After Trump assassination attempt: Now the Left are agitated

After Trump attempt: Now the Left are wobbling

Theaterblood, False-Flag, and a Gigantic Staging: A few minutes after the shots on Ex-President Trump in Butler, conspiracy theories flooded the Net. They mainly come from the left and liberal spectrum. Experts observe a worrying development.

"It's all staged!" As the first Social Media posts of this kind are tipped in, Donald Trump is still on the stage of his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Blood is running down his right cheek. Chaos reigns in the small town - no one knows yet what exactly happened, let alone who shot from what motives. Yet, only a few minutes later, the hashtag "staged" (staged) floods the social media. The authors claim that the attack on Donald Trump is barely more than a giant conspiracy - they have found various indications for this.

Conspiracy theories surrounding political events are nothing new. In the USA, the right-wing QAnon movement, which believes in an elite group of pedophilic Satanists among the Democrats, often makes headlines. It is striking, however, that the myths surrounding the attack on Trump are mainly not from the right-wing spectrum. The current wave of conspiracy theories comes from "left and liberal 'resistance' members who believe that Trump is so desperate that he would fake his own assassination attempt to support his campaign", as QAnon expert Mike Rothschild summarizes in the "Washington Post".

"Trust your instincts. There are no limits to what Trump will do to secure the election in November", writes a user on X. A US-American actress, Amanda Seales, claims in a video: "This shit was better staged than a Tyler Perry production of Madea Runs for President. I've lived in Harlem long enough to know that gunshots don't sound like someone making popcorn on the stove." Another user called for "raising hands and posting if you think it was staged" - his post had already received tens of thousands of likes shortly after the attack. Many suspect a "False-Flag" action behind the shots on Trump. It was "staged by the Secret Service" - possibly "in connection with the Trump team".

"The Picture of the Decade"

There is no evidence or indications for such a conspiracy. On the contrary: The prominent attack on Trump during his speech at a campaign event means that there are many recordings of the incident. Videos show Trump touching his right ear and then ducking behind the speaker's podium, visibly injured. A now world-famous photo also shows the former President raising his fist to the sky shortly after the attack, his ear smeared with blood. With the help of the recordings, the attack by the authorities can be reconstructed almost minute by minute. Those who believe in a conspiracy, on the other hand, search the recordings for evidence of a grand staging.

"This is such a perfect photo that it's hard to believe it's not staged. The picture of the decade. Unbelievable", writes a user on X. "Too damn perfect", it is also said on YouTube. "The flag is perfectly positioned and everything." Many also doubt that it is real blood. Some claim to recognize theatrical make-up.

## "Trump Sacrifices His Bodyguards"

The fact that a person was killed and two were injured during the attack is also seen as part of the staging by some. "I can easily imagine that Trump sacrifices one of his bodyguards to make his 'attempted assassination' look more realistic and believable", wrote the democratic influencer "LakotaMan1" in a later deleted post to his over half a million X-followers.

Contributions around the hashtag "#staged" spread like wildfire on the platforms. Notable personalities soon joined the conspiracy theorists. So wrote Dmitri Mehlhorn, a political advisor to the democratic mega-donor Reid Hoffman, in an email to his followers, suggesting that "the possibility that this 'shooting' was encouraged and maybe even staged, so Trump could get the photos and profit from the reaction" should be considered. No one is willing to admit, so the Democrat, "that Trump and Putin set this goal". A few hours later, Mehlhorn retracted his statement, apologized, and emphasized the need to condemn violence.

Similarly, Shadi Bartsch, a professor at the University of Chicago, initially wrote on X, "I'm now a conspiracy theorist." The sight of Trump's bloodless hand, after he grabbed his 'shot' ear, convinced me. And there's no earlobe missing. I don't know what happened, but I don't believe the main story anymore." The post was later deleted.

BlueAnon on the March

Conspiracy theories emerge, as we know, in situations where people feel overwhelmed. The stories often provide a simple explanation in a complex, often difficult-to-penetrate situation. At the same time, they can also emerge "when people are not willing to accept developments that challenge their worldview", explains conspiracy theory expert Rothschild in the "Washington Post". Waning trust in the media and public institutions acts as a catalyst.

It comes as no surprise to experts and insiders that most of the staging claims now come from people who, according to their profiles, lean towards the left and left-liberal spectrum. For years, conspiracy myths have been more commonly associated with right-wing groups like the QAnon movement. However, a leftward shift has been observed in recent months. "The conspiratorial mindset has become increasingly pronounced in liberal circles in the past eight months," said Karl Folk, who studies authoritarianism and radicalization at the University of Minnesota.

"During this time, the timing of the rise should not be a coincidence. According to the report, there are noticeably more conspiracy theories surrounding Biden's presidential campaign, as per the BlueAnon movement. The term first appeared in 2021 - conservative users utilize it in social media to mock news they deem exaggerated. For instance, posts about the investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 US elections were labeled with the term BlueAnon. Now, in reference to the QAnon movement, it is used for liberal conspiracy theories - primarily for myths and denials spread by Biden supporters.

"The good-versus-evil paradigm of QAnon has infiltrated the anti-Trump movement," summarizes conspiracy expert Rothschild.

"Feels very much like Russian disinformation"

With the shootings at Trump, liberal conspiracy theories surrounding Biden's presidential campaign reached their peak. They were already noticeable a few weeks ago during the TV debate between the Democrat and Trump. After Biden's weak and heavily criticized performance, posts circulated claiming that he had been secretly drugged before the debate. Additionally, it was alleged that ABC News had manipulated Biden's audio and deliberately chosen a poor camera angle to make him appear weak. Chris Strider, an Emmy-nominated video producer, wrote after the debate, "This all feels very much like Russian disinformation. I can't prove anything, just a gut feeling."

Meanwhile, some of the posts, which mainly spread on X and Threads, were marked by the platform X with a note stating that the content does not correspond to the facts. Furthermore, a significant portion of the staging allegations are questionable, cryptic, or highly contradictory. However, the posts flooded the net as chaos reigned in Butler. The supposed explanations of the BlueAnon movement met a climate full of question marks. This apparently had an effect: "staged" was the fourth most searched term on Google in the hours after the shooting on Donald Trump.

In the context of the United States Presidency Election 2024, conspiracy theories surrounding Joe Biden's campaign have significantly increased, with the BlueAnon movement gaining traction. Following the assault on Donald Trump in Butler, many conspiracy theories emerged, with some claiming it was a staged event to support Trump's campaign. This shift in conspiracy theories from right-wing groups like QAnon to left-wing and liberal circles is noteworthy, according to experts.

During a heated debate between Trump and Biden, posts circulated claiming that Biden was secretly drugged before the debate and that ABC News manipulated his audio. These conspiracy theories, part of the BlueAnon movement, gained traction due to the climate of uncertainty following the shooting on Trump. Some of these posts were marked as false on social media platforms, but their impact was evident, with "staged" becoming the fourth most searched term on Google in the hours after Trump's assault.

As the United States Presidency Election 2024 approaches, the use of conspiracy theories, regardless of their source, could shape public perception and potentially influence voters. The worrying development of such theories, as observed by experts, highlights the need for critical analysis and fact-checking in the face of misinformation.