State GOPs Are Embracing QAnon in Trump’s Legacy
The post-Trump Republican Party appears fixed on QAnon
Donald Trump is no longer president. One of his legacies — his embrace of conspiracy theories — nevertheless appears intact among his followers. This trend is apparent in three states: Hawaii, Oregon, and Texas.
In Hawaii, the state GOP Twitter handle released a series of tweets that praised and defended QAnon. One of the tweets read: “We should make it abundantly clear — the people who subscribed to the Q fiction, were largely motivated by a sincere and deep love for America. Patriotism and love of County (sic) should never be ridiculed.” The tweet has since been deleted, and its author has resigned.
To be clear, the basis of QAnon is violent destruction of one’s enemies in a culminating event referred to as the “Storm.” That destruction may be justified if the enemies are indeed Satanic pedophiles running a child sex trafficking ring, but the premise of the conspiracy theory is not grounded in reality. This is precisely why QAnon rhetoric is so dangerous.
The Hawaii Republican Party is not the only state GOP to draw ties with QAnon. The Texas Republican Party has a new slogan — “We are the Storm” — included on the party’s Twitter page and fundraising e-mails. The Texas GOP chair, Allen West…
