Donald Trump’s murder attempt during a political rally shook the United States, generating a wave of concern and debates about the polarization of the country. There were calls to the calm of both Republicans and Democrats and also the rest of the world leaders. But such a large episode inevitably generated a torrent of misinformation and conspiracy theories.
The initial unit response among the leaders was quickly eclipsed by speculation and misinformation campaigns that tried to manipulate the murder attempt to get political revenue in one direction or another. Through social networks and digital platforms, numerous conspiracy theories were disseminated that sought to build favorable or harmful narratives for the political actors involved. The main conspiracy theories were:
A plot of intelligence services
One of the speculations suggested that this episode could have been manufactured by intelligence services, not necessarily to discover the truth, but to build a story that benefit the government or a particular candidate. These types of speculation usually arise after great impact events, especially in a country with historical precedents such as the murders of Lincoln and Kennedy.
Biden gave the order
In social networks, an analysis was viralized with a statement by Joe Biden, in which he pronounced the phrase: “It is time to put Trump in the target”, which could be interpreted as an indirect call to the attack. Although these statements lack livelihoods, they illustrate how the words of political leaders can be misrepresented to feed conspiracy theories.
Trump’s double
Another theory that quickly popularized was that who was giving the rally was not really Trump, but a double sent as a security measure against possible threats. This idea was widely shared in networks, making another of the classic conspiracy theories be present, the doubles.
Handling images with artificial intelligence
The use of artificial intelligence to create false images also played an important role in misinformation. Manipulated photographs circulated that showed Trump with a hole in his jacket, hinting that he had been reached by a bullet, but that had come unharmed.
The shooter was sighted and the police did not act
Some rally attendees claimed to have seen a suspicious person on a nearby roof, which fit the identity of the shooter. Although they warned the authorities, they allegedly ignored the notices. There is no more confirmation about this fact that some pointed out as a deliberate plot or negligence.
Conspiranoia
The event was also a breeding ground for theories that mixed elements of classical conspiracy, such as the involvement of secret groups or political distraction strategies.
Trump’s murder attempt highlighted the political and social tensions of the United States and also the capacity of social networks and artificial intelligence to amplify misinformation in a context in which it is increasingly complicated to discern between truth and handling.