President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump are scheduled to sq. off tonight within the first of two presidential debates for the 2024 election season. However this week has seen quite a lot of conspiracy theories go viral on social media, with many individuals claiming there are shadowy forces conspiring to assist Biden and damage Trump.
The talk, which is the earliest ever for 2 presidential candidates, shall be hosted by CNN in Atlanta and begins at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT. Roughly 60% of People say they plan to tune in tonight, however anybody who’s been following politics on platforms like X, Fb, and TikTok has in all probability already seen ridiculous conspiracy theories about what’s going to occur.
We’ve compiled among the most outstanding conspiracy theories beneath, together with all the things from claims that Biden shall be carrying an earpiece to wild concepts that the published shall be tampered with not directly.
What’s driving these weird conspiracy theories? Plainly supporters of Trump are completely terrified that Biden will carry out effectively towards the previous president and are doing their greatest to preemptively insist that any sturdy efficiency by Biden was rigged not directly. Trump himself was saying simply final month that Biden was a horrible debater.
“Crooked Joe Biden is the WORST debater I’ve ever confronted — He can’t put two sentences collectively!” Trump wrote on Fact Social back in May.
However Trump has modified his tune in recent weeks, saying on the All-In Podcast that Biden is a “worthy debater” and insisting “I don’t wish to underestimate him.”
Trump, a convicted felon who tried to stage a coup to stay in energy on January 6, 2021, has clearly been attempting to handle expectations in order that he doesn’t appear to be an fool. However he additionally has a military of sycophants on-line who’re pleased to muddy the waters in an effort to sow confusion, as you may see from the examples beneath.
1) Will the CNN debate have a 2-minute broadcast delay?
X consumer Patrick Webb, who works for a right-wing “information” web site referred to as the Main Report, claimed on Thursday that CNN could be broadcasting on an unusually giant delay, the implication being that CNN would have the ability to edit out any of Biden’s errors.
“BREAKING: CNN will implement a 1-2 minute delay for tonight’s presidential debate as an alternative of the usual 7-second delay, doubtlessly permitting time to edit elements of the published,” Webb tweeted on Thursday.
CNN denied the declare, tweeting, “That is false. The talk will start reside at 9pm ET.”
Oddly, Webb adopted up by sharing a screenshot of a dialog he had with ChatGPT in regards to the definition of “reside TV,” which is a bit like asking a Converse N Spell a few advanced math downside. After getting ridiculed for it, Webb deleted the tweet, as you may see within the screenshot beneath.
Webb is clearly flailing attempting to rationalize a declare that has no credible supply.
The Main Report’s prime story proper now’s a false declare that covid-19 vaccines give folks most cancers, if you wish to understand how critically it’s best to take the web site and anybody who works for it.
2) Will Biden be hopped up on performance-enhancing medication?
One of the well-liked conspiracy theories on-line proper now’s that President Biden shall be utilizing every kind of medicine to make himself seem lucid. The declare implicitly accuses the president of getting dementia, one thing Trump has mentioned repeatedly regardless of his personal rambling incoherence at rallies and media appearances.
Laura Loomer, a hateful bigot who’s been banned from over a dozen tech platforms for her bigotry, helped gas the declare that Biden was going to be hopped up on performance-enhancing medication Thursday in a tweet.
“JUST IN:@JoeBiden simply refused to take a drug check forward of the Presidential debate tonight,” Loomer claimed. “ President Trump agreed to take a drug check, however Biden is now refusing. That is primarily affirmation that Joe Biden goes to have medication injected into him forward of the talk.”
But it surely’s all bullshit, in fact.
Because the Washington Post defined lately, there’s no drug at present available on the market that makes you extra coherent or masks the signs of dementia. If there was such a drug we’d be giving it to all Alzheimer’s sufferers and making the world a way more manageable place for everybody.
And it’s totally doable that that is one other occasion of Trump projecting. In any case, Trump’s private White Home physician, Ronny Jackson (who Trump lately referred to as “Ronny Johnson”), was demoted by the Navy for drinking on the job and was nicknamed “The Candyman” for allegedly handing out powerful pills exterior of regular prescription procedures.
3) Will Biden be carrying an earpiece?
The concept Joe Biden shall be carrying an earpiece has been round for a very long time, Trump even ran an advert back in 2020 accusing the president of exactly that. Skilled ratfucker and Trump advisor Roger Stone tweeted on Wednesday to assist unfold the baseless thought for 2024.
“No ear items! Trump ought to demand that Biden be rigorously inspected to make sure that he isn’t carrying some deeply embedded high-tech earpiece earlier than the start of the CNN debate,” Stone wrote.
There’s no proof Biden shall be carrying an earpiece and even simply interested by how tough it could be to take heed to somebody in your ear whereas attempting to counter a loudmouth like Donald Trump makes it absurd on its face.
4) Will Biden get replaced by a physique double?
A lot of the craziest conspiracy theories have originated on-line. However Fox Information is not any slouch in terms of the dumbest doable concepts for a way Biden would possibly cheat. For instance, Greg Gutfeld from Fox’s present The 5 insisted earlier this week that it was inherently suspicious that Biden was spending a lot time at Camp David to arrange for the talk.
“What’s actually occurring? Does it take that lengthy for the brand new face to heal, does it take that lengthy to 3D print a physique double?” Gutfeld said.
Clearly Gutfeld would probably say he was simply joking, but it surely’s an concept that’s extraordinarily well-liked among the many far-right and QAnon-focused crowd. Actually, there have been a number of instances throughout Biden’s presidency when conspiracy theorists on-line have claimed that Biden is both really being represented by a physique double or somebody is showing in public whereas carrying a Biden masks.
Sadly, the “proof” offered for the masks principle is definitely defined by what occurs to everyone’s skin as we age. It droops, whether or not you prefer it or not.
5) Is CNN blocking entry for journalists to cowl up medical emergencies?
The White Home Correspondents’ Affiliation, which lobbies on behalf of journalists for the White Home, wrote to CNN on Tuesday asking for higher entry to the talk. Because it stands now, journalists in Atlanta will solely be allowed in an adjoining room watching a livestream.
As Bloomberg explains (emphasis ours):
The priority among the many different networks is that one thing might occur in the talk room that solely CNN journalists would witness. In contrast to previous contests, this debate doesn’t have a reside viewers and microphones of the opposite candidate shall be muted when one is talking. That might imply rival journalists miss gestures and asides throughout CNN’s protection, or one thing extra critical like a medical emergency involving one of many candidates.
That line about medical emergencies made its technique to the web with none context and is being twisted to counsel {that a} “medical emergency” is a given.
As one tech reporter phrased it on X, media was “banished from the room in case of a ‘presidential medical emergency’.” The implication, in fact, is that Biden could be the one keeling over and CNN doesn’t need different journalists to see for some shady unspecified purpose.
However there’s no proof that CNN is forcing journalists to a special room for every other purpose than they maintain all the ability throughout this debate. CNN booked it, circumventing the conventional guidelines which have dictated earlier debates by way of the impartial arbiter, the Fee on Presidential Debates, which has been iced out.
CNN even released a statement Thursday to former CNN journalist Brian Stelter virtually saying as a lot—they’re in cost they usually don’t need different media there.
As proud members of the White Home Correspondents Affiliation, we respect the function the group performs and their help for press freedom and entry. CNN’s Presidential Debate is being held with out an viewers in a CNN studio and is closed to press. The feed was made out there to Washington Pool Members, Washington Pool subscribers and CNN Associates, and can also be out there to embed by way of CNN’s YouTube channel with out cost for digital shops and is obtainable on CNN.com. Following our conventional method, CNN is offering entry to the talk studio for a good pool of photographers at some point of the occasion and a bigger group of photographers throughout a industrial break. As well as, CNN is offering entry to the talk corridor for the designated print pool reporter throughout the first industrial break to permit them to offer a pool report from inside the talk studio.
That, in fact, received’t cease the conspiracy theories.
6) Will Biden get replaced?
Physique doubles apart, there’s a persistent principle that Biden shall be changed earlier than the November election.
Based on Jason Calacanis from the All-In Podcast:
There’s a important probability Biden shall be slaughtered by Trump tonight, or he might need a senior second whereas the world watches. If both of these two issues occurs, or each, there’s a important probability he’ll bow out
The recent swap is coming. Don’t be stunned when the democratic get together magically finds two new candidates After the polls this week the recent swap is the easiest way to show this round — they usually understand it.
Whereas it’s too early to definitively debunk this one, as a result of something can certainly occur on this loopy world, there’s completely no proof that is the case. It merely defies logic that Biden would bow out at this level. He’s had many, many alternatives to say he wouldn’t wish to run and solely endangers a Democratic win for any successor the longer he waits.
Once more, something can occur. However this concept that Biden will get changed on the final minute actually solely exhibits up on Fox Information or probably the most ridiculous corners of the web.
Trending Merchandise
