EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump Virus Conspiracy Insanity — Rabid Red-Pillers Brand Hantavirus and Ebola Outbreaks 'Biological Weapons' Designed to 'Annihilate' Prez in Midterm Elections
Donald Trump is at the center of a fresh wave of online virus conspiracy theories amid recent Hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks.
May 20 2026, Published 11:01 a.m. ET
Donald Trump is at the center of a fresh wave of online virus conspiracy theories, with far-right influencers and anti-vaccine activists falsely claiming the recent hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks were "engineered" to derail the Republican president ahead of the US midterm elections.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the barmy fringe theories erupted after isolated hantavirus cases linked to a cruise ship sparked panic across social media platforms already primed by years of Covid disinformation.
'Covid 2.0' Panic Sparks Wild MAGA Conspiracy Claims
Online activists borrowed the term 'red-piller' from 'The Matrix' movie.
Anonymous accounts on X, Telegram, and off-the-wall livestreams pushed claims pharmaceutical companies, global health agencies and Democratic "operatives" were preparing a "Covid 2.0" scenario involving lockdowns, mail-in ballots, and economic chaos designed to weaken Trump politically before voters head to the polls next year.
Several posts falsely described the outbreaks as "biological weapons" intended to "annihilate" the president's support base in conservative states.
Many of them are the work of so-called "red-pillers" –online activists and influencers who claim they have "awakened" to hidden truths about politics, society, or culture.
The "red-piller" term is borrowed from The Matrix movie, in which taking the red pill reveals reality behind a global illusion and has since been adopted by conspiracy theorists, men's rights groups, and far-right online communities spreading anti-establishment narratives.
MAGA Influencers Sound the Alarm
Marjorie Taylor Greene repeated unsupported assertions about Ivermectin.
Alex Jones and Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene were among the best-known figures accused by critics of amplifying the claims online.
Greene repeated unsupported assertions the anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin could treat hantavirus because it "blocks RNA viruses from entering the nucleus, preventing replication."
Public health experts quickly rejected the claim, noting hantavirus replicates in the cytoplasm, not the nucleus.
A Washington political campaign advisor source told us: "There are people inside the MAGA ecosystem treating every public health warning as a political attack. The idea being pushed is that shadowy elites are preparing another pandemic scare to damage Trump before the midterms."
Another Republican strategist said: "The rhetoric has become apocalyptic. Some influencers are openly describing hantavirus and Ebola as 'political biological weapons' created to destroy Trump's movement and force nationwide mail-in voting."
The Truth Behind the Outbreak Scare
Internet users falsely repackaged old clips of Donald Trump online.
Old clips of Trump criticizing Covid-era restrictions were also re-shared online and falsely repackaged as comments about the current outbreak fears. According to sources close to the president, Trump privately dismissed suggestions of renewed restrictions and told aides he would never support false hantavirus pandemics.
The conspiracies mirror the many narratives which erupted during the coronavirus pandemic, when vaccines, lockdowns, and public health officials became central targets for misinformation campaigns.
Internet users also falsely claimed hantavirus was secretly listed as a side effect of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine.
Global health authorities have repeatedly stressed hantavirus does not pose the same threat level as COVID-19.
Maria Van Kerkhove, Director of Epidemic and Pandemic Management at the World Health Organization, recently said about the disease: "This is not Covid, this is not the start of a Covid pandemic. This is not the same situation we were in six years ago. It doesn't spread the same way."
Health agencies have also warned Ebola outbreaks remain geographically contained and are monitored through longstanding international response systems rather than emergency political measures.
Inside Trump's Midterm Strategy
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Trump privately dismissed suggestions of renewed pandemic restrictions.
Researchers monitoring online extremism told us conspiracy narratives surrounding disease outbreaks are increasingly blending anti-government rhetoric with election paranoia.
Analysts also noted fabricated Trump quotes, manipulated video clips, and AI-generated content were spreading faster than health guidance across online platforms and conspiracy forums, as well as the dark web.
Trump's strategy for the midterm elections is expected to focus on energizing his loyal MAGA base through attacks on immigration, inflation and what he describes as "deep state" interference in government.
A source said: "The president is also likely to frame Democratic opposition and media criticism as coordinated attempts to undermine his administration.
"Trump is also set to campaign heavily in battleground states, using rallies and conservative media appearances to drive turnout among Republican voters."
