In the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s sweeping election night victory, a rising set of Democratic voters are having a difficult time accepting the results.
So much so, that some election conversations have devolved into a set of extreme beliefs called ”BlueAnon.”
Like it’s right-wing counterpart, QAnon, the far-left’s BlueAnon is also rooted in denialism at all costs. “Trump cheated” began to trend on X after the race was called in his favor, according to Gordon Crovitz, CEO of the ratings transparency system NewsGuard.
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In an interview with Wired, Crovitz said there were “92,100 mentions of ‘Trump cheated’ on X since midnight” on Nov. 6, with several social media users baselessly accusing Trump of stealing votes with the help of Republicans and billionaire Elon Musk, using the hashtag #TrumpCheated.
“#TrumpCheated First Trump says he doesn’t need votes, then he says he doesn’t need to campaign anymore. Next he tells us we won’t need to worry about voting again in 4 years. But today it seems he knew he was going to win prior to Election Day,” wrote one X user on Nov. 9. “I smell garbage with icky MAGAts.”
However, for many BlueAnon believers, the “cheating” began in July with the failed assassination attempt on Trump’s life.
The Failed Assassination Plot
Seconds after an assassin’s bullet whipped past his ear and he was tackled to the ground on stage at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump got back on his feet, raised his fist and yelled, “Fight, Fight, Fight!” The iconic moment seemed too good to be true, and for a lot of BlueAnon extremists it was.
Online, the assassination attempt was referred to as a “false flag” operation, drawn up to get more votes for Trump. The effect being that many Republican blowhards would used the moment to declare that “God is not finished yet” with Trump because he is “chosen” to be president again.
“When did the Secret Service start allowing the President under duress to tell them ‘to wait,’ then stand up to be seen by the crowd fist-pumping? Can you blame me for thinking this is fake?” tweeted one skeptic on X, receiving 52K likes.
Another commentator added, “Happy to see the left conspiracying a little bit. Finally, you act like the government would never tell a lie.” Only the conspiracies haven’t stopped there.
The Starlink Stealing Theory
Over the course of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, billionaire Elon Musk’s interest in the election has evolved from Twitter troll, “Dark MAGA” dunce, to securing himself as an unofficial member of Trump’s family and future administration.
On the far-left, Musk’s slow encroachment on political affairs has led many to question true interest and how far he is willing to go to see them fulfilled. Outside of literally paying people to vote for Trump, there is a bonkers BlueAnon theory floating around that Musk somehow used his Starlink satellite internet service to add more Trump votes to digital counting machines.
“Raise your hand if you think Elon Musk’s Starlink was the “Little Secret” to win or steal this election. Share this everywhere. #TrumpCheated #Recount2024,” wrote one social media commentator.
Brought Back Down to Earth
As the election results continue to be discussed on the far-right and the far-left, more than a few leaders from both sides have urged voters to move on, with President Joe Biden telling them: “You can’t love your country only when you win.”
He added, “Something I hope we can do no matter who you voted for is see each other not as adversaries, but as fellow Americans,” he said. “Bring down the temperature.”
Addressing a far-left belief that Harris lost the election because she has been conspiring with Israel in the war in Gaza, Democratic New York congressman Ritchie Torres tweeted: “The evidence is clear; the two most potent issues against the Democratic nominee were inflation and immigration. ‘Kamala Harris was too pro-Israel’ ranks 23 out of 25 as a reason not to vote for the Democratic nominee. The far left will never let empirical reality get in the way of its Anti-Israel ideology.”
Like the 2020 election Trump lost—which he still can’t seem to admit—election officials have stated that was no evidence of cheating in this year’s electoral process. But as long as the dark corners of the internet exist, there will seemingly always be detractors, QAnon or BlueAnon.
“PRESIDENT BIDEN. The urge to ‘show that Democrats are above conspiracy stuff’ may be EXACTLY the anticipated move you’ve been SET UP for,” tweeted another BlueAnon theory believer on X. “THIS COULD COST US THE COUNTRY. DO YOUR JOB! #Recount2024 #TrumpCheated.”
