Even with Donald Trump not in office, QAnon beliefs continue to infect politics.
The debunked conspiracy theory will be in play during the upcoming midterm elections, but that doesn't mean you have to fall for it.
The QAnon conspiracy theory, which started in October 2017, falsely claims that former President Donald Trump fought a hidden war against a cabal of Satanist pedophiles in Hollywood and the Democratic Party while he was in the Oval Office. Believers in the conspiracy theory's outlandish assertions continue to be part of the political landscape, which could have serious ramifications as the midterm elections draw closer.
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 theory.
"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.
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