Trump's Truth Social spree: QAnon, sexism and threats of vengeance
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During the past 48 hours, former President Trump has boosted a barrage of social media posts that included threats to jail critics and opponents, repeated QAnon slogans and a suggestion that Vice President Kamala Harris slept her way to the top.
Why it matters: Trump's Truth Social musings and re-posts have grown more frequent and more vitriolic as new polls suggest he's losing ground to Harris — though they're unlikely to win him new supporters.
- Few undecided voters hang out on Truth Social, and Trump's posts there don't draw nearly the level of media coverage his tweets did in previous campaigns.
- But the posts provide a taste of the stew of rage and conspiracy theories Trump and some of his most ardent supporters are consuming.
Between the lines: In addition to the implied threats of vengeance against his critics and the sexist attack on Harris, the posts also signal how Trump is laying the groundwork to cry fraud if he loses the Nov. 5 election.
- He's also embracing conspiratorial language implying that violence could result if he doesn't win.
Zoom in: Just in the past two days, Trump has reposted a series of Truth Social messages that quote frequent QAnon sayings. Among them:
- "The world will soon understand ... nothing can stop what's coming," a popular saying by QAnon conspiracists.
- "WWG1WGA," short for another QAnon saying: "Where we go one, we go all."
- "Hold the line ... Justice is coming."
Other reposts by the 78-year-old former president include fake images showing prominent Democrats in prison garb and a call for former President Obama to be subject to "military tribunals."
- Trump also reposted an image of Harris and Hillary Clinton that included a comment about "how blowjobs impacted both of their careers."
What they're saying: Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Axios: "The American people don't care about social media posts and memes — they care about the problems plaguing our country because of Kamala Harris' failed policies."
- The Harris campaign declined to comment.
Worth noting: While much of Trump's most outlandish statements come on Truth Social, he's also veering off-message in other forums.
- In an interview with Dr. Phil this week, he suggested Harris may have wanted him to get shot.
- He also claimed he actually won in California in 2020 — a state he lost by five million votes.
Go deeper: 10 burning questions for Kamala Harris
