Washington is in a state of chaos, but not the kind of chaos you’ve been seeing in sensational video headlines over the past few days. If you’ve browsed social media recently, you’ve undoubtedly encountered shocking titles: “Mark Meadows Confesses: Trump’s ‘Shoot to Kill’ Order,” “House Passes Impeachment,” or “Speaker Mike Johnson Resigns Mid-Vote”. These videos garner millions of views, creating a sense that Donald Trump’s empire is utterly collapsing and a life sentence is inevitable.

However, there is a major problem: Most of these things never happened. This is a textbook example of how sophisticated political misinformation is crafted to manipulate public emotion. This article will untangle the truth from the lies, exposing the “script” of this fictional crisis.

Every effective piece of fake news starts with a kernel of truth. In this case, it is a tragic incident in Minneapolis: A woman named Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed during an immigration enforcement operation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The FBI has taken over the investigation, and Secretary of Homeland Security Christy Noem stated that the officer acted according to training. This is a real event that has sparked justifiable outrage over Trump’s hardline immigration policies. But that is where the truth ends, and where fiction begins to take over.

The viral narrative claims that Mark Meadows—former White House Chief of Staff—went to court and confessed to a secret “shoot to kill quota” ordered by Trump himself. Some fake news even claims Meadows has recordings from the Oval Office as evidence.

The reality is: Mark Meadows has never given any such testimony in 2026. His current legal issues still revolve around the January 6th events and executive privilege, having nothing to do with current ICE policies. The entire dramatic courtroom scene is a product of imagination designed to satisfy those desperate to see Trump punished.

The misinformation script reaches its climax by claiming the House voted to impeach Trump with a tally of 220-215, including 15 defecting Republicans.

In reality, an actual impeachment resolution, H.Res 353, was indeed introduced. But if you visit the official Congressional website (congress.gov), you will see that this resolution is still “languishing” in committee and has never been brought to the floor for a vote. The numbers 220 and 215 are entirely fabricated to create a sense of legitimacy.

Accompanying this is the rumor that Speaker Mike Johnson resigned and handed the gavel to Democrats in the middle of the vote. This is a highly cinematic detail but is completely false—Speaker Johnson remains in office.

The question is, why do millions of people believe and share such illogical information?

• Confirmation Bias: If you are a staunch opponent of Trump, you want to believe he is falling. When a story aligns with your desires, the brain stops asking critical questions.

• The “Breaking News” Aesthetic: These videos use urgent background music, a serious narrative tone, and graphics that look identical to major news networks to bypass the viewer’s vigilance.

• Platform Algorithms: YouTube, Facebook, and X do not care if information is true or false; they only care about engagement. Sensationalist fake news consistently receives more shares than dry, procedural reports, and the algorithm prioritizes pushing it to the top.

Believing in fabricated impeachment scripts does nothing to help the democratic process. On the contrary, it obscures the real issues that need addressing, such as the shooting in Minneapolis or ethical questions surrounding immigration policy. While we argue over a “ghost” vote, we are forgetting to demand real answers from the authorities.

Democracy requires a certain consensus on basic facts. If each side lives in its own information universe—where one side believes Trump has been impeached and the other believes it’s fake news—dialogue becomes impossible.

Donald Trump has not been impeached, Mark Meadows has not confessed, and no “million-person riot” is currently occurring. Reality is less cinematic than the movies, but it is the only reality we have to act upon. Be a vigilant reader: do not share before verifying, and focus on real issues rather than fictions that satisfy your emotions.