How conspiracy theories around the Donald Trump assassination attempt are being weaponised

But amid an absence of answers over how he was able to wound Donald Trump, killing a nearby spectator in the process, an online vacuum has been filled with a slew of disinformation, conspiracy theories and unsubstantiated speculation, stoking the flames of an already frenzied political climate.

The chaotic scenes in Pennsylvania were still playing out by the time the first wave of rumours started to spread online, quickly making their way from partisan echo chambers to mainstream social networks such as X. Minutes after the shooting, one account on the site suggested the events looked “very staged” and insisted no one in the crowd was running or panicking. That post, which has since been viewed more than 2.6 million times, was seized upon by those spinning a wider narrative that the attack was a ‘false flag’ operation waged by Trump’s own supporters.

At the same time, some at the opposite end of the political spectrum sought to assert their own interpretation on events, accusing President Joe Biden, or the CIA, of being behind the shooting. Such wild claims were even spread by serving US politicians, with Mike Collins, a Republican congressman, writing that “Joe Biden sent the orders” and referencing a comment Mr Biden had made last week about putting “Trump in a bullseye” in relation to their election campaign fight.

Others weaved an even more elaborate web, implicating the likes of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, or even the Chinese state, in the attempt on Mr Trump’s life. Several of the accounts which shared such conspiracy theories also referenced other disinformation linked to the QAnon conspiracy theories.

Several of the most specious claims focused on the Secret Service, which finds itself under unprecedented pressure over the security arrangements for the Trump rally. The agency moved to denounce claims that circulated on social media asserting the Trump campaign had asked for greater security in the build-up to Saturday’s rally, only to be rebuffed. Such assertions, said Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Secret Service, were “absolutely false”.

Elon Musk, the owner of X, went further, suggesting to his 190 million followers on the site the Secret Service response was either “deliberate” or the result of “extreme incompetence”. That claim, made entirely without evidence, has garnered almost 83 million views at the time of writing.

In a sign of how artificial intelligence is also aiding efforts to distort the truth, one fake photograph of Mr Trump onstage at the rally showed him alongside a Secret Service agent who appeared to be smiling. The amendment to the photograph was subtle, and even though it was quickly pointed out to be false, it shows the quest to separate fact from fiction is becoming increasingly difficult at a time of deep political division.