After fueling Capitol riot, disinformation stalks US politics

A file photo of Trump supporters climbing the west wall of the the US Capitol on Jan 6, 2021, in Washington. False information about elections is not new but social media, which thrives on polarisation, offers a place for it to spread, and for people who believe it to organise and wreak havoc. — AP

WASHINGTON: The storming of the US Capitol pushed social media platforms to crack down on those who peddled the “stolen election” claim that drove it, but the narrative has survived and flourished online, in right-wing media and among Republican politicians.

Donald Trump’s supporters acted on the baseless allegation that widespread vote-rigging robbed him of victory in the 2020 presidential election, with the Jan 6, 2021 violence ultimately leading Twitter and Facebook to suspend his accounts.