The president turned to conspiracy theories in a series of late-night posts on Truth Social, at a moment when many Americans were urging him to calm the country after deadly violence in Minneapolis, where federal agents shot and killed two U.S. citizens. Instead of striking a unifying tone, Donald Trump spent Wednesday evening sharing memes, unproven claims, and statements that critics say only added more fuel to an already tense national mood.
In one post, Trump directly accused former president Barack Obama of “treason.” The post included a video from last summer in which Trump claimed Obama had been caught “absolutely cold” trying to rig U.S. elections. In the same video, Trump also named Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and James Comey, suggesting they were all part of a coordinated plot. Trump went on to say that Obama was the “ringleader” and insisted that the alleged actions amounted to treason. No evidence has ever been produced to support these claims.
Trump then amplified another post that pushed an even wider conspiracy, alleging that countries like China and Iran, along with Italy, Merrill Lynch, the CIA, and the FBI, had worked with Obama to “install Biden as a puppet.” Again, there is no proof for any of these accusations. Still, Trump has repeatedly promoted conspiracy theories about U.S. elections for years, particularly those in 2016 and 2020, despite numerous investigations finding no evidence of widespread fraud.
Earlier that same day, the Federal Bureau of Investigation carried out a search warrant at an election office in Georgia. That development drew attention because Georgia is the state where Trump famously pressured the Republican secretary of state after the 2020 election, urging him during a phone call to “find” enough votes to overturn his loss.
Trump also used his posting spree to share claims that Walmart planned to close 250 stores in California because of the state’s minimum wage laws. The claim is false, but Trump presented it as fact while launching broader attacks on California and its Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, who is widely seen as a possible presidential candidate in 2028.
Newsom quickly responded through his press office on X, pushing back against Trump’s statements and calling out the misinformation. The exchange added to the growing political clash, coming at a time when many critics argue the president’s words should be focused on easing tensions rather than escalating them.
