The constant drumbeat of "the big lie" — that last year’s presidential election was either fraudulent or illegitimate because Donald Trump didn’t win — has implications reaching beyond the Jan. 6 violence on Capitol Hill. Conspiracy theories and disinformation about the election system have undermined trust at all levels of government. The lies and misinformation not only undermine American democracy but may lead to further acts of political violence.
A Department of Homeland Security warning regarding one of the most persistent theories — that Trump is going be reinstated — has increased calls for violence if the former president is not returned to the White House. ABC News obtained the department bulletin, which said: “Some conspiracy theories associated with reinstating former President Trump have included calls for violence if desired outcomes are not realized.” Many on the right are becoming more and more comfortable with violence as an acceptable mechanism for obtaining their political ends.
The University of Chicago Project on Security and Threats has been tracking insurrectionist sentiments in U.S. adults, most recently in surveys conducted in June. They found that nearly 1 in 5 respondents agree with the statement that “the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump and Joe Biden is an illegitimate president.” Of those, nearly 1 in 10 respondents also agree that “use of force is justified to restore Donald J. Trump to the presidency.”
