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How Birtherism Shaped Trump and American Fascism
And how, just like everything else in Trump’s political career, this conspiracy takes us all the way back to Moscow
Donald Trump’s political career truly started in 2011, when he became the figurehead of the infamous birtherism movement. Like everything else in Trump’s life, however, birtherism was somebody else’s brainchild. Trump merely hopped on an already moving train and appropriated the lie through his media clout and bombastic rhetoric.
Birtherism marked a steep departure from Trump’s previous public political positions, and his embrace of the racist conspiracy theory came at a time of financial turmoil for the business mogul. It also strangely coincides with his growing proclivity for Eastern European deal-making and his strengthening ties with Russia and Vladimir Putin in particular.
Through his attacks on President Obama, Donald Trump brought conspiracy theories and open, unabashed racism at the forefront of American political life. Following the KGB’s playbook, he sowed dissent and confusion, hatred and division. When Trump was elected with Russia’s assistance in 2016, he built his presidency on Big Lies and Stabbed-in-the-Back rhetoric that have done nothing but increase the nation's division. His work culminated in the…
