False QAnon Conspiracies Keep Emerging in Politics: What to Watch Out For

What's happening

Even with Donald Trump not in office, QAnon beliefs continue to infect politics.

Why it matters

The debunked conspiracy will be in play during the upcoming midterm elections, but that doesn't mean you have to fall for it.

QAnon, a fringe right-wing conspiracy theory centered on former President Donald Trump, didn't fade away when he left office. Instead, belief in the wild conspiracy persists and continues to play a part in the political discourse, whether Americans realize it or not.

The QAnon conspiracy, which first surfaced in October 2017, falsely purports that Trump was fighting a hidden war against a cabal of Satanist pedophiles in Hollywood and the Democratic Party. The nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute a nonprofit that researches the intersection of religion, culture and public policy released a study in February showing that nearly 16% of Americans believe the core QAnon conspiracy.

"QAnon has evolved from a movement centered around Trump leading a secret military intelligence operation to save the world, into a movement that not only doesn't need Trump but doesn't even need the iconography it developed over the past four years," said Mike Rothschild, conspiracy researcher and author of The Storm Is Upon Us, which provides a history of the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Conspiracy theories can be dangerous and even deadly as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, with vaccine misinformation playing a role in some people succumbing to the virus. Despite being repeatedly debunked, belief in the QAnon conspiracy continues to infect areas of politics beyond Trump. So far this year, aspects of the conspiracy have seeped into protests, a Supreme Court hearing and legislation.

"Its mythology of secret pedophile rings suppressed cures and technology, massive corruption and fraud propelling a [purportedly] decrepit Joe Biden into office, and COVID being a hoax, have infected every aspect of mainstream conservative politics and culture," Rothschild added.

With the midterm elections coming up, the conspiracy is likely to continue popping up in campaigns and on social media feeds. Being able to recognize its influence may make it easier to spot, and avoid, in the future.

Here are some of the current events that the QAnon conspiracy has latched onto, some obvious and others less so.

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https://www.cnet.com/news/misinformation/false-qanon-conspiracies-keep-emerging-in-politics-heres-what-to-watch-out-for/