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

< User:Rhododendrites

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 one of the sides contained people who were not white supremacists.[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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[38]

Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio

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Main article: Springfield, Ohio, cat-eating hoax

In September 2024, American right-wing politicians and media figures amplified baseless claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were illegally taking other people's pet cats and eating them. The claims began when a member of a local Facebook group shared a rumor about a neighbor's daughter's friend's cat having been butchered. It spread quickly among far-right and neo-Nazi groups and was amplified by prominent figures in the American right, most notably Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, his running mate JD Vance, and X owner Elon Musk.[39][40][41][42][43][44][45]

Springfield officials have stated there have been no credible reports or evidence to support the claims,[46][47][48][49][50] Fact-checking website Snopes called the claims unfounded, while others characterized the claims as a hoax.[51][52][53]

Open border

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Crime

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Crime is increasing

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[38]

[subject may be too nuanced to include here?]

Abortion

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[38]

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. ^ a b c "FACT FOCUS: A look at false and misleading claims made during Trump and Harris' debate". Associated Press. September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  39. ^ Jingnan, Huo; Garsd, Jasmine (September 10, 2024). "JD Vance spreads debunked claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets". All Things Considered.
  40. ^ "Before Trump, neo-Nazis pushed false claims about Haitians as part of hate campaign". NBC News. September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  41. ^ "How a fringe online claim about immigrants eating pets made its way to the debate stage". NBC News. September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  42. ^ Mangan, Dan (September 10, 2024). "JD Vance false conspiracy about Haitian immigrants is 'dangerous,' Biden NSC spokesman says". CNBC. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  43. ^ Maher, Kit (September 10, 2024). "Vance says false claim he spread against Haitian migrants may not be true but urges followers to keep posting 'cat memes'". CNN. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  44. ^ "Trump falsely claims migrants in Ohio are eating pets during debate". FOX TV Digital Team. September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  45. ^ "Trump falsely accuses immigrants in Ohio of abducting and eating pets". AP News. September 11, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  46. ^ Bernal, Rafael (September 9, 2024). "Vance pushes false accusations of Haitians eating pets". The Hill. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  47. ^ Ingram, David (September 10, 2024). "Ohio police have 'no credible reports' of Haitian immigrants harming pets, contradicting JD Vance's claim". NBC News. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  48. ^ Chatelain, Ryan (September 10, 2024). "Police in Ohio push back on claim, promoted by Trump campaign, that Haitian migrants are eating pets". Spectrum News. Springfield.
  49. ^ Orozco, Jessica (September 9, 2024). "Springfield police say no reports of pets stolen, eaten". Springfield News-Sun.
  50. ^ Sanderson, Emily (September 10, 2024). "Springfield officials say there's no credible reports of pet abuse in immigrant community". WLWT5.
  51. ^ Hartmann, Margaret (September 10, 2024). "'They're Eating the Dogs!' Trump Touts Pet-Eating Hoax at Debate". Intelligencer.
  52. ^ "'They're eating the dogs!' Trump fact-check as he vents over widely debunked hoax - Raw Story". www.rawstory.com.
  53. ^ Novak, Matt (September 9, 2024). "Trump Supporters Flood Social Media With Viral Hoax About Migrants Eating Cats and Ducks". Gizmodo.
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