Trump's wild conspiracy theory about 'paid' Kavanaugh protesters just took a puzzling turn

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

published 9 October 2018

There's nothing worse than waiting 7-10 business days for your check from George Soros to arrive.

President Trump on Tuesday continued to push his conspiracy theory that people protesting Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh were paid professionals, this time asserting that those funding the protests haven't paid the demonstrators yet.

When Trump previously claimed that the "very rude elevator screamers" confronting members of Congress were being paid "to make Senators look bad," he roped in Soros, an investor who is often accused by right-wing conspiracy theorists of being the puppetmaster behind Democratic strategies. The president said Soros helped pay for the signs, then later insisted that "Women for Kavanaugh" groups were not paid protesters with professionally-made signs.

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Trump knows a little something about delayed payments, as well as paid political activists, but some critics pointed out that his latest tweet about the rude and obvious "screamers" may have less to do with his personal history and more to do with Fox & Friends. Shortly before his tweet, points out Media Matters' Matthew Gertz, a guest on Trump's favorite Fox News show claimed that protesters "are waiting for their checks."

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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.

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