Topline
For months, President Donald Trump and his allies repeatedly encouraged believers of the QAnon conspiracy theory before many of them joined the mob that took over the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Here are the times Trump and members of his inner circle nodded at or tacitly endorsed the crackpot belief system:
A pro-Trump mob, horned and bull-horned, confronts U.S. Capitol police outside the Senate chamber ... [+]
Key Facts
Trump: The president retweeted QAnon accounts hundreds of times on Twitter before he was banned by the platform on January 8, including retweeting Ron Watkins, the former administrator of 8chan who has been rumored along with his father, Jim, to be “Q,” the anonymous poster on 4chan claiming to be an intelligence official who spawned the conspiracy theory that the world is run by a cabal of Satan-worshiping cannibalistic pedophiles that includes top Democrats and Tom Hanks.
Trump has yet to forcefully condemn QAnon, despite being pressed on the issue countless times, and praised its followers during a press conference in August, saying, “I heard that these are people that love our country.”
The president has met with numerous believers in the conspiracy theory in the White House, including radio commentator William “Lionel” Lebron in 2018, and supported the campaigns of several Republican candidates who have at least tacitly endorsed the conspiracy theory, including Reps. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.)
Eric Trump: In June, the president’s middle son and campaign surrogate posted a QAnon meme on his Instagram account which featured the letter “Q” and a hashtag of the slogan for the conspiracy theory, “Where we go one, we go all,” before it was taken down:
Dan Scavino: Trump’s deputy communications director posted a photo containing “Q” in March and has shared ticking-clock memes three times, images commonly used by believers of the conspiracy theory to note the so-called “storm,” when Trump is supposed to take down his foes.
Michael Flynn: Trump’s former national security advisor, who the president pardoned in November after he admitted to lying to the FBI, has shared QAnon slogans and catchphrases countless times, and on July 4, 2020, recited the QAnon pledge in a video; he has since been banned from Twitter.
Kayleigh McEnany: The White House press secretary has brushed aside assertions that Trump has supported the conspiracy theory and in February 2020, as a spokeswoman for Trump’s reelection campaign, she nodded as a Trump supporter recited the QAnon pledge to her; after the man asked if she would ask Trump who “Q” was, McEnany smiled and said she would “pass all of this along” in a bizarre exchange.
Rudy Guiliani: Trump’s personal lawyer has repeatedly retweeted QAnon accounts from his Twitter.
Lin Wood: Before the Georgia attorney and pro-Trump conspiracy theorist was booted from Twitter, Wood promoted countless QAnon-linked conspiracy theories on the platform, and included its slogan in his bio, even as he denied supporting it.
Sidney Powell: The attorney who filed numerous lawsuits on behalf of the president and was once on Trump’s legal team has retweeted QAnon accounts on Twitter, appeared on a QAnon YouTube show and shared QAnon slogans; she was kicked off Twitter earlier this month.
Key Background
The attack on the Capitol was organized on right-wing message boards where the unhinged conspiracy theory was born and radicalized Americans. Throngs of Trump supporters dressed in QAnon merchandise flooded the streets of Washington, D.C. Photos of Jacob Chansley, the horned and fur-wearing QAnon influencer known as the “QAnon Shaman” went viral. According to the Washington Post, a man dressed in a “Q” shirt led the initial infiltration of the Senate chamber. Ashli Babbitt, the woman who died in the Capitol, was reportedly a believer in QAnon and other conspiracy theories.
What To Watch For
QAnon’s role at the Inauguration. The FBI has warned QAnon believers are attempting to infiltrate the ceremony by posing as members of the National Guard, according to the Washington Post.
Surprising Fact
As far back as 2019, an F.B.I. memo labeled QAnon a possible terrorist threat.
Chief Critic
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Nebr.) delivered a shot across the bow to Republicans in an op-ed published in The Atlantic Saturday, writing the GOP faces a choice when Trump leaves office Wednesday: “reject” QAnon, or be “consumed” by it.
Big Number
70,000. That’s how many QAnon accounts Twitter removed from its platform following the January 6 riot.
Further Reading
QAnon’s Fox News Cameo: The Conspiracy Theory’s Latest Breakout Moment (Forbes)
‘Reject’ QAnon Or Be ‘Consumed’ By It, Sasse Tells Republicans In Wake Of Capitol Riot (Forbes)
QAnon adherents discussed posing as National Guard to try to infiltrate inauguration, according to FBI intelligence briefing (Washington Post)
What Is QAnon And How Might It Impact The U.S. Election? (Forbes)
