The U.S. Army controlling the weather to steal elections? Conspiracy theorists are serious.
Despite advertising herself as an investigative journalist, some still choose to listen to self-confessed white nationalist and Islamophobe Laura Loomer, who appears convinced the so-called 'Deep State' is trying to rig the Iowa Caucus using snow.
The conspiracy—and it is nothing more than that—centers around the idea that the American military is capable of causing severe weather events, even disasters, at will.
Some of the theory's subscribers believe it is used to simulate the events of climate change in order for states to one day impose restrictions on the public.
"Is the Deep State activating HAARP to disrupt the Iowa Caucus?" Loomer wrote on X, formerly Twitter. HAARP—a high-power radio transmitter—is now based in Alaska under the jurisdiction of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The university says the project is there to study part of the Earth's atmosphere. It was set up in 1993 and funded by the U.S. military until 2014. "We all know @NikkiHaley has a lot of friends in the defense industry and Military industrial complex. She's losing in Iowa, and now Iowa is set to get hit with a ONCE IN A DECADE blizzard as Donald Trump is set to dominate the Iowa Caucus."
Loomer was praised by Trump in August last year despite her views, which include misnomers about the tragic Parkland shooting in her home state. She has also called herself a "proud Islamophobe" and stated Islam was a "cancer on humanity."
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley is up against Donald Trump in the Iowa caucus, which begins January 15. The former president is currently significantly ahead in the polls preceding the Iowa vote.
Loomer's comments were mocked online. One person wrote: "I'm worried this HAARP attack on the Iowa caucus is going to delay my flights to Florida today! Damn you military industrial complex!"
Another person joked: "Pre-order your 'Iowa was rigged by HAArp' NFT's now!"
Even former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis weighed into the online discussion, ridiculing the theory.
"I realize it's 2024 and I need to up my game," she said. "But I still did not have Haley controlling the weather as an actual defense for Trump performing poorly on my Bingo card."
Ellis was named as a co-defendant in the Georgia election racketeering case and took a plea deal. Trump denies the charges, which were made under Georgia's anti-racketeering (RICO) law and relate to alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Temperatures well below freezing are set to meet voters in Iowa when polls open with possible record-breaking temperatures for the caucuses in the Centennial State. The 2004 record saw temperatures go as low as 16 degrees Fahrenheit, or nearly -9 Celsius.
The weather forecast for next week has temperatures potentially dropping to zero degrees Fahrenheit, causing extreme cold equivalent to -17 Celsius. The "arctic cold" is coming to Iowa, the National Weather Service (NWS) forecast.
How Loomer thinks such cold weather, despite the heightened possibility of a low turnout, will dramatically affect voting with such a significant lead for Trump is unclear.
Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann told the Des Moines Register he thinks turnout will still be good, despite the conditions.
"Weather could prevent a record-breaking turnout, into a great turnout," he said. "But you know, it remains to be seen. We don't really have any metrics to guide that."
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Benjamin Lynch is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is U.S. politics and national affairs and he ... Read more
