Trump firing: How all seven conspiracy theories were investigated
Within minutes of news of Donald Trump's firing breaking, conspiracy theories began to circulate online.
In the United States, the word "Staged" quickly became the top trending word on X (formerly Twitter), and millions of people have since questioned the authenticity of the event.
Social media analysis company Cybra found that 45 percent of profiles on X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok spreading the theory that Mr. Trump masterminded the shootings were fake accounts.
PeakMetrics, a firm that tracks online trends, said conspiracy theories accounted for 12 percent of all social media posts related to the shootings on Sunday.
Various theories were put forward by both left-wing and right-wing users, ranging from the shooting being a conspiracy to placing blame on the Democratic Party.
Various theories were put forward by both left-wing and right-wing users, ranging from the shooting being a conspiracy to placing blame on the Democratic Party.
Graham Brookie, senior director at the Forensic Research Lab, wrote: “In any rapidly evolving incident, the flow of false or unverified information is inevitably enormous, particularly on social media.
Shocking photos capturing the moments after Trump was shot have been analyzed by conspiracy theorists
So that there could be evidence of inconsistencies in them, which prove that the moment was dramatic.
The image of Trump with his fist raised in protest and blood flowing from his ear became a symbol of the attack, and was featured on the front pages of newspapers around the world.
However, a post on X, viewed nearly one million times, claimed the photo was "too perfect" to be true, and pointed out the apparent position of the American flag in the background and the complexity of its overall composition.