Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr. amplified claims of election fraud, analysis shows

ABC "News" / Disney ^ | November 18, 2020 | By Catherine Sanz (D-ABC)

[Oldeconomybuyer]

False and misleading election-related claims, already running rampant on social media in the wake of this year's race, were given an exponential boost in exposure after they were shared by Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, a new analysis commissioned by ABC News has found.

The eldest sons of President Donald Trump repeatedly disseminated unfounded allegations around the improper handling of ballots, including that they were burned or stolen, by sharing videos or pictures of the baseless allegations on social media, according to Storyful, the social media intelligence agency that conducted the analysis.

The brothers, who have over 10 million followers combined on Twitter alone, also shared content that claimed dead voters cast ballots or that ballot counters were illegally changing ballots, the study found. There is no evidence to support any of these claims.

Despite the allegations being debunked immediately by election officials and law enforcement, the brothers did not remove or delete their posts or shares. The analysis looked at six videos, which were either directly shared or referenced in posts by Don Jr and Eric.

The brothers were not alone in sharing dubious election-related content. The president, members of his campaign and a number of other prominent supporters also frequently shared misleading content intended to create the impression of widespread voter fraud.

Dannagal Young, a political psychologist and associate professor at the University of Delaware, said the rhetoric of "elites," meaning politicians and others in power, is a potent tool to sway popular opinion.

"The rhetoric of those individuals is so so powerful because, again, their status serves as a cue," she told ABC News. "And if we are not going to exhaustively engage with the content of the arguments or the information presented, the cue from their status is all we need to guide us."

[Oldeconomybuyer]

DANNAGAL YOUNG

Associate Professor, Communication

Areas of Expertise

- Research interests include political satire, political media effects, public opinion and the psychology of political humor.

- Studies the intersection of entertainment and information, including the effects of shows like "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report."

- Scholarly work has explored late-night comedy as a gateway to traditional news and political participation among viewers of late-night comedy.

- Young's research interests are rooted in her own comedic talents; she performs monthly with a Philadelphia-based improv comedy troupe.

[fatman6502002]

Why post this obvious BS fake news?

[Maris Crane]

“amplified” does not mean manufactured.

Keep living in your manufactured world, dearie, the truth will not only set you free...it will improve your outlook on life.

[sauropod]

So a comic denigrates the Trumps and tries to delegitamize the use of the term ‘elites.’

No bias here, no sirree!

[Travis McGee]

[ronnie raygun]

Another dirtbag commie, what else is new

[Ciaphas Cain]

False and misleading election-related claims

They sure are using the "false claims" terminology. It's almost like a coordinated effort.

Can you imagine if this situation was turned around and if the Democrats were the ones coming up with evidence of vote fraud?

[poconopundit]

Why post this obvious BS fake news?

* * * *

No, painful as it sometimes is, we need to know how the Fake News is manipulating the public.

Liars, everyone of them, to the depths of their souls.

[poconopundit]

Good one, Travis. Keep the memes coming.

[mylife]

NEWS FLASH!!!!

OBAMA BLOWS BIDENS HORN!!!!

[Da Coyote]

“Analysis shows”?
Modern media hacks can spell the word.
That’s all.
The one benefit of the media as it now exists is that it does allow almost anyone to feel superior to those poor uneducated, non thinking, little people.

[Pollard]

Maybe abc should try analyzing the election fraud instead

[HighSierra5]

So ABC News/Disney is a Micky Mouse operation?

[bray]

Remember when reporters would investigate corruption like vote fraud? Neither do I.

[Junk Silver]

[entropy12]

This poster, oldeconmybuyer, specializes in posting garbage articles from AP which are anti-Trump. I am shocked he has not banned here.

[fatman6502002]

I think everyone here knows that. No need to keep kicking a dead dog. Also the poster is obviously a marxist Democrat far left infiltrator, likely a bot of some sort.

[fatman6502002]

I figured another infiltrator.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Good morning newbie.

[cuban leaf]

I actually use the phrase, “let me amplify” a lot. To me it means restating something true to show that it is more important than some think.