Trump shooting: Why unfounded conspiracy theories are swirling online

In the wake of the attempted assassination of former United States president Donald Trump, many conspiracies are swirling online, with some convinced that outside sources orchestrated the shooting.

Video of Saturday’s shooting, which shows Trump raising his hand to his right ear at the sound of bullets and then quickly crouching behind his podium, was rapidly — almost instantaneously — dissected by social media users. Some claimed the images of Trump’s defiantly raised fist were proof that the presidential candidate staged the whole event, while others speculated that U.S. President Joe Biden was behind it.

As misinformation floods social media, Jacob Ware, a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, warned that the absence of clear information creates space for conspiracy theories to proliferate.

“This is not uncommon at all, that acts of violence, very frightening and serious moments like this are met almost immediately with a deluge of alternative explanations as people seek an answer,” he said.

Ware, the author of God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America, noted that while conspiracy theories and assassinations often go hand in hand, what surprises him this time is the spread of misinformation on the left.

“Usually we look at conspiracy theories on the right as being more significant. This time it seems to be conspiracy theories on the left (saying it’s) fake, staged. That was quite surprising,” he said.

Ware explained that while it is evident that actions on the security side went “catastrophically wrong,” many people will refuse to accept that. They believe that when something goes this wrong, there must be an explanation, some nefarious force at play. According to Ware, assassinations (and