WASHINGTON (AFP) — The storming of the US Capitol pushed social media platforms to crack down on those who peddled the “stolen election” claim that drove it, but the narrative has survived and flourished online, in right-wing media and among Republican politicians.
Donald Trump’s supporters acted on the baseless allegation that widespread vote-rigging robbed him of victory in the 2020 presidential election, with the January 6, 2021 violence ultimately leading Twitter and Facebook to suspend his accounts.
His claims were rejected by election officials and dozens of courts, but polling shows many Americans still believe the “big lie” that he defeated Joe Biden — a falsehood that has damaging consequences far beyond the riot.
“These persistent claims pose a threat to the sanctity and trust in our democratic system writ large,” said Nina Jankowicz, global fellow at the Wilson Center.
False information about elections is not new — Trump made similar claims in 2016 before he defeated Hillary Clinton — but social media, which thrives on polarization, offers a place for it to spread, and for people who believe it to organize and wreak havoc.
Trump — then Twitter’s most powerful user — warned his millions of followers of potential cheating before election day in 2020, told them the race was being stolen as ballots were counted, and repeated the accusation in tweets and in a speech before the tumult at the Capitol.
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