In this episode, I talk to my friend and colleague Sam DeVaney about Candace Owens's strange obsession with MKULTRA, trans people, and the First Lady of France. We dive into Candace's wild claims that Brigitte Macron was actually born a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux, and how this theory connects to her broader worldview about elite pedophile rings, Satanic worship, and Manchurian candidates. It's a fascinating look at how conspiracy theories work in practice, complete with all the logical fallacies and evidence-free conclusions that make these stories so compelling to true believers.

What makes this particularly interesting is watching Candace do her conspiracy theorist logic out loud, turning every piece of missing information into proof of a cover-up. Sam and I explore how transvestigation works as a rhetorical tool, why Candace might have latched onto this particular French conspiracy, and how her evolution from a college progressive to a full-blown conspiracy influencer reflects the weird incentive structures of our siloed media ecosystem.

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