The Daily Show's Jordan Klepper really thought he'd found a person who'd extricated himself from the mass delusions around former President Donald Trump when he spoke with a man who called the former President's "Stop the Steal" movement a cult.
And then the guy kept talking.
Klepper met the man at a recent vigil outside a jail where several insurrections are being held while awaiting trial for their involvement in the January 6, 2021 coup attempt at the Capitol. See their encounter below.
Recovering From Donald Trump’s Big Lie - Jordan Klepper Web Exclusive | The Daily Showyoutu.be
Given that the group assembled outside the jail considers the January 6 insurrectionists, whose violent coup attempt left five dead, political prisoners, the usual Trump-obsessed bonkers-ness was the expected order of the day.
So imagine Klepper's pleasant surprise when he encountered a vigil attendee who called the "Stop the Steal" movement what it is--a cult.
“I had never been to a protest event before the 2020 presidential election. I had become completely consumed. It took over my life."
"For three months, I slept in my car. I traveled from rally to rally, from Stop The Steal event to Stop The Steal event, for three months, sleeping in my car, going to see the evidence."
"And then I had to recover. I had PTSD. So, it took me a long time to find myself again."
"I feel like I just got out of a cult, and my best friend said, 'You probably did.'"
So clearly this guy was at the vigil to try to lead other Trump zombies out the cult too, right? LOL dear reader, you are dead wrong. When Klepper followed up by asking if the man still believes in the Stop The Steal campaign, he said this:
"People often ask me this way, they often say: 'Do you think the election was stolen?' ... And my response is, I don't think the election was stolen, I know the election was stolen."
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Klepper, speaking for all of us, then groaned and lamented that he thought this conversation was going to come to "a happy ending"--and then, somehow, things got even weirder. The man concluded his comments by saying:
"Stay with me--this is how someone who was in a cult often responds."
Sir, respectfully: What are you talking about? To that end, Klepper incredulously asked the question on all our lips.
"Are you still in the cult? You're at a rally for J6 prisoners today!"
The man responded that he is in a "much happier place," whatever the absolute hell that means.
On Twitter, people were as gobsmacked by this deeply weird interview as you likely are.
I'm sorry. What?https://twitter.com/TheDailyShow/status/1483968015305625604\u00a0\u2026— Vanilla Coachella \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udf0a \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Vanilla Coachella \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udf0a \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1642672141
I'm in a much happier place? So confused.https://www.thedailybeast.com/jordan-klepper-grills-jan-6-trump-supporter-who-confesses-i-just-got-out-of-a-cult\u00a0\u2026— Truth-V-Lies Defend The Truth Defeat The Lies (@Truth-V-Lies Defend The Truth Defeat The Lies) 1642680267
Seriously, it is tho. https://twitter.com/thedailybeast/status/1484003977465315334\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/cR2bkp2h9I— Mrs. K. Cleary (@Mrs. K. Cleary) 1642649178
holy\n\nJordan Klepper Grills Jan. 6 Trump Supporter Who Confesses \u2018I Just Got Out of a Cult\u2019 https://www.thedailybeast.com/jordan-klepper-grills-jan-6-trump-supporter-who-confesses-i-just-got-out-of-a-cult\u00a0\u2026 #SmartNews— AlfieMoon\ud83c\udf1c (@AlfieMoon\ud83c\udf1c) 1642651416
Years from now, multiple studies will be conducted and scholarly papers published about the bizarre, sad mental health of these people.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFIVWYecqTs\u00a0\u2026— Joe Kirkendall (@Joe Kirkendall) 1642688801
\u201cI feel like I just got out of a cult\u201d\n\n -Guy who is still in a cult.https://youtu.be/tFIVWYecqTs— HST (@HST) 1642655174
Oh I was rooting for this guy so bad\u2026. womp womphttps://twitter.com/thedailyshow/status/1483968015305625604\u00a0\u2026— Sprinkles the Cat \ud83d\udc2f (@Sprinkles the Cat \ud83d\udc2f) 1642644644
He acknowledges he got to the point where he realized he was entering a cultist mindset, but at the climax of that moment decided ignorance was bliss.\n\nLike someone waking up from the matrix and seeing reality, but then deciding to stay inside because they liked the fantasy more.— Lewis Hennig (@Lewis Hennig) 1642659744
Man I was actually rooting for him lol— Kobelicious (@Kobelicious) 1642641014
That is sad and confusing— Lois Hathaway (@Lois Hathaway) 1642640729
The vigil Klepper visited was attended by far more media than Trump supporters, who numbered at only about 12. A cult, indeed.