Fact check: The top five conspiracy theories from Trump's late-night social media rampage

President Donald Trump spent Monday night posting a flurry of unverified conspiracy claims on social media. Between 9 p.m. and midnight, he created or shared over 150 posts on Truth Social. While many were routine political commentary, several were wildly speculative stories that lacked any factual basis, reaching his more than 11 million followers.

1. Baseless Claim About Michelle Obama

Trump reshared a post from Alex Jones alleging that Michelle Obama might have used President Bidens autopen to issue pardons during the final days of his administration. The post included a video of businessman Patrick Byrne making unsubstantiated claims about pardons. No evidence supports the idea that Michelle Obama interfered in presidential pardons, and the story appears to be a recycled social media rumor among conspiracy circles.

2. Misleading Story About the Biden Administration

Trump amplified a post by Mila Joy suggesting that White House Chief of Staff Jeffrey Zients approval of certain pardons was forged. The post featured a 14-second clip of Zients testifying before the House Oversight Committee. In context, Zients had authorized his chief of staff to send the email, and there was no forgery involved. The short clip misrepresented the testimony.

3. False Allegation Regarding Barack Obama

Trump shared a QAnon-affiliated claim stating that former President Obama had committed treason and would face a military tribunal. This is factually incorrect. The claim misrepresents statements by Tulsi Gabbard and ignores that a former president, as a civilian, cannot be tried by a military tribunal. There is no evidence of any criminal activity by Obama.

4. Inaccurate Claim About Nancy Pelosi

Trump reposted a Mila Joy story alleging that Pelosi planned the January 6 Capitol attack years in advance. The 14-second video clip cited Ashley Etiennes comments out of context. Etienne had referred to planning for potential events, not orchestrating the attack. Her full statement shows the preparation was meant to anticipate Trumps moves, not to plan an assault.

5. Unfounded Allegations About the 2020 Election

Trump also circulated posts claiming the 2020 election was rigged, with machines allegedly designed to manipulate results. These assertions have no factual foundation. Close election results in the U.S. naturally occur due to voter distribution, not technology-based manipulation.

Overall, Monday nights posts illustrate Trumps continued promotion of conspiracy theories with no credible evidence, highlighting the gap between social media claims and verified facts.

Author: Riley Thompson