Yesterday, President Joe Biden used the phrase “new world order” in a speech at Business Roundtable's CEO quarterly meeting in Washington, DC, prompting some online to speculate that the long-standing New World Order conspiracy theory is real, while others mocked them and caused the term to trend online today.

BIDEN: "There's going to be a new world order out there and we have to lead it." pic.twitter.com/jNfUmUO80p

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 21, 2022

The “new world order” Biden mentioned in his speech actually refers to a concept in international relations and history that particular ways of doing geopolitics become possible in certain historical eras. Following World War II, the Allies imposed a rules-based world order defined by institutions like the United Nations and treaties like the Geneva Convention, preventing direct conflict between major powers and setting rules for what countries could do. Prior to this, other kinds of world order (and disorder) also existed.

One such example is the colonial “world order” that was dominated by European empires, which came to an end with the violent years between 1900 and 1946 in which (as Biden told his audience) 60 million people died. Biden expressed during his speech that he thinks the world is at another “inflection point,” in which the post-WWII world order that was traditionally underwritten by American power, will be replaced by another.

Biden:

“We are at an inflection point..in the world. It occurs every 3 or 4 generations…60m people died between 1900-1946..and now is the time when things are shifting, there’s gonna be a NEW WORLD ORDER out there, and we’ve gotta LEAD IT..”pic.twitter.com/jRHIhwr8Qb

— Maajid أبو عمّار (@MaajidNawaz) March 22, 2022

The “new world order” that some on the internet thought Biden was referring to in his speech is a long-existing concept and conspiracy theory that a secretive cabal (sometimes suggested as the Illuminati or Freemasons) is orchestrating world events with the ultimate goal of gaining total control of society. The phrase came originally from a George H.W. Bush speech in 1990 called "Toward a New World Order."

Political leader says New World Order

Every fucking nut job with access to the internet: pic.twitter.com/gZP0E1w1dD

— Avocado 🌻 (@Avocado232232) March 22, 2022

I feel like the guys at New World Order headquarters would be mad that he just said the name but ok pic.twitter.com/IXxCIVwy5K

— Populism Updates (@PopulismUpdates) March 22, 2022

'New World Order' has NEVER been just a conspiracy theory. People need to stop being so naive.

— conspiracybot (@conspiracyb0t) March 20, 2022

Despite the conspiracy existing for decades with no real evidence, some commentators and political leaders seemed to perpetuate the belief that Biden was referring to the latter definition of “New World Order” in his speech as people of opposing views clashed on platforms like Twitter.

There will be no QR code society.

There will be no digital ID.

The New World Order will fail miserably.

— Greg Wycliffe (@gddub) March 17, 2022

Vladimir Putin on NTN, Russian television channel: "It's over! The Freemasons have failed! The New World Order has failed! The new world order has collapsed, the world is now experiencing the last death contraction of the elite regime." pic.twitter.com/BgF74ryHfD

— Arnie VandenHeuvel (@Arniehill11) March 17, 2022

Reject the New World Order. Embrace America First.

— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) March 22, 2022

​​As "new world order" continued to trend on social media and receive numerous articles covering it today, some took the opportunity to mock those for their conspiratorial mindset.

How dumb does one have to be to think Biden saying "new world order" means you were correct about whatever you "researched" while climbing into YouTube's asshole for the last 10 years?

— Lyle Hoam (@HoamLyle) March 21, 2022

Y’all don’t think Biden is capable of anything but now he’s capable of implementing a New World Order.

Make up your minds either he can’t finish a sentence or he’s taking over the world.

— Brandon Burns (@BurnsBrandon) March 21, 2022

NOW FOR MY MASTER PLAN

THE NEW WORLD ORDER pic.twitter.com/V5VgP6009E

— Robert The Builder 🔨 (@NobodymrRobert) March 22, 2022

Additionally, some questioned why the Biden team used the term in an official speech to begin with given the fact that "new world order" has trended numerous times in previous years for other instances like this. Around the world, some posters simply wondered what the New World Order might mean for them personally.

I like that nobody in the Biden administration thought that using the term 'New World Order' was a bad idea and can't possibly backfire

— AlternateHistoryHub (@AltHistoryHub) March 22, 2022

Im totally fine with a New World Order if that means theres gonna be easier access to chip flavors from around the globe

— patrick doran (@lunch_enjoyer) March 22, 2022