Today someone finally asked President Donald Trump about QAnon. He didn’t answer.
QAnon is a conspiracy theory that the world is run by a global network of pedophile Satanists. They believe that liberals, politicians and government workers (the “deep state”), and entertainers are part of this cabal—and that Trump is secretly working to topple it.
Initially a laughable fringe element, QAnon has grown exponentially since it emerged from the ruins of Pizzagate in 2016.
There are Facebook groups dedicated to the theory across the planet. Grifters have taken QAnon to fundraising sites like Patreon. Followers have been accused of acts of violence and terror.
QAnon has attracted a broad cross-section of people from alternative health and conspiracy theory circles—seemingly all of whom are ardent Trump supporters.
Since its earliest days, QAnon believers have clamored for someone to ask Trump directly about Q.
Well, it finally happened. It probably didn’t go quite as they imagined, however. Although in the tradition of QAnon, they’ll probably figure out a way to spin it to confirm their beliefs.
Earlier this week, Trump endorsed Marjorie Taylor Greene, a QAnon follower who won the Republican primary for a congressional seat in Georgia.
At today’s White House press conference, Associated Press reporter Jill Colvin asked Trump about his endorsement, and whether he agreed with Greene’s support for QAnon.
Trump dodged the question.
“She did very well in the election, she won by a lot,” he said. “She was very popular. She comes from a great state and she had a tremendous victory, so absolutely, I did congratulate her.”
Colvin pressed Trump in a follow-up, but he ignored her.
Although Trump demurred to discuss QAnon on camera, he has previously given multiple nods to the theory. He’s retweeted multiple QAnon accounts, hosted a follower at the White House, and tweeted a large Q sign, which functions as a bat signal of sorts for the cult-like belief.
So even if followers find Trump’s silence on the subject disappointing, it’s not likely it will dissuade them from believing that he’s on their side.
