Rumors on X Are Becoming the Right’s New Reality

Political influencers, elites, and prominent politicians on the right are embracing even pathologically outlandish claims made by their base.

They know that amplifying online rumors carries little cost and offers considerable political gain.

Unverified claims that spread from person to person fill voids where uncertainty reigns are as old as human communication.

Frida Ghitis : 30 percent of the public and 70 percent of Republicans still believe Democrats stole the 2020 election from Trump .

She says social-media companies stepped in to address false claims of voter fraud in 2020 , the political influencers who most frequently spread them clamored for retribution.

Ghitis says X is becoming more useful as a place for powerful people to source outrageous material for political propaganda.

As Hurricane Milton roared across Florida , social-media users fantasized, absurdly, about government control of tropical cyclones and making death threats against weather forecasters.

The question is whether refuting rumors is worth the potential personal cost? Without a concerted push to defend truth, the rumor mill will continue to churn.