Some Trump supporters believe he is on the verge of declaring martial law – and they are elated.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the account had nearly 220,000 subscribers – likely aided by the fact that it was widely and actively discussed and promoted on other platforms including Twitter (TWTR) and Facebook (FB). Facebook did not immediately respond to requests for comment. After CNN asked about people sharing links and promoting the Telegram channel on its platform, Twitter said it was “taking action for accounts sharing” and would prevent the link from being tweeted. more.

The narrative, which largely mirrored the old tropes of QAnon conspiracy theory, was emblematic of a larger trend. A significant group of people who believe the lie that the election was stolen from Trump and that someone or something – the courts, state legislatures, members of Congress, Vice President Mike Pence – would prevent Joe Biden from being inaugurated has not been dissuaded from this belief. Instead, they have come to believe that the only thing left is violence and blood. They are convinced Trump is on the verge of instituting martial law – and they cannot wait.

The conspiracy theory has at its root the same thing that inspired the riot inside the Capitol on January 6 – the misconception that the election was stolen and that America’s democracy is under threat and someone had to do it. Something. Then the rioters took him over. After the riot, similar groups of people believed they could stand back and wait because Trump and the military would take action. But given how conspiracy theories generally work and how they proliferated after the riot, it’s easy to imagine these theories developing in new ways once it becomes clear that no action is taken. like this does not happen.

Much of the online martial law discussion ultimately connects to QAnon, which has long had promise and bloodlust. But people who enthusiastically discuss the possibility of a military takeover may not know the origins of their obsession. And the phenomenon does not seem to be confined to a niche corner of the Internet.

Over the past two weeks, CNN has seen Trump supporters embrace the idea in large numbers and across multiple social media platforms.

On Facebook, a video in which a man warned people to stock up on food before martial law was implemented was viewed more than five million times before being verified and marked as fake. The video is no longer on Facebook, although it is not known who removed it. CNN reached out to Facebook for comment.

On YouTube, a man who was previously best known for his claims that he had an alien mother and an alien daughter suddenly became a star. He racked up more than 3.5 million views with a video in which he claimed Trump signed the insurgency law, a prominent feature of many martial law conspiracy theories. Another video in which he said 85% of members of Congress could be arrested has been viewed nearly 1.7 million times. After the article’s initial publication, Ivy Choi, a spokesperson for YouTube, told CNN that the company deleted this latest video after being asked about it by CNN, saying it had “violated[ed] our presidential electoral integrity policy. ”

On TikTok, thousands, if not tens of thousands of people have seen and reacted to dozens of videos related to conspiracy theories. These videos vary by topic, all related to the same misconception that Trump is about to institute martial law – in some, people enthusiastically film the movement of military vehicles, convinced it’s a sign; in others, people repeat warnings about preparing with food and water; A popular theme is that at all times Trump will use the emergency broadcast system to announce the start of his move. There is seldom, if ever, any sign of hesitation or worry about the lives that might be lost.

– CNN’s Mallory Simon contributed reporting