Conspiracy theories in United States politics are beliefs that an event or situation in US politics is the result of a secret plan made by powerful people striving to harm a rival group or undermine society in general. Such theories draw from actual conspiracies, in which individuals work together in secret to unravel a larger system. Often, the struggle between a real conspiracy theory and a misconception of one leads to conflict, polarization in elections, distrust in government, and racial and political divisions.