Mariana Spring
Correspondent for BBC on Social Media and Disinformation
2 hours ago
"Staged." This tag appeared in the trends of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) just minutes after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
This is a translation of a report by a BBC correspondent. You can read the original English version at this link.
This word is firmly associated with various conspiracy theories, which were previously spread by some fringe social media accounts, often questioning the reality of certain attacks or shootings. However, in the last 24 hours, the tag has become part of the online mainstream: posts containing false rumors, inciting hatred, and full of insults have garnered millions of views on platform X.
In the past, assassination attempts on U.S. presidents have often been the subject of conspiracy theories. The most famous example is the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November 1963. The Trump incident was the first to unfold live, so the immediate emergence of baseless rumors is unsurprising.
What is particularly notable is that the wave of speculation engulfed all sides of the political spectrum. In social media, it wasn't confined to groups supporting various politicians. On the contrary, as users tried to understand what was happening, such posts were actively recommended in the X "For You" feed. Often, the rumors were spread by account holders who had purchased "blue ticks," making them more visible.
As has often been the case in the past, many conspiracy theories start with quite legitimate questions during initial confusion. In this case, these questions were triggered by perceived security failures—understandably leading many users to wonder how this could happen.
The information vacuum was immediately filled with a wave of distrust, speculation, and disinformation.
"All of this looks very staged," said one post on X that received a million views. "No one in the crowd is running or panicking. No one in the crowd heard this shot. I don't believe this. I don't believe him."
The author of this account stated that he lives on the southwest coast of Ireland. Shortly after the post was published, X added a clarification that the shooting was real.
As more eyewitness accounts and footage from the rally and its vicinity emerged, panic and fear became more evident.
Conspiracy theorists received even more fodder after incredibly vivid photos from the scene were published. Notably, a now-famous photograph by Washington photographer Evan Vucci of the Associated Press, showing Trump with a bloodied face raising his fist in front of the American flag, went viral.
An American YouTube account claimed the photo looked "unrealistically perfect," noting that "the flag and everything else is just in perfect position."
A post on X with similar assertions gathered nearly a million views before its author deleted it. In a separate post, this person later emphasized the importance of correcting one's mistakes.
Others noted that when shots are fired, Trump raises his hand. They consider this proof that the assassination attempt was staged, despite no evidence to support this.
"Was this staged to gain support? These people can't be trusted for anything! And no, I won't be praying for him," wrote another American commentator.
Most of the viral posts, including this one, were authored by left-leaning users who often publish content against Trump. These accounts already had hundreds of thousands of followers and, consequently, a significant audience reach.
What's happening on X became a classic example of the spread of conspiracy theories, with proponents actively publishing fabrications that deny the reality of almost everything: the COVID-19 pandemic, various wars, incidents of mass shootings, and terrorist attacks.
One post's author, based in the U.S., frequently published baseless claims. He wrote: "This is the price you pay when you fight against the elite pedophile-satanists."
This is a direct reference to the well-known QAnon conspiracy theory, whose authors claim that Trump is secretly waging a war against the "deep state," a shadowy group of intelligence and law enforcement agencies hindering every step of the former president.
Without any real evidence, they asserted that the "order" to kill Trump "most likely came from the CIA," accusing Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Mike Pence of involvement. Although there is no proof to support this theory, the post amassed 4.7 million views.
Various unfounded rumors were also based on failed attempts to identify the shooter. Before the FBI announced that the shooter was 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, who was killed at the scene by Secret Service agents, post authors tarnished the reputations of several innocent people.
For example, football commentator Marco Violi reported on Instagram that he found completely false claims online about his involvement in the attack and alleged connections to Antifa (a group of mostly far-left activists). By the time he tried to refute these false accusations on Instagram, millions of users on X had already read them.
Political activists and supporters of various parties on X quickly began reading various posts within their own "information bubbles": the platform's algorithms recommended opinions with which they already agreed.
However, most users preferred to stay away from conspiracy theories and speculations.
The assassination attempt on Donald Trump became a test for the new X under Elon Musk's leadership—and it's difficult to conclude that the site passed this exam with flying colors.
Other social networks were not filled with fabrications to the same extent, but this may be due to their different target audiences and X's reputation as a platform known for political discussions.
X did not respond to BBC's request for comments.
Conclusion: The rapid spread of conspiracy theories and falsehoods following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump highlights the pervasive issue of disinformation on social media. While platform X, under Elon Musk's leadership, faced significant challenges in managing this flood of false narratives, the incident underscores the broader need for effective moderation and fact-checking to maintain a healthy informational ecosystem online.
