Coded message in Trump post sends signal to far-right conspiracy theorists: expert

In an all-caps rant on his Truth Social platform Monday, former President Donald Trump vowed to appoint another special counsel to prosecute President Joe Biden. It was a single word that raised the alarm for an expert in religious extremism.

"NOW THAT THE 'SEAL' IS BROKEN, IN ADDITION TO CLOSING THE BORDER & REMOVING ALL OF THE 'CRIMINAL' ELEMENTS THAT HAVE ILLEGALLY INVADED OUR COUNTRY, MAKING AMERICA ENERGY INDEPENDENT, & EVEN DOMINANT AGAIN, & IMMEDIATELY ENDING THE WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA & UKRAINE, I WILL APPOINT A REAL SPECIAL 'PROSECUTOR' TO GO AFTER THE MOST CORRUPT PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE USA, JOE BIDEN, THE ENTIRE BIDEN CRIME FAMILY, & ALL OTHERS INVOLVED WITH THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR ELECTIONS, BORDERS, & COUNTRY ITSELF!" wrote Trump.

The use of "seal" may not be an accident, wrote religion reporter and extremism expert Jeff Sharlet. It may be a nod to far-right conspiracy theorists trying to interpret current events through end-times prophecy.

"QAnon & many fundamentalists will read this — & I don’t think it’s a stretch to imagine Trump’s people are aware of that — as both the indictment & 7th seal of Revelation, the opening of which heralds the second coming of Christ," wrote Sharlet.

The Seven Seals, described in the Book of Revelation, secure a book that appeared to John of Patmos in an apocalyptic vision. In the story, each seal breaking progressively takes the world closer to apocalypse, with the final seal portending the second coming and the final judgment against the world.

This could also bolster beliefs among some of the religious far right that Biden is the Antichrist — as some also believed of former President Barack Obama, Sharlet said.

All of this comes as Trump prepares to face arraignment in Miami on Tuesday, and as authorities brace for the possibility of violence from Trump supporters in the vicinity, supported by escalating violent rhetoric on pro-Trump corners of the internet.