Donald Trump has lost one of his most famous followers, the “QAnon Shaman,” amid the ongoing fallout over the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Jacob Chansley, who became known as the “QAnon Shaman” after storming the U.S. Capitol in a horned headdress on January 6, 2021, has lashed out at the U.S. President.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Chansley wrote: “Oh yeah & F*** Israel! And F*** Donald Trump!”
Highlights
- Jacob Chansley, the 'QAnon Shaman', publicly denounced Donald Trump amid fallout over the Jeffrey Epstein files, marking a major shift in loyalty.
- Chansley, famous for his Capitol attack appearance, called Trump a fraud and expressed anger before deleting the post.
- Chansley’s anger stems from Trump's handling of the Epstein files and DOJ's refusal to release further records.
Donald Trump superfan, the QAnon Shaman, lashed out amid the Epstein controversy
Image credits: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Chansley also commented on Trump’s mugshot, calling the president “F*** this stupid piece of s***... What a fraud.” That post was later deleted but screenshots quickly circulated online.
The outburst marks a dramatic shift for Chansley, who was once a Trump superfan.
Chansley gained national attention during the Capitol attack in 2021. Images of him bare-chested, covered in red, white, and blue face paint, and wearing a fur headdress with Viking horns, became one of the defining visuals of that day.
Once at the Capitol building, Chansley was among the first group of rioters to break inside.
Image credits: Tim Onion/Bluesky
Prosecutors said Chansley entered the Senate chamber, climbed onto the dais used by then-Vice President Mike Pence, and left a note reading, “It’s Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming!”
He also led chants through a bullhorn, according to the Justice Department.
“Mike Pence is a f***ing traitor,” Chansley reportedly said during the riot.
In November 2021, a federal judge sentenced Chansley to 41 months in prison for his role in the January 6 insurrection.
Chansley served part of that sentence before being released to a halfway house in 2023.
Earlier this year, Trump issued pardons under a clemency order for Chansley and 1500 other Trump supporters who were charged over the January 6 attack.
Chansley’s recent anger appears to stem from Trump’s handling of the Epstein files.
Chansley was among the first group of rioters to break into the Capitol building in 2021
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
Pressure has been mounting on Trump since the DOJ and FBI announced there was no Epstein client list and that Epstein died by suicide in jail.
In a memo, the DOJ and the FBI also confirmed they would not release further files related to Epstein, saying they detailed victims’ personal information and child pornography.
On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that in May, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Trump his name appeared several times in the Epstein files.
There is no suggestion that being mentioned in those files is a sign of wrongdoing.
The issue has split the MAGA base. GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson, and Trump ally Steve Bannon have all criticized Trump for failing to release the records.
Image credits: Brent Stirton/Getty Images
Chansley also took aim at actor James Woods, a vocal Trump supporter. “Did you go to Epstein Island too James? Cuz I am beginning to look closer...Didn't your house survive the LA fires too? Nothing about Epstein? You're not holding Trump accountable...I know the routine James...I try to give people their privacy...But I'm gonna let you cook,” he wrote.
Trump has held a messiah-like status within QAnon’s conspiratorial circle who have long believed that Trump was secretly working to dismantle a network of elite, Satan-worshipping pedophiles.
Trump welcomed the adoration. In 2020, he offered the movement plausible deniability at an executive level, saying he didn’t know much about QAnon but couldn’t disprove their claims.
Just two years later, Trump began amplifying bits of the conspiracy on TruthSocial and reposting images of himself wearing Q pins emblazoned with the slogan, “A Storm Is Coming.”
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
In QAnon mythology, “The Storm” refers to Trump’s supposed final victory, when they expect him to bring sweeping justice — including the mass arrest or execution of his political enemies.
But the FBI memo dismissing the existence of an Epstein client list appears to have created a rift between Trump and his conspiracy-minded base.
For Chansley, that betrayal now appears personal. Once one of Trump’s most visible foot soldiers, he has joined a growing group of right-wing voices questioning whether their leader is hiding more than he reveals.
Their sentiment, as Chansley wrote, is “F*** Donald Trump.”