Misinformation and fake news have been a staple of Donald Trump's presidential campaigns since his first go around back in 2016. But the 2024 election cycle seems poised to take the strategy to new heights. A good example has been the spread of false claims about Kamala Harris's communist affiliation, which has spiked across social media since Trump called her "a Marxist" during their first debate.
Misinformation from the Trump camp has been most rampant when it comes to immigration, a hot topic which many analysts consider could be his winning issue come November. Jury, however, is still out on the positive impact of fake news regarding immigrants. Voices like Marco Rubio, have recently come out to question the strategy, arguing that the "cats and dogs thing" , as he called it, has taken the spotlight away from other cases in which high levels of immigration in small cities has unsettled residents.
The effect of this kind of rhetoric is the backbone of a new study by KFF Health Misinformation Tracking Poll which, among many findings, revealed that nearly 4 out of 10 (36%) say that the way former President Trump talks about immigrants has negatively affected the way they are treated and, therefore, their wellbeing. Few (7%) say the same about Vice President Harris' rhetoric, while about one in five (21%) say that her rhetoric has had a positive effect.
Overall, the poll found that 80% of the public had heard the false claim that immigrants are responsible for rising violent crime, and 74% had encountered the claim that immigrants are taking jobs and increasing unemployment for U.S.-born individuals. Approximately one in five respondents believed these claims to be "definitely true," while the rest were divided between "probably true" (28%) and "probably false" (28%).
Perception is also, as expected, quite divided when taking into account partisan opinions. For example, about four in ten (45%) Republicans say it is "definitely true" that immigrants are causing an increase in violent crime in the U.S., whereas a similar share (39%) of Democrats say this claim is "definitely false."
The poll also highlighted confusion about immigrant eligibility for federal benefits. Roughly half of the general public and immigrants were unaware that undocumented immigrants are ineligible for federally funded health insurance programs. Similarly, many were unclear about when most immigrants become eligible for Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid, which generally requires five years of residency for legal immigrants.
When considering the outcome of the upcoming election, a narrow majority (55%) of immigrants said they would be better off if Harris won, compared to 19% who favored Trump. A quarter of immigrants said the election results would not affect their lives significantly.
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