US Capitol Calm Amid High Security; Trump Supporters Hold Faith He Will Return
A smattering of followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory gathered near the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, the day the movement had predicted former President Donald Trump’s return to office, but they were far outnumbered by…
A smattering of followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory gathered near the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, the day the movement had predicted former President Donald Trump’s return to office, but they were far outnumbered by security forces deployed to deter any possible attack.
National Guard troops patrolled inside the fence encircling the Capitol, the scene of a deadly insurrection by Trump supporters that killed five people. Police had warned of a potential attack by militants to mark Thursday’s date, and the House of Representatives canceled its session.
But around noon, all was quiet. John and Karyn Carson, who took time off work and came from California to see Trump be inaugurated for a second term, were undaunted.
“Every day that we’re here, we’ll probably come out around noon and see if anything transpires,” Karyn, 52, told Reuters. “If it doesn’t happen, we’ll obviously be sad ’cause it didn’t happen while we were here, but we believe that it will happen. It just hasn’t happened yet.”
March 4 is the day when adherents to the debunked QAnon conspiracy theory believe that Trump, who was defeated by President Joe Biden in the Nov. 3 election, will be sworn in for a second term in office. Until 1933, March 4 was the date of the presidential inauguration.
A bulletin by U.S. security agencies on Tuesday said an unidentified group of “militia violent extremists” discussed plans in February to “take control of the U.S. Capitol and remove Democratic lawmakers on or about March 4.”
National Guard troops – rifles strapped across their chests – chatted in small knots on the sidewalks in the bright sunshine.
While the Carsons were undeterred by the lack of activity at the Capitol, media reports said that QAnon influencers had backtracked, posting on message boards that the March 4 theory was planted by the movement’s enemies to make it look foolish.
The Carson siblings believe the presidential election was fraudulent, a claim that Trump repeated without evidence. They also think the United States has two presidents now, Trump and Biden.