U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he does not know much about the QAnon conspiracy theory movement but understands it's gaining in popularity and also has a positive view of him.
"I don't know much about the movement, other than I understand they like me very much," Trump told reporters at a briefing.
"These are people that don't like seeing what's going on in areas like Portland, in places like Chicago and New York, along with other states and cities," he added, referring to anti-racism protests that have happened throughout the country over the passing of George Floyd, a Black man, in police custody in May.
QAnon opinions espouse an intertwined series of faith based on anonymous internet postings from someone claiming special insider knowledge of this Trump administration. The core tenet is that Trump is covertly fighting with a cabal of child-sex predators including prominent Democrats.
A spokesman for Democrat Joe Biden, Trump's opponent in the Nov. 3 election,'' said that the Republican president was"again giving voice to violence"
"After calling neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville'fine people' and tear gassing peaceful protesters following the murder of George Floyd, Donald Trump simply sought to legitimize a conspiracy theory that the FBI has identified as a national terrorism threat," Biden effort spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Facebook said it had removed nearly 800 QAnon conspiracy classes for articles celebrating violence, demonstrating intention to use firearms, or attracting followers together with patterns of violent behaviour.
"I don't know much about the movement, other than I understand they like me very much," Trump told reporters at a briefing.
"These are people that don't like seeing what's going on in areas like Portland, in places like Chicago and New York, along with other states and cities," he added, referring to anti-racism protests that have happened throughout the country over the passing of George Floyd, a Black man, in police custody in May.
QAnon opinions espouse an intertwined series of faith based on anonymous internet postings from someone claiming special insider knowledge of this Trump administration. The core tenet is that Trump is covertly fighting with a cabal of child-sex predators including prominent Democrats.
A spokesman for Democrat Joe Biden, Trump's opponent in the Nov. 3 election,'' said that the Republican president was"again giving voice to violence"
"After calling neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville'fine people' and tear gassing peaceful protesters following the murder of George Floyd, Donald Trump simply sought to legitimize a conspiracy theory that the FBI has identified as a national terrorism threat," Biden effort spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Facebook said it had removed nearly 800 QAnon conspiracy classes for articles celebrating violence, demonstrating intention to use firearms, or attracting followers together with patterns of violent behaviour.