QAnon conspiracists have turned on members of their own movement for pushing the theory that Donald Trump would be reinstated as president on March 4, after the cult's latest prediction failed to materialize.
The date had been widely discussed by QAnon as the day Trump would be inaugurated as president using beliefs heavily lifted from the sovereign citizen movement and woeful interpretation of facts.
The anticipation for March 4 had been building among QAnon supporters since Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20—when QAnon had predicted that Trump would fulfill the long-awaited prophecy known as "the storm" and order the mass arrests and executions of satanic pedophiles.
There were fears Thursday would herald a repeat of the violence seen during the January 6 insurrection, which QAnon supporters were a part of, prompting Capitol Police to increase security that day. The department also said they received intelligence of a possible plot to breach the Capitol from an "identified militia group" on March 4.
However, the day passed without any incident, with Trump not returning as president and no mass protests or unrest seen in Washington, D.C., or anywhere else in the country.
In the days prior to March 4, many influential QAnon profile distanced themselves from the date, falsely suggesting the claim about Trump's inauguration was a "false flag" operation by the media, antifa and Black Lives Matter.
As QAnon looks sure to move onto its next prediction—with some penciling in March 20 as the next significant date—more high-profile QAnon advocates have suggested the hype surrounding March 4 was entirely created by "anons" who do not fully understand the movement, which in turn was highlighted by mainstream media.
Many have disparagingly condemned the "shills" who put so much hope into the March 4 prediction despite the date never being mentioned by "Q"—the mysterious figure who would post cryptic messages on messageboard sites 4Chan and 8Kun, which were then deciphered to form the basis on the all the beliefs behind QAnon.
While "Q" has barely posted any new messages since the election, which Trump lost, QAnon supporters still interpret the thousands of "drops" which appeared online since late 2017 in order to make sense of current events and justify their beliefs.
"Q never said that Trump would be inaugurated on March 4th. Some anons did. The mainstream media will never clarify that," Pepe Lives Matter, a Telegram channel with nearly 50,000 subscribers, wrote.
JuliansRum, one of the most popular QAnon figures, told his 216,000 followers on the social network Gab "[The media's] current strategy seems to hinge on utilizing doomer shills to try and induce reckless abandon among Q supporters in the hope that some will go out and do something violent, at which point they can swing the media into action."
Telegram user Stephen wrote: "A lot of Anons who don't read the posts or know jack crap sometimes. Almost like semi woke sheep"
Another profile, BillieTheStorm, added: "I wish anons would read the Qdrops better and question everything. We have new frenz I get it but that's no excuse to make up s**t."
Juliet H said: "QAnon never put out dates. That was from people researching and their opinion. Q never put out dates. NEVER."
Others are still confident that the overall "plan" is still going ahead despite yet another failed prediction from the movement.
"They know that Q never gave us any dates, and anyone who got upset because something didn't happen on a specific date, were listening to shills and were given misinformation," Telegram account L Crispy said. "There are no dates. Dates will disappoint you.
"Lastly, people who actually read Q know that Q's posts are actually happening now and they're proving to be true. Those who say Q is wrong, they haven't a clue what's going on."
However, just like in the wake of the humiliation they received following the lack of any "storm" at Biden's swearing-in ceremony, many QAnon followers now appear to be questioning the entire radical movement and asking if they have been lied to.
"I'm trying to trust the plan, but I don't even know what it is anymore guys," Maggie Mae posted on Telegram.
"What is happening? What are we waiting for? Trump is not the president and nothing is happening today. When will there be arrests? When will the [deep state] Cabal be taken down? I'm not sure where the show is."
Gophia Conwell added: "This is taking way too long! My fight is running out!"
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
