The Republican on-line ecosystem has gone into overdrive forward of the primary US presidential debate. Lawmakers and influencers are pushing wild conspiracy theories about President Joe Biden, and as an alternative of developing with something new, they’re recycling drained outdated allegations which have already been debunked—together with claims that Biden will probably be “jacked up” on performance-enhancing medicine.
“He’s sleeping now, as a result of they wish to get him good and robust,” former president Donald Trump mentioned of Biden at a marketing campaign rally over the weekend, with out offering any proof. “So somewhat earlier than debate time, he will get a shot within the ass. They wish to strengthen him up. I’d say he’ll come out all jacked up.”
That is an nearly actual repeat of a declare Trump made at a rally in 2020, when he claimed Biden would get “an enormous fats shot within the ass” with a purpose to debate “higher than ever earlier than.” Trump additionally made an analogous declare towards Hillary Clinton in 2016. Trump has additionally known as for Biden to take a drug check earlier than the occasion, which he additionally did in 2020.
Trump’s feedback seem like a part of a wider push by the Trump marketing campaign to management the web narrative across the debate.
Trump’s former White Home doctor, Ronny Jackson, posted on X: “DRUG TEST BIDEN BEFORE THE DEBATE! Will we see Sleepy Joe, who lives within the White Home Basement, or will we see Jacked-Up Joe who made an look on the State Of The Union???”
Jackson additionally spoke to Fox Enterprise’ Maria Bartiromo, who helped enhance the baseless conspiracy. Throughout the interview, Jackson went even additional, speculating on why Biden and his crew have been hunkered down in Camp David forward of the controversy:
“Biden may have been at Camp David for a full week earlier than the controversy, and … they’re in all probability experimenting with getting doses proper, getting him medication earlier than the controversy,” mentioned Jackson, who’s at the moment operating for Congress in Texas with Trump’s endorsement.
Different politicians additionally weighed in.
“I feel Trump’s crew shouldn’t underestimate Joe Biden and his crew’s capability to jack him up on Mountain Dew or no matter it’s,” Missouri consultant Eric Burlison mentioned in an interview on Fox Enterprise, including: “Look, the State of the Union this 12 months, he had a variety of vitality for about an hour or an hour and a half.”
The community of pro-Trump, right-wing influencers on X and Telegram have picked up the conspiracy en masse, sharing clips of Trump’s feedback and the interviews with Jackson and Burlison.
In conspiracy channels on Telegram, influential figures are boosting even wilder allegations in regards to the debate, together with a number of totally different claims that Biden is about to drag out of the controversy for medical causes, and that both a brand new Democratic nominee will probably be picked or the twenty fifth Modification will probably be invoked and Vice President Kamala Harris will turn out to be president. There isn’t a proof to again up any of those claims.