Episode 229 with Will Sommer, Author of Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Reshaped America, and Keen and Thorough Chronicler of the QAnon Movement Through The Washington Post
Notes and Links to Will Sommer’s Work
For Episode 229, Pete welcomes Will Sommers, and the two discuss, among other topics, his early relationship with the written word, his all-encompassing relationships with and love for student journalism, formative times at Georgetown, his lifelong interest in conservative media, and salient themes in his book, including the growth of QAnon through 4chan and 8chan and Trump’s rise to power, QAnon’s pop culture connections, questions of true believers and grifters in QAnon, key personalities in the movement, as well as possible remedies for loosening the hold QAnon has on some many people featured in his book.
Will Sommer covers right-wing media, political radicalization and right-wing conspiracy theories in the United States. His 2023 book is Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Reshaped América. He is also featured as an expert on QAnon in HBO's Q: Into the Storm. He has previously written for The Daily Beast, and now works as a media reporter for The Washington Post.
Buy Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America
Review of Trust the Plan in The New York Times
Review of Trust the Plan in The Guardian
Will Discusses his Book with Terri Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air
At about 1:50, Will gives background on the inspiration for QAnon’s motto, derived from the movie White Squall
At about 3:20, Will talks about being “bookish and into writing,” unspooling stories,” high school and college newspapers, and his early love for journalism
At about 6:25, Will talks about inspiring and formative texts and writers, including Patrick Radden Keefe, Janet Malcolm, Charles Bowden, and Mike Sager
At about 10:00, Pete shouts out Mark Arax and a particularly unforgettable piece
At about 10:50, Will responds to Pete’s questions about his upbringing in Texas and Will expounds upon his appetite for conservative media and trends and feuds that he has observed over the years
At about 14:10, Will traces his career journey from Georgetown to The Patch and on
At about 17:20, Pete and Will discuss the book’s Introduction, set during the January 6 rallies and riots; Will expounds upon his mindset during the day, the incredible things he heard rioters say, and the importance of his attendance for his research
At about 21:00, Pete asks about QAnon’s beginnings, its placement in the Trump presidency, and Will gives background on Q’s connections to 4chan
At about 24:05, Will gives a summary of QAnon’s beliefs and the idea of “The Storm”
At about 24:45, Will provides history on “Pizzagate” and its early connections to QAnon
At about 26:05, Will replies to Pete’s questions about QAnon representation at the January 6 rally, and Pete cites a telling quote from the book by Will at the January 6 rally
At about 29:00, Will gives examples of feedback and conversation with QAnon believers, as well as many of their mindsets/motivations and targets for their anger/frustrations
At about 30:20, Pete cites Chapter One’s “Easter eggs” for QAnon, and Will talks about “Q Proofs” and other indicators, according to the believers
At about 32:10, Will points to a definition of “conspiracy theory” from the book and connects to real-life theories passed on by QAnon believers
At about 33:05, Will puts into perspectives some statistics about QAnon tenets and American beliefs in these, as measured by polls from the last few years
At about 35:55, Will gives some history of 4chan and more connections to QAnon
At about 38:15, Will opines on Trump’s ignorance of QAnon versus his manipulating and using their support for him
At about 41:25, Pete asks Will about his views on people who believe in QAnon tenets and about those who promote QAnon
At about 44:00. Pete traces social media’s connections to QAnon and Will describes how Covid led to a resurgence of QAnon
At about 46:00-QAnon Anonymous Podcast shout out-incredible episode regarding Jim Caviezel
At about 47:00, Pete and Will focus on stories of individuals from the book and on QAnon’s future based on its move outside the borders of the United States
At about 49:50, Will, while not extremely optimistic, talks about remedies for breaking the QAnon hold
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Please tune in for Episode 230 with Chelsea T. Hicks, a Wazhazhe writer with an MA from UC Davis and an MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts. Her writing has been published in The Paris Review, Poetry, McSweeney’s, and elsewhere. She was selected as a 5 Under 35 honoree by Louise Erdrich for the National Book Award, and her first book, A Calm and Normal Heart, was longlisted for the PEN America Robert W. Bingham Prize.
The episode will air on April 2.
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