QAnon Supporters Say They Want a Myanmar-Style Coup on U.S. Government
BY DARRAGH ROCHE ON 2/27/21 NEWSWEEK.COM
Some supporters of the QAnon conspiracy told CNN on Friday that they would welcome a military coup similar to recent events in Myanmar in order to put former President Donald Trump back in the White House.
Speaking to CNN reporter Donie O'Sullivan at a QAnon-Trump rally in Ventura, Florida, two women expressed support for coup and specifically cited the Southeast Asian nation.
Believers in the conspiracy theory posit that Trump will be restored to power on March 4, at which time the allegations of mass voter fraud and other irregularities in the 2020 election will be proven.
"Are you feel going to foolish on March 5th when Biden is still president?" O'Sullivan asked one woman.
"Umm, then Trump has a different plan in play," she said.
"Everybody keeps saying Trump has a plan," O'Sullivan pressed.
"He didn't lose the election, sir. Trump did not lose the election and that's where we differ," she said.
O'Sullivan and the woman then had a brief exchange about MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who has pushed unsubstantiated claims that the presidential election was "stolen." Lindell now faces a major libel lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems.
The woman went on to express support for a military coup in the U.S. like the one carried out in Myanmar earlier this month.
"This whole thing is Biden, he's like a puppet president," she said. "The military is in charge. It's going to be like Myanmar, what's happening in Myanmar. The military is doing their own investigation. At the right time they're going to be restoring the republic with Trump as president."
"Umm, then Trump has a different plan in play," she said.
"Everybody keeps saying Trump has a plan," O'Sullivan pressed.
"He didn't lose the election, sir. Trump did not lose the election and that's where we differ," she said.
O'Sullivan and the woman then had a brief exchange about MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who has pushed unsubstantiated claims that the presidential election was "stolen." Lindell now faces a major libel lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems.
The woman went on to express support for a military coup in the U.S. like the one carried out in Myanmar earlier this month.
"This whole thing is Biden, he's like a puppet president," she said. "The military is in charge. It's going to be like Myanmar, what's happening in Myanmar. The military is doing their own investigation. At the right time they're going to be restoring the republic with Trump as president."
Another woman, wearing a Trump hat, chimed in: "What's going on in Myanmar?"
"The government took over and they're redoing the election. You know why? Because the election was stolen from us!" she added.
"There was some thought about some people leaving QAnon once Biden was election because they realized nothing they had been promised has come to pass," CNN anchor Anderson Cooper said, responding to O'Sullivan's report.
"But like the lady in the piece, they just change what the prediction is supposed to be," he said.
"I found it very concerning last weekend when we were speaking to these folks, particularly when they were talking about Myanmar and celebrating the military coup there and wanting to see that happen here in the U.S.," O'Sullivan added.
Unlike the U.S., Myanmar does not have a long history of democracy. The military ruled the country for decades until 2011 when it introduced some democratic reforms. That period came to an end when the military seized power once again this year.
The country's civilian leader Aung Sun Suu Kyi and several leading members of her pro-democracy party were arrested on February 1. Suu Kyi had previously been under house arrest from 1989 until 2010.
Barbara Jordan and other supporters of former President Donald Trump gather along Southern Blvd near Trump's Mar-a-Lago home on February 15, 2021 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Some of the former president's supporters believe he'll return to power on March 4.JOE RAEDLE/GETTY IMAGES
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