Death Threat Spike Against Obama After Conspiracy Claims

The Trump administration’s latest conspiracy crusade has triggered a dangerous and disturbing surge in online death threats against former President Barack Obama, according to a new report tracking extremism.

After President Donald Trump and his Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, accused Obama of treason last week over supposed misconduct tied to Russian election interference, far-right users flooded social platforms with calls for Obama’s imprisonment—or worse.

Researchers at the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) documented a sharp escalation in violent rhetoric from July 17 to July 20. The uptick followed the release of a DNI report—ordered by Gabbard and embraced by Trump—that accused Obama’s White House of manipulating intelligence in 2016 to frame Russia and undermine Trump’s rise to power.

The fallout was immediate and ugly.

“We saw a dangerous spike in calls for violence that directly followed Trump and Gabbard’s incendiary rhetoric,” said GPAHE’s co-founder Wendy Via. “This isn’t just political theater—it’s fueling real-world threats against a former president.”

Trump Posts AI Video of Obama Arrest

On Sunday, Trump threw gasoline on the fire by sharing an AI-generated video on Truth Social depicting Obama in handcuffs, being arrested and jailed. The clip went viral among his base. Within hours, right-wing message boards lit up with threats.

Comments calling Obama a traitor who “deserves to be executed” jumped:

• From 3 to 36 on Truth Social (a 1,100% increase)
• From 9 to 48 on Gab (433%)
• From 0 to 12 on Telegram

“These numbers might look small, but they represent only publicly posted comments in a short window,” GPAHE warned. “The real volume, especially in private groups, is likely far higher.”

Gabbard, once a Democrat turned MAGA loyalist, led the charge by publicly accusing Obama of engineering a “deep state coup” against Trump through falsified intelligence. She has threatened to refer former Obama officials to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution.

Obama has fiercely denied the allegations, calling them “bizarre,” “outrageous,” and “a desperate distraction.”

“Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,” said Obama’s spokesman, Patrick Rodenbush. “But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one.”

“Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes,” he added.

“He’s Guilty,” Trump Says of Obama

Still, Trump doubled down. At a campaign-style press event Tuesday, the president once again accused Obama of masterminding “a gang” that conspired to sabotage his 2016 campaign.

“He’s guilty. This was treason. This was every word you can think of,” Trump said, eyes blazing. “They tried to steal the election… It’s time to go after people.”

Trump then expanded his allegations to include former CIA Director John Brennan and other longtime critics, calling for “full accountability.”

But critics warn this isn’t about justice—it’s about vengeance and deflection.

“Trump’s focus on imaginary conspiracies is not only dangerous, it’s an attempt to distract from the legal firestorm surrounding his allies—including fresh revelations from the Epstein case,” said Democratic strategist Claire McMurray. “He’s picking a fight with a former president to rile up his base and dominate the news cycle.”

Escalating Threats, Shrinking Norms

The GPAHE says the convergence of AI-generated misinformation, violent rhetoric, and high-profile amplification is pushing American democracy into uncharted and dangerous territory.

“This is how democracies erode,” the group said in its statement. “When sitting presidents incite hatred and dehumanize political opponents, the threat of political violence becomes not just likely—but expected.”

As of now, neither the DOJ nor Secret Service has confirmed whether additional protective measures are being taken for Obama.

Meanwhile, Gabbard Remains Defiant

A spokesperson for DNI Tulsi Gabbard told Newsweek she “strongly condemns all violence” but insisted that “wrongdoing must be exposed.”

The irony wasn’t lost on many.

“Gabbard is playing with fire,” said retired CIA analyst Peter Landry. “She’s pretending to uncover truth while feeding the same far-right ecosystem that’s normalizing political violence.”

As threats continue to mount, Democrats are demanding accountability—not just from extremists, but from the very people in power who gave them permission to rage.