The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

As Trump’s chief conspiracy theory suffers a major blow, he reaches for more desperate ones

Analysis by
Staff writer
October 14, 2020 at 11:37 a.m. EDT
Then-President Trump long said Obama officials “spied” on his campaign. The Post reported Oct. 13, 2020, the Justice Department found no criminal wrongdoing. (Video: JM Rieger/The Washington Post, Photo: Oliver Contreras/The Washington Post)

It was a crystallizing moment in our current political reality: The president, staring down an increasingly likely reelection loss, saw one of his favorite conspiracy theories about his 2020 opponent crumble. As we were learning that, he was lodging even-more far-flung and desperate conspiracy theories.

Trump has regularly grasped at conspiracy theories seeking to damage his political opponents. But even by his standards, his recent efforts have been remarkable.