Trump is baselessly blaming variety, fairness, and inclusion tasks for Wednesday evening’s tragic aircraft crash in DC.Andrew Leyden/ZUMA
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President Trump’s baseless claims that variety, fairness, and inclusion tasks are accountable for the tragic, late-night aircraft collision in Washington, DC don’t seem to be the primary time he’s peddled conspiracy theories because the country reels from a disaster.
Previously, Trump has additionally boosted false and disproven claims within the aftermath of terrorist assaults, a countrywide pandemic, police brutality, herbal failures and extra. We took a stressful and conspiratorial commute down reminiscence lane so that you don’t need to.
9/11
Trump has promoted numerous falsehoods and unfounded claims concerning the 9/11, 2001 assaults that killed greater than 2,900 other people and injured 1000’s extra: He claimed in 2015 that he noticed “thousands and thousands” of Arab other people in New Jersey celebrating the assaults, a declare for which there is not any proof; he additionally claimed that from his rental in Trump Tower—situated 4 miles from the International Industry Middle—he watched other people soar from the burning towers.
He additionally mentioned he “helped clear the rubble” at Floor 0 and that he misplaced “hundreds of friends” within the assaults—however there is not any proof to enhance both commentary.
Trump claims he helped transparent rubble and seek for survivors on 9/11: percent.twitter.com/G3yodnBMK2
— Angelo Carusone (@GoAngelo) April 19, 2016
In 2022, he claimed, “Nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately”—although the FBI characterizes its investigation into 9/11 as its maximum bold ever, and says that it concerned greater than 4,000 particular brokers and three,000 skilled staff.
And, in fact, ultimate September, he introduced Laura Loomer—an avowed 9/11 conspiracy theorist—to a somber memorial to commemorate the tragedy, as my colleague Abby Vesoulis reported on the time.
Central Park 5 case
Hillary Clinton and the Benghazi assault
All over the 2016 marketing campaign, Trump again and again claimed that once the September 2012 assaults via an Islamic militant staff on US executive amenities in Benghazi, Libya—which killed 4 American citizens, together with the USA Ambassador—then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went to sleep reasonably than assist lead the American reaction.
However Clinton testified earlier than a Space Make a choice Committee in 2015 that she “did not sleep all night”—and because the nonpartisan FactCheck.org issues out, proof presentations she was once absolutely engaged within the rapid reaction.
Typhoon Sandy and birtherism
After Typhoon Sandy hit the japanese seaboard in October 2012, devastating New York and New Jersey and killing a minimum of 147 other people, Trump claimed that it was once “good luck” for then-President Obama, who was once working for reelection: “He will buy the election by handing out billions of dollars,” Trump wrote on X, probably regarding crisis assist.
Now not simplest that, Trump extensively utilized it as a possibility to once more advertise the racist birther conspiracy principle he in the beginning pioneered, falsely claiming that Obama was once no longer born in the USA. Only a week previous, Trump had claimed he would make a $5 million donation to a charity of Obama’s selection if the president launched his “college records and applications…and passport applications and records” via Oct. 31—even if Obama had launched his longform beginning certificates the 12 months earlier than, which confirmed he was once born in Hawaii. After Typhoon Sandy hit, on Oct. 30, Trump posted on X, “Because of the hurricane, I am extending my 5 million dollar offer for President Obama’s favorite charity.” Obama does no longer seem to have replied.
In September 2016, whilst working for president, Trump in any case admitted Obama was once born in the USA—then promptly, and falsely, claimed it was once his then-opponent, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who began the conspiracy principle.
Demise tolls in Hurricanes Irma and Maria
A 12 months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, resulting in greater than 3,000 deaths, Trump rejected the demise toll and mentioned that it was once “done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible.” The nonpartisan fact-checking website online Politifact states that researchers warned the initial estimates of demise tolls from the Puerto Rican executive—starting from 16 to 64 other people useless—had been undercounts, and that the upper numbers got here from oblique deaths, brought about via one thing just like the lack of electrical energy for any person who depends upon clinical units, as an example.
COVID-19 and…so much
Who may fail to remember Trump’s litany of unhinged and disproven theories about COVID-19? He first of all downplayed the chance of it, claiming in February 2020 that it was once “very much under control in the USA.” However only some months later, he was once questioning aloud at a press briefing if other people may treatment themselves of the coronavirus via injecting themselves with disinfectant or exposing the insides in their our bodies to ultraviolet gentle, as my colleague Madison Pauly coated. (Day after today, following an outcry, the White Space walked again Trump’s claims, announcing American citizens must discuss with their docs to regard COVID-19; Trump additionally claimed the feedback had been “sarcastic.”)
…WHAT percent.twitter.com/CCOYIsfSm7
— Pod Save The usa (@PodSaveAmerica) April 23, 2020
Trump additionally promoted the arguable drug hydroxychloroquine as a possible COVID-19 remedy—although main clinical organizations, together with the International Well being Group and the Mayo Health center, suggest towards the use of it as a remedy for, or type of prevention towards, COVID-19. (That didn’t forestall Trump from taking it—although he nonetheless were given the virus months after doing so.)
I haven’t any phrases that may get ready you for what you might be about to observe. percent.twitter.com/aov2F8DpRs
— Mom Jones (@MotherJones) Might 18, 2020
Trump additionally reposted false claims from different accounts on X pointing out that the COVID-19 demise toll was once hugely overblown, which Anthony Fauci promptly close down. Trump and his son, Eric, additionally claimed that Democratic officers had been prolonging lockdowns to forestall him from with the ability to hang in-person marketing campaign rallies.
All this makes it no wonder that, as my colleague David Corn reported again in 2020, a Cornell College learn about inspecting 38 million English-language articles concerning the coronavirus concluded that Trump was once the biggest motive force of the so-called “infodemic,” or COVID-19-related incorrect information. “The biggest surprise,” Sarah Evanega, the learn about’s lead creator, informed the New York Occasions, “was that the president of the United States was the single largest driver of misinformation around Covid.”
Protests within the aftermath of George Floyd’s homicide via police
After George Floyd‘s homicide via Minneapolis police in Might 2020 sparked national protests towards anti-Black racism and police brutality, Trump promoted numerous baseless claims concerning the protesters, calling them “thugs” who had been being funded via Democrats and billionaire George Soros, and perilous them. “When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” he mentioned on the time.
In only one instance, Trump claimed a 75-year-old Buffalo guy who was once hospitalized after police shoved him to the bottom “could be an ANTIFA provocateur” and alleged it “could be a setup”—in spite of there being no proof for those claims. The person, Martin Gugino, reportedly spent a couple of month within the clinic for his accidents; the law enforcement officials concerned had been suspended with out pay after which arrested, however the fees had been dropped after a grand jury declined to indict them in 2021.
LA wildfires
