QAnon supporters and users on far-right message boards lauded former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn's apparent endorsement of a military coup in the United States like the one that happened in Myanmar, while some echoed his later attempts to deny that he did such a thing.
On May 30, at a QAnon conference in Dallas, Flynn was asked why a military coup could not happen in the United States like it did in Myanmar. In response, he said, “No reason. I mean, it should happen here.” His statement echoed the previous widespread praise of the Myanmar coup among the QAnon community and users on far-right message boards and their support for a similar action to take place in the United States.
In turn, some of those same communities praised Flynn’s coup remark. QAnon influencer Praying Medic -- who had been calling for a military coup in the U.S. days earlier -- wrote in a since-deleted message on Telegram that Flynn was stating “what many have been thinking,” which other QAnon supporters shared. Users on different sites wrote that Flynn’s remark meant “it’s happening” (a phrase often used to hype a story on 4chan), and it is a “good thing” because “if you are illegitimately elected and the military steps in to remedy the situation that is NOT a coup.” Some asked who else is “with him” and hyped the “panic” from the “fake news media” over the remark. Others attacked those who criticized Flynn for his remark, such as Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), with one QAnon influencer calling her a “DEEP STATE hack.”
After his remark, Flynn dubiously claimed he had not “at any time called for” a coup, and some speakers at the conference where he made the statement then urged people to say online that Flynn did not call for a coup. Some in the QAnon community and on far-right message boards followed suit, with QAnon promoter and 8kun owner Jim Watkins claiming that the mainstream media “got it wrong as usual.” A QAnon influencer and organizer of the QAnon event in Dallas, “QAnon John,” shared a post calling the coverage “more proof of the #FakeNews & #Mockingbird Media.”
At least one QAnon influencer, who is also a member of a major QAnon Telegram channel whose other members also attended the Dallas event, even tried to have it both ways, first posting Praying Medic’s praise of Flynn’s remark and then sharing a post saying Flynn “did NO SUCH F**KING THING” in reference to his apparent endorsement of a coup attempt.
In the past, Flynn has repeatedly associated himself with and pandered to the QAnon community. Now, his remark plays into a wider conspiracy theory among QAnon and far-right message board communities that former President Donald Trump will somehow be reinstated into office.
