Conspiracy Theorists Think Trump Will Be President on Thursday

Capitol Police are boosting security in response to a far-right conspiracy theory claiming Donald Trump will again become president on Thursday. Some QAnon supporters believed Trump would declare martial law and remain in office on Jan. 20. But "when that didn't happen, the date was moved from Jan. 20 to March 4," the original date on which presidents were sworn into office until the passage of the 20th Amendment in 1933, per ABC News. According to the unfounded theory—which some of QAnon's own leaders have rejected—no president has been legitimate since the passage of an 1871 law "that secretly turned the United States into a corporation," per USA Today.

"Now why that's relevant, God knows. But any rate, now they are thinking maybe we should gather again and storm the Capitol on March 4," Rep. Adam Smith said last month, per Forbes, which notes some QAnon supporters see a major hike in March 4 rates at the Trump International Hotel as validation of some event. Members of Congress were notified that increased personnel would be deployed on Capitol Hill via a Monday bulletin from the House's acting sergeant-at-arms, Timothy Blodgett, who noted some have described March 4 as the "true Inauguration Day." But "the significance of this date has reportedly declined amongst various groups in recent days," Blodgett wrote. He added Capitol Police have "no indication that groups will travel to Washington DC to protest or commit acts of violence." (More Capitol Police stories.)