Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks claimed nearly 3,000 lives, the conspiracy theories born from that trauma have not receded into the margins of American life — they have migrated to its center. What was once the province of isolated online communities has become a political instrument wielded by figures of enormous influence, from former presidents to prime-time broadcasters. The erosion of institutional trust, accelerated by documented government deception and the architecture of social media, created the conditions for this transformation. The deeper question now is not wheth
9/11 Conspiracy Theories Weaponized by Mainstream US Politicians
Some conspiracy theorists are among the most powerful people in the world.
Mark
Why does 9/11 specifically seem to generate so many competing theories? Isn't the basic sequence of events well-documented?
Mimi
It was documented, yes—but it was also televised live, which created something different. People watched it happen in real time, and that real-time coverage created space for people to spot what they thought were inconsistencies. The internet was just emerging then, so people could debate those perceived gaps with each other instantly. That's a new condition.
Luke
But plenty of major events are televised. What made 9/11 different?
Mimi
The scale of fear and uncertainty it created. And then the government lied about what came after—the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, for instance. Once people lose trust, they start reinterpreting the original event through that lens of distrust.
Mark
So the conspiracy theories aren't really about 9/11 itself anymore. They're about something else.
Mimi
They become a language for expressing deeper anxieties about power and who controls information. That's why they mutate so easily. The theories shift to match whatever the current political anger is.
Luke
The article mentions new claims about Israel and 9/11 gaining traction now. But it says those claims are "unsupported." How much evidence is actually being presented for any of these theories?
Mimi
That's the point—there isn't evidence. That's what makes it conspiracy theory rather than investigation. But the lack of evidence doesn't stop influential people from repeating the claims.
Mark
So when Tucker Carlson says these things on air, does he believe them, or is he using them strategically?
Luke
The article doesn't tell us his internal state. It shows what he said and notes the claims are unsupported. We don't know his motivation.
Mimi
What matters is the effect, though. When someone with his platform says it, people listen. The distinction between belief and strategy becomes less important than the amplification.
Mark
Is there any mechanism to stop this, or does it just keep spreading?
Luke
The article doesn't offer solutions. It documents the problem and notes that experts see it as a heightened threat when powerful people promote these theories. But it doesn't say what can actually be done about it.
The Pulse
- Conspiracy theories about 9/11 — once confined to fringe websites and low-budget films — now circulate through the most influential media and political channels in the United States.
- Government lies about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, combined with the algorithmic reach of platforms like YouTube, corroded public trust and gave false narratives an unprecedented audience.
- Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Laura Loomer have each promoted versions of 9/11 conspiracies, lending them the legitimacy of mainstream political endorsement.
- A new wave of theories implicating Israel in the attacks has gained traction, exploiting anger over the war in Gaza to redirect genuine political grievance into demonstrably false claims.
- The January 6 Capitol assault demonstrated that conspiratorial narratives promoted by powerful actors can translate directly into real-world political violence.
- Experts warn the danger is no longer the existence of conspiracy theories — it is the institutional power now standing behind them.
Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks claimed nearly 3,000 lives, the conspiracy theories born from that trauma have not receded into the margins of American life — they have migrated to its center. What was once the province of isolated online communities has become a political instrument wielded by figures of enormous influence, from former presidents to prime-time broadcasters. The erosion of institutional trust, accelerated by documented government deception and the architecture of social media, created the conditions for this transformation. The deeper question now is not whether false narratives will persist, but what a democracy risks when its most powerful actors choose to amplify them.
A quarter century after September 11, the conspiracy theories it generated have not faded. They have moved into the center of American political life, repeated by major media figures and amplified by politicians at the highest levels of power.
The conditions for this shift built slowly. The attacks unfolded live on television, creating a spectacle of global scale. The fear that followed was compounded by government deception — most consequentially, the false claims about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction that justified the 2003 invasion. Those lies corroded institutional trust, and distrust, experts note, correlates directly with belief in conspiracy theories. Meanwhile, the internet was reshaping how information spread. Films like 'Loose Change,' alleging government complicity in the attacks, reached vast audiences on YouTube. Online communities coalesced around claims of controlled demolition and shadowy orchestration.
The decisive turn came in 2016. Donald Trump, who had already built political capital through the 'birther' conspiracy against Barack Obama, campaigned for president while embracing conspiratorial frameworks — the 'deep state,' QAnon, and allegations of systemic fraud. Social media created a feedback loop: politicians repeated the theories, lending them visibility and apparent legitimacy, drawing more believers in. The consequences became concrete on January 6, 2021, when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, QAnon imagery visible among them, acting on claims of stolen elections that had been amplified from the very top of American power.
The 9/11 theories themselves have continued to mutate. Trump has claimed, without corroboration, to have witnessed thousands cheering the towers' fall in New Jersey. Marjorie Taylor Greene questioned whether a plane struck the Pentagon before later walking the claim back. Tucker Carlson has repeatedly cast doubt on the official account of the towers' collapse. More recently, a new strain has emerged: claims that Israel had foreknowledge of the attacks or helped orchestrate them. Carlson has promoted this theory, and it has found an audience among conspiratorial elements of Trump's base, particularly as American support for Israel has declined amid the war in Gaza.
Experts warn the threat has intensified not because conspiracy theories are new — they are not — but because those promoting them are no longer marginal figures. The question facing American democracy is what becomes of institutions when the people entrusted to defend them choose instead to undermine them with deliberate falsehood.
A quarter century after two planes struck the World Trade Center, killing nearly 3,000 people, the conspiracy theories born from that day have not faded into obscurity. They have instead moved into the center of American political life, amplified by social media platforms, repeated by major media figures, and weaponized by politicians at the highest levels of power.
Search YouTube for "9/11 conspiracy theories" and the results are staggering in volume and reach. Videos alleging the attacks were an "inside job" accumulate hundreds of thousands of views. Commentators like Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson offer their interpretations alongside endless claims blaming the CIA, the "deep state," or shadowy international actors. This was not always the case. Before 2016, when Oxford Dictionaries named "post-truth" its word of the year, conspiracy theories occupied the margins of political discourse—the province of isolated believers trading theories online. What changed was not the theories themselves, but who began promoting them.
The conditions for this shift had been building for years. The attacks themselves unfolded live on television, creating a spectacle of unprecedented scale witnessed in real time across the globe. The uncertainty and fear that followed were compounded by government lies. Less than a month after September 11, the United States invaded Afghanistan. In March 2003, a U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq based on claims that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction—claims later proven false. These lies corroded public trust in institutions. As one expert noted, lying creates distrust, and distrust correlates directly with belief in conspiracy theories. Simultaneously, the internet was transforming how people consumed information. YouTube, launched just four years after the attacks, became a platform where films like "Loose Change"—which alleged the government orchestrated or permitted the attacks—reached enormous audiences. Online communities formed around false claims that the towers had been brought down through controlled demolition.
The decisive moment came in 2016, when Donald Trump campaigned for president. Trump had already built political capital by promoting the false "birther" conspiracy theory about Barack Obama. Once in office, he repeatedly embraced and amplified other conspiratorial claims—allegations of a "deep state" working against him, accounts linked to QAnon, the far-right conspiracy movement that emerged in 2017. Trump's appeal to people who believed these theories activated a new voter base of traditionally disengaged citizens. Social media accelerated the effect. The platforms allowed conspiracy theories to spread at unprecedented speed and scale, creating a feedback loop: politicians repeated the theories, giving them visibility and apparent legitimacy, which caused more people to take them seriously.
The consequences became tangible on January 6, 2021. Trump's supporters, claiming without evidence that widespread election fraud had cost him the 2020 election, stormed the U.S. Capitol as Congress met to certify Joe Biden's victory. QAnon imagery and slogans were visible among those who entered the building. Conspiratorial claims circulating online had been amplified by the most powerful political actors and had fueled real-world political violence.
Today, 9/11 conspiracy theories continue to mutate with the political moment. Trump has inserted himself into the narrative of the attacks, claiming firefighters carried him away from Ground Zero during rescue efforts—a story disputed by those present. In 2015, he claimed to have witnessed "thousands and thousands" of people in Jersey City cheering as the towers fell; no evidence supports this account. Members of his political orbit have pushed their own versions. Republican former congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene questioned whether a plane had actually struck the Pentagon, killing nearly 200 people; she later acknowledged the claim was wrong. Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and Trump ally, has shared videos describing 9/11 as an "inside job." Tucker Carlson, one of the most influential voices on the American right, has repeatedly questioned the official explanation for the towers' collapse.
More recently, a new strain of 9/11 conspiracy theories has gained traction: claims that Israel had foreknowledge of the attacks or was involved in orchestrating them. Carlson has promoted these theories, arguing that Israel may have withheld information to draw the United States into Middle Eastern conflicts. The claims are unsupported. But they have found an audience among the conspiratorial elements of Trump's base, particularly as American support for Israel has declined sharply amid the war in Gaza. What began as fringe speculation has become a tool for channeling genuine political grievances into false narratives.
Experts warn that the threat posed by conspiracy theories has intensified precisely because those promoting them are no longer isolated figures on the margins. Some of the most powerful people in the world now traffic in them. The question is no longer whether conspiracy theories exist—they always have. The question is what happens when politicians at the highest levels of government use them as weapons.
Notable Quotes
Lying creates distrust, and there is a correlation between distrust and belief in conspiracy theories.— Hugo Drochon, associate professor of political theory at the University of Nottingham
Conspiracy theories have always represented a potential threat, but at the moment that threat is particularly visible because the people promoting them are no longer simply on the fringes.— Hugo Drochon
Want the full story?
Read the original at Al Jazeera ↗
War & Conflict