When President Donald Trump awkwardly sipped from a water bottle during a speech last week, it made waves on Twitter and comparisons were made to Senator Marco Rubio's famous water gaff. To some lurking in the dark corners of social media, though, the president's sip slip had a far more serious message.
Related: Fox News anchor destroys conspiracy theory about Hillary Clinton and Uranium One
It was, according to the latest bizarre conspiracy theory circulating among some Trump supporters on Twitter and 4Chan, a secret sign that he is about to bring down an elite child sex-trafficking ring involving Hillary Clinton.
The theory is Pizzagate on steroids. Pizzagate, in case you've forgotten, was a conspiracy theory that went viral during the 2016 presidential campaign, implicating Clinton in a child sex ring based out of a Washington, D.C. pizza restaurant. The completely false claims were seized upon by right-wing media outlets and ended up having real-world consequences.
The restaurant's staff were subjected to an array of threats and eventually a man fired shots into the restaurant under the belief, he claimed, that child sex slaves were being held prisoner inside.
The latest conspiracy theory, which is accompanied by the hashtag FollowTheWhiteRabbit, takes Pizzagate and runs with it in new, even bizarre, directions. Among them is that Clinton, her daughter Chelsea and Senator John McCain are among leading figures secretly wearing ankle bracelets after having already been indicted.
Can anyone confirm that Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and John McCain have this boot on their leg? Rumor is going around that they have an ankle monitor they're trying to cover up. Were they indicted? #FollowTheWhiteRabbit pic.twitter.com/ZcExtRUQiU
— Becki ⤠(@becki_p20) November 17, 2017
In the minds of those who adhere to the theory, everything is seen as further supporting evidence. Take former President Barack Obama's recent performance of jury duty, for example. To believers, it was merely the explanation given for him traveling to Chicago to get his own ankle monitor fitted.
Can somebody please explain why an 8 year resident of DC who recently moved to NYC would be called up for jury duty in Chicago. Better yet, why would this busy rich guy actually show up for it? #QAnon#FollowTheWhiteRabbit#TheStormIsComing
— GT (@gtown615) November 17, 2017
The theory goes far beyond accusing Clinton of being involved in a pedophilia ring led by the wealthy banking family, the Rothschilds. It alleges the kind of vast elite conspiracy against Americans that has been the source of conspiracy theories since time immemorial.
The difference now is that the most powerful individual in the country is lending his voice to such claims. Not only has Trump appeared on a show hosted by America's leading conspiracy theory peddler, Alex Jones, but he led the false claims that Obama was born outside of the United States and trumpeted unfounded rumors during the campaign that Clinton was battling serious health problems and even used drugs during a debate.
More recently, Trump has called for a special counsel investigation into Clinton's involvement in the sale of Uranium One to a Russian nuclear agency. The story that the deal was scandalous has been widely debunked by experts, but it has been discussed incessantly by right-wing media, most notably Fox News.
The story has also been seized upon by the #FollowTheWhiteRabbit adherers. To them, Trump is the man who is going to save America from all of this evildoing, with many claiming that the indictments will be unsealed imminently.
So what does Trump's sip of water have to do it with it all? Well, he drank Fiji Water, and Fiji is a source country for child sex trafficking. Obviously.
