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#JoeWired trends as Trump supporters push baseless conspiracy theories about Biden getting 'electronic help'

Biden supporters came to his defense saying the object in his cuff was a rosary he wore in memory of his late son Beau. Furthermore, they said the purported 'wire' was simply a crease in Biden’s shirt

A video that went viral Wednesday morning (September 30) purported that Democratic nominee Joe Biden was wearing a wire during Tuesday night’s presidential debates. The brief clip, popularized by Hollywood actor James Woods, shows a camera zooming in closely on the former vice president as he reaches under his jacket and appears to scratch himself or fiddle with something underneath. As his hand emerges from under the suit, a grayish line appears to stand out against Biden's white shirt.

Woods' caption claimed this was proof that the Democratic nominee was "wired." Several pro-Trump Twitter users subsequently appeared to believe that Biden was using electronic equipment to aid him during the debate.

In fact, several respondents shared screenshots of a closeup of Biden appearing to cough into his left hand as a pointy object appeared to peek out from under his sleeve. Many others alleged that moderator Chris Wallace had furnished a list of topics in advance for the Democratic nominee, including the questions he would be asked and in what order. One user shared what appeared to be a screenshot of "talking points" Biden purportedly received, with a link to an article claiming the same.

“Cheaters can always find a way to cheat. We knew it was coming. Joe also had 6 pages of talking points ordered correctly for the debate. How did he know the questions & their order. Maybe we should ask Chris Wallace,” the commenter wrote. Another suggested that Biden was wearing “smart contact lens” and claimed that during the Democratic primaries, “Biden’s eye turned bloody, right around the time he became frazzled and confused.”

Numerous comments then picked up on the conspiracy theories. "If you thought Joe was surprisingly lucid, the word is he was getting some help. #JoeWired," Australian radio personality Prue MacSween, who has made a number of controversial comments, tweeted. "In case you missed it, last night Joe Biden was cheating worse than Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France. #JoeWired," another added. "Looks like Biden had a little electronic help last night. #JoeWired," a third user wrote.

Biden supporters, however, rushed to his defense claiming the object in his cuff was a rosary he wore in memory of his late son Beau. Furthermore, they claimed that the “wire” Woods purported to have seen was simply a crease in Biden’s shirt.

“James you should be ashamed of yourself that is a crease that he has on both sides of his dress shirt but you can’t tell on this dark poor quality grainy video,” one user responded to the actor. “I like ya James but it takes about two seconds of looking real close to see that is a crease in his shirt,” another added.

"It's not some kind of device in his sleeve. It's the rosary he wears to remind him of his dead son, you f**king monsters. #Debates2020 #JoeWired," author Holly O'Reilly tweeted. "It’s funny #JoeWired is trending due to a rosary. Donald Trump would catch fire if he touched one. Like literally, the Trump Cultists don’t even put in the effort when creating their fairytales," another added.