GOP secretary of state nominee in New Mexico pushed conspiracy theories about school shootings and Biden impostors

Audrey Trujillo in 2020: “These school shootings, this is all part of an agenda. You know, they create these type of things that happen to push agendas.”

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Written by Eric Hananoki

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Audrey Trujillo is a right-wing “influencer” and social media commentator who is the Republican nominee for New Mexico secretary of state. Prior to running for office, Trujillo said in a Facebook video that Democrats and the deep state “create” school shootings so that they can “make people fearful” and “take away our guns.” She also pushed the conspiracy theory that President Joe Biden has a clone or body double. 

Media Matters has documented the spread of false flag conspiracy theories on social media, including reporting that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and New York Republican congressional candidate Carl Paladino have pushed them regarding school shootings. 

Trujillo won her uncontested primary on June 7. The Republican Party of New Mexico supports her campaign. Former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon has promoted Trujillo, recently hosting her on his War Room: Battleground program and claiming that “we can flip New Mexico.” 

She is part of a slate of “America First” secretary of state candidates who have falsely claimed that the 2020 election was stolen from President Donald Trump. That coalition, which is led by Republican Nevada secretary of state nominee Jim Marchant, has ties to the QAnon conspiracy theory movement. 

Trujillo, who has referred to herself as an “influencer,” has appeared as a commentator on various online programs and on social media in recent years. On December 3, 2020, she appeared on a Facebook Live stream for the pro-Trump group #NewMexit with group leader Melinda Rivera. 

During a discussion about school shootings, Trujillo alleged that “these school shootings, this is all part of an agenda. You know, they create these type of things that happen to push agendas. So we look at, you know, we talk about the deep state. We talk about these people that are in charge of all this stuff. The media, you know, these things are happening to push an agenda.”

Trujillo also said that “Americans are getting very smart now and they're understanding that there's more to the picture than what is being shown to us.” She later connected supposed false flag school shootings to COVID-19, stating that “that's exactly what they've done with this virus. They've done it. They use fear, fear to control us. That's all it's about, is about controlling the people.” 

From a December 3, 2020, Facebook Live stream

AUDREY TRUJILLO: We’ve got to remember, though, these things happen, these school shootings, this is all part of an agenda. You know, they create these type of things that happen to push agendas. So we look at, you know, we talk about the deep state. We talk about these people that are in charge of all this stuff. The media, you know, these things are happening to push an agenda. We don’t, you know, now we're realizing this because at first we just took everything at face value. But Americans are getting very smart now and they're understanding that there's more to the picture than what is being shown to us. And with the school shootings, as you can see, you know, we haven't had a whole lot of terrorism, we haven't had a whole lot of school shootings since we've had this president. You know, and the thing is is that it's the leadership. It's the agenda that's being driven. It's changed. Under Obama and the last, you know, administration, they wanted to fear, make people fearful. They wanted to create a type of governance where we, all we do is look at the government to protect us and take away our guns, because that's exactly what they did with Germany. That's exactly what they did, especially, you know, if you think about with the gun issues, what do they do? Oh, let's fearmonger and think that everybody's going to be shooting everybody and our kids are in danger. Let's take away the guns. Let's do a registry. You know, it just opens the doors to their agenda because what they really want to do is they want to know what we have. They want to know who owns what. And, you know, as Americans, you know, of course, we want to be safe. Of course we want to keep our children safe. But that's exactly what they've done with this virus. They've done it. They use fear, fear to control us. That's all it's about, is about controlling the people.  

MELINDA RIVERA (FOUNDER, #NEWMEXIT): That’s right. 

On Facebook, Trujillo also shared the bizarre conspiracy theory that President Joe Biden has a clone or body double. Versions of the claim have spread among users on social media, including QAnon supporters. One fringe pro-QAnon website that shared the same image as Trujillo, for example, wrote: “Don't be fooled when you see someone who has been arrested and/or executed still walking around. Most leaders have doubles or clones. Often those clones malfunction, as we see regularly in Biden and previously with Hillary Clinton.” 

On February 28, 2021, Trujillo shared a collage of Biden images that supposedly “look so different” on her Facebook page and wrote: “How Many faces? Why so many? Biden hiding? They each look so different...ears and hairline and nose and eyes...weird!” 

Audrey Trujillo's Biden clones post

Trujillo has used social media to push another conspiracy theory as well. The Albuquerque Journal reported on May 2 that she posted a tweet with an image “suggesting Jews had outsized influence in the development of COVID-19 vaccines.” Trujillo told the publication that she has Jewish heritage.