Historian and political scientist Allan Lichtman stated on NewsNation’s *Cuomo* Tuesday
that his prediction of Vice President Harris winning the presidency was impacted by conservative media disinformation and Elon Musk's influence.
Lichtman explained, “I mentioned that unexpected events could disrupt historical trends, and that’s exactly what happened here.”
He continued, “First, disinformation has reached unprecedented levels. While misinformation has always existed, it has now exploded. Much of the current grievances were fueled by conservative media, including Fox News and popular conservative podcasters with millions of followers. What’s new this time is Elon Musk’s involvement—using his $300 billion influence through his platform, X (formerly Twitter), to sway public opinion. Reports indicate that his misinformation has reached billions of views.”
Lichtman added, “And you know, as scholars have shown, once you dissolve truth, democracy dissolves along with it, the way authoritarian takes hold, and it’s taking hold all over the world, not just here, is not through force, but through the manipulation of information, as George Orwell warned in 1984 you know, in that dictatorship, war is peace, famine is plenty.”