Conspiracy theories that Biden is dead, dying boosted by Musk's X

Elon Musk’s X app boosted wild conspiracy theories this week that President Joe Biden had an undisclosed medical emergency and may be dying or dead.

Elon Musk’s X app boosted wild conspiracy theories this week that President Joe Biden had an undisclosed medical emergency and might be dying, despite a lack of evidence to support the claims. And it continued doing so even after Biden walked before news cameras Tuesday and appeared healthy. 

Biden addressed the nation in a broadcast from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening. He also was heard speaking by phone at an event Monday before reporters saw him in person Tuesday.

But earlier in the week, X created two special “trending” pages dedicated to what it said were “Biden’s Vegas Health Scare” and “Biden’s Vegas Emergency: Mystery Unfolds.” Biden was in Las Vegas on July 17 when he tested positive for Covid-19, but the trending pages are filled with speculation unrelated to Covid-19, including false assertions by users that he had been murdered or would be murdered soon by unseen forces. 

Baseless speculation that Biden had died started gathering popularity in conservative media shortly after he announced Sunday on X and other social media platforms that he was withdrawing from the presidential race and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris. 

Dana Perino, a Fox News co-host, said on the air Sunday, “Proof of life, please,” and right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones got more than 7 million views on a 7-minute video he posted Monday titled “Is Joe Biden Dead?” 

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/joe-biden-dead-dying-covid-vegas-theory-musk-x-elon-rcna163248

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