After Graham’s death and McConnell’s absence, conspiracy theories abound

Senator Lindsey Graham, left, speaks with Senator Mitch McConnell at the US Capitol on 20 July 2022. Photograph: Michael Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Senator Lindsey Graham, left, speaks with Senator Mitch McConnell at the US Capitol on 20 July 2022. Photograph: Michael Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images Analysis After Graham’s death and McConnell’s absence, conspiracy theories abound Rachel Leingang A collision of online conspiracy theories came for two of the most powerful Republicans in the Senate in recent days It was Russia. It was Israel. Could it have been Iran? Or maybe it was a Covid-19 booster. What about the Clintons? After US senator Lindsey Graham died suddenly over the weekend from what a preliminary medical examiner report said was an aortic dissection, conspiracy theories spread quickly claiming – without evidence – that any number of foreign adversaries or other frequent conspiracy subjects might have orchestrated the Republican’s death. Trump cast doubt on any foul play on Tuesday, saying he wasn’t sure why the FBI would be at Graham’s house. Graham had had heart problems and said an aortic dissection is difficult to detect in advance, the president noted. “I know there’s all sort of conspiracy theories,” Trump, himself a steady purveyor of conspiracies , from false stolen election claims to birtherism, told reporters on Tuesday. “I think the FBI is wasting their time.” The tactic of spreading rumors – incentivized by social media platforms and creators who make money on them – often comes alongside significant political events, especially high-profile deaths or health issues. View image in fullscreen Senator Lindsey Graham during an interview in his Capitol Hill office in 2009. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP In recent days, a collision of online conspiracy theories came for two of the most powerful Republicans in the US Senate, with commentators on the right more strongly questioning Graham’s death while a cross-partisan group probed official narratives around Mitch McConnell’s health. Trust in institutions, including politicians and the media, has fallen steadily, while trust in the government is at one of its lowest points in seven decades, Pew Research found in a 2025 survey. People frequently get their news from sources that confirm their worldviews. Such conspiracies are popular among rightwing influencers, some of whom have called into question the assassination attempts against Trump, including the one in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the president’s ear was injured. Some have also repeatedly cast doubt on the assassination of rightwing commentator Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed at a university event in Utah. His alleged killer is now on trial. Joseph Uscinski, a political science professor at the University of Miami who studies conspiracy theories, published a paper in 2022 that found no evidence that conspiracy theories were on the rise. In polling he has done since then, the amount of conspiracies has rem