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User:Rhododendrites/Misinformation in the 2024 United States presidential election

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During the 2024 United States presidential election season, political actors have fabricated disinformation or spread misinformation on a variety of issues. The topics have involved candidates, former candidates, election integrity, and a variety of political issues, including high-profile false claims, hoaxes, and conspiracy theories which have either been disproven or shown to lack evidence.

Several journalist and academics have predicted an increased role of misinformation in influencing the 2024 election,[1] with many citing advances in artificial intelligence as a potential factor.[2][3][4][5] Generative AI models like ChatGPT make it easy for various actors to produce large quantities of false or misleading claims.[2] This misinformation and disinformation can then be spread on social media platforms, several of which have removed rules about spreading misinformation or cut the size of the staff which screens for harmful content.[6] While there are concerns about interference by foreign governments, Americans spread a great deal of misinformation, too.[2] [note: started throwing together this paragraph, thinking it might make sense to have an overview of what people are saying about the role of misinformation in the election, but maybe it's just not necessary yet -- maybe this is fundamentally a compilation]

[Note: need some language to make clear this isn't aiming to be a collection of every false claim made by a presidential candidate, which would be impractical. We'd need to figure out some threshold. I used "high-profile" above, but maybe "frequently repeated"?]

Candidates

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Kamala Harris

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Race and eligibility for candidacy

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Main article: Racial_views_of_Donald_Trump § Comments_on_Kamala_Harris's_race

On July 31, 2024, Donald Trump was interviewed at the National Association of Black Journalists. When asked if he believed his opponent in the 2024 presidential election, Kamala Harris, who is biracial as well as the first Black woman and first Indian American major presidential nominee in American history, was a "DEI hire", he started to question her race, saying, "And she was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black. And now she wants to be known as Black."[7] He later again questioned her race by posting a video on his Truth Social account showing Harris, in his words, "saying she's Indian, not Black" and calling her a "stone cold phony."[8][9][10]

Employment at McDonald's

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For a short time in the 1980s, Kamala Harris worked at McDonald's in Alameda, California.[11] According to The Independent, "for some reason, it appears to have gotten under Trump's skin".[12] Trump repeatedly accused Harris of lying about the job, including a false claim that the fast food company issued a statement that they had "no record whatsoever" of her.[13][14] McDonald's released no such statement.[14]

Donald Trump

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Calling white supremacists "very fine people"

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Main article: Unite the Right rally § President Trump's statements

Following the 2017 Unite the Right rally, a white supremacist event in Charlottesville, Virginia, in which a woman was killed when a man drove his car into a group of counterprotesters, Donald Trump held a press conference. He cast blame for violence on "many sides" and said there were "very fine people on both sides".[15] Shortly after the "very fine people" comment, he added an exception for neo-Nazis and white supremacists, who "should be condemned totally". When he was later quoted as calling white supremacists "very fine people" directly, Snopes rated the claim false.[16] A Washington Post analysis confirmed the exception he provided, though highlighted there was not evidence that the rally included anyone who was not a white supremacist.[15][17]

Assassination attempt

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Further information: Attempted assassination of Donald Trump § Misinformation and conspiracy theories

JD Vance

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Couches

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See also: Hillbilly_Elegy § Renewed_attention

A July 15, 2024 post on X falsely said that Hillbilly Elegy described Vance masturbating using a latex glove placed between couch cushions. The hoax led to the creation of several Internet memes. The Associated Press published a fact check on July 24 to debunk it, but the agency removed the fact check from its website the next day saying it had not gone through the agency's "standard editing process". The removal itself became a news item and was described by The Daily Telegraph as an example of the Streisand effect.[18]

Tim Walz

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Former candidates

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[does it make sense to include former candidates? biden, rfk, etc.? this is already likely to be a long article...]

Elections

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Non-citizen voting

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See also: Electoral fraud in the United States § Non-citizen voting, and Non-citizen suffrage in the United States

To support his attempts to overturn the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump and his allies repeatedly and falsely claimed that there had been massive election fraud and that Trump was the true winner of the election.[19][20] By 2023, major news outlets characterized Trump's claims as not merely falsehoods, but as lies.[21][22][23] For example, claiming a large number of non-citizens voting, which is considered extremely rare in the United States by most experts due to the severe penalties associated with the practice including deportation, incarceration or fines, in addition to jeopardizing their attempt to naturalize.[24][25][26][27][28][29] There has been little evidence of non-citizens voting, with the Cooperative Election Study at Harvard University, the Cato Institute, and the Washington Post publishing estimates between 0% and 1%.[30][31][32][33]

These claims have been repeated throughout the 2024 election cycle, which critics have describe as a way to preemptively "undermine the results of the 2024 presidential election if Republicans do not win the White House".[34]

Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and others have repeated false claims that Democrats have encouraged immigrants to cross the US-Mexico border illegally in order to vote.[35][36][37]

Immigration

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Criminality of immigrants

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Trump made "migrant crime" a focal point of his campaign platform, attempting to link illegal immigration and crime. The consensus among researchers is that illegal immigrants commit less crime than natives, but the crimes they do commit is much more likely to receive media coverage.[38][39][40] Research suggests that immigration enforcement has no impact on crime rates.[41][42][43] The narrative is a common theme among populist politicians, blaming a minority for the problems of the majority.[44]

Fentanyl trafficking

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Trump, Vance, and allies attribute blame for the fentanyl epidemic in the United States to people who crossed the border illegally.[45] Almost all illegal fentanyl brought from Mexico into the United States are by people crossing legally, with nearly 90% confiscated at official border crossings.[46] A person convicted of trafficking fentanyl across the border is twelve times more likely to be a US citizen than an immigrant who crossed illegally.[47]

Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio

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Main article: Springfield pet-eating hoax

Starting in September 2024, baseless claims spread online that Haitian immigrants were stealing and eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. The claims began with a local Facebook group post claiming a local cat had been butchered, and spread quickly among far-right and neo-Nazi groups. The claims were then amplified by prominent figures in the American right, most notably Republican Senator and vice-presidential nominee, JD Vance of Ohio, followed by his running mate Donald Trump and allies such as Laura Loomer and Twitter owner Elon Musk.[48][49] Subsequently, the author of the original Facebook post and the neighbor who told her the story admitted it was based on a rumor from people with whom they had not spoken.[50][51] Springfield and county law enforcement said that no credible reports or evidence support the claims, and the city's mayor and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, who are both Republicans, have denounced them.[52] Fact-checking website Snopes called the claims unfounded, while others characterized them as a hoax or a lie.[53][54]

The pet-eating claims spread amid existing racial tensions in Springfield, where recent legal Haitian immigration strained some public resources. There had been previous incidents of hostility towards the local Haitian community and unfounded local rumors of Haitians stealing waterfowl for food.[55] After the claims spread, dozens of bomb threats targeted Springfield schools, hospitals, public buildings, and businesses, often accompanied by anti-Haitian messages.[56]

Open border

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Crime

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Crime is increasing

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[57]

[subject may be too nuanced to include here?]

Abortion

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[57]

Project 2025

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Main article: Project 2025

Project 2025 is a political initiative and 887-page document, published by the Heritage Foundation, detailing a broad conservative and right-wing policy agenda, along with the means to achieve them, under a second Trump presidency. It would do so by reshaping the government to give the president more power, with fewer checks on that power. Misinformation has spread about the connection between Project 2025 and Donald Trump. On one hand, some Democrats have claimed that it is the Trump campaign's official agenda or that Trump himself as personally endorsed it. Neither is true. Trump's campaign agenda is called Agenda 47, and he did not make any official statements on the subject until it began to receive negative media attention, at which point he tried to distance himself from it.[58] On the other hand, some Republicans have claimed that Trump has no connection to it. Project 2025 was written for a Trump presidency by many of Trump's aides, associates, and former staffers.[58] In the early days of the project, he spoke at a Heritage Foundation conference, saying "they're going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do and what your movement will do when the American people give us a colossal mandate to save America".[59] His campaign had regular contact with the group, saying it aligned with Agenda 47, until Trump distanced himself from it.[59]

References

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  1. ^ Becker, William S. (May 27, 2024). "misinformation 2024 presidential election". The Hill. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Snyder, Dan (September 5, 2024). "With AI making misinformation easier, security experts have concerns about 2024 election, impact on Pennsylvania". CBS Philadelphia. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  3. ^ "Elections and Disinformation Are Colliding Like Never Before in 2024".
  4. ^ "As social media guardrails fade and AI deepfakes go mainstream, experts warn of impact on elections". AP News. December 26, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  5. ^ Jeong, Sarah (March 12, 2024). "The AI-generated hell of the 2024 election". The Verge. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  6. ^ "Disinformation poses an unprecedented threat in 2024 — and the U.S. is less ready than ever". NBC News. January 18, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  7. ^ Weisman, Jonathan; King, Maya; Kanno-Youngs, Zolan (July 31, 2024). "Trump Questions Harris's Racial Identity, Saying She Only 'Became a Black Person' Recently". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  8. ^ Stokols, Eli (July 31, 2024). "Trump's first try at pivoting to Harris blows up in his face". Politico. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  9. ^ Paz, Christian (July 31, 2024). "Speaking to Black journalists, Trump reminded everyone how racist he can be". Vox. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
  10. ^ Anagnostopoulos, Christina (July 25, 2024). "What misinformation has been shared about Kamala Harris?". Reuters.
  11. ^ "Trump's latest obsession with Harris: claiming she lied about working at McDonald's". The Independent. September 3, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  12. ^ "Kamala Harris's summer job at McDonalds is the latest thing under Trump's skin". The Independent. September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  13. ^ Donald Trump repeats claim Kamala Harris lied about working at McDonalds. September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024 – via www.independent.co.uk.
  14. ^ a b Settles, Gabrielle. "No, McDonald's didn't say Kamala Harris never worked there | Fact check". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Bump, Philip (July 2, 2024). "Analysis | What Trump said with his 'very fine people' comments vs. what he meant". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  16. ^ PerryCook, Taija (June 20, 2024). "No, Trump Did Not Call Neo-Nazis and White Supremacists 'Very Fine People'". Snopes. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  17. ^ Kessler, Glenn (May 10, 2020). "Analysis | The 'very fine people' at Charlottesville: Who were they?". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
  18. ^ Multiple sources:
  19. ^ Bittner, Jochen (November 30, 2020). "1918 Germany Has a Warning for America – Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" campaign recalls one of the most disastrous political lies of the 20th century". The New York Times. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  20. ^ Higgins, Andrew (January 10, 2021). "The Art of the Lie? The Bigger the Better – Lying as a political tool is hardly new. But a readiness, even enthusiasm, to be deceived has become a driving force in politics around the world, most recently in the United States". The New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2021. Mr. Trump has outraged his political opponents and left even some of his longtime supporters shaking their heads at his mendacity. In embracing this big lie, however, the president has taken a path that often works – at least in countries without robustly independent legal systems and news media along with other reality checks.
  21. ^ Yoon, Robert (August 27, 2023). "Trump's drumbeat of lies about the 2020 election keeps getting louder. Here are the facts". Associated Press. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  22. ^ Qiu, Linda (August 17, 2023). "Fact-Checking the Breadth of Trump's Election Lies". The New York Times. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  23. ^ Dale, Daniel (August 3, 2023). "21 Donald Trump election lies listed in his new indictment". CNN. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  24. ^ Sherman, Amy (December 7, 2020). "Do states verify U.S. citizenship as a condition for voting?". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  25. ^ Waldman, Michael; Karson, Kendall; Waldman, Michael; Singh, Jasleen; Karson, Kendall (April 12, 2024). "Here's Why". Brennan Center for Justice. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  26. ^ Parks, Miles (April 12, 2024). "Republicans aim to stop noncitizen voting in federal elections. It's already illegal". NPR. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  27. ^ Kessler, Glenn (March 6, 2024). "The truth about noncitizen voting in federal elections". Washington Post. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  28. ^ Kessler, Glenn (March 6, 2024). "The truth about noncitizen voting in federal elections". Washington Post. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  29. ^ Wilgoren, Jodi (February 5, 1998). "Sanchez Elated as Probe Is Dropped". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  30. ^ "The Perils of Cherry Picking Low Frequency Events in Large Sample Surveys". cces.gov.harvard.edu. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  31. ^ www.cato.org https://www.cato.org/blog/shedding-light-incidence-illegal-noncitizen-voting. Retrieved September 17, 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  32. ^ Koerth, Maggie (May 11, 2017). "The Tangled Story Behind Trump's False Claims Of Voter Fraud". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  33. ^ https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/06/truth-about-noncitizen-voting-federal-elections/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  34. ^ Foran, Clare; Talbot, Haley (July 10, 2024). "House GOP passes bill targeting noncitizen voting - already illegal in federal elections - in Trump-aligned push". CNN Politics.
  35. ^ "Trump suggests unauthorized migrants will vote. The idea stirs his base, but ignores reality". AP News. January 9, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  36. ^ "FACT FOCUS: A look at false and misleading claims made during Trump and Harris' debate". AP News. September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  37. ^ www.cato.org https://www.cato.org/commentary/rights-bogus-claims-about-noncitizen-voting-fraud. Retrieved September 17, 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  38. ^ Hesson, Ted; Rosenberg, Mica; Hesson, Ted; Rosenberg, Mica (July 16, 2024). "Trump says migrants are fueling violent crime. Here is what the research shows". Reuters. Retrieved July 28, 2024. A range of studies by academics and think tanks have shown that immigrants do not commit crime at a higher rate than native-born Americans. A more limited universe of studies specifically examine criminality among immigrants in the U.S. illegally but also find that they do not commit crimes at a higher rate.
  39. ^ Gonzalez, Benjamin; Collingwood, Loren; El-Khatib, Stephen Omar (2019). "The Politics of Refuge: Sanctuary Cities, Crime, and Undocumented Immigration". Urban Affairs Review. 55: 107808741770497. doi:10.1177/1078087417704974. S2CID 32604699. Quote: "most studies have shown that illegal immigrants tend to commit less crime than the native born"
  40. ^ Farris, Emily M.; Silber Mohamed, Heather (October 2, 2018). "Picturing immigration: how the media criminalizes immigrants". Politics, Groups, and Identities. 6 (4): 814–824. doi:10.1080/21565503.2018.1484375. ISSN 2156-5503.
  41. ^ Miles, Thomas J.; Cox, Adam B. (October 21, 2015). "Does Immigration Enforcement Reduce Crime? Evidence from Secure Communities". The Journal of Law and Economics. 57 (4): 937–973. doi:10.1086/680935. S2CID 8406495.
  42. ^ Baker, Scott R. (2015). "Effects of Immigrant Legalization on Crime". American Economic Review. 105 (5): 210–213. doi:10.1257/aer.p20151041.
  43. ^ Collingwood, Loren; Gonzalez-O'Brien, Benjamin; El-Khatib, Stephen (October 3, 2016). "Sanctuary cities do not experience an increase in crime". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  44. ^ "The media coverage of immigrant criminality: From scapegoating to populism". CEPR. April 2, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  45. ^ Benesch, Susan; Buerger, Catherine (February 12, 2024). "Opinion: Many Americans believe migrants bring fentanyl across the border. That's wrong and dangerous". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  46. ^ Rose, Joel (August 9, 2023). "Who is sneaking fentanyl across the southern border? Hint: It's not the migrants". NPR.
  47. ^ Bier, David J. (August 23, 2023). "U.S. Citizens Were 89% of Convicted Fentanyl Traffickers in 2022". Cato Institute. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  48. ^ Bash, Dana. “Rush Transcript Archived September 18, 2024, at the Wayback Machine”, CNN (September 15, 2024): “Before Donald Trump talked about eating dogs and cats on a debate stage, it was you Senator who first elevated this rumor, these are your constituents.”
  49. ^ Multiple sources:
  50. ^ Brewster, Jack; Howard, Sam (September 12, 2024). "Triple Hearsay: Original Sources of the Claim that Haitians Eat Pets in Ohio Admit No First-Hand Knowledge". NewsGuard's Reality Check. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  51. ^ Chavez, Julio-Cesar (September 12, 2024). "Bomb threat in city at heart of Trump immigrant rumors sparks evacuation". Reuters. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  52. ^ Multiple sources:
  53. ^ Hartmann, Margaret (September 10, 2024). "'They're Eating the Dogs!' Trump Touts Pet-Eating Hoax at Debate". Intelligencer. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  54. ^ Novak, Matt (September 9, 2024). "Trump Supporters Flood Social Media With Viral Hoax About Migrants Eating Cats and Ducks". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on September 14, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  55. ^ Multiple sources:
  56. ^ Breuninger, Kevin; Rozzelle, Josephine (September 16, 2024). "Ohio GOP Gov. DeWine says 'at least 33' bomb threats prompt Springfield to begin daily school sweeps". CNBC. Archived from the original on September 17, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  57. ^ a b "FACT FOCUS: A look at false and misleading claims made during Trump and Harris' debate". Associated Press. September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  58. ^ a b Contorno, Steve (July 11, 2024). "Trump claims not to know who is behind Project 2025. A CNN review found at least 140 people who worked for him are involved | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  59. ^ a b Farley, Eugene Kiely, D'Angelo Gore, Robert (September 10, 2024). "A Guide to Project 2025". FactCheck.org. Retrieved October 13, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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