The truth behind the alien 'Medbed' conspiracy after Donald Trump posted and then deleted a video promoting the idea.
The president sparked a storm on social media after his Truth Social account shared an AI-generated video promoting the bizarre "Medbed" conspiracy.
While the video was deleted hours later, it added fuel to the fire of a conspiracy theory that has been circulating for years.
The concept of "Medbeds" - advanced healing devices supposedly developed by the US government - has gained traction in certain online circles.
According to The Independent, believers claim the beds can heal wounds, regrow limbs, cure diseases, and even keep people alive long after death.
In addition to this, these technologies are allegedly kept secret by the military and are used only by powerful elites.
In the now-deleted video, which was posted on Saturday (September 27), Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, appeared to anchor a faux Fox News segment.
The segment declared that the 79-year-old had launched a nationwide healthcare plan that would provide every American with a "MedBed card," giving access to new hospitals that use this healing technology.
"Every American will soon receive their own MedBed card," an AI-generated version of Trump said in the clip. "With it, you’ll have guaranteed access to our new hospitals led by the top doctors in the nation, equipped with the most advanced technology in the world."
Despite the video’s polished look, several red flags indicated it was a fake: the low resolution, the strange tone of Trump’s AI-generated voice, and the use of incorrect fonts on the fake Fox News chyron.
The video’s quality was good enough, however, to confuse many viewers, including the president or whoever made the post on his behalf.
By the following morning, the post was deleted, but it raised questions about whether Trump believed the video to be authentic or if it was simply a case of misinformation shared unknowingly.
The Medbed myth
The idea of "Medbeds" is pure conspiracy fiction, widely circulated by communities such as QAnon.
Per The Sun, some believers believe the government secretly controls alien-inspired pods, and even speculate that former President John F. Kennedy is being kept alive through this technology.
Experts have debunked the concept. Jonathan Jarry, an expert in misinformation at McGill University, described the conspiracy as part of a larger narrative that falsely suggests that military forces around the world own this technology, which will supposedly be rolled out to the public.
"There is no such limit for med beds," Jarry said, "they can do anything," a claim he pointed out as an absurd exaggeration.
Some companies have cashed in on the myth, selling overpriced gadgets they claim have healing properties.
Tesla BioHealing, for instance, markets a $19,999 “MedBed Generator” that, per the company, can help with wellness, but it does not diagnose or cure any diseases.
These devices often claim to use magnetic or infrared technology, but customers have reported that they do not work as advertised, and the FDA has received complaints about their lack of effectiveness.
No explanation from the White House
In addition to the Medbed video, Trump’s Truth Social account was active on Saturday, amplifying misinformation about the FBI’s involvement in the January 6 Capitol riot.
He shared a report suggesting that hundreds of FBI agents were among the rioters, a claim that was quickly debunked by FBI Director Kash Patel, who clarified that agents were deployed after the violence erupted, not before.
Despite the controversial nature of the posts, there has been no statement from the president's office about the video promoting the Medbed conspiracy, nor has there been any retraction or clarification to suggest that it was fake.