An obviously harried Donald Trump speaks to the press following the presidential debate in Philadelphia on Sept. 10, 2024. (AFP via Getty Images)
Right floats conspiracy theories to “prove” why their candidate lost
Vice President Kamala Harris won Tuesday’s debate against GOP nominee Donald Trump. That result can be seen in multiple national polls showing an average of 57% of voters gave the edge to Harris, compared to only 34% who say Trump won. Panels of voters assembled by CNN and The Washington Post show similar results.
But according to Trump and some of his most ardent supporters, the fix was in. More than 67 million viewers watched Harris take Trump to task while he yelled fake stories about migrants eating pets, and the right wasted no time before floating several conspiracies to “prove” why their candidate lost.
1. Biased moderators
The earliest of the conspiracies began forming while the debate unfolded, as commentators like former Fox News host Megyn Kelly fumed on social media.
“These moderators are a disgraceful failure and this is one of the most biased, unfair debates I have ever seen. Shame on you ABC,” she wrote.
The apparent sin committed by moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis of ABC News? Fact-checking Trump. Because the journalists corrected Trump’s most blatant lies, conservatives began accusing them of being part of a “three-on-one” attack on Trump.
The morning after the debate, Trump complained to Fox News that it was a “rigged deal” and argued that ABC should have its broadcast license pulled for comparing his rhetoric to reality.
2. Harris received the questions in advance
Trump baselessly claimed that Harris received the debate questions in advance, which appeared to explain—in his mind—how the vice president was so prepared to counter him.
“She seems awfully familiar with the questions,” Trump told Fox News.
As the sitting president and a former senator and state attorney general, Harris has a long history of being prepared for major events in her professional life. As The Washington Post reported, she spent four days before the event ensconced in a rigorous “debate camp.” That, and not a fact-free claim that she received a heads-up on the questions, likely explains her superior performance.
3. Harris used an earpiece
If she didn’t receive the questions ahead of time, conservative activists have now argued that the vice president wore a device in her ear that allowed some offstage figure to transmit the answers to her. This allegation, which was promoted by Trump traveling companion Laura Loomer and others, plays on conservative tropes alleging that Harris lacks intelligence.
In reality, Harris wore a pair of South Sea Pearl Earrings from the Tiffany Hardwear collection.
4. Bright lights!
Conservative activist and serial misinformation poster Matt Wallace posted a video compilation showing a closeup of Trump’s eyes during the debate. In a companion post, he claimed—without a shred of evidence—that ABC News “set up distractive lighting aimed at Trump’s podium” that made him look left to right during the broadcast.
In reality, television broadcasts use high intensity lights so that cameras can pick up the images of what is being shown, or else viewers wouldn’t be able to see anything.
5. Witchcraft?
According to Lance Wallnau, an activist on the religious right who describes himself as a Christian nationalist, Harris won her debate via witchcraft.
“She can look presidential,” Wallnau said in a video stream. “That’s the seduction of what I would say is witchcraft. That’s the manipulation of imagery that creates an impression contrary to the truth, but it seduces you into seeing it. So that spirit, that occult spirit, I believe is operating on her and through her.”
6. The sorority connection
The New York Post, which is owned by Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch, published a story highlighting the fact that Harris and debate moderator Davis are alumni of the historically Black Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. In its story, the Post compiled complaints about the specious connection from conservative social media posters, including one who said the sorority membership “is relevant with respect to potential bias.”
The sorority’s official website notes there are more than 1,074 Alpha Kappa Alpha chapters with over 360,000 members in 11 countries and every state within the U.S.
Harris went to Howard University and graduated in 1986, while Davis attended the University of Virginia and graduated in 1999. The likelihood that two Black women were both members of the same sorority is not as earth-shattering as the Post appears to believe.
Conservatives love conspiracy theories and tend to push them in response to the success of Democratic politicians. Right-wingers amplified the birther conspiracy about President Barack Obama and pushed the existence of a “death list” in connection to the rise of former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The false stories about Harris put her in presidential company, which is probably not what the right intended.
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