QAA Podcast, Episode 313: 2 Frenchmen at CPAC (Part One)

Date: February 28, 2025
Hosts: Julian Feeld, Jake Rockatansky, Travis View, Antoni Monsieur (guest)
Theme: Reporting from the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), with a focus on the presence of January 6th participants, international far right networking, and the lingering shadows of QAnon. The episode blends on-the-ground observations with analysis and dark humor, shining a light on the increasingly surreal, interconnected world of global reactionary movements.

Episode Overview

Julian and Antoni attend CPAC in Washington, D.C., aiming to capture not just the rhetoric from the stage but the on-the-ground atmosphere, connections, and the presence (or absence) of QAnon ideology in 2025. Their experiences—sometimes comical, often disturbing—document the right’s growing internationalism, the normalization of conspiracy thinking, and the lived consequences for its adherents.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Surviving CPAC: Vibes, Exhaustion, and Absurdity

• [00:36–04:31]
  Julian and Antoni's CPAC Fatigue: The hosts recount their physical and emotional exhaustion after days among hard-right rhetoric and the spectacle of CPAC.

  • Julian describes the "press pen" experience: “Stuck in the press pen at the back... with the rest of the haters and losers... The only real time I spent away from CPAC was a stint at the Capitol, where a conference was held by Enrique Tarrio... [and] Stuart Rhodes...” [00:50]
  • Antoni, frustrated and stuck, sends a desperate voice message: "I'm about to fucking like hang myself. Please come back... I'm not gonna survive this." [02:17]
  • Jake relates to Antoni’s breakdown: “I know exactly how you feel. Just surrounded by like the worst people... The anxiety is pitching up. You’ve got one friend in the world, and he’s not there.” [02:47]

2. QAnon in 2025: Traces and Transformations

• [07:12–11:26]
  Encounter with Matthew Webler (‘Crumb’): Despite a sanitized CPAC, Julian finally meets a former “Q” celebrity—a January 6th participant, now pardoned by Trump, named Matthew Webler.

  • First overt QAnon symbol spotted: a man “holding a red Labrador puppy in a service dog coat” with “Crumb” (with a Q) written on his prison ID. [07:08–07:12]
  • Webler on QAnon’s impact:
    “Because of Q, I am somewhat of a celebrity here and get along with absolutely everyone.”
    (From a jail letter, [08:54])
  • When asked about QAnon promises, Webler admits:
    “Not on face value, none of it.” [11:26]
  • His belief persists in a “Great Awakening” around questioning authority and institutions—even as the movement’s core predictions failed.

3. Personal Fallout from Conspiracist Involvement

• [12:53–15:51]
  Webler’s Downfall: The toll of participating in January 6th is devastating—loss of family, home, and self.

  • A heart-wrenching letter:
    “That phone call was the absolute lowest point of my life... I was helpless. A few months later, she filed for divorce. My entire world had been decimated.” ([13:09], Jake reads from Webler’s writing)

  • Despite everything, Webler expresses continued loyalty to Trump, interpreting even Trump’s alleged abandonment on January 6th as a kind of secret act of mercy.
    “I want you to know that it is okay. I wouldn’t change a thing. I would do it again a thousand times over.” ([14:31])

  • Memorable Quip:
    “He believes that Trump sent him off to have his life destroyed, knowing, on purpose, essentially. And he’s apologizing to Trump for getting mad about this.” – Travis [15:54]

4. First Impressions: CPAC as a Reactionary Theme Park

• [17:34–26:48]
  Entry to CPAC, Surreal Encounters:

  • The duo’s first glimpse is Vincent Fuska (alleged by QAnon as “JFK Jr. alive”). Fuska is omnipresent and basks in the adulation, playing into the mythos.

    • “He was everywhere. He always placed himself right where everybody could see him... lots of women were coming and hugging him and stuff.” – Antoni [19:06]
    • “MAGA leprechaun.” – Julian [21:01]

  • The conference venue is described as a climate-controlled “geodome... Like a Disneyfied fascist rally with treats and amenities for the business class.” – Julian [21:50]

  • Racial Ironies:

    • Underpaid people of color work as staff and even shine attendee’s boots.
    • “It was really disheartening... probably underpaid people of color telling fascists the directions to the rooms where they would meet together.” – Antoni [22:35]
    • “Don’t forget: a person of color who was there available to shine people’s boots. Just grim, grim stuff.” – Julian [22:52]

5. International Summit: The Global Right-Wing Network

• [24:48–47:36]
  CPAC International Summit:

  • Host Matt Schlapp convenes right-wing figures from across the world: UK, Brazil (Eduardo Bolsonaro), Mexico, Hungary, Korea, Australia, Israel.

    • Notable guests: Steve Bannon, Liz Truss, leaders from Hungary, Korea, Israel, and Japanese faction J. Aeba.

  • Schlapp, referencing the movement’s contradictions, quips:
    “How ironic it is. We hate the globalists, but strangely enough, we've built a global juggernaut.” [29:01] – Matt Schlapp

  • Brazil Section:

    • Eduardo Bolsonaro dismisses his father's coup plot as “the Disneyland coup d’état,” highlighting the incompetence of the Brazilian attempt.
    • Jake jokes: “I would like to know what a Disneyland coup d' etat looks like. Is it like the seven Dwarfs sort of charging the Magic Castle... holding Mickey's severed head over the crowd?” [31:43–31:55]

  • Korea Section:

    • Korean delegates spin their failed impeachment as evidence of a global (communist) conspiracy.
    • The crowd is bored; only North Korea references rouse interest. Antoni observes: "Everybody else around the table... checked out entirely because he spoke for like 80 seconds. That was way too long and way not interesting for them." [38:04]

  • Bannon’s “We Are at War” Message:

    • Steve Bannon unifies the narrative: “We're at war... They wanted Donald Trump to die in prison, just like they want President Bolsonaro to die in prison... The stakes—we couldn't be playing for higher stakes. And they don't think they've lost yet.” [42:28–43:41]
    • Bannon’s focus on “precinct strategy” as a way to seize power from the bottom up (read from ProPublica). [44:09]
    • “This man has a will to power, like this man knows how to grassroots organize... I don’t think there’s anything to learn from here.” – Julian [45:43]

6. Far-Right Internationalism and the European Scene

• [47:36–55:32]
  European far right on the rise:

  • Antoni explains the surge of the National Rally in France and the ways centrist politicians often block the left from power.

  • “The civic discourse is more and more shaped and media discourse is more, more and more shaped by the far right. Every day is getting worse.” – Antoni [48:16]

  • Tactic of Isolating the Left

    • Macron refuses to allow a leftist prime minister even when the left coalition wins.
    • “You hate to see the liberals decide to hand it to the right when, you know, faced with the decision between ceding anything to the left and just basically saying, hey, this seems to happen over and over again.” – Julian [50:57]

7. The Global Far Right, Israel, and Cynical Anti-Semitism

• [52:57–58:59]

  • Israeli and Hungarian speakers frame themselves as bulwarks against “Muslim migration.”

  • French politics: Antisemitism charge used to fracture the left (the “Islamo-gauchiste” accusation).

  • CPAC’s weird bedfellows:

    • The presence of Israeli officials among literal successors of Nazi parties.
    • Anecdote: French far-right politician dismisses Steve Bannon's Nazi salute as “not all that CPAC is,” just as the Israeli minister sits down with leaders of Austria’s FPO, “founded by actual Nazis.” [58:12]
    • Antoni: “I don't like using gotchas on far right people because it doesn't work. But this is a big one, right?” [58:20]

8. “If You’re Not Winning, You’re a Victim”: Right-Wing Victimhood

• [33:23–35:28]
  • The right’s perpetual narrative of victimhood—even when in power.
  • Jake: “They can’t let go of these past grievances... the only thing really to hold on to is your anger at the other party for their perceived aggression against your guy.”
  • Julian: “The narrative has to contain victimhood... because you want these people to keep fighting... There has to be a strong opponent.” [34:08; 34:54]

9. Cult Connections and Right-Wing Unity

• [61:05]
  • Discussion of “Happy Science”—a Japanese far-right cult that has created political parties and is now represented at CPAC’s international events.
  • Republicans “will ally with absolutely any cult as long as they hate the Chinese Communist Party.”

10. Comic Details, Memorable Scenes, and Dark Humor

• Fuska's “stagecraft” and myth-making, boot-shining staff, Newsmax’s slogan lampooned (“Fake news for imaginary people” – Julian [22:17]), the treat-unwrapping during tense panels, and fluorescent CPAC expo swag (“Let’s Go Brandon” T-shirts using the GI Joe logo; Mike Lindell’s lenticular autobiography cover, etc.).

• Julian's Sleep-Deprived Fantasies:

  • “I fantasized about moving back to Europe. Then I remembered Europe is going to shit too. So I fantasized about my skin splitting and my muscular structure shooting out of it like a rocket...” [63:16]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Antoni, on being stuck in the press pen:
  • “I’m about to fucking like hang myself. Please come back... I'm not gonna survive this.” [02:17]
• Jake, on feeling surrounded at CPAC:
  • “It is me, brother. I know exactly how you feel. Just surrounded by like the worst people. They're closing in.” [02:47]
• Matthew Webler, on Q:
  • “Because of Q, I am somewhat of a celebrity here and get along with absolutely everyone.” [08:54]
  • “Not on face value, none of it.” (Regarding whether QAnon’s predictions came true) [11:26]
• Webler’s tragic loyalty:
  • “I want you to know that it is okay. I wouldn’t change a thing. I would do it again a thousand times over.” [14:31]
• Matt Schlapp, on the right’s paradox:
  • “How ironic it is. We hate the globalists, but strangely enough, we’ve built a global juggernaut.” [29:01]
• Jake, joking about the right’s ‘victimhood’:
  • “These guys can't let go of the past... the only thing really to hold on to is your anger at the other party for their perceived aggression against your guy.” [33:23]
• Antoni, on French politics:
  • “The civic discourse is more and more shaped... by the far right. Every day is getting worse.” [48:16]
• Julian, on the CPAC International Summit attendees:
  • “Every weird European crusty fascist, like, smelling like piss and decaying and just like young Hitlerite types, like, everybody had really gathered there.” [39:19]
• Antoni, on seeing an Israeli minister with Austrian far right:
  • “If CIPAC was anti-Semitic, do you think this guy... would be staying here? And what happened was that... he was going to meet guys from the FPO [Austria’s far right party founded by actual Nazis].” [56:29]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:36 – Julian introduces the purpose of attending CPAC, immediate impressions, and summaries from the press pen.
• 02:17 – Antoni’s voice message meltdown; team commiserates about CPAC ordeal.
• 07:12–11:26 – Conversation with QAnon-pardoned Jan 6er Matthew Webler; his embrace of QAnon, post-prison life, and political ambitions.
• 13:09–15:51 – Webler’s tragic personal losses, continued reverence for Trump, and rationalization of events.
• 17:34–22:17 – Arrival at CPAC; first encounters with Vincent Fuska, “Disneyfied fascist rally” atmosphere.
• 24:48–47:36 – International Summit coverage; right-wing global networking, Bannon’s “war” language, right’s victimhood narrative, audience apathy to foreign woes.
• 47:36–55:32 – European politics explained, French left/right/center dynamics, antisemitism wedge used against the French left.
• 52:57–58:59 – Israeli/Hungarian discourse, far-right rhetorical strategies, blending of nationalist and antisemitic tropes.
• 63:16 – Expo hall horror, MAGA memorabilia, existential dread, and post-conference anxieties.

Flow and Tone

The episode is immersive, sardonic, and often bleakly funny, with the hosts balancing absurd, often petty details of the conference with the gravity of the authoritarian alliances and their real-world consequences. Antoni brings sharp, on-the-ground European context, while Julian, Jake, and Travis dissect the rhetoric, exposing the underlying incoherence and the cultivation of a perpetual siege mentality.

Final Notes

• The episode ends on a cliffhanger: Julian’s press pass is revoked, leaving him to figure out how to finish covering CPAC.
  • “The next day, I’d find out my press pass had been disabled.” – Julian [64:47]
• Teaser for Part Two: The Nazi salute on the CPAC mainstage; more on international fascist networking; deeper dives into conference drama and fallout.

For more in-depth analysis, check out Julian’s feature article on QAnon’s ongoing legacy (linked via his Twitter) and catch Part Two for the rest of the CPAC saga.

“We are far gone, folks. Very, very far gone.” – Julian Feeld [29:25]