QAnon Followers Are Reading Into Elon Musk's White Rabbit Tweet

QAnon influencers and followers are celebrating Elon Musk's recent tweet which featured the rabbit face emoji, believing it to be a coded message.

Supporters of the debunked QAnon movement erupted with glee on the social media app Telegram after Twitter CEO Musk shared a tweet on Monday night that said: "Follow 🐰."

The tweet appears to be a nod to the 1999 film The Matrix, where the protagonist Neo is warned that he is trapped in a simulation and is asked to "follow the white rabbit."

Musk joked in response to a graphic from the movie—frequently referenced by conspiracy theorists online. He also posted a link to a scene involving a bunny attack from the 1975 British comedy Monty Python and the Holy Grail and said: "This tutorial video explains the backstory."

Newsweek found numerous accounts with a combined following of hundreds of thousands who believed the tweet was code for them to interpret and that Musk would reveal truths to millions.

A core belief among QAnon followers is that a global network of Satan-worshiping pedophiles operates an international child abuse ring made up of Democrats, businessmen, and Hollywood celebrities.

For years, followers of the conspiracy theory unpicked so-called "Q-drops," apparent messages written by Q—a figure claiming to have Q-level security access within the government. Many of the messages referred to Twitter.

QAnon account Ultra Pepe Lives Matter, which has 214,580 followers, said: "At this rate, Elon is on pace to start posting Q drops to millions of normies (people with mainstream beliefs) and there's nothing anyone can do to stop him."

Jordan Sather, another QAnon influencer with 83,860 followers, wrote: "DAMN BRUH Elon really gonna be exposing them pedo-satanists bruh! 'White Rabbit' = pedo cult symbology."

Conspiracy theory account Derrick Torres shared Musk's tweet as well as a "Q-drop" from February 21, 2018, that mentioned former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, a hated figure in the online movement.

The 2018 post he referenced read: "Stay tuned. Everything has meaning or a purpose. @JACK - getting nervous? Phase [2]. Q."

John Sabal—an influencer who has organized QAnon conventions where Republican lawmakers have been in attendance—could not contain his excitement over Musk's post.

The conspiracy theorist claimed that former Twitter Trust and Safety Council member Lesley Podesta was related to John Podesta, a senior advisor to Joe Biden, a connection she has rubbished.

He posted: "Ok, NOW this is definitely EYE OPENING. Twitter has just dissolved its 'Trust & Safety council' who were directly responsible for ALL of the censorship of viewpoints & shadow banning taking place during the 2020 election & COVID.

"Also, John Podesta's niece served on the council…Because, OF COURSE she did. Then Elon makes a post daying 'follow the white rabbit.' I'd say s*** is about to get VERY REAL."

In a December 11 Twitter response to claims she was related to the Biden advisor, Podesta said: "I notice that some people here seem to be speculating that I am related to John Podesta.

"This keeps being rerun by people attempting to link me to stupid QAnon rubbish and I joked about it with a friend here years ago. This rumor is NOT FACT. I'm also Australian. End of story."

James Beverley, author of The QAnon Deception, told Newsweek: "Since there are almost five thousand Q posts there is a good chance that any famous person like Elon Musk will have comments scoured for some linkage to Q.

"Thus, the rabbit hole reference leads to QAnon speculations. While Musk should avoid being paranoid about what he writes, he could help things by stating clearly to what degree he is into QAnon.

"Of course, the same thing goes for Donald Trump. It would be great if he finally gives his bottom line on Q and QAnon, rather than teasing Anons with his likes and reposts or retruths."

Behavioral scientist Caroline Orr Bueno was convinced the code was for people to support the discredited QAnon conspiracy theory.

She tweeted: "Elon Musk is now explicitly encouraging his 120 million followers to start following QAnon.

"Put differently, Elon Musk is encouraging his 120 million followers to join a domestic terrorism movement."

Newsweek has contacted Mike Rothschild, author of The Storm is Upon Us: How QAnon Became A Movement, Cult, And Conspiracy Theory Of Everything for comment.

QAnon followers as well as many conservatives have praised Musk following the release of the "Twitter Files," an exposé of the company's actions before he took over earlier this year.

Among the key issues in the disclosures was the company's decision to permanently ban then-President Donald Trump following the January 6 riot at the Capitol over incitement to violence fears. Trump is a key figure in the QAnon conspiracy theory who members believe is working to fight the cabal.

John Wihbey, a media professor at Northeastern University, has been critical of Musk's approach with the Twitter Files.

He previously told Newsweek: "Musk seems to be making a kind of sport of this kind of 'exposure' of internal company communications. But he's playing with fire. We have ample stories of real-world harm following from people getting wound up by internet-based conspiracies."

Former Trust and Safety council member Alex Holmes, the founder of the British anti-bullying peer advisory program that's part of the Diana Award, tweeted Monday night that many council members had their "personal safety impacted" due to Twitter's recent actions.