Michael Fanone
Appearances
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
Well, first of all, I mean, I think it's important to kind of understand who they are. I mean, specifically the Proud Boys. This was an organization that we saw pop up during Donald Trump's first presidential campaign. And really where they kind of came into their own was they would violently attack anyone who was opposed to their viewpoints.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
And they are very much so embedded in the MAGA movement. Enrique Tarrio kind of emerged as the leader of the group or self-proclaimed leader of the group. He was the one that showed up at the principal's first summit. But he, it seems to me, has kind of different motivations. He's not somebody that likes to get his hands dirty.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
What he likes to do is create these viral moments, put them out on social media to build his brand, build his profile, and then try to sell people shit. sell the Proud Boys swag, sell the hats and the T-shirts and ammunition magazines that are embroidered with the Proud Boys logo. So for me, it seems as though his motivations are monetary.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
And he brought along, like you said, his little the midget menace, Ivan Ranklin. They show up. They look like cartoon characters. He wears his little uniform, the Proud Boys uniform. He's got his sunglasses on that he wears indoors. But everybody's wearing a body worn camera. They're flanked by their little right wing media guys with their cameras out recording the entire thing.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
Like I said, they're looking for a viral moment. And they're also looking for somebody, bait somebody into an interaction in which they could sue them, whether it's threats or whether it's some physical confrontation. I mean, that's really what, at least in my mind, what that event was all about.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
And it's interesting because as a group that places masculinity in very high regard, where I'm from, the least masculine thing you can do to settle a dispute is sue somebody.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
Yeah, no, I mean, listen, like I was a cop for 20 years, so it's not the first time that somebody's called me, you know, a mean name. Yeah, I tried to bait you. Right. Yeah, exactly. That being said, I mean, you're right. Like, I'm of the mindset that the appropriate emotions to be feeling right now are anger and outrage. And so I met that moment with anger and outrage.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
And I told Enrique Tarrio exactly what I think about him. And quite frankly, I told him who he is. And he is a convicted, seditious conspirator and a traitor to this country. And, you know, that was it. And I also called Ivan Reikland a bald-headed bitch, which is also what he is.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
First of all, I think people should be extremely concerned. I mean, you just can't let that fear paralyze you. But, you know, make no mistake about it. These are violent extremist groups. The Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, the Three Percenters. They use the tactics, the same tactics of the brown shirts in 1930s and 40s Germany.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
They harass, they intimidate, and they use violence to suppress anyone that may have opposing viewpoints to their own. And, you know, going back to the pardons, you know, Donald Trump,
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
In pardoning hundreds of violent insurrectionists, many of whom were members of these right wing extremist groups, created his own civilian militia, you know, an organization or organizations that can go out and commit acts of violence on his behalf, who now feel emboldened to do so because they feel that if they do that, Donald Trump will simply pardon them.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
They will face no criminal accountability. And so I think Americans most certainly should be concerned. They should be angry. They should be outraged. They should be raising this at every town hall meeting, calling their members of Congress, calling every elected official in their district and letting them know that this is absolutely unacceptable.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
Right. It also speaks to the seriousness of some of these individuals' intentions. I mean, this is someone who has grenades in their house.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
I don't have any grenades. I wouldn't tell you if I did that. Weapons charges for people that are prohibited from possessing firearms. I mean, all of that stuff should be deeply concerning to average everyday Americans. I mean, you have an active, you know, extremist groups who have found an ally in the president of the United States. I mean, that's absolutely insane.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
Yeah, I mean, unfortunately, pretty much every member of my family, my immediate family, has suffered these threats and harassment. My mother seemed to bear the brunt of it. You know, she's been swatted in recent months. She had a confrontation with an individual that confronted her while she was raking leaves in her front yard, screamed at her that her son was a traitor, and threw shit on her.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
She's had bricks thrown at the house, and... You know, again, after Enrique Tarrio and his merry bunch of men showed up to to the principal's first summit, you know, obviously the principal's summit was targeted with a bomb threat the following day. And my mother's house was also targeted with a bomb threat in that same bomb threat.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
And then since then, in the past 24 hours, all of my immediate family has received harassing phone calls, threats and other forms of harassment. So it's become a family affair.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
I mean, when I'm engaged, I'm engaged. When I disengage, I completely disengage. I try to keep my world very small when I'm not out attending these summits and interacting with people. But also, I mean, I'll be honest with you, Tim, like Having opportunities like the Bulwark to come out and talk about these things is incredibly cathartic for me.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
And it makes me feel like I have the ability to affect some change or at least let people know what the hell is going on in this country because so many Americans are indifferent or oblivious. Only now are we starting to kind of see what's in store for all of us, regardless of who you supported in the last election. Donald Trump doesn't give a shit.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
He's going to do what he's going to do, and that's it. And so maybe now people will start to see that this behavior is unacceptable.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
Yeah, I mean, and this really does apply, I think, to all politicians prior to Donald Trump's arrival on the scene. But there is always this, you know, very kind of... overeducated, elitist, condescending speak that was used when addressing the American people.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
And it seemed that there was more and more and more of a disconnect between politicians, whether at the local level or the national level, and the people that they were there to represent. I mean, for me, where Democrats, you know, completely lost me. And I was always very apolitical. I voted for both political parties. But I think when I started to pay attention was to defund the police movement.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
You know, I was a cop for 20 years. I understood policing and our relationship with the communities. And I knew that there was work to be done. I certainly thought that it was worth having a conversation. And then I saw, you know, the Democrats, you know, Really just instead of having the conversation in a productive way, they used it to bash cops to try to get votes. So for me, that that was it.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
And unfortunately, when it comes to applying that to today, you know, the Democrats really they've kind of taken this approach. We're just going to sit back and see what happens or let Donald Trump destroy himself, so to speak, as if we haven't learned the lesson over and over and over again. That's never going to happen. For me, it's disheartening because I'm somebody like yourself who's
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
So avidly against what's happening in this country at this moment. And to watch, you know, I guess the only political party that still is concerned about democracy, sit back and wait and watch. It's pathetic.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
I mean, unfortunately, you know, I've been out here for four years and I really think that what's going to have to happen is it has to impact individual Americans' lives. It's got to impact a friend or a family member or yourself or your spouse.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
I mean, I've been on the phone, you know, for the past week with dozens of friends who have either been laid off from their federal jobs or fired from their federal jobs or, you know, whatever the hell Doge is calling it, dismissed. And, you know, that obviously is resonating with people when they can't put food on the table and they can't support their families.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
And then, you know, to add insult to injury, they're being villainized for for being a part of some, you know, government agency scheme fraud.
The Bulwark Podcast
Mike Murphy: The Chinese Own Elon
USAID workers that have dedicated their lives to, you know, doing things that are super fun, like going to third world countries to deliver bags of rice to starving people. You know, they're lunatic leftists that are, you know, destroying the fabric of our country and they have to be purged. It's insane. Insane. All right.
The Bulwark Podcast
Bill Kristol and Jared Polis: Send In the Clown
And then Donald Trump pardoned 1,500 insurrectionists, hundreds of violent criminals. criminals who assaulted police officers at the Capitol on January 6th, police officers like you see up here on the stage today, but hundreds of other police officers who, regardless of their political ideology, were doing their fucking job.
The Bulwark Podcast
Bill Kristol and Jared Polis: Send In the Clown
Donald Trump sent them there to assault those individuals and he pardoned them. He pardoned them and I'll tell you why he pardoned them. He pardoned them because he wants people to know that if you commit crimes on his behalf, he's got your back. And so now what we have in this country is we have Donald Trump's personal brown shirt militia.