Thom Talks with . . . Jim Stewartson

Predicting Trump's Violence - How Online Trolls Won War For American Minds

An alternative reality game developer recognized the tricks QANON trolls used to take over America - Jim Stewartson joins Thom Hartmann to explain how the crazy QANON conspiracy theories went mainstream.

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VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Jim Stewartson:
About four and a half years ago, a colleague told me about QAnon and said, "Hey, this looks like what's called an alternate reality game," which is a form of online entertainment that I helped pioneer 20 years ago. I said, "Well, let me go take a look." The day I looked at it, my life changed. I immediately saw what it was: psychological warfare against American citizens.

What I saw was a very large death cult of people homogenized to believe the same sort of radical right-wing ideology. It was extremely conspiratorial and bizarre, and it immediately reminded me of Voltaire’s quote: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." So, I started to dig into it to find out who was behind it and what they were doing.

Over the first six months, I effectively watched it grow into what would eventually attack the Capitol. I began dedicating a lot of time to researching and writing about this phenomenon. Gradually, I watched it morph into "The Big Lie" and become central to the events of January 6th, along with Proud Boys, Christo-fascist cult members, and others. They all converged, and QAnon was at the heart of it.

That’s how I got started on this journey. The four years of the Biden Administration, as successful as it has been in many ways, were an abject failure in one key area. I think of myself as a failure, too, because I was unable to properly warn people that if you don’t bring those who orchestrated the January 6th insurrection to justice, you’ll see it happen again. Putting foot soldiers in prison while allowing the masterminds and puppet masters to continue their work guarantees repetition. Unfortunately, that’s what we saw on November 5th.

Thom:
So, what is the state of QAnon now? What has it morphed into or absorbed? Or what has absorbed it? Essentially, it has become the Trump base. How large is it? Who’s in charge? When you report on it, who comes after you? Tell us some stories, Jim.

Jim:
Well, it’s basically the Republican Party now, right? What’s happened is that many fascist, white supremacist ideas, including things like the "Great Replacement Theory," have effectively become the ideology of the GOP.

Let me give you one example. There’s a guy, often associated with “Q drops,” who has spent the last seven years promoting QAnon. He signs his name with “Where we go one, we go all” and openly promotes the movement. Recently, he was nominated to be the FBI director.

This QAnon figure also sued me for accurately reporting that he was the number two official in the Pentagon. He had no qualifications other than being willing to do what was needed. He was in the Capitol on January 6th and authored the infamous memo that undermined the National Guard’s ability to assist during the insurrection.

Thom:
Is that Chris Miller’s memo you’re referring to?

Jim: Yes. Cash Patel was in the room with Miller, General Milley, and others. For those who don’t know, this memo directed the National Guard not to provide assistance to Capitol Police, effectively tying their hands. It explicitly outlined restrictions on their ability to intervene.

Thom:
It seems like Chris Miller was put there to sign off on this chaos.

Jim:
Absolutely. Just four days after Trump lost the 2020 election, he decapitated the entire civilian leadership of the Pentagon and replaced them with unqualified loyalists. These "dude bros" had no business making decisions that could determine whether politicians or Capitol police officers survived the attack. In my view, they were installed to ensure there would be no outside assistance.

They came within 100 feet of Mike Pence, chanting “Hang Mike Pence!” There was even a gallows outside the Capitol. To this day, we still don’t know who built it. The intelligence failure was spectacular. How does no one notice someone constructing a gallows on the Capitol lawn?

Thom:
That’s unbelievable. And you warned about this?

Jim:
Yes. I publicly warned on December 21st, based on monitoring QAnon and figures like Mike Flynn, that violence at the Capitol was imminent. Flynn, in my opinion, is the leader of QAnon. When I saw them organizing caravans, invoking the Second Amendment, and saying they were going to “clean house” in D.C., it became clear this wouldn’t be a peaceful event.

Thom:
So, where is QAnon now? Is Trump running QAnon, or is QAnon running Trump?

Jim:
QAnon, as a distinct entity, was disbanded after Trump lost the 2020 election. Q told followers to “debrand” because the "Deep State" would use the label against them. Over the last four years, QAnon has merged with other movements: white nationalism, Christian nationalism, and even Russian-backed psychological operations that began on 4chan in 2017. All of this has coalesced into MAGA, which now dominates the GOP.

Thom:
And the oligarchs?

Jim:
The oligarchs are the key factor. Elon Musk, for example, bought Twitter in 2022, spent $44 billion, and turned it into QAnon’s new platform. He replicated the radicalizing environment of 4chan and 8chan, normalizing bigotry and extremist ideas on a mainstream platform.

Thom:
Jim, we’re out of time, but thank you so much for joining us today.

Jim:
Thank you for having me. Check out mindwar.com for more insights.