Juliet Dobson , managing editor The BMJ jdobson{at}bmj.comOn 6 November Donald Trump was re-elected president of the United States after an election campaign characterised by fear, lies, and disinformation. Trump’s campaign featured his insistence that he was cheated out of winning in 2020—a lie that has left many Americans distrustful of their voting system. Martin McKee and colleagues describe how the rapid spread of such disinformation, particularly on social media, poses a threat to societies and democracies everywhere (doi:10.1136/bmj.q2485). A patient centred approach is encouraged to help improve communication, especially as young people may not always recognise themselves as victims of exploitation. The clinicians’ role to advocate on behalf of young people is vital: a package of articles in this week’s journal provides in-depth advice for practising clinicians (doi:10.1136/bmj-2024-079497 doi:10.1136/bmj-2023-079054).1415
