In the first part of our interview with John McAfee, we discussed various topics in depth, such as his run for president, McAfeeDex and his opinion on stablecoins. Today, we continue talking about the future of cryptocurrencies and the government's role in it. McAfee also told me about the story behind the upcoming film "King of the Jungle." It is based on the story of Wired reporter Joshua Davis and his three weeks with McAfee in Belize. Let's jump right into it.
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U.Today: You're launching a new token called Epstein Didn't Kill Himself. What can you tell me about this token? Why did you call it that? Why is Hillary Clinton being advertised in the picture?
John McAfee: Okay, it's obviously a joke coin like Dogecoin. There are a couple of things with this token. I believe very strongly that Jeffrey Epstein did not kill himself. I think it's in the interest of the American people and perhaps the world to understand that we must find those responsible for it, and trace it back to those corrupt individuals in power who can do things like whack people while they're in jail. Being in jail is the easiest place to kill someone, and every gangster knows this. Knowing that, I took advantage of the memes floating around the internet. "Jeffrey Epstein Didn't Kill Himself" is a big meme. Everybody was making memes so I thought I would make my own. Mine is the WHACKD token, and with every transaction, 10 percent is skimmed off the top. With every 1,000 transactions, one receiver will lose everything—the entire transaction. It's just whacked. The coin acts as if it's in a crypto environment, in which there are criminals skimming off the top. There are people whacking entire assets from someone else.
Now, what's not a joke is that, after we constructed this [token], I realized that we've created a truly deflationary token. I mean, those who want to exchange or sell their tokens will be the losers, right? It's because the more they sell, the less volume will be available. What I mean is that, with fewer tokens, the ones who are holding onto their supply will see that supply increase in value. It's just a great social experiment.
U.Today: What about Hillary Clinton?
John McAfee: You know, I know nothing whatsoever about the lady. I've never had dinner with her, nor have I shaken hands with her. So, I am not the one to answer anything about her. I mean, rumors on the internet are just rumors on the internet. They're sparked by God knows who and are extinguished by the next rumor.
U.Today: So, it's just a joke?
John McAfee: Yes, it was just a joke. Of course, the whole thing is just a meme. You know, a meme looks at a particular situation from a whimsical or interesting aspect. That's what makes it funny. That's all, and people are always creating memes. This one is mine.
John McAfee. Image from mcafee2020hq.com
U.Today: Did you know Jeffrey Epstein personally?
John McAfee: No, I did not.
U.Today: What are your thoughts on China's digital currency—the Digital Currency Electronic Payment (DCEP)? Will the U.S. launch a digital U.S. Dollar in the near future?
John McAfee: I think that every country and every nation-state on this planet will launch their own cryptocurrency. They will be forced to do so because it is so clear that fiat currencies, paper currencies and even credit cards are so vastly inferior in terms of safety, speed and ease. In terms of the entire economy, cryptocurrencies are vastly superior, so governments will have to create their own.
People, please be aware that all of the coins created by governments on blockchains will monitor your every penny, where it goes, and for what purpose. I mean it's just one more bar in your cage. You can seize upon the opportunities offered by cryptocurrencies, which came by way of the people, and not from the government or from corporations. Just a bunch of ordinary programmers.
I came from the people and take what the people continue to create, which will always be vastly superior to those monolithic, slow-moving, dinosaur-like entities called governments. They just can't create them fast enough, but the people can. So, let the people continue to create and, everyone who's listening to me, please choose the digital currency created by the people. There are thousands. It may take you a little bit of learning, a couple of hours maximum, but learn and understand them. And please don't use the government cryptocurrencies even if they say you must use them. They said that we shouldn't smoke marijuana for the last 75 years. I've heard that people still smoke marijuana. So, you tell me the difference. Please people, stick with the people, and not with the power that has been suppressing you for thousands of years.
John McAfee. Image from mcafee2020hq.com
U.Today: Do you still believe that Bitcoin (BTC) will hit its $1 million dollar mark by the end of 2020? We all remember what you were going to do if it doesn't hit that mark. What are the reasons behind your belief?
John McAfee: Because Bitcoin is another deflationary currency. No one has noticed this yet. I don't understand it. There are only 21 million [coins] that can ever exist, and 18 million [coins] have already been mined. This leaves only 3 million left, and it will take many years to mine those 3 million coins. In the meantime, 7 million coins have been lost forever, and for every coin that's mined, four are lost. Do you understand? This is the world's first automatic deflationary currency.
Since nobody seems to have noticed that, I promise you that, when they do—which will be within a matter of months, people will go, "Oh my God, look what we missed!"
U.Today: But why 2020?
John McAfee: Well, because 2020 is 14 months away. I mean the end of 2020. Trust me, that's plenty of time.
U.Today: Do you really know Satoshi Nakamoto? How do you know him? Can you give us some details that won't compromise Satoshi's identity? Is it a man, a woman, or a group of people?
John McAfee: I do. Satoshi is a man. That's all I can tell you. Of course, I know who he is, but let me ask you a question. Everybody wants to know about Satoshi, and I was just ready to say something. I was asked not to tell anyone, and while he did not admit to me that he was Satoshi, he did say one thing: "Imagine if the world knew who Satoshi was. Satoshi's life would have to change." Yes. He is certainly one of the world's richest entities. He would have to surround himself with armed guards because he would be the target of criminals, and he would have to change his way of life. He couldn't just go out in the middle of the night, down to the coffee shop, kick up his feet, light a cigarette, and have an espresso—that part of his life would be over. He then said:
So, you want to radically change someone's life. What makes you think you have that right? What if you were the 1% that was wrong? You would have totally destroyed an innocent person's life who’s now incapable of going to the store or a movie without hiring two dozen, full-time armed guards. He’s at the mercy of the people.
After he said that, I thought, "Jesus. My sincerest apologies. I am a stupid old man for not thinking this through." So, do you want me to tell you now?
U.Today: No, please don't. Can you tell me a little about the film "King of the Jungle?" Did you have a particular role in this film, such as with casting or a cameo in a scene? Are you looking forward to this film?
John McAfee: I have nothing to do with the movie. I have nothing to do with any documentary that's been done about my life. This is not a documentary though; it is fiction. Even though I wasn't consulted, I've been in touch with the screenwriters, as they’re really funny and enjoyable people. But I have no control over the film, nor do I know anything about the casting or anything other than what I read in the news. I find out at the same time as the rest of the world.
I do know that—who is the new kid? (*McAfee speaking with his wife Janice and asking her the name of the actor playing the reporter)—Zac Efron. Apparently, he's an actor. I don't know as I don't get out much. I seldom watch movies. Documentaries are my thing. Zac Efron is playing the reporter who came down to visit me. It's based on a three-week, in-depth story about my life in Belize, where Wired reporter Joshua Davis came down to spend a few weeks with me. I expected him to come down and spend an hour or two, or even a day interviewing me, which I was willing to do.
However, he wanted to be with me all the time, or at least when he thought I was doing something interesting. Most people would have said, "Oh, you crazy." But I said, "All right, if you think you're up for it." Well, he was not up for it. He was literally traumatized by hanging out with me for three weeks.
Afterwards, he went back and wrote a story for Wired. There was actually an ebook called "John McAfee's Last Stand." I never read it. I mean, I was with him at the time. What can his writing tell me about those events? In the book, he put down what he thought were horrific things. For example, the cover of the ebook is certainly a well-known photo of me with no shirt, my tattoos and a gun to my head. That's on the cover of the book. After it was all written, they got that photo by sending photographers down here because Josh is a writer, not a photographer.
John McAfee. Image from mcafee2020hq.com
That [photo] was based on his second day with me, when we were sitting in San Pedro at a big oak table. He was so naive about life. And I said, "Joshua! You have to understand, you can't believe anything that you hear. Only half of what you see, and this is the truth." And he said, "Well, that's nonsense. That's philosophy." And I go, "Hey, watch this." I always carry a gun. I pulled out a .357 Magnum revolver, emptied the rounds onto the table, showed him that it was empty, picked up one of the rounds, put it in the gun, spun the cylinder, put it to my head, and pulled the trigger. And he was screaming, "No, don't! Don't!" You know, he's a slightly built young man, and he's not gonna **** with me or do something because he's literally screaming, "You don't have to do this!" And I said, "Okay. Well, I apologize."
I then spun the cylinder again and it went click, and now he is totally ****ing frantic. While he's frantically screaming for me not to do it, I'm just sitting there spinning the cylinder while he's yelling. I must've done it 35 times. I then said, “Now, Josh, watch this”. So with a gun in my hand, I took him outside to the beach, aimed the gun at the sand, and pulled the trigger. Boom! Sand goes flying everywhere. Now, Josh is a writer. Any mathematician would know, "You know dude, if you've got a bullet in there, there is no powder in that cartridge." I mean, any rational person would say that, and by the way Mr. McAfee, that is a great trick. With Josh, it was a no.
So, what I would do if there was no imminent danger and I wanted to **** with someone, I would always take one of the rounds out of the gun, pry off the bullet, fire the cap so that there's no gunpowder and there's no firing cap now, take another bullet, insert it back in the casing and put that back in the gun. I could always spot which bullet it was because there was an indentation where the firing pin had hit the primer. So, I could dump my bullets anywhere, but no one else would have noticed the indentation. Right? They're just noticing bullets flying everywhere. You just pick one up, put it in the gun, and play Russian Roulette. Any magician would have gone and said "That's a good trick." Any rational person would have gone and said, "That's a trick. How did you do it?" But Josh, being naive, took it for real. So that was his second day. For the next three weeks, I ****ed with him in ways that made it look like a kindergartener: pick a card and get the wrong card.
After three weeks of that, Josh was literally traumatized. I don't feel bad about it because I hate organized media and the way that they select stories. There are trillions of stories to be told at any point in time. And who are our storytellers today? The media. The mass media are our storytellers, and there are trillions of stories that they could write about. What do they focus on? The things which are in their interest or in the interest of their sponsors or their controllers. Now I had Josh, who was being less naive. If you are naive, then why are you in the media at all? It's people like you who should not be here. So I felt justified.
I waited two days before I decided, "All right, you're going to get your story, but you're going to get the story that I choose for you."
I chose the story of John McAfee's insanity, and played that story for him for three weeks. That's what the movie is about, and that's why it's a comedy. But I have no control over it. I think that the screenwriters are great, but I don't know how they're going to do this. I've read the synopsis, which is about that three-week period. That's the entire movie.
John McAfee. Image from mcafee2020hq.com
U.Today: Why didn't you want Johnny Depp to play you in the film?
John McAfee: I don't think Johnny Depp has experience in life. Not in acting per se, but because even to me, I'm a mystery. Some people think I'm more of a mystery, while others think I'm insane. With today's standards, I probably am, and I'll tell you what is sane today. Sane is buying all of the propaganda that the government and the media feed you while you're commuting to work for up to an hour each way, five days a week for 40 years in a job that you may not love. That's considered sane because that's what everybody does. So, in that world, of course, there's nobody more insane than me.
U.Today: Last question: What do you think the web will look like 50 years from now?
John McAfee: The first thing that comes to my mind is "God, I would love to be here to see it, but I will not." My second thought is that, 20 years ago, I could not have predicted today, nor could anyone on this planet. I have no idea where you are, but that doesn't matter because we're talking face to face. I see your smiling face, your gestures and your eyes blinking as if you're here. Could you have imagined this 20 years ago? No, the technology did not exist, nor did the concepts other than in Star Trek movies. Now, they're here. So I would be the last person to ask given the history and the 74 years that I've experienced on this planet. The sky is the limit.
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