QAnon

"If QAnon is a new religion, it bears the birthmarks of our truth-deprived time: Born on an obscure internet image board, it spreads through social media, preaches a perverted form of populism and is amplified by a president who has demonstrated little regard for facts."

"Q claimed to be a high-level government insider with Q clearance (a United States Department of Energy security clearance with access to classified information) who had been instructed to post intelligence leaks straight to 4chan “in order to covertly inform the public about POTUS’s master plan to stage a countercoup against members of the deep state”, adds the magazine (New York magazine)... One twist, however, “makes QAnon unusual”, says the New York Times{}s Michelle Goldberg. While conspiracy theories are usually about evil cabals manipulating world events. QAnon, by contrast, "is a conspiracy theory in which the good guys - in this case, Trump and his allies - are in charge", she writes."

"Briefly summarized, QAnon is a conspiracy theory that claims that the Trump administration is engaged in a kind of behind-the-scenes battle against the so-called “Deep State,” with the fate of the U.S. and the world at large hanging in its balance. The theory started a few years ago based on the online postings of an individual going by the name of "Q" who claimed to have access to top-secret information supporting a wide variety of conspiratorial claims including those implicating the Democrats, the Clintons, and the likes of the FBI in orchestrating a coup against President Trump as well as running an international child sex trafficking ring."

"In its broadest contours, the QAnon belief system looks something like this: Q is an intelligence or military insider with proof that corrupt world leaders are secretly torturing children all over the world; the malefactors are embedded in the deep state; Donald Trump is working tirelessly to thwart them... The eventual destruction of the global cabal is imminent, Q prophesies, but can be accomplished only with the support of patriots who search for meaning in Q’s clues. To believe Q requires rejecting mainstream institutions, ignoring government officials, battling apostates, and despising the press. One of Q’s favorite rallying cries... is “Enjoy the show,” a phrase that his disciples regard as a reference to a coming apocalypse: When the world as we know it comes to an end, everyone’s a spectator."

"Currently, among these candidates who have endorsed or given credence to the conspiracy theory or promoted QAnon content: Fourteen candidates have secured a spot on the ballot in November by competing in primary elections. Of those 14 candidates, five are from California, two are from Illinois, and there is one each from Colorado, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Georgia, Ohio, and Texas."

"Twitter and TikTok both took action against the internets most persistent conspiracy theory this week, but experts suggested it may be too little and too late to halt the phenomenon known as QAnon."