No political event in the United States would be complete without the far-right passing around unhinged conspiracy theories online.
The first Presidential debate on Tuesday, September 29, was no exception. As the debate got closer and closer, conservatives on Twitter began spreading the completely unfounded rumor that Joe Biden was going to wear a special earpiece to feed him answer.
Even stranger, after the debate had finished, they began to claim that Joe Biden was wearing a high-tech contact lens that let him somehow cheat through the event.
@paulmuaddib61/Twitter
https://t.co/6JY891r279 #CNN DNC used this tech to put a teleprompter in Biden's eye. look at his gaze.— FairBegottenSon (@FairBegottenSon)1601437113.0
Twitter, meanwhile, was busy debunking the conspiracy theory about Biden wearing an earpiece.
#Biden Wrist clue solved. How about shirt? https://t.co/ijjlYfYbzZ— Katy Tolson (@Katy Tolson)1601477712.0
1) WHAT MIGHT THIS BE? I saw an image going around of Biden coughing into his left hand, w/cuff showing what most… https://t.co/QRnHqpbGlj— Corey Lynn - Corey's Digs (@Corey Lynn - Corey's Digs)1601449786.0
@CoreysDigs This is a screenshot of his son’s rosary he wears on his wrist. https://t.co/0j5aX3cxMx— Vallartagal (@Vallartagal)1601464896.0
Of course, many conservatives were too far gone to see the truth.
And there it is. #JoeWired https://t.co/bk1dkZ9gQo— James Woods (@James Woods)1601444584.0
Replay: The first 2020 presidential debate on CNN youtu.be
Thankfully, many people stepped in to on social media to share some common sense.
The Trump campaign is pushing unfounded conspiracies that Joe Biden has worn ear pieces at past debates and will be… https://t.co/1pVkjZRYdn— Kyle Griffin (@Kyle Griffin)1601406001.0
If you are so broken that you think Joe Biden has some microscopic ear piece and a steroid dealer than you're not d… https://t.co/RRo6ACBsDK— Ben Rhodes (@Ben Rhodes)1601404807.0
As the presidential debate nears tonight, we’ve got a new controversy: Eargate! https://t.co/5xYf6ioz9K— Clay Travis (@Clay Travis)1601402758.0
The wild, unfounded theories even generated their fair share of snark.
the latest scandal: joe biden has an ear https://t.co/Qe0MtDCrFw— fox 🦊🏳️🌈 (@fox 🦊🏳️🌈)1601399411.0
Man...the signal from Joe Biden's ear piece is really interfering with Chris Wallace's mic right now.— J. Hogan Gidley (@J. Hogan Gidley)1601427659.0
Before long, even Joe Biden himself was in on the joke!
It’s debate night, so I’ve got my earpiece and performance enhancers ready. https://t.co/EhOiWdjh1b— Joe Biden (@Joe Biden)1601421900.0
@JoeBiden The sad part is that many Republicans will claim that you just admitted it.— Mrs. Krassenstein (@Mrs. Krassenstein)1601421962.0
Somewhere —- Joe Biden is getting fitted with a Bionic ear for the debates 😂😌— PinkAboutIt ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (@PinkAboutIt ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️)1601330845.0
As much as conservatives might want to believe Joe Biden has some sort of high-tech help, in the eyes of many Americans, Biden doesn't have to cheat to make President Trump seem out of control.