Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

QAnon 'Lumber Truthers' Are Now Convinced That Biden Is Behind The Surge In Wood Prices

QAnon 'Lumber Truthers' Are Now Convinced That Biden Is Behind The Surge In Wood Prices
Theo Wargo/Getty Images for CARE; Kens Karpentry/YouTube

Right-wing crackpots and QAnon believers are at it again. This time their conspiracy theory centers on something more random than ever—lumber.

So-called "Lumber Truthers" have been going viral lately with accusations the lumber shortage being experienced in the U.S. is the result of artificial market manipulation, on the basis several right-wingers have seen large supplies of lumber sitting idle in train yards.


So a whole new conspiracy theory says Democratic President Joe Biden is creating a lumber price surge.

The story is proliferated by people like the owner of the Ken's Karpentry YouTube page in videos like the one below.

youtu.be

Prices for lumber have tripled in recent months as pandemic-related production slowdowns collide with surging demand for new housing and home improvement projects.

It's a pretty simple supply-and-demand equation. But for the conspiracy-inclined, the sight of lumber supplies sitting in rail yards awaiting delivery spells a sinister scheme to crush access to the American Dream.

The theory has resulted in far-right Republicans and QAnon devotees staking out rail yards and other supply chain modes of transportation to film stacks of lumber as "proof" of chicanery, much like the "Film Your Hospital" movement sought to prove the pandemic was being faked last year.

As the man in the Ken's Karpentry video put it:

"I'm just astounded at how much lumber is here, and I'm wondering why there's such a problem at the lumber yard. We're still seeing the prices increase at the lumber yards, so I'm not sure why."

But other voices, like a poster on a hugely popular QAnon forum, have been more bluntly alarmist:

"There are a LOT of these type vids showing the BS narrative of Lumber shortages. Nothing short of market manipulation to drive up prices, most notably homes. Why Homes? Part of the American dream is to buy a house."

And others blamed the shortage on a diabolical plan by President Biden himself, as a narrator of another video about the conspiracy claimed:

"So Joe Biden says there's a shortage of lumber, and that's why the price at Home Depot is so high on 2x4's and such?"

If none of this makes any sense to you, you're not alone.

People on social media have doubts.










In addition to simple market—and pandemic—related forces, the supply of available wood has also been curtailed by bark beetle infestations and wildfires, especially in Canada, the largest exporter of lumber to the United States.

Maybe Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is on in this conspiracy too.

More from Trending

Brad Pitt
Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images

Brad Pitt Opens Up About Going To Alcoholics Anonymous Amid 'Difficult' Split From Angelina Jolie

In 2016, actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt officially separated after 12 years together, with two of those years spent as husband and wife.

The split came after an inflight incident that forced the private plane Pitt, Jolie, and their children were traveling on to make an unscheduled landing and prompted an FBI investigation. Pitt later shared that he was struggling with an alcohol addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sir Rod Stewart; Donald Trump
Ethan Miller/Getty Images; Carlos Barria - Pool/Getty Images

Rod Stewart Explains Why He's No Longer Friends With Trump In Blistering Interview

Singer Sir Rod Stewart and MAGA Republican President Donald Trump might seem like an odd pairing, but the two were once good friends, according to the Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.

And they actually have several things in common.

Keep ReadingShow less
Thomas Massie; Donald Trump
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Suzanne Plunkett/Pool/Getty Images

GOP Rep. Offers Snarky Clapback After Trump Kicks Him Out Of MAGA For Criticizing Iran Attack

Kentucky Republican Representative Massie offered a snarky response after President Donald Trump said "MAGA doesn't want him" following Massie's criticism of Trump's unilateral decision to bomb Iran and the spending package presented in the "Big Beautiful Bill."

Massie spoke out following Trump's decision to authorize a series of intense U.S. air and submarine strikes targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities, amid ongoing uncertainty about the status of Tehran’s nuclear program. The threat of a wider conflict in the Middle East is on everyone's minds as tensions between Iran and Israel—now openly aided by the U.S.—intensify.

Keep ReadingShow less
Las Vegas sign
welcome to fabulous las vegas nevada signage

People Reveal The Times 'What Happens In Vegas' Did Not Stay In Vegas

"What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas"...

The age-old slogan encourages visitors to put their fears and inhibitions to the side while indulging in all that "Sin City" has to offer.

Keep ReadingShow less
Marjorie Taylor Greene; Donald Trump
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

MTG Goes Off On Trump Over Iran Attack—And Warns Of What Could Happen Next

Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized President Donald Trump in a lengthy post on X following his unilateral decision to bomb Iran over the weekend.

Greene is one of the most devout MAGA adherents in Congress, so her policy split is rare but shows just how deeply Trump has angered his own base since he authorized a series of intense U.S. air and submarine strikes targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities, amid ongoing uncertainty about the status of Tehran’s nuclear program

Keep ReadingShow less