Green Party member U.S. Senate candidate for New Jersey, Christina Amira Khalil, sparked controversy when she suggested on social media that the recent earthquake in New York and New Jersey was caused by climate change. Khalil's theory quickly went viral, attracting millions of views and drawing criticism from prominent social media users.
Despite Khalil's assertion, the earthquake, which measured 4.8 magnitude and was felt across several northeastern U.S. states, was actually attributed to tectonic plates shifting along a fault line near New Jersey. This information was fact-checked and corrected by a 'Community Note'.
Following the backlash, Khalil deleted the post and set her social media account to 'protected' mode, limiting public access to her posts. Various individuals, including GOP Congressman Dan Crenshaw and conservative commentator Paul Szypula, mocked Khalil's statement, emphasizing the scientific explanation behind earthquakes.
Notable figures from the conservative sphere, such as 'Brick Suit' and 'The Rabbit Hole', also criticized Khalil's assertion, highlighting the disconnect between her climate change theory and the geological causes of earthquakes. The Babylon Bee Editor-In-Chief Kyle Mann even humorously remarked on the situation.
Despite the ridicule, Khalil responded to the criticism by acknowledging the attention she received, stating that she had upset 'a lot of bots'. However, she eventually removed the post and restricted access to her account in light of the negative feedback.
