The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything

This is the real story of QAnon - what it is, what it means, and where it goes. And be warned - none of it is pretty. On 5th October 2017, President Trump made a cryptic off-the-cuff remark in the State Dining Room. He called this gathering of top-ranking military officials 'the calm before the storm' and refused to elaborate as journalist and politicos inquired further. But on the online message boards of 4chan, elaboration began all on its own. In the days that followed, an anonymous poster spun a yarn inspired by Trump's remarks that rivalled Tom Clancy and satisfied the deepest desires of MAGA-America. Did any of it come to pass? No. Did that stop people from clinging to every word they were reading, expanding its mythology and promoting the theory for years? No. Captivating and urgent, The Storm Is Upon Us interrogates how this conspiracy theory caught fire, who its followers are and why so many were present at the infamous storming of the Capitol in January 2021. With QAnon followers the most prominent at this event, and with almost half the US electorate loyal to Trump and disbelieving the election result, we need to understand this sinister new force. It's time to figure out what QAnon is, because QAnon explains everything you need to know about American politics and global fear after Trump - and because it's not going away. Mike Rothschild is a journalist, author, and the foremost expert in the ever-changing QAnon conspiracy theory. He is a contributing writer for the Daily Dot, where he explores the intersections between internet culture and politics through the lens of conspiracy theories.