Donald Trump Jr. gives fodder to QAnon conspiracy theorists: “Maybe I know” who Q is “and I just can't tell you”

QAnon influencers hype Trump Jr.’s remarks that the conspiracy theory's supporters “really dislike pedophiles. ... is that component of it so bad?”

Written by Alex Kaplan

Published

During a Q&A on Rumble, Donald Trump Jr. whitewashed the QAnon conspiracy theory and refused to rebut it when asked if his father, former President Donald Trump, was “Q,” the conspiracy theory’s central figure.

Since at least 2020, figures in Donald Trump’s orbit have associated with the conspiracy theory — appearing on QAnon shows, relying on it for their business, celebrating the community for its “acumen,” and posting QAnon images. Donald Trump himself has repeatedly praised the QAnon community, using a QAnon-affiliated song online and at his political rallies and repeatedly amplifying QAnon accounts and content on social media.

On August 3, while Trump Jr. did a Q&A on Rumble as part of his podcast Triggered with Donald Trump Jr., he responded to the question, “Who is Q?” and smirked, “You’ll never know, folks. I’m not sure. Or maybe I know, and I just can’t tell you.”

From the August 3, 2023, edition of Triggered with Donald Trump Jr., streamed on Rumble

DONALD TRUMP JR. (HOST): “Who is Q?” You’ll never know, folks. I’m not sure. Or maybe I know, and I just can’t tell you. Who do you guys think it is? Out of curiosity.

Multiple QAnon influencers have hyped Trump Jr.’s remarks as supposed evidence of the conspiracy theory.

Trump Jr. was asked the question again later in the show. This time, he referenced his father’s previous comments whitewashing the QAnon community and said the conspiracy theorists simply “don’t like big government. They really dislike pedophiles. ... is that component of it so bad?” (In reality, QAnon has been tied to numerous violent incidents, including the January 6 insurrection, and multiple government agencies have issued internal warnings about the conspiracy theory.)

From the August 3, 2023, edition of Triggered with Donald Trump Jr., streamed on Rumble

DONALD TRUMP JR. (HOST): “Who is Q?” I took a — I took a shot at that one. That one always going to get me in trouble no matter what, right? If I — like, when they were like — when my father, they asked him about it. He was like, “Well, so what? Let’s get — well, they hate pedophiles.” He’s like, “Is that like — is this a trick question? Like, is that, is that a bad thing? Like, I don’t understand what you’re asking me.” I mean, yeah, they were trying to, like, you know, go after, you know, the notion of the Q stuff and like, “Well, they don’t like big government. They really dislike pedophiles.” He’s like, “I don't understand, like, am I supposed to come out against this? Like, I know you want me to disavow literally everything and anything I’ve ever said, but like, I don’t know, is that component of it so bad? I don't know all the other stuff that’s out there, who knows?”