Sarah Burris is a long-time veteran of political campaigns, having worked as a fundraiser and media director across the United States. She transitioned into reporting while working for Rock the Vote, Future Majority and Wiretap Magazine, covering the Millennial Generation's perspective during the presidential elections. As a political writer, Burris has had bylines at CNN, Salon.com, BNR, and AlterNet and serves as a senior digital editor for RawStory.com.
Fringe activist Steve Bannon is no stranger to promoting QAnon activists, but he took it to a whole new level when promoting the Q-linked film "Sound of Freedom."
Donald Trump hosted a screening at his country club Wednesday, promoting it along with other Republicans. The film follows a former federal agent that sought to rescue South American children from sex traffickers. The film doesn't directly cite QAnon, nor does it make the link to the Q conspiracy that leading Democrats are running a pedophile ring and drinking the blood of the children.
MAGA loyalist Karli Bonne told Bannon at the event that "the coincidences are catching up with the truth. And it's just amazing to watch." She didn't specify examples.
"This film — they can make fun of it, they can say, oh, it's QAnon, make fun of QAnon people or people that follow Q," she continued. "You know what? Those Q people, this 'Midnight Rider,' we were right all along."
Bannon agreed, saying that the things the film brings out, and "the evidence that's come out — I mean, obviously there's some industrial process both in the production side — I mean, people make fun of 'em, but have they not been right a lot more than they've been wrong on a lot of things? I'm not saying —"
He was cut off by Bonne who commented about the "fringe."
"And I have some people that are very close to me are quite, uh, deep into that, right?" Bannon continued.
Someone from the audience shouted something that sounded as if they were saying they loved him, and it prompted laughter. He explained he thought he was "accused of being that" on the HBO thing. But they've been a lot more right when you look at the facts."
Among the conspiracies from the QAnon followers are that a trafficking ring exists in the basement of a Washington pizza parlor, which has no basement. Another is that former Secretary Hillary Clinton is part of the ring that is drinking children's blood in a Satanic ritual. A different conspiracy alleges that the government is covering up proof that vaccines cause autism. Among the COVID conspiracies pushed out by QAnon is that the vaccine had a tracking chip in it that was designed by Bill Gates to monitor people. It will later be activated by 5G cell towers. Suspicion of both vaccines and the 5G is something promoted by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. A conspiracy promoted in 2021 is that Kennedy's cousin, John F. Kennedy Jr., would be found to be alive and would join a presidential campaign ticket with Trump.