Former MAGA Supporter Pam Hemphill Calls Trump a ‘Master Manipulator’ and ‘King of Gaslighting’
JOSE LUIS MAGANA/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cancer survivor and former MAGA supporter Pam Hemphill called former President Donald Trump a “master manipulator” and “king of gaslighting” during an exclusive interview with CNN. Hemphill, who served prison time for her involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot, described MAGA as a “cult” that “brainwashed” her.
She was taken into custody on several counts after pleading guilty to unlawful entry into the Capitol, receiving a two-month sentence in a California federal prison. “He’s just a master manipulator. He doesn’t believe anything. He just thinks he’s smart enough to pull the wool over you. But there are people like me waking up. Do I feel the former president is responsible for that? Absolutely. He’s the king of that gaslighting. It’s a cult,” Hemphill said.
Hemphill warned Trump against using her name in his narrative about the riot. “Don’t be using me for anything. I’m not a victim of January 6th. I pleaded guilty because I was guilty. I am not a victim of the government. The Justice Department was not weaponized against me. I was a participant. We broke the law,” she stated. Hemphill also expressed her gratitude to the Capitol Police. “I was pushed down. My head was trampled on. My shoulder pulled out.
The Capitol Police saved my life that day. I want them to know how truly grateful I am to them how deeply sorry I am for what happened and how they continue to be treated to this day.” According to NPR, Hemphill blamed Trump for her situation after hearing about his indictment news in 2023. “I want the world to know that I followed a cult leader, and I’m really sorry that I did because I’m really ashamed of it. But it’s something I have to forgive myself. But I can’t blame me 100% because I was lied to by Trump,” she said, referring to what she calls “the Trump cult.”
Her brother had bought her a plane ticket to Washington, D.C., encouraging her to attend the January 6 demonstration as a self-appointed “citizen journalist” and videographer while she was battling breast cancer. “My brother calls, says, ‘Hey, you, since you’re going to start chemotherapy, why don’t you go see Trump and video-record that?'” she told The Daily Beast. “I said I couldn’t afford it. But he said, ‘I’ll give it to you for a Christmas present.'”
Hemphill later regretted her decision. “You don’t see it as a cult when you’re in it. You don’t recognize it,” she said. She recalled that during the chaos at the Capitol, she still had 40 sutures in her breast from her operation. She believes she was spared major harm by one of the officers and remains grateful for having her life saved.
