Commenting on the White House response to the news of Senator John McCain’s death, University lecturer Julian de Medeiros, said ‘this brings once again into the centre how mainstream conspiratorial hate speech has become in America.
‘Much has been made of the Trump administration’s bungled response to the news of Senator John McCain’s death on the 25th of August 2018. But what has been less observed is how Trump’s indifference provides a cover for alt-right hatemongering against McCain.
‘In the comment sections of websites such as ‘Zero-Hedge’ and Infowars, readers joyfully celebrated the news of the Senator’s death. McCain features as a key villain in the alt-right conspiratorial imagination.
‘Known as an outspoken critic of the Trump administration, McCain has been consistently vilified online in terms too vile to bear repeating. In general terms, the online accusations revolve around his criticism of Russia and meddling in US elections. For many this is a sign of McCain’s conspiratorial intent, to incite a war with Russia. Often these accusations are accompanied by anti-Semitic statements and other forms of hate speech.
‘In Trump’s relative silence on McCain’s death, the President sends a signal of affirmation to precisely this part of his base, tacitly endorsing their paranoid accusations. Refusing to celebrate McCain’s life in all but the most flaccid of terms, Trump acquiesces to whose who would have the Senator be an anti-Russian war-mongerer, a Jewish lobbyist, or even a foreign conspirator. This is no mere ‘imperial indifference’ on behalf of the President, but a tacit embrace of the extreme forms of political antagonism that fuels the commitment of his followers.
‘By remaining relatively silent on McCain’s death, Trump sends a signal to these deranged fringes, suggesting to them that he too ‘knows the truth’ about McCain. This does not just erode the norms of political discourse, but brings once again into the centre, how mainstream conspiratorial hate speech has become in America.’
Julian de Medeiros, School of Politics and International Relations, is a seasoned commentator on Post-Truth politics in the US and Turkey. His writing has appeared frequently in OpenDemocracy and Research Turkey. His next book is titled ‘Conspiracy Theory in Turkey: Democracy, Protest, and Post-Truth.’ He is also writing a book on Post-Truth Politics in America for McGil Queens UP. He is a native of Massachusetts and resides in London. He holds an MA degree in North American and British Cultural Studies from the University of Freiburg, Germany, and is expected to receive his PhD in Comparative Politics from the University of Kent in 2018.
The University’s Press Office provides the media with expert comments in response to topical news events. Colleagues who would like to learn more about how to contribute their expertise or how the service works should contact the Press Office on 3985 or pressoffice@kent.ac.uk