It says that Trump’s pet food protests only inspired a weak defense, outside of his running mate, JD Vance, who doubled down and tripled down. ABC moderators are biased in saying this is not true. One man told police he may have seen some Haitians holding a goose once. OK, good.
Trump’s internet addiction is well documented. He is the majority owner of the platform Truth Social, where his account constantly posts and reposts, absorbing and amplifying memes with the ferocity of an unemployed edgelord. His online experience is a bubble within a bubble, with a language and reference points unto themselves. Trump is now completely confined to the manosphere, giving an audience to influencers like Logan Paul and Adin Ross, a self-perpetuating cycle of bro-dom. The ouroboros tightens to the point that infant executions become an accepted fact rather than an outright lie. The more fragmented the internet becomes, the more confusing mass exposure to some corners of it can be to the uninitiated.
At least, that’s the theory. Honestly, we don’t know yet how Trump’s debate performance fared among undecided voters, or whether it will make any difference in the long run. He’s online too much, sure, but maybe everyone is related. Maybe we’re all so inundated with internet garbage that, for most people, conspiracies inevitably bleed into the gospel. Perhaps the most alarming outcome of a major presidential candidate introducing 4chan is that it works.
The Chatroom
Conspiracy theories weren’t the only headlines in last night’s debate. We also saw Taylor Swift endorse Kamala Harris shortly after the closing arguments. As you might expect, this created a frenzy online, complete with a surfeit of Brittany Mahomes memes. (I’ll spare you the lore if you haven’t caught on yet.)
Do you think Swift’s endorsement could have a certain impact on the race? Are there other celebrity or influencer endorsements that could interfere with the election?
Send me an email at mail@wired.com, and let me know what you think!
💬 Leave a comment below this article.
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What Else Are We Reading?
🔗 An Ex-Tenet Reporter Blasts YouTube for Banning Him—But He Secretly Deleted His Own Channel: Fallout from the Tenet Media scandal—where Russian state media allegedly funded unwitting far-right influencers—continues to spread. (The Daily Dot)
🔗 What If Trump Wins?: Rolling Stone delves deep into the “potentially catastrophic consequences for the American experiment” that Trump’s second term portends. (Rolling Stone)
🔗 Melinda French Gates Embraces the New Age and Gets Political—Even if It’s Uncomfortable: This profile of Melinda French Gates and her company Pivotal Ventures is an illuminating look at the politics of philanthropy. (Vanity Fair)
The Download
Check out the podcast now! Makena Kelly and Tim Marchman, WIRED’s director of politics, security, and science, joined our host, Leah Feiger, on Tuesday night to discuss the memorable moments, the rules and, of course, all the conspiracies that came out of the debate.
That’s it for today—thanks again for subscribing. Makena will be back next week, and you can contact her via email, Instagram, Xand Signal to makenakally.32.
