https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pede
I also can't help but think of pedo when I see it. I am pretty knew to the movement but if I didn't know any better, it would have really turned me away. Even looking into the origins of it, it still seems a bit retarded. Willing to have my mind changed, but every time I see it, I cringe.
So early in the days of The_Donald on reddit, the trump supporters were very quick at pulling up and posting all sorts of hot news on/for Trump.
They got the moniker of "nimble navigators" because they were so fast - which lead to the centipede being a symbol (with so many legs/fingers on their keyboards). Hence the folks who frequented the The_Donald began fondly referring to each other as 'pede (short for centipede).
Now that makes a lot more sense. Thanks for the clarification.
Happy to help, fren.