Weaponizing Tragedy: Lies Spread After the New Orleans Terrorist Attack
Just hours into the new year, tragedy struck the United States. What is being investigated as a ISIS inspired terrorist attack in New Orleans claimed 15 lives and left 35 others injured. In the early hours of New Year’s Day, terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbara, drove at high speed through a crowd on Bourbon Street, taking innocent lives before being stopped. My heart goes out to the victims' families and the entire New Orleans community.
While the tragedy is gut-wrenching and attack infuriating, what’s equally disturbing is the immediate wave of disinformation that followed the attack. Instead of pausing to verify facts and focus on the victims, Trump, some Republican members of Congress, and far-right influencers seized the opportunity to push lies and dangerous narratives to deepen divisions and incite hate.
Trump and several elected officials were among the first to spread disinformation, falsely blaming “open borders” for the attack, despite border crossings being at their lowest levels in years. The terrorist, later identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbara, a Texas-born U.S. citizen and military veteran who served for over a decade, had no connection to illegal immigration. Yet, the lies persisted.
On X, a flood of baseless lies spread, including that the terrorist had crossed the border illegally days before the attack. Fox News briefly reported this but retracted it while Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene amplified it, “New Orleans terrorist attacker is said to have come across the border in Eagle Pass TWO DAYS AGO!!!”
Trump added fuel to the fire on Truth Social, saying, “When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true.” He continued, “The crime rate in our country is at a level that nobody has ever seen before,” before offering a disingenuous nod to the victims and police officers in New Orleans. Despite the facts, these posts remain online. If you relied solely on X for news, you’d believe the attacker was a terrorist who just crossed the border. The damage from these lies was already done.
It’s disheartening that these lies persist even after the facts have been reported. Instead of uniting against the evil and heartless attack, some exploited the tragedy to spread disinformation, deepen divisions, and create unnecessary confusion.
This also highlights a broader issue with social media platforms like X. Under Musk’s leadership, X incentivizes lies by paying influencers who profit from spreading lies and generating clicks. While Musk envisions X as a primary news source, it has intentionally been transformed into a platform for disinformation and propaganda, not truth. Imagine that—a platform that is a megaphone for domestic and foreign disinformation as a primary news source.
This disinformation isn’t just reckless—it’s dangerous. It poisons public discourse, distracts from real issues, and fractures our society at a time when unity is most needed. The fact that Trump and some Republicans continue to leave disinformation and lies online, despite the facts being clear, is outrageous. It offers yet another preview of the propaganda and disinformation that will only escalate when Trump returns to power this month. My concern is that, just like in Russia, Trump will use U.S. agencies to weaponize information, further eroding trust and manipulating the public for his political gain.
For live updates of the New Orleans attack