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With his first book, the Daily Beast reporter jumps into this steaming cauldron of conspiracy and distrust. He emerges to offer a close examination of the rise and continued presence of QAnon on the US political landscape. The women had stopped because Hartley has “an amazing respect for veterans” and had recently sought to join the military. She wore a New York City Marathon T-shirt (she ran the course in 2015) and dangly earrings in the shape of her native Texas. She said she had applied to the armed forces because of “patriotism—America.” If she ever deploys, as an operating-room nurse, she said, “I’d have to carry a gun; I’d be an officer.” Her husband supported her goal, she added, explaining, “He’s a Harley guy, so—we’re just full-blooded Americans.” Six days later, on Jan. 26, a Reddit user posted the same picture in r/pics again with the following caption that mentioned China: "Trump 2024 flags being sewn in a Chinese factory… MERICA!!!" While the caption didn't explicitly say that the flags in the photograph showed official Trump merchandise, several of the comments did appear to reflect this belief. The Facts
As he watches the 2024 primary calendar, Trump stokes and internalizes it all. Already, he is lobbing the words “pedophile” and “groomer” towards his main challenger, DeSantis.What makes Johns’ American flag so perfect for this charged, climactic moment? Well, this is an anxious image of the nation fraying. But to fully understand this work, you need to follow Johns’ very personal interpretations of the flag over nearly 70 years. Flags, signs and symbols of racist, white supremacist and extremist groups were displayed along with Trump 2020 banners and American flags at Wednesday’s riot at the US Capitol. And if I am? One supporter’s tweet reads: “You’re hilarious if you don’t think the president knows what a flag looks like. HES COLORING!!!!!! with children. If it was a horse and he colored it pink would people be upset he colored a horse not a REAL horse color???” Let’s say I’m not. At time of writing, the initial tweet pointing out Trump’s error has been retweeted 124,000 times. In his speech to “about 250 of the Republican party’s top donors at the elite Four Seasons” hotel, the Post said, Trump echoed GOP talking points against Joe Biden, claiming Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if he, Trump, had still been in power.
Reverence for the flag is part of American history—and, fundamentally, part of human nature. During trench warfare, it wasn’t unheard of for soldiers to run through open fire to rescue a flag that had been left behind, says John H. Evans, a sociology professor at the University of California-San Diego. “Why would anybody risk their lives for an inanimate object?” he asks. Because, he says, it’s a stand-in for the nation as a whole. Social scientists call that association “civil religion”—the worship of secular objects that represent a national ideal. Think the flag, the Liberty Bell and the original Constitution, written on parchment with quill. The Post reported that Trump also praised Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator, for having “total control” of his country. QAnon is sufficiently amorphous to adapt to changing facts and realities. It can muster the devotion and fanaticism of a religious group. The dream never dies.What’s the difference? Well, the flag of the United States of America was reportedly designed by Francis Hopkinson and is thought to have been first hoisted by the Continental Army at Middlebrook encampment in New Jersey in June 1777. It contains 13 alternating stripes of red and white. Why does a red, white and blue-striped flag sound so familiar? Oh, Russia. It’s the Russian flag. Donald Trump was colouring the Russian flag. Nothing to worry about here. Everyone move on.
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