Why Do Republicans Enjoy Making Up Conspiracies?

Conspiracy theories have been a significant part of Republican Party politics since the Clinton era and Vince Foster’s suicide. Even in cases where Republicans believe they have a serious case for wrongdoing, such as Benghazi, Solyndra, Fast and Furious, the GOP struggles to keep serious investigations from getting bogged. Richard Hofstadter’s The Paranoid Style argues that Republicans and conservatives are more likely to believe conspiracy theories than Democrats.

Donald Trump uses conspiracy theory as a political mobilizing tool to capture anger at liberals, with about 1 in 10 Republicans believing the election was stolen and three false coronavirus-related conspiracy theories: that the threat was exaggerated. The GOP must reject conspiracy theories or be consumed by them.

Conspiration theories have helped drive the conservative movement’s takeover of the previously more moderate GOP and have been an integral part of the movement’s coalition from the get-go. In the wake of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, conspiracy theories have swirled. Christina Farhart, a political science professor at the University of Michigan, is well-known for her anti-Muslim rhetoric and spreading conspiracy theories, including that the 9/11 attacks were an “inside job”.

Conspiration theories in United States politics are beliefs that a major political situation is the result of secretive collusion by powerful people striving for power. Over 55 of Americans believe in at least one conspiracy theory about the Iraq War, 9/11, Barack Obama’s birthplace, the 2008 financial crisis, and “chemtrails”. Social media fuelled conspiracy theories often exist in echo chambers, where misinformation is amplified without verification or critical examination.