QAnon Followers Giving Up? Why Some Are Abandoning The Conspiracy Theories After Biden’s Inauguration

Some QAnon followers on Wednesday appeared to have abandoned long-held conspiracy theories after witnessing Joe Biden sworn in as president. The reversal comes after conspiracy theories had circulated of Donald Trump bringing down the “deep state” before Biden took office and that Trump would have a second term.

Since 2017, QAnon has promoted many unfounded theories on message boards such as Trump waging a secret war against prominent public figures who are Satan-worshipping pedophiles. Followers had anticipated a "Great Awakening" on Wednesday that included arrests for Democrats and "deep state" members for unfounded claims they were running a global sex trafficking ring.

Far-right messaging boards like Telegram saw QAnon supporters posting their disappointment about the lack of violence they expected on Inauguration Day. Many followers believed Trump was going to make an announcement at noon on Wednesday that declared the “the storm” had arrived, the Washington Post noted.

Mike Rothschild, who tracks the group’s online conspiracy theories, told Forbes that Biden’s inauguration has left QAnon believers shocked that their false theories failed to come to fruition.

“So far, Q believers seem to be in shock over Joe Biden actually being sworn in and becoming president,” he said.

“This type of failure was something that most of them never allowed to penetrate their minds, so to see it happening - and them rendered powerless to stop it - is truly jarring.”

After Trump gave his final speech at Joint Base Andrews with no mention of an uprising, some QAnon supporters finally realized their beliefs were false.

“It simply doesn’t make sense that we all got played,” one supporter wrote on Telegram.

“Wake up,” wrote one QAnon chat room participant. “We’ve been had.”

The reality of Biden’s presidency has even caused notable QAnon supporter Ron Watkins to change his tune about his dedication to the various conspiracy theories.

“We need to keep our chins up and go back to our lives as best we are able,” Watkins stated on Telegram.

“We have a new president sworn in and it is our responsibility as citizens to respect the Constitution regardless of whether or not we agree with the specifics,” he added.

Watkins encouraged fellow conspiracy theorists to reflect on the past and accept the reality of the situation.

“As we enter into the next administration please remember all the friends and happy memories we made together over the past few years,” he said.

However, there were still others who remained loyal to the group and had hope that the inauguration wasn’t the end. One user took notice of the 17 flags during the farewell address as a sign that Trump still has a plan since Q is the 17th letter of the alphabet.

“I don’t know how many signs has to be given to us before we ‘trust the plan,’” one user wrote.

Conspiracy theory researcher Travis View believes the QAnon community will lose more followers but those who stay will become “more radicalized and potentially more dangerous.”