Trump’s New BFF is QAnon: He Said They Like Me — and He Told the Public So Yipee

Trump heard about them and said: “They like me”

(Apparently that's all that matters, um)

Updated (August 20): QAnon gains Trump support … the story here from Market Watch (via AP) and other links in the story below with this headline:

“Trump praises QAnon conspiracy theorists, says he appreciates their support”

WASHINGTON (August 19) — President Donald J. Trump 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.” That was his first public comment on the subject of QAnon.

QAnon has ricocheted around the darker corners of the internet since late 2017, and 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 that is often tied to Satanism and child sex trafficking.

(Cite: The so-called “Pizzagate” 2016 scandal involving Hillary Clinton getting more attention now and reported on from The Atlantic and from Esquire with 10 key facts).

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

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

Noteworthy: The FBI issued a May bulletin warning about several conspiracy theory-driven extremist groups making domestic terrorist threats that specifically mentioned QAnon. 

Also, earlier last year, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) warned that the movement is becoming increasingly popular with anti-government extremists.

My 2 cents and conclusion: This also from CNN and from DHS acting secretary, VP Pence, and W/H CofS Mark Meadows. Their simple instructions are: “Don’t piss off Trump – QAnon likes him.”

DHS Acting Secretary Chad Wolf told Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union: “When I look at all the threats facing the homeland, this is not one that rises to a significant level. There are many other threats, here domestically as well as overseas, and we'll continue to look at those and address those. So I can't comment and not going to comment on every fringe element, fringe group out there. There are many. I don’t have any to disagree with the FBI's assessment that the group is a domestic terror threat, so I don't have any reason to believe anything different from the FBI.”

Tapper pressed Wolf on whether he condemned QAnon based on their violent actions including kidnapping, murder, and attempted assassinations. Wolf said he did, adding: “Absolutely. Any individual group that's kidnapping, murdering, doing any number of criminal and illegal attacks ... I absolutely condemn them.”

This from Trump, also from CNN:  He basically praised them for supporting him and shrugging off its outlandish conspiracies, saying: “I don't know much about the movement other than I understand they like me very much, which I appreciate. I have heard that it's gaining in popularity (seemed to be suggesting QAnon approves of how he'd handled social unrest in Portland), adding: “I've heard these are people that love our country and they just don't like seeing it.”

VP Pence meanwhile told CNN's John Berman on New Day (August 21) that he didn't know anything about the group clearly saying: “Honestly, John, I don't know anything about that. I have heard about it. We dismiss conspiracy theories around here out of hand. I called it a conspiracy theory and don't have time for it, and don't know anything about it.”

Noteworthy about all this: Pence and a few Republicans have increasingly faced questions about the conspiracy theory as candidates who embrace it have won party nominations. 

Some Republicans spoke out against candidates like Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) after her stunning racist-laced primary victory, but many haven’t commented.

GOP House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) office said Greene would be welcomed into the caucus.

McCarthy himself told Fox News last week: “There is no place for QAnon in the Republican Party, plus Greene had disavowed the conspiracy theory when Greene told Fox News last week following her primary win that while she once read and discussed QAnon topics, she had decided to “choose another path after encountering the misinformation.”

What do we call all the GOP BS, from top to bottom? How about calling it utterly disgusting and the height of hypocrisy, but SOP for this GOP, lip-locked on Trump’s ass afraid to talk out against anything Trump likes or supports (or against groups like QAnon who likes him).

Stay tuned and watch more of this tap dancing as the GOP ties themselves in knots seeking anyway out.

Thanks for stopping by.