As the United States slowly wakes from the Trump administration, millions of Americans—including congressional representatives—linger in a delusional reality. In their world, their leader won, but his victory has been denied by traitorous enemies of the people. Evil forces lurk, empowered by a Biden administration that is at best communist and at worst demonic—though in this worldview the two are generally synonymous. The most visible representative of these fantasies, recently applauded by around half of sitting Republican members of Congress, is Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a QAnon supporter and believer in Jewish space lasers. But she is just the tip of the iceberg of theories that have been fermenting inside the United States for decades.
Former President Donald Trump lost the election, but he won the election cycle. His conspiracy-mongering and high-profile support of right-wing propaganda outlets have left an indelible mark on American culture. But while Trump may be the undisputed champion of these tactics, he didn’t create them. Far-right politicians and media personalities have been creating false realities for decades, and they’ll keep doing it as long as possible—regardless of whether it spurs extremist groups or even terrorist attacks.
