED WITH KNIVES, I
BELIEVE.
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AND
WHY YOU ARE SO CONCERNED.
>> WELL, I THINK WHAT WE’RE
SEEING HERE IS THAT THERE IS A
SUPERHERO ELEMENT TO THE
CONSPIRACY THEORY AND HIGH
STAKES, HIGH DRAMA, THIS IS LIFE
AND DEATH FOR A LOT OF THESE
PEOPLE AND SO WHEN YOU BECOME
RADICALIZED BY THIS, AND THESE,
YOU KNOW, THE CONVERSATION
BECOMES MORE AND MORE DIRE AND
THE FATE OF THE THE WORLD IS AT
STAKE HERE.
IT PUSHES PEOPLE TO POTENTIALLY
DO VERY DANGEROUS THINGS.
I THINK WE’VE SEEN EXTREMIST
VIOLENCE BORNE ONLINE FLOOD OUT
INTO THE REAL WORLD,
INCREASINGLY THROUGHOUT THIS
PRESIDENCY.
IT’S BEEN YOU KNOW IF YOU LOOK
AT THINGS LIKE CHRISTCHURCH, THE
RADICALIZATION HAS A REAL IMPACT
ON THE REAL WORLD AND I THINK
THAT VIOLENCE NEEDS TO BE
SOMETHING WE ARE CONSTANTLY
PROGRAMMING WHEN TALKING ABOUT
THIS MOVEMENT.
IT WAS THE PROBLEM IN THE
CAPTION TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES, MADE IT SEEM LIKE
HE WAS SOME KIND OF HERO INSTEAD
OF MAKING HIM ADDRESS THAT
VIOLENCE.
>> PART OF THE ISSUE SOME OF
THIS CHARLIE AND BEN TO BOTH OF
YOU.
LISTEN, THE PRESIDENT, AND WE
PLAYED THIS, HE SAID "I DON’T
KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE MOVEMENT"
AND HE WENT ON TO ANSWER THE
QUESTION AS POSED TO HIM IN THE
BRIEFING BY A COUPLE OF PEOPLE,
BUT THIS HAS BEEN IN THE NEWS.
THIS IS NOT SOME LIKE BEN, YOU
AND I WERE TALKING LIKE A YEAR
AND A HALF AGO ABOUT QANON AND
THE EARLY DAYS OF IT.
THIS IS NOT 2019.
YOU HAVE PEOPLE RUNNING FOR
POLITICAL OFFICE INCLUDING
MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE RECENTLY
OPENLY SUPPORTIVE OF THE QANON
VIEWS AND MAKING HEADLINES, THE
PRESIDENT HAS BEEN ASKED ABOUT
THIS IN RECENT DAYS SO HE IS
EITHER NOT GETTING BRIEFED ON
IT, CHOOSING NOT TO GET BRIEFED
ON IT, NOT LISTENING TO ANY
BRIEFINGS POTENTIALLY IF HE IS
NOT AWARE OF THIS, OR HIS
STAFFERS AREN’T DOING IT.
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, BEN,
THE IDEA THERE IS SORT OF IN
SOME CORNERS OF THE CONSERVATIVE
WORLD CANDIDATES, POLITICAL
CANDIDATES, DOZEN, A HANDFUL OF
THEM BACKING THIS, AND LOOKING
FOR THE PRESIDENT’S SUPPORT ON
THIS.
>> I WILL SAY TODAY THERE’S BEEN
THE FIRST GROUNDSWELL OF
REPUBLICANS SAYING LOOK, THIS IS
NUTS.
THAT’S THEIR WORDS, NOT MINE.
THIS IS NUTS BUT THERE ARE
PEOPLE WHO DON’T WANT TO BE A
PART OF THIS, BECAUSE IT’S A
REALLY DANGIOUS IOUSEROUS GAME T
YOU DEMONIZE THE OTHER SIDE NOT
JUST DISAGREEING VEHEMENTLY AND
HATING THEIR IDEOLOGY BUT SAYING
THEY’RE QUITE LITERALLY MUFRDERS
S
MURDERERS AND KILLING CHILDREN
IT’S DANGEROUS AND WHY PEOPLE
ARE TAKING IT OUT IN REAL LIFE,
PEOPLE ARE HIJACKING TRAINS TO
CRASH THEM INTO BOATS WHICH IS
WHAT HAPPENED, BECAUSE A GUY
THOUGHT AT ONE POINT THERE WERE
CHILDREN IN THESE BOATS THAT
NEEDED SAVING, THAT’S NOT
POLITICS ANYMORE.
THAT IS EXTREMISM.
THAT’S WHEN IT BECOMES A
DOMESTIC TERROR PROBLEM WHICH IS
WHAT THE FBI CALLED IT LAST
YEAR.
SO YOU KNOW, REALLY PEOPLE HAVE
TO MAKE A CHOICE.
DO YOU WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS
MOVEMENT, WHICH IS REALLY
DANGEROUS AND BASED ON THE VERY
PREMISE THAT POLITICAL VIOLENCE
IS NECESSARY, OR DO YOU WANT TO,
YOU KNOW, COME BACK AND SAY
ACTUALLY THESE PEOPLE ARE OUR
NEIGHBORS, MAYBE WE SHOULDN’T GO
THIS FAR.
>> CHARLIE, QUICKLY BECAUSE I’M
OUT OF TIME, DO FACEBOOK AND
OTHERS NEED TO BE DOING MORE
ABOUT THIS?
>> TRYING TO CLEAN UP THE MESS
NOW BUT THIS IS CLASSIC, RIGHT?
THIS IS THE CAT IS WAY OUT OF
THE BAG, THE TRAIN HAS LEFT THE
STATION AND NOW, YOU KNOW,
PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SWEEP IT
UP.
YEAH, THEY NEED TO DO MORE BUT
YOU KNOW, THEY DON’T WANT TO BE