{"id":39951,"date":"2025-07-19T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=39951"},"modified":"2025-07-20T07:24:29","modified_gmt":"2025-07-20T07:24:29","slug":"how-the-qanon-movement-entered-mainstream-politics-and-why-the-silence-on-epstein-files-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/how-the-qanon-movement-entered-mainstream-politics-and-why-the-silence-on-epstein-files-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"How the QAnon movement entered mainstream politics \u2013 and why the silence on Epstein files matters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Art Jipson<\/a>, University of Dayton<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Justice Department asked a federal court on July 18, 2025<\/a>, to unseal grand jury transcripts in Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s case. The direction from President Donald Trump came after weeks of frustration among some far-right groups over his administration\u2019s refusal to release the complete and unredacted \u201cEpstein files<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Epstein, a wealthy financier with high-profile connections, was arrested in 2019 on sex trafficking charges<\/a> and later died by suicide in a Manhattan jail awaiting trial<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early 2025, a federal court unsealed portions of the court documents. While names of some of the alleged clients and victims were released, many were redacted or withheld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Epstein\u2019s arrest and death became a central focus for QAnon followers<\/a>, who saw them as proof of a hidden global elite engaged in child trafficking and protected by powerful institutions. The release \u2013 or withholding \u2013 of the Epstein files is often cited within QAnon movement circles as evidence of a broader cover-up by the so-called \u201cdeep state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some followers of the MAGA \u2013 Make America Great Again \u2013 movement<\/a> and the Republican Party believe in the false claim that the United States is secretly controlled by a cabal of elites who are pedophiles, sex traffickers and satanists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, what started as a baseless conspiracy<\/a> on obscure platforms has migrated into the mainstream. It has influenced rhetoric and policy debates, and even reshaped the American political landscape. The foundational belief of many of the QAnon followers is that Trump is a heroic figure fighting the elite pedophile ring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump\u2019s attempts at downplaying or obstructing the very disclosures they believe would validate their worldview has led to confusion. To some, the delay in the release of the files feels like a betrayal<\/a>, or even the possibility of his wrongdoing. Others are trying to reinterpret Trump\u2019s actions through increasingly baseless conspiracy logic<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump has publicly dismissed demands for the full release of the Epstein Files<\/a> as a \u201choax.\u201d He has also made false claims. On July 15, 2025, Trump said<\/a>: \u201cAnd I would say that, you know, these files were made up by Comey. They were made up by Obama.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a scholar who studies extremism<\/a>, I know that the movement views Trump as a mythological figure and it interprets Trump\u2019s actions to fit this overarching narrative \u2013 an elasticity which makes the movement both durable and dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Pizzagate to QAnon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The QAnon movement began with the Pizzagate conspiracy theory<\/a> in 2016, which falsely claimed that high-ranking Democrats were operating a child sex trafficking ring out of a Washington, D.C., pizzeria. The baseless theory gained enough online momentum that a man armed with an assault rifle stormed the restaurant, seeking to \u201cfree the children<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, an anonymous figure called \u201cQ\u201d began posting cryptic messages on message boards like 4chan and 8kun. The baseless accusations of a global network of elites involved in controlling global institutions, including governments, businesses, and the media<\/a>, as well as operating a child trafficking and ritual abuse<\/a>, were central to the QAnon movement\u2019s narrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two
Supporters of President Donald Trump with messages referring to the QAnon conspiracy theory at a campaign rally at Las Vegas Convention Center on February 21, 2020. Mario Tama\/Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The movement has recruited followers through language like \u201cSave the Children<\/a>,\u201d to mobilize around issues of child trafficking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
The QAnon movement recruits new followers through appeals to stop child trafficking. Hollie Adams\/Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Many QAnon adherents, particularly women, were drawn to the movement through such appeals to child protection<\/a>. According to psychologists Sophia Moskalenko<\/a> and Mia Bloom<\/a>, this type of appeal taps into powerful emotional instincts, making conspiracy theories like QAnon more persuasive and harder to dislodge, even in the face of contradictory evidence<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

QAnon movement\u2019s rise<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

QAnon followers perceived Trump as a messianic figure working to expose this cabal in a climactic reckoning known as \u201cThe Storm<\/a>\u201d \u2013 a moment when mass arrests would finally bring justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They claimed that this moment would eventually bring about a \u201cGreat Awakening,\u201d a reference to the religious revivalist movements of the 18th and 19th centuries. In this context the phrase described the supposed political and spiritual enlightenment<\/a> that would follow \u201cThe Storm\u201d \u2013 a moment of mass realization when people would \u201cwake up\u201d to the truth about the \u201cdeep state<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Trump reposted an image of himself wearing a Q lapel pin overlaid with the words \u2018The Storm is Coming.\u2019 Olivier Douliery\/AFP via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, the FBI identified QAnon as a domestic terrorism threat, and major social media platforms began banning related content<\/a>, but by then, QAnon had bled into mainstream conservative politics. Q-endorsing candidates, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, ran for and won elected office<\/a> a year later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump and QAnon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

During Trump\u2019s first administration \u2013 from 2017 to 2021 \u2013 the QAnon movement flourished<\/a>. The posts from Q claimed to reveal insider knowledge of a secret war being waged by the president, often in coordination with the military, against the powerful elite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump never explicitly endorsed the movement, but he did little to distance himself from it<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His administration also included figures, like former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who openly interacted with Q content online<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump\u2019s rhetoric, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 election, gave new life to QAnon narratives. When he questioned the integrity of the electoral process<\/a>, QAnon followers interpreted it as confirmation of the deep state\u2019s meddling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, after Trump\u2019s loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race, QAnon followers revised their original prophecy to maintain belief in \u201cThe Storm\u201d and \u201cThe Great Awakening.\u201d Some claimed the defeat was part of a larger secret plan, with Biden\u2019s presidency serving as a cover for exposing the deep state<\/a>. Some believed Trump remained the true president behind the scenes, while others reframed the awakening as a spiritual rather than political event<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, by 2020, several congressional candidates openly embraced<\/a> or showed sympathy for the QAnon movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At various campaign rallies in 2022 and after Trump used the movement\u2019s symbolism<\/a>. On Truth Social, his social media platform, he retweeted Q-affiliated accounts, and praised QAnon supporters as \u201cpeople who love our country<\/a>.\u201d That same year he reposted an image of himself wearing a Q lapel pin overlaid with the words \u201cThe Storm is Coming<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the 2020 elections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Trump\u2019s departure from the White House in January 2021 created an existential crisis for the QAnon movement<\/a>. Predictions that he would declare martial law or arrest Joe Biden and other Democrats on Inauguration Day failed to materialize<\/a>. Q\u2019s posts also stopped, leaving many followers adrift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some abandoned the theory. Others rationalized the failed predictions or embraced new conspiracy narratives<\/a>, such as the belief that Trump was still secretly in charge or that the military would soon act to reinstate him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some QAnon communities merged with or were absorbed into broader anti-vaccine<\/a>, anti-globalist<\/a>, and Christian nationalist<\/a> movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How big is the movement?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Estimating the number of QAnon believers is difficult because many individuals do not openly identify with the movement, and those who do often hold a range of loosely connected or partial beliefs rather than adhering to a consistent or uniform ideology. Not everyone who shares a Q meme or echoes a Q talking point identifies as being part of the movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, surveys by groups like the 2024 Public Religion Research Institute and the Associated Press have found that 15\u201320% of Americans believe in some of QAnon\u2019s core claims, such as the existence of a secret group of Satan-worshipping elites controlling the government<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among Republican voters, the number is often higher<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This does not mean all these people are hardcore QAnon adherents, but it does show how far the narrative, or parts of it, has seeped into mainstream thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Epstein as evidence of \u2018the cabal\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Trump administration\u2019s failure to disclose the information in Epstein files has fueled internal confusion, disillusionment and even radicalization within the movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some QAnon believers, this failure was a turning point: if Trump \u2013 once seen as the hero<\/a> in the conspiracy narrative \u2013 would not or could not reveal the truth, then the \u201cdeep state\u201d must be more entrenched than imagined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, frustrations have grown within MAGA and the QAnon movement\u2019s spaces. Some see it as a failure to fulfill one of his most important promises: exposing elite pedophiles<\/a>. Others believe the delay is strategic, another example of \u201cthe plan\u201d requiring more patience<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The QAnon movement continues to evolve, even as its central figure hedges and hesitates, showing how potent myths can be in times of uncertainty. In my view, understanding why this belief continues to gain traction is essential for understanding the current state of American democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Art Jipson<\/a>, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Dayton<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Art Jipson, University of Dayton The Justice Department asked a federal court on July 18, 2025, to unseal grand jury transcripts in Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s case. The direction from President Donald Trump came after weeks of frustration among some far-right groups over his administration\u2019s refusal to release the complete and unredacted \u201cEpstein files.\u201d Epstein, a wealthy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":39952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8025,46,295,10,296,36,4,15533,38],"tags":[710,550,479,477,16668,7046,885,891,886,860,5875,16666,868,8448,6610,16667],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39951"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39951"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39951\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39953,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39951\/revisions\/39953"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39951"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39951"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39951"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}