It didn’t take much to put a part back into the machine. The broadcast of figures presented as the results of the election in Pennsylvania by a television channel on Sunday evening is interpreted by pro-Trump people as a sign of a conspiracy.
The “results” appeared at the bottom of viewers’ screens for the Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix, broadcast on WNEP-TV. The American channel, a subsidiary of the ABC group, then indicates that Kamala Harris came in first with 52% of the votes ahead of Donald Trump. The figures broadcast by the channel also indicated that Democratic voter David McCormick had won over his Republican rival Bob Casey in this state in the northeast of the United States.
The images were quickly and massively shared by supporters of Donald Trump, who see them as further proof that the November 5 election will be rigged. On Similar publications were also shared by French-speaking Internet users.
The channel regrets “an error”
Faced with numerous reactions with conspiratorial overtones, the channel was forced to apologize and provide explanations. “The numbers displayed on the screen were randomly generated test results sent to help news organizations ensure their equipment is working properly before election night,” WNEP-TV said in a statement on its website. Internet, which strives to remind that “these figures do not reflect the actual count of votes”.
The media also reminds that Pennsylvania law prohibits removing mail-in ballots from their envelopes before 7 a.m. on election day. As the press release also specifies: “No votes will be counted in Pennsylvania before the polls close at 8 p.m. » The channel says it “regrets” this error and apologizes “for any confusion”.
Conspiracy as political discourse
It must be said that this blunder could hardly have come at a worse time. The state of Pennsylvania is in fact one of the seven “swing states” in this election. These key states whose voting is particularly unpredictable and which therefore represent an important issue are particularly scrutinized by the Democratic and Republican camps.
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But above all, the reactions of the former president’s electorate are symptomatic of a strategy maintained by Donald Trump, who is preparing the music of a stolen election. The numerous false information which the latter has made his trademark thus prepare the ground in the event of defeat, which could only be the sign of “theft” by the Democrats. A speech that mirrors the one that Donald Trump adopted to justify his defeat during the previous election in 2020, and which notably resulted in the assault on the Capitol by his supporters.