QAnon was a microcosm of the Trumpian Right: a more extreme and insular product of harmonized lies from right-wing politicians, media figures, and influencers, which were repeated until they sounded believable—a phenomenon known as the “validity effect.” Inside their at-times cult-like ideological echo chamber, they, and they alone, dictated what was true. Loyalty trumped logic, while an entrenched with-us-or-against-us mentality cast outsiders as enemies:
