A BASELESS conspiracy theory that Donald Trump will be reinstated as president in August may lead to violence by right-wing extremists this summer, officials have warned.
The claims, which have been routinely pushed QAnoners and the likes of MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, have the FBI and Department of Homeland Security on high alert.
FBI Director Christopher Wray and other top national security officials are reportedly fearful that the rhetoric and false narratives may translate into actual violence in the coming months.
The theory bears similarities to the false narratives pushed by Trump and his aides in the wake of the 2020 elections, claiming – without evidence – that the vote was rigged against him.
That rhetoric came to a head on January 6 when Trump summoned his supporters to Washington as part of an effort to block Joe Biden’s certification as president.
Moments after Trump addressed the crowd, a sea of thousands of MAGA fans stormed the Capitol Building and violently clashed with police.
In total five people died, including one US Capitol Police Officer. Hundreds of insurrectionists have since been arrested.
The FBI, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and other security agencies were widely criticized in the riot’s wake for failing to raise sufficient alarms before Jan. 6 despite evidence that violence was likely.
Hoping to avoid the same mistake, in the last month, the DHS has issued two warnings to federal, state, and local officials about the potential for violence this summer, citing the far-flung Trump reinstatement theory.
In June, DHS published a memo saying followers of QAnon may turn to violence because their expectations that Trump will be re-inaugurated won’t be fulfilled.
Some are likely to believe “they have an obligation to change from serving as digital soldiers toward engaging in real-world violence,” according to the document.
While DHS says it has “no evidence” of any threats linked to Trump’s supposed return to office, historically some domestic violent extremists “have conducted violence in furtherance of conspiracy theories,” they said.
Supporters of Donald Trump alluded to the possibility of violence at a MAGA rally in Ohio at the end of June, ominously telling CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan: “We are going to be in a civil war.”
“He’s coming back soon, and you guys are going down,” the man added. “The military already knows it was a fraud. He won by over 80 percent. [Trump’s] coming back before the middle of August.”
The conspiracy that Trump will be reinstated this summer, which was first peddled by members of QAnon, has become increasingly less fringe.
The theory first made headlines when former Trump attorney Sidney Powell made the claim while speaking at a QAnon rally back in May.
Mike Lindell has also helped to make the theory popular, despite numerous legal experts rebuffing that such a thing isn’t even possible.
A New York Times report said that even Trump had bought into the theory, allegedly telling aides that he would be returning to the White House later this year.
At a far-right gathering in Arizona over the weekend, Rep. Andy Briggs told attendees that he expects Trump to return as president in 2024 – “if not sooner.”
Trump himself appeared at the same Turning Point USA event and made a similar suggestion.
“They almost got away with it,” he told the crowd. “They may have gotten away with it. We’re going to find out because something’s going to have to be done.
“If somebody robs Tiffany — a beautiful jeweler, 57th and Fifth, good location, excellent location — and they steal the diamonds and then they get caught. They have to turn the diamonds back. It’s very simple. Amazing the way it works.”
Whether the threats of violence are credible or not, John Demers, the former head of the Justice Department’s national security division, said law enforcement agencies across the US must stay alert.
“The challenge is like that of the security guard who has to stay vigilant when nothing is happening, then something could happen in an instant,” Demers told Forbes. “So you have to be prepared.”
The biggest potential threat for an attack in the coming weeks most likely comes from lone actors or small groups rather than larger crowds, Demers said.
He also pointed out that other dates with significance to some Trump supporters have already come and gone without violence.
FBI Director Wray, meanwhile, has said the agency is looking at encryption because many communications between domestic terrorists “are happening through encrypted platforms that we don’t have a ready-made, lawful access solution to.
“And, of course,” he continued, “we’re going to be looking at how we review and evaluate open-source information, social media, that kind of thing.”
DHS also said the lifting of Covid restrictions may be exploited by domestic terrorists to attack political rivals.
The department is “focused on the nexus between violence and extremist ideologies” and “is enhancing its ability to prevent acts of domestic terrorism inspired by disinformation, conspiracy theories and false narratives spread through social media and other online platforms,” according to a DHS statement.
