Dr. Li-Meng Yan's work has been widely discredited by the scientific community, but Trump's allies have put their support behind her 'whistleblower' claims.
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ANALYSIS:
Left, right, black, white: Americans are frantically buying assault rifles, body armour and ammunition. All are flying out the door as fearful US citizens prepare for the worst even as they hope for the best.
The economy has tanked. Unemployment has spiked. Social media is awash with hate and conspiracy theories.
Add a string of police killings, mass Covid-19 fatalities and a bitterly contested presidential election and the outcome is a volatile rift extending through all sectors of US society.
Which is why citizens of all colours and creeds are spending up big on combat gear.
Gun shops across the country are reporting they have sold out of ammunition. Firearm stocks are running low. And there's been a run on body armour, helmets, gas masks and tactical webbing, too.
A slew of studies reveal it's a trend being seen across the US.
Monthly firearm sales in the US from 2010 to 2020. Graphic / Brookings Institution
While weapons sales usually rise during US election years, this year has been unlike any other. Photo / AP
Camouflage-clad demonstrators are everywhere, adding the severity of their uniforms to whatever their message may be. Their weapons stand testament to the rigidity of their beliefs.
'My worst nightmare'
"The militias and the white supremacists … they're going to put out the call to arms," 73-year-old Milwaukee resident Jim Jackson told the Los Angeles Times. "That's my worst nightmare."
Meanwhile, Trump supporter Jeanine Davis said she expected a violent backlash from disaffected Democrats: "It's going to be like war among citizens," she said.
While weapons sales usually rise during US election years, this year has been unlike any other.
Data released by Statistica shows a doubling of firearms sales in March and June. Anecdotally, sales have continued to surge since then.
US President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on October 26. Photo / AP
"It's evidence of what many people have been expressing concern about for the last six months – the stress associated with the pandemic, a frustration or anger about various government mitigation efforts and a belief that those efforts are infringing on their individual liberties," former assistant secretary for threat prevention at the Department of Homeland Security, Elizabeth Neumann, told Bloomberg.
Such statistics don't record race or political ideology. But shop owners are reporting a flood of first-time buyers – and women – among their exploding new clientele.
"If I dial 911, I'm not going to get the police officer," Texas gunshop owner Michael Cargill said, explaining his customers' reasoning to Politico, "I'm going to have to be my own first responder. I'm going to have to get a gun."
Another Texas gun shop owner, Roman Zrazhevsky, told media that sentiment was universal.
"It doesn't matter who gets elected," he said. "They think that no matter who wins, Biden or Trump, there are going to be people who are upset about the result."
Tactical gear speaks "to a form of militaristic patriotism, a way for them to find their identities", said Neumann.
Which may be why US militias are experiencing a surge in membership.
Once the domain of disillusioned vets and kids wanting to wear camo, these armed groups have surged into the streets in recent months.
Their profiles have exploded across social media.
And they're not just the usual suspects.
Standing against the ranks of the largely white, far right armed gangs is an all-African American group called the "Not F**king Around Coalition" (NFAC). The Atlanta-based group's ranks has swelled amid the frustration and outrage fanned by months of protests against police brutality.
"We're not 'effing' around anymore with the continued abuses within our community and the lack of respect for our men, women and children," founder John Johnson told CNN.
He's claiming the same Second Amendment right to bear arms as the largely white groups standing opposite him. And trade group studies indicate a 60 per cent surge in gun sales to black Americans in the first six months of the year.
This has not gone down well.
Louisiana Republican Representative Clay Higgins used Facebook to declare he would "drop 10 of you where you stand", if NFAC was to visit his state.
But NFAC insists it has the constitutional right to do the same as its opponents.
"Nobody says anything when other demographics pick up weapons, decide to arm themselves and confront the government over anything from wearing a mask to being cooped up in the house, but when certain demographics arm themselves all of a sudden people tend to act as if the Constitution doesn't matter," Johnson, who also calls himself "Grand Master Jay", said.
The Office of the President of the United States has a three-month transition period between the November 3 elections and the January 20 handover date.
Whatever the outcome, this is likely to be a period of immense political tensions.
The validity of the vote is already being challenged. Doubts are being cast on the integrity of postal votes, in particular.
Scandals over foreign deals and influence, debts and addictions, nepotism and corruption will undoubtedly continue to flare. Covid-19 cases continue to soar, with the calamitous death toll following just a few weeks behind.
And adding to the uncertainty is President Donald Trump's reluctance to willingly embrace the idea of handing over power if he is defeated.
No matter what side they are on, US voters appear convinced that if the opposition wins – it's a win for the "forces of evil". To vote for one's opponent isn't a difference in opinion, it's treason.
It's a polarised precipice from which no side seems prepared to step back.
Some 21 per cent of both left and right believe violence would be "somewhat" justified if they lost the presidential election, according to recent polling.
And those not busy arming themselves are preparing for a siege. Grocery and camping stores are reporting empty shelves among their non-perishable and dry goods sections.
Floridian Trump supporter Ashley Avis summed up the pervading mood: "We're hoping for the best. We're preparing for the worst."
