AP Explains: What's behind Trump's town hall answer on QAnon

Ask the Q” has been a rallying cry for QAnon believers since the conspiracy theory's online birth three years ago. They have long claimed that if President Donald Trump was asked about QAnon, his answer would confirm their baseless belief that he is secretly fighting deep state enemies and a cabal of Satan-worshipping cannibals operating a child sex trafficking ring.

So QAnon followers were celebrating Trump's response to a question during a televised town hall on Thursday night. Asked if he would completely disavow QAnon and reject its followers' baseless belief that he is the “savior” against Democrats running a “satanic pedophile ring," he dodged.

Trump claimed he didn't know anything about the QAnon theory. But he then praised their work against pedophilia and refused to say the conspiracy theory was false.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/article/AP-Explains-What-s-behind-Trump-s-town-hall-15653630.php

Trump refuses to denounce QAnon, claims ignorance of conspiracy theory movement at town hall

By Andrew Blake - The Washington Times - Friday, October 16, 2020

President Trump refused to denounce QAnon during a town hall event Thursday and once again claimed ignorance of the far-right conspiracy theory movement recently condemned by other Republicans.

Facing questions from Savannah Guthrie, the town hall moderator and anchor of NBC’s “Today” show, Mr. Trump insisted he still knows little to nothing about QAnon and declined multiple opportunities to reject it.

Mr. Trump also pushed back repeatedly when told of specific beliefs held by proponents of QAnon, accused Ms. Guthrie of misunderstanding the movement and took issue with her asking him about it.

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/oct/16/donald-trump-refuses-to-denounce-qanon-claims-igno/