The flood of conspiracy theories and rumors following the severe weather in the South is sparking concerns that political figures’ embrace of misinformation is just the beginning as the general election draws closer.

The spread of falsehoods about Hurricanes Helene and Milton and the government’s response may signal misinformation is likely to persist in the weeks leading up to and after the November election, experts said.

The storm devastation in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina captured the attention of Americans across the country this month. With that spotlight came a deluge of false claims and conspiracy theories about the extreme weather and recovery efforts.

Former President Trump helped fuel a storm of misinformation this month when he baselessly claimed the government purposely withheld aid from Republican hurricane victims. He went on to allege without evidence that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) redirected relief funds to migrants and attacked the Biden administration.

The uptick in misinformation just weeks ahead of the election is no coincidence, misinformation experts suggested.

“It’s no accident that we’re seeing a lot of misinformation now just because we’re a month from the election people are expecting to be very close, and so candidates are using everything they can to try and sway those undecided voters,” Darrell West, vice president and director of governance studies at the Brookings Institution, told The Hill.

Voters and election watchers were already attuned to the potential for misinformation given long-lasting falsehoods over the 2020 election and efforts by foreign adversaries to influence this year’s race.

The persistent concerns come as Trump — the Republican presidential nominee — continues to baselessly claim the 2020 election was fraudulently decided in........

© The Hill