Fox News host Jesse Watters attempted to walk back his apparent endorsement of the unhinged, far-right, pro-Trump conspiracy theory QAnon, saying on Sunday night that he “doesn’t support or believe in” the fringe movement.
During a Saturday evening interview with presidential son Eric Trump—who has repeatedly amplified the conspiracy that has inspired murders, child abductions, and other violence—Watters complained about Twitter cracking down on QAnon. Asking whether the social media giant was trying to “interfere in the election” with its mass ban of accounts, the Fox host baselessly credited the conspiracists for their sleuthing skills.
“Q can do some crazy stuff, with the pizza stuff, and the Wayfair stuff, but they’ve also uncovered a lot of great stuff when it comes to Epstein and it comes to the deep state. I never saw Q as dangerous as antifa,” he said. The comments sparked immediate backlash.
“While discussing the double standard of big tech censorship, I mentioned the conspiracy group QAnon, which I don’t support or believe in,” Watters said in a statement Sunday evening. “My comments should not be mistaken for giving credence to this fringe platform.”