7. Conspiracy Theories Run Wild
Conspiracy theories fill the hole that fear and misinformation leave behind. A leader can use them to blame "the elites" for everything and distract from his own failures.
The result is paranoia. People become willing to believe the wildest claims, as long as those claims match what they already think.
QAnon is the perfect example. Its believers claim Democrats are part of a Satanic cabal that tortures children and drinks their blood for the adrenochrome in it. Supposedly there's a dungeon of kids under the Capitol.
Tom Hanks is involved, somehow.
One version even claimed Hillary Clinton removed a child's face and wore it for its "anti-aging" powers.
Back in 2020, a poll found that 56% of Republicans thought the QAnon theory was at least partly true. That's terrifying. Before Trump, most people would have laughed at anyone saying this stuff out loud.
Trump has always loved a good conspiracy theory. He spread Obama birtherism. He spread the debunked voter fraud claims about the 2020 election.
When a big chunk of the base already believes in a child-eating cabal, it's easy to convince them that Trump really won in 2020, and that January 6 wasn't what they watched with their own eyes.
From Conspiracy Theory to Government Policy
The biggest conspiracy theory in America is still the lie that Trump won in 2020. This year, the government started acting on it.
- January 28: The FBI raided the Fulton County, Georgia, election office. Agents hauled away about 656 boxes, including the only copy of the county's 2020 ballots. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was there. It appears to be the first time the DOJ ever seized state election records over the objections of state election officials.
- Less than a month before that raid, Trump said he might cancel the 2026 midterms and said he regretted not seizing ballot boxes in 2020.
- Since 2025: The Justice Department has demanded full voter rolls, including driver's license numbers and partial Social Security numbers, from at least 44 states. It sued at least two dozen of them when they said no.
- March 31: Trump signed an executive order telling the Postal Service to refuse to deliver mail ballots to voters who weren't on a new government-approved list.
- July 16: Trump gave a primetime speech about 2020 election "vulnerabilities." He offered no evidence of fraud. He even mocked his own cybersecurity agency for calling the 2020 election "the most secure in American history."
- September 14: The Supreme Court blocked the mail ballot rules for the 2026 election. Only Justices Alito and Thomas wanted to let them go forward.
That's a real win for voters. But the rules could come back in future elections. Stay alert.
Why do people keep believing these lies? Repetition. We explain how it works in our pieces on the illusory truth effect and political gaslighting. Both are part of our Psychology of Trumpism hub.
Blaming the "Elite" for Everything
Democrats in Congress get called "the elites." Trump is a billionaire, and so is almost every member of his cabinet. But somehow his voters don't count them as elite.
That's because "elite" means something different in the Fox News dictionary. It means college-educated people on the Left. Not billionaires with private jets and gold toilets.
"Alternative Facts" Spread Like Wildfire
When facts become "a matter of opinion," the people in power can spin any story they want. Bad information wins. Logic loses.
Elon Musk uses X to spread misinformation and conspiracy theories. Donald Trump uses Truth Social to spread his lies. Conservative media repeats them.
When people can't tell what's real anymore, the door swings wide open for authoritarianism.
During a focus group podcast, people were asked about the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case. Many of them said the same thing: "I don't know what to believe." Some outlets called him a "Maryland father." Fox News and the Trump administration called him an "MS-13 gang member" and a "wife-beater" to defend deporting him to El Salvador by mistake.
That confusion is the goal.
