A conspiracy theory that claims President Joe Biden is now tall after mysteriously growing several inches is slowly becoming the latest hot meme.
The tall Biden conspiracy theory
Last week, far-right conspiracy theorists cited a video of Biden outside the White House as proof that he had grown inexplicably. The theory alleges that Biden, who recently announced his plans to withdraw from the presidential election, has been replaced by a clone, given that he appears much taller than normal standing next to his wife Jill.
"Biden grew a few inches while he was missing for five days..." one user wrote.
The conspiracy theory comes not long after far-right figures claimed that Biden was either on death's door or outright deceased. Yet with that theory easily debunked given the president's public appearances, conservatives latched onto the Biden clone claim instead.
While Biden does look taller than his wife in the above video, the difference is attributable to the low angle of the camera as well as Jill Biden's walking a short distance behind him.
But at least some right-wing users appear to be taking the claim less seriously and have instead begun sharing memes.
Tall Biden Memes
In one example this week, a video altered by a group known as the "Dilley Meme Team" depicts Biden as even taller than before.
"Is it just me, or is Joe getting taller? Is that even Joe?" one of the meme's creators asked.
They followed up the post with an even more exaggerated Biden, who overshadowed Marine One on the White House lawn.
In that clip, Biden walks next to Jill and his son Hunter, causing the camera to shake with each step. They also add sound effects to each step.
The Daily Dot reached out to Brenden Dilley, a podcast host who runs the team that created the video, to inquire about the post. Dilley responded with a screenshot of the Daily Dot's previous coverage of the meme team alongside the statement: "You're welcome to blow me first."
In another post, Biden is towering over the nation's Capitol building.
A caption on the picture states: "At this rate of growth Biden will soon be unstoppable."
Trump's 18-year-old son Barron, who is a staggering 6'9, also found himself in the mix.
"I await their titanic duel," another said in a manipulated image.
Other posts referred to Biden as "Joeliath" and "Giant Joe," while some argued that his nickname should be changed from Dark Brandon to Tall Brandon.
"To all video editors... Now I crave a thread of Giant Joe memes," one user said.
The conspiracy is bigger than the meme
Although the memes were quite apparent to conservatives, they still dwarfed the conspiracy theory that alleged Biden had really replaced by a much taller body double.
"Joe Biden has never been 6’ 4 tall like the ‘body double’ towering over Jill and White House aides," another added. "And he’s never in his life moved as well as this other ‘body double’ caught on the way to his car."
Prominent Trump supporter Bill Mitchell also hyped the claims, posting in image he claimed of Biden in 2022 and 2024.
While the conspiracy theory remains prominent among mainline supporters of former President Donald Trump, the tall Biden memes appear here to stay.
At least until he leaves office next year.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post Dark Brandon is dead—but Tall Biden grows bigger every day appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
A conspiracy theory that claims President Joe Biden is now tall after mysteriously growing several inches is slowly becoming the latest hot meme.
The tall Biden conspiracy theory
Last week, far-right conspiracy theorists cited a video of Biden outside the White House as proof that he had grown inexplicably. The theory alleges that Biden, who recently announced his plans to withdraw from the presidential election, has been replaced by a clone, given that he appears much taller than normal standing next to his wife Jill.
"Biden grew a few inches while he was missing for five days..." one user wrote.
The conspiracy theory comes not long after far-right figures claimed that Biden was either on death's door or outright deceased. Yet with that theory easily debunked given the president's public appearances, conservatives latched onto the Biden clone claim instead.
While Biden does look taller than his wife in the above video, the difference is attributable to the low angle of the camera as well as Jill Biden's walking a short distance behind him.
But at least some right-wing users appear to be taking the claim less seriously and have instead begun sharing memes.
Tall Biden Memes
In one example this week, a video altered by a group known as the "Dilley Meme Team" depicts Biden as even taller than before.
"Is it just me, or is Joe getting taller? Is that even Joe?" one of the meme's creators asked.
They followed up the post with an even more exaggerated Biden, who overshadowed Marine One on the White House lawn.
In that clip, Biden walks next to Jill and his son Hunter, causing the camera to shake with each step. They also add sound effects to each step.
The Daily Dot reached out to Brenden Dilley, a podcast host who runs the team that created the video, to inquire about the post. Dilley responded with a screenshot of the Daily Dot's previous coverage of the meme team alongside the statement: "You're welcome to blow me first."
In another post, Biden is towering over the nation's Capitol building.
A caption on the picture states: "At this rate of growth Biden will soon be unstoppable."
Trump's 18-year-old son Barron, who is a staggering 6'9, also found himself in the mix.
"I await their titanic duel," another said in a manipulated image.
Other posts referred to Biden as "Joeliath" and "Giant Joe," while some argued that his nickname should be changed from Dark Brandon to Tall Brandon.
"To all video editors... Now I crave a thread of Giant Joe memes," one user said.
The conspiracy is bigger than the meme
Although the memes were quite apparent to conservatives, they still dwarfed the conspiracy theory that alleged Biden had really replaced by a much taller body double.
"Joe Biden has never been 6’ 4 tall like the ‘body double’ towering over Jill and White House aides," another added. "And he’s never in his life moved as well as this other ‘body double’ caught on the way to his car."
Prominent Trump supporter Bill Mitchell also hyped the claims, posting in image he claimed of Biden in 2022 and 2024.
While the conspiracy theory remains prominent among mainline supporters of former President Donald Trump, the tall Biden memes appear here to stay.
At least until he leaves office next year.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post Dark Brandon is dead—but Tall Biden grows bigger every day appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
Prominent left-wing users on social media cited recent photos of former President Donald Trump to prove that an assassination attempt against him didn't happen.
Since the attempted assassination of Trump more than two weeks ago, conspiracy theories have exploded online among liberals.
The photos, taken by press photographers over the past several days, only amplified those conspiratorial claims.
"Donald Trump doesn't want you to see this," X user David Leavitt wrote of one photo from the Associated Press (AP). "Do not share this picture of his ear."
Such posts racked up millions of views on X, prompting further speculation about Trump's ear.
"Trump speaking at Bitcoin Conference 7/27/24," another added. "His ear is miraculously healed in only 14 days after 'being grazed with a bullet.' Everyone should be questioning this."
Although already widely discussed, the issue blew up after Pete Souza, the chief White House photographer for former President Barack Obama, weighed in on the conspiracy theory.
In a post on Saturday, Souza insinuated that a bullet did not strike Trump, and encouraged his followers to "look closely at his ear" in a photo from the AP.
Souza's comments came just one day after the FBI clarified that it believed a bullet hit Trump.
Yet not long after making the post, Souza's account disappeared. The issue led left-wing users to double down by suggesting that X owner Elon Musk deleted Souza's account in order to help Trump.
"Presidential photographer Pete Souza posted this new AP photo of Trump's uninjured ear, so Elon kicked him off Twitter," one user wrote. "In case you're wondering how the free speech is going."
As noted by Mediate, however, Souza instead deleted his account. Still, left-wing Twitter users haven't let go of their belief that a cover-up is underway.
Some left-wing users have pushed back, though, and are calling out many of the conspiracy theories circulating online. Journalist Yashar Ali, among others, called out the claim about Souza.
"Just incredible… Resistance Twitter has gone from calling anyone who said Biden should drop out a fascist supporter and racist to now tweeting #FreePeteSouza which implies that Pete’s account was suspended," Ali wrote. "His account wasn’t suspended, he deactivated his account."
As for Trump's ear, "a detailed analysis of bullet trajectories, footage, photos and audio by the New York Times strongly suggests Mr. Trump was grazed by the first of eight bullets fired by the gunman," a finding that backs up those also given by the FBI.
Others online also argued that the photos did in fact show damage to Trump's ear, noting a divot on the helix.
As is the case with most conspiracy theories, though, it appears unlikely that many of Trump's detractors will let go. While it is certainly likely that Trump has utilized the assassination attempt to his political advantage, it nevertheless took place.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post New photos of Trump’s ear have left-wingers doubling down on conspiracy he wasn’t shot appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
Prominent left-wing users on social media cited recent photos of former President Donald Trump to prove that an assassination attempt against him didn't happen.
Since the attempted assassination of Trump more than two weeks ago, conspiracy theories have exploded online among liberals.
The photos, taken by press photographers over the past several days, only amplified those conspiratorial claims.
"Donald Trump doesn't want you to see this," X user David Leavitt wrote of one photo from the Associated Press (AP). "Do not share this picture of his ear."
Such posts racked up millions of views on X, prompting further speculation about Trump's ear.
"Trump speaking at Bitcoin Conference 7/27/24," another added. "His ear is miraculously healed in only 14 days after 'being grazed with a bullet.' Everyone should be questioning this."
Although already widely discussed, the issue blew up after Pete Souza, the chief White House photographer for former President Barack Obama, weighed in on the conspiracy theory.
In a post on Saturday, Souza insinuated that a bullet did not strike Trump, and encouraged his followers to "look closely at his ear" in a photo from the AP.
Souza's comments came just one day after the FBI clarified that it believed a bullet hit Trump.
Yet not long after making the post, Souza's account disappeared. The issue led left-wing users to double down by suggesting that X owner Elon Musk deleted Souza's account in order to help Trump.
"Presidential photographer Pete Souza posted this new AP photo of Trump's uninjured ear, so Elon kicked him off Twitter," one user wrote. "In case you're wondering how the free speech is going."
As noted by Mediate, however, Souza instead deleted his account. Still, left-wing Twitter users haven't let go of their belief that a cover-up is underway.
Some left-wing users have pushed back, though, and are calling out many of the conspiracy theories circulating online. Journalist Yashar Ali, among others, called out the claim about Souza.
"Just incredible… Resistance Twitter has gone from calling anyone who said Biden should drop out a fascist supporter and racist to now tweeting #FreePeteSouza which implies that Pete’s account was suspended," Ali wrote. "His account wasn’t suspended, he deactivated his account."
As for Trump's ear, "a detailed analysis of bullet trajectories, footage, photos and audio by the New York Times strongly suggests Mr. Trump was grazed by the first of eight bullets fired by the gunman," a finding that backs up those also given by the FBI.
Others online also argued that the photos did in fact show damage to Trump's ear, noting a divot on the helix.
As is the case with most conspiracy theories, though, it appears unlikely that many of Trump's detractors will let go. While it is certainly likely that Trump has utilized the assassination attempt to his political advantage, it nevertheless took place.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post New photos of Trump’s ear have left-wingers doubling down on conspiracy he wasn’t shot appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
1) Joker abandons incels
When Todd Phillips’ Joker came out in 2019, it spurred a rash of spurious discourse that a sympathetic portrayal of a mentally ill white man prone to anger would inspire hordes of maladjusted men to commit wanton acts of violence.
Digital pundits worried incels—a 2014-era internet phenomenon tied to one spree killing that metastasized alongside the moral panic over young men online flocking to former President Donald Trump—would be unleashed on the population.
But the movie did not inspire involuntary celibate posters, the ones who desperately want to have sex with a woman but can’t, to commit crimes. That’s probably because the panic was predicated not on the movie itself but pearl-clutching online over the trailer.
The Joker 2 trailer dropped this week and there’s one thing we can be thankful for—it won’t inspire a spate of takes about incels becoming Joker-fied. Because in Joker 2, Joker has a girlfriend.
Lady Gaga stars alongside Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck in what everyone assumes is a Harley Quinn role, as the trailer shows them falling in love over petty crime and ballroom dancing.
And while one might hope incels seeing an incel escape could inspire them, the doomer nature of the movement bled through on forums reacting to the trailer.
Some thought it was a direct rebuttal to the community’s love of the first.
“It's like they did this specifically because they accidentally made incel kino last time,“ one person said.
Kino is slang for top-notch cinema, and Joker 2, in their eyes, was not it.
“Betrayed bc he has a lady,” said one.
“h..he's not... an incel like me?” wrote another.
But worse, Arthur might be, instead of a monster, a … beta boyfriend.
“If it was anything like the first one, he will kill her in the end … But that won't happen.”
Instead, they feared, he’ll just mopily follow around Lady Gaga as the film apes its most iconic moments in service of Lady Jokers.
“They will just make her do everything Arthur did in the first movie, because yas slay female joker, and he will just somewhat be there, but he won't be important,” wrote one person.
Others called out shots that explicitly mimicked the first movie, only with Gaga included in them, like Phoenix’s infamous stair dance.
And plenty were bothered by what most everyone is assuming—that, in casting Gaga, the sequel will be a campy musical.
“first movie was kino but this looks fucking horrible ngl, also annoying how theyre pretty much not telling us whether or not its an actual musical until we actually go to watch it,” one person wrote.
In the parlance of modern times, Joker 2 is as thrilling as Biden’s reelection bid.
It’s “actually joever anons i am going to cry it looks so fucking bad. unless they take the unconventional approach that she doesnt actually love him and is actually projecting her craziness onto him its going to suck so fucking bad.”
While you may be tempted to feel sorry for the incels, their one love falling for someone else, at least we won’t have to listen to months of discourse now.
2) Joe Biden Fanfic Cope
While massive amounts of Democrats seem to be rallying around Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden announced he’d no longer seek re-election, some of the most ride-or-die Bides, who fought furiously until the end, were upset that their adamant attitude had been entirely for naught.
So they’ve turned to the most tried and true internet coping mechanism: Cope.
What if, read a mega-viral thread on Threads, Biden didn’t drop out because he needed to, or couldn’t go on, but because he’d been planning to all along? Powering through the Democratic primary, fumbling the debate, going on a sputtering redemption arc while vehemently denying calls for him to step aside…
All part of the plan, according to the thread.
“Turns out the 81-year-old man everyone said was losing it, expertly outmaneuvered every coup plotter against him in under 24 hours … This was all teed up and executed by President Joe Biden with the perfection only wisdom and experience can deliver,” wrote the thread, which got over 10,000 reactions as it detailed an elaborate plan wherein Biden slow played his departure to trick the GOP.
“Biden dropped out after allowing Trump and his minions to spend four days and millions of dollars going on live TV…. mounting a campaign against him. He screwed Trump and Republicans with perfection. Completely changed the landscape in a way no one saw coming and nobody was prepared for.”
His timing of announcement and endorsement of Harris was also dubbed a masterstroke, supposedly catching the media off guard while thwarting other Democrats who sought an open primary.
There was plenty of fan fic involved, with Biden secretly making calls to ensure this masterstroke.
“Biden made the necessary calls on background to make sure the turnover was seamless and he got it done. He trusted Kamala Harris and Kamala Harris trusted him, they had each other's backs. He made the campaign a turnkey operation for her. That was no small accomplishment.”
Others along for the ride posted that Biden intentionally sank the debate, setting the stage for his own removal.
“Biden placed the Republicans like a fiddle. Watching that debate, I was astounded. We have seen Biden debate thousands of time,” one said, claiming he chose to avoid a contentious primary by staying in and ensuring with little time until the election, Democrats would rally around him.
“Can you imagine learning in a future Biden biography that he intentionally tanked his debate performance, and he was every anonymous leak about him thinking about resigning? All of it being setup for him to be able to retire and hand the next Presidency to Kamala Harris,” wrote one.
“Maybe Dark Brandon just might have pulled off the greatest rope-a-dope of all time,” added another.
Call it a cope a dope.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post Incels are upset that Joker has a girlfriend appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
1) Joker abandons incels
When Todd Phillips’ Joker came out in 2019, it spurred a rash of spurious discourse that a sympathetic portrayal of a mentally ill white man prone to anger would inspire hordes of maladjusted men to commit wanton acts of violence.
Digital pundits worried incels—a 2014-era internet phenomenon tied to one spree killing that metastasized alongside the moral panic over young men online flocking to former President Donald Trump—would be unleashed on the population.
But the movie did not inspire involuntary celibate posters, the ones who desperately want to have sex with a woman but can’t, to commit crimes. That’s probably because the panic was predicated not on the movie itself but pearl-clutching online over the trailer.
The Joker 2 trailer dropped this week and there’s one thing we can be thankful for—it won’t inspire a spate of takes about incels becoming Joker-fied. Because in Joker 2, Joker has a girlfriend.
Lady Gaga stars alongside Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck in what everyone assumes is a Harley Quinn role, as the trailer shows them falling in love over petty crime and ballroom dancing.
And while one might hope incels seeing an incel escape could inspire them, the doomer nature of the movement bled through on forums reacting to the trailer.
Some thought it was a direct rebuttal to the community’s love of the first.
“It's like they did this specifically because they accidentally made incel kino last time,“ one person said.
Kino is slang for top-notch cinema, and Joker 2, in their eyes, was not it.
“Betrayed bc he has a lady,” said one.
“h..he's not... an incel like me?” wrote another.
But worse, Arthur might be, instead of a monster, a … beta boyfriend.
“If it was anything like the first one, he will kill her in the end … But that won't happen.”
Instead, they feared, he’ll just mopily follow around Lady Gaga as the film apes its most iconic moments in service of Lady Jokers.
“They will just make her do everything Arthur did in the first movie, because yas slay female joker, and he will just somewhat be there, but he won't be important,” wrote one person.
Others called out shots that explicitly mimicked the first movie, only with Gaga included in them, like Phoenix’s infamous stair dance.
And plenty were bothered by what most everyone is assuming—that, in casting Gaga, the sequel will be a campy musical.
“first movie was kino but this looks fucking horrible ngl, also annoying how theyre pretty much not telling us whether or not its an actual musical until we actually go to watch it,” one person wrote.
In the parlance of modern times, Joker 2 is as thrilling as Biden’s reelection bid.
It’s “actually joever anons i am going to cry it looks so fucking bad. unless they take the unconventional approach that she doesnt actually love him and is actually projecting her craziness onto him its going to suck so fucking bad.”
While you may be tempted to feel sorry for the incels, their one love falling for someone else, at least we won’t have to listen to months of discourse now.
2) Joe Biden Fanfic Cope
While massive amounts of Democrats seem to be rallying around Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden announced he’d no longer seek re-election, some of the most ride-or-die Bides, who fought furiously until the end, were upset that their adamant attitude had been entirely for naught.
So they’ve turned to the most tried and true internet coping mechanism: Cope.
What if, read a mega-viral thread on Threads, Biden didn’t drop out because he needed to, or couldn’t go on, but because he’d been planning to all along? Powering through the Democratic primary, fumbling the debate, going on a sputtering redemption arc while vehemently denying calls for him to step aside…
All part of the plan, according to the thread.
“Turns out the 81-year-old man everyone said was losing it, expertly outmaneuvered every coup plotter against him in under 24 hours … This was all teed up and executed by President Joe Biden with the perfection only wisdom and experience can deliver,” wrote the thread, which got over 10,000 reactions as it detailed an elaborate plan wherein Biden slow played his departure to trick the GOP.
“Biden dropped out after allowing Trump and his minions to spend four days and millions of dollars going on live TV…. mounting a campaign against him. He screwed Trump and Republicans with perfection. Completely changed the landscape in a way no one saw coming and nobody was prepared for.”
His timing of announcement and endorsement of Harris was also dubbed a masterstroke, supposedly catching the media off guard while thwarting other Democrats who sought an open primary.
There was plenty of fan fic involved, with Biden secretly making calls to ensure this masterstroke.
“Biden made the necessary calls on background to make sure the turnover was seamless and he got it done. He trusted Kamala Harris and Kamala Harris trusted him, they had each other's backs. He made the campaign a turnkey operation for her. That was no small accomplishment.”
Others along for the ride posted that Biden intentionally sank the debate, setting the stage for his own removal.
“Biden placed the Republicans like a fiddle. Watching that debate, I was astounded. We have seen Biden debate thousands of time,” one said, claiming he chose to avoid a contentious primary by staying in and ensuring with little time until the election, Democrats would rally around him.
“Can you imagine learning in a future Biden biography that he intentionally tanked his debate performance, and he was every anonymous leak about him thinking about resigning? All of it being setup for him to be able to retire and hand the next Presidency to Kamala Harris,” wrote one.
“Maybe Dark Brandon just might have pulled off the greatest rope-a-dope of all time,” added another.
Call it a cope a dope.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post Incels are upset that Joker has a girlfriend appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
Google searches asking whether President Joe Biden is dead are surging this week after his decision to bow out of the 2024 presidential race.
The searches, which began seeing a noticeable increase on Monday, coincide with an explosion of conspiracy theories regarding Biden's health.
Prior to revealing that he would no longer be running for a second term on Sunday, an announcement which spurred conspiracy theories as well, Biden admitted to catching COVID-19 on Wednesday of last week.
Is Joe Biden dead?
White House Physician Kevin O'Connor said on Monday that Biden was recovering and still performing his official duties. But a lack of any public appearances in six days allowed rumors to fester.
Far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, for example, is claiming that Biden is actually on his deathbed and may only have days to live.
"Biden has been dying, and he is dying rather quickly," Loomer says.
Loomer's unfounded theory stems from her previous claim on July 5 that Biden suffered a "medical emergency" while aboard Air Force One that the White House covered up.
Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk is pushing a similar claim that Biden suffered a catastrophic medical problem on July 17 that resulted in him canceling a speech in Las Vegas. Kirk alleges that the White House used the COVID diagnosis to cover up the unknown medical emergency.
Biden, posters in the Kirk and Loomer orbit claim, may have suffered a stroke-like event, necessitating his withdrawal from the 2024 race, which he long refused to leave.
It's not just prominent conspiracy theorists pushing such claims. Former Republican Representative Madison Cawthorn also suggested on X that Biden is likely dead.
"Anyone else think Biden is dead?" asked Cawthorn.
The rumor led conspiracy theorists to latch onto every possible clue that they think gives credence to their belief.
Another user shared a picture of a flag at half-mast outside of the Capitol, insinuating Biden was secretly dead.
"BREAKING: The fence is going back up at the Capitol and the flag has been lowered," the user wrote. "What is happening??"
I Community Note points out that the flag is at half-mast for the death of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas). Not only that, the image used in the post is actually from 2021.
Even though Biden made a phone call on Monday to Vice President Kamala Harris, who he has endorsed, conservatives are changing the narrative.
Right-wing commentator Benny Johnson on Tuesday shared a clip of Harris speaking with Biden at her new campaign headquarters. Johnson and his followers think Harris nearly admitted that the call was a "recording," while others believe Biden's voice was produced by artificial intelligence (AI). The claim is unsurprising since many online claimed an interview Biden gave to MSNBC earlier this month was AI.
Aside from the search spikes on Google, social media platforms are seeing indications of the conspiracy theory, too.
Hashtags on X such as #ProofOfLife demand that Biden reveal himself to the public. Another trending topic on X simply asks, "Where's Joe."
While conspiracy theories have been the norm for America in recent years, misinformation has seemingly hit an all-time high following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
Biden will reportedly return to the White House today.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post Google searches for ‘Is Biden dead?’ spike as furious rumors percolate appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
Google searches asking whether President Joe Biden is dead are surging this week after his decision to bow out of the 2024 presidential race.
The searches, which began seeing a noticeable increase on Monday, coincide with an explosion of conspiracy theories regarding Biden's health.
Prior to revealing that he would no longer be running for a second term on Sunday, an announcement which spurred conspiracy theories as well, Biden admitted to catching COVID-19 on Wednesday of last week.
Is Joe Biden dead?
White House Physician Kevin O'Connor said on Monday that Biden was recovering and still performing his official duties. But a lack of any public appearances in six days allowed rumors to fester.
Far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, for example, is claiming that Biden is actually on his deathbed and may only have days to live.
"Biden has been dying, and he is dying rather quickly," Loomer says.
Loomer's unfounded theory stems from her previous claim on July 5 that Biden suffered a "medical emergency" while aboard Air Force One that the White House covered up.
Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk is pushing a similar claim that Biden suffered a catastrophic medical problem on July 17 that resulted in him canceling a speech in Las Vegas. Kirk alleges that the White House used the COVID diagnosis to cover up the unknown medical emergency.
Biden, posters in the Kirk and Loomer orbit claim, may have suffered a stroke-like event, necessitating his withdrawal from the 2024 race, which he long refused to leave.
It's not just prominent conspiracy theorists pushing such claims. Former Republican Representative Madison Cawthorn also suggested on X that Biden is likely dead.
"Anyone else think Biden is dead?" asked Cawthorn.
The rumor led conspiracy theorists to latch onto every possible clue that they think gives credence to their belief.
Another user shared a picture of a flag at half-mast outside of the Capitol, insinuating Biden was secretly dead.
"BREAKING: The fence is going back up at the Capitol and the flag has been lowered," the user wrote. "What is happening??"
I Community Note points out that the flag is at half-mast for the death of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas). Not only that, the image used in the post is actually from 2021.
Even though Biden made a phone call on Monday to Vice President Kamala Harris, who he has endorsed, conservatives are changing the narrative.
Right-wing commentator Benny Johnson on Tuesday shared a clip of Harris speaking with Biden at her new campaign headquarters. Johnson and his followers think Harris nearly admitted that the call was a "recording," while others believe Biden's voice was produced by artificial intelligence (AI). The claim is unsurprising since many online claimed an interview Biden gave to MSNBC earlier this month was AI.
Aside from the search spikes on Google, social media platforms are seeing indications of the conspiracy theory, too.
Hashtags on X such as #ProofOfLife demand that Biden reveal himself to the public. Another trending topic on X simply asks, "Where's Joe."
While conspiracy theories have been the norm for America in recent years, misinformation has seemingly hit an all-time high following the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
Biden will reportedly return to the White House today.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post Google searches for ‘Is Biden dead?’ spike as furious rumors percolate appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
Since the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, misinformation and conspiracy theories have surged to seemingly unprecedented levels online. Now, far-right users online are attempting to claim that the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was transgender.
The claim regarding Crooks, who was shot and killed by counter snipers moments after he opened fire on Trump, looks to have first appeared on the notorious far-right imageboard 4chan.
The anonymous user who made the claim did so alongside a picture of an individual with long hair that bears some resemblance to Crooks. In response, another 4chan user asked if the photo was real. The original poster replied that it wasn’t, but added that “spreading rumors” was fun.
Millions see false photo asserting Trump shooter was transgender
Nevertheless, the photo circulated outside the walls of 4chan and onto popular social media sites. The image received over 20,000 shares and roughly 7.1 million views after being shared to X by the popular far-right user known as “Paul Hookem.”
“Anyone wondering why they aren't using this photo of the shooter?” the user asked.
Countless users in the replies argued that the picture proved that Crooks was clearly left-wing, although the shooter was a registered Republican who classmates say held conservative views. Crooks did, however, once donate $15 to a left-wing political organization.
“Interesting, It doesn’t suit the narrative of a geeky loner rather than being a Democrat Woke pusher of pronouns,” one user responded.
“This dude screams antifa soy boy,” another added.
The narrative plays into previous attempts by right-wing internet users to suggest that the nation is facing an epidemic of mass shootings carried out by transgender individuals.
Although a Community Note was eventually placed on the post, the fact-check seems to have done little to stop the spread of the claim.
At no point has Crooks’ family, friends, or law enforcement investigating the shooting said that the 20-year-old identified as transgender.
Why it matters
After major events, confusion becomes rampant on social media. And in this case, that uncertainty was seized upon by individuals looking to spread misinformation.
As always, internet users should look for confirmation from reputable sources before believing claims that have no backing.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post No, the would-be Trump assassin was not transgender appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
Since the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, misinformation and conspiracy theories have surged to seemingly unprecedented levels online. Now, far-right users online are attempting to claim that the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was transgender.
The claim regarding Crooks, who was shot and killed by counter snipers moments after he opened fire on Trump, looks to have first appeared on the notorious far-right imageboard 4chan.
The anonymous user who made the claim did so alongside a picture of an individual with long hair that bears some resemblance to Crooks. In response, another 4chan user asked if the photo was real. The original poster replied that it wasn’t, but added that “spreading rumors” was fun.
Millions see false photo asserting Trump shooter was transgender
Nevertheless, the photo circulated outside the walls of 4chan and onto popular social media sites. The image received over 20,000 shares and roughly 7.1 million views after being shared to X by the popular far-right user known as “Paul Hookem.”
“Anyone wondering why they aren't using this photo of the shooter?” the user asked.
Countless users in the replies argued that the picture proved that Crooks was clearly left-wing, although the shooter was a registered Republican who classmates say held conservative views. Crooks did, however, once donate $15 to a left-wing political organization.
“Interesting, It doesn’t suit the narrative of a geeky loner rather than being a Democrat Woke pusher of pronouns,” one user responded.
“This dude screams antifa soy boy,” another added.
The narrative plays into previous attempts by right-wing internet users to suggest that the nation is facing an epidemic of mass shootings carried out by transgender individuals.
Although a Community Note was eventually placed on the post, the fact-check seems to have done little to stop the spread of the claim.
At no point has Crooks’ family, friends, or law enforcement investigating the shooting said that the 20-year-old identified as transgender.
Why it matters
After major events, confusion becomes rampant on social media. And in this case, that uncertainty was seized upon by individuals looking to spread misinformation.
As always, internet users should look for confirmation from reputable sources before believing claims that have no backing.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post No, the would-be Trump assassin was not transgender appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
Conspiracy theorists believe the letter from President Joe Biden announcing his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race is an elaborate fake.
Biden shared the letter to social media on Sunday, causing right-wing internet users to make unsubstantiated claims that it was proof of an internal coup against the current president.
Far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer argued that Biden was not at all involved with the letter and was instead being pushed out of the race against his will.
"Did you notice the Biden drop out letter isn't on official letterhead?" Loomer said.
Loomer also thinks Biden was "too cognitively damaged to write a letter or comprehend what is going on" and that his signature was likely "forged" as well.
The letterhead claim was echoed by others.
"Even Nixon’s resignation letter had the Presidential seal on it. Why doesn’t Biden’s?" wrote Mike Crispi.
Others compared Biden's signature on the letter to his signature on other official documents to prove that the president hadn't been involved in the decision to step down.
Screenshots showing the letter's signature next to Executive Orders signed by Biden were spread by several far-right accounts.
The topic, unsurprisingly, is also prevalent on the far-right blog the Gateway Pundit, which questioned why the decision did not come in the form of "a press conference or an official White House press release."
The blog cites conspiracy theorists such as Dr. Naomi Wolf, who similarly felt that the signature on the letter was likely forged.
While it's entirely possible that Biden didn't physically type up and tweet out the letter himself, no evidence supports the notion that the letter was crafted without Biden's knowledge or input and against his wishes.
Even billionaire Bill Ackman joined in on promoting the theory.
"One would think that a letter to the American people from the president announcing his decision to step aside would not be signed using a digital signature and would be accompanied by a photo op and a scheduled conference in the morning that followed," Ackman said. "Instead we have a digitally signed letter released on the president’s @X account, an account we know that is run by a staffer, no photo, and no live scheduled address to the American people. If I were China, I would invade Taiwan tomorrow."
Conservative columnist T. Becket Adams went as far as to demand "proof of life" from Biden to prove he had actually opted to step aside.
"Can we at least get a proof of life? Even a picture of him sitting next to today's paper would suffice. They're not really going to let this July 17 footage from Air Force One be the last known public sighting until... when, exactly?" he asked.
Ironically, despite calling Biden unfit to lead for years now, Republicans are now expressing anger over the president's decision not to run.
The coup, as they see it, is denying the will of millions of Democrat voters and is therefore akin to election interference.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post Fake forensic ‘experts’ think they can prove Biden didn’t sign his dropout letter appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
Conspiracy theorists believe the letter from President Joe Biden announcing his decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race is an elaborate fake.
Biden shared the letter to social media on Sunday, causing right-wing internet users to make unsubstantiated claims that it was proof of an internal coup against the current president.
Far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer argued that Biden was not at all involved with the letter and was instead being pushed out of the race against his will.
"Did you notice the Biden drop out letter isn't on official letterhead?" Loomer said.
Loomer also thinks Biden was "too cognitively damaged to write a letter or comprehend what is going on" and that his signature was likely "forged" as well.
The letterhead claim was echoed by others.
"Even Nixon’s resignation letter had the Presidential seal on it. Why doesn’t Biden’s?" wrote Mike Crispi.
Others compared Biden's signature on the letter to his signature on other official documents to prove that the president hadn't been involved in the decision to step down.
Screenshots showing the letter's signature next to Executive Orders signed by Biden were spread by several far-right accounts.
The topic, unsurprisingly, is also prevalent on the far-right blog the Gateway Pundit, which questioned why the decision did not come in the form of "a press conference or an official White House press release."
The blog cites conspiracy theorists such as Dr. Naomi Wolf, who similarly felt that the signature on the letter was likely forged.
While it's entirely possible that Biden didn't physically type up and tweet out the letter himself, no evidence supports the notion that the letter was crafted without Biden's knowledge or input and against his wishes.
Even billionaire Bill Ackman joined in on promoting the theory.
"One would think that a letter to the American people from the president announcing his decision to step aside would not be signed using a digital signature and would be accompanied by a photo op and a scheduled conference in the morning that followed," Ackman said. "Instead we have a digitally signed letter released on the president’s @X account, an account we know that is run by a staffer, no photo, and no live scheduled address to the American people. If I were China, I would invade Taiwan tomorrow."
Conservative columnist T. Becket Adams went as far as to demand "proof of life" from Biden to prove he had actually opted to step aside.
"Can we at least get a proof of life? Even a picture of him sitting next to today's paper would suffice. They're not really going to let this July 17 footage from Air Force One be the last known public sighting until... when, exactly?" he asked.
Ironically, despite calling Biden unfit to lead for years now, Republicans are now expressing anger over the president's decision not to run.
The coup, as they see it, is denying the will of millions of Democrat voters and is therefore akin to election interference.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post Fake forensic ‘experts’ think they can prove Biden didn’t sign his dropout letter appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
It is no surprise that the first presidential assassination of the digital age prompted instantaneous conspiracies.
The internet bends toward skepticism and the scale of an incident like that naturally prompts shock and disbelief—all of which is before we even get to the target former President Donald Trump, whose supporters and detractors have been locked in an eight-year-long battle over reality.
The Trump assassination brings together just about every element of society deemed dubious by his supporters and the institutions his decorators steadfastly stand by: The deep state’s long arm, the FBI's previous efforts to oust him, and the media’s public animosity. That has all contrived to convince his supporters that the case will not be properly investigated—by journalists or the government—and never really resolved.
Which means it's up to them.
Right now, Trump supporters in the deeper corners of the internet are currently obsessed with the shooter. ID’ed by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks within five hours, they are convinced it was someone else.
Primarily they're obsessed with Crooks’ lack of an internet presence—believing it to either have been wiped clean before the public was given his name or that he kept an intentionally low profile having been long groomed to take the fall for the shooting and confound sleuths.
But they’re even more obsessed with his head. Namely, the idea that the head in an alleged uncensored image of him after death is not him at all.
The obsession—although across the web—was centralized on the most Trump-adoring of platforms, the Reddit clone Patriots.win.
Amateur online phrenologists are doing jaw bone and skull shape analysis on the photos, trying to prove the actual shooter was a self-identified antifa member out of Pittsburgh.
Alongside the high-cheek bones and gaunt face they think Crooks lacked, they’ve pointed to “a big chin, small mouth, a high hairline, and thin, slanted eyebrows.”
Diagrams online are measuring distances between his eyebrows with the precision of an Apple ID face unlock, convinced the images released of Crooks look nothing like the person behind it.
There's also the ear, which they believe that surveillance footage of Crooks “shows a thick helix and a small space between antihelix” (basically the inner and outer ridges of the ear) and the antifa member (in the shot of him killed), who “has a wide space between the top of helix and anti helix.”
They also are pointing to a "red scar and divot from being stitched up," which they attribute to photos of the antifa member wearing gauges that he may have gotten removed. Crooks has never been photographed showing gauges.
Other claims pointed to a freckle cluster on his face, which they think matches up. Some of the analysis admits its limitations, noting that the face of the deceased gunman, whoever it be, may be stretched and distorted in the wake of being shot and killed.
But the fact that the antifa member they found had a substantial online footprint—people found his resume, Tumblr, and address associated with him—makes him seem like a more realistic possibility than a 20-year-old ghost.
But why?
The deep state, if it wanted to take out Trump, would naturally need to put some level of effort into it and thus, potentially create plenty of loose ends. If they’d work with this antifa member to plot it, there’d be concerns that he somehow kept receipts. So, they’d need the media looking at Crooks instead.
“Too many groomed breadcrumbs to real shooter who might have stored FBI evidence (promises made by groomers on tape, receipts, photos),” wrote one person. “Too many loose ends leading to his Fed groomers,” echoed another. And if evidence like that existed, the FBI could easily say it’s nothing since it’s not from the perpetrator.
Others noted the popular theory that there were numerous Lee Harvey Oswalds planted across the American South to sow confusion leading up to the Kennedy assassination. Similar questions about Oswald’s face shape—especially when he allegedly visited the Soviet embassy in Mexico—arose throughout independent investigations.
“obvious.....THREE simultaneous Oswalds well documented in great detail. 2 fake fed oswalds.”
“TWO OTHER PROVEN fake oswalds,” one agreed nothing there could be more. “the one who could not speak Russian, on phone call taps, while in Mexico City, plus at least another SIMULTANEOUS other fake Oswald belligerently trying to get spotted making public scenes around Texas. Two amazing PROVEN lookalike Oswalds. FBI phone taps of one fake oswald WAS deliberately destroyed after assassination by FBI. Many big books cover this.”
The concerns are natural given the magnitude of the incident, as well as their long-harbored skepticism. And given the way the Kennedy assassination has never been truly resolved, the only thing keeping this from completely dissolving into an endless mystery is the simple fact that Trump survived.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post Trump assassin phrenology appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
It is no surprise that the first presidential assassination of the digital age prompted instantaneous conspiracies.
The internet bends toward skepticism and the scale of an incident like that naturally prompts shock and disbelief—all of which is before we even get to the target former President Donald Trump, whose supporters and detractors have been locked in an eight-year-long battle over reality.
The Trump assassination brings together just about every element of society deemed dubious by his supporters and the institutions his decorators steadfastly stand by: The deep state’s long arm, the FBI's previous efforts to oust him, and the media’s public animosity. That has all contrived to convince his supporters that the case will not be properly investigated—by journalists or the government—and never really resolved.
Which means it's up to them.
Right now, Trump supporters in the deeper corners of the internet are currently obsessed with the shooter. ID’ed by the FBI as Thomas Matthew Crooks within five hours, they are convinced it was someone else.
Primarily they're obsessed with Crooks’ lack of an internet presence—believing it to either have been wiped clean before the public was given his name or that he kept an intentionally low profile having been long groomed to take the fall for the shooting and confound sleuths.
But they’re even more obsessed with his head. Namely, the idea that the head in an alleged uncensored image of him after death is not him at all.
The obsession—although across the web—was centralized on the most Trump-adoring of platforms, the Reddit clone Patriots.win.
Amateur online phrenologists are doing jaw bone and skull shape analysis on the photos, trying to prove the actual shooter was a self-identified antifa member out of Pittsburgh.
Alongside the high-cheek bones and gaunt face they think Crooks lacked, they’ve pointed to “a big chin, small mouth, a high hairline, and thin, slanted eyebrows.”
Diagrams online are measuring distances between his eyebrows with the precision of an Apple ID face unlock, convinced the images released of Crooks look nothing like the person behind it.
There's also the ear, which they believe that surveillance footage of Crooks “shows a thick helix and a small space between antihelix” (basically the inner and outer ridges of the ear) and the antifa member (in the shot of him killed), who “has a wide space between the top of helix and anti helix.”
They also are pointing to a "red scar and divot from being stitched up," which they attribute to photos of the antifa member wearing gauges that he may have gotten removed. Crooks has never been photographed showing gauges.
Other claims pointed to a freckle cluster on his face, which they think matches up. Some of the analysis admits its limitations, noting that the face of the deceased gunman, whoever it be, may be stretched and distorted in the wake of being shot and killed.
But the fact that the antifa member they found had a substantial online footprint—people found his resume, Tumblr, and address associated with him—makes him seem like a more realistic possibility than a 20-year-old ghost.
But why?
The deep state, if it wanted to take out Trump, would naturally need to put some level of effort into it and thus, potentially create plenty of loose ends. If they’d work with this antifa member to plot it, there’d be concerns that he somehow kept receipts. So, they’d need the media looking at Crooks instead.
“Too many groomed breadcrumbs to real shooter who might have stored FBI evidence (promises made by groomers on tape, receipts, photos),” wrote one person. “Too many loose ends leading to his Fed groomers,” echoed another. And if evidence like that existed, the FBI could easily say it’s nothing since it’s not from the perpetrator.
Others noted the popular theory that there were numerous Lee Harvey Oswalds planted across the American South to sow confusion leading up to the Kennedy assassination. Similar questions about Oswald’s face shape—especially when he allegedly visited the Soviet embassy in Mexico—arose throughout independent investigations.
“obvious.....THREE simultaneous Oswalds well documented in great detail. 2 fake fed oswalds.”
“TWO OTHER PROVEN fake oswalds,” one agreed nothing there could be more. “the one who could not speak Russian, on phone call taps, while in Mexico City, plus at least another SIMULTANEOUS other fake Oswald belligerently trying to get spotted making public scenes around Texas. Two amazing PROVEN lookalike Oswalds. FBI phone taps of one fake oswald WAS deliberately destroyed after assassination by FBI. Many big books cover this.”
The concerns are natural given the magnitude of the incident, as well as their long-harbored skepticism. And given the way the Kennedy assassination has never been truly resolved, the only thing keeping this from completely dissolving into an endless mystery is the simple fact that Trump survived.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post Trump assassin phrenology appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
Conspiracy theorists connected to the QAnon movement believe that the Bible predicted the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
After Trump had his ear grazed on Saturday from a bullet fired by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed by counter-snipers, fans of the former president began suggesting that divine intervention spared him.
Why? Because Crooks supposedly shot trump at 6:11pm EST, which they've turned into the shorthand phrase "611E."
Specifically, Trump supporters believe that "611E" points to Ephesians 6:11, a verse in the New Testament.
The verse, as noted by countless social media users, calls on Christians to "put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil."
The belief plays into longstanding claims from evangelical conservatives that God chose Trump as a vessel and therefore cannot be harmed.
"God spared Trump," one X user wrote. "No matter what your stance is politically we all saw a miracle with our own eyes! God has big plans for him!"
Others argued that Trump was undoubtedly engaged in spiritual warfare, protecting the U.S. and the greater world from evil.
"It was divine intervention and there are no coincidences," another said.
What does Ephesians 6:11 say about the Trump shooting?
But it wasn't long until QAnon supporters latched onto the theory as well. Only this time, Q, just like God, knew of the attack before it took place.
The conspiratorial poster known as Q referenced Ephesians 6:11 in three posts and the "armor of God" in 17 while extorting followers to fight for Trump.
While Q long claimed a secret identity as a high-level Trump official revealing the secret war the president waged against the deep state, the poster is more likely an internet troll.
In one post, Q wrote, "THE SWAMP RUNS DEEP. They want you divided … Divided you are weak … Divided you attack each other. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes."
This, according to many online, was not a coincidence.
Detractors, however, pointed to the absurdity of such claims.
Four other books in the Bible begin with "E," although only Ephesians is in the New Testament. Exodus 6:11 is another famous quote, though not one cited by Q, with God telling Moses to "Go, tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to let the Israelites leave his land."
Yet the biggest problem with the conspiracy theory is that authorities didn't state that the shooting took place at 6:11pm. The Secret Service repeatedly said that the shooting happened one minute later at 6:12pm.
QAnon believers could, if they wanted, interpret Ephesians 6:12 as a pro-Trump message, though it lacks the same juice.
But one could also say the verse is about the struggle against authoritarians.
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places"
Unfortunately, for many online, facts have little influence on the conspiratorial theories that continue to go viral.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post QAnon thinks the exact timing of Trump shooting points to a Bible verse predicting he’d be spared appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
Conspiracy theorists connected to the QAnon movement believe that the Bible predicted the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
After Trump had his ear grazed on Saturday from a bullet fired by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed by counter-snipers, fans of the former president began suggesting that divine intervention spared him.
Why? Because Crooks supposedly shot trump at 6:11pm EST, which they've turned into the shorthand phrase "611E."
Specifically, Trump supporters believe that "611E" points to Ephesians 6:11, a verse in the New Testament.
The verse, as noted by countless social media users, calls on Christians to "put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil."
The belief plays into longstanding claims from evangelical conservatives that God chose Trump as a vessel and therefore cannot be harmed.
"God spared Trump," one X user wrote. "No matter what your stance is politically we all saw a miracle with our own eyes! God has big plans for him!"
Others argued that Trump was undoubtedly engaged in spiritual warfare, protecting the U.S. and the greater world from evil.
"It was divine intervention and there are no coincidences," another said.
What does Ephesians 6:11 say about the Trump shooting?
But it wasn't long until QAnon supporters latched onto the theory as well. Only this time, Q, just like God, knew of the attack before it took place.
The conspiratorial poster known as Q referenced Ephesians 6:11 in three posts and the "armor of God" in 17 while extorting followers to fight for Trump.
While Q long claimed a secret identity as a high-level Trump official revealing the secret war the president waged against the deep state, the poster is more likely an internet troll.
In one post, Q wrote, "THE SWAMP RUNS DEEP. They want you divided … Divided you are weak … Divided you attack each other. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes."
This, according to many online, was not a coincidence.
Detractors, however, pointed to the absurdity of such claims.
Four other books in the Bible begin with "E," although only Ephesians is in the New Testament. Exodus 6:11 is another famous quote, though not one cited by Q, with God telling Moses to "Go, tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to let the Israelites leave his land."
Yet the biggest problem with the conspiracy theory is that authorities didn't state that the shooting took place at 6:11pm. The Secret Service repeatedly said that the shooting happened one minute later at 6:12pm.
QAnon believers could, if they wanted, interpret Ephesians 6:12 as a pro-Trump message, though it lacks the same juice.
But one could also say the verse is about the struggle against authoritarians.
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places"
Unfortunately, for many online, facts have little influence on the conspiratorial theories that continue to go viral.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post QAnon thinks the exact timing of Trump shooting points to a Bible verse predicting he’d be spared appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
Investors in Trump Media ($DJT) believe that they can prove who had inside knowledge of the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
But most of their claims are based on misreading a document filed last week with the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC).
$DJT investors and short sellers waged an intense battle after the stock went live on the NASDAQ, with accusations Trump haters want to use the stock to sink the president.
But a gunman firing on the Trump has set things over the edge.
Was Trump Media shorted before the assassination attempt?
The claim that people heavily shorted $DJT before the Trump assassination attempt floated around X. Posters claimed that traders placed shorts on Friday, June 12—the day before the attempt.
People shorting the stock expect its value to fall. The price soared on Monday given Trump’s survival. If the attempt succeeded, it’s likely the stock, which is based entirely on his persona and value, would have plummeted.
“BREAKING: WHO KNEW THE HIT WAS COMING,” posted @JohnnyTabacco. “$DJT SHORTS SKYROCKETED THE WEEK BEFORE THE HIT. FOLLOW THE SHORTS: $DJT shorts went from 7M to 15M from July 1 -July 12. They thought Monday morning Trump would be dead. Who shorted Millions of shares the week before the HIT JOB?”
“This is a gr8 question: can the shorting be traced?” asked @LaLaRueFrench75.
“Keep your eyes on who shorted the stock…they knew,” posted @hodgetwins.
The morning of the shooting, an account on Truth Social noticed an uptick in shorts that corresponds to the above chart.
"$DJT Daily Short Volume still coming in above 60%. The nonsense continues....." they wrote, highlight the change over the week.
Some accounts on Truth Social pointed the finger at a Texas-based investment firm they thought might have had advanced knowledge.
“[The firm] shorted 12,000,000 shares of $DJT on 7/12/24,” posted @Honk4Liberty. Congress needs to ask them some questions.”
Those posters pointed to data from an investment research platform called fintel.io, which reported that the firm filed an SEC document on July 12 disclosing 12,000,000 puts on $DJT. Puts are essentially bets placed on stocks on the expectation that the price will go down, though they’re less risky than shorts.
The firm, which the Daily Dot is not naming, did file an SEC document on July 12 disclosing that they’d placed 12,000,000 puts on Trump’s stock, but there’s no information in the filing about whether those puts are shorts. fintel.io says they it considers all put option positions to be short positions and report them as such.
The firm did not immediately respond to questions from the Daily Dot.
But claims that the firm placed puts specifically right before the assassination don’t hold water. The filing is a report for a calendar year or quarter ending on June 30, the latest date for the firm to place the the puts.
Fiirms could have shorted DJT on July 12. Reports revealing that are not currently available.
Trump Media stock jumped up 30% on Monday, the first day markets opened after the assassination attempt. Since then they’ve declined a little bit, but are still above what they were last week.
Still, that didn’t stop the speculation among $DJT backers, who also tried to point the blame at another firm already mired in assassination conspiracies.
“Trump Shooter is associated with BlackRock (was in their commercials). Someone with DEEP Pockets shorts $DJT HARD on Friday expecting Trump dead on Monday. Short would have to be an entity with the ability to use advanced algorithmic trading (Aladdin). Theory: BlackRock is the short!!” posted @chadnedohin in the $DJT group on Truth Social on Wednesday, a post that's since been deleted.
Conspiracy theories connecting Trump’s would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks to BlackRock, a massive, deep-pocketed investment company, swirled after online sleuths unearthed a Blackrock ad filmed at Bethel Park High School. Crooks, alongside other students, featured in the background of the video.
“Institutions have a majority ownership in BlackRock and guess who’s been shorting the shit out of DJT? You guessed right, institutions! They doubled their short positions before the assassination attempt!! Why, to reap the rewards for trying to kill a former President!” posted @WallStreetGreg on Truth Social.
While offing a former president seems like a long way to go to make a quick buck, the stock market and massive events often face conspiratorial accusations.
Stock market shorts of airlines the day before Sept. 11, 2001 have long led to furious speculation that some people traded on advance knowledge of the attacks.
Update 10:34am CT, July 18: The investment firm said in a statement to the Daily Dot that the SEC filing which showed 12,000,000 put options was filed in error. It said that a third-party vendor responsible for filing the second quarter report incorrectly applied a multiplier to the number of all options contracts it reported, including for $DJT. It clarified in an email that the firm assumed it provided the information in contracts, which are equal to 100 shares per contract, rather than actual shares.
The company filed an amended report on July 16 which includes no mention of $DJT contracts, because they didn't hold enough to be required by minimum reporting requirements. According to the statement, the correct holding amount was 12 contracts, or 1,200 shares, not 12 million shares.
"We filed the report on July 12 to reflect our positions on June 28. We amended it on July 16," it said in the statement. "We deeply regret this error and the concern it has caused, especially at such a fraught moment for our nation. We are committed to full transparency and maintaining the trust of our clients. As such, we are reviewing our internal procedures and our processes with the third-party vendor that assists with SEC filings to better understand how this happened and avoid similar issues moving forward."
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post Trump Media backers think they’ve uncovered a short selling scheme tied to the assassination plot appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
Investors in Trump Media ($DJT) believe that they can prove who had inside knowledge of the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
But most of their claims are based on misreading a document filed last week with the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC).
$DJT investors and short sellers waged an intense battle after the stock went live on the NASDAQ, with accusations Trump haters want to use the stock to sink the president.
But a gunman firing on the Trump has set things over the edge.
Was Trump Media shorted before the assassination attempt?
The claim that people heavily shorted $DJT before the Trump assassination attempt floated around X. Posters claimed that traders placed shorts on Friday, June 12—the day before the attempt.
People shorting the stock expect its value to fall. The price soared on Monday given Trump’s survival. If the attempt succeeded, it’s likely the stock, which is based entirely on his persona and value, would have plummeted.
“BREAKING: WHO KNEW THE HIT WAS COMING,” posted @JohnnyTabacco. “$DJT SHORTS SKYROCKETED THE WEEK BEFORE THE HIT. FOLLOW THE SHORTS: $DJT shorts went from 7M to 15M from July 1 -July 12. They thought Monday morning Trump would be dead. Who shorted Millions of shares the week before the HIT JOB?”
“This is a gr8 question: can the shorting be traced?” asked @LaLaRueFrench75.
“Keep your eyes on who shorted the stock…they knew,” posted @hodgetwins.
The morning of the shooting, an account on Truth Social noticed an uptick in shorts that corresponds to the above chart.
"$DJT Daily Short Volume still coming in above 60%. The nonsense continues....." they wrote, highlight the change over the week.
Some accounts on Truth Social pointed the finger at a Texas-based investment firm they thought might have had advanced knowledge.
“[The firm] shorted 12,000,000 shares of $DJT on 7/12/24,” posted @Honk4Liberty. Congress needs to ask them some questions.”
Those posters pointed to data from an investment research platform called fintel.io, which reported that the firm filed an SEC document on July 12 disclosing 12,000,000 puts on $DJT. Puts are essentially bets placed on stocks on the expectation that the price will go down, though they’re less risky than shorts.
The firm, which the Daily Dot is not naming, did file an SEC document on July 12 disclosing that they’d placed 12,000,000 puts on Trump’s stock, but there’s no information in the filing about whether those puts are shorts. fintel.io says they it considers all put option positions to be short positions and report them as such.
The firm did not immediately respond to questions from the Daily Dot.
But claims that the firm placed puts specifically right before the assassination don’t hold water. The filing is a report for a calendar year or quarter ending on June 30, the latest date for the firm to place the the puts.
Fiirms could have shorted DJT on July 12. Reports revealing that are not currently available.
Trump Media stock jumped up 30% on Monday, the first day markets opened after the assassination attempt. Since then they’ve declined a little bit, but are still above what they were last week.
Still, that didn’t stop the speculation among $DJT backers, who also tried to point the blame at another firm already mired in assassination conspiracies.
“Trump Shooter is associated with BlackRock (was in their commercials). Someone with DEEP Pockets shorts $DJT HARD on Friday expecting Trump dead on Monday. Short would have to be an entity with the ability to use advanced algorithmic trading (Aladdin). Theory: BlackRock is the short!!” posted @chadnedohin in the $DJT group on Truth Social on Wednesday, a post that's since been deleted.
Conspiracy theories connecting Trump’s would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks to BlackRock, a massive, deep-pocketed investment company, swirled after online sleuths unearthed a Blackrock ad filmed at Bethel Park High School. Crooks, alongside other students, featured in the background of the video.
“Institutions have a majority ownership in BlackRock and guess who’s been shorting the shit out of DJT? You guessed right, institutions! They doubled their short positions before the assassination attempt!! Why, to reap the rewards for trying to kill a former President!” posted @WallStreetGreg on Truth Social.
While offing a former president seems like a long way to go to make a quick buck, the stock market and massive events often face conspiratorial accusations.
Stock market shorts of airlines the day before Sept. 11, 2001 have long led to furious speculation that some people traded on advance knowledge of the attacks.
Update 10:34am CT, July 18: The investment firm said in a statement to the Daily Dot that the SEC filing which showed 12,000,000 put options was filed in error. It said that a third-party vendor responsible for filing the second quarter report incorrectly applied a multiplier to the number of all options contracts it reported, including for $DJT. It clarified in an email that the firm assumed it provided the information in contracts, which are equal to 100 shares per contract, rather than actual shares.
The company filed an amended report on July 16 which includes no mention of $DJT contracts, because they didn't hold enough to be required by minimum reporting requirements. According to the statement, the correct holding amount was 12 contracts, or 1,200 shares, not 12 million shares.
"We filed the report on July 12 to reflect our positions on June 28. We amended it on July 16," it said in the statement. "We deeply regret this error and the concern it has caused, especially at such a fraught moment for our nation. We are committed to full transparency and maintaining the trust of our clients. As such, we are reviewing our internal procedures and our processes with the third-party vendor that assists with SEC filings to better understand how this happened and avoid similar issues moving forward."
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post Trump Media backers think they’ve uncovered a short selling scheme tied to the assassination plot appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
A claim is spreading like wildfire online that the sniper who shot Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump on Saturday, has been fired for disobeying orders.
The sniper, supposedly named Jonathan Willis, is said to have revealed his termination in a post to the anonymous imageboard 4chan just hours after the shooting took place.
Screenshots of the anonymous message, which have gone viral on sites such as TikTok and X, insinuate that the Secret Service may have wanted the assassination to take place.
“My name is Jonathan Willis, I’m the officer in the famous photo of the two snipers on the roof at Trump’s rally," the post reads. "I came here to inform the public that I had the assassin in my sights for at least 3 minutes, but the head of the secret service refused to give the order to take out the perp. 100% the top brass prevented me from killing the assassin before he took the shots at president Trump."
Comments across social media suggest that countless users believe the claims and are calling for an investigation into Trump's security detail.
"jonathan willis should have taken the shot when he saw the shooter, orders be damned, who DIDN'T give the order to shoot?" one X user asked. "That person needs to be talked to, but we are talking the FBI...i'm now afraid for jonathan willis...he has info necessary...."
Over on TikTok, responses were much the same. Many suggested that the alleged sniper's life was now in danger for supposedly blowing the whistle.
"If this is true, he needs to go into hiding for posting the truth!" one TikTok user added. "God save him. God bless him."
Not long after their initial remarks, the anonymous 4chan user continued by suggesting that he had been arrested by the FBI for attempting to protect Trump.
“I didn’t follow the orders though, as soon as the shooter opened on Trump I returned fire despite strict orders to not engage. I had eyes on the shooter for three minutes watching him fiddle with his rifle and adjust the scope, it was obvious he was a shooter yet I wasn’t allowed to engage," the post continued. "After I killed the shooter I was arrested, questioned by the FBI, and just released an hour ago. Already lost my job for not following orders, but I’m glad I took the shots anyway."
It's unclear if the poster is alleging to work for the Secret Service or local police. As online sleuths have noticed, the bulletproof vest in the image in question read "Police," meaning the shooter could have been a local officer used by the Secret Service.
Only a handful of users appeared to question the validity of the claim, with many noting that an anonymous post on 4chan, the message board that spawned the debunked QAnon conspiracy theory, was not a legitimate source by any means.
"if you think the secret service sniper is posting on 4chan about what happened to him after the incident then I genuinely think there should be some sort of info box attached to your social media profiles warning people that you're an absolute moron," an X user said.
In reality, no evidence whatsoever indicates that the post is even remotely true. As should be obvious, an anonymous claim on 4chan is not sufficient.
Secondly, as noted by Secret Service spokesman Nate Herring, no individual named Jonathan Willis is employed by the agency.
The attempted assassination of Trump has produced a seemingly unprecedented explosion of conspiracy theories online. Left-wing conspiracy theorists are suggesting that Trump staged the shooting against himself to garner sympathy, while right-wing conspiracy theorists are claiming that everyone from the deep state to President Joe Biden to antifa are to blame.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post 4chan post claiming Secret Service told not to fire on Trump shooter explodes into full-on TikTok conspiracy appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>
A claim is spreading like wildfire online that the sniper who shot Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump on Saturday, has been fired for disobeying orders.
The sniper, supposedly named Jonathan Willis, is said to have revealed his termination in a post to the anonymous imageboard 4chan just hours after the shooting took place.
Screenshots of the anonymous message, which have gone viral on sites such as TikTok and X, insinuate that the Secret Service may have wanted the assassination to take place.
“My name is Jonathan Willis, I’m the officer in the famous photo of the two snipers on the roof at Trump’s rally," the post reads. "I came here to inform the public that I had the assassin in my sights for at least 3 minutes, but the head of the secret service refused to give the order to take out the perp. 100% the top brass prevented me from killing the assassin before he took the shots at president Trump."
Comments across social media suggest that countless users believe the claims and are calling for an investigation into Trump's security detail.
"jonathan willis should have taken the shot when he saw the shooter, orders be damned, who DIDN'T give the order to shoot?" one X user asked. "That person needs to be talked to, but we are talking the FBI...i'm now afraid for jonathan willis...he has info necessary...."
Over on TikTok, responses were much the same. Many suggested that the alleged sniper's life was now in danger for supposedly blowing the whistle.
"If this is true, he needs to go into hiding for posting the truth!" one TikTok user added. "God save him. God bless him."
Not long after their initial remarks, the anonymous 4chan user continued by suggesting that he had been arrested by the FBI for attempting to protect Trump.
“I didn’t follow the orders though, as soon as the shooter opened on Trump I returned fire despite strict orders to not engage. I had eyes on the shooter for three minutes watching him fiddle with his rifle and adjust the scope, it was obvious he was a shooter yet I wasn’t allowed to engage," the post continued. "After I killed the shooter I was arrested, questioned by the FBI, and just released an hour ago. Already lost my job for not following orders, but I’m glad I took the shots anyway."
It's unclear if the poster is alleging to work for the Secret Service or local police. As online sleuths have noticed, the bulletproof vest in the image in question read "Police," meaning the shooter could have been a local officer used by the Secret Service.
Only a handful of users appeared to question the validity of the claim, with many noting that an anonymous post on 4chan, the message board that spawned the debunked QAnon conspiracy theory, was not a legitimate source by any means.
"if you think the secret service sniper is posting on 4chan about what happened to him after the incident then I genuinely think there should be some sort of info box attached to your social media profiles warning people that you're an absolute moron," an X user said.
In reality, no evidence whatsoever indicates that the post is even remotely true. As should be obvious, an anonymous claim on 4chan is not sufficient.
Secondly, as noted by Secret Service spokesman Nate Herring, no individual named Jonathan Willis is employed by the agency.
The attempted assassination of Trump has produced a seemingly unprecedented explosion of conspiracy theories online. Left-wing conspiracy theorists are suggesting that Trump staged the shooting against himself to garner sympathy, while right-wing conspiracy theorists are claiming that everyone from the deep state to President Joe Biden to antifa are to blame.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post 4chan post claiming Secret Service told not to fire on Trump shooter explodes into full-on TikTok conspiracy appeared first on The Daily Dot.
]]>