- Supporters of the far-right QAnon movement appeared jubilantly after President Donald Trump praised them in public for the first time.
- The movement’s supporters are for the most part excluded from mainstream platforms, but they shared festive messages and memes on alternative networks such as Gab.
- “I do not know much about the movement other than I understand that they like me very much, which I appreciate,” he said. “But I do not know much about the movement. I have heard that it is gaining in popularity.”
- The president had previously shared messages from pro-QAnon accounts on Twitter, but Wednesday was the first time he had explicitly approved of the move.
- The move has been identified as a threat of domestic terrorism by the FBI, and experts have warned that the president’s remarks will embolden his sometimes violent supporters.
- Visit the Business Insider website for more stories.
Supporters of the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory are celebrating after President Donald Trump explicitly acknowledged and praised them in public for the first time.
Speaking at a White House press release, Trump responded to a question asked about his views on the movement.
QAnon states that Trump is on a secret mission to dismantle a network of child abusers that includes top Democrats, “deep state agents,” and Hollywood stars. There is no evidence that this is true.
“I do not know much about the movement other than I understand that they like me very much, which I appreciate,” he said. “But I do not know much about the movement. I have heard that it is gaining in popularity.”
He added: “These are people who do not like what is happening in places like Portland and places like Chicago and New York and other cities and states, and I have heard that these are people who love our country.”
—Red Pill Dealer🍀🇮🇪🇺🇸⭐⭐⭐ (@ hmcd123) August 19, 2020
The move was identified as a threat of domestic terrorism by the FBI in documents obtained by Yahoo News last year.
QAnon supporters are linked to a series of violent crimes around the country, according to the civil rights nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center.
At the end of July, thousands of pro-QAnon accounts were removed from Twitter. Facebook followed suit this week, banning thousands of accounts and groups.
But on frontal platforms like Gab and Parler, where many supporters regrouped, they were jubilant after a moment they had long expected.
“Trump’s response yesterday made me grin like crazy, even hours later. It has been a great honor to observe and participate in this movement!” one trailer posted on Gab, an online gathering space often used right.
“It’s not over yet, but I just had to share my feelings about this watershed event.”
On the Parler platform, another supporter wrote: “‘I have not heard that these people love our country’ – Donald J. Trump on ‘The #QAnon Movement’ Hold tight, anons. The best is yet to come.”
Other supporters celebrate the news with memes.
A mother shared by QAnon supporters on the social media network Gab following Trump’s favorable comments Wednesday.
Gab
Experts have warned that Trump’s comments will further embolden the movement and will be interpreted as evidence that their elaborated theories are true.
—Molly McKew (@MollyMcKew) August 20, 2020
For nearly a year, Trump and top officials have quietly given signs of approval of the movement, tweets shared by pro-QAnon accounts and slogans associated with the movement.
Business Insider reported in July that some of Trump’s most popular slogans, including the #Obamagate hashtag, came from a large network of QAnon accounts on Twitter.
After the president uses the slogans, the network then repeats its messages and reinforces them.
At the moment, neither the White House nor the Trump campaign would comment on the apparent embrace of the QAnon president. Business Insider sent further requests for comment in light of Trump’s statement Wednesday.
Speaking to Business Insider in July, Manchester University professor Peter Knight, an expert on American conspiracy theories, said there was a major overlap between QAnon and Trump’s traditional base. He said stimulating the movement would be for the presidential election advantage.
The QAnon movement appeared in the message boards 4Chan and 8Chan in 2017, when a user started posting cryptic messages claiming to be a U.S. government official with “Q-level” statement that claimed a plot for child abuse that Trump sought to dismantle.
Trump supporters soon began appearing at rallies wearing signs and clothing wearing emblezon with Q-slogans, and the movement has been sucked into the Congress GOP.
Media Matters for America has documented that 70 Republican candidates have expressed support for QAnon.
On August 12, Marjorie Taylor Greene won the party primarily for a secure GOP seat in Georgia, meaning she will likely become the first supporter of the movement elected to Congress.
