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What roles did Roger Stone and Michael Flynn play in promoting QAnon?
Executive summary
Roger Stone and Michael Flynn have both appeared repeatedly in venues and networks tied to QAnon supporters and have used language or platforms that amplified QAnon-adjacent audiences — Stone has publicly expressed hope that “Q is real” while Flynn has used Q slogans and led events that attracted Q followers (Newsweek; NPR) [1] [2]. Reporting also shows a mixed record: Flynn reportedly privately called QAnon “total nonsense” in a recorded call, and some sources say neither originated QAnon (Rolling Stone; Britannica) [3] [4].
1. Who they are and why their participation matters
Both men are long-standing Trump confidants with national profiles: Flynn is a retired lieutenant general and brief national security adviser; Stone is a longtime political operative and adviser to Trump (Britannica; New York Magazine) [4] [5]. Their visibility means appearances, statements, or social-media posts reach large pro‑Trump and conspiracist audiences, which makes any overlap with QAnon rhetoric consequential for spread and normalization [5] [2] [5] [2].
2. Direct ways they have promoted or engaged QAnon themes
Evidence of promotion includes public use of Q-associated phrases and participation in events described as Q-adjacent. Flynn was filmed reciting the QAnon pledge and led people saying the slogan “where we go one, we go all,” and he shared footage of such activities; he also trademarked “digital soldiers,” language that Q adherents embraced (Newsweek; Rolling Stone; WSLS) [1] [3] [6]. Stone has voiced that he “hopes Q is real” and has been a featured speaker at ReAwaken America and similar tours that blend conservative Christianity, MAGA politics and Q-oriented messaging (Newsweek; NPR) [1] [2].
3. Settings where influence occurs: rallies, tours, and social media
Both men have been prominent figures on the ReAwaken America Tour and comparable events, described by NPR as “part conservative Christian revival, part QAnon expo and part political rally,” where speakers include known Q promoters and attendees frequently circulate Q content [2]. Flynn and Stone have used social platforms and live events to reach participants of those movements; Twitter and other platforms at times banned accounts associated with Q promotion, including Flynn’s, indicating how online activity intersected with platform enforcement (NPR; WSLS) [2] [6].
4. Mixed signals and private statements that complicate the picture
Not all reporting portrays unconditional endorsement. Rolling Stone published a recorded call in which Flynn called QAnon “total nonsense” and a “disinformation campaign created by the left,” indicating he has privately disparaged the movement even while publicly engaging symbols tied to it [3]. Britannica and other analyses also point out that forensic linguists attribute Q’s origin to other online actors — not to Flynn or Stone — underscoring that neither is proven to be Q’s author [4].
5. Role in amplifying post‑2020 election misinformation connected to Q followers
After the 2020 election, both men participated in efforts and communications that amplified false election claims that resonated with Q circles. Reporting says Flynn joined coordinated legal and social-media efforts with figures like Sidney Powell that engaged QAnon followers, while Stone pushed distrust of vote counts before and after the election (ABC News) [7]. That amplification helped draw Q-aligned audiences into broader post-election narratives.
6. How critics and defenders frame their behavior
Critics — including religious leaders and local officials — say Flynn and Stone’s appearances at tours have spread misinformation and “distorted Christianity,” and they warn those events provide a platform for Q-linked conspiracy theories (The Guardian; Democrat & Chronicle) [8] [9]. Defenders or ambiguous signals exist too: some reporting notes event organizers’ websites do not explicitly use Q jargon even when attendees and some guests do, and Flynn’s private disparagement of Q offers an alternate interpretation of his public gestures (AOL; Rolling Stone) [10] [3].
7. What available sources do not mention
Available sources do not mention direct operational coordination between Stone or Flynn and the original Q posters, nor do they provide evidence in these items that either authored Q posts or ran the Q accounts [4] [5]. Available sources also do not present a legal finding that either was criminally responsible for creating or directing QAnon content in these excerpts [4] [5].
8. Bottom line for readers
Reporting shows Roger Stone and Michael Flynn played influential roles as amplifiers and legitimizers of Q-adjacent audiences through speeches, slogans, and participation in tours and online campaigns; at the same time, their relationship to QAnon is contested — Flynn has privately dismissed Q in a recorded call and neither is credited as Q’s author by forensic analysts cited in Britannica [3] [4]. Evaluations differ: critics see deliberate promotion and normalization of conspiracy content, while other details suggest mixed intent or opportunistic engagement with receptive audiences [8] [2].