Anti-Vaxxers Turn Their Sights on Trump

Ex-President Donald Trump’s role in rapidly bringing Covid-19 vaccines into existence is under fire on right-wing unmoderated social media for much of the past week. From Rumble and Bitchute to Minds, Gab, and more, countless posts slammed Trump for his affiliation with the vaccines and repeatedly brought up his 2021 statements claiming to be the “father of the [Covid] vaccine.”

“It's March 2024 and Donald Trump is still telling us the vaccines were great. He is starting to promote the upcoming Cancer MRNA vaccines,” reads a post on Rumble. When will we lay proper blame on Trump and his Opeartion [sic] Warp Speed?”

While a few accounts seemingly tried to turn this narrative by claiming President Joe Biden is the vax “father,” their counter-narrative didn’t have nearly as much traction on social media outlets popular among MAGA fans as did the one slamming Trump.

Election Fraud Arrest

Unmoderated social media is also up in arms over the arrest of Michigan lawyer Stefanie Lambert by US Marshals in Washington, DC, last week. Lambert was arrested over outstanding warrants for allegedly improperly accessing voting equipment in Michigan while investigating supposed fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Lambert was arrested following a hearing in a defamation case brought by Dominion Voting Systems against her client, ex-Overstock CEO Patrick Bryne, over falsehoods he is alleged to have deliberately peddled about the firm and voter fraud in the 2020 elections.

As if on cue, far-right users across any number of platforms are claiming that Lambert’s arrest is actually part of a plot to cover up massive electoral fraud that ex-President Donald Trump claims cost him the 2020 election.

“They’re now arresting the people exposing election fraud instead of those committing it,” reads a post on GETTR that parroted a line found throughout right-leaning platforms in recent days.

Trump Bond Struggle and Election Fraud

Unmoderated social media users this weekend have been echoing former President Donald Trump's claims that his failure to secure a $464 million bond while he attempts to appeal a civil fraud judgment against him in New York is the result of a deep state conspiracy to destroy his chances as a second presidency. The bond is required for Trump to delay collection of enormous fines placed on him by New York Judge Arthur Engoron after Trump was found guilty of business fraud.

“Election interference and the situation in the United States is so openly corrupt at this point in time,” wrote one user on Minds while discussing the news.

This came after Trump used his own Truth Social platform to say the massive fine against him is “communism in America” and is designed to destroy his $500 million election campaign warchest.

Trump's legal team has argued in court that it is a "practical impossibility" for him to post the bond, citing that no insurance company is willing to underwrite it.

His inability to secure the bond by today, March 25, threatens to have severe consequences for Trump, including the potential seizure of his assets by New York authorities.

Manafort Returns

Centrist and left-learning users of unmoderated social media reacted with horror and sarcasm to the recent news that ex-President Donald Trump is considering bringing his former advisor Paul Manifort onto his presidential campaign. Manafort was famously a key subject of Robert Mueller’s investigation into connections between Trump’s 2016 and the Russian government and was later convicted of tax and bank fraud before being pardoned by Trump.

“Trump going right back to the Russians to help him win the election,” wrote a user on BoardReader.

“Donnie wants to bring back Paul Manafort back to his campaign,” said another on BlueSky. “This is Putin slapping our face and letting us know that he has control of our election. Are we going to let this happen?”

Biden Imposter Theory

The past week has seen an uptick in talk of the so-called Biden impostor theory on unmoderated social media. While the far-right constantly makes disparaging comments about President Joe Biden’s age, the impostor theory takes things a bit further, insisting that the real Joe Biden is dead––with the most commonly claimed date of death being January 2020 at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba––and that a body double is portraying him as the President of the United States.

The posts spreading this falsehood mention various supposed "evidences," including cryptic messages from Donald Trump, a supposed death notice for Biden with details of an execution for crimes against the American people and burial in Arlington National Cemetery, along with other bizarre assertions involving extensive cover-ups.

“Joe Biden has been DEAD since Jan. 17, 2020 - Obituary was removed today to hide the truth,” said a post on Rumble.

While it’s unclear if this narrative simply sprang from the minds of grass roots conspiracy theorists or whether it was planted by a professional, MAGA-aligned messaging shop, its effect among those who believe it is to further undermine any sense of legitimacy of the Biden administration.