Trump’s pushed sinister conspiracy theories on Truth Social at least 330 times

Former President Donald Trump has pushed bizarre and at times sinister conspiracy theories at least 330 times on Truth Social within a six-month period this year.

Trump is pushing out content several times a day often from known conspiracy theorists and sometimes anonymous accounts that tag him in their posts. The posts have often been shared by rightwing online extremists and agitators, according to The New York Times.

The 330 posts each outlined a false and secretive plot against the former president or the American people and named the entity supposedly behind it, such as the FBI ordering his assassination and claims that government officials masterminded the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Some 75 percent of the posts came directly from Trump’s account, with the rest being reposts from other accounts.

The Times also looked at the 170 accounts boosted by Trump, finding that the vast majority often spread conspiracy theories.

Trump posted on Truth Social on average 30 times a day during the six-month period, far more than on any other platform.

The former president opened the platform with its first post in 2022, and it has since allowed posts and users that other platforms with more moderation may have removed.

Between July and September, Truth Social averaged about 4.7m unique monthly visitors, according to Similarweb, a web analytics company. Many of those users are loyal to Trump, more so than on other platforms with many more users.

Regular supporters mix with Covid deniers, QAnon followers, and right-wing media personalities.

University of Miami political science professor Joseph Uscinski told the paper that Trump is “building a coalition of people who just see the world in a very dark way.”

Instead of attempting to attract regular Republican voters, it appeals to those “who just want to see the system blown up,” he added.

Conspiracies Trump has encountered on Truth Social have since made their way into his campaign speeches and other public appearances, where he often speaks about the “enemy from within” in reference to Democrats and government officials. He has indicated that he may attempt to use the military against them.

Speaking about the Capitol riot, during which 140 law enforcement officers were assaulted, Trump said during a town hall event this month that it was a day of “love” before sharing a post just two days later that claimed that the riot was staged by the government.

Trump pushed conspiracy theories to his almost eight million followers almost twice a day on average during the six-month period.

He has posted about election interference, philanthropist George Soros, the 2020 election being stolen, the deep state, the replacement theory that Democrats are taking in immigrants to replace Americans, foreign influence, January 6 being a hoax, Biden not being the one in charge, and about Kamala Harris cheating.

Some of the theories shared took aim at agencies the public relies on, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency during Hurricane Helene. Trump posted more than 260 times during the six-month period that the 2024 election is set to be marred by fraud, such as by arguing that his criminal cases are the Biden administration’s efforts to interfere in the election.

Institute for Strategic Dialogue senior research manager Max Read told the paper that some users of the platform may now accept nothing but a Trump victory.

“If you’re living in that reality and getting that information on Truth Social, you’re going to trust Trump and only Trump,” he said.