Conspiracy theorists have blamed President Joe Biden for an assassination attempt on Donald Trump and claimed that shots fired at the former President were “staged”.
Moments after Mr Trump was rushed off the stage at a campaign event in Butler after gunshots rang through the crowd, wild theories began to flood social media.
Mr Trump said on his Truth Social media platform that a bullet had “pierced” his ear before he was dragged to the ground by Secret Service agents.
One person at the rally was killed – former fire chief Corey Comperatore – and two other spectators were critically injured, authorities said.
The gunman, 20-year-old nursing home employee and registered Republican Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead by the Secret Service.
It was the most serious attempt to assassinate a US president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
But social media users have doubted the footage of the murder attempt.
“It looks very staged,” one post on X which racked up one million views said. “Nobody in the crowd is running or panicking. Nobody in the crowd heard an actual gun. I don’t trust it. I don’t trust him.”
Others added that the incident was set up so Mr Trump could get the photos and benefit from the backlash.
Another post described how a photo of Mr Trump defiantly holding up his fist with the American flag in the background was “too d*** perfect”.
Further posts have highlighted Mr Biden’s recent language about Mr Trump in the build-up to the US presidential election in November, particularly a reference to targeting Mr Trump.
Mr Biden reportedly said in a call to donors last week: “I have one job, and that’s to beat Donald Trump. I’m absolutely certain I’m the best person to be able to do that. So, we’re done talking about the debate. It’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.”
Many Trump supporters claimed on social media platforms that this was the Deep State plot trying to stop Mr Trump's return to the White House, with congressman Mike Collins from Georgia claiming that "Joe Biden sent the orders" to the assassin.
Actor Tim Robbins has also condemned conspiracy theories for drawing parallels between his film Bob Roberts and the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
The Shawshank Redemption star wrote, directed and starred in the 1992 political drama, which follows a conservative politician running for a US Senate seat in Pennsylvania as he stages a failed attempt on his life to increase his public support to win the election.
Mr Robbins shut down speculation, saying: “To anyone drawing a parallel between my film Bob Roberts and the attempted assassination of Trump, let’s be clear. What happened yesterday was a real attempt on a presidential candidate’s life.”
