Covid has turned Blumenthal into a crazy person. This is when the split with Ben Norton happened, and it seems Ben Norton did not handle that well at all, which turned Blumenthal even more crazy. You could say he's even a patsoc in some regards. He's heavily influenced by the likes of Jimmy Dore (who hosted him a lot during Covid), who in turn is heavily influenced by Joe Rogan. It's likely he hosted a Jiang interview because Jimmy Dore suggested it.

Fortunately, Aaron Mate and Kit Klarenberg still do good journalism through the Grayzone.