Could This Video Have Incited the Jan. 6 Rioters?

> NOW WE TURN TO ANOTHER KEY VIDEO FROM JANUARY 6, THAT FATEFUL INSURRECTION DAY.

JUST HOURS BEFORE THE MOB ATTACK, PRESIDENT TRUMP MADE A SPEECH AT A RALLY IN WHICH WE REMEMBER HE URGED SUPPORTERS TO MARCH ON THE CAPITOL AND SHOW STRENGTH.

IMMEDIATELY AFTER RUDY GIULIANI SPOKE AND WALKED OFF THE STAGE, A VIDEO BEGAN TO PLAY.

YALE PROFESSOR JASON STANLEY, A SCHOLAR WHO'S TRACED THE RISE OF NEOFASCISM DISSECTED THE VIDEO AND HERE HE IS TALKING TO OUR HARI SREENIVASAN ABOUT WHY HE FINDS IT SO DISTURBING.

CHRISTIANE, THANKS.

JASON STANLEY, THANKS FOR JOINING US.

YOU HAVE LITERALLY WRITTEN THE BOOK ON HOW FASCISM WORKS.

YOU WROTE A RECENT COLUMN ABOUT A VIDEO THAT WAS PLAYED RIGHT BEFORE PEOPLE MARCHED OVER TO THE CAPITOL AND ATTEMPTED THE INSURRECTION.

AND YOU WENT INTO GREAT DETAIL ABOUT IT, SO WE'RE GOING TO DO SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.

WE ARE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT CLIPS OF VIDEO THAT WERE PLAYED TO THE CROWD AT THE ELLIPSE ON JANUARY 6th AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO HAVE YOUR ANALYSIS OF IT.

LET'S START WITH CLIP ONE.

WHAT TRULY MATTERS IS NOT WHICH PARTY CONTROLS OUR GOVERNMENT, BUT WHETHER OUR GOVERNMENT IS CONTROLLED BY THE PEOPLE.

♪♪ FOR TOO LONG, A SMALL GROUP IN OUR NATION'S CAPITAL HAS REAPED THE REWARDS OF GOVERNMENT WHILE THE PEOPLE HAVE BORNE THE COST.

THAT'S THE BEGINNING OF THE VIDEO.

WHAT DO YOU SEE THERE?

WHAT WE SAW WAS TRUMP'S INAUGURATION SPEECH FROM 2017 PLAYING.

AND THE IMAGES ESSENTIALLY BEGIN WITH A HOLLYWOOD SIGN.

SO WHAT ARE WE BEING TOLD?

WHILE THE VOICEOVER TELLS US THAT THE PEOPLE HAVE LOST THE COUNTRY AND THE COUNTRY HAS BEEN UNDER THE CONTROL OF A SMALL GROUP OF ELITES.

SO WHO ARE THESE ELITES?

THE ELITES ARE THE PEOPLE WHO CONTROL HOLLYWOOD, WHO RUN HOLLYWOOD.

AND IN ANTI-SEMITIC IDEOLOGY, THAT WOULD BE JEWISH PEOPLE RUN HOLLYWOOD.

THAT'S AN IMMEDIATE DOG WHISTLE FOR ANTI-SEMITES, FOR JEWS, AND THEN IN CASE YOU MISSED THAT WE'RE LED TO BIDEN WITH A VACANT LOOK.

THIS IS PART OF A THEME OF THE 2020 CAMPAIGN OF TRUMP, BIDEN IS UNDER CONTROL BY THE LEFTISTS, BY A SHADOWY CONTROL OF ELITES, GLOBAL ELITES, THE RADICAL LEFT.

SO CHUCK SCHUMER IS A JEWISH SENATOR AND HE'S WEARING A CANTE CLOTH.

WHY IS THAT SIGNIFICANT?

WELL, IN THE IDEOLOGY OF THE SECOND KU KLUX KLAN IN AMERICAN ANTI-SEMITIC IDEOLOGY, JEWS ARE BEHIND RACIAL JUSTICE MOVEMENTS BECAUSE THEY WANT TO DESTROY THE NATION BY DIVIDING IT, BY ENCOURAGING MINORITIES INTO A RACE WAR, BY DIVIDING THE NATION, A THEME THAT OCCURS THROUGHOUT THIS VIDEO, SO THAT THEY CAN TAKE OVER -- DESTROY THE NATION FROM WITHIN AND TAKE OVER WITH A WORLD GOVERNMENT.

ANOTHER FRAME HERE IS PELOSI FLANKED BY TWO JEWISH CONGRESSMEN.

SO WE AGAIN SEE THIS ANTI-SEMITIC THEME.

AND THEN THE WORLD GOVERNMENT THEME IS IN TWO FRAMES, ONE OF THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE OTHER OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, WHICH IS THE SYMBOL OF THE LOSS OF THE EUROPEAN NATION STATE TO A SUPPOSED FACELESS, GLOBAL CABAL.

AND BEHIND THIS WE HAVE THE PEOPLE WHO CONTROL HOLLYWOOD, SCHUMER, SCHIFF AND NADLER, PROMINENT JEWISH MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.

DO YOU REALLY THINK ANYBODY THAT WAS STANDING AT THE ELLIPSE THAT DAY WATCHING THAT VIDEO KNOWS ANY REFERENCES TO THAT OR SEES ANYTHING OTHER THAN THERE'S BIDEN, THERE'S SCHUMER, THERE'S PELOSI.

THOSE ARE THE THREE MOST POWERFUL DEMOCRATS OF THE LAND.

ARE WE READING TOO MUCH INTO IT?

HOLLYWOOD, HARI?

WHY DOES A HOLLYWOOD SIGN BEGIN THIS VIDEO?

SO A LOT OF THE PEOPLE THERE IN THAT RALLY, SOME OF THEM WOULD BE UNAWARE OF PROTOCOLS OF THE INTERNATIONAL YOU OR THIS HISTORY.

BUT THAT'S HOW DOG WHISTLES WORK.

DOG WHISTLES WORK BY SIGNALING TO THOSE WHO DO HAVE THAT IDEOLOGY THAT THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON, THAT THE JEWS ARE IN CONTROL.

BUT IF YOU DON'T HAVE THAT IDEOLOGY, YOU'RE GOING TO THINK THERE'S A SHADOWY GLOBAL ELITE REPRESENTED BY THE PEOPLE WHO CONTROL HOLLYWOOD AND CHUCK SCHUMER, SCHIFF, NADLER AND PELOSI.

PELOSI IS NOT JEWISH.

BUT THESE ARE -- THESE ARE RED FLAG DOG WHISTLES FOR ANTI-SEMITISM.

AND WE KNOW THAT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS INCREASINGLY LEANED INTO USING GEORGE SOROS AS A VILLAINOUS SYMBOL.

WHICH WHEN THIS HAPPENED IN EUROPE IN HUNGARY, EVERYONE IN THE UNITED STATES WITHOUT QUESTION SAID VICTOR ORBON IS USING ANTI-SEMITIC PROPAGANDA.

SO I'M NOT SURE NOW THAT THE UNITED STATES HAS COMPLETELY TAKEN OVER THIS KIND OF PROP GANDA, SUDDENLY IT'S NOT ANTI-SEMITIC?

WHERE DOES QANON PLAY INTO ALL OF THIS?

SO QANON SAYS THERE'S AN ELITE GROUP -- A GROUP OF ELITES WHO ARE CONTROLLING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND INFILTRATING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

THEY'RE MEMBERS OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

AND THEIR GOAL IS TO DESTROY THE NATION, BETRAY THE NATION, AND DESTROY THE NATION.

DONALD TRUMP WILL RESCUE US FROM THIS.

THIS IS HIGHLY REMINISCENT OF THE PROTOCOLS OF THE ELDERS OF ZION, THE ANTI-SEMITIC CONSPIRACY THEORY AT THE BASIS OF NAZI IDEOLOGY.

THE IDEA THAT THE GERMAN NATION WAS BETRAYED BY AN INSIDE GROUP OF JEWS WHO SOUGHT TO DESTROY THE NATION AND HAND IT OVER TO A KIND OF GLOBAL ELITE, QANON MIXES WITH THAT OTHER ANTI-SEMITIC ELEMENTS FROM HISTORY.

SO THE IDEA IS WHAT DO THESE ELITES DO?

THEY DO EVERYTHING FROM CHILD SEX RINGS TO DRINKING THE BLOOD OR EATING THE FACE OF LITTLE CHILDREN.

SO THIS IS KIND OF PROTOCOLS OF THE ELDERS OF ZION PLUS BLOOD LIBEL, TWO TRADITIONAL ANTI-SEMITIC THEORIES ROLLED INTO ONE.

HERE'S ANOTHER CLIP.

THAT ALL CHANGES STARTING RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW.

♪♪

SO WATCHING THAT, I THINK MOST PEOPLE WOULD SAY I THINK THIS LOOKS LIKE ANY CAMPAIGN AD FOR ANY POLITICIAN.

THEY SURROUND THEMSELVES WITH IMAGES OF WARSHIPS OR IN THIS CASE LOOKING PRESIDENTIAL, WALKING WITH THE SECRET SERVICE.

WHAT DISTURBED YOU ABOUT THIS?

THIS ISN'T LOOKING PRESIDENTIAL, IF PRESIDENTIAL MEANS THE RULER OF AN AUTHORITARIAN COUNTRY, KIM JONG-UN.

THIS IS LOOKING LIKE A DICTATOR.

THIS IS LOOKING LIKE A AUTHORITARIAN LEADER.

THESE ARE THE TRUMP YEARS.

TRUMP WINS.

AMERICA IS JOYOUS.

THEIR LEADER IS HERE.

JOYOUS MASS RALLIES.

WEEPING THANK YOU.

YOU SEE THE IMAGE OF A WOMAN WEEPING.

WE OWE EVERYTHING TO TRUMP, THE GLORY.

THEN WE HAVE WHAT KIND OF GLORY DID HE BRING?

MILITARY GLORY.

OUR MILITARY MIGHT RESTORED.

WE HAVE HIM STRIDING IN FRONT OF A MILITARY GUARD.

WE SEE A BLACK MAN AND A WHITE MAN TOGETHER IN BROTHERHOOD.

IT IS IN WORSHIP OF TRUMP AT RALLIES, OF ADULATION OF TRUMP, THAT RACIAL DIVISION IS HEALED.

SO THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE PRESIDENT.

THIS IS ABOUT THE LEADER OF AN AUTHORITARIAN MASS MOVEMENT.

OKAY.

HERE'S THE NEXT SECTION OF THE VIDEO.

♪♪ SO, AGAIN, WHAT'S PROBLEMATIC HERE?

HE IS LOOKING PRESIDENTIAL.

HE IS WATCHING A SPACE SHUTTLE -- OR I'M SORRY, A ROCKET TAKE OFF.

THERE'S STEALTH FIGHTERS IN THE SKY.

I MEAN THIS LOOKS LIKE IT COULD BE AN AD FOR ANY SECOND TERM PRESIDENT.

THIS COULD BE FOOTAGE THAT YOU COULD SWAP IN A BILL CLINTON OR A BARACK OBAMA, THEM SALUTING TROOPS.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS?

WHY IS THIS PART OF THIS KIND OF FASCIST TROPE THAT YOU'RE CONCERNED ABOUT?

SO LET'S BREAK DOWN FASCISM QUICKLY.

FASCISM IS A CULT OF THE LEADER WHO PROMISES NATIONAL RESTORATION IN THE FACE OF SUPPOSED HUMILIATION BROUGHT ON BYLIBERALS, ELITES, MINORITIES, SOCIAL JUSTICE MOVEMENTS.

HE PROMISES TO RESTORE THE NATION.

BUT THE NATION HE PROMISES TO RESTORE IS SOMETHING THE SCHOLAR OF NAZIISM CALLS REACTIONARY MODERNISM.

IT'S A GLORIOUS TECHNOLOGICAL FUTURE WHERE THE MILITARY IS THE MOST POWERFUL IN THE WORLD.

THE NAZIS LOVED ROCKET TECHNOLOGY.

THE V-2 ROCKET WAS THIS SYMBOL OF NAZI POWER AND MIGHT.

THAT'S WHAT'S HILARIOUS ABOUT THE VIDEO.

FOR THOSE OF US WHO KNOW HISTORY, IT'S A DIRECT REFERENCE TO THE KIND OF OBSESSION WITH ROCKET TECHNOLOGY THAT NATIONAL SOCIALISM HAD.

AS HITLER SAYS, SCIENCE IS JUST THERE FOR THE GLORIFICATION OF THE NATION.

SO THIS IS A CULT OF THE LEADER WE'RE SEEING IN BOTH OF THESE PAST FEW CLIPS.

THE LEADER, WE OWE EVERYTHING TO DONALD TRUMP.

THEN WE END WITH THAT CLIP.

A PICTURE OF A CABINET MEETING.

BUT EVERY FACE IS FUZZED OUT EXCEPT FOR DONALD TRUMP'S.

SO EVERY FACE.

SO IT'S NOT A DEMOCRACY.

THERE'S NO WAY PRESIDENT OBAMA OR PRESIDENT CLINTON OR PRESIDENT BUSH FOR THAT MATTER WOULD HAVE A CABINET MEETING WITH EVERY FACE FUZZED OUT BUT THEIRS.

THAT IS REMARKABLY STARTLING -- WHAT WE'RE BEING TOLD IS THERE IS ONLY ONE LEADER.

♪♪

ALL RIGHT.

WHAT'S WRONG HERE?

WE SEE OBVIOUSLY IMAGERY THAT HARKENS TO COVID AND THE DEVASTATING IMPACT THAT IT'S HAD ON OUR ECONOMY, MAKING THINGS EMPTY.

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

SO RIGHT BEFORE THIS CLIP WE SAW THE GLORIOUS TRUMP YEARS.

OUR LEADER BEING ADULATED.

NOW WE SEE A SMIRKING JOE BIDEN.

WE SEE BILL BARR TESTIFYING BEFORE CONGRESS.

BETRAYAL HAS STARRED.

SO ALL THE LEGAL TROUBLES THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FACED.

IT'S NOT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S FAULT, IT WAS A PLOT.

IT WAS A PLOT OF THE DEMOCRATS.

THEN WE SEE COVID, SCENE AFTER SCENE OF COVID, SUGGESTING THAT JOE BIDEN IS BEHIND THE COVID PANDEMIC.

THAT THE DEMOCRATS USED THE COVID PANDEMIC TO DESTROY THE COUNTRY AS A MEANS OF ELECTORAL SUCCESS.

WHAT DO YOU SEE AT THE END OF THIS VIDEO IN THE FINAL CLIP?

♪♪

WE SEE IN THIS FINAL CLIP WHAT OUR FUTURE IS IF WE CAN RESTORE TRUMP AFTER THIS TERRIBLE BETRAYAL.

OUR PROMISE IS RACIAL UNITY UNDER CHRISTIANITY.

SO THERE'S A SCENE OF A BLACK MAN AND A WHITE MAN EMBRACING WITH THE WHITE MAN SAYING IT WITH A 'JESUS SAVES' T-SHIRT SO WE'RE BEING TOLD, WE CAN GET RACIAL UNITY UNDER CHRISTIANITY, UNDER -- IN TRUMP RALLIES, ADULATION OF THE LEADER.

WE CAN GET RACIAL UNITY, WE CAN GET PROSPERITY, WE CAN FILL OUR CITIES BACK UP AGAIN, WE CAN GET AWAY FROM THIS TREACHEROUS COVID POLICY THAT HAS BANKRUPTED THE NATION AND MISERATED ITS PEOPLE.

THERE'S BEEN TREACHERY AND BETRAYAL.

THIS TREACHERY AND BETRAYAL NEEDS REVENGE.

THE REWARD FOR THIS REVENGE WILL BE NORMAL LIFE AGAIN UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF DONALD TRUMP.

NOW, TO BE CLEAR, WE DON'T KNOW WHO PAID FOR THE PRODUCTION.

AT THIS POINT WHEN WE'RE HAVING THIS CONVERSATION THERE'S NOT YET A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL PARTY FUNDING THIS, THE CREATION OF THIS VIDEO.

THAT SAID, HERE WE ARE ALSO IN THE CONTEXT OF AN IMPEACHMENT TRIAL THAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW AND TRYING TO PLACE THE RESPONSIBILITY UPON THE ACTS THAT HAPPENED RIGHT AFTER THIS VIDEO, RIGHT AFTER THE RALLY HERE IN D.C. ON THE PRESIDENT.

SO WHY DOES THIS TWO-MINUTE CLIP MATTER?

HOW DOES IT PLAY INTO THE CONTEXT OF WHAT ELSE HAPPENED THAT MORNING THAT LED TO THE ATTACK ON THE CAPITOL?

SO WHAT WE HAVE FRAMING THIS VIDEO AND THIS VIDEO IS A CONTRIBUTION TO THAT FRAME IS THE THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS TREACHERY.

ELITES BETRAYED THE UNITED STATES.

THE VIDEO SUGGESTS COVID WAS -- WITHOUT SAYING SUGGESTS THAT COVID WAS SOME KIND OF PLOT.

THE ELECTION WAS SUPPOSEDLY STOLEN.

THINK OF WHAT THESE RALLIES ARE CALLED, STOP THE STEAL RALLIES.

THAT PRESUPPOSES THAT THE ELECTION WAS STOLEN.

IT DOESN'T EVEN SAY IT, IT PRESUPPOSES IT.

THE ENTIRE RALLY WAS FILLED WITH A FRAME OF WARRIORS AND FIGHTING.

YOU KNOW, TRUMP URGED PEOPLE TO FIGHT, TRIAL BY COMBAT GIULIANI SAID RIGHT BEFORE THE SHOWING OF THIS VIDEO.

VIOLENCE REQUIRES A JUSTIFICATION.

THAT'S WHY WAR PROPAGANDA ALWAYS FOCUSES ON TREACHERY.

WAR PROPAGANDA ALWAYS FOCUSES ON A THEME OF REVENGE.

YOU CAN'T GET PEOPLE TO RISK THEIR LIVES AND WELL-BEING UNLESS THEY FEEL IT'S FOR A GREATER CAUSE.

THIS VIDEO IS ASKING YOU TO, IN THE WORDS OF THE RALLY GOERS, FIGHT FOR TRUMP.

IT'S A CALL FOR VIOLENCE.

AND IT'S WITHIN A LARGER CONTEXT THAT'S TELLING PEOPLE, THAT'S PRESUPPOSING THAT THERE WAS TREACHERY AND CALLING ON PEOPLE TO GET REVENGE FOR THAT TREACHERY.

WERE YOU SURPRISED AT THE VIOLENCE AFTER THIS RALLY?

NO.

WHY NOT?

SO WHEN THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES WITH SUCH AUTHORITY IS LYING SO OPENLY, AS HE HAS BEEN DOING, AND TELLING YOU YOU'VE BEEN BETRAYED, THIS IS EXACTLY THE KIND OF THING THAT INCITES PEOPLE TO WHAT THEY FEEL IS JUSTIFIED VIOLENCE.

MASS VIOLENCE REQUIRES A JUSTIFICATION.

IT REQUIRES SOMEONE TO TELL YOU THAT THE VIOLENT ACTS THAT YOU TAKE ARE JUSTIFIED.

WE'VE BEEN SEEING THIS RHETORIC FOR YEARS, AND IT'S BEEN AMPLIFIED MORE RECENTLY.

IF YOU LOOK AT HISTORY, THERE'S ALWAYS A PERIOD, BE IT A YEAR, THREE YEARS, EVEN FIVE YEARS, WHERE YOU GET THIS VIOLENT RHETORIC AGAINST MINORITIES, AGAINST POLITICAL OPPONENTS, AND THEN IT BURSTS INTO VIOLENCE WHERE THE PEOPLE DOING THE VIOLENCE ARE -- THEN FEEL JUSTIFIED.

THEY FEEL THEY CAN DO THESE INCREDIBLE ACTS.

SO FOR ME AS A SCHOLAR OF THIS HISTORY AND A THEORIST OF THIS LANGUAGE OF PROPAGANDA, I WAS JUST WAITING FOR THIS.

YOU KNOW, WE COULD ALSO LOOK AT THIS AND SAY, LOOK, THIS ENTIRE PREMISE, THE VIDEO AND EVERYTHING ELSE WAS REJECTED.

THE SYSTEM DID CATCH UP, THAT HE HAS BEEN DEPLATFORMED OFF OF SOCIAL MEDIA, HE HAS BEEN VOTED OUT OF OFFICE.

HE NO LONGER HAS THE NUCLEAR CODES.

WHAT'S TO WORRY?

THE MOVEMENT HAS SHOWN WHAT'S POSSIBLE.

ANY SOPHISTICATED AUTHORITARIAN CAN SEE THE UNITED STATES IS NOT AS STABLE AS MANY TOOK IT TO BE.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE BACKGROUND CONDITIONS IN THE UNITED STATES OF RACIAL DIVISION, OF EXTREME RACIAL DIVISION, OF ELITE BETRAYAL, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE PERFECTLY RIGHT TO SAY THAT THE ECONOMIC INEQUALITY THAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING, THERE'S NO JUSTIFICATION FOR IT.

IT IS A KIND OF ELITE BETRAYAL.

AND WHAT WE'VE SEEN IS PEOPLE NEED MEANING.

OUR STRUCTURES HERE ARE RIPE FOR TAKEOVER.

I MEAN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY VERY QUICK LOW FOLDED INTO A CULT OF THE LEADER.

THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION, THEIR PLATFORM WAS JUST WHATEVER TRUMP WANTED.

THE REPUBLICANS HAVE NOT SHOWN INDEPENDENCE OF TRUMP.

ANY SMART WOULD BE AUTHORITARIAN SEES THAT THERE IS A PATH IN THE UNITED STATES TO TAKING OVER THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND RULING FROM THERE.

JASON STANLEY OF YALE AND AUTHOR OF THE BOOK 'HOW FASCISM WORKS' THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.