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A person is removed by state police from the stands after guns were fired at Republican candidate Donald Trump at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024.  Rebecca Droke, AFP

A person is removed by state police from the stands after guns were fired at Republican candidate Donald Trump at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. - The suspected shooter who wounded Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a rally is dead, US media reported Saturday, along with one bystander. (Photo by Rebecca DROKE / AFP)

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Donald Trump holds an election rally

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1721061649975AFP__20240714__36442TQ__v2__Preview__DonaldTrumpHoldsAnElectionRally.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="A person is removed by state police from the stands after guns were fired at Republican candidate Donald Trump at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024.  Rebecca Droke, AFP"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A person is removed by state police from the stands after guns were fired at Republican candidate Donald Trump at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024.  <em>Rebecca Droke, AFP</em></span></span></span>PARIS, France -- Barely minutes after the shots had rung out, the assassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump unleashed a firehose of contradictory conspiracy theories that highlight a highly polarized political landscape ahead of elections in November.</div><p>The 78-year-old was rushed off stage with blood streaked across his face after the shooting at a political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday that also killed a spectator and critically injured two others. Security forces shot the shooter dead.</p><p>Unsubstantiated claims that the shooting was &quot;staged&quot; and the blood was &quot;fake&quot;, as well as a doctored photo of his security detail smiling just moments after the incident are just some of the unfounded theories that flooded social media.</p><p>The stunning attack has supercharged political tensions -- and disinformation –- in an already divided nation ahead of the presidential election, analysts warn, with rampant speculation and conspiracy theories coming from both sides of the political aisle.</p><p>&quot;An event like this, in a moment like this, would fuel conspiracy theories&quot;, Julien Giry, from the University of Tours in France, told AFP.</p><p>&quot;The more images you have, the more opportunity you have to create an alternative discourse,&quot; he said, adding actors along the political spectrum would try to capitalize to &quot;shift the blame onto the opposing camp&quot;.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/7/14/what-we-know-trump-assassination-attempt-1644">What we know: Trump assassination attempt</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/7/14/trump-urges-americans-to-unite-after-assassination-attempt-2218">READ: Trump urges Americans to unite after assassination attempt</a></div><div><strong>-&#x27;No one is immune&#x27;-</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yi4_qLNOgiM?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>Claims of an inside job or a false flag operation spread quickly online, with social media users seeking to blame Trump or his Democratic opponent, President Joe Biden, for the attack.</p><p>Some on the left claimed the shooting was staged by Trump to gain political sympathy, while right-wing supporters of the former president suggested his Secret Service detail allowed the attack to happen on orders from the Biden White House.</p><p>Social media users also widely circulated photos of two individuals, falsely identifying them as the suspected shooter before authorities released the name of the alleged attacker.</p><p>Prominent Democratic strategist Dmitri Mehlhorn -- aide to billionaire Reid Hoffman -- had to apologize after suggesting the assassination attempt was staged.</p><p>&quot;No one is immune to conspiracy theories,&quot; Anthony Mansuy, an expert in US conspiracies, told AFP.</p><p>&quot;The ease of access to social media can galvanize individuals into believing that we&#x27;re all participating in the collective investigation,&quot; he added.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/7/14/biden-calls-for-unity-after-trump-wounded-at-rally-848">READ: Biden calls for unity after Trump wounded at rally</a></div><div><strong>- &#x27;Absolutely false&#x27;-</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ufy3Ue2ad_A?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>On the right, social media users shared a video of Trump&#x27;s security detail moving individuals away from the stage as proof of the unfounded claim that the assassination attempt was an &quot;inside job&quot;.</p><p>A digitally altered image shows Trump&#x27;s security detail grinning as they hurry the former president off stage, but a reverse image search found the original photo showing the guards not smiling.</p><p>The Secret Service on Sunday denied claims that it rejected a request for more security ahead of the rally as &quot;absolutely false&quot;.</p><p>&quot;In a situation like the attempted assassination, social media gives individuals a megaphone to blast out whatever unedited or unfiltered feelings or fringe theories they might have, and likeminded individuals enthusiastically consume it,&quot; Roy Gutterman, a Syracuse University professor, told AFP.</p><p>&quot;This certainly fuels a lot of the divisive political rhetoric of today, and it is likely also a result of it.&quot;</p><p>Giry said the assassination attempt will invigorate Trump&#x27;s supporters, &quot;giving credence to the fact that this is a man under threat&quot;, some of whom believe the so-called Deep State is behind the incident.</p><p>The &quot;Deep State&quot; is a popular belief in American far-right conspiracy circles, particularly the QAnon movement, claiming that there is a parallel secret state pulling the world&#x27;s strings for the benefit of private group interests.</p><p>Further accelerating the spread of misinformation, analysts say, many tech platforms recently scaled back content moderation -- seen by many in the divided country as a tool to censor conservative opinions.</p><p>Amid a deluge of posts, &quot;misinformation can go viral faster than ever,&quot;  Nora Benavidez, senior counsel at the watchdog Free Press, told AFP.</p><p>&quot;These elements create a perfect storm for lies, mislabeled content, misleading headlines to filter into our feeds. We must slow down, breathe, verify before sharing anything we see.&quot;</p><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-AR7Jwx5Q3w?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div>

<p>The stunning attack has supercharged political tensions -- and disinformation –- in an already divided nation ahead of the presidential election.</p>

The stunning attack has supercharged political tensions -- and disinformation –- in an already divided nation ahead of the presidential election.

Misinformation around Trump shooting lays bare US political fissures

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Misinformation around Trump shooting lays bare US political fissures

Agence France-Presse,

Erin Flanagan with Anuj Chopra in Washington

Published Jul 16, 2024 12:46 AM PHT

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