Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Trump Praises QAnon Conspiracists, Appreciates Support
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
August 20, 2020

Share

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday praised the supporters of QAnon, a convoluted, pro-Trump conspiracy theory, and suggested he appreciates their support of his candidacy.

Speaking during a press conference at the White House, Trump courted the support of those who put stock in the conspiracy theory, saying, “I heard that these are people that love our country.” It was Trump’s first public comment on the subject and continued a pattern of president appearing unwilling to resoundingly condemn extremists who support his candidacy.

Trump has retweeted QAnon-promoting accounts, and shirts and hats with QAnon symbols and slogans are not uncommon at his rallies.

QAnon has ricocheted around the darker corners of the internet since late 2017, but has been creeping into mainstream politics more and more. The baseless theory centers on an alleged anonymous, high-ranking government official known as “Q” who shares information about an anti-Trump “deep state” often tied to satanism and child sex trafficking.

Trump insisted he hadn’t heard much about the movement, “other than I understand they like me very much” and “it is gaining in popularity.”

Trump has retweeted QAnon-promoting accounts, and shirts and hats with QAnon symbols and slogans are not uncommon at his rallies.

An FBI bulletin last May warned that conspiracy theory-driven extremists have become a domestic terrorism threat. The bulletin specifically mentioned QAnon. Earlier last year, the Southern Poverty Law Center warned that the movement is becoming increasingly popular with anti-government extremists.

Trump’s comments were condemned by the campaign of his Democratic rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.

QAnon Adherents Quick to Celebrate Trump’s Support

“After calling neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville ‘fine people’ and tear gassing peaceful protesters following the murder of George Floyd, Donald Trump just sought to legitimize a conspiracy theory that the FBI has identified as a domestic terrorism threat,” said Biden spokesman Andrew Bates. “Our country needs leadership that will bring us together more than ever to form a more perfect union. We have to win this battle for the soul of our nation.”

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who challenged Trump for the GOP nomination in 2016, also criticized the president, tweeting: “Why in the world would the President not kick Q’anon supporters’ butts? Nut jobs, racists, haters have no place in either Party.”

Pressed on QAnon theories that Trump is allegedly saving the nation from a satanic cult of child sex traffickers, Trump claimed ignorance, but asked, “Is that supposed to be a bad thing?”

“If I can help save the world from problems, I’m willing to do it,” Trump said.

Qanon supporters were quick to celebrate Trump’s comments on social media, with many calling them a validation of their views. Many have long contended he sends them coded messages of support, and on Twitter, one user claimed Trump’s choice of a pink tie on Wednesday was another signal of support.

Within minutes, dozens of Instagram users began celebrating Trump’s acknowledgement of the conspiracy theory at the White House podium, uploading videos of him.

Comments Come a Week After Trump Endorsed QAnon-Linked Candidate

“Well we’ve been waiting for this moment for a while, to put it mildly thank you @realDonaldTrump,” one Instagram user wrote to her 19,000 followers in a post of Trump’s exchange. The video was viewed more than 1,000 times in just 30 minutes.

Trump has a long history of advancing false and sometimes racist conspiracies, including last week, when he gave credence to a highly criticized op-ed that questioned Democrat Kamala Harris’ eligibility to serve as vice president even though she was born in Oakland, California.

“Holy Smokin Q,” another tweeted. “Our President was asked 2 questions about the Qanon movement TODAY!! We LOVE you President Trump.”

On Parler, a right-wing platform popular with some Trump supporters, one Qanon supporter posted a photo of Trump and a bald eagle.

Trump’s comments came a week after he endorsed Marjorie Taylor Greene, who won her GOP House primary runoff in Georgia last week. Greene called the QAnon conspiracy theory “something worth listening to and paying attention to” and called Q a “patriot.” Trump praised her as a “future Republican Star.”

Trump has a long history of advancing false and sometimes racist conspiracies, including last week, when he gave credence to a highly criticized op-ed that questioned Democrat Kamala Harris’ eligibility to serve as vice president even though she was born in Oakland, California.

Asked about the matter, Trump told reporters he had “heard” rumors that Harris, a Black woman and U.S.-born citizen whose parents were immigrants, does not meet the requirement to serve in the White House. The president said he considered the rumors “very serious,” but later he and his campaign indicated they were not making an issue of the claim. Constitutional lawyers have dismissed it as nonsense.

Facebook announced just hours before Trump’s statements that it was banning some QAnon Facebook groups and accounts.

Conspiracy Movement Mentions Have Spiked on Social Media

But social media had already been used for years to fuel the conspiracy theory’s rise, with private and super-secret Facebook groups where members sometimes post hundreds of times a day. QAnon believers often peddle a number of conspiracy theories, from claims that John F. Kennedy Jr. isn’t really dead and is staging a public comeback to baseless speculation around celebrities who have secretly been arrested for trafficking children for sex.

Mentions of hashtags social media users to promote the QAnon conspiracy theory have spiked in public Facebook pages and groups since July, generating millions of interactions, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from Facebook-owned CrowdTangle.

The conspiracy theory gained a larger online following in recent weeks, when prominent QAnon social media accounts pushed a bizarre and baseless conspiracy theory that online retail giant Wayfair was trafficking children through pricey storage cabinets that are for sale on its site. Some of the social media users shared the names and photos of missing children from around the country as proof of the scheme, even though many of the children have since been recovered.

Last month, researchers at online misinformation firm NewsGuard found that the QAnon conspiracy theory is gaining traction in Europe, with Facebook users pushing it on Facebook and Twitter, too.

DON'T MISS

Can You Help Nab Hit-and-Run Driver Who Killed a Madera Woman?

DON'T MISS

Bredefeld Says Fresno County’s Use of DEI Language Is Over

DON'T MISS

Fresno’s Spay, Neuter Fees Rise, but It Doesn’t Mean You Have to Pay Full Price

DON'T MISS

How Much Rain Did Fresno Get? How Long Will It Continue?

DON'T MISS

Official White House ‘Valentine’ to Immigrants Draws Mixed Reaction

DON'T MISS

JuJu Watkins Lifts Sixth-Ranked USC to Program-Defining Win Over No. 1 UCLA

DON'T MISS

Rodgers’ Stint With Jets Is Over. Here Are Potential Landing Spots if He Doesn’t Retire

DON'T MISS

Curry Scores 27 Points to Lead Warriors to Win Over Rockets

DON'T MISS

‘Saturday Night Live’ Stars Name Their Favorite Sketches

DON'T MISS

US Aircraft Carrier Truman Collides With Merchant Ship Near Egypt

UP NEXT

Pentagon’s New Media Rotation Program Boots NPR, NY Times, NBC News

UP NEXT

Apple Changes Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America on Maps

UP NEXT

Red, White, and Blueland? GOP Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename Greenland

UP NEXT

White House Bars AP Reporter From Oval Office Because of AP Style Policy on ‘Gulf of America’

UP NEXT

Russia Has Released Detained American Teacher Marc Fogel, the White House Says

UP NEXT

Canned Tuna Sold at Trader Joe’s, Costco, H-E-B Recalled for Botulism Risk

UP NEXT

Fact Check: No Evidence Chelsea Clinton Took $84 Million From USAID

UP NEXT

Private Jets Collide at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona, Killing at Least 1 Person, Authorities Say

UP NEXT

Farmers Caught in Limbo as Trump’s USDA Suspends Program Funding

UP NEXT

53% Approve of Trump’s Job Performance Amid Economic Concerns

How Much Rain Did Fresno Get? How Long Will It Continue?

2 hours ago

Official White House ‘Valentine’ to Immigrants Draws Mixed Reaction

3 hours ago

JuJu Watkins Lifts Sixth-Ranked USC to Program-Defining Win Over No. 1 UCLA

3 hours ago

Rodgers’ Stint With Jets Is Over. Here Are Potential Landing Spots if He Doesn’t Retire

3 hours ago

Curry Scores 27 Points to Lead Warriors to Win Over Rockets

4 hours ago

‘Saturday Night Live’ Stars Name Their Favorite Sketches

4 hours ago

US Aircraft Carrier Truman Collides With Merchant Ship Near Egypt

4 hours ago

US Retail Sales Plunged in January After Bustling Holiday Season

4 hours ago

Pope Francis Hospitalized to Treat Bronchitis, Undergo Tests

4 hours ago

Zelenskyy Says He Will Only Meet Putin After Common Plan With Trump Is Negotiated

4 hours ago

Can You Help Nab Hit-and-Run Driver Who Killed a Madera Woman?

The California Highway Patrol is asking for the public’s help in locating a driver involved in a November 2024 hit-and-run that killed a Mad...

22 minutes ago

22 minutes ago

Can You Help Nab Hit-and-Run Driver Who Killed a Madera Woman?

31 minutes ago

Bredefeld Says Fresno County’s Use of DEI Language Is Over

1 hour ago

Fresno’s Spay, Neuter Fees Rise, but It Doesn’t Mean You Have to Pay Full Price

2 hours ago

How Much Rain Did Fresno Get? How Long Will It Continue?

The White House's Valentine’s Day Instagram post on immigration, featuring a controversial message about deportation, sparks widespread reactions, while polls show a divided American opinion on mass deportation versus legalization. (Instagram)
3 hours ago

Official White House ‘Valentine’ to Immigrants Draws Mixed Reaction

3 hours ago

JuJu Watkins Lifts Sixth-Ranked USC to Program-Defining Win Over No. 1 UCLA

3 hours ago

Rodgers’ Stint With Jets Is Over. Here Are Potential Landing Spots if He Doesn’t Retire

4 hours ago

Curry Scores 27 Points to Lead Warriors to Win Over Rockets

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend