In debate, Trump embraced false claims from the deep corners of the far-right internet
Former President Donald Trump repeated a broad range of false claims, internet rumors and outlandish conspiracy theories during Tuesday night’s presidential debate, many of which might have seemed unintelligible without a deep understanding of obscure corners of far-right social media.
Former President Donald Trump repeated a broad range of false claims, internet rumors and outlandish conspiracy theories during Tuesday night’s presidential debate, many of which might have seemed unintelligible without a deep understanding of obscure corners of far-right social media.
It included a variety of baseless claims about abortion, campaign rallies, the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and bribes to government officials — not to mention a sensational rumor about immigrants in Ohio stealing and eating pets. And he denied any shift in his perspective on the 2020 election, falsely claiming there was “so much proof” that he won it.
While some of the claims may have been familiar dog whistles to people who spend time on fringe message boards, it’s not clear how the outlandish rumors may have landed with everyone else. The debate drew more than 57.5 million viewers, according to ABC, which hosted it.
Late in the debate right before the second break, Trump released a torrent of vague claims alleging corruption in the Biden administration.
“You know, Biden doesn’t go after people because, supposedly, China paid millions of dollars,” he said. “He’s afraid to do it — between him and his son, they get all this money from Ukraine. They get all this money from all of these different countries. And then you wonder why is he so loyal to this one, that one, Ukraine, China? Why did he get $3.5 million from the mayor of Moscow’s wife? Why did she pay him $3.5 million? This is a crooked administration, and they’re selling our country down the tubes.”
Rating: 5