Donald Trump is quietly courting voters who lurk in the dark corners of the internet and see conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as a beacon of hope, according to a new Salon analysis.
They're the voters who believe a random Trump fan is former President John. F. Kennedy's son and that John F. Kennedy Jr., who died in a plane crash in 1999, will emerge from hiding to become Trump's running mate, Amanda Marcotte wrote Wednesday.
"[Kennedy] likely has a special appeal to a group that isn't mentioned as much in the mainstream media anymore, but whose bizarre ideas still hold power over millions," wrote Marcotte: "QAnon, a cult-like conspiracy community that believes Trump is a savior sent to stop an imaginary cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles."
QAnon branding has faded from the rhetoric in recent years but its conspiracy theories have proven to have "remarkable staying power," according to Jesselyn Cook, author of The Quiet Damage: QAnon and the Destruction of the American Family."
Some voters are buying into QAnon without even realizing it, said Cook.
"They're repeated by major political influencers, rightwing media stars and elected officials, and they appeal even to everyday people who would never consider themselves to be affiliated with QAnon," Cook said.
As proof, Cook pointed to Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) data showing "tens of millions of Americans believe that the government, media and financial worlds are controlled by Satan-worshiping pedophiles."
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It is this increasingly more diverse group of voters Trump hopes to lure away from Vice President Kamala Harris with Kennedy's endorsement," Marcotte argued.
And it might explain why Trumpworld has embraced a man connected to brain worms, staged bear cub crime scenes and whale decapitation accusations, even as they fend off accusations from the Democrats that they've become simply too "weird."
"Trump has a stench of desperation to him, as Harris rises in the polls," Marcotte wrote. "The choice is yet another indicator of how much the Trump campaign's strategy depends on appealing to fringe constituencies in hopes that they turn out just enough creeps and conspiracy theorists to eke out a win in the swing states."
Kennedy and QAnon conspiracy theories could also serve as a distraction from a controversial document plaguing Trump's campaign, the analyst concluded.
"The best Trump can hope for is to distract enough of them with conspiracy theories like QAnon that they forget his dangerous real-life conspiracies, like Project 2025," Marcotte wrote.
"It's not like he's got any better ideas."
