Conspiracy theories

Saturday 17th July, 2021

The US is a land of conspiracy theories just like this pandemic-hit isle, where conspiracy theorists ‘see more devils than vast hell can hold’. A wag says that luckily Isaac Newton was neither American nor Sri Lankan; otherwise, upon being bonked on the head by that epoch-making apple, he would have run away as fast as his legs could carry him, and concocted a conspiracy theory, and the theory of gravitation would not have come about. One of the old conspiracy theories in the US is about a clandestine meeting an American president allegedly had with aliens, of all creatures. The latest one, however, is not about extraterrestrials landing in the US; instead, it is about a frustrated earthling––an American president with an outlandish hairstyle planning to catapult himself to the White House. During the past few weeks, there have been numerous media reports about this conspiracy theory.

Those who sought to banish President Donald J. Trump from politics by thwarting his determined effort to secure another term must be really disappointed. Their efforts to foreclose another re-election attempt by him went pear-shaped. They failed to have him impeached, after his defeat, for his alleged involvement in the Capitol Hill riot. It was obvious that he incited the insurrection with incendiary speeches, which were understood as a call to arms, but his opponents’ hopes were dashed when the Republican Senators did not deliver a supermajority for the prosecution, in February. Thus, Trump can run for President again in 2024 if he so chooses. Trouble for the Democrats and their supporters has already begun. Trump is trying to come in from the cold if his controversial public statements are any indication.

Trump, who once embarked on a quixotic campaign against ‘fake news’, and did a great deal of tilting at windmills, is making various unsubstantiated claims including the ones about a vote fraud, and police excesses during the Capitol Hill clashes.

Perhaps, what is of greater interest than anything else is a conspiracy theory being propagated by the Trump supporters. It is being claimed that Trump will be reinstated as the US President next month. Preposterous as this claim may sound, it has caused concern even among those in the US security establishment. John Cohen, a top counterterrorism official of the Department of Homeland Security is reported to have told the House Committee on Homeland Security that the conspiracy theory has caused concerns to his institution.

It was predicted months before the last US presidential election that Trump would reject the polls results and try to cling on to power. Not many took that prediction seriously as they thought such a course of action would not be possible vis-à-vis the robust American systems. But what was feared came to pass. Nothing is said to be so certain as the unexpected in politics.

Nobody will be able to get inside Trump’s elusive mind, and one may not know whether he is actually planning an early comeback, as claimed by some conspiracy theorists. But there is a strong possibility of Trump entering the presidential fray in 2024. He seems to be trying to remain relevant in politics until such time by making controversial statements lest the media and his supporters should forget him. There is a precedent he can follow. He can emulate Stephen Grover Cleveland, the only US President to serve two non-consecutive terms; the latter was the 22nd and 24th President (from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897). Cleveland defeated his successor, Benjamin Harrison (Republican) to secure his second term. Trump is likely to have someone other than incumbent President Joe Biden, 78, as the contender in case he decides to run for President again.

Trump has not ceased to be a problem despite being out of power. The Americans who engineered his defeat and danced in the streets, some moons ago, must now be having the same intrusive thoughts as the yahapalana activists following the 2015 regime change here.