My Incredible Journey Of Self-Discovery At The DNC

This week I was deeply honored to attend the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Now, before I tell you about my experiences, I want to dispel one rumor right away. There are some who assume that I only went to the DNC to shamelessly promote my new film, “Am I Racist?” which premiers September 13th. Tickets are on sale now at AmIRacist.com. These people think that the entire thing was one big stunt — that I went to the DNC knowing that the Left would get angry and start complaining about it on social media, thereby unwittingly helping to advertise my film. As if the whole point was to generate headlines like this in the Daily Mail: “Matt Walsh Enrages Democrats By Crashing DNC In White Dudes For Kamala Harris Disguise” — an article that includes a lengthy description of the film, along with a link to the trailer. That’s how some people see this, as some kind of low-rent gimmick to raise awareness about my film “Am I Racist?“, tickets on sale now at AmIRacist.com.

Admittedly, if that was my plan, then it worked tremendously well. We sold a lot of tickets because of it, and every leftist who complained about my presence at the convention was falling directly into the trap. But that was not my plan. I want to be very clear at the outset that I would never dream of doing anything like that. I have too much respect for our democracy to make a mockery of a political convention by using it to promote a movie — even a movie like “Am I Racist?“, which premiers September 13th, tickets on sale at AmIRacist.com. This whole thing had nothing at all to do with my film, “Am I Racist?,” premiering September 13th, tickets on sale at AmIRacist.com.

Now that we’ve put that to rest, I’d like to explain why I did attend the DNC, and what I learned there. The honest truth is that I went to the event as part of my ongoing journey of self-discovery. That’s a journey that begins in the movie, but certainly doesn’t end there. I wanted to learn how to be a better anti-racist, a better citizen, a better human being. And what better place to do that than a convention with a baby killing bus right out front?

I realize, of course, that I am not a popular figure in Democratic circles. I would go so far as to say that many of these people have a negative view of me. But I also knew that Democrats value tolerance above all. They embrace diversity and have a welcoming and loving attitude towards everyone. I took great solace in that, and knew that I would be greeted with the same spirit — especially because I was attending the event in my man bun and White Dudes For Harris shirt. That was my way of signaling that I am a member of the tribe. I am a safe person to have in their safe space.

But this wasn’t just about bettering myself. I also wanted to alert the attendees to one of the greatest dangers lurking in the world today: Project 2025. Everyone has heard of Project 2025 but no one knows what it really is. The people at the DNC especially don’t know what it is. Which is why I brought some literature to educate them on the subject. More on that in a few minutes. First I’ll show you the wonderful conversation I had with someone shortly after I arrived at the convention on our first day. This was a lovely woman with pink hair and a COVID mask. We dialogued about many important issues, including racial justice:

That was a great discussion. We seemed to be on the same page. We left on good terms. I was excited to walk around the convention and talk to many more people — many of them also wearing pink hair and COVID masks. But unfortunately after talking to one person, and having a completely civil and intelligent conversation — and even, dare I say, becoming best friends — I was nonetheless reported to security, escorted from the building, and told that I am banned for the rest of the week. Watch:

What did I do to deserve that treatment? I came to learn and grow as a person and an ally. Instead I was thrown out into the cold. Why did they treat me like that? What did I do wrong? What were they trying to tell me? They said “please don’t come back,” but I knew that there must be a deeper message. I thought about it and I realized that “don’t come back” must have meant “don’t go back … to who you were before, don’t become your old self again.” They weren’t saying don’t come back physically to the convention. They were speaking metaphorically, poetically.

So later that night I did go back. Only this time I had learned a valuable lesson. If you want to be welcomed in Left-wing spaces, it’s important to not talk to anyone or express any point of view at all, at any point. I knew that everything would be fine if I just walked onto the convention floor and blended in with the crowd. In fact you can see here in the footage that I’m not causing any trouble. I’m not talking to anyone. I’m not creating a scene. I’m walking around, sitting, listening, applauding.

Everything was going well. But then, as I was venturing around and taking in the sights, I may have accidentally — entirely unintentionally, through no fault of my own — stumbled right into the middle of a CNN interview with Senator Chuck Schumer. Watch:

Matt Walsh is a man on a mission to understand his internalized racism. Where better to do so than at the DNC? pic.twitter.com/jbQL9XqlY8

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 20, 2024

I know you see me walking in the direction of the live shot, plodding right through it, staring at the camera, then turning around and walking back in the same direction. You see that and you think that this was some ridiculous, immature, intentional attempt to photo bomb Chuck Schumer. Frankly, I’m offended by the mere suggestion.

First of all, I’m in the media. I’m a professional. I would never photobomb anyone. Second, once again, I’m there to learn. Third, I’ve never been on the convention floor before. I didn’t know where I was going. I was confused.

Regardless, this clip made its way to Twitter and next thing you know other people on the convention floor were taking pictures and posting angrily about my presence. A reporter from the Bulwark approached and asked if I was Matt Walsh. He recounts this exchange in an article on the site:

“Walsh regularly dons a similar disguise to film gotcha moments for his “documentaries” lampooning progressives. For that reason, it wasn’t difficult to recognize him even on the crowded convention floor. I asked him if he was Matt Walsh. “No I’m not,” he said after a wide-eyed look. When I followed up with, “I know it’s you,” he replied: “That man is dead. I’m a new man now.””

I can confirm that is an accurate. And it was true. I was a new man. The security guard told me not to go back to my old ways. To change myself, to be transformed. He didn’t say that exactly, but that was his point. And I took it to heart. Nonetheless, next thing you know, I was trending on Twitter — on a night that was supposed to be Michelle and Barack’s big night. Photos of me began circulating. Lots of angry tweets were posted, like this one: “Fam, Matt Walsh is at the Dem convention posing as a delegate. DO NOT TALK TO HIM. Call him out! Tell security if you can. Please re-share to spread the word!! #hatemonger #fake #loser”

There were hundreds of other tweets along these lines. The Democrats were frantically warning each other about me. They were on the look out. My man bun was suddenly like the dorsal fin in Jaws. I was the monster from the deep, swimming through the crowd of people. They were on edge, nervous, and very unhappy to have me there. The outrage continued on social media long into the night, well after the event had concluded for the evening.

WATCH: The Matt Walsh Show

I left that night feeling defeated. All I wanted to do was learn, evolve, and become a better ally. I didn’t want to cause any problems. I certainly didn’t want to draw attention to myself, or least of all my movie — “Am I Racist?,” premiering September 13th, tickets on sale at AmIRacist.com. I didn’t sleep much that night. I was tossing and turning, struggling with feelings of rejection.

Would I ever be accepted as an ally? Would these people ever welcome me into their fold?

The next morning I knew what I had to do.

I’d already been kicked out and banned from the premises once. I’d been trending and caught accidentally on national TV. They didn’t want me there. That was clear. And I was going to respect that. I was not going to go back to the convention. So instead my team went back. They dressed in Kamala Harris gear, got new wristbands (because the old ones had been confiscated by security), and spent the afternoon handing out hundreds of fliers. I knew that I couldn’t be there in person, but I still needed to get the message out. I needed to warn the convention attendees about the radical Project 2025 agenda. They might not welcome me, but I still care about them. I’m concerned for their safety. So I had to let them know the truth about Project 2025, one way or another.

I had been able to hand out a bunch of the cards myself, as you can see here, the day before. But I wanted my team to pass out hundreds more. I wanted to get these flyers circulating through the entire convention. The cards all have a simple message: Visit project2025.com to learn the truth about Trump’s radical plans for America.

In fact, one of my producers, Ben, who also appears in the movie — “Am I Racist?,” premiering September 13th — had a chance to give a card to Don Lemon, and was even interviewed about the website:

Now, I want you all to go to project2025.com yourself to read all of this important information. But for your edification, I’ll tell you what’s on the site. You can see here, it is beautifully designed. This is cutting edge graphic design. The most beautiful website you’d ever find in 1997. And right in the middle of the page is a trailer for my new film, “Am I Racist?,” premiering September 13th. From there you can click a link to find out about our next meeting, which takes you to a page to buy tickets for the film.

If you click where it says “Make a DEIferance,” it will also take you to a page to buy tickets. Most of these links will take you to a page to buy tickets. Although if you click the audio link, this happens:

Sorry, that must be some sort of mistake. That’s supposed to also be a page to buy tickets. Anyway, you get the idea. It’s all there. And it all promotes my movie. You might argue that this has nothing to do with Project 2025, but I would disagree. Because the best way to fight Project 2025 is to see my movie, “Am I Racist?,” premiering September 13th.

So, my journey at the DNC may have been rough at certain points. There were some speed bumps along the way. But in the end I think we all came to understand each other. We grew together. We became better people. And now I know one simple truth — and it’s the same truth that everyone at the DNC now knows too — that “Am I Racist?,” premiers September 13th, and tickets are on sale at AmIRacist.com… or Project2025.com.