After Trump assassination attempt: Misinformation and antisemitic conspiracy theories spread like wildfire

Flood of claims shows social media has become news source for many people

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Within minutes of the news regarding the shooting at a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, wild theories and misinformation were shared online.

One rally attendee, former Fire Chief Corey Comperatore, was killed in the shooting, and two others were critically injured when former U.S. President Donald Trump was shot in the ear. The gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by Secret Service agents.

The barrage of speculations regarding the shooting demonstrates how important social media has become as a source of news for the international community. Among the reactions to the shooting were various conspiracy theories about who was ultimately responsible for the attack.

PeakMetrics, a company that tracks online narratives, told the Associated Press that mentions of Trump on social media soared up to 17 times the daily average in the hours after the shooting. While most of those were expressions of sympathy or shock and calls for unity, others were unfounded claims.

Several people shared their opinion that the attack was staged by Trump’s campaign team as a way to gain sympathy after several trials on different charges related to campaign financing and falsifying business records.

According to The Washington Post, Dmitri Mehlhorn, political advisor to Democratic donor Reid Hoffman, wrote an email late on Saturday asking his readers to consider the “possibility – which feels horrific and alien and absurd in America, but is quite common globally – … that this ‘shooting’ was encouraged and maybe even staged so Trump could get the photos and benefit from the backlash.”

Others claim the Republican Party carried out a “false flag” operation aimed at garnering support for Trump ahead of the Republican National Convention this week.

Some blamed external groups like the Chinese government for the shooting.

Others, such as right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, blamed the Democratic Party, or the “deep state.” Some posters on social media questioned why it took so long for the police and Secret Service officers to recognize and address the threat on Trump's life.

Video clips and images were shared online showing people reporting a gunman on the roof of a nearby building before the shooting occurred.

However, antisemitic groups and individuals quickly began to circulate claims that either Israel or “the Jews” were behind the shooting attack on Trump.

Several of these claims were collected by the Anti-Defamation League.

Conspiracy theorist Stew Peters posted a tweet claiming that Israel's foreign intelligence service Mossad was among “early suspects” for the attack, while Jon Minadeo, founder of the antisemitic Goyim Defense League, hosted a live session on 𝕏, called “Jews try to assassinate Trump.”

White supremacist Nick Fuentes claimed that Israel tried to eliminate Trump so they could replace him with a candidate who would “support Gaza/West Bank Annexation and expansion of the war into Lebanon and Iran.”