QAnon Followers Left Frustrated After Donald Trump Admits He Received COVID Booster(NewsWEAK.com)
https://www.newsweek.com/qanon-followers-left-frustrated-after-donald-trump-admits-he-received-covid-booster-1661521
QAnon Followers Left Frustrated After Donald Trump Admits He Received COVID Booster
By Anders Anglesey On 12/21/21 at 5:12 AM EST
QAnon followers have been left frustrated and confused after former president Donald Trump revealed he had received a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Trump, who is a revered figure within the QAnon community, shared his booster status during the final stop of "The History Tour" with ex-Fox News host Bill O'Reilly at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Sunday.
During the event, O'Reilly asked Trump: "Did you get the booster?" To which, the former President replied: "Yes. I got it too."
Trump then swiftly moved to address boos that appeared to come from one side of the arena and said: "Don't, don't, don't. That's alright, it's a very tiny group over there."
The former President also expressed his opposition to vaccine mandates and said "you shouldn't be forced to take it."
But, Trump's comments about the booster left QAnon followers and influencers frustrated as many believe debunked claims the COVID-19 vaccine causes anything from an AIDS-like illness to unspecified injuries.
Newsweek found several comments on Telegram from QAnon followers who had turned on Trump and were left frustrated by his comments while others who claimed to be unvaccinated proudly called themselves "pureblood."
One major QAnon influencer with 58,800 followers attempted to reassure their followers and explain Trump's comments to them.
In a Monday Telegram post: "We don't always understand everything. I love President Trump. I disagree here. I think we may find out something about this soon imo [in my opinion] either way, think for yourself. You are in the right spot here. Just don't cuss up a storm, we have so many twists and turns already."
The influencer continued: "I believe the end will explain the middle. But, we are all to think for ourselves and most of you guys are still with me on this vax crap. If we are confused by Pres Trump's comments, I'm sure Deep State is. Maybe he would be a danger to society arrested otherwise idk [I don't know] but I'm gonna continue locally and here doing what we all must every day."
In a poll shared on their Telegram channel, the QAnon influencer asked: "Now that President Trump had a booster, are you comfortable taking the vax and boosters?"
Of the more than 18,000 sampled, 97 percent said "no," one percent said "yes" and two percent replied, "I don't know."
A second QAnon influencer with 152,000 subscribers said in response to Trump's booster status reveal: "I just triple checked. Still a zero percent chance that I'll take the vaccine, booster or comply."
John Sabal, known as QAnon John, continued to stand by Trump and said it would be "political suicide" for the former President to disavow the booster and Operation Warp Speed, which accelerated the creation of the COVID-vaccines.
In a post shared with his 75,200 followers, Sabal said: "Knowing what we know. Whenever POTUS 45 promotes something, the other side does the total opposite. They get disgusted by that thing. Trump derangement still runs deep. Trump still says that those who don't want the vax should not be forced to take it. That is the most important thing he said. The messaging here is clear.
"Imagine for one second what would happen if Trump all of a sudden started to backtrack on the vax. Operation Warp Speed was necessary for reasons I already discussed. He would lose all credibility with those who took the jab. It would be political suicide for him."
But, many of his followers expressed their frustration that Trump promoted the vaccine, which they consider to be harmful.
Newsweek found comments under Sabal's post that said Americans had been "conned" by the former President and that "He [Trump] was great, but he's not anymore."
Following the inauguration of Joe Biden in January, the QAnon movement has fractured and increasingly followers have merged their beliefs with other established conspiracies.
Arizona congressional candidate Ron Watkins, who is alleged to have been in control of the "Q" account that sparked the conspiracy movement on online messaging boards, has promoted the false claim that vaccine causes an AIDS-like illness.
In a Monday Telegram post, he said: "VAIDS is when you give yourself AIDS from a 'vaccine.'"
QAnon influencers have also attracted Republican lawmakers to their events and podcasts to discuss unfounded claims the 2020 Presidential Election was somehow stolen from Trump.
Earlier this year, several Republican lawmakers and candidates attended a QAnon conference in Las Vegas where they discussed how they wanted to overturn the election results in several states won by Biden and, bizarrely, some convincingly taken by Trump.
While many QAnon followers have shifted their focus on other conspiracies, many still believe in its core mythos.
The QAnon conspiracy, in essence, promotes the debunked claim a connected global cabal of Democrats, celebrities and business owners are engaged in a huge Satanic and cannibalistic child sex trafficking ring.
Trump is a revered figure in the conspiracy, as QAnon followers believe he will somehow expose the cabal and order their arrests and will oversee their executions in an event known as "the Storm."
But, many predictions made by QAnon influencers, including "the Storm" have failed to happen, leading them to tell followers to "trust the plan."