Which public figures and groups have promoted or amplified QAnon beliefs?
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Executive summary
Public figures and organizations across the right-wing media ecosystem, some politicians, and foreign state media have amplified QAnon themes: researchers and reporting name former national-security adviser Michael Flynn, attorney Sidney Powell, lawyer Lin Wood, celebrities like Roseanne Barr, media personalities including Alex Jones and Sean Hannity, and platforms tied to Elon Musk and Trump-era amplification [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]. Russian state outlets RT and Sputnik and Russian-backed social accounts promoted QAnon content early on and have continued amplification into later years [1].
1. A who’s-who of public amplifiers: politicians, lawyers and celebrities
Reporting and scholarly summaries link a mix of elected officials and high-profile allies to QAnon messaging: former adviser Michael Flynn, attorneys Sidney Powell and Lin Wood have promoted QAnon-derived claims, while celebrities like Roseanne Barr amplified related narratives; multiple sources document that Trump-linked accounts and supporters also boosted QAnon content during its growth [1] [2] [3] [4].
2. Media personalities and platforms that pushed or enabled spread
Mainstream and fringe media figures provided visibility to QAnon tropes. Conservative talk and conspiracy media—examples named in reporting include Alex Jones and Sean Hannity—gave QAnon themes airtime; social-media actions by Elon Musk and platform choices by public figures have been interpreted as signaling or enabling to QAnon communities [3] [6] [4].
3. Elected politicians who’ve been associated with or amplified Q themes
Multiple outlets document that candidates and officeholders sometimes echoed Q-adjacent language or were perceived as sympathetic: Marjorie Taylor Greene is specifically cited in polling as an example of a public official who promotes or is associated with Q-supporting narratives; broader reporting notes dozens of candidates in 2020 and later who ran on or flirted with Q-linked ideas [7] [8].
4. Organized groups, campaigns and local actors carrying Q content into politics
Researchers found that QAnon moved from message boards into local organizing and electoral campaigns: nearly 100 candidates with Q affiliations ran in 2020, and localized efforts—such as county-level political activity in places like Shasta County—show how Q-adjacent activists and groups pushed the ideas into civic life [8] [9] [10].
5. Foreign amplification: Russia’s role in early spread
Independent reporting summarized on encyclopedic sources found Russian-backed accounts and Russian-funded broadcasters amplified QAnon claims as early as late 2017 and continued to cite or repurpose Q narratives to highlight U.S. division, per Reuters coverage summarized on those pages [1].
6. Quantifying influence: public opinion and persistence
Polls and studies show substantial public exposure and persistence: PRRI measured that about 19% of Americans qualified as QAnon believers in 2025 surveys, and PRRI/other polling documented growth in sympathetic or doubting audiences across election cycles; academic research also estimated former President Trump retweeted Q-associated accounts hundreds of times during earlier periods [11] [2].
7. Violence, real-world harms, and why amplification matters
Timeline work and reporting tie QAffinity to real-world incidents and the Capitol attack, where some participants displayed Q symbolism; scholars and journalists warn that amplification by public figures lends perceived legitimacy that can increase risk of politically motivated violence [12] [4] [2].
8. Competing perspectives and limits in the record
Sources display competing interpretations: some outlets and analysts frame prominent figures’ signals as deliberate endorsement, while spokespeople for those figures often reject guilt by association—NPR reported transition-team denials in response to questions about Q-linked appearances [4]. Available sources do not mention whether every named public figure currently endorses Q’s original claims; individual denials or shifting rhetoric are noted in some reporting but not universally documented [4].
9. What to watch next: channels and motives
The evidence indicates QAnon spread through a mix of direct endorsement, signaling, and platform-level amplification: celebrity tweets, sympathetic candidates, talk-radio and fringe-host platforms, and foreign-state media. Analysts warn the motive for amplification ranges from political gain and audience-building to disinformation campaigns exploiting polarization; specific motives for each actor vary and are discussed in the cited reporting [3] [1].
Limitations: this analysis relies on the provided reporting and academic summaries; many individual cases have mixed evidence or statements from spokespeople that contest the characterization—those denials are noted in the sources when available [4].