Front Burner

QAnon gains ground ahead of 2020 U.S election

Today on Front Burner, we explain QAnon, a wide-ranging conspiracy theory gaining popularity in the United States by, in part, hijacking the anti-human trafficking movement to attract new members.
QAnon supporters such as this man at a Trump rally in Florida last year believe the U.S. President is secretly battling an underground network of child abusers. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) (Matt Rourke/Associated Press)

On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump thanked QAnon conspiracy theorists for their support. This follows his move last week to publicly back a QAnon supporter who just won a Republican primary run-off in Georgia. The endorsement drew widespread criticism because QAnon is a baseless conspiracy theory built on an unfounded belief about a deep state group of elites who exploit children and are united against Trump. 

Kevin Roose is a tech columnist for the New York Times and host of the podcast Rabbit Hole. Today he explains why QAnon is a dangerous source of misinformation with the makings of a national security threat.

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