Donald Trump shared an artificial video on social media appearing to promote “medbeds,” a conspiracy theory claiming the existence of advanced, secret healing technology reverse-engineered from alien spacecraft.The video, which was later deleted, featured a digitally recreated Trump touting the benefits of the purported therapy and promising a “new era in American healthcare.”
The promotion of “medbed” technology taps into decades-old conspiracy theories that gained traction after World War II, alleging the US government concealed advanced healing capabilities derived from recovered alien technology, making them available only to elites. These beliefs resurfaced and were amplified within the QAnon movement, which emerged in 2017, with some followers anticipating Trump would release this supposed miracle cure.during America’s UFO-spotting craze beginning in the early post-World war II period, conspiracy theories emerged that the US government had reverse-engineered technology from alien craft it had secretly retrieved to create advanced healing technologies. the conspiracy theory that the government kept this healing technology secret, and only provided cures to select elites, played into a more widely held, and still debated belief that the government was withholding information about UFOs from the public.
The QAnon conspiracy theory movement emerged in 2017, and some in those circles have long believed Trump would make available this supposed secret miracle-curing technology. In the artificial video, the false Trump stated, “These facilities are safe, modern and designed to restore every citizen to full health and strength.” He continued, “This is the beginning of a new era in American healthcare.”
While the technology promoted in Trump’s video is fantastical, more basic versions are actively marketed within New Age and holistic wellness circles online. Vendors sell items like healing mats – bed-topper devices supposedly infused with magnetic and infrared technology – frequently enough making dubious and unproven claims. CNN has observed these vendors at events attended by QAnon followers.
