Conspiracy theories extend beyond the boundaries of the right wing
Following a bullet grazing Donald Trump’s ear, the emergence of conspiracy theory hashtags quickly unfolded. Social media discussions surrounding the shooting became instantly marked by hashtags like #staged, #fakeassassination, and #stagedshooting, echoing a familiar refrain: skepticism toward the information provided.
This time, the focus of distrust centered around Donald Trump himself, despite his own reputation as a staunch critic of the mainstream media and establishment, advocating for their unreliability.
X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, served as the epicenter for post-shooting skepticism. On X, a post featuring the #staged hashtag questioned the authenticity of the bullet passing near Trump’s ear. This particular post has garnered over 500,000 views, exemplifying the unstoppable nature of such narratives.
The query arose, “If it grazed him, then where did the bullet continue to travel towards the individuals?” Much of the skeptical commentary revolves around the analysis of images and footage captured by official media outlets during the Pennsylvania rally.
Another tweet, originating from a critical account towards Trump, amassed 2.1 million views by Monday, despite not utilizing the trending hashtags that proliferated across the internet from Saturday to Sunday. It stated, “A presidential candidate got ‘shot’ in the face, and our collective reaction as a country was to laugh because nothing has ever looked so fake.”
Experts are drawing a noteworthy conclusion from these posts, indicating that conspiracy theories transcend partisanship and are not limited to right-wing discourse. Since the advent of the COVID pandemic and the subsequent wave of skepticism, it has become commonplace for a significant number of individuals online to question the consensus view and interpret events in a manner that rationalizes their own worldview.
#fakeassassination #falseflag https://t.co/jOVLTThOJx
— Dylan Sylvester (@doggiedoor1978) July 15, 2024
Imran Ahmed, the chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a campaign group, affirms that “conspiracy theories are not limited to one political persuasion.” He suggests that such viewpoints are an attempt to construct a narrative that aligns with our understanding and reinforces our existing beliefs and biases.
He explained, “Due to the heightened emotions surrounding the US election, people are inclined to interpret events within a pre-existing narrative that aligns with their political perspectives, regardless of the circumstances.”
This inclination has contributed to a general distrust of the media, despite much of the skeptical commentary regarding the shooting relying on the analysis of images and footage provided by official media outlets covering the Pennsylvania rally.
#StagedShooting #FakeAssassination https://t.co/i0tepDekJq
— Stan Spak (@stanspak) July 14, 2024
Conspiracy theories originating from individuals with left-wing or liberal leanings have given rise to the term “Blueanon,” referencing the Democratic Party’s blue color. This term is a play on “QAnon,” the baseless right-wing conspiracy theory associated with Trump supporters, alleging the existence of a satanic elite controlling the world through a child abuse ring.
Whitney Phillips, an assistant professor of digital platforms and ethics at the University of Oregon, suggests that equating QAnon with the opposite end of the political spectrum is not conducive to productive debates, even if it may generate a clever pun.
She remarked, “When individuals express panic about Trump and delve into conspiracy theories, their concerns often revolve around specific matters related to Trump or those associated with the Maga movement.”
QAnon followers played a significant role in the Capitol riot in January, and the theory has garnered attention from mainstream politicians on the right, including Trump, who referred to QAnon followers as “people who love our country.”
Conservative social media accounts have also joined the discussion with their own conspiracy theories regarding the shooting, questioning how Thomas Crooks managed to come so close to assassinating Trump. A popular right-wing account on X posted on Sunday, “You’re telling me the Secret Service allowed a person to climb up on a roof with a rifle just 150 yards away from Trump? It must be an inside job.” This post, flagged by disinformation experts at NewsGuard, has accumulated over 7 million views.
Since Saturday, Trump shooting theories have spread extensively. Posts on X, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok that utilized conspiracy theory hashtags have potentially garnered up to 595 million views within just 11 hours of the shooting, according to Cyabra, an Israeli firm specializing in disinformation analysis. Cyabra also reported that the conspiracy hashtags received 404,000 engagements, encompassing likes, comments, and re-posts.
In addition to genuine posts claiming that Trump orchestrated the shooting to enhance his chances in the election, Cyabra discovered evidence of coordinated efforts to spread a false narrative. Through their investigation, they examined 3,115 social media profiles associated with the hashtags and determined that 45% of them were “fake” accounts, encompassing various malicious actors, including automated bots and sockpuppet operators who utilize fabricated identities to promote a specific narrative.
According to analysts from Cyabra, the false narrative suggesting that Trump staged the shooting was primarily propagated on X, a social media platform. Numerous accounts on X suggested that Trump, anticipating an electoral loss to Biden, orchestrated the incident to attract more voters and manipulate the prevailing narrative in the United States.
This contestation extends beyond the presidency itself and encompasses any narrative connected to it.
