Trump official tried to ban half of US voting machines, citing conspiracy theories - Yahoo
yahoo.com
When conspiracy theories gain institutional power, they stop being fringe — this story shows how debunked election myths are being laundered into real policy through the machinery of the White House.
Motivated ReasoningEpistemic ClosureInstitutional LegitimacyConspiracy Theory Mainstreaming
Theory Briefing
- White House adviser Kurt Olsen pushed to ban half of all US voting machines based on widely debunked election-rigging claims.
- The plan illustrates how conspiracy theories, once inside government, gain legitimacy through institutional authority rather than evidence.
- Olsen was explicitly tasked by Trump to prove election fraud — a textbook case of motivated reasoning driving policy.