Right-wing podcaster Tim Pool briefly walked off the set of a Jubilee debate Sunday after an influencer accused him of manufacturing "civil war" panic to line his pockets.
The confrontation unfolded on Jubilee's "Surrounded" series, which puts one guest in a room with 20 people who disagree with them. Sunday's installment, pitting Pool against 20 progressives, tackled which political party is more prone to violence. The show's host introduced Pool as "politically moderate" according to a report from Mediaite.
Instagram influencer Mason, known as OneHandPolitics, zeroed in on Pool's long-running warnings that the United States is "tracking toward a civil war," noting that 42 of Pool's video titles contain the phrase. "I'm saying that you say bulls--t in order to get money," Mason told him.
Pool pushed back, insisting, "I've never called for civil war," and said his "tracking toward" language stemmed from Atlantic reporting citing national security experts. Mason wasn't swayed: "There comes a point where people stop taking your prediction seriously."
The two also sparred over historical comparisons, with Mason invoking the 1804 Hamilton-Burr duel and Andrew Jackson's presidency to argue polarization is nothing new, while Pool cited the 2020 fatal shooting of Trump supporter Aaron Danielson in Portland as evidence of political violence.
As the exchange grew heated, Pool got up and left the set, (segment begins at the 52:30 mark) telling the room to "subscribe to Timcast" and "follow us on Instagram" on his way out. He returned minutes later, prompting Mason to greet him with, "Thank you for returning."
The grifting accusation lands amid ongoing scrutiny of Pool's business dealings. Federal prosecutors say Pool's Culture War podcast was funneled money through Tenet Media as part of a $10 million scheme by Russian state media employees to pay right-wing commentators to spread pro-Kremlin content. Pool has said he was unaware of the funding source and considers himself a "victim."