Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson claims that there is a “well-strategized effort” to “smear” her, according to a new report from Newsweek .
In interviews given during the the Iowa State Fair on Friday and Saturday, Williamson discussed what she claims is a negative campaign being perpetrated against her by members of the media, and fellow presidential candidates.
“There’s no doubt about that,” she said, proceeding to explain that she believes “powerful forces” united to stop her from qualifying for the third Democratic primary debate.
“It’s very frustrating because I like to think on the left we don’t do things like that. But apparently [they] want to make sure I’m not in that third debate so I must be doing something right if they’ve worked so hard to create that.”
“‘I’ve heard things said about me, for which there is absolutely no evidence, no truth and things about what there’s plenty of evidence to the contrary,” Williamson told reporters, proceeding to allege that some in the public sphere are simply parroting baseless allegations brought up against her by tabloid magazines and celebrity gossip websites.
Much of the criticism aimed at Williamson is, according to her, rooted in sexism, including the accusations that she is “anti-science, anti-medicine.”
A famous self-help author, Williamson has held a number of controversial positions over the years. Many of them have been criticized by publications of record.
For instance, Vox described Williamson’s popularity as “scary,” accusing her of having “dangerous” views on issues such as mental health. According to Vox , Williamson has argued against vaccination, labeled antidepressants as harmful, and described sickness in general as an “illusion.”
According to Slate , in some of her best-selling books, Williamson made a number of questionable claims about AIDS.
Furthermore, according to the publication, in the midst of the AIDS epidemic, Williamson offered “metaphysical teachings” about the “spiritual roots” of AIDS, which some allege conned the most gullible and desperate of her students into believing that the disease can be cured by mind power.
Williamson unveils proposal to spend up to $500 billion on reparations https://t.co/sPqqW2wJOc pic.twitter.com/UNoF19WDId
— The Hill (@thehill) August 7, 2019
As Newsweek notes, Williamson attracted additional media attention during the CNN democratic debate on July 31, when she laid out a reparations plan for the descendants of slaves. During the debate, Williamson also called President Donald Trump a “dark psychic force.”
Her performance had an impact on viewers, according to data. This was given that Williamson was the most Googled candidate after the debate, despite receiving less speaking time than anyone else on stage.
The self-help author is yet to qualify for the third debate. In order to do so, she needs to register at least two percent support in at least four DNC-approved polls.
