Amna Nawaz:
For more on the former president and what appears to be his more overt embrace of QAnon, we turn to Mike Rothschild, author of the book “The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything.”
Mike Rothschild, welcome to the “NewsHour.” Thanks for joining us.
So, that overt embrace that some people say that they’re seeing at these Trump rallies, what do you see? When you look at the rallies, from the messaging, to the merchandise, is it a more overt embrace of this dangerous conspiracy theory?
Mike Rothschild, Author, “The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything”: What I’m seeing at the Trump rallies is absolutely a more overt embrace of QAnon.
It looks almost like a church service, with the swaying and the music and the two-way worship. This is a former president who is facing some real jeopardy. His back is really against the wall. And when your back is against the wall, you turn to the people who have always been in your corner.
And, for Trump, this is the QAnon movement. These are people who have stuck with him through everything that’s happened. Every loss has just reaffirmed their faith in his greatness and his eventual victory.
So, when Trump looks at the QAnon movement, he sees a group of people who look at him as an almost messianic figure. And he is reflecting back to them the love that he’s — that he’s been given by them.
