Disillusionment has come upon some believers of QAnon, the baseless conspiracy theory that a cabal of Satan-worshipping Democrats, celebrities and billionaires run the world while overseeing a pedophilic human trafficking scheme, as Joe Biden officially become president of the United States Wednesday afternoon.
QAnon supporters believed that Wednesday’s inauguration ceremonies would bring a type of doomsday that would ultimately end with top Democrats being arrested and Donald Trump starting a second term.
But things went peacefully. No Democrats were arrested. Trump, now a former president, is in Palm Beach.
Screenshots of confused and disappointed QAnon supporters on online forums were shared on Twitter. One QAnon believer posted a comment titled “Anyone else feeling beyond let down now?” with a description that said: “It’s like being a kid and seeing the big gift under the tree thinking it is exactly what you want only to open it and realize it was a lump of coal the whole time.”
Others said they felt sick and “sad and confused” as inauguration continued smoothly.
To make things harder for believers, Ron Watkins, who moderated QAnon base 8kun, posted a message essentially telling supporters to go back to their regular lives.
“We have a new president sworn in and it is our responsibility as citizens to respect the Constitution,” Watkins wrote. “As we enter the new administration please remember all the friends and happy memories we made together over the past few years.”
Some people pointed out that QAnon has created real rifts between families and friends that will not be easily repaired even as their theories are debunked.