Two very different conspiracy theories are spreading in the days following former President Donald Trump’s attempted assassination
A former president is shot, the gunman quickly neutralized, and all of it is caught on camera. But for those who don’t believe their eyes, that’s just the start of the story.
For some supporters of former President Donald Trump, the failure of the Secret Service to prevent the attempted assassination point to a conspiracy orchestrated by President Joe Biden. For some of Trump’s critics, however, the details of the shooting don’t add up. They wonder if Trump somehow staged the whole thing.
Two dueling conspiracy theories are taking root online following Trump’s attempted assassination, one for each end of America’s polarized political spectrum. In this split-screen republic, Americans are increasingly choosing their own reality, at the expense of a shared understanding of the facts.
“One screen, two movies,” is how Ron Bassilian describes the online reaction to Saturday’s shooting. Bassilian is a prolific user of social media and has used X to broadcast his conjecture about the shooting. “People have their beliefs, and they’re going to come up with theories that fit their beliefs.”
Bassilian is one of many Republicans now questioning how the suspected gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was able to climb to the roof of a building providing a clear shot at Trump, and whether law enforcement looked the other way to allow the attempt. Bassilian acknowledged that he doesn’t have proof to back up his conjecture. But the Culver City, California, resident said many people will be distrustful of explanations until an independent review of the facts is completed.
“It seems highly suspicious”, Bassilian said of the attack on Trump and the law enforcement response. “Something was going on that was more than a slip up.”
Authorities have so far released no information about Crooks’ possible motive, though they have said they believe he acted alone. But a lack of details from law enforcement and mounting questions about the Secret Service’s performance have led online sleuths to speculate — often in ways that reveal their own ideological leanings.
Some of the claims about the shooting have already been debunked. Despite claims that the Secret Service refused to give Trump extra security before the rally, the agency says it actually increased staffing. A post from someone claiming to be a law enforcement sniper at the rally — who said they were ordered not to fire on the suspect — was discredited after it turned out no sharpshooter by his name was working on Saturday.
