Anatomy of a lie: James Talarico got the flu – sending rightwing midterm misinformation machine into overdrive
Claims that James Talarico suffered a mental health crisis spread across rightwing media, offering a warning about disinformation ahead of the US midterm election Where is James Talarico? The question ricocheted around rightwing echo chambers before metastasising into a conspiracy theory – and a reminder of the persistent danger of disinformation in the US midterm elections. The smear campaign began when Talarico…
Key points
- James Talarico, a Democratic US Senate candidate in Texas, was absent from public view for nine days due to the flu.
- Rightwing media and figures spread false claims that he had a mental health crisis and was in a treatment center.
- The claims were debunked when the Lindner Center of Hope said Talarico never received treatment there and he was seen in public.
James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for the US Senate in Texas, disappeared from public view for nine days, prompting a wave of false claims on rightwing media that he had suffered a mental health crisis. His campaign initially did not explain his absence, allowing the rumors to spread.
On 30 September, Talarico said in a video appearance that he had been diagnosed with the flu at an urgent care facility in Dallas and was still contagious. He has type 1 diabetes, which increases his risk of flu-related complications.
How the false claims spread
On 7 October, Donald Trump claimed without evidence at a San Antonio rally that Talarico was sick because he had been forced to eat meat. The same day, an X account tweeted without evidence that Talarico had a mental health crisis. On 8 October, Steve Bannon discussed the baseless claim on his podcast, and Ken Paxton, Talarico's Republican opponent, posted a 'Wanted' poster asking for 'proof of life.'
Rightwing outlets including RedState, the Daily Wire, and PJ Media amplified the false claims. Elon Musk posted that the Talarico campaign was hiding something big. On 11 October, influencer Nick Sortor shared an audio clip he said proved Talarico was discharged from a mental health center in Ohio.
It was a bit wild but a good reminder to all of us how sophisticated, effective and efficient the rightwing/ bot/Russian-generated misinformation-disinformation machine is.
— Reed Galen, former Republican strategist and co-founder of the Lincoln Project
Debunking and implications
The Bulwark obtained the full call, which showed the center had repeatedly denied any record of Talarico. The timeline also did not match, as Talarico was seen at events in Austin and Dallas. The Lindner Center of Hope posted that Talarico 'has never received treatment' from the facility. Talarico replied, 'I've never even been to Ohio.'
A spokesperson for Talarico called the claim 'a lie designed to promote a pathetic conspiracy theory' and said he had been recovering from the flu at home in Austin. Experts said the episode showed both the power and limits of disinformation. NewsGuard has identified 25 false claims about the midterms that went viral.
