Where is James Talarico? The question ricocheted around rightwing echo chambers before metastasising into a conspiracy theory – and a reminder of the persistent danger of disinformation in the US midterm elections.
The smear campaign began when Talarico, the Democratic candidate for the US Senate in Texas, was not seen in public for nine days. His campaign was slow to explain why. While nature abhors a vacuum, Donald Trump and social media seize on one and weaponise it.
On 30 September, Talarico spoke at a Hispanic Business Council event by video. He had been diagnosed with the flu at an urgent care facility in Dallas after “starting to feel kind of under the weather a few days ago”, he said, and would not appear in person because he had a fever and was still contagious.
On 7 October, the president held a rally in San Antonio, Texas, and claimed without evidence that “Tala-freako”, as he nicknames the Democrat, is vegan. Trump asserted: “He’s sick because he’s been forced to eat meat for political reasons and he’s throwing up all over the place.”
On the same day, an X account with the username “Dan The Man, Always with a Plan” and a photo of “Trump 2028” cap tweeted without evidence: “He had a mental health crisis. That is what I heard from someone who would know inside information.”
On 8 October, Steve Bannon, a former White House chief strategist, stirred the pot further on his influential War Room podcast in an interview with former Trump fundraiser Caroline Wren, who...
THE BILLING GRID A weekly column on research billing and coverage analysis, by Krishma Shah A coordinator submits a lab requisition. The central lab bills it to the site. The site bills it to Medi...