Black Friday isn’t just about cheap TVs, discounted gaming consoles, and savings on laptops; and about cashing in on Faraday cages to stop 5G from melting your brain, grabbing lots of biblically-inspired diet pills, and getting that hot red t-shirt with a picture of president-elect Donald Trump on the front.
This year, right-wing extremists, MAGAworld, and conspiracists all jumped on Black Friday to try to get their followers to buy untested health supplements, ridiculous new mugs, and guns—lots and lots of guns.
Rather than advertising in traditional online markets offered by sites such as Google or Facebook, these groups target their audiences where they live, on the margins and on other internet platforms with little or no moderation. Spaces like Gab, a white-supremacist-friendly social network run by a Christian nationalist. Or Telegram, where dissidents and neo-Nazi groups happily coexist despite new privacy changes introduced this year. And of course, Trump’s Truth Social Network, where his most devoted followers can be found.
Gab, Telegram, and Truth Social did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
For those feeling tired after Thanksgiving, alternative health company Exodus Strong is offering discounts on a nutritional supplement with “7 Bible-inspired ingredients and a hydrogen molecule-generating compound that gets your mind and body working the way God intended.” The pills, which are currently being advertised for up to 60 percent off on Truth Social, include, among other biblical ingredients, frankincense and myrrh. Those who purchase one of these supplements will also receive a free gift: a prayer plan.
Undermining the product boast a bit, however, is a disclaimer on the company’s own website that reads: “These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”
Launched just in time for Black Friday, a new online store from right-wing YouTube-alternative Rumble features conspiracy theorists and conservative campaigners on its front page, including Trump confidante Laura Loomer and underpants-wearing baptist Russell Brand.
The store itself is a cornucopia of unimagined treasures, everything from Faraday cages for your phone to set up 5G that melts your brain, to nuclear fallout preparedness for the bargain price of $349. Rumble did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
