MAGA Spins Wild Theory to Explain Spencer Pratt's Voting Flop - The Daily Beast
thedailybeast.com
When Spencer Pratt lost a local election, MAGA influencers immediately reached for conspiracy theory rather than accept defeat — a textbook case of motivated reasoning and unfalsifiable thinking.
Motivated ReasoningConspiracy TheoryConfirmation BiasCognitive Dissonance
Theory Briefing
- Spencer Pratt's mayoral election loss became instant fuel for MAGA influencers crying California election fraud rather than conceding poor performance.
- Motivated reasoning drives believers to invent unfalsifiable explanations — like rigged elections — when reality contradicts their expectations.
- Right-wing influencer Joey Mannarino amplified the fraud narrative, showing how social media accelerates the spread of conspiratorial coping mechanisms.