December 22, 2023 | NPR
Conspiracy theories and violent rhetoric following Colorado ballot ruling on Trump
ISD’s Head of Threat Analysis and Prevention, Katherine Keneally, spoke with NPR about online reactions to the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision disqualifying Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot. She detailed the diverse reactions among Trump supporters, including violent rhetoric and conspiracy theories, alongside a prevailing sense of indifference where many believe that the US Supreme Court will ultimately overturn the decision, highlighting that the most violent responses were observed on alt-tech platforms such as Gab, Truth Social and Patriots.win.
Katherine noted that this environment is not exclusive to the Colorado decision but rather aligns with a wider trend: “Each incident, each indictment of former President Trump, every negative development that’s related to him, every time even something happens with President Biden or the Democratic Party, where people think that the Bidens have gotten away with it, has contributed to this environment [where his supporters think] that the current government is out to get supporters of Trump.”
In her interview on NPR’s Up First podcast, Katherine further shared that she’s observed a sense of indifference among these communities: “We did also see a large number of people post statements that they weren’t concerned because they believed the [US] Supreme Court is going to shoot it down anyways.”
The interview is available to read on NPR’s website and in NPR’s Up First podcast.