The far-right firebrands and conspiracy theorists have a new enemy.
Michael Flynn, a former hero of the Qanon, called their slogan "total nonsense". Donald Trump's fans feel betrayed because the former president has become a vaccine salesman. Attorney Lin Wood seems to be mad at everyone, including his former allies on the "elite strike-force team".
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The internet's most popular right-wing provocateurs are grappling with the pressures of restless audiences, saturated markets, ongoing investigations and millions of dollars in legal bills after failing to disprove the reality of Trump's 2020 presidential election loss.
The result is a chaotic melodrama, playing out via secretly recorded phone calls, personal attacks in podcasts, and a seemingly endless stream of posts on Telegram calling their rivals Satanists, communists, pedophiles or "pay-triots".
The believers are grappling with the reality of Biden presidency.
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Donald Trump would hold onto power after 2020, according to the followers of the QAnon extremists. They are struggling with what to do with him gone.
The merchants of right-wing misinformation have lost their financial rewards due to the infighting, which centers on the treasures of online fame: viewer donations and subscriptions, paid appearances at rallies and conferences, and crowds of followers to buy their books and merchandise.
The year since Q went mysteriously silent reflects a broader confusion.
Sara Aniano, a graduate student of communication studies far-right rhetoric and conspiracy theories, said that without Q's cryptic messages, the new point person for the movement has started fighting to grab the throne.
There's a void where nobody knows who to follow in the absence of a president like Trump and a figure like Q. At one point it seemed like Q was a miracle. No one knows which bible is the most accurate.
The cage match began late in November when Kyle Rittenhouse, acquitted of all charges after fatally shooting two men at a protest last year, told Tucker Carlson that his former attorneys, including Wood, had exploited his jail time to boost their fundraising.
Wood wondered aloud in recent messages on the chat service Telegram if his life could be under the supervision and control of a "director". Pray for Kyle.
The feud between Wood and his former countrymen in the pro-Trump campaign caused a major rift, with Wood attacking Rittenhouse supporters, including a congressman.
The opposing side has been accused of betraying the pro-Trump cause or using millions of dollars in funds to support groups such as Powell's Defending the Republic.
Wood has posted recordings of his phone calls with people like Flynn, who can be heard telling Wood that the mix of conspiracy theories was actually bogus.
Both sides are looking at the potential for financial damage in court. A federal judge last month ordered Wood and Powell to pay legal fees for abusing the judicial process in their lawsuit to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Powell and others face billions of dollars in damages because of defamation lawsuits they face, which they wrongly accused of helping to rig the 2020 race.
To help cover their legal bills, the factions have set up online shops. Fans of Powell's bogus conspiracy theory can buy a four-pack set of "Release the Kraken: Defending the Republic" drink tumblers from her website for $80. Flynn's website has a women's racerback tank tops for $30. Wood's online store sells hoodies that feel like "wearing a soft, fluffy cloud."
Mike Rothschild, a conspiracy theory researcher and author of a book on QAnon: full of flashy, marketable story lines of heroes conquering their enemies, said that their arguments increasingly resemble the performative clashes of pro wrestling. He said that the drama gives the influencer a way to keep their audience angry and engaged while also giving them a chance to prove their loyalty by buying stuff.
If you don't have a conscience, you can make Qanon, but there's only a certain number of people you can fleece. Rothschild has no relation to the famous banking family targeted in antisemitic conspiracy theories.
He said that they're all mad at each other because they're desperate for money. He said that the us-vs.-our argument for many QAnon is that they're pedophiles, the Freemasons, and the illuminati. I tell the truth. I'm trying to save the world.
Many of the increasingly personal battles show clear signs of Trump's tactics: winning attention and overwhelming the enemy through constant attacks. The animosity has begun to trickle down to mid-level influencers with smaller followings, who have become divided on the basis of their loyalty to the warring camps. Some Telegram users have begun marking their loyalties with special symbols in their usernames, such as three stars or Flynn. Some of his opponents have used the three stars as a joke.
When Trump's war against the "deep state" ended in January of last year, it didn't make a difference to the credibility of the organization. Most of Trump's enemies were left unvanquished when Joe Biden entered the White House.
Many believers have sought to distance themselves from the name of the prophet, which they call a "moniker created by [them] to attack us," though Q is still their central prophet, devotees still call themselves "anons" and the theories remain the same.
Fans of Flynn argue that he was merely rejecting the creation of the media, not them, leaving the sanctity of Q intact. Wood said on Telegram last month that the broader QAnon movement is likely a Deep State operation.
The movement is not over. Ron Watkins, the administrator of the 8kun message board, is one of dozens of candidates who have boosted Qnon talking points. One group in Dallas has been camped out for weeks waiting for the second coming of President John F. Kennedy's son.
The power vacuum has played out as Trump and his allies have fought multiple inquiries into his family business. Trump had to defend himself. Some of his most ardently supportive online communities tried to brand him a traitor after he promoted coronaviruses as having saved tens of millions of lives.
The head of Gab, a social network popular with the far right, posted an anonymous poll asking if Trump's receipt of a booster shot made them comfortable getting vaccinations.
Many Q-related accounts have been banned on social media platforms popular with far-right sympathizers. The online communities have found themselves in conflict with one another.
Torba has criticized Gettr, which was launched by Trump's aide, and Rumble, which he said was run by Canadian blockheads, in posts to his 3 million Gab followers.
Alex Jones said he would "declare war" on Trump if he supported vaccines. Jones is facing financial pressures after a judge ruled that he must pay damages to the families of children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which he wrongly called a hoax.
Many in Trump's circle are eager to settle scores and wage long-running feuds. Stone invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when he was subpoenaed by the House to testify about the Jan. 6 riot.
On Telegram, he claimed that former Trump adviser Stephen Bannon gave the order to break the Capitol to curry favor with the president. Stone advertised his online auction in which he was offering autographs for $50.
The cage match and months of pro-Trump prophecies seem to have worn down some QAnon promoter. The man who recently voiced his exasperation with the "annoying" Wood-vs-Flynn drama, "SQvage DQwg," said he was considering leaving Telegram and his 50,000 followers if nothing happens publicly before the end of the year. The time is now. We are tired. Exhausted. The meaning of Hold the Line has changed.
Many of the fights still show the tried-and-true signatures of modern-media stories: the bitter rivalries and gossip that online audiences often can't help watching.
"It's become almost like reality TV, and what makes great reality TV is conflict," Aniano said. Great content is created by conflict. These people are content creators.
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