By Chris Roberts, American Renaissance

In 1996, the great Sam Francis wrote a long essay on conspiracy theories. After noting that not since the 1940s “has the American presidency been as engulfed in distrust and suspicion as it is today,” he wrote:

Whatever else conspiracy theories prove, their prevalence at certain periods of history invariably shows the impending collapse of public trust in the way things are, a readiness to ascribe to the occupants of a society’s most visible and respected positions of leadership the most villainous purposes and the most ruthless means of attaining them.

None of the Presidents who followed Bill Clinton managed to regain the majority of the public’s trust. During George W. Bush’s presidency, leftists spun tales about how both the 2000 and 2004 elections were stolen, and warned of a looming authoritarian evangelical theocracy. During Barack Obama’s tenure, many Republicans had theories about the President’s true place of birth and real religious beliefs. Some foretold that millions of Americans would soon be herded into FEMA concentration camps. In 2016, the pendulum swung back, with liberal claims that Russian hackers had elected Donald Trump, and that our President was controlled by foreign intelligence agencies.

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