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Conspiracy theories are flooding the internet after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
On Saturday (July 13), Trump was shot while appearing at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennslyvania. As gunfire rang out, Trump appeared to crouch down before emerging with blood on his face.
The former president said he was shot in the ear, adding that the hit felt like a “bullet ripping through the skin.” The suspected shooter was later identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crook, who was killed by a Secret Service member.
Though the motive for the shooting remains unclear, social media users flocked to the internet to share their conspiracy theories surrounding the incident.
“Seemed staged,” one social media user wrote.
Georgia Rep. Mike Collins (R) falsely claimed that President Joe Biden ordered the shooting.
“Joe Biden sent the orders,” Collins tweeted.
Biden addressed the shooting, urging Americans to "lower the temperature" of political rhetoric during an address in the Oval Office on Sunday (July 14).
“Disagreement is inevitable in American democracy,” Biden said, adding that politics shouldn't become a “killing field.”
“While we may disagree, we are not enemies,” the president continued. “We’re neighbors, we’re friends, co-workers, citizens, and most importantly, we are fellow Americans. We must stand together."
Other social media users fueled rumors that the attempted assassination was an "inside job" by the Secret Service. Several users falsely claimed that security was cut back for Trump.
“Theres an untrue assertion that a member of the former president’s team requested additional security resources & that those were rebuffed. This is absolutely false,” Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the United States Secret Service, said in a statement. “In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo.”
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