Republican Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse ripped President Donald Trump for his flirtations with the QAnon conspiracy theory Thursday, saying Trump’s antics could cause Republicans to lose elections in November.
The QAnon conspiracy theory posits that Trump is saving the world from an underground cabal of Satanic pedophiles and cannibals. Trump said he wasn’t aware of the theory when told about it by a reporter but argued his administration was, in fact, saving the world from the radical left. Sasse responded, saying “real leaders call conspiracy theories conspiracy theories.”
“QAnon is nuts — and real leaders call conspiracy theories conspiracy theories. If Democrats take the Senate, blow up the filibuster, and pack the Supreme Court – garbage like this will be a big part of why they won,” Sasse said in a statement to reporters.
.@BenSasse on Trump’s remarks on Q-Anon yesterday:
“Q-Anon is nuts — and real leaders call conspiracy theories conspiracy theories. If Democrats take the Senate, blow up the filibuster, and pack the Supreme Court – garbage like this will be a big part of why they won.”
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) August 20, 2020
Trump’s exchange with a reporter came during a press conference on Wednesday, hours before the third night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC).
“The crux of the [QAnon] theory is this belief that you are secretly saving the world from this Satanic cult of pedophiles and cannibals. Does that sound like something you are behind?” the reporter asked.
“Well I haven’t heard that,” Trump said. “Is that supposed to be a bad thing or a good thing?”
“If I can help save the world from problems, I’m willing to do it. I’m willing to put myself out there,” he added. “And we are actually. We are saving the world from a radical left philosophy that will destroy this country, and when this country is gone the rest of the world will follow.”
QAnon supporters have waiting for this, this specifically, for three years. pic.twitter.com/pPbBishCjX
— Evan McMurry (@evanmcmurry) August 19, 2020
Trump first broached the QAnon theory when he tweeted about Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, who created a number of videos throughout 2018 endorsing QAnon and a number of other conspiracy theories. (RELATED: Trump Labels QAnon-Promoting House Candidate A ‘Future Republican Star’ Following Primary Victory In Georgia’s 14th District)
Greene disavowed her belief in the conspiracy earlier this week, however, saying the videos no longer represent her views.
“No, it doesn’t represent me,” she told Fox News. “But I don’t expect a lot of the left-leaning media to change their stance. I think they’re going to continue to attack me because they actually do see me as someone who’s unapologetically conservative. And I won’t back down on my beliefs and my values.”