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Social media buzzed with claims of a digital intrusion at New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s victory celebration Tuesday night, but what spread as a viral conspiracy theory has been debunked as a simple misunderstanding.
False reports alleging that pro-Trump hackers had hijacked screens at Mamdani’s Brooklyn Paramount Theater watch party spread rapidly across multiple social media platforms. The narrative claimed that hackers had managed to project a message reading “Trump is your president” to attendees before Mamdani delivered his victory speech.
The misinformation campaign began when far-right accounts on X (formerly Twitter) shared a clip from a PBS News livestream of the event. Conspiracy theorist Dom Lucre was among the first to push the false narrative, writing: “BREAKING: Mayor elect Zohran Mamdani Headquarters screen was just hacked: ‘Trump is your president’.” His post alone garnered over 1.3 million views.
From there, the claim spread like wildfire, amplified by accounts with large followings including Open Source Intel, End Wokeness, and “Retard Finder,” an account frequently promoted by X owner Elon Musk. The false information quickly jumped to other platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, and Reddit, and was even picked up by some media outlets like The Jerusalem Post.
In reality, there was no hack. The screens at the Brooklyn Paramount were simply displaying election night coverage from Spectrum News, where commentators were discussing results from across the country. During the broadcast, Spectrum News briefly showed a tweet from the White House account that contained a parody of the New York Knicks logo altered to read “Trump is Your President.”
Interestingly, the White House later deleted this tweet from both X and Bluesky around 12:35 p.m. ET on Wednesday. According to reporting from Front Office Sports, the New York Knicks organization had requested the removal of the post due to the unauthorized use of their logo.
While some accounts that spread the false hacking claim have since deleted their posts or edited captions to more accurately reflect what happened, many others—including Dom Lucre’s original viral tweet—remained online without correction. As of Wednesday afternoon, Lucre’s post had not received a Community Note, the platform’s crowd-sourced fact-checking feature that Musk has publicly stated he intends to “fix.”
The incident highlights ongoing concerns about X’s ability to combat misinformation. Under Musk’s ownership, the platform has faced criticism for algorithmic changes and content moderation decisions that critics say have enabled the spread of false information. The Tesla CEO openly supported President Trump’s reelection and has acknowledged making direct modifications to the platform’s algorithms.
Meanwhile, Mamdani celebrated a decisive victory over former New York governor Andrew Cuomo to become the next mayor of America’s largest city. His election night event proceeded without incident, despite the online rumors attempting to cast a shadow over his win.
The episode serves as a reminder of how quickly misinformation can spread in today’s digital landscape, particularly during politically charged moments. It also underscores the challenges of separating fact from fiction when consuming news through social media channels, where verification often lags far behind virality.
As election cycles conclude and new administrations prepare to take office, the struggle against digital misinformation remains a persistent challenge for platforms, journalists, and citizens alike.
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10 Comments
It’s good to see the claims of hacking at Mamdani’s event were debunked. Spreading misinformation, especially around elections, is never a good thing. We need to be vigilant and fact-check before jumping to conclusions.
Agreed, it’s important to rely on credible sources and avoid amplifying unsubstantiated conspiracy theories. Responsible reporting helps maintain trust in the democratic process.
While the disruption at Mamdani’s event is concerning, I’m glad the investigation found no evidence of pro-Trump hackers being responsible. Maintaining the integrity of our elections is crucial for a healthy democracy.
Absolutely. Spreading misinformation, regardless of the source, can undermine public confidence. It’s good the facts were clarified to prevent the spread of false narratives.
While the disruption at Mamdani’s event is concerning, I’m glad the investigation found no evidence of hacking. Maintaining the integrity of our electoral process should be a top priority for everyone, regardless of political affiliation.
Absolutely. Ensuring the fairness and transparency of elections is crucial for the health of our democracy. We must remain vigilant against any attempts to undermine the democratic process.
I’m curious to learn more about the technical details behind the disruption at Mamdani’s event. Was it a simple technical glitch, or was there more to the story? Transparency is important in these situations.
That’s a fair point. Understanding the root cause can help prevent similar issues in the future and ensure the reliability of election-related technology. Thorough investigations are crucial.
It’s disappointing to see how quickly the false narrative about pro-Trump hackers spread on social media. We need to be vigilant in verifying information, especially when it involves sensitive political topics.
Agreed. Social media platforms have a responsibility to address the spread of misinformation and take appropriate action to prevent the amplification of unsubstantiated claims.