QAnon[a] (
/kjuːəˈnɒn/) is a
far-right conspiracy theory[7][8] alleging a secret plot by a supposed "
deep state" against President
Donald Trump and his supporters.
[9] No part of the conspiracy has been shown to be based in fact.
[10] The theory began with an October 2017 post on the anonymous
imageboard 4chan by "
Q", who was presumably an American individual,
[11] but probably became a group of people.
[12][13] Q claimed to have access to classified information involving the
Trump administration and its opponents in the United States.
NBC News found that three people took the original Q post and expanded it across multiple media platforms to build internet followings for profit. QAnon was preceded by several similar anonymous 4chan posters, such as FBIAnon, HLIAnon (High-Level Insider), CIAAnon, and WH Insider Anon.
[14]
Q has accused many liberal Hollywood actors,
Democratic politicians, and high-ranking officials of being members of an international child sex trafficking ring. Q also claimed that Trump feigned collusion with Russians to enlist
Robert Mueller to join him in exposing the ring and preventing a coup d'état by
Barack Obama,
Hillary Clinton, and
George Soros.
[15][16][17] "Q" is a reference to the
Q clearance used by the U.S. Department of Energy. QAnon believers commonly tag their social media posts with the
hashtag #WWG1WGA, signifying the motto "Where We Go One, We Go All".
QAnon adherents began appearing at
Trump reelection campaign rallies in the summer of 2018.
[18] TV and radio personality
Michael "Lionel" Lebron, a promoter of the theory, was granted a photo opportunity with Trump in the
Oval Office on August 24, 2018.
[19] Bill Mitchell, a broadcaster who promotes QAnon, attended a White House "social media summit" in July 2019.
[8][20]At an August 2019 rally, a man warming up the crowd before Trump spoke used the QAnon motto "where we go one, we go all", later denying that it was a QAnon reference. This occurred hours after the publication of a report that the FBI had determined QAnon to be a potential source of domestic terrorism, the first time the agency had so rated a fringe conspiracy theory