QAnon believers have turned on President Donald Trump, and despite an attempt from the White House to win them back, it has backfired among the president's former allies, an analyst reported on Thursday.
Will Sommer, senior reporter at The Bulwark, described how the Trump administration dropped a "bizarre QAnon-themed social media campaign" this week. In posts on X, the White House used slogans associated with QAnon, including “trust the plan” with a mock Q design to try to promote Trump executive orders and references to "quantum computing."
"There are several reasons why QAnon believers are turning on Trump," Sommer wrote. "But the main thrust boils down to this: After trying to block the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and failing to deliver deep-state arrests, some of the movement’s dissatisfied stars think it’s a bit gauche, if not insulting, that the president and his team are appropriating QAnon culture."
QAnon John, a former movement personality, described the backlash over Trump's second administration and the online group.
“Now, [sic] that Trump’s approval is in the toilet after endless broken promises to the American people and blatantly Israel first policies, they are using Q propaganda in a last ditch desperate attempt to reel the deceived loyalists back in," he wrote.
He also said his own QAnon apparel and gear had been banned at Trump rallies, Sommer explained.
"IT’S SO FREAKING CRINGE," QAnon John wrote.
"The White House hasn’t addressed these complaints about the recent posts—at least not in public," Sommer added. "But it would be hard for officials to claim ignorance or that this was all a misunderstanding. The idea of 'quantum computing' is already part of QAnon lore, suggesting that the new social media effort isn’t just a random reference to two things that start with 'Q.'"